The transfer window is closing fast. By midnight, if a club hasn't done a deal, it cannot get done until January. Usually there are several high-priced flurries, some of which surprise us. This time, it appears, the big names on the move have been predicted for weeks.But that doesn't mean there are not fascinating scenarios popping up all over the place.

Robinho, a complete bust at Manchester City, has gone to AC Milan, a club in real need of talent.

Javier Mascherano has whined his way out of Liverpool to Barcelona. Can't blame him for wanting to play for the best club team on the planet. But I hate him for the way he dumped his club and his contract to do it. Now he is saying he will tell the truth about Liverpool and how it treated him. Just get out of there Javier and keep your trap shut.

Probably the most surprising final-day move so far (as of this writing there are less than three hours to go) is Sunderland splashing out more than 13 million English pounds, an unheard of amount in this part of the country. Let's hope their scoring troubles are solved with the signing of Ghana's Asamoah Gyan. The man caught the eye at the World Cup. But has he ever had to wear shorts in North East England in mid December!

For my money, Birmingham may have come up with as good a bargain as anyone by landing Alexander Hleb, a man Arsenal should never have dumped and a man who, inexplicably, hardly played a game for Barcelona. He's strong, skillful and, coming for a season's loan with just a salary to be met has to be a bargain.

I intend giving my transfer seson Bests and Busts in my column on Saturday. Take a look and let me know your opinion.

So Nicolas Anelka, perennial bad boy of French soccer, keeps on being bad. What a surprise. The man who caused friction just about everywhere he went until he reached Chelsea was the guy who was thrown off the French team after a half-time outburst at his coach. He was sent home from South Africa and a bunch of his comrades got into trouble for organizing a training-session boycott.

Now Anelka has responded to an 18-game international ban by calling the French authorities a "bunch of clowns". But that's not the major headline for me. That came from Laurent Blanc, the poor sap who inherited the French team from Raymond Domenech, about as disfunctional soccer coach as anyone could find. Blanc has a tough enough time without the banning of three of his best players — including captain Patrice Evra who stars with Manchester United and Frank Ribery, Bayern Munich's very best player.

Blanc did not appear in public but his statement suggests this is a bad decision for French soccer which needs "all its trump cards" if it wants to get through Euro 2012 qualifying. Blanc said: "I had hoped that a the end of August I would have found an appeased situation and would have wished the South African chapter definitely closed. This is not the case and there's no point in arguing."

As I mentioned yesterday, the FFF is stuffed with stuffed shirts keener to look politifcally right than show vision for the future. I may not like how the French have played in recent years, but I have serious sympathy for Blanc.

Among a host of awful moments at the World Cup was the moment when Nicolas Anelka lit into France coach Raymond Domenech at halftime of a 2-0 loss to Mexico and was sent home. Then the entire 23-man squad came out in sympathy, refusing to train before losing 2-1 to South Africa.

The entire mess saw the end of Domenech, who was actually already doomed because the French FA had amazingly named Laurent Blanc to take his job long before the finals.  The French prime minister also got involved in what the country saw as a national disgrace.

Now the punishment has come down. Anelka has been suspended for 18 France games, former captain Patrice Evra for five, Franck Ribery for three and Jeremy Loulalan for one. I am sure Evra, Ribery and Loulalan will be back. But I would be astonished if Anelka ever agrees to pull on a France shirt again. I don't blame him.

The real villains here are the stuffed shirts of the French FA. Domenech had been a coaching flake for years with a dreadful record. Only the infamous Thierry Henry handball goal against Ireland squeezed France into the finals. Domenech should have been dumped long before that but the authorities refused to listen to anyone. So a man who had lost his dressingroom was allowed to stay in a job he could never handle.

Sometimes it's those in authority who don't deserve to keep their jobs after a debacle like this. But, as usual, it is the players who are getting it in the neck. Shame.

Asmir Begovic, the Bosnian born goalkeeper who spent much of his teenage years living in Edmonton and actually played for Canadian junior teams before surprising CSA authorities by opting to play for his country of birth, may be on the move again.

He spent several years bobbing around the lower reaches of English pro soccer — places like Ipswich and Yeovil — before earning a sometime first choice spot with Portsmouth. That club's financial woes left him a little vulnerable and he was thrilled when Stoke City bought him.

Now he may be on the move — this time as backup goalkeeper at Premier League champion Chelsea. Looks like Stoke doesn't want to lose him but he has talked about moving to London and it looks as if Chelsea will over something in the region of six million dollars.

Stay tuned.

Love them or hate them, vuvuzelas are providing the soundtrack to the 2010 World Cup.

Use this handy app to cheer your favourite team (and annoy your co-workers)

If you want to know which players will be sharing the thrill of representing their country in the World Cup finals starting in South Africa on June 11 and running for a month, here are provisional squads named by national coaches. They were able to pick 30 players. The number will have to be reduced to 23 by June 1.

This list will be completed as individual countries make their provisional choices.

IVORY COAST
Goalkeepers: Boubacar Barry (Lokeren/BEL), Aristide Zogbo (Maccabi Netanya/ISR), Vincent De Paul Angban (ASEC Mimosas/CIV), Daniel Yeboah (ASEC Mimosas/CIV)

Defenders: Kolo Toure (Manchester City/ENG), Emmanuel Eboue (Arsenal/ENG), Guy Demel (SV Hamburg/GER), Souleman Bamba (Hibernian/SCO), Benjamin Angoua Brou (Valenciennes/FRA), Arthur Boka (VfB Stuttgart/GER), Abdoulaye Meite (West Bromwich Albion/ENG), Siaka Tiene (Valenciennes/FRA), Steve Gohouri (Wigan Athletic/ENG)

