CUP ROUNDUP | News and notes

Gobsmacked: Wayne Rooney says he was