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Shearer threatened to skip World Cup

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Posted: Wednesday September 01, 1999 11:30 AM

Shearer (center) battles with Manchester United's Henning Berg (right) in English Premiership action Monday. AP

LONDON (Reuters) -- England captain Alan Shearer threatened to turn his back on the national team before the 1998 World Cup in France, according to former Football Association boss Graham Kelly.

Kelly alleged national manager Glenn Hoddle, fired after the World Cup, also made clear he was prepared to follow the Newcastle United striker out of the door if Shearer was charged over a bad tackle in a Premier League match.

"I found it quite staggering. And, frankly, it was childish behavior for the England captain to threaten to give up the job of captaining his country," he added.

"It lacked the maturity I had come to expect from him."

Kelly, who lost his job over a cash-for-votes furor surrounding England's 2006 World Cup bid, made the claims in the first installment of his book "Sweet FA" which the Sun newspaper began to serialize on Wednesday.

There was no immediate response from either Shearer or Hoddle.

Kelly said Shearer, capped 51 times by England and scorer of 24 international goals, had made his threat in April 1998 when a F.A. disciplinary committee was investigating him.

Shearer had been accused of intentionally kicking Leicester City's Neil Lennon in the face after being fouled in a Premier League match at Filbert Street that month.

The final verdict was "not proven," but Kelly revealed Shearer and Hoddle tried to persuade the FA to drop the charges.

"If I don't have the trust of my employers, I will not go to France and will consider leaving Newcastle and English football as well," Kelly quoted Shearer as saying to him in a telephone conversation.

Kelly said Hoddle backed Shearer and told him in May, the month before the World Cup kicked off, that his captain was serious about his threat to quit the squad.

"Glenn asked me whether I had spoken to Alan Shearer because the player was determined he would not go to France if he was charged," Kelly wrote.

"He then followed up with a double whammy as he went on to say: "If that happens, I will have to consider my own position.'"

Kelly questioned Shearer's inspirational abilities when things are not going well for the team and said he was not convinced that a side should be led by a striker.

"Shearer is a good captain when things are going well, but if he is not getting the service you can tell from his body language that he is not the most inspirational player to lead a side," wrote Kelly.

The comments added to a troubled season for the England captain, whose club has taken only one point from six matches.

Shearer did not see eye to eye with Ruud Gullit, who resigned as manager of Newcastle last week, and has been heavily criticized for his lackluster performances for club and country since ankle surgery at the start of last season.

England manager Kevin Keegan, who faces two Euro 2000 qualifiers over the next week, has decided to keep the player he signed in his time as Newcastle boss away from the media.

"I don't think the questions that will be asked will be of any benefit to Alan Shearer as an individual or to England," Keegan said. "I want him to focus on the job in hand, not on what is going on elsewhere."

Dundee manager wants Old Firm rivals out of league

Dundee manager Jocky Scott on Wednesday called for Rangers and Celtic to be expelled from the Scottish Premier League because they have become too strong.

Scott said the gap between the two Glasgow teams and the other eight clubs in Scotland's top division is now so big that it is killing competition.

Scott wants the Old Firm rivals -- whose 30 million pounds-plus (US$48.30 million) turnovers dwarf the rest of the budgets in the league -- to either move to the English premier league or a European league if that comes to fruition.

"It would be a better league without Rangers and Celtic," Scott said in an interview in the Daily Record, "And I believe if the Old Firm were no longer playing in the SPL, you would see a massive improvement in Scottish football."

The huge spending power available to Rangers and Celtic has caused greater fears than ever before of a two-club race for the title.

Already after just five games Rangers, champions for 10 of the last 11 seasons, have won all five and are seven points ahead of the third-placed side, Dundee United.

Celtic, who have 12 points from five games, are the only club likely to halt Rangers, thanks to an average attendance of 59,000 which helps fund their 17 million pounds (US$27.37 million) wage bill.

Scott, whose team is in sixth place with six points, said: "Rangers and Celtic get more than 50,000 fans to every home game and have huge [commercial] assets. No-one can compete with that. We are lucky to get a home crowd of 4,500.

"The other eight clubs in the SPL cannot seriously compete with the Old Firm. Rangers and Celtic are in the same division as us but they are in a different league.

"You get one-off shock results but no-one can compete with them over a season and this would be a better league without Celtic and Rangers -- it would be a real competition.

"I know it will never happen but I know there are many managers who agree with me."

Scott was assistant manager at Aberdeen, the last club to seriously challenge the Old Firm when they lost the title to Rangers in 1991 with a 2-0 defeat at Ibrox on the final day of the season.

Aberdeen were champions three times between 1980 and 1985, the last title not to be taken by either Rangers or Celtic, under the guidance of Alex Ferguson.

Dundee United also won the title in 1983. Dundee, however, were last crowned Scottish champions in 1961-62 but could not hang onto the players who went on to reach the European Cup semifinals.

