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TUESDAY, JUNE 10, 2014 Time for France to look to the future FRANCE Ecuador must ease grieving for dead star QUITO: The challenge faced by the slump endured by United this group spots do not include Rueda. Ecuador coach Reinaldo Rueda to season and the sense of loss he felt “Having helped rebuild the infra- devise tactics for the World Cup has at Benitez’s death. structure in Honduran football (he been accentuated by grief over the “Antonio Valencia was closest to left after the 2010 World Cup but his death of star striker Christian Benitez - they were like twins - and work could be seen two years later Benitez. so making him the captain was a as they reached the Olympic quar- The 57-year-old Colombian was way of rallying the group,” Rueda ter-finals) I know they are going to badly affected like his players by the told the BBC. be tough opponents,” said Rueda, death of 27-year-old Benitez, who “Valencia was reluctant initially, whose side drew 2-2 with Honduras collapsed on the pitch playing for out of respect for Ayovi, but it end- last November in a friendly that Qatari club El Jaish last July. ed up being, from a psychological ended up with both sides reduced However, Rueda-whom Ecuador point of view, a change that gave us to 10 men. president Rafael Correa dubbed ‘one a boost in the final straight.” Rueda may have wept openly more Ecuadorean’ for guiding them Rueda, who had a modest play- when he heard of Benitez’s death to only their third World Cup finals- ing career, must also improve on his but he also possesses a steely side knows they have to put that to the side’s dreadful record on their trav- as he showed when after a stern back of their minds as they go into els. Despite this Rueda, who has a half-time talk and making several matches against Group E rivals university degree in Physical substitutions his side recovered PARIS: For France, after qualifying in Ukraine in a play-off, winning 3-0 at France enjoyed remarkable success France, Switzerland and Honduras. Education and has worked as a lec- from a 3-0 deficit to beat Australia 4- such dramatic fashion, this year’s the Stade de France after a 2-0 loss in at youth level last year, winning the “Benitez’s death was a huge blow turer, believes there is no reason 3 in London last March. World Cup will be as much about ban- Kiev. That maintained Les Bleus’ under-20 World Cup and reaching the to the group,” Rueda told the BBC. why they should not emulate the “This leaves us with a good les- ishing the bad memories of the recent record of having qualified for every final of the under-19 European Rueda decided the best way to start 2006 side, of which Valencia is one son, we can’t go into matches the past as building towards the future. major tournament finals since missing Championship, and Juventus mid- the healing process was to appoint of only two players to remain, and way we did, we were very passive. The farce of France’s 2010 World out on USA 1994, and the stunning fielder Paul Pogba, the captain of the Manchester United wing Antonio reach the knockout stages. We lacked fight to win back the ball,” Cup campaign in South Africa, nature of that second-leg display under-20 team, is already part of the Valencia, their highest profile player However, those who believe the he said after the game. “It is impor- marked by a players’ strike and a against Ukraine did a lot to restore a full side along with Real Madrid and Benitez’s closest friend, as cap- second group game against tant that we should always remem- group-stage exit, ruined the public’s nation’s faith in their team. defender Raphael Varane. With that in tain, replacing dependable defend- Honduras represents their best ber this day which gives us impor- perception of Les Bleus at home, and France’s only outing since then was mind, Brazil will be about building er Walter Ayovi. It was a bold gam- chance of victory and a launch pad tant information for (dealing with) subsequent incidents have not a promising 2-0 win against the towards having a side capable of win- ble given Valencia’s form suffered in to securing one of the top two adverse situations.” —AFP helped. Samir Nasri’s outburst towards Netherlands, in which Karim Benzema ning the 2016 European a journalist at Euro 2012 in Ukraine scored for the fourth time in five inter- Championship, which France will host, and Patrice Evra’s verbal assault on a national appearances. although Deschamps still hopes to ECUADOR host of respected media pundits in a It was further proof that the 26- make a significant impact. television interview late last year two year-old Real Madrid striker is once “You don’t go to a World Cup just of the most notable episodes. again comfortable playing for his to take part, but it will help us to pre- It has been one disappointment country after a shocking international pare for Euro 2016,” he said. “We have after another for the French since goal drought of more than 1,200 min- young players like Varane or Pogba, their remarkable run to the final of the utes either side of Euro 2012. “When other players who have taken part at a 2006 World Cup in Germany, but he plays at that level it is great for us,” European Championship before and things are slowly but surely progress- said Deschamps of Benzema after the even some older ones who have been ing under Didier Deschamps. defeat of the Dutch. “Let’s hope he at a World Cup. The captain of the team that were can keep it up. You can see it on his “We need to find the right balance crowned world champions on home face. He is beaming and that is and the World Cup will serve as an soil in 1998, Deschamps succeeded because he is feeling confident.” experience.” A kind draw means that his former international colleague In Benzema and 30-year-old France will be hopeful of getting out Laurent Blanc after Euro 2012, when Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery of their group at a major tournament the French were eliminated in the — who came third behind Cristiano for the first time since 2006, with quarter-finals by Spain. Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the vot- Switzerland, Ecuador and Honduras Under his charge, France have won ing for the 2013 FIFA awaiting them in Group E. “France just nine times in 19 games but they Ballon d’Or - Deschamps has two now has the right to dream,” declared got the job done, finishing an accept- world-class talents at the peak of their one newspaper headline after the able second to reigning world cham- careers, but there is depth at his dis- draw was made, but as the finals pions Spain in their qualifying group posal too. An exciting crop of young approach the mood is more one of and then dramatically beating players is emerging too. cautious optimism. —AFP HONDURAS Swiss young guns aim to fire at World Cup GENEVA: Switzerland’s veteran boss Though his star fell after his fail- community which emerged when Ottmar Hitzfeld retires after the ure to reach the 2012 European seasonal workers came from the for- World Cup finals and his young Championships, Hitzfeld rebounded mer Yugoslavia in the 1970s and squad aim to give him a farewell to and is now nicknamed “Gottmar”-a which expanded when Switzerland remember in Brazil. play on the German for God. admitted refugees from the region’s In their third consecutive World Football is rivalled only by ice wars of the 1990s. Cup, the “Nati” are out to prove that hockey and skiing as the Alpine Fittingly, Hitzfeld’s chosen succes- their seventh place in FIFA’s global country’s top spectator sport. sor, Lazio manager Vladimir Petkovic, rankings is not a statistical fluke. Average crowds of 11,000 per match is Yugoslav-born but spent much of The 65-year-old German Hitzfeld are small compared to many his career in Italian-speaking has set his sights on at least clearing European leagues, but multiple Switzerland. Group E, where Switzerland face Swiss champions and 2013 Europa On the footballing front, the France, Ecuador and Honduras. League semi-finalists FC Basel pull in omens for Brazil are mixed, however. Only one win will do for Honduras Reaching the last 16 would erase 28,000. A 16-match unbeaten streak-includ- TEGUCIGALPA: Honduras wants only ball supporters. In 1969, Honduran takes the field in Brazil. Switzerland’s bad memories of 2010 The country of eight million also ing surprise defeats of Germany and one thing at this year’s World Cup pride turned into a “Football War” with Midfielders Wilson Palacios, who in South Africa. They were the only punches above its weight for players Brazil in friendlies-ended in finals-to finally win a game. neighboring El Salvador over disputed plays for English Premier League side team to beat eventual champions fed into the leagues of Germany, November when they lost 2-1 in But the tiny nation, making their land at the same time the nations were Stoke City, and Roger Espinoza, who is Spain, winning 1-0 in their opening Italy, England and Spain.