Week in, week out

Published on Sunday 6 December 2009 23:27

ENGLAND ARE OUT-PLAID Forty-three minutes. That's all it took for the 'Anyone But England' campaign to get underway in Scotland following the draw for next summer's World Cup finals.

At 4.10pm on Friday, the United States were drawn alongside England in Group C, to be followed soon after by Algeria and Slovenia.

Incredibly, at 4.53pm, we received an email on the Week In Week Out desk to let us know that a "unique tartan has been designed to honour the American World Cup team" so that Scots can support England's rivals when the tournament gets underway in South Africa in June.

Edinburgh-based Scotweb.co.uk claimed in a press release that "practically everyone has blood relatives" in the US, and added: "With the Tartan Army unfortunately stuck at home, the new tartan allows supporters to show their loyalty to the Three Lions' rivals. Like Argentina and Trinidad & Tobago before them, the US will likely receive the backing of the nation, as the Tartan Army shows a loyalty like no other to anyone England happens to be opposing."

So what's the tartan like? "The tongue-in-cheek design uses the red, white and blue of the US flag for inspiration," added the release, "and is based on the plaid famously worn by Mel Gibson in Braveheart."

It really makes up for Scotland not being in South Africa, doesn't it?

IMPORTANT MATTER RAISED

Sticking with the World Cup and England, the Football Association was yesterday forced to deny that Fabio Capello's men are considering taking Viagra to South Africa to help cope with playing at altitude.

A report over the weekend claimed England could take the anti-impotence drug to help improve their lung capacity, with the squad set to be based nearly 5,000 feet above sea level at Rustenburg. But an FA spokesman said: "The medical staff are conducting detailed research with a variety of experts ahead of next year's World Cup. However, there has been no discussion with regard to Viagra and certainly no plans for the players to take it in South Africa at the tournament."

DAN GETTING DESPERATE

Hearts are not the only ones who have been complaining about referees in recent days. Unirea Urziceni manager Dan Petrescu was sent to the stands for the third time this season in last week's 2-0 home win over Gloria Bistrita after losing the plot on the sidelines.

Petrescu is so incensed by the standard of officiating in Liga 1 that he is now threatening to take Unirea – Rangers' Champions League rivals – out of Romania. Although he hasn't yet explained where he's going to take them...

"It should have been 7-0 or 8-0 to us, but it wasn't because of this referee's performance," said an irate Petrescu. "Once again I was sent to the stand. They think they will make themselves famous by sending off Dan Petrescu.

"In Romania, our future is limited. We need foreign refs. We don't have this problem in European matches.

"We just want to be refereed properly. If not, the club and I will leave Romania and the only thing that would make me change my mind is foreign match officials."