Many other countries also have their league championship dominated by just two or three clubs, but few have such a small population base as Scotland, with only 5 million people, while containing clubs with the kind of financial muscle (joint turnover of around 70 million pounds) that the Old Firm rivals now possess.

While Rangers and Celtic have always dominated the domestic scene, in the past other clubs have been good enough to compete in Europe.

Kilmarnock reached the UEFA (Fairs) Cup semifinal in 1967, Dunfermline the Cup Winners Cup semifinal in 1969, Dundee United the European Cup semifinal in 1984 and UEFA Cup Final in 1987, while Aberdeen lifted the Cup Winners Cup in 1983.

These days, though, Scottish clubs rarely progress beyond the second round in European competition.

Injured Campbell out of England lineup

Tottenham Hotspur defender Sol Campbell was ruled out of England's two Euro 2000 qualifiers against Luxembourg and Poland after a medical on Wednesday.

Campbell has played only 27 minutes of league football this season because of a leg injury and never looked likely to figure in Saturday's match at Wembley or next week's game in Warsaw.

England manager Kevin Keegan had insisted the defender attend the squad training camp despite his injury.

Campbell is the third player to pull out of the England squad after club mate Darren Anderton and West Ham United defender Rio Ferdinand withdrew on Tuesday.

Keegan said Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman, who is recovering from a calf injury, remained doubtful for Saturday's game.

Juninho to return to Middlesbrough

Atletico Madrid confirmed on Wednesday that midfielder Juninho would return to Middlesbrough on loan for the rest of the season.

The Spanish first division club, which signed the Brazilian for $19.7 million from Boro in 1997, has been forced to settle for a loan deal after failing to reach agreement over a fee for a full transfer.

"The deal has been agreed," a spokeswoman for Atletico said on Wednesday. "Juninho will be going on loan this season and then Middlesbrough will have the option to buy him.

"The negotiations have been completed and an agreement will be signed this week."

Juninho will return to the Premier League as soon as Middlesbrough can sort out a work permit.

Middlesbrough manager Bryan Robson flew to the Spanish capital on Tuesday for six hours of talks with Atletico officials and Juninho's father and agent Osvaldo Giroldo.

Atletico president Jesus Gil said: "Juninho is a star and he couldn't spend all his time on the bench. This deal is good for Atletico because it sorts out a problem with one of our players."

Helmer loaned to Hertha Berlin

In Germany, veteran German defender Thomas Helmer on Wednesday joined Hertha Berlin on loan from Sunderland in England.

The move means the 34-year-old former Bayern Munich captain will qualify for Hertha's Champions League matches, the club said.

Hertha face AC Milan, Chelsea and Galatasaray in group H of the Champions League. Reut02:47 09-01-99

Yordanov to miss Sweden match

Key midfielder Ivailo Yordanov will miss Bulgaria's European championship qualifier against group five leaders Sweden on Saturday because of an ankle injury.

The Sporting Lisbon player, who also captains his country, suffered the injury in Bulgaria's friendly against the Ukraine two weeks ago.

Goalkeeper Dimitar Ivankov has the flu, but Bulgarian head coach Dimitar Dimitrov told a news conference on Wednesday the team doctor said he would be fit by Saturday.

Bulgaria, fourth in the five-team group, has no chance of reaching next year's finals, and Dimitrov said he was now trying to build a new team with an eye to the 2002 World Cup qualifiers.

Dimitrov, who was appointed head coach last September, said he had not decided whether to continue after his contract expired in October.

Wales midfielder to miss qualifier

Wales midfielder Robbie Savage will miss his country's Euro 2000 qualifier against Belarus in Minsk on Saturday due to a groin injury, and Leeds United youngster Matthew Jones will take his place.

A team spokesman said on Wednesday that the Leicester City player was injured in the 1-0 Premier League win over Watford on Monday and was ruled out after a medical at the team hotel.

Jones was promoted from the under-21 side.

Belarus will be without five key players for the match due to injury or suspension.

The two teams occupy the last two positions in group one, and although Wales retains a slim mathematical chance of finishing second in the group, both are playing for little more than pride. Wales beat 3-2 at home the first time they met last October.

Bosnia loses another player to injury

Bosnia coach Faruk Hadzibegic said on Wednesday injured Real Madrid forward Elvir Baljic would miss Saturday's Euro 2000 qualifier against Scotland.

The national team doctor said Baljic might recover from a knee injury in time but Hadzibegic told reporters he "did not want to take any risks."

"I bear the responsibility for the decision," he said, adding that the player has already flown back to Madrid.

Real Madrid doctors had said Baljic was unfit to appear in two matches for the national side, against Scotland and the Czech Republic on September 8.

Bosnia is already missing several key players, including Bayern Munich forward Hasan Salihamidzic and Borussia Dortmund defender Sead Kapetanovic.

Hadzibegic said he would announce the starting lineup for the Scotland match on Thursday.

 

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