Midfielders: Yaya Toure (FC Barcelona/ESP), Didier Zokora (Sevilla/ESP), Emmanuel Kone (Curtea Arges/ROM), Cheik Ismael Tiote (FC Twente/NED), Emerse Fae (Nice/FRA), Jean-Jacques Gosso Gosso (Monaco/FRA), Gilles Yapi Yapo (Young Boys/SUI), Kanga Akale (Lens/FRA), Romaric N’dri Koffi (Sevilla/ESP)

Strikers: Didier Drogba (Chelsea/ENG), Salomon Kalou (Chelsea/ENG), Bakari Kone (Marseille/FRA), Kader Keita (Galatasaray/TUR), Aruna Dindane (Portsmouth/ENG), Gervinho (Lille/FRA), Seydou Doumbia (Young Boys/SUI), Lassina Traore (Cluj/ROM)

ENGLAND
Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (Manchester City), David James (Portsmouth), Robert Green (West Ham).
Defenders: Leighton Baines (Everton), Jamie Carragher (Liverpool), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Michael Dawson (Tottenham), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester Utd.), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Ledley King (Tottenham), John Terry (Chelsea), Matthew Upson (West Ham), Stephen Warnock (Aston Villa).

Midfielders: Gareth Barry (Manchester City), Michael Carrick (Manchester Utd.), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Tom Huddlestone (Tottenham), Adam Johnson (Manchester City), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham), James Milner (Aston Villa), Scott Parker (West Ham), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Shaun Wright- Phillips (Manchester City).

Forwards: Darren Bent (Sunderland), Peter Crouch (Tottenham), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham), Emile Heskey (Aston Villa), Wayne Rooney (Manchester Utd.).

BRAZIL
Goalkeepers: Julio Cesar (Inter/ITA), Doni (Roma/ITA), Heurelho Gomes (Tottenham/ENG)
Defenders: Luisao (Benfica/POR), Lucio (Inter/ITA), Juan (Roma/ITA), Thiago Silva (AC Milan/ITA), Daniel Alves (Barcelona/ESP), Maicon (Inter/ITA), Michel Bastos (Lyon/FRA), Gilberto (Cruzeiro)

Midfielders: Gilberto Silva (Panathinaikos/GRE), Josue (Wolfsburg/GER), Elano (Galatasaray/TUR), Kaka (Real Madrid/ESP), Ramires (Benfica/POR), Felipe Melo (Juventus/ITA), Julio Baptista (Roma/ITA), Kleberson (Flamengo)

Forwards: Luis Fabiano (Sevilla/ESP), Nilmar (Villarreal/ESP), Grafite (Wolfsburg/GER), Robinho (Santos)

NETHERLANDS
Goalkeepers: Michel Vorm (FC Utrecht), Maarten Stekelenburg (Ajax), Sander Boschker (FC Twente)
Defenders: Vurnon Anita (Ajax), Khalid Boulahrouz (Stuttgart/GER), John Heitinga (Everton/ENG), Joris Mathijsen (Hamburg/GER), Andre Ooijer (PSV), Giovanni van Bronckhorst (Feyenoord), Gregory van der Wiel (Ajax), Ron Vlaar (Feyenoord), Edson Braafheid (Celtic/SCO)

Midfielders: Ibrahim Afellay (PSV), Orlando Engelaar (PSV), Nigel de Jong (Manchester City/ENG), Wesley Sneijder (Inter Milan/ITA), Stijn Schaars (AZ Alkmaar), Demy de Zeeuw (Ajax), Wout Brama (FC Twente), David Mendes da Silva (AZ Alkmaar), Mark van Bommel (Bayern Munich/GER), Rafael van der Vaart (Real Madrid/ESP)

Forwards: Ryan Babel (Liverpool/ENG), Eljero Elia (Hamburg/GER), Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (AC Milan/ITA), Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool/ENG), Robin van Persie (Arsenal/ENG), Otman Bakkal (PSV), Jeremain Lens (AZ Alkmaar), Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich/GER)

SLOVENIA
Goalkeepers: Samir Handanovic (Udinese/ITA), Jasmin Handanovic (Mantova/ITA), Aleksander Seliga (Sparta Rotterdam/NED), Jan Koprivec (Gallipoli/ITA)

Defenders: Bojan Jokic (Chievo/ITA), Marko Suler (Ghent/BEL), Bostjan Cesar (Grenoble/FRA), Branko Ilic (Lokomotiv Moscow/RUS), Matej Mavric Rozic (Koblenz/GER), Dejan Kelhar (CS Bruges/BEL), Elvedin Dzinic (Maribor), Miso Brecko (Cologne/GER), Aleksandar Rajcevic (Koper), Suad Filekovic (Maribor)

Midfielders: Andraz Kirm (Wisla/POL), Andrej Komac (Maccabi Tel Aviv/ISR), Rene Krhin (Inter Milan/ITA), Mirnes Sisic (Giannina/GRE), Darjan Matic (Rapid Bucharest/ROM), Dare Vrsic (Koper), Dalibor Stevanovic (Vitesse Arnhem/NED), Robert Koren (West Bromwich Albion/ENG), Aleksander Radosavljevic (Larissa/GRE), Valter Birsa (Auxerre/FRA)

Forwards: Milivoje Novakovic (Cologne/GER), Zlatko Dedic (VfL Bochum/GER), Zlatan Ljubijankic (Ghent/BEL), Nejc Pecnik (Nacional/POR), Miran Burgic (AIK Solna/SWE), Tim Matavz (FC Groningen/NED)

CAMEROON
Goalkeepers: Guy Roland N’Dy Assembe (Valenciennes), Idriss Carlos Kameni (Espanyol), Hamidou Souleymanou (Kayserispor), Patrick Tignyemb (Bloemfontein Celtic)

