Joe Hart good enough for World Cup, says Alex McLeish

Hart denies Nottingham Forest's David McGoldrick in Tuesday's FA Cup victory Joe Hart is good enough to be England's World Cup goalkeeper in South Africa, says Birmingham boss Alex McLeish. Hart, on loan from Manchester City, has kept 11 clean sheets this season and his saves on Tuesday helped to dump Nottingham Forest out of the FA Cup. With England's number one spot still up for grabs, McLeish told BBC Radio 5 live: "He's got to be a candidate. "Joe can probably look around at other England keepers and think he's got as good a chance as anybody." England manager Fabio Capello appears to remain uncertain about his first-choice keeper ahead of this summer's tournament. And Birmingham's 22-year-old keeper, on a year-long loan from Eastlands, is pushing for a starting spot in South Africa following injuries to Portsmouth's David James and the poor form of Manchester United's Ben Foster and West Ham's Robert Green. 606: DEBATE With Capello liking players who are in form, will there be some call ups from the Birmingham squad? I go for Hart Aethelred_Unraed Hart has kept clean sheets in four of his past five matches, while Birmingham are unbeaten in 14 games, lie eighth in the Premier League and are through to the FA Cup fourth round after their hard-fought victory over Forest. McLeish added: "When Capello looks at all of his prospective players he'll make sure they've got all the ingredients and Joe shows all those ingredients at the moment. "He's come on in leaps and bounds and has improved his game. He's ironed out some rough edges which have made him even better." The former Shrewsbury Town keeper has picked up one England cap, making his his debut in the 3-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago in June 2008. He has been included in a number of Capello's squads but has not featured in any of England's World Cup qualification or friendly matches since playing in the friendly in Port of Spain.

England fans urged to buy unsold World Cup tickets

England fans have made the third-highest number of ticket applications England supporters are urging their fellow fans to snap up the country's 6,000 unsold tickets for the World Cup finals this summer. The tickets returned from England's allocation of 29,000 will go back on public sale through Fifa on 9 February. LondonEnglandFans, a supporters group, wants more England supporters to get behind the team in South Africa. "This should now be the opportunity to sell the World Cup all over again," said the group's Mark Perryman. "We want those stands supporting England to be full, and with tickets available South Africa will be the trip of a lifetime. "We want to ensure any England fan with the means to get there doesn't miss out." Perryman has organised a meeting on Thursday with World Cup officials, representatives from the Foreign Office and the Football Association and Harpreet Grewal, the head of Englandfans - the official England supporters' club - to help boost sales among their countrymen. 606: DEBATE Have your say on England and the World Cup finals Despite the returns, England supporters have made the third-highest number of ticket applications for this year's World Cup, behind South Africa and USA fans. England's opening match against the USA on 12 June in Rustenberg is expected to be one of the competition's most popular games. Supporters of both nations have each been given 12% of the match tickets - about 4,100 seats. England follow the USA match with fixtures against Algeria in Cape Town on 18 June and Slovenia in Port Elizabeth five days later.

FA silent on John Terry's future as England captain

Terry, who was made captain in 2006, has skippered his country 28 times The Football Association has declined to comment on the future of John Terry as England captain in the wake of allegations over his private life. Terry has been named in the media as allegedly having an affair with the ex-girlfriend of his former Chelsea and England team-mate Wayne Bridge. Newspaper reports claim Terry, 29, may be stripped of the England captaincy only four months before the World Cup. But an FA spokesman told BBC Sport: "We have no comment to make." Terry had won a gagging order last week preventing the public learning about an alleged affair, but the injunction was lifted by the High Court on Friday. And national newspapers named the father-of-two, who is married to Toni Poole, in their Saturday editions as having a relationship with model Vanessa Perroncel, 28. Terry scored the winner in Chelsea's 2-1 win over Bolton on Saturday and after the match manager Carlo Ancelotti confirmed he would remain club captain. England's next match is a friendly against Egypt at Wembley on 3 March, and it is unlikely coach Fabio Capello will discuss Terry's position before then. Terry captaincy in doubt - Lawrenson Terry is set go to South Africa as captain, while Bridge, who now plays for Manchester City, is also likely to be selected in Capello's squad as understudy to another former Chelsea team-mate, Ashley Cole. Bridge, 29, has not played since early December when he was injured playing against Chelsea. In a statement issued by his lawyer, the left-back said: "I have read the press reporting in the last two days. The reports deal with matters which are of a deeply personal and private nature. "My primary concern is the welfare of my son. Therefore, I intend to make no comment whatsoever either now or in the future about these reports and ask that my privacy is respected." BBC Sport understands Capello, who is currently out of the country, is aware of the situation and will make any decision over Terry's future as England captain. But speaking on Saturday's Football Focus on BBC One, former England defenders Lee Dixon and Martin Keown suggested Terry will not be captain by the time the World Cup comes around. Keown said: "Terry is a big, big player, but these indiscretions really need to be dealt with by Capello. He is a great disciplinarian and I think this is a chance for him to show that." Dixon added: 'The big question is if it's not Terry then who will it be? If Rio Ferdinand doesn't make it through injury, then that's up for grabs as well." Meanwhile, celebrity publicist Max Clifford told the BBC the episode was potentially damaging for Terry's commercial endorsements, but he believed football supporters would not object to his private conduct as long as he was playing well. Terry, who has earned 59 caps for his country and succeeded David Beckham as England captain in August 2006, successfully led England to this year's World Cup finals after finishing top of their qualification group. And despite the weekend's headlines, Terry scored the winner in Chelsea's 2-1 win over Burnley on Saturday evening. Manchester United defender Ferdinand is currently England's vice-captain.

