EURO BRIEFS

Spain’s strength in depth – Javi

DEFENDING champions Spain can make up for the absence of key injured duo, talismanic defender Carles Puyol and all-time record scorer David Villa, at Euro 2012, said defender Javi Martinez yesterday. The highly-rated 23-year-old Athletic Bilbao star – who was successfully transformed from a midfielder to a central defender by club coach Marcelo Bielsa last season – said the players in the squad were capable of doing so. “It is true that they are two very important players, integral to our wins in both Euro 2008 and the World Cup,” said Martinez. “But those who have been selected can do as well as they did, if not better.”

Pole plea: don’t exclude women

POLISH Parliament Speaker Ewa Kopacz said yesterday that women should not be excluded from the fun and celebrations at Euro 2012, which Poland are co-hosting with Ukraine. “It’s considered that the football works is a man’s world, but football is one of the most popular sports that has faithful fans among women,” Kopacz told the “So I appeal to the men: do not exclude women from this football festivity.”

Polish Press Agency.

It’s a Given, Shay will play

IRELAND goalkeeper Shay Given should be fit for Sunday’s Euro 2012 opener against Croatia, goalkeeping coach Alan Kelly said yesterday. “I don’t think wild horses would keep him from being on that pitch,” Kelly told a news conference at the Irish team base in Gdynia, Poland.

Ukraine food-poisoning pain

EUROPEAN Championship co-hosts Ukraine have concerns over 10 players who are struggling with food poisoning before their opening game against Sweden on Monday. The main concern is over Ukraine’s most-capped player, midfielder Anatoliy Tymoshchuk, who has been on a drip. “We have to bring the guys out of this condition,” coach Oleg Blokhin said. Ukraine are in a tough Group D, which also features England and France.

He ain’t heavy, he’s the psychic

PAUL the amazing clairvoyant octopus may be dead but now he has a worthy heir, a Polish-based Indian elephant named Citta. Weymouthborn but Germany-based Paul went down a storm during the last European Championships and the 2010 World Cup in South Africa with his remarkable ability to predict the winners of various matches, mostly involving Germany. And, although he has passed onto pastures new, Citta has taken over the baton and so far has a 100 percent record. – SapaAP/AFP/Reuters