Defenders: Patrick Abouna (Astres Douala), Benoit Assou Ekotto (Tottenham Hotspur), Sebastien Bassong (Tottenham Hotspur), Gaetan Bong (Valenciennes), Aurelien Chedjou (Lille), Geremi (Ankaragucu), Boukar Makadji (Al Nahdha), Nicolas Nkoulou (Monaco), Rigobert Song (Trabzonspor)

Midfielders: Achille Emana (Real Betis), Enoh Eyong (Ajax Amsterdam), Jean Makoun (Olympique Lyon), Georges Mandjeck (Kaiserslautern), Joel Matip (Schalke 04), Patrick Mevoungou (Canon Yaounde), Marcel Ndjeng (Augsburg), Landry Nguemo (Celtic), Alexandre Song (Arsenal)

Forwards: Vincent Aboubakar (Coton Sport), Eric Choupo-Mating (Nuremburg), Paul Alo’o Efoulou (Nancy), Samuel Eto’o (Inter Milan), Mohamadou Idrissou (Freiburg), Dorge Kouemaha (Club Bruges), Achille Webo (Real Mallorca), Jacques Zoua (Basle)

ITALY
Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Morgan De Sanctis (Napoli), Federico Marchetti (Cagliari), Salvatore Sirigu (Palermo) Defenders: Salvatore Bocchetti (Genoa), Leonardo Bonucci (Bari), Fabio Cannavaro (Juventus), Mattia Cassani (Palermo), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Domenico Criscito (Genoa), Fabio Grosso (Juventus), Christian Maggio (Napoli), Gianluca Zambrotta (AC Milan). Midfielders: Mauro Camoranesi (Juventus), Antonio Candreva (Juventus), Andrea Cossu (Cagliari), Daniele De Rossi (AS Roma), Gennaro Gattuso (AC Milan), Claudio Marchisio (Juventus), Riccardo Montolivo (Fiorentina), Angelo Palombo (Sampdoria), Simone Pepe (Udinese), Andrea Pirlo (AC Milan). Forwards: Marco Borriello (AC Milan), Antonio Di Natale (Udinese), Alberto Gilardino (Fiorentina), Vincenzo Iaquinta (Juventus), Giampaolo Pazzini (Sampdoria), Fabio Quagliarella Napoli), Giuseppe Rossi (Villarreal).

SWITZERLAND
Goalkeepers: Diego Benaglio (Wolfsburg/GER), Johnny Leoni (Zurich/SUI), Marco Woelfli (Young Boys/SUI)
Defenders: Mario Eggimann (Hanover/GER), Stephane Grichting (Auxerre/FRA), Stephan Lichtsteiner (Lazio/ITA), Philippe Senderos (Arsenal/ENG), Christoph Spycher (Eintracht Frankfurt/GER), Steve Von Bergen (Hertha Berlin/GER), Reto Ziegler (Sampdoria/ITA)

Midfielders: Tranquillo Barnetta (Bayer Leverkusen/GER), Valon Behrami (West Ham/ENG), Gelson Fernandes (St Etienne/FRA), Benjamin Huggel (Basel/SUI), Goekhan Inler (Udinese/ITA), Marco Padalino (Sampdoria/ITA), Pirmin Schwegler (Eintracht Frankfurt/GER), Xherdan Shaqiri (Basel/SUI), Hakan Yakin (Lucerne/SUI)

Strikers: Eren Derdiyok (Bayer Leverkusen/GER), Alexander Frei (Basel/SUI), Blaise Nkufo (Twente/NED), Marco Streller (Basel/SUI)

Reserves: Fabio Coltorti (Racing Santander/ESP); Francois Affolter (Young Boys/SUI), Fabian Lustenberger (Hertha Berlin/GER), Albert Bunjaku (Nuremberg/GER), Nassim Ben Khalifa (Grasshopper/SUI), Valentin Stocker (Basel/SUI)

GREECE
Goalkeepers: Costas Halkias (PAOK), Alexandros Tzorvas (Panathinaikos), Michael Sifakis (Aris)
Defenders: Lukas Vyntra, Giorgos Seitaridis, Stergos Marinos and Nikos Spyropoulos (Panathinaikos), Vangelis Moras (Bologna/ITA), Avraam Papadopoulos, Giorgos Galitsios and Vasilis Torosidis (Olympiakos), Sotiris Kyrgiakos (Liverpool/ENG), Giorgos Tzavellas (Panionios), Stelios Malezas (PAOK), Socrates Papastathopoulos (Genoa/ITA), Costas Manolas (AEK)

Midfielders: Costas Katsouranis, Sotiris Ninis and Giorgos Karagounis (Panathinaikos), Christos Patsatzoglou (Omonia/CYR), Alexandros Tziolis (Siena/ITA), Grigoris Makos (AEK Athens), Sakis Prittas (Aris)

Forwards: Dimitris Salpingidis and Lazaros Christodoulopoulos (Panathinaikos), Fanis Gekas (Hertha Berlin/GER), Giorgos Samaras (Celtic/SCO), Angelos Haristeas (FC Nuremberg/GER), Pantelis Kapetanos (Steaua Bucharest/ROM), Kostas Mitroglou (Olympiakos)

NIGERIA
Goalkeepers: Vincent Enyeama (Hapoel Tel Aviv/ISR), Dele Aiyenugba (Bnei Yehuda/ISR), Austin Ejide (Hapoel Petah Tikva/ISR), Bassey Akpan (Bayelsa United)

Defenders: Taye Taiwo (Olympique Marseille/FRA), Elderson Echiejile (Rennes/FRA), Chidi Odiah (CSKA Moscow/RUS), Onyekachi Apam (OG Nice/FRA), Joseph Yobo (Everton/ENG), Daniel Shittu (Bolton Wanderers/ENG), Ayodele Adeleye (Sparta Rotterdam/NED), Rabiu Afolabi (SV Salzburg/AUS) and Terna Suswan (Lobi Stars)

