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Knee injury forces King to quit England camp

Ledley King is thought to be seriously considering his international future after being forced to pull out of the England squad on Tuesday as a result of his chronic knee injury.

King did not take part in training at Arsenal's London Colney training complex on Tuesday morning and has since left the training camp and will not feature in either Saturday's friendly against Slovakia or next Wednesday's World Cup qualifier against Ukraine.

''Ledley King has returned to Spurs Lodge to continue his rehabilitation over the course of the international break, following discussions and assessments overnight by the medical staff of both the club and the England national team,'' said a statement released by the FA.

''It has been agreed by both parties that the best interests of the player are served by continuing his individual training programme at the club and he will play no further part in England's preparations or participate in the friendly against Slovakia or the World Cup qualifier against Ukraine.''

The Tottenham Hotspur captain does not train in between games and rarely plays more than once a week, keeping fit instead by weight lifting in the gym and arduous swimming sessions.

Such is the debilitating nature of 28-year-old King's injury that Spurs manager Harry Redknapp questioned Fabio Capello's decision to recall the defender to the England squad.

King was a surprise inclusion in Capello's squad, not least because if he were to play in both games he would almost certainly miss Spurs' next league game against Blackburn Rovers.

''Ledley hardly trains and has to be nursed through every week,'' Redknapp told The Sun. ''I really can't see the sense in this.

''It's pointless. If he plays against Ukraine there is no way he can play on Saturday against Blackburn.''

Reports in the Daily Star suggest that while King was exhilarated that his Spurs form had earned him an England call-up, but the reality of the situation has left him questioning whether he is physically capable of balancing the demands of club and international football.

King is hopeful that despite his frailty he will be offered a new contract at White Hart Lane and the end of the season when his current deal comes to an end.

On Tuesday, King was seen arriving with the England squad at Arsenal's London Colney training complex before departing ahead of the training session.

Meanwhile, England's only other injury worries concern Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips, who missed the session with a sore back, and Portsmouth striker Peter Crouch who has a tight calf and also sat out.

Both Wright-Phillips and Crouch are expected to make quick recoveries and to feature against Slovakia at Wembley on Saturday. ESPN


FIFA presses ahead with 6+5

FIFA will press ahead with plans to increase the number of home-grown players at clubs after a study said the idea was compatible with European law.

The 6+5 proposal, where clubs would have to field six players eligible for their league's national side, had stalled after European Union chiefs said it breached the bloc's strict rules on free movement of workers.

A legal study conducted by the Institute for European Affairs (INEA) has offered hope to FIFA.

"At least what we can say with the study is that our approach is not incompatible with European law," FIFA President Sepp Blatter told reporters on Friday after a meeting of the world governing body's executive committee.

"Can you imagine what would happen if all political entities in the world... made the same intervention in sports as the EU? There would be no international sports."

If the 6+5 idea is finally defeated, Blatter said the battle for its adoption would have fringe benefits.

"The autonomy of sport, this is the objective. The objective is not 6+5. Already you can see it more and more -- local players are playing for local clubs," he said.

As well as taking on the EU, FIFA is at loggerheads with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) over the whereabouts rule.

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Under the strict new requirements, athletes have to inform their national anti-doping authorities of their location for an hour every day.

"We thought with WADA everything was okay. But now we are a bit surprised by certain declarations by WADA that there will be no exceptions for any sports," Blatter said.

"It is not a question of not fighting doping, but one should not go in for witch-hunting as this has never had a good outcome."

FIFA wants the whereabouts rule to apply to teams and not individual players. It also says out-of-competition doping tests should take place at club training facilities and that players should not be tested during holidays.

Other issues discussed at the meeting included the FIFA financial report which showed the organisation increased revenues to $957 million (662 billion pounds) last year from 882 million in 2007.

FIFA is confident the global recession will not greatly impact the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, where ticket sales are going well. Confederations Cup sales for this June are struggling, however.

World Cup deadlines were also agreed. Players must be released between May 17-23, 2010 with a final list of 23 squad players named on June 1 ahead of the first match on June 11.

Injured players can be replaced 24 hours before the kick off of their first match and replacements will not have to come from a preliminary 30-man squad announced by May 11.

The protection of minors, specifically stopping under-18 players from being transferred, was discussed and will be on the agenda again at the FIFA Congress in Nassau in June.

Delegates in Nassau will also decide if Olympic soccer tournaments remain under-23 or become under-21 competitions. Reuters