Post by Taxigirl on Oct 25, 2005 8:38:11 GMT
www.sportinglife.com/football/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=soccer/05/10/25/SOCCER_Beckham_England.html
David Beckham will still be England captain at next summer's World Cup despite his weekend red card for Real Madrid.
Less than a month after becoming the first player in England history to be sent off twice - for two yellow card offences in the win over Austria at Old Trafford - the 31-year-old was sent packing in the surprise home defeat to Valencia on Sunday.
In a ridiculous display of petulance, Beckham was dismissed in the same manner as Manchester United's Wayne Rooney last month, for sarcastically applauding the referee following a caution.
The incident raised obvious question marks over Beckham's attitude ahead of the showpiece in Germany, when England's current crop hope to emulate their 1966 counterparts by lifting the Jules Rimet Trophy.
However, speaking at a charity dinner in Manchester, England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson said there was no chance of Beckham being replaced as captain.
"I don't have any problem with Beckham as captain," the Manchester Evening News report Eriksson as saying.
"I have not spoken to him about the dismissal. I don't know what happened but you do get sent off in football.
"He is going to be captain in Germany. These things happen in football, they always happen.
"It will always be like that in football. In other countries it is the same."
Given the way he has always stood by Beckham, Eriksson's comments could have been predicted, although the Swede did admit he warns his team before every match about the risks of having players sent off.
"My advice to all the players before every game is that we want to win but to finish the game with 11. It is much easier to win with 11 men."
David Beckham will still be England captain at next summer's World Cup despite his weekend red card for Real Madrid.
Less than a month after becoming the first player in England history to be sent off twice - for two yellow card offences in the win over Austria at Old Trafford - the 31-year-old was sent packing in the surprise home defeat to Valencia on Sunday.
In a ridiculous display of petulance, Beckham was dismissed in the same manner as Manchester United's Wayne Rooney last month, for sarcastically applauding the referee following a caution.
The incident raised obvious question marks over Beckham's attitude ahead of the showpiece in Germany, when England's current crop hope to emulate their 1966 counterparts by lifting the Jules Rimet Trophy.
However, speaking at a charity dinner in Manchester, England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson said there was no chance of Beckham being replaced as captain.
"I don't have any problem with Beckham as captain," the Manchester Evening News report Eriksson as saying.
"I have not spoken to him about the dismissal. I don't know what happened but you do get sent off in football.
"He is going to be captain in Germany. These things happen in football, they always happen.
"It will always be like that in football. In other countries it is the same."
Given the way he has always stood by Beckham, Eriksson's comments could have been predicted, although the Swede did admit he warns his team before every match about the risks of having players sent off.
"My advice to all the players before every game is that we want to win but to finish the game with 11. It is much easier to win with 11 men."