Football news

Coach Huh Jung-moo has confirmed Park Ji-sung is back to full fitness and ready for South Korea's World Cup opener against Greece.

The Manchester United midfielder sat out the Taeguk Warriors' final warm-up match against Spain last week with a minor thigh injury but has returned to training without experiencing any further problems.

The Koreans begin their Group B campaign against Greece on Saturday and Huh is confident Park will take his place in the side to face the former European champions.

"Park Ji-sung is fine. He felt a slight soreness on his hamstring so we didn't let him play in the friendly against Spain so as not to aggravate it," Huh said.

Slovenia have no fear - Koren

Robert Koren has warned Slovenia's Group C rivals they will not roll over for anyone - and has set his sights on upsetting England.

Slovenia will take on Algeria and the United States before facing England on June 23. Few fancy Slovenia to make much noise in the group, but Koren believes they can challenge for a place in the knock-out stages.

"We're not afraid of England, we're not afraid of anyone," the Slovenia captain said.

"People say England will have an easy game against us but you just wait and see.Our display last year at Wembley, when we lost 2-1, showed what we are all about."

Vorsah commits to Hoffenheim

Isaac Vorsah will go into the World Cup knowing that his future with Hoffenheim is secure for the next four years after he signed a new contract with the Bundesliga club.

The Ghana international has agreed to extend his deal, which still had 12 months left to run on it, by an additional three years, allowing him to now concentrate on international duty in South Africa.

The 21-year-old is delighted that his future has been resolved.

"I would like to develop further in an optimal environment and Hoffenheim offers me all the right conditions for that," he said.

Juve close in on Krasic - reports

Juventus have agreed a deal with CSKA Moscow's highly regarded winger Milos Krasic, according to reports in the media.

Il Corriere dello Sport and Tuttosport reported that discussions are at a very advanced stage and all that's missing are signatures.

Juventus' new director general Beppe Marotta is believed to have enticed Krasic with the prospect of not just turning out for one of the biggest clubs in the world, but also being part of a new and ambitious project.

Marotta is said to have offered CSKA a sum in the region of €12m to €15m in installments or the possibility of exchanging Krasic for Vincenzo Iaquinta, although the latter option seems unlikely.

Demichelis hits out at critics

Argentina defender Martin Demichelis has hit out at the critics who wrote off his team's chances of winning the World Cup.

After scraping through qualifying in their final game, few thought Diego Maradona's erratic style of management would bring Argentina any success in South Africa. But as the tournament gets closer, suddenly the sheer depth in quality at Maradona's disposal is starting to become obvious.

"This team has grown in the last few months," Demichelis said.

"Most of the criticisms levelled against us in the first place were really unfair anyway.

"There is a lot of belief in this squad and there is no doubt we will be one of the best prepared teams to fight for this competition."

Huntelaar not eyeing Milan exit

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is not looking to leave Milan this summer despite reports to the contrary.

Tottenham have been strongly linked with the Dutch international striker who had a disappointing first season at San Siro.

"I see my name mentioned in the Italian newspapers and I don't understand why," Huntelaar said.

"No other club interests me... my agent has never spoken about a transfer and I want to stay at Milan.

"I will not leave Milan until I have demonstrated my worth."

Cahill excited by Everton tour

Australia's Tim Cahill has his focus firmly on the World Cup but is already looking beyond the finals to when his club Everton visit his homeland in July.

"I am totally focused on Australia and our World Cup journey," Cahill said.

"But it's a dream for me that my club, Everton, is visiting my country as part of the pre-season preparations for the next Premier League season. It's massive. It's non-stop football and it's great for fans, and great for the A-League too."

Everton will meet Australia's A-League champions, Sydney, at ANZ Stadium on July 10, Melbourne Heart at Etihad Stadium on July 14 and Brisbane Roar on July 17 at Suncorp Stadium.