England’s hot date at new Maracana

ENGLAND are hoping to prepare for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil by playing the host country at the fabled Maracana stadium in Rio on next summer’s tour.

The Maracana, which rivals Wembley as the most famous football ground in the world, is being renovated ahead of the World Cup and the 2016 Olympics, when it will host the opening and closing ceremonies.

And it is expected building work will finally be completed in time for England to perform there next June in a marquee friendly that will take the World Cup build-up to another level.

England’s other match on the trip is likely to be against European opposition in Sao Paulo.

The FA are also at the front of the queue for 2014 — even ahead of the Germans for once — on their choice of Brazilian training locations, with a Rio base the first option.

England manager Roy Hodgson and FA general secretary Alex Horne will be speaking at the Soccerex conference in Rio next month as part of the FA strategy to engage with Brazil ahead of the tournament.

FA CHAIRMAN David Bernstein is sure to be apprehensive today about gaining the 51 per cent support he needs from a fickle FA Council to take his fight to continue as chairman past the age of 70 to a shareholder EGM. But such is the backing for Bernstein among FA staff that some senior executives might even consider their positions if councillors block the chairman carrying on until the 2014 World Cup. JOHN McENROE, who along with Tim Henman is paid £100,000 to take part in the Statoil Masters tennis tournament at the Royal Albert Hall in December, always makes a point of publicly thanking the event’s chief physiotherapist Philippa Stewart for ensuring his creaking limbs arrive on court. So it seems organisers IMG have made a strange cost-cutting move in paying a fortune for McEnroe (right) but not hiring Stewart this year.

WAYNE ROONEY’S agent Paul Stretford, who has withdrawn his player from FA sponsorship duties in the past, is now on side to the extent he was a guest of England shirt sponsors Vauxhall at the San Marino match.