NANI OUT AS WORLD CUP CURSE STRIKES AGAIN

Manchester United and Portugal winger Nani is the latest player to fall victim to an emerging World Cup curse, after being ruled out of the showpiece event.

Portugal confirmed the news in a team statement saying, "After tests we conclude he is unfit to participate in the World Cup."

The 23 year-old suffered a shoulder injury in training on Friday and tests have confirmed he will not be fit for the tournament.

England skipper Rio Ferdinand has already been ruled out of the World Cup while Côte d'Ivoire captain Didier Drogba is touch and go after suffering a broken arm in a warm-up game against Japan. The African nations have suffered badly with injuries with Drogba's club mates John Obi Mikel and Michael Essien having been ruled out of action for Nigeria and Ghana respectively.

The fitness of Dutch winger Arjen Robben remains a major concern for Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk after the Bayern Munich winger limped out of his side's 6-1 win over Hungary last week.

However it is better news for Honduras midfielder Wilson Palacios who has been passed fit to play, as has Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar. Initial fears that both would be unable to make the tournament have proven unfounded.

ENGLAND UNSCATHED AND UNDERWHELMING IN PLATINUM STARS VICTORY

England cruised to a 3-0 win over South African club side Platinum Stars as they completed their warm-up for the World Cup.

Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe got England off to a great start when he tapped home Steven Gerrard's lay-off in the third minute of the game but the Three Lions struggled to find their form in the first half.

The Platinum Stars had a chance to level from the spot shortly after Defoe's strike but Bradley Grobler fired his penalty harmlessly over the crossbar.

Joe Cole, the only England player to complete the whole ninety minutes, got the second after a quick break from Wayne Rooney before Rooney got himself on the score sheet as he volleyed home James Milner's cross to round off the best move of the match.

The match had many pundits and fans fearing the worst due to the close proximity of England's opening game against the USA on Saturday but the team managed to come through the game without picking up any injuries.

Many questions remain unanswered as to Capello's preferred starting line-up with few England players doing anything to confirm their place on the team sheet in this final warm-up game.

All four strikers got forty five minutes on the pitch with Spurs striker Peter Crouch partnering his club mate, Defoe, in the first half before the pair were replaced by Emile Heskey and Rooney at half time.

This leaves the question unanswered as to who will partner Rooney against the USA with neither Crouch nor Heskey having an impact on the game. It would be something of a surprise should pint-sized Defoe make the first eleven as that would surely see Rooney play a deeper role to support his strike partner, something Fabio Capello has shied away from in the past.

There also remains questions as to who will start on the flanks for England with Shaun Wright-Phillips and Aaron Lennon both desperate to fill the right midfield berth. However Joe Cole's performance may have done enough to convince Capello he is worthy of starting on the left with Steven Gerrard moving into the middle to partner Frank Lampard.

Ledley King seems set to partner John Terry in defence after Rio Ferdinand's heart wrenching injury in training, while it still remains a mystery who will wear the gloves for the Three Lions.

Joe Hart started today's game and was replaced by Rob Green at half time although neither were given much of a chance to prove their worth. Portsmouth's David James is the most experienced of the three and has been handed the No. 1 by Capello which would make him the favourite to start in Rustenberg.

There's certainly plenty of decisions left for Fabio to make.

RIO FERDINAND'S WORLD CUP HEARTACHE

England skipper Rio Ferdinand's has been ruled out of the World Cup.

The defender's tournament is over before it has even begun following a ligament injury sustained to his left knee during the first full training session of the England squad this morning in Rustenburg.

Ferdinand was photographed leaving a local hospital on crutches on Friday afternoon following the incident, which happened towards the end of the training session and which coach Fabio Capello called an "accidental injury". The player has been ruled out for 4-6 weeks, which means any involvement in the latter stages of the competition would not be possible.

The news represents a serious blow to Capello's build up to England's Group C opener against the USA a week tomorrow, and indeed their hopes of landing a first World Cup since 1966.

Spurs defender Michael Dawson is due to fly to South Africa tonight as Ferdinand's replacement, and Steven Gerrard has been confirmed at the man who will now captain the England side.

Meanwhile Ivorian Coast striker Didier Drogba has suffered a suspected fractured elbow in his country's last warm up match against Japan, leaving his hopes of appearing at the tournament in doubt.

It was initially thought that Drogba would be likely to miss out, but The Guardian reports that the star striker will undergo an emergency operation tonight in a desperate bid to be fit for the Ivorians opening game against Portugal on June 15.

DO INCREDIBLE COINCIDENCES POINT TO ENGLISH GLORY?

The Sun Newspaper recently ran an article listing a number of coincidences which they claim point to it being England's turn to lift the World Cup this summer.

Now I'm not one for superstitions, other than the regulation pre-match toilet stop, but the lengthy list of comparisons between the last (and only) time England tasted glory in 1966 and this year certainly caught my attention.

Here's just a selection of the spooky occurrences:

• 1966 was a General Election year. So is 2010.

• The victory year saw a new Dr Who on TV, as Patrick Troughton took over from William Hartnell. In 2010, Matt Smith replaced David Tennant.
  
• North Korea have only qualified twice - in 1966 and 2010.
  
• In 1966, Spain were the European champions. In 2010 the reigning European champs are... Spain.
  
• Only twice have England, North Korea, Uruguay, Mexico, France, Argentina, Portugal and Germany all appeared in the same World Cup Finals - in 1966 and 2010.
  
• The English World Cup-winning captain, Bobby Moore, began his career at West Ham - just like 2010 captain Rio Ferdinand.
  
• England's opponents in their 1966 opening match, Uruguay, featured a father and son combination - coach Ondino Viera and his boy Milton. England start their 2010 campaign against the USA, managed by Bob Bradley and with his son Michael in the squad.
  
• The opening of Parliament was first televised in 1966. Thursday night saw the first TV debate between prime ministerial candidates.

• (This one's my personal favourite) In their winning year, France, Mexico and Uruguay were drawn in the same World Cup group as hosts England. This year France, Mexico and Uruguay are in a group with hosts South Africa.
  

This is a dead cert, I'm getting down the bookies.