News Detail
Injury rules Bale out of British Olympic squad
Tottenham Hotspur's Welsh winger Gareth Bale is set to miss out on a place in the Great Britain Olympic football team after suffering a back injury in training.
Bale, who turns 23 in July, is keen not to aggravate the problem further with the Olympic football tournament coming just before the start of the new Premier League season.
Spurs' opening Premier League game will be against Newcastle United on August 18 and, with that in mind, Bale is believed to have told GB Olympic team coach Stuart Pearce that he does not wish to be considered for selection.
Bale -- who this week signed a new four-year contract with Spurs -- had previously made little secret of his desire to represent GB at the Olympics, and last year risked the wrath of the Welsh FA by posing in a British Olympic team shirt without their permission.
The Welsh, Northern Irish and Scottish FAs have been vocal in their opposition to providing players to a British team since the Games were awarded to London, although the Welsh have long been resigned to a number of their players taking part.
Bale had been held up as a likely star turn for Team GB, and his absence will come as a further blow to fans already shocked by Pearce's controversial decision to omit former England captain David Beckham from his squad.
His absence means it will instead fall to Ryan Giggs and Craig Bellamy -- who along with Micah Richards are set to comprise the three over-age players in the squad -- to lead the Welsh contingent in Pearce's 18-man selection, which will be formally unveiled on Monday.
Team GB have been drawn in Group A at the London Games with Senegal, Uruguay and United Arab Emirates.
Pearce's side begin their campaign against Senegal at Old Trafford on July 26 before playing the UAE at Wembley on July 29 and Uruguay at the Millennium Stadium on August 1.
Highlights
-
Sharif seeks improved relations with Kabul
KABUL: Following his landslide victory in Pakistan’s parliamentary elections, Mian Nawaz Sharif on Sunday promised efforts at improving Islamabad-Kabul relations. In recent weeks, ties between.... READ MORE
-
Taliban free 4 of 8 Turkish engineers
KABUL: The Taliban have freed four of the Turkish engineers they had kidnapped last month in central Logar province, Afghan and Turkish officials said on Sunday. On April 21, the Taliban kidnapp.... READ MORE
-
MPs suggest rethink on Pakistan policy
KABUL: Members of the Meshrano Jirga -- or upper house of the parliament -- on Sunday said the incoming Pakistan government would not help Afghanistan and asked the Karzai administration to revie.... READ MORE
-
Karzai hopes new Pak govt to help fight terror
KABUL: President Hamid Karzai on Sunday telephoned Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) chief Mian Nawaz Sharif and congratulated him his “clear victory” in the elections. Karzai described Sharifâ.... READ MORE
-
Iranian guards’ fire being probed: Musazai
KABUL: The Foreign Ministry said it was dispatching a delegation to Iran on Sunday to investigate reported casualties among Afghans at the hands of Iranian guards near the shared border. At leas.... READ MORE
-
Balochs vow to resist aggression
KABUL: The Council of Baloch Elders of Afghanistan on Sunday voiced their support for the government in guarding the country's borders against Pakistani intrusions. At a meeting with President H.... READ MORE
-
Hundreds rally against Pakistan, Iran
FARAH CITY: Hundreds of people, mostly former jihadi leaders, on Sunday rallied against Pakistan and Iran, accusing the neighbouring countries of killing and torturing innocent Afghans. Nearly 5.... READ MORE
-
Abducted MDC workers shifted to Tirah
JALALABAD: The eleven employees of a mine-clearing organisation, who were abducted from the Achin district of Nangarhar province, have been taken to Pakistan’s northwestern Tirah Valley, offici.... READ MORE
Clippings
Iran and blame the victim game
Tehran is continuously interfering in Afghanistan and pressurizing Kabul under one pretext or the other. Iran’s meddling into our internal affairs while giving it name of concern as Tehran did it recently when its ambassa...
