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English referee Graham Poll might not have officiated his last match at the World Cup.

June 25, 2006 12:00 AM IST

4 min read

BERLIN: English referee Graham Poll might not have officiated his last match at the World Cup. Poll8217;s technical blunder of issuing three yellow cards to one player in a match could have forced a replay of the 2-2 draw between Australia and Croatia if either team had protested the result. FIFA communications director Markus Siegler said in a statement: 8220;The experienced official is disappointed at having committed the error, the first such mistake in his 26-year career.8217;8217; The referees committee also noted the fact that none of the other match officials picked up on the error.

8216;Stay away from soccer8217;

ROME: While most Italians will be glued to the first knock-out match of their World Cup campaign on Monday, officials counting votes in a national referendum have been told to keep their eyes off the TV and on the ballots. Ballots close at 3 pm on Monday in a referendum on constitutional reforms that has held far less fascination for Italians than their team8217;s progress in Germany. 8220;Shortly after, at 5 pm, The Italy-Australia match will start, creating a delicate overlap,8221; the Interior Ministry said in a statement, adding that it had sent a 8220;courteous but firm8221; message to election officials to ensure they get on with the job.

A wedding break

MUNICH: Franz Beckenbauer took time out from his busy schedule running the World Cup to get married in a clandestine ceremony in the Austrian Alps. The head of Germany8217;s organising committee, who has been in perpetual motion on a helicopter to attend up to three matches a day, exchanged vows in a private ceremony in a small Austrian village near Kitzbuehel, Bild newspaper reported on Saturday. 8220;It was supposed to be a day for just us without any stress. No one expected us to get married in the middle of the World Cup,8221; said Beckenbauer, 60, who has two children with the new Mrs. Beckenbauer, formerly known as Heidi Burmester, 39.

Senderos to miss out

COLOGNE: Switzerland defender Philippe Senderos will miss the rest of the World Cup after dislocating his shoulder in Friday8217;s win over South Korea, team officials said on Saturday. Doctor Rudolf Roeder said Senderos had suffered ligament damage in the incident. 8220;He will be out for a minimum of two weeks. There is a 50 percent chance he will require an operation but the most important thing is rest for now,8221; Roeder said.

Robinho injured

BERGISCH GLADBACH: Brazil striker Robinho ended training early on Saturday after suffering a twinge in his right thigh, team doctor Jose Luis Runco said. Robinho was seen to clutch his thigh during shooting practice. 8220;Robinho felt a twinge in the front of his right thigh,8221; Runco said. 8220;He is undergoing ice treatment, we will wait and see. If necessary we will ask for tests, and if he still has pain tomorrow we will hold him back.8221;

Zizou likely to lead France

HAMELN: Zinedine Zidane is likely to be captain again when France plays Spain on Tuesday in the second round of the World Cup. France coach Raymond Domenech hinted that Zidane would reclaim the captain8217;s armband from Patrick Vieira despite the midfielder8217;s outstanding match in Friday8217;s 2-0 win over Togo. 8220;The captain8217;s armband is not given to the best player,8221; Domenech said. 8220;The armband has a different function to that. I am happy Pat did well. But the Spain match will be different.8221;

Sami Al Jaber retires

Kaiserslautern: Veteran Saudi Arabia striker Sami al-Jaber who has earned 163 caps and played 44 goals for his country announced his retirement from international football yesterday. The 33-year-old was made skipper for the day, but was unable to lead his team to victory as the Saudis lost 1-0 to Spain and finished at the bottom of group H. 8220;The match against Spain was the last international match for me,8221; said Jaber yesterday.

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