LINEKER SHOCKED AT GAZZA-LESS ENGLAND PUBLIC opinion may be behind Glenn Hoddle and his decision to drop Paul Gascoigne at the last moment but the stars of yesteryear continue to express their disbelief at the midfielder�s omission from the England squad heading to France. Bryan Robson, Chris Waddle and Neil Webb were among the first to criticize Hoddle in the wake of Sunday�s shattering news and while not going quite as far to say Hoddle is wrong, another of the 1990 World Cup heroes, Gary Lineker, admits he is puzzled at Gascoigne�s exclusion. Having been a teammate of Gazza, both in Italia 90 and at Tottenham, it could be argued Lineker is hardly a neutral observer on the contentious matter of Gascoigne�s present worth on the international scene. But the BBC soccer presenter insists the 31-year-old outcast would be a definite in his squad � if fit. Clearly never one to be too controversial or outspoken Lineker immediately added that the coach is the only one who can truly know the �ins-and-outs� of the situation and therefore must be correct. �I was very surprised when I heard the news about Paul. He was the only player England had who had performed before in a World Cup. I thought he still had something to offer, but if he is not fit, then he�s not fit. You have to go with Glenn. He�s the man who makes the decisions,� said Lineker, the Golden Boot winner in Mexico 86. Perhaps more relevant to the episode was his view that if the player was even near being right for the tournament he should have been included. �If Gazza was close to fitness and not carrying an injury, he would be in my squad. You always need someone like Gazza who can unlock doors.� Gary, however, was careful to stay sitting on that fence: �Now there�s a chance for other players to take centre stage.� SHEARER STILL TOPS WITH BOOKIES Alan Shearer is William Hill�s 11/8 favourite to be England�s highest scorer at the World Cup, with the bookies making Michael Owen 11/4, Teddy Sheringham 5/1, Paul Scholes 10/1, Les Ferdinand 12/1 and David Beckham � still without a goal at international level � 14/1. England are 66/1 to lose all three group G games with Scotland 9/2 to do likewise in Group A. Romario�s injury means anyone with a wager on the Brazilian to be top scorer in the event for the second successive time will have their money refunded. Ronaldo is the favourite to do that at 4-1 with Gabriel Batistuta next at 15/2 and Oliver Bierhoff and Shearer both 11/1. Owen, meanwhile, has had his odds on doing that cut from 25/1 to 20/1 in the last two days.

BLATTER BACKS AFRICA FOR 2006   THE fragility of England�s chances of staging the World Cup in 2006 have been illustrated by another clear declaration by Sepp Blatter that if he is the new FIFA president he will campaign for them to take place in Africa. Blatter�s opponent, Lennart Johansson, was originally a firm backer of Germany�s bid, and was upset when the FA threw England�s hat into the ring. While the English authorities were able to force the UEFA president into a position of public neutrality while he holds that post, it is generally though that Johansson will be sympathetic to the Germans should he win the election, on 8 June. Blatter, currently general secretary of FIFA, though, has long promised to support an African bid, and has reiterated this in strong terms in a speech on Tuesday. �I will not announce all my plans for Africa, but what I can promise, which will be a reality, is that if I am elected president of FIFA, I will give the 2006 World Cup to Africa,� he said to a crowd in a stadium in Monrovia, Liberia. The response was favourable from both the crowd and the Liberian FA officials present. �If you receive one vote, that ballot will be the one from Liberia,� said LFA president Edwin Snowe. And Liberia�s most famous footballer, the AC Milan striker George Weah, repeated a call for Africans to vote for Blatter. As well as his World Cup pledge, Blatter also said that Liberia will receive additional FIFA cash to help rebuild football grounds destroyed during the country�s eight years of civil war. England�s slim hopes rely on two things. Firstly, the president of FIFA does not have an absolute right to determine the World Cup hosts. Incumbent Joao Havelange said there would be a two-host World Cup �over his dead body� when backing Japan�s bid over South Korea�s for 2002, and was forced to swallow the compromise. Secondly, it is possible that the South African bid, the main challenger from that continent, will be undermined by economic and security problems. In which case Blatter, if elected, is thought much more likely to support England over Germany. But however good the campaign England runs for 2006, and whatever the outcome of next Tuesday�s election, the FA face an uphill task.

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