Former England player Gascoigne arrested in drugs swoop

Photo: Reuters

Former England midfielder Paul Gascoigne spent the night in police custody after being arrested on suspicion of drugs offenses, police sources said on Friday.

Gascoigne, 43, was detained on suspicion of possessing a class A substance following a police search at a property in North Tyneside, north-east England.

The former Tottenham Hotspur and Lazio player is waiting to be sentenced in a separate incident. He was warned just days ago that he faced jail after admitting drink driving.

"A 43-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession of a class A drug," Northumbria Police said in a statement.

"A second man, aged 43, was later arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of drugs.

"Both men are still in custody and inquiries are on-going."

Gascoigne, whose personal problems including mental illness have been widely covered in the media since his retirement from the game, also played for Newcastle United, Middlesbrough and Rangers.

He famously cried after being booked in the 1990 World Cup semifinal against West Germany, a punishment which would have ruled him out of the final if England had won a match they eventually lost in a penalty shootout.

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Beckham eyes England return after Capello talks

Photo: Reuters

David Beckham believes he has a lifeline to resurrect his international career after having clear-the-air talks with England manager Fabio Capello.

Beckham's international career looked to be over when Capello said last month that he considered the 35-year-old too old for national selection but the public outcry caused the Italian to back-pedal on his comments.

The former England captain, insisting he had no plans to retire, said he had since spoken to Capello and was confident that he would be picked if his form is ensured.

"If you're performing and you're playing well then you have a chance of being in the squad," the midfielder told reporters after training with the Los Angeles Galaxy on Thursday.

"The thing about my situation now is just getting back on the field and getting back fit,” he added. “Then, what happens after that, we'll see."

Capello came under fire in Britain when he announced that he was no longer interested in picking Beckham even though he had not consulted the player before making the news public.

He was heavily criticized for his timing which came just hours after Beckham, who missed this year's World Cup in South Africa, because of injury, declared that he was fit enough to resume playing club soccer in the United States and excitedly talked about his unwavering dedication to the England's cause.

"Obviously it was a surprise at the time but I spoke to him shortly after that and he explained everything to me and it was brushed under the carpet, so to speak," Beckham said.

"He's always supported me, he's always looked after me in many ways and I've got the utmost respect for him.

"I think I've learned that I'm not ready to finish yet and how much I love the game.”

Beckham is still unsure about when he will make his return for the Galaxy. He had hoped to play as early as this weekend but may have to wait another week.

"The biggest thing is that I've been taken off the (injured) list now," he said.

"I'm back in now. I'm back in with the squad."

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Rooney in Switzerland for England qualifier

Wayne Rooney

Photo: AFP

Wayne Rooney travelled to Switzerland on Monday for England's Euro 2012 qualifier despite being engulfed by lurid tabloid reports about his private life.

The 24-year-old Manchester United star was reported to be distraught by weekend revelations detailing his liaisons with a prostitute while his wife was pregnant, but nevertheless remain in the squad for Tuesday's game.

Local media reports showed Rooney boarding the plane with his England team-mates as they left for Basel on Monday.

The Times newspaper reported earlier that manager Fabio Capello would make a series of checks on Rooney's state of mind before assessing whether he was in the right frame of mind to line up against the Swiss.

The newspaper cited unidentified sources as saying Rooney was "devastated" by the impact the reports had had on his family. The Daily Mirror reported wife Coleen as being "torn apart" by the revelations.

The Times reported sources within the England camp as saying that while Rooney had trained on Sunday, he had clearly been affected by the reports and distracted by his attempts to resolve the issue.

The turmoil surrounding England's best player has come at an inconvenient time for Capello, who had been left purring on Friday after Rooney played a starring role in his team's 4-0 defeat of Bulgaria in their Group G opener.

England midfielder James Milner declined to be drawn on his team-mate's state of mind but said the squad was firmly behind their talisman and wanted him to take to the field against Switzerland.

"I think you want the best players out on the field and he's obviously one of them. He showed that the other night," Milner said. "He's a top, top player and you want to put out the strongest team possible."

The Rooney revelations dominated both the front and back pages of British newspapers on Monday, with several commentators seizing on the affair as the explanation for the striker's poor performances at the World Cup.

Daily Mirror columnist Oliver Holt said Rooney's "knowledge and worry" about the impact the revelations would have on his family had been hanging over the striker in South Africa.

"It is the most convincing explanation for why the Wayne Rooney we saw in South Africa was so far removed from the player who has grown into England's most exciting talent since Paul Gascoigne," he wrote.

Other newspapers speculated that the affair would hamper the FA's attempts to find a new sponsor for the national team, with businesses wary of linking their brands to a squad of players involved in a series of sex scandals.

However Rooney received some good news on Monday when sponsor Nike confirmed they were standing by the player.

"We have worked with Wayne for seven years and he continues to be a Nike athlete," a spokesman for Nike said. "This is a private matter for Wayne and his family and we have no further comment to make at this time."

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England will win nothing with Capello: Mourinho

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho

Photo: Reuters

Jose Mourinho has insisted England will never win a major tournament while Fabio Capello is in charge of the national side.

Italian manager Capello has been under fire since England's wretched campaign at this year's World Cup in South Africa, where they exited the tournament at the last 16 stage.

"The problem is the manager," Mourinho told Wednesday's Daily Mirror.

"Capello will not work for England," added Mourinho, who won two English Premier League titles as manager of Chelsea and last season guided Italian giants Inter Milan to a domestic and Champions League treble.

Portuguese boss Mourinho is now in charge of Real Madrid, where Capello was once the manager.

And according to Mourinho, Capello's deficiencies are well remembered in the Spanish capital.

"He has a one-track relationship with players," Mourinho said. "Ask anyone here at Real Madrid.”

“He can't change, you cannot go around just shouting at players and they need to feel special.

"It is clear. Capello will not work for England,” he added.

“He does not know the players, they are frightened of him and they can't play for him.

"For me, it is a mess for England, players need clear tactics.”

"They cannot be confused about what they have to do," added Mourinho, known to remain close to several of the Chelsea players in the England squad, including John Terry and Frank Lampard.

"It is the manager's fault, and it is a big shame."

Capello also slammed Inter successor Rafael Benitez, saying the Spaniard's stewardship of Liverpool had seen the north-west club become a progressively weaker force in the English game.

"It is very difficult for Roy (Hodgson, the new Liverpool manager) to do it with Liverpool as, over the last few years, they have been getting worse, worse and worse," Mourinho said in the Daily Telegraph.

"The Liverpool of 2004 was better than the Liverpool of 2005, 2005 was better than 2006 and 2006 better than 2007,” he said.

"And they arrive at a situation now where, but for Jamie Carragher, Steven Gerrard, Pepe Reina, Fernando Torres, if his head is there, it is very difficult for Roy to make Liverpool champions.

"He needs time and it's not easy because I don't think they went in the right direction."

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Oracle octopus gets behind England's 2018 World Cup bid

Octopus Paul, better known as the so-called ''octopus oracle'' swims in front of a soccer ball in his tank at the Sea Life Aquarium in the western German city of Oberhausen July 9, 2010

Paul the oracle octopus has become an ambassador for England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup, officials said on Friday.

Paul, who spends his days in an aquarium in Germany, became a hit at the World Cup in June and July when he revealed an uncanny knack for predicting the outcome of matches.

The two-year-old creature, who was hatched at a Sea Life Center in Weymouth, England, has joined David Beckham, Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton and singer Sting among the bid ambassadors.

While Paul has officially retired from football punditry, his signing is a rare piece of good news for a bid which has suffered a stormy ride so far.

"After his success during South Africa 2010, Paul the Octopus is undoubtedly one of the biggest names in football so news of him becoming an official England 2018 Ambassador is tremendous for the Back the Bid campaign," fellow ambassador and former Liverpool and England player John Barnes said.

Paul will not be jumping tanks to support the bid, however, as he is settled in his aquarium in Germany.

During the World Cup in South Africa he became a celebrity when he correctly predicted the outcome of eight consecutive matches, including the final, by selecting food from boxes adorned with the national flags of the competing teams.

Paul's support is timely as FIFA's inspection committee is due in England next week to inspect the bid.

England's is one of five bids to host the 2018 tournament and one of eight bids to host the 2022 tournament. The hosts for both tournaments will be announced in Zurich in December.

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