Beckham stunned after being left out of Team GB Olympic squad as Pearce chooses Richards, Giggs and Bellamy

David Beckham is stunned after being left out of the Great Britain Olympic football squad by Stuart Pearce.
The former England captain seemed to be certain to be part of the summer event but Micah Richards, Craig Bellamy and Ryan Giggs have been picked as the over-23 players in the 18-man squad.
Pearce called Beckham on Wednesday night to inform him of the decision, explaining that he had enough cover for midfield and he wanted to add experience to his defence.
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Shock: Only three of the players on the team are allowed to be over 23 years old

Big role: Beckham has played an instrumental part in the run-up to the games

BECKHAM'S OLYMPIC AID

2005 - Played a major part in Britain's successful bid for the Games
2008 - Appeared in the Beijing closing ceremony
2012 - Flew out to Greece to collect the Olympic Torch and carried it in Britain

The 37-year-old superstar, who currently plies his trade for MLS side LA Galaxy, played a massive role in Britain securing the games in 2005 and has stayed involved in a huge capacity since.
Beckham said on Thursday: 'Everyone knows how much playing for my country has always meant to me. So I would have been honoured to have been part of this unique Team GB squad.'
He added: 'Naturally I am very disappointed, but there will be no bigger supporter of the team than me. And like everyone, I will be hoping they can win the gold.
'As a Londoner, I will have been really proud to have played a small part in bringing the Olympics to my home town as part of Seb's [Coe] team, and I can't wait for the games to begin and enjoy every moment along with the rest of Great Britain.'
Beckham was included in Pearce's 35-man shortlist for the Games but has not made the final cut.

Watching: Stuart Pearce went to see Beckham in action before he made his decision

Beckham's relentless efforts on the Olympic front make his exclusion all the more surprising.
He accompanied the Olympic Flame from Athens to British soil and carried it in Cornwall after it was lit.
Beckham also took part in the closing ceremony at the 2008 Beijing Olympics as part of the London 2012 team, as he racked up the air miles.
He flew from his club in Los Angeles to London to play for England in a friendly against the Czech Republic, before then making it to Beijing for the show and then back to LA for training.
The British Olympic Association will also be surprised by the decision to leave Beckham out.

Curtain call: Beckham at the Beijing closing ceremony

But BOA chief Andy Hunt had previously stated Pearce has free reign to do as he pleases with the squad.
He said: 'Stuart Pearce will make a decision on the best squad available given where he is in respect of now having assessed the players that are not involved in the Euros and the current state of injuries. 
'He will then make the best call he can - on merit. I am not putting any pressure of him whatsoever to pick anyone. We discussed the whole topic of selecting over-23 players back more than a year ago but I haven't subsequently.

Effort: London 2012 sport ambassadors (from left) Beckham Sir Steven Redgrave and Denise Lewis

Delight: Beckham and his wife Victoria (left) leave the London 2012 celebration party after London won the Games in 2005

'We have been very clear from the outset, it's absolutely Stuart's choice and he is totally free to make the selection of the team he believes will put in the best performance. It's as simple as that.'
As a global superstar Beckham would have been a big pull for fans to come and watch Team GB at the games and get excited about the Olympic football - which is not normally a major pull.
Beckham is still expected to come to the Games in some aspect and may have a role to play at the opening ceremony.

Beckham could point out that he would have at least been match-fit while all the other players would be entering the tournament after the summer break.

Present and correct: Beckham has flown over the world to help the bid

Giggs and Bellamy were widely expected to be included but the call-up of Richards is also as much of a surprise as the Manchester City defender being left out of England's Euro 2012 squad - after which he refused to go on standby for the European Championship.
Other under-23 players who are almost certain to be confirmed by Pearce include Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey and Tottenham's Gareth Bale.
Manchester United had told the FA in May that they did not want any of their over-age players apart from Welsh winger Giggs to be considered for selection.
The club ruled out Pearce picking Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes and Jonny Evans for the Olympic tournament.
It means United players Tom Cleverley and Chris Smalling, who both missed Euro 2012 through injury, may be part of the Olympic squad

Sourced: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/olympics/article-2165930/David-Beckham-London-2012-Olympics-Team-GB-squad.html

Messi - Best yet to come

Lionel Messi believes he has a lot still to learn but says he never wants to lose his passion for the game and the day he stops enjoying football will be the day he retires.

Messi already sits among the pantheon of all-time greats but he maintains that his philosophy will always be to try and play in the right manner rather than focus on results.

He is proud to be part of a Barcelona team that shares his vision and, at the age of 24, is looking forward to keeping crowds entertained for many years to come.

"Football is a game. I'm trying to have fun on the pitch, always just to play. That's why I do it. The day I stop having fun is the day I retire," the Argentina superstar told The Times.

"I never want to lose that spark, that passion.

"Today teams are playing more statically, more for the final score than producing good football.

"For them it's more important to win than to play well. We need more players with passion coming up for the good of football."

