England Team

Coach: Sven-Goran Eriksson

Star Players: Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard, John Terry

Tournament Best: Winners 1966

Last Time: Lost to Brazil in Quarter-finals

Qualifying: Top of European Group 6

Top Scorer In Qualifying: Frank Lampard 5


England go into this World Cup with a huge weight of expectation behind them, and it is easy to see why.

Sven Goran Eriksson has perhaps the best squad of players England has seen since Italia 90 and they will be expected to go at least as far as Bobby Robson's semi-finalists.

With Wayne Rooney in the side, anything is possible. He can be the one genius that any World Cup winning team needs.

In Ashley Cole, John Terry, Rio Ferdinand and Gary Neville, England boast the best defence in international football.

The only question marks are in midfield, where a lack of a holding player or any orthodox wingers means England give their defence little protection, and have no width.

Eriksson will have to come up with a plan B this time, and if things start to go wrong, he will have to know which of his squad players can make the difference.

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David beckham

7 David Beckham
Position: Midfielder
Born: 02.05.75
Club: Real Madrid

David Beckham will mark a decade in international football by leading out his country at Germany 2006. He is one of the most recognisable sportsmen in the world and will be the figurehead for England's quest for a first world crown in 40 years.

The Real Madrid midfielder fulfils many roles - icon, trademark, ambassador, celebrity - which matter little on the pitch. Beckham's critics suggest Sven-Goran Eriksson values these almost as much his skipper's footballing skills, but nevertheless, those skills are plentiful.

Creativity with commitment is the combination on which Beckham has built his reputation. Few can match his passing range, even less can deliver a ball with the deadly accuracy that has provided countless of England goals in recent years. And when the going gets tough, Beckham clearly relishes the fight, and his stamina levels remain formidable.

However, his desire to win has been known to develop into something of an appetite for destruction. A series of red cards for club and country in late 2005, and the struggle to calm another England hothead in Wayne Rooney, have increased the calls for a change in captaincy.

France 98 notoriously ended in disgrace for Beckham, while injury prevented him from showing his true class at Japan/Korea 2002. One hopes it will be third time lucky when football's biggest superstar appears in the 'greatest show on earth' once again.
Thnx to ITV.COM

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England Vs Pagaruai

England 1 : 0 Paraguai

These two teams have met just twice previously with England coming out on top both times.
· England are yet to concede a goal to Paraguay and have scored seven against the South American's.
· Captain and Centre back of Paraguay Carlos Gamarra went through all four of his country's games in the 1998 World Cup in France without committing a single foul.
· The 2006 World Cup will be Paraguay's seventh and the first time they have qualified for three in a row.
· Paraguay have made the second round in their last three World Cups, but have never managed to go any further.
· Paraguay are currently ranked 33rd in the FIFA World rankings, 23 places below England who are currently ranked 10th.
· English midfield man Frank Lampard was England's top goal scorer in qualification with five goals.
· England conceded just five goals in their ten qualifying games; only four teams in the entire European zone conceded fewer.
· In 18 qualifying games Paraguay both conceded and scored 23 goals.
· Paraguay's Jose Cardozo netted seven goals in qualification; in the South American zone only Brazil's Ronaldo found the back of the net more times.
· Michael Owen and Sol Campbell have played in all of England's games at the last two World Cups
· Michael Owen has scored in his last two World Cup Finals matches

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2006 FIFA World Cup™ and Congress at centre of discussions

2006 FIFA World Cup™ and Congress at centre of discussions

Munich, 03 June 2006 - A number of FIFA committees will be meeting in Munich between 3 and 5 June 2006, with the spotlight falling on the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ and the 56th FIFA Congress.

On 3 June, the Organising Committee for the FIFA World Cup™ will concentrate on last-minute preparations for the year’s main football event, dealing in particular with information on the opening of the tournament as well as various other issues.

The FIFA Executive Committee will meet on 4 and 5 June. The agenda for the meeting features a number of points, including the ratification of dates for the confederations’ competitions in 2007 and 2008 for inclusion in the coordinated international match calendar, updates on legal disputes that FIFA is currently involved in (e.g. G-14, Charleroi case) and a report on the most recent discussions between FIFA and the World Anti-Doping Agency. Also on the agenda is a proposal to amend the FIFA Statutes to allow the creation of a new, independent Ethics Committee, which would then be submitted to Congress for approval, as well as various other Congress-related matters.


Meeting programme:


Saturday, 03.06.2006
09.00 FIFA Finance Committee Bayerischer Hof
13.00 Organising Committee for the FIFA World Cup™ Bayerischer Hof
NEW: 16.00 Media conference Bayerischer Hof

Sunday, 04.06.2006
10.00 FIFA Executive Committee (part I) Bayerischer Hof

Monday, 05.06.2006
09.00 FIFA Executive Committee (part II) Bayerischer Hof
13.00 Media conference Bayerischer Hof

Wednesday, 07.06.2006
13.00-15.30 Opening of the 56th FIFA Congress ICM

Thursday, 08.06.2006
09.30-16.00 56th FIFA Congress ICM
15.00 (to be confirmed) Media conference ICM

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FIFA Organisation

The 56th FIFA Congress opens tomorrow at the ICM (International Congress Messe) in Munich and will be shown LIVE here on FIFA.com.

Proceedings will begin at 1pm CET on 7 June 2006 and resume at 9.30am the following morning, with a media conference to follow its conclusion at around 3pm.

Wednesday 07.06.06
13.00-15.30 Opening of the 56th FIFA Congress ICM

Thursday, 08.06.06
09.30-16.00 56th FIFA Congress ICM
15.00 (to be confirmed) Media conference ICM

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FIFA World Youth Championship 2005

The hosts Netherlands set the tournament alight again with a 3-0 win over Australia to clinch Group A. Drama in Group F where Brazil go top but Nigeria taste late, bitter defeat against Korea Republic. Colombia march on in Group E and Syria spring a surprise by beating Italy. Relive the fifth match day from the FIFA World Youth Championship Netherlands 2005 in photos

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David and Victoria Beckham hosted pre-World Cup party

David and Victoria Beckham hosted pre-World Cup party
On Sunday night the celebrity couple England soccer captain David Beckham and Victoria welcome celebrities to a pre-World Cup party. Among 350 celebrities guests list were included England striker Wayne Rooney, former England captain Alan Shearer, golfer Nick Faldo, models Kate Moss and Ellen McPherson and rock star Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon, all gathered in a huge garden of the Beckhams' mansion in Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire for the event.

Beckham's "Full Length and Fabulous" lavish party, which began with an aerobatics exhibition by four jets from The Blades air display team, was secured by the security guards who patrolled to prevent uninvited guests getting in.

Meanwhile, earlier this week a bidder won a pair of tickets to Beckham's pre-World Cup party after offering 103,000 GBP (193, 000 US dollars) in an Internet charity auction.

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