MON DAY, OCTOBER 10, 2016 SPORTS Henderson backs Rooney to cope with boos LONDON: England midfielder Jordan tomed to dealing with scrutiny and criti- ted the fans’ criticism was inevitable a striker until last season when former both getting ahead of the ball and leav- Henderson insists under-fire Wayne cism throughout his career. “Wayne’s after England’s embarrassing Euro 2016 United boss Louis van Gaal used him in ing gaps in the middle. “We had to be Rooney won’t let the boo boys throw experienced enough to know he has to exit against lowly Iceland. “We just have midfield with limited success. Mourinho sure one was always protecting and the him off his game. Rooney was jeered by concentrate on his football. I think he’s to focus on whats important as a team. is adamant the 30-year-old’s best posi- other was getting forward. frustrated England fans after the had criticism for most of his career, like That’s staying together and winning tion is up front, but England interim “I felt we had that balance most of Manchester United star capped a lack- many players have,” Henderson said. games,” Henderson said. “I said during manager Gareth Southgate disagrees the time but there were a couple of lustre performance with a wayward shot “He deals with it very well. He’s our the week the fans had a right to criticise and deployed Rooney in a deep-lying occasions when it could have been bet- in the closing stages of his country’s 2-0 captain and our leader. He’s a fantastic after the way we went out of the Euros. midfield role on Saturday. ter, so we will look back at that and that’s win over Malta at Wembley on Saturday. player for Manchester United and Not only the Euros but in the World Cup Rooney looked a fish out of water for an area we need to improve on.” The England captain had already England. “I didn’t really hear any boos, as well. “We’ve got to take the criticism long spells and Henderson, who played Southgate refused to take the bait endured a difficult season, with United but we have to deal with it as profes- and we deserve it. But I feel as though alongside him in midfield, conceded when asked if Rooney’s display showed manager Jose Mourinho dropping him sional footballers. There is going to be they know we are a good team and want their partnership still needs work. “I felt Mourinho was right. recently, but the taunts that greeted his criticism along the way.” Rooney wasn’t us to do well. “It’s up to us to put in he had a good performance. He got on “Look, Jose will have his opinion on underwhelming effort against minnows alone in having to deal with jeers during good performances and win games.” the ball and broke it up at times,” what’s right for his team. I have to pick a Malta were a new low. Henderson is the World Cup qualifier as there were Henderson said. team to get a result today. I don’t see confident Rooney will be able to ignore boos for the whole team following a dis- LIMITED SUCCESS “It was just making sure that we were any point in getting drawn into that,” he the boos because he has become accus- jointed second half. Henderson admit- Rooney had spent his entire career as communicating and making we weren’t said. —AFP CONCACAF to overhaul ‘archaic’ World Cup qualifying format LONDON: World Cup qualifying in North CAF qualifying. The first seven CONCACAF America set to be overhauled to avoid teams were eliminated back in March 2015. shutting out the majority of countries in It’s so long ago that Montagliani is the third the CONCACAF region so early. president CONCACAF has had during quali- CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani fying for the 2018 tournament. has instigated a review of an “archaic” for- Former CONCACAF head Jeffrey Webb mat that leaves only six out of the region’s was first arrested as part of the sprawling 35 teams still in with a shot at qualifying for American investigation into soccer corrup- Russia in 2018. tion in May 2015 and his temporary Alongside a potential new name to replacement, Alfredo Hawit, was also replace the corruption-tainted CONCACAF indicted seven months later. Montagliani brand, revamping qualifying to be more said CONCACAF competitions and the inclusive has emerged as a key objective interests of teams were neglected in an era for Montagliani after five months in charge when the leadership was motivated by cor- of the confederation covering North and ruptly extorting money from the confeder- Central America and the Caribbean. ation and its commercial backers. “Something needs to change because “Can you imagine you are a country try- you can’t have 85 percent of your members ing to find a sponsor and they say, ‘I’m all who are on the outside looking in two for it, when’s your next big game?’ And it’s years before the World Cup,” Montagliani three years from now,” Montagliani said told The Associated Press. “It doesn’t make during an interview in London. sense.” Since qualifying for the 1998 World “So we seriously need to look at our Cup, CONCACAF has used a system where World Cup qualifying system that is a bit teams play home and away in early rounds. archaic. We need to be a bit more all- Once 12 nations are remaining there are encompassing. We’re looking at how we three groups of four, which produces six balance competitions with our commercial teams for a final round. (priorities) without putting too much stress The United States, Costa Rica, Honduras, on already too busy calendars as well.” Mexico, Panama, and Trinidad and Tobago But Montagliani is certain qualifying are the last teams standing , chasing three must change, although there could be a of CONCACAF’s automatic qualification proliferation of games that draw smaller AMSTERDAM: France’s national football team players take part in a training session at the Amsterdam Arena in Amsterdam yesterday, on the places. Starting next month, they play each crowds and little broadcast revenue. eve of the FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifying football match against Netherlands. — AFP other twice in a league. Discussing a new configuration, “It’s great for those six teams over the Montagliani said: “Maybe it’s like the next year and a bit but how about the oth- Europeans or maybe it’s like the South er ones?” Montagliani said. “It’s hard.” Americans with a league - or it’s a hybrid of Hard for players to raise their standard the two.” In Europe, countries are split into Buoyant Germany set and hard for teams to generate revenue to nine groups, balanced according to their fund soccer development. rankings, and play games from September “Caribbean countries have problems 2016 to October 2017. The group winners climbing the FIFA rankings, just because we qualify automatically and the eight best are not able to play as many international runners-up will contest playoffs for the sights on N Ireland games as you want to,” John Krishnadath, remaining four UEFA spots in Russia. president of the Suriname soccer federa- In South America, the ten CONMEBOL tion, told the AP earlier this year, while also members are in a two-year league that BERLIN: Germany coach Joachim Loew has He expects the Irish to defend just as deep in Norway and now the Czechs have buoyed the highlighting the high cost of traveling to started in October 2015. The top four have called ‘same again’ for tomorrow’s next World Hanover. Mueller has yet to score a goal in the team. “Jerome and I kept finding good solutions matches. Suriname’s World Cup journey guaranteed World Cup places and the fifth- Cup qualifier against Northern Ireland following Bundesliga for his club Bayern Munich this sea- to problems at the back,” said Hummels. ended in June 2015 immediately after place team has to go through a playoff his side’s demolition of the Czech Republic. son after six German league matches. “That was partly because our team-mates put entering in the second round of CONCA- against a country from Oceania. —AP Thomas Mueller scored twice and Toni Kroos But having also netted twice in the 3-0 win in some good lines of running. “We didn’t start also netted as Germany dominated the Czech over Norway at the start of September, he our last qualifying campaign so well (after a 2-0 Republic with a 3-0 win on Saturday night. It was already has four goals in their two 2018 World defeat to Poland early in the campaign) and we an impressive display from the hosts in Cup qualifiers. really want to do things differently this year. Iwobi, Iheanacho score as Hamburg and the scoreline could have been “At the moment, we are very focussed and much higher as Julian Draxler, Mario Goetze and ‘INNER VOICE ‘ things look good.” — AFP Nigeria triumph, Congo win Mueller all missed clear chances. The self-assured 27-year-old, the top scorer at Now Loew wants the same performance the 2010 World Cup, was full of irony after some JOHANNESBURG: Nigeria opened their the only country to win away after three against Northern Ireland in Hanover to preserve suggestions in the German media of a mini crisis 2018 World Cup group-phase qualifying home victories and three draws. their perfect record and stay top of Group C.