Ferdinand ruled out of World Cup
England captain Rio Ferdinand was ruled out of the World Cup on Friday after injuring his knee in the team’s first full training session in South Africa. The 31-year-old center back sustained ligament damage to his left knee while defending against striker Emile Heskey at England’s training ground near Rustenburg a week before England’s opener against the United States in this northern South African city on June 12.
Scans showed that Ferdinand will be out for four to six weeks and his place in the squad will be taken by Tottenham defender Michael Dawson, while midfielder Steven Gerrard assumes the captaincy. “It is obviously bad news and everyone with the squad is very disappointed and sorry for Rio,” England coach Fabio Capello said. “It was an accidental injury in training, but had nothing to do with the pitch.”
It came at the end of another injury-restricted season for Ferdinand at Manchester United. Plagued by a long-standing back problem, the defender was restricted to just 12 starts for United. Matthew Upson or Ledley King, who has chronic knee problems, are likely to take Ferdinand’s starting spot in central defense alongside John Terry.
Dawson was cut from the preliminary 30-man squad on Tuesday but put on standby as a possible replacement for Ferdinand. Under Fifa rules, injured players can be replaced up to the day before the opening game. Another concern for Capello is the fitness of injury-prone goalkeeper David James, who was unable to train with his teammates at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Campus and had to work separately in the gym. James is competing for the starting spot with Robert Green and Joe Hart. — AP
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