IRENE, South Africa — The referee for the England World Cup team’s training game against South African Premier League club Platinum Stars said star striker Wayne Rooney easily could be red-carded in the World Cup if he repeats his offensive behavior.
Jeff Selogilwe, who booked Rooney during the team’s 3-0 win Monday, said the Manchester United star’s verbal abuse easily could have resulted in him being sent off the field.
And he said if that incident was repeated during the World Cup tournament, then he would see a red card from the game official.
“Rooney insulted me, he said, ‘F– you,’ ” revealed Selogilwe. “He must learn to control his temper. He could get sent off in the World Cup, especially if he uses this kind of language.
“Maybe the England players thought, ‘This is just a friendly, we can do what we like and the referees are not that professional.’ I was very disappointed in Rooney because he is my favorite player.”
Rooney tried to make amends after the match by giving the referee his shirt.
The Rooney buzz continues to linger here, as England prepares to open its World Cup campaign against Team USA on Saturday in Rustenburg. That will be England’s first match at soccer’s biggest tournament since losing in the 2006 quarterfinals to Portugal after Rooney was sent off for stomping on Ricardo Carvalho.
Though the Americans are not saying publicly that they will try to wind up the 24-year-old Rooney on Saturday, they won’t be complaining if he explodes in Rustenburg.
“You try to make his day difficult, and if a guy has as much fire as he has then maybe those kind of things come out,” said U.S. defender Jay DeMerit. “It’s not necessarily something you try to do. . . . If he brings that stuff out in the way we play against him then that’s good.”
Gordon Banks, the English goalkeeper, was also in net in 2006 when Rooney flared up. He knows what can and can’t happen this time around.
“Imagine getting sent off for swearing at the referee! That’s the most ridiculous thing ever. If that does happen in the World Cup, that would be stupid. It would be really silly,” Banks said.
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Forward Jozy Altidore resumed full training with the U.S. World Cup team, six days after spraining his right ankle during practice.
“I feel great. The ankle feels fine,” Altidore said in comments relayed by the U.S. Soccer Federation after practice. “It’s a little sore, but I had no issues participating in all the exercises.”
American defender Oguchi Onyewu (knee surgery) said he feels ready to face England. He was used as a 61st-minute substitute Saturday against Australia.
“Obviously, yeah, I would love to be able to see if I could have played a full 90,” he said.
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In Murcia, Spain, midfielder Andres Iniesta left in the 39th minute of Spain’s 6-0 warmup win over Poland with an apparent right leg muscle problem. Fernando Torres scored in his return from mid-April knee surgery. . . . Netherlands midfielder Arjen Robben, who is nursing a hamstring injury, is doubtful for the team’s opener against Denmark.
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In Johannesburg, Portugal notched a 3-0 win over Mozambique. Nani, the team’s second-leading scorer in qualifying, was ruled out of the World Cup because of a bruised left collarbone. — With AP