Midfielders: Kalu Uche (Almeria/SPA), Dickson Etuhu (Fulham/ENG), Mikel Obi (Chelsea/ENG), Sani Kaita (Alaniya/RUS), Haruna Lukman (AS Monaco/FRA), Yusuf Ayila (Dynamo Kiev/UKR)

Strikers: Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Victor Anichebe (Everton/ENG), Chinedu Obasi (TSG Hoffenheim/GER), Nwankwo Kanu, John Utaka (Portsmouth/ENG), Obafemi Martins (Wolfsburg/GER), Brown Ideye (FC Sochaux/FRA), Peter Utaka (Odense Boldklub/DEN), Ikechukwu Uche (Real Zaragoza/SPA), Obinna Nsofor (Malaga/SPA), Osaze Odemwingie (Lokomotiv Moscow/RUS)

AUSTRALIA
Michael Beauchamp (Al-Jazira/UAE), Mark Bresciano (Palermo/ITA), Tim Cahill (Everton/ENG), Nick Carle (Crystal Palace/ENG), David Carney (FC Twente/NED), Scott Chipperfield (FC Basel/SUI), Jason Culina (Gold Coast Utd/AUS), Brett Emerton (Blackburn Rovers/ENG), Adam Federici (Reading/ENG), Eugene Galekovic (Adelaide Utd/AUS), Richard Garcia (Hull City/ENG), Vince Grella (Blackburn Rovers/ENG), James Holland (AZ Alkmaar/NED), Brett Holman (AZ Alkmaar/NED), Mile Jedinak (Antalyaspor Kulubu/TUR), Brad Jones (Middlesbrough/ENG), Josh Kennedy (Nagoya Grampus/JPN), Harry Kewell (Galatasaray/TUR), Shane Lowry (Aston Villa/ENG), Scott McDonald (Middlesbrough/ENG), Mark Milligan (JEF United/JPN), Craig Moore (no contract), Lucas Neill (Galatasaray/TUR), Jade North (Tromso/NOR), Tommy Oar (FC Utrecht/NED), Nikita Rukavytsya (FC Twente/NED), Mark Schwarzer (Fulham/ENG), Carl Valeri (US Sassuolo Calcio/ITA), Dario Vidosic (FC Nurnberg/GER), Luke Wilkshire (Dinamo Moscow/RUS), Rhys Williams (Middlesbrough/ENG)

URUGUAY
Goalkeepers: Fernando Muslera (Lazio/ITA), Juan Castillo (Deportivo Cali/COL), Martin Silva (Defensor)
Defenders: Diego Lugano (Fenerbahce/TUR), Diego Godin (Villarreal/ESP), Andres Scotti (Colo Colo/CHI), Jorge Fucile (Porto/POR), Martin Caceres (Juventus/ITA), Mauricio Victorino (Universidad de Chile/CHI)

Midfielders: Walter Gargano (Napoli/ITA), Egidio Arevalo Rios (Penarol), Sebastian Eguren (AIK Stockholm/SWE), Diego Perez (Monaco/FRA), Maximiliano Pereira (Benfica/POR), Alvaro Pereira (Porto/POR), Jorge Rodriguez (River Plate), Ignacio Gonzalez (Valencia/ESP), Nicolas Lodeiro (Ajax/NED), Alvaro Gonzalez (Nacional), Alvaro Fernandez (Universidad de Chile/CHI)

Strikers: Luis Suarez (Ajax/NED), Diego Forlan (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Sebastian Abreu (Botafogo/BRA), Edinson Cavani (Palermo/ITA), Sebastian Fernandez (Banfield/ARG), Jorge Martinez (Catania/ITA)

PORTUGAL
Goalkeepers: Eduardo (Sporting Braga), Daniel Fernandes (Iraklis/GRE), Beto (FC Porto).
Defenders: Miguel (Valencia/ESP), Paulo Ferreira (Chelsea/ENG), Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea/ENG), Bruno Alves (FC Porto), Rolando (FC Porto), Ricardo Costa (Lille/FRA), Ze Castro (Deportivo/ESP), Duda (Malaga/ESP), Fabio Coentrao (Benfica).

Midfielders: Pedro Mendes (Sporting Lisbon), Pepe (Real Madrid), Tiago (Atletico Madrid), Deco (Chelsea/ENG), Raul Meireles (FC Porto), Miguel Veloso (Sporting Lisbon).

Strikers: Simao (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Danny (Zenit/RUS), Liedson (Sporting Lisbon), Hugo Almeida (Werder Bremen/GER), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid/ESP), Nani (Manchester United/ENG).

DENMARK

Goalkeepers: Thomas Sorensen (Stoke City/ENG), Stefan Andersen (Brondby), Jesper Christiansen (FC Copenhagen), Kim Christensen (IFK Gothenburg/SWE).

Defenders: Daniel Agger (Liverpool/ENG), Simon Kjaer (Palermo/ITA), Per Kroldrup (Fiorentina/ITA), Lars Jacobsen (Blackburn/ENG), Simon Busk Poulsen (AZ Alkmaar/NED), William Kvist Jorgensen (FC Copenhagen), Patrick Mtiliga (Malaga/ESP).

Midfielders: Daniel Jensen (Werder Bremen/GER), Christian Poulsen (Juventus/ITA), Christian Eriksen (Ajax/NED), Jakob Poulsen (AGF), Martin Jorgensen (AGF), Michael Silberbauer (Utrecht/NED), Mikkel Beckmann (Randers), Thomas Enevoldsen (FC Groningen/NED), Thomas Kahlenberg (VfL Wolfsburg/GER), Dennis Rommedahl (Ajax/NED), Jesper Gronkjaer (FC Copenhagen), Michael Krohn-Dehli (Brondby).