Referee Howard Webb chosen for 2010 World Cup

Webb officiated the second leg of the Carling Cup Manchester derby Englishman Howard Webb has been selected as one of Fifa's 30 referees for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. It will be the first World Cup for the 38-year-old Webb, who will be assisted by Darren Cann and Michael Mullarkey. Webb caused controversy in Euro 2008 when he awarded hosts Austria a late penalty against Poland for a 1-1 draw. Fifa has also chosen Sweden's Martin Hansson who failed to spot Thierry Henry's handball in France's contested qualifier win over Republic of Ireland. Henry was lambasted for keeping the ball in play with his hand in the build up to William Gallas's decisive goal, but Hansson also received condemnation in the Swedish media after the incident. Yorkshireman Webb suffered during Euro 2008 when he was on the receiving end of death threats and fierce criticism from then Poland coach Leo Beenhakker, although his decision to award the penalty was backed by Uefa. Webb will be attempting to restore England's refereeing reputation at the highest level after Graham Poll was sent home from the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He booked Croatia's Josip Simunic three times during a group match against Australia.

John Terry stripped of England captaincy by Capello

ohn Terry stripped of England captaincy by Capello

Terry was appointed captain of the national side in August 2008 John Terry has been stripped of the England captaincy following allegations he had an affair with an England team-mate's ex-girlfriend. Terry, 29, held talks with England boss Fabio Capello at Wembley on Friday. "After much thought I have made the decision that it will be best for me to take the captaincy away from John Terry," said Capello in a statement. Terry, who has been replaced by fellow defender Rio Ferdinand, said he abided by Capello's decision to demote him. "I fully respect Fabio Capello's decision," the Chelsea centre-half said in a statement. "I will continue to give everything for England." Capello returned to the United Kingdom on Thursday and is thought to have been keen to resolve the Terry saga before travelling to Poland for Sunday's Euro 2012 draw. The 63-year-old Italian, who has been recovering from knee surgery in Switzerland, has been monitoring the fall-out closely and regularly spoken to his trusted lieutenant Franco Baldini. 'A personal tragedy' for Terry - Davies Baldini, England's general manager, held in-depth talks with four key Football Association board members on Monday - chairman Lord Triesman, chief executive Ian Watmore, director of communications Adrian Bevington and head of development Trevor Brooking. They agreed that Capello alone would make the decision about Terry's future and that the priority was to make the right decision rather than a quick one. "As a captain with the team, John Terry has displayed extremely positive behaviour," read Capello's statement. PHIL MCNULTY BLOG Capello's vast experience made him best qualified to make the decision - and the FA knew it. Why have a dog and bark yourself? "However, I have to take into account other considerations and what is best for all of the England squad. "What is best for all of the England team has inspired my choice. "John Terry was notified first. "When I chose John Terry as captain, I also selected a vice-captain (Ferdinand) and also named a third choice. There is no reason to change this decision. "I would like to take this opportunity to thank the FA, particularly Lord David Triesman and Ian Watmore for allowing me to make this decision in my own time and in the best interest of the team." England's next match is a home friendly against Egypt on 3 March as they continue their preparations for the World Cup in South Africa. They will be led out in that match by Ferdinand, with Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard moving to vice-captain. Manchester United's Rio Ferdinand will take over the captaincy Ferdinand, 31, is currently serving a four-match ban for violent conduct after only just returning to action following a three-month lay-off because of a back injury. The Manchester United defender will hope to continue the form shown by England following Terry's appointment in August 2008. In the 15 matches in which he wore the armband under Capello, England won 11 and drew two, qualifying easily for this year's World Cup. A married father of twins, Terry is alleged to have had an affair with Vanessa Perroncel, the former girlfriend of England and former Chelsea team-mate Wayne Bridge. Bridge, who has a son with the French model, moved to Manchester City in January 2009 and is recovering from a knee injury that has kept him out of action for the last two months. Meanwhile, Perroncel, a lingerie model and former nightclub hostess, said she would not be selling her story. In a statement read on her behalf by publicist Max Clifford, Perroncel said: "I have decided I do not want to speak publicly about the speculation since it only seems to add more fuel to the fire. "I have a three-year-old son and he is my main concern. I do not believe speaking to newspapers or the media is in his interest or my own."