Grateful

Messi appreciates everything Barcelona have done for him since he arrived at the club as a schoolboy but believes there is still room for improvement as both a player and a person.

"I am playing for one of the best teams in history," he said.

"I'm very grateful for everything I've been able to achieve, for the family I have, for the people who surround me.

"But I always believe better things will come, I want to grow and mature as a person. I still have so much to learn. I am the way I am at every moment. I am not playing a role.

"It makes it easier to be myself. I don't have to watch what I do. I just do what I do. And remember I am only 24 years old."

Terrible

While Messi says his enthusiasm for the game makes him the player he is, there have still been some painful moments in his career.

He admits he is still haunted by the penalty he missed in the UEFA Champions League semi-final againstChelsea last season, when Barcelona failed to press home their numerical advantage following John Terry's red card in the second leg.

"I felt terrible," he said. "Angry at myself because I knew that at that moment the whole tie was in my hands, but I can't do anything about it now.

"It's past but it was a very tough moment for me and I still think about it."

Sourced: http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11833/7837322/Messi-Best-yet-to-come

Nike's Twitter football advertising campaign banned

The UK's advertising watchdog has banned a Nike Twitter campaign in its original form.

The ruling follows tweets by Manchester United footballer Wayne Rooney and his Arsenal rival Jack Wilshere, posted at the request of the sportswear firm.

The Advertising Standards Authority said that the messages did not make clear they were "identifiable as marketing communications".

It marks the first time the ASA has acted against a Twitter-based campaign.

The authority said it had intervened after receiving a single complaint earlier this year about two tweets - one from each of the sportsmen posted to their personal accounts.

Wayne Rooney's tweet read: "My resolution - to start the year as a champion, and finish it as a champion...#makeitcount gonike.me/makeitcount".

Jack Wilshere had posted "In 2012, I will come back for my club - and be ready for my country gonike.me/Makeitcount".

Rooney has close to 4.8 million followers on his account. The offending tweet - posted on 1 January - has not been deleted.

Wilshere's account was suspended over a fortnight ago after he received personal abuse about an unrelated issue. A spokesman for Arsenal said its midfielder had about 1.3 million followers.

'New territory'

The ASA said the Nike mention in Jack Wilshere's post was "not prominent"

The complainant challenged whether the tweets were "obviously identifiable" as adverts.

Nike responded that the presence of its web address alongside a hashtag with its marketing campaign strapline distinguished the tweets from other personal posts by the players. It added that both sportsmen were well known for having being sponsored by the company.

But the ASA said the elements did not make the tweets "obviously identifiable" as adverts, bearing in mind that many Twitter users scroll through a variety of messages at speed. It added that not all of the social network's users would have been aware of the "make it count" campaign, or the footballers' relationship with Nike.

It suggested that in future firms should add #ad or some other clear indication that a message had been paid for.

"This is relatively new territory for us as a regulator," ASA spokesman Matt Wilson told the BBC.

"People are experimenting and using Twitter to reach consumers, but the same advertising rules apply. It's an ongoing process and this illustrates the care firms must take."

He added that the authority was "relatively relaxed" about the fact that Rooney's tweet had not yet been deleted, bearing in mind it was not at the top of his feed, but added that it expected it to be removed later.

Sourced:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18517668

Roy mulls over selection issues

Roy Hodgson admits he may find it difficult to make changes for Friday's Euro 2012 showdown with Sweden - but accepts tiredness force his hand.

At one point during the second-half of Monday's 1-1 draw with France, Scott Parker was bellowing "I'm okay" at the dug-out, even though it was obvious the Tottenham man had hit a physical wall.

Given Parker's lack of match sharpness following his late season Achilles problem and the enormous effort required to subdue France's invention in strength-sapping 31 degree heat, it was hardly a surprise he should succumb.

At 31, Parker is not in the first flush of youth and his central midfield partner Steven Gerrard is a year older.

Clearly, it is a fact that cannot be ignored, even if Kiev later this week promises to be significantly cooler than it was in the Donbass Arena.

However, after returning to England's Krakow HQ at 1.30am on Tuesday morning, and then undergoing a recovery session later in the day, England boss Hodgson realises after a battling display like yesterday's, telling someone they are dropped would not be a particularly easy task.

"I will have to assess the freshness of my team and see whether they are able to do that again," said Hodgson.

"My gut feeling, if we have a good recovery day on Tuesday, a sensible training day on Wednesday and sensible recovery day on Thursday, is that it will be very hard for me to leave people out.

"If we said 'we're going to give you a rest because it's too much to play two games in four days' some of them would have us up against the wall."

A more obvious way forward on Friday might be for Hodgson to keep a close eye on the time of his substitutions, particularly if England can establish a winning position, which is likely to mean a qualification showdown with Ukraine in Donetsk next Tuesday.

"Scott Parker and Steven Gerrard are both over 30 and had to work really hard," said Hodgson.