Strikers: Jon Dahl Tomasson (Feyenoord/NED), Nicklas Bendtner (Arsenal/ENG), Soren Larsen (Duisburg/GER).
Reserves:
Anders Moller Christensen (OB), Leon Jensen (FC Midtjylland) , Mikkel Thygesen (FC Midtjylland), Morten Rasmussen (Celtic/SCO).

SPAIN
Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Jose Manuel Reina (Liverpool/ENG), Diego Lopez (Villarreal), David De Gea (Atletico Madrid), Victor Valdes (Barcelona).

Defenders: Raul Albiol, Sergio Ramos, Alvaro Arbeloa (all Real Madrid), Joan Capdevila (Villarreal), Gerard Pique, Carles Puyol (both Barcelona), Carlos Marchena (Valencia), Cesar Azpilicueta (Osasuna).

Midfielders: Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal/ENG), Sergio Busquets, Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta (all Barcelona), Marcos Senna (Villarreal), Javier Martinez (Athletic Bilbao), David Silva (Valencia).

Forwards: Daniel Guiza (Fenerbahce/TUR), Juan Manuel Mata, David Silva, David Villa (all Valencia), Alvaro Negredo, Jesus Navas (both Sevilla), Fernando Torres (Liverpool/ENG), Santiago Cazorla (Villarreal), Pedro Rodriguez (Barcelona), Fernando Llorente (Athletic de Bilbao).

JAPAN
Goalkeepers - Seigo Narazaki (Nagoya Grampus), Eiji Kawashima (Kawasaki Frontale), Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi (Jubilo Iwata)
Defenders - Yuji Nakazawa (Yokohama F-Marinos), Tulio (Nagoya Grampus), Yasuyuki Konno (FC Tokyo), Daiki Iwamasa (Kashima Antlers), Yuichi Komano (Jubilo Iwata), Yuto Nagatomo (FC Tokyo), Atsuto Uchida (Kashima Antlers)

Midfielders - Shunsuke Nakamura (Yokohama F-Marinos), Yasuhito Endo (Gamba Osaka), Kengo Nakamura (Kawasaki Frontale), Junichi Inamoto (Kawasaki Frontale), Yuki Abe (Urawa Reds), Makoto Hasebe (VfL Wolfsburg), Keisuke Honda (CSKA Moscow), Daisuke Matsui (Grenoble)

Forwards - Shinji Okazaki (Shimizu S-Pulse), Keiji Tamada (Nagoya Grampus), Yoshito Okubo (Vissel Kobe), Takayuki Morimoto (Catania), Kisho Yano (Albirex Niigata)

NEW ZEALAND
Goalkeepers: James Bannatyne (Team Wellington), Glen Moss (Melbourne Victory/AUS), Mark Paston (Wellington Phoenix),
Defenders: Andy Boyens (New York Red Bulls/USA), Tony Lochhead (Wellington Phoenix), Ryan Nelsen (Blackburn Rovers/ENG - captain), Winston Reid (FC Midtjylland/DEN), Ben Sigmund (Wellington Phoenix), Tommy Smith (Ipswich Town/ENG), Ivan Vicelich (Auckland City)

Midfielders: Andy Barron (Team Wellington), Leo Bertos (Wellington Phoenix), Tim Brown (Wellington Phoenix), Jeremy Christie (FC Tampa Bay Rowdies/USA), Aaron Clapham (Canterbury United), Simon Elliott (unattached), Michael McGlinchey (Motherwell), David Mulligan (unattached)

Strikers: Jeremy Brockie (Newcastle Jets/AUS), Rory Fallon (Plymouth Argyle/ENG), Chris Killen (Middlesbrough/ENG), Shane Smeltz (Gold Coast United/AUS), Chris Wood (West Bromwich Albion/ENG)

PARAGUAY
Goalkeepers: Justo Villar (Valladolid/ESP), Aldo Bobadilla (Deportivo Independiente de Medellin/COL), Diego Barreto (Cerro Porteno)

Defenders: Claudio Morel Rodriguez (Boca Juniors/ARG), Denis Caniza (Leon/MEX), Paulo da Silva (Sunderland/ENG), Dario Veron (Pumas UNAM/MEX), Julio Cesar Caceres (Atletico Mineiro/BRA), Julio Manzur (Tigres/ARG), Carlos Bonet (Olimpia), Aureliano Torres (San Lorenzo de Almagro/ARG), Marcos Caceres (Racing/ARG), Antolin Alcaraz (FC Bruges/BEL)

Midfielders: Edgar Barreto (Atalanta/ITA), Cristian Riveros (Cruz Azul/MEX), Osvaldo Martinez (Monterrey/MEX), Victor Caceres (Libertad), Enrique Vera (Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito/ECU), Jonathan Santana (Wolfsburg/GER), Sergio Aquino (Libertad), Eduardo Ledesma (Lanus/ARG), Nestor Ortigoza (Argentinos Juniors/ARG), Marcelo Estigarribia (Newell’s Old Boys/ARG)

Forwards: Roque Santa Cruz (Manchester City/ENG), Nelson Haedo Valdez (Borussia Dortmund/GER), Oscar Cardozo (Benfica/POR), Edgar Benitez (Toluca/MEX), Lucas Barrios (Borussia Dortmund/GER), Rodolfo Gamarra (Libertad), Jorge Achucarro (Newell’s Old Boys/ARG)

SOUTH AFRICA
Squad
Goalkeepers: Rowen Fernandez (Arminia Bielefeld/GER), Moeneeb Josephs (Orlando Pirates), Itumeleng Khune (Kaizer Chiefs), Shuaib Walters (Maritzburg Utd)