England 3-1 Egypt

Crouch (left) was superb for England after coming off the bench at Wembley By Phil McNulty Chief football writer at Wembley Peter Crouch maintained his prolific England goalscoring record as they came from behind to beat Egypt at Wembley. The visitors rocked England when Mohamed Zidan cashed in on Matthew Upson's slip to give them the lead their early ambition merited - but Fabio Capello's side responded in style after the break to run out deserved winners. Deposed England captain John Terry was barracked by a small minority of the Wembley crowd in the early stages, but the jeers were swiftly replaced by cheers and this victory against the highly regarded holders of the Africa Cup of Nations will have satisfied coach Capello. And it was two of the Italian's substitutes, Crouch and Shaun Wright-Phillips, who made the major impact as they staked their claim for a place in England's squad for the World Cup in South Africa. Crouch, on for Jermain Defoe after half-time, slid in Gareth Barry's pass to draw England level 11 minutes after the interval and Wright-Phillips scored on the rebound - with a large helping hand from Egypt keeper Essam El Hadari. And Crouch continued his outstanding record at England level with his 20th goal in 37 games with 10 minutes left, although he appeared to be offside when he turned in another emphatic finish from an excellent Wright-Phillips delivery. Emile Heskey appears to be Capello's preferred option as Wayne Rooney's strike partner - but once again Crouch delivered goals and made it increasingly difficult for his claims for a starting place to be ignored. PHIL McNULTY'S BLOG Crouch's performance offered further evidence to support the case of those of us who believe he can be an upgrade on Heskey And in the wider context, Capello will now hope victory will enable his World Cup plans to get back on track in the wake of the recent upheaval of Terry's dismissal as captain amid allegations he had a relationship with the ex-girlfriend of former team-mate Wayne Bridge - and Bridge's subsequent withdrawal from international football. England gave a debut to Leighton Baines and the Everton defender delivered a solid display, while Robert Green may well have now moved into pole position to take the goalkeeping berth as he got the nod ahead of David James. Terry was given a mixed reception when his name was announced, and his first touch of the ball was also jeered but there was also plenty of support for the Chelsea defender around Wembley. Frank Lampard wasted the opportunity to give England the start they wanted after only four minutes when he was played in by Theo Walcott, but saw his effort blocked by Egypt keeper El Hadari. Egypt's lofty position of 17th in the world rankings marked them out as a team not to be dismissed lightly. And so it proved as they showed real attacking thrust and ability in possession to threaten England. Debutant Baines conceded an early corner, and it needed the intervention of the unlikely figure of Defoe on the line to clear Wael Gomaa's shot off the line. As ever, England's greatest attacking hopes rested on Rooney, and he fashioned an early opening for strike partner Defoe, but the Tottenham striker hesitated as he tried to finish the move and the Egyptian defence recovered. Steven Gerrard enjoys standing in to captain England to win Egypt's promising opening was rewarded with a goal after 23 minutes - and it was a nightmare moment for Upson, who slipped on the edge of the area as he competed with Zidan, who pounced on the unexpected opportunity to steer a composed finish beyond Green. Lampard was uncharacteristically wasteful again as England attempted to mount a swift response, failing to connect properly after a Baines corner had caused trouble in the Egypt penalty area. And Defoe, hoping to make the most of a rare start alongside Rooney, escaped the clutches of the Egypt defence to break into the area but his shot was palmed away by El Hadari. Capello made a double change at the break, sending on Crouch and Michael Carrick for Defoe and Lampard. And it was the giant striker who made the big impact with the equaliser after 56 minutes. Crouch proud of England scoring record He crowned England's most fluent move of the night as Steven Gerrard found Barry, whose pass was swept home expertly by Crouch. Rooney sparked into life and twice came close to giving England the lead. He fired off target before chasing down Barry's pass and lofted a finish over El Hadari but wide. And the transformation was complete as Wright-Phillips put England ahead 15 minutes from time. Substitute James Milner, on for Gerrard, saw his shot palmed away by El Hadari, but Wright-Phillips responded with a swerving shot, which the keeper could only help into his net. Crouch grabbed his second five minutes later when Wright-Phillips confirmed the good impression he made with an inviting cross that was again perfectly converted. The Spurs forward appeared to be comfortably offside but he clinically took advantage of the linesman's misjudgement. It was the final flourish on a night when Capello will hope all the focus switches back to football after recent off-the-field events. England: Green, Brown, Terry, Upson, Baines, Walcott (Wright-Phillips 57), Lampard (Carrick 46), Barry, Gerrard (Milner 73), Rooney (Cole 86), Defoe (Crouch 46). Subs Not Used: James, Warnock, Lescott, Shawcross, Beckham, Heskey, Downing, Hart. Goals: Crouch 56, Wright-Phillips 75, Crouch 80. Egypt: El Hadari, Al-Muhammadi, Said (Salem 86), Fathi, Gomaa, Ghaly, Moawad (Abdelshafy 76), Hassan (Nagy 64), Abd Rabou, Zidan (Aboutreika 76), Ebdelmaby (Zaki 64). Subs Not Used: El Sayed, Fathallah, Tawfik, El Saka, Raouf, Eid, Hamdy. Booked: Fathi. Goals: Zidan 23. Att: 80,602