"But I'm sure I'm not going to be the only coach wondering 'can they do it every four days?' about their players. That is what tournament football is about.

"What we've got to make certain of, is that if they can't, or start to show signs of fatigue, that others are ready to go in and do exactly the same job."

As he spoke in the bowels of a fine stadium, the finer points of his team's performance might not have been apparent to Hodgson.

When he eventually got to analyse them, he would have seen they spent enormous periods of the game without the ball.

Partly this was due to the defensive solidity and adherence to team shape the new manager has demanded.

On too many occasions though, it was because England failed to respect possession, an age-old fault that will not be solved in the short period of time since Hodgson's appointment as Fabio Capello's successor.

"It's in the final third, isn't it?" said Hodgson, when asked which area he saw the potential for most improvement.

"Once or twice, especially in the first half, there were some very promising counter-attacks which broke down because we tried a one-touch pass to finish it off rather than taking an extra touch.

"The French were just the opposite. They don't play a lot of one-touch football around the penalty box.

"They take two or three touches, hold onto the ball and ask another question."

Watching from the stands, former England international Chris Waddle concluded the matter cannot be sorted until parents of the very youngest players are re-educated and guided away from the win-at-all-costs attitude.

Hodgson, with a four-year contract that runs until after Euro 2016, is not so pessimistic.

"Looking at France, you can expect a bit more from them when they get in the final third than I can expect from our players," he said.

"You've got to make allowances for the fact Ashley Young hasn't always played that position, and Danny Welbeck, who did really well, is only 21.

"The mood in the dressing room is exceptionally good because we have shown we can handle difficult conditions, against a France team of that quality, and come away with a good result."

And all that without suspended striker Wayne Rooney, who will return to face Ukraine expecting England to be still in the thick of a qualification battle.

"He is our real ace in the hole because he is very fit and raring to go," said Hodgson.

"If he can play like we know Wayne Rooney can, we're going to be a bit more difficult to beat.

"You can only benefit from having someone of his quality in your team."

sourced:http://www.teamtalk.com/euro2012/team/england/7809867/Roy-mulls-over-selection-issues

Shevchenko brace sinks Sweden

Andrei Shevchenko scored two second-half headers as hosts Ukraine moved top of Euro 2012 Group D with a 2-1 victory over Sweden in Kiev.

Sweden opened the scoring through Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the 53rd minute, but their lead was short-lived as Shevchenko sprang into action.

The Dynamo Kiev striker found the back of the net twice in seven minutes with headers to place the tournament debutants at the summit of Group D.

England, who drew 1-1 with France earlier on Monday, will have taken comfort from Sweden's unconvincing display ahead of their meeting on Friday.

There was little on show to concern Roy Hodgson's side, who will also have been encouraged by the vulnerability of the Ukrainians.

The first moment of real danger arrived in the 17th minute when Ibrahimovic floated in a superb cross that prompted the swift intervention of keeper Andriy Pyatov.

In the 23rd minute it was Sweden's turn to panic when Andriy Yarmolenko sent Shevchenko racing in on goal.

Even though he was shooting from a tight angle, Shevchenko should have done better with the chance but failed to connect cleanly with a shot that bobbled across the face of goal.

Andriy Voronin almost made contact with a long ball into the box as the Ukrainians, whose squad was struck by a bug last week, continued to press.

Sweden forced a save from Pyatov following Markus Rosenberg's turn and shot and a mazy run from Ibrahimovic ended when he was dispossessed by Oleg Gusev.

Keeper Andreas Isaksson kept out Andriy Yarmolenko as Ukraine went on the offensive, but moments later Sweden should have taken the lead.

Sebastian Larsson teed up Ibrahimovic with a wonderful cross but the unmarked AC Milan striker headed a glorious opportunity against the right post.

Ibrahimovic would not be denied in the 53rd minute, however, when he became the beneficiary of some poor defending from the hosts.

Kim Kallstrom nudged another fine cross from Larsson into the path of Ibrahimovic and the towering marksman made no mistake with the simple tap-in.

But three minutes later Ukraine were level, a fine diving header bringing Shevchenko his 47th international goal after Yarmolenko had made the initial inroads.

And in the 62nd minute Ukraine took the lead, with Shevchenko on target once more.

Gusev whipped in a corner to the near post that was met by the veteran former Chelsea striker, who took advantage of a static Ibrahimovic to nod home.

Pyatov looked far from convincing as he floundered to keep out a volley and follow-up header from Ibrahimovic.

Sweden substitute Johan Elmander should have rescued a late point but he blazed a one-on-one with the keeper over the crossbar and moments later defender Olof Mellberg, thrown forward in desperation, followed suit.

read more:

http://www.teamtalk.com/match/report/978/7807364/Shevchenko-brace-sinks-Sweden

Amazing Goal Lionel Messi! Argentina vs Brazil 4-3, June 9th, 2012

Messi showed again why he is one of the greatest footballer in the World. What a stunning goal to seal a hatrick.