Defenders: Matthew Booth (Mamelodi Sundowns), Siboniso Gaxa (Mamelodi Sundowns), Innocent Mdledle (Mamelodi Sundowns), Bongani Khumalo (SuperSport Utd), Tsepo Masilela (Maccabi Haifa/ISR), Aaron Mokoena (Portsmouth/ENG, capt), Bryce Moon (PAOK/GRE), Anele Ngcongca (Racing Genk/BEL), Siyabonga Sangweni (Golden Arrows), Lucas Thwala (Pirates)

Midfielders: Franklin Cale (Sundowns), Surprise Moriri (Sundowns), Andile Jali (Pirates), Teko Modise (Pirates), Reneilwe Letsholonyane (Kaizer Chiefs), Siphiwe Tshabalala (Kaizer Chiefs), Lance Davids (Ajax Cape Town), Kagisho Dikgacoi (Fulham/ENG), Thanduyise Khuboni (Arrows), Steven Pienaar (Everton/ENG), Macbeth Sibaya (Rubin Kazan/RUS)

Strikers: Benni MaCarthy (West Ham/ENG), Katlego Mashego (Sundowns), Siyabonga Nomvete (Moroka Swallows), Bernard Parker (Twente/NED)

GHANA
Goalkeepers: Richard Kingson (Wigan Athletic/ENG), Daniel Agyei (Liberty Professionals), Stephen Ahorlu (Hearts of Lions), Stephen Adams (Aduana Stars)

Defenders: Samuel Inkoom (Basel/SUI), Eric Addo (Roda JC/NED), Jonathan Mensah (Granada/ESP), Lee Addy (Bechem Chelsea), Rahim Ayew (Zamalek/EGY), Hans Sarpei (Bayer Leverkusen/GER), John Mensah (Sunderland/ENG), Isaac Vorsah (Hoffenheim/GER), John Paintsil (Fulham/ENG)

Midfielders: Sulley Muntari (Inter Milan/ITA), Derek Boateng (Getafe/ESP), Anthony Annan (Rosenborg/NOR), Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu (Udinese/ITA), Kwadwo Asamoah (Udinese/ITA), Andre Ayew (Marseille/FRA), Michael Essien (Chelsea/ENG), Stephen Appiah (Bologna/ITA), Haminu Dramani (Lokomotiv Moscow/RUS), Quincy Owusu Abeyie (Al Sadd/QAT), Bernard Kumordzie (Panionios/GRE), Laryea Kingston (Hearts/SCO), Kevin-Prince Boateng (Portsmouth/ENG)

Strikers: Matthew Amoah (NAC Breda/NED) Asamoah Gyan (Rennes/FRA), Prince Tagoe (Hoffenheim/GER), Dominic Adiyiah (AC Milan/ITA)

ALGERIA
Goalkeepers: Fawzi Chaouchi (Entente Setif), Lounes Gaouaoui (ASO Chlef), Mbohi Rais Ouheb (Slavia Sofia, Bulgariua), Mohamed Amine Zemmamouche (Mouloudia Algiers)

Defenders: Habib Belaid (Boulogne-sur-Mer, France), Nadir Belhadj (Portsmouth, England), Madjid Bougherra (Rangers, Scotland), Rafik Halliche (Nacional, Portugal), Abdelkader Laifaoui (Entente Setif), Carl Medjani (Ajaccio, France), Djamel Mesbah (Lecce, Italy), Anthar Yahia (VfL Bochum, Germany)

Midfielders: Djamel Abdoun (Nantes, France), Riad Boudebouz (Sochaux, France), Adlane Guedioura (Wolverhampton Wanderers, England), Fouad Kadir (Valenciennes, France), Medhi Lacen (Racing Santander, Spain), Yazid Mansouri (FC Lorient, France), Mourad Meghni (Lazio, Italy), Hassan Yebda (Portsmouth, England), Karim Ziani (VfL Wolfsburg, Germany)

Forwards: Rafik Djebbour (AEK Athens, Greece), Abdelkader Ghezzal (Siena, Italy), Karim Matmour (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Rafik Saifi (Istres, France).

GERMANY
Goalkeeper: Manuel Neuer (Schalke 04), Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen), Hans-Joerg Butt (Bayern Munich)
Defender: Dennis Aogo (Hamburg) Jerome Boateng (Hamburg), Arne Friedrich (Hertha Berlin), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Per Mertesacker (Werder Bremen), Marcell Jansen (Hamburg), Serdar Tasci (VfB Stuttgart), Holger Badstuber (Bayern Munich), Heiko Westermann (Schalke 04), Andreas Beck (Hoffenheim)

Midfielder: Michael Ballack (Chelsea/ENG), Marko Marin, Mesut Oezil (both Werder Bremen), Piotr Trochowski (Hamburg), Sami Khedira, Christian Traesch (both VfB Stuttgart), Toni Kroos (Bayer Leverkusen), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich)

Forwards: Cacau (VfB Stuttgart), Mario Gomez, Miroslav Klose, Thomas Mueller (all Bayern Munich), Stefan Kiessling (Bayer Leverkusen), Lukas Podolski (Cologne)

When you are trying to win a World Cup, nothing should stand in the way, right? Preparation may not actually win you matches, but lack of it most certainly will lose them. This includes where you stay, who you can line up to play in pre-tournament friendlies, the food, the practice facilities, tactics, fvideo evidence on the opposition and on and on.

So though it may sound far fetched on the face of it, England coach Fabio Capello's plan to have his players sleeping in altitude tents just might be the difference between success and failure.

The England World Cup camp HQ is in Rustenburg, northern South Africa. This is a city that sits 4,920 feet above sea level, where there is no doubt it is more difficult to breathe. The team's first game — against the U.S. — is played there and although the next two games are at sea level in Jo'burg and Cape Town, there is every chance England will play more games at altitude.

Thinner air means that each breath carries less oxygen so you need to work harder to maintain supply. Less oxygen to the muscles means more fatigue. Players obviously don't want that, hence the altitude tent idea.

People are affected differently and it is those whose heart rate significantly increases who need help. England players have already been put through tests and the coaches know who is most likely to suffer.

So it looks like some players will take home tents — and the necessary pumping equipment — that fit over their beds.The experts say between three and four weeks sleeping in a tent will make the world of difference to stamina at higher altitudes.

And there is another benefit. Sleeping this way helps speed injury recovery. Ask Craig Bellamy. He has an altitude chamber at home both for injury recovery and fitness.

Nothing has gone right for Portsmouth this season. Bad owners, no owners, no wages, selling off the best, in administration, points deduction, demotion, league fines. It's a surprise the aged Fratton Park stadium hasn't collapsed, which would be extremely unfair on the fans who have been nothing but exceptional in exceptional circumstances.

The players haven't done too badly either - except for on the field!. For the most part they have all stuck to the task to the best of their abilities, played with no promise of getting paid and pulled together with remarkable fortitude. When the administrator was appointed, dozens and dozens of staff were dumped to save cash. The players then dipped into their pockets to save a bunch of those close to the team but at the bottom end of the staff scale.

Then they went and beat Spurs in the FA Cup semi. That's the Redknapp who deserted the club and took all the very best players with him. Actually, they may not have been the best seeing as how they weren't good enough to beat the Pompey pals they had abandoned.

It's hard to see how this ragtag heroes can beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final, but you can be assured they will run themselves dead in the attempt. Whatever the score there, they are hoping to win an off-field battle that would see them play in the Europa League next year. That seems to depend on the stuffed shirts at the English FA who are hinting at telling them to get lost.

Where's that English trait of backing the underdog gone? Come on guys, give these players who have proved the epitome of effort that is the stamp of English soccer just one reason to really smile.

Manchester United fans hate their American owners. Liverpool hate theirs.
The Glazer family have played tricky games with Manchester finances since they arrive and club debt has gone racing past $1 billion.

Tom Hicks and one-time Montreal Canadiens owner George Gillett are struggling so much with funding that Liverpool coach Rafa Benitez has apparently been told to make a net profit in the transfer window this summer.

Money moans are at such a level now that something unbelievable but true may be about to happern. Fans of the two clubs could get together and protest together against their American owners. The date could be at Old Trafford next month when the two clubs play one another. 

Man U fans are well ahead of Liverpool when it comes to innovative protesting. More and more of them are wearing green and gold scarves now as their way of making their owners understand how unhappy they are. Green and gold were the colors of the club when it was known as Newton Heath many, many, many decades ago.

This unholy fan alliance would be unprecedented in English soccer. It's something nobody could ever have predicted it is even being considered.

Trouble is, these type of protests don't work. Al least, that's the view of former Football Association chairman Keith Harris. He wants to buy the club and says raising the cash is the easy part. The tough part is persuading the Glazers to sell.

He suggests the only way is to hit them in the pockeybook. Don't go to games. He knows 10-minute protests at games is a fine gesture. But the Glazers won't budge until their wallets are considerably lightened. So, Harris says, don't go to games, abandoned Old Trafford until their is action.

As he told the media: "The Glazers are thick-skinned and seem impervious to protest. They will not be impervious to enormous drops in revenue."

Harris, who has adored Man U since he was tiny, has the financial credentials. After all, he is executive chairman of major investment bank Seymour Pierce.

I will never forget the day Gianfranco Zola scored for Chelsea against Watford. It may sound a pretty tame event to you but that goal typified the man. A low corner can whizzing into the box. Zola, racing towards the near post with defenders twice his size right beside him, overan the ball — or appeared to. But his right heel flash out behind him and the ball was in the net. Undefendably brilliant.

For Zola, life on the soccer field was almost always an unequal physical battle. So he developed his own remarkable style — twinkling feet and ghost-like positional play — and became a world-class striker.

This week, he showed his own off-field attacking stripes as the struggle to be the man who makes the decisions seemed to grinding him down. New owner David Sullivan chose the eve of a vital league game with Brimingham to announce to the world that the club was in financial trouble (tell me something I didn't know) and was asking players to take a pay cut. Perfect timing.

Zola pulled himself up to his full height, looked up and gave his boss a verbal rollicking. He said he didn't care what anyone thought; he wasn't afraid for his job and he was astonished at the timing of such a remark. Moreover, he couldn't understand why the man told a newspaper before he told the players or their coach.

Right on Gianfranco. You must be like me, wondering why the man who had shelled out all that cash for the club was undermining his players' confidence. Who does he think is responsible for keeping his club in the Premier League? And why does he think he'll get results by treating them so badly?

In the next breath he says Zola's job is 100% safe. I don't think this little genius cares and I am certainly not certain he will want the job if his boss pulls tricks like this. And I wouldn't blame him.

Sometimes, it is not the top clubs that make the headlines. Here are a few examples from the last few days.

1. Peterborough is bottom of the League Championship, nine points behind everyone else. It fired it's coach — he happens to be Alex Ferguson's son Darren — last November and has been in freefall ever since. The troubles have been publicly glossed over by chairman Darragh MacAnthony until now. Here's how he sees it. "The team spirit from the last two years has been nearly destroyed by greed, skullduggery, tapping up and disloyalty from within and this has all occurred over the last 120 days or so, non stop and is eating away at our inner core."

2. Speaking of Darren Ferguson, apart from suggestions he has been dragging former Peterborough players to his new club Preston, how about this for knowing people in high places? He has persuaded dad to let him have one of Man. U's top up-and-comers Danny Welbeck on loan and plans to go in for more young Manchester talent.

3. Remember Eric Cantona, who was a major man with Manchester United in the 1990s? He gave up soccer at the height of his career to try his luck in movies and on TV. Since then he has also produced a couple of plays. Now he really is about to put his acting ability on the line by taking a starring role on stage in Paris. I'm sure he expects yet another of those standing ovations that have been scattered through his life.

4. And a word of warning to parents who want to muscle in on their son's video game FIFA 2009. This boy's anonymous father started to offer advice on tactics. It developed into a row before the boy took a kitchen knife and stabbed dad in the neck. Dad's OK, son's under arrest and mom is left to tell us they had bought FIFA 2009 for the boy because they didn't want him playing violent videos.

It's not such a good time to be a Manchester United fan right now. Let me list the reasons why.

1. They are struggling to win. I know they are up the top of the Premiership with Chelsea and Arsenal. But injuries, a badly spluttering midfield and an attack that fires blanks too often make them look a pale imitation of themselves in recent years. (From a selfish point of view, Wayne Rooney will be totally exhausted by the time the World Cup comes around if he has to  take on all the attacking duties on his own).

2. They cannot deny Cristiano Ronaldo's departure has kicked them badly in the gut. And, judging by last night, Carlos Tevez should never have been allowed to leave. Is Alex Ferguson losing his grip?

3. Manchester City is starting to take away some of the glory from its cross-town rival. It has more money, a deeper squad and tremendous momentum.

4. Talking of money, the most bitter of blows came with the revelation that the club now owes $1.225 billion. I guess the Glazer family has done a pretty good job since it leveraged a massive amount of cash to buy a club that was financially comfortable. It bogglers the mind that probably the most popular sports club on the planet (Real Madrid is a close second here) is in such a financial stew.

5. And now, the club has become so paranoid about its image that it has banned any of its players to twitter or blog. As the club says: "Fans encountering any web pages purporting to be written by United players should treat them with extreme skepticism."         Now we won't get twittering from Rooney or Ryan Giggs or blogs from Rio Ferdinand. Pity.

I have come across something a little disturbing about our game. And, if you believe Ottawa's own Declan Hill's book The Fix ( sadly  I was skeptical but am now changing my mind) , soccer has something it really needs to deal with.

This week, Mali would have qualified for the second round of the African Nations Cup if Angola and Algeria had not finished their first-round game 0-0, which is what they did.

Accounts of the game do talk about how after half time both teams were heavily concentrating on not conceding a goal and on ignoring any effort to attack.

Boring was what spectators were calling it. Cheating was what officials from Mali were screaming.
Naturally, coaches from both Algeria and Angola were indignant about any accusation of collusion. And perhaps they have a point when they say they did what they needed to do to reach the second round.

But. if I was Mali, I would have been furious. Now that country has done all it can do. It has officially complained to the Confederation of African Football. Here's the quote.

"The second half of this game was a total non-match, the two sides systematically refusing to play in order to maintain the score at 0-0 which was sufficient for qualification," is how Mali Football Federation president Boubacar Thiam put it.

"This anti-sporting behaviour is contrary to the ethics and the fair-play policy put forward by FIFA and CAF must condemn it with the utmost vigour."

Sorry guys, whatever you might think, you will not win this. The Irish didn't win when they complained over the handball antics by Thierry Henry cost them a place in the World Cup finals. And that was on television for hundreds of millions of people to see.

By the way, in an upcoming Beautiful Game column I am going to revisit the question of cheating, bribery and fixing in the game. It really is disturbing.

Today is a nerve-wracking day for David Beckham.  But that's not unusual for soccer's most famous face.

He was nervous the first day he pulled a Manchester United first-team shirt over his teenage head. He was nervous when he faced the vitriolic tongue of his coach Alex Ferguson. He was nervous when he walked away from Manchester and into Real Madrid.

And he was nervous — any quite probably enraged — when he lost his job as England's captain and then his place in the team. He was nervous when he agreed to join the Los Angeles Galaxy as the front man for the future of American soccer.

Today he was most nervous of all. For the second winter in succession, Beckham has managed to persuade AC Milan to take him in on loan for three months. He did so in order to remain fit during the Galaxy offseason and to play at the top club level. He knew that if he did not England Fabio Capello would not take him to the World Cup this summer.

Today he is likely to be on the AC bench in its home game against Genoa, waiting to prove himself all over again. He must play extremely well to earn playing time and he knows if he doesn't his chances of playing for his country will be gone for ever.

He's not assured of playing time, hence the well-hidden apprehension. But he knows he must earn it and he's ready to do whatever it takes. "I'd be happy to play any role," he told the media. "Even in goal. I'm a versatile midfielder and this will help me in any position."

As Beckham prepares, one of his Galaxy teammates, will be taking in training for the first time with a Premier League club. Landon Donovan, America's top player, has landed a similar gig to Beckham. He's keeping match fit and playing at the highest level in a three-month stint with Everton.

Bad weather — that's a little snow! — put off Donovan's introduction to the English press on Monday. But he knows the pressure is on. His new club has been struggling this season and he is being touted as the attacking midfielder to turn the team around.

Donovan may be a star in Los Angeles, but he struggled last time he played for a European club — Bayern Munich. So, when he lands on the Everton bench — or maybe even a starter — against Arsenal next weekend, he will be just as nervous as Beckham — perhaps more.

We all know there has been mountains of money thrown at English Premier league clubs in the past year or two. It's hard to keep pace with new owners or how much they bought or sold a club for. However, one of them — Man City's very own Sheik Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan — may be going right over the top with his latest rumoured target.

His Highness, it appears, has been a good friend of Real Madrid president Florentino Perez for years and he is a firm Real fan. However, suggestions he is interested in buying what must be the most famous soccer club on earth is being knocked down by Perez and his club cohorts. "No truth in it", say some. "So-called interest and the existence of any offer to acquire Real Madrid are false," say others.

I think there would be a fully fledged Spanish riot if this were to happen and Perez would have to leave the country for good. Besides, who would be stupid enough to pay $1.495 billion for a sports club?

Unless, of course, it's His Highness.