Fabio Capello slams 'terrible' World Cup ball

Although Switzerland and Uruguay injected some life into the competition yesterday, the lack of goals has been blamed on the ball, generally regarded as too lightweight, even though manufacturer Adidas claim it had be made to revolutionary specifications.

Capello is not a fan, and while he expects an improvement from his side in tomorrow's clash with Algeria in Cape Town, it will be no thanks to the ball he hates.

"This is the worst ball that I have seen in my life," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"It is terrible for the players and it is terrible for the keepers.

"When you try to switch the ball with long passes it is really difficult to understand where it is going to go.

"But the really big problem is that sometimes this ball is impossible to control."

It was only part of a Capello grumble as he took a pot-shot at Franz Beckenbauer, having been irritated by the legendary German's claim that England are now a "kick and rush" team following the performance against the United States on Saturday.

"I am surprised by his comments," he said.

"When you speak about another team you should always respect them.

"It is easy to speak about a team when you sit in the stand. But you have to see the game live.

"We didn't play the long ball. We played a lot of passes and had chances to score. For this reason, I don't understand what Beckenbauer said."