Luiz Felipe Scolari admits Chelsea “gambled” by making him their new manager, but insists he will strive to repay the club by bringing world-class football to Stamford Bridge.

RATOMIR Dujkovic accused Slovakian referee Michel Lubos of bias as Ghana’s World Cup adventure came to an end.

Manchester United defender Laurent Blanc today blasted his former France team-mates as ‘‘just not good enough’’ after the defending champions crashed out of the World Cup without even scoring a goal.

Sven-Goran Eriksson brought Nicky Butt into the England side to face Argentina as he opted for a safety-first strategy amid an intensifying World Cup qualification struggle.

Munster flanker Denis Leamy insists there is little danger of Ireland repeating the failings of 2007 by being undercooked for the World Cup.

England’s hopes of staging the 2018 World Cup have been boosted at the very start of a four-day inspection of their bid, with FIFA president Sepp Blatter admitting it would be “easy” to stage the tournament in the country.

England have received a timely double boost ahead of their crucial World Cup clash against Samoa in Nantes next Saturday with Jonny Wilkinson and Olly Barkley both returning to the starting line-up.

England midfielder David Beckham last night equalled Bobby Moore’s record for caps by an outfield player – but he refuses to be compared to the country’s World Cup hero.

Senegal will draw on the spirit of the late Bruno Metsu, the maverick French coach who led them to the 2002 quarter-finals, when they face Poland today in their first World Cup match in 16 years.

Fly-half Paddy Jackson, centre Darren Cave and Chris Henry are the last men standing of Ulster’s Ireland World Cup contingent.

The IRFU has enlisted the aid of a cutting-edge healthcare company based in Cork to ensure its players are in top physical shape for next month’s World Cup.

The under-belly of South African society is unlikely to be given the spotlight over the next month, says Fiachra O Cionnaith.

THE New Zealand Rugby Football Union's (NZRFU) top two officials quit yesterday and its board offered New Zealanders an abject apology for losing the right to co-host next year's Rugby World Cup.

Switzerland 1 France 1

Daniel Sturridge would never go down the same route as Luis Suarez and handball a goalbound shot in a World Cup.

There’s a single-mindedness about Felix Jones’s approach to this Guinness Series and when you have been through the wringer with Ireland as he was three years ago, it is easy to understand why.

THE Football Association should offer to abandon their historic FIFA privileges in return for reform of the world governing body, according to the MP who blew the lid off the latest World Cup bribery scandal.

Argentina and Brazil have returned to the top of the FIFA world rankings after strong starts to their World Cup qualifying campaigns.