England avoids fans on return
Source: Agencies |
June 30, 2010, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
ENGLAND'S beaten and beleaguered World Cup players made a sullen and silent dawn return to London yesterday, dodging waiting fans as the storm of criticism at their early exit continued.
Former captain David Beckham, ruled out of the tournament in South Africa by injury, led the squad off the plane after they arrived at London's Heathrow airport at around 5.20am local time.
England was sent packing on Sunday after Germany's 4-1 trouncing in Bloemfontein, its worst World Cup defeat.
There were few smiles as players, who had been among the tournament favorites but went out in the second round, were escorted to a private terminal away from the waiting media and without having to face any returning fans.
Few will have wanted to read the headlines anyway, with the Sun newspaper making its feelings clear about the nation's "football flops" with a mock weather forecast on the front page after a weekend heatwave in Britain.
"Sunny outlook in many areas but depression over Heathrow as shower drifts in from South Africa," it declared.
With England's involvement in the tournament at an end, attention turned to the future of manager Fabio Capello.
The Italian, who said on Monday he wanted to stay on, has blamed fatigue after a long and intense Premier League season without a winter break for his players' poor showing.
"All of the English players arrived really tired at this competition," he told reporters in Rustenburg. "I spoke to all our coaches and they all told me that in their physical and mental situation, they were not like the players that we know.
"When I chose the players for the World Cup, it was after I followed them all for a long time. I decided to go with the players who finished the season best," Capello said. "I don't know how many players were fresher than the ones picked."
Former captain David Beckham, ruled out of the tournament in South Africa by injury, led the squad off the plane after they arrived at London's Heathrow airport at around 5.20am local time.
England was sent packing on Sunday after Germany's 4-1 trouncing in Bloemfontein, its worst World Cup defeat.
There were few smiles as players, who had been among the tournament favorites but went out in the second round, were escorted to a private terminal away from the waiting media and without having to face any returning fans.
Few will have wanted to read the headlines anyway, with the Sun newspaper making its feelings clear about the nation's "football flops" with a mock weather forecast on the front page after a weekend heatwave in Britain.
"Sunny outlook in many areas but depression over Heathrow as shower drifts in from South Africa," it declared.
With England's involvement in the tournament at an end, attention turned to the future of manager Fabio Capello.
The Italian, who said on Monday he wanted to stay on, has blamed fatigue after a long and intense Premier League season without a winter break for his players' poor showing.
"All of the English players arrived really tired at this competition," he told reporters in Rustenburg. "I spoke to all our coaches and they all told me that in their physical and mental situation, they were not like the players that we know.
"When I chose the players for the World Cup, it was after I followed them all for a long time. I decided to go with the players who finished the season best," Capello said. "I don't know how many players were fresher than the ones picked."
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