Edilson spoke up for the players when he said Scolari’s views could complicate things. “We all have active sex lives and it’s clear that 50 days without sex will not be easy,” he said.Leeds United’s Lucas Radebe has a last chance to prove his fitness for South Africa against Madagascar today. His return has been overshadowed by the spat between coach Jomo Sono and top technical adviser Gordon Igesund, whose club won the domestic league. Sono questioned Igesund’s ability because “his three different championship clubs have never beaten (Sono’s) Jomo Cosmos” Now we know where the Bafana Bafana nickname comes from. Its translation is Boys Boys.If this is how Costa Rica (Group C) and Ecuador (Group G) go about friendlies, one shudders to think what the main course will dish up.

Costa Rica this week slumped to a third recent defeat, 2-1 to Colombia, but female referee Clareth Jiminez booked 12 players and sent one off. Three players meanwhile were sent off in Ecuador’s 1-0 win over Yugoslavia. Other “friendlies” reverted to type: Germany trounced Kuwait 7-0 and Nigeria beat Kenya 3-0.While the FA’s website was jammed awaiting Sven’s announcement of his final 23 players, rivals Sweden were unfazed “There were no sensations. Our man in England, the former Malm?ach Roland Andersson, had already guessed the right 23 players a while ago,” coach Tommy Soderberg said.. Kieron Dyer, the 23-year-old Newcastle United midfield player whose inclusion in Sven Goran Eriksson’s England World Cup squad was confirmed on Thursday, was last night waiting to hear if an injury to his right knee suffered against Southampton had ended his chances of going to the finals in Japan and Korea. He was taken off on a stretcher and after the 3-1 defeat for his side the Newcastle manager, Bobby Robson, was furious that he could not immediately get through to the Football Association to discuss the situation.He said Dyer urgently needed a scan to discover whether the injury was to ligaments or cartilage.

If it proved to be a cartilage injury, Robson said it would “end Dyer’s hopes of going to the World Cup”.Dyer left Southampton’s new stadium on crutches and took a taxi to his home in Ipswich He will have the scan after joining up with England today. Robson said the only hopeful sign was that the swelling was not as bad as he had expected.Dyer, whose most recent England appearance against Paraguay was not outstanding, was nevertheless expected to play on the problem left side for England, where his pace and trickery could be a threat. His inclusion in the squad was a reward for his fightback after a series of injuries that at times this season seemed likely to cost him international recognition.Robson said: “He has a badly jarred knee and is obviously in pain He is now the FA’s responsibility as much as ours. He got brought down doing what he does best – getting behind defenders.

If it costs him his World Cup place it will be a very cruel blow.” Asked about the tackle, the manager said: “He got a red card, didn’t he? It was violent play.”Robson added: “Kieron’s a bit tearful and he’s in pain and it’s tender, so he’ll have a scan. I’m not pre-empting the situation, but he could have some knee ligament damage. He was going to Ipswich tonight to get his gear ready for assembling with the squad on Monday.”At Anfield, Dyer’s fellow midfielder Steven Gerrard was taken off midway through the first half of Liverpool’s 5-0 victory over Ipswich, but the damage may only be minor. Gerrard was said later to be suffering from a slight groin strain.England already have injury concerns over captain David Beckham, who is battling his way back to fitness after breaking a bone in his foot, and Nicky Butt, who has a knee injury.