Mexico’s coach ‘not happy’ with tie in World Cup opener
Reporting from Rustenburg, South Africa -- A day after playing South Africa to a 1-1 tie in its World Cup opener, Mexico went back to work Saturday on the practice fields at Waterstone College just outside Johannesburg. And though the workout took place behind closed doors, based on the mood of Mexican Coach Javier Aguirre following Friday’s surprising result, it probably wasn’t a pleasant practice.
“I’m not happy,” Aguirre said. “It’s obvious that we didn’t want a draw. We were superior with better positioning on the field and more possession. [But] we have to score goals, be effective.”
Still, Aguirre chastised critics who suggested Mexico’s World Cup is over after one match.
“There are three games in group play,” Aguirre said. “That’s the schedule.”
France and Uruguay, the other two countries in Group A, also played to a tie in their opener, meaning one win by Mexico in its final two games should qualify it for the second round.
Aguirre said he wouldn’t change Mexico’s aggressive, attacking style for its next game, against France on June 17, but he made no such promises about his lineup, which included 37-year-old Oscar Perez in goal against South Africa.
Biden meets with U.S. team
Vice President Joe Biden visited briefly with the U.S. team in the locker room about an hour before its opening-match tie with England, telling the team he was happy to be there and wishing the players luck.
Biden, who is wrapping up an African tour that also took him to Egypt and Kenya, met earlier with South African vice president Kgalema Motlanthe, who raised the possibility of the U.S. and South Africa meeting in the World Cup final.
“From your lips to God’s ears,” Biden replied.
Police send stern message
Days after journalists from Spain and Portugal were robbed at their hotel north of Johannesburg, two men convicted of the crime were sentenced to 15 years in jail, police said.
The robbers, who were armed, made off with laptop computers, mobile phones and cash, raising concerns over how safe World Cup visitors would be in a country with a high crime rate.
A pickpocket robbed an official with the Mexican team last week, and members of other visiting delegations have also been victimized, which is why South African police were quick to publicize Saturday’s convictions.
“The manner in which the investigation was conducted and finalized sends a stern message that our warnings to criminals were not empty threats,” Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa said.
Algerian wants more African coaches
Algeria Coach Rabah Saadane hopes that more African national teams will soon start working with coaches from the continent.
Africa is hosting its first World Cup but Saadane is the only coach from the continent among the tournament’s 32 teams. He says African football should “trust more on our own skills.”
Saadane said it’s advantageous for each team to be coached by someone “from the same cultural background and with the same mentality.”
Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Ivory Coast and host nation South Africa are the other African countries competing at the World Cup, but they are coached by Europeans and a Brazilian.
Gattuso to retire after Cup
Italian midfielder Gennaro Gattuso said he is retiring from the national team after the World Cup. The 32-year-old, coming off an injury-plagued season with AC Milan told reporters, “It’s only fair to cede space to players with more gas in their tanks.”
Times wire services contributed to this report.
