By Mark Meadows

(Reuters) – David Beckham has not been selected in Britain’s Olympic soccer squad in a huge blow for the former England captain’s hopes of crowning the twilight of his career in style.

The Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder had been widely expected to be named as one of the three over-age players in Stuart Pearce’s Under-23 squad for the London Games in July and August.

June 28 (Reuters) – David Beckham has not been selected in
Britain’s Olympic soccer squad in a huge blow for the former
England captain’s hopes of crowning the twilight of his career
in style.

The Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder had been widely expected
to be named as one of the three over-age players in Stuart
Pearce’s Under-23 squad for the London Games in July and August.

KRAKOW (Reuters) – Top Italian daily newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport has apologised for printing a cartoon portraying black Italy striker Mario Balotelli as King Kong.

Media reports said Balotelli’s agent Mino Raiola had reacted with fury at the depiction, which comes after the 21-year-old has battled racism in his homeland and abroad for years.

KRAKOW (Reuters) – Top Italian daily newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport has apologized for printing a cartoon portraying black Italy striker Mario Balotelli as King Kong.

Media reports said Balotelli’s agent Mino Raiola had reacted with fury at the depiction, which comes after the 21-year-old has battled racism in his homeland and abroad for years.

KRAKOW, June 27 (Reuters) – Top Italian daily newspaper
Gazzetta dello Sport has apologised for printing a cartoon
portraying black Italy striker Mario Balotelli as King Kong.

Media reports said Balotelli’s agent Mino Raiola had reacted
with fury at the depiction, which comes after the 21-year-old
has battled racism in his homeland and abroad for years.

KRAKOW, Poland (Reuters) – Italy midfielder Riccardo Montolivo has the German flag stitched into his boots but his mother’s Hamburg heritage will be put to one side when the teams clash in the Euro 2012 semi-final on Thursday.

Montolivo, born in Italy and with an Italian father, sees himself as part-German given his mother hails from there. He speaks German fluently – even translating his own answers during a news conference.

KRAKOW, Poland, June 27 (Reuters) – Italy midfielder
Riccardo Montolivo has the German flag stitched into his boots
but his mother’s Hamburg heritage will be put to one side when
the teams clash in the Euro 2012 semi-final on Thursday.

Montolivo, born in Italy and with an Italian father, sees
himself as part-German given his mother hails from there. He
speaks German fluently – even translating his own answers during
a news conference.

KRAKOW, Poland (Reuters) – Bastian Schweinsteiger is winning his battle to be fit for Thursday’s Euro 2012 semi-final against Italy where the relentless midfielder will have to nullify the mercurial Andrea Pirlo if Germany are to end their hoodoo.

The Germans have never beaten Italy at a major championship, famously losing the 2006 World Cup semi-final on home soil to the eventual victors, but they are favorites to progress this time having won all four matches so far in Poland and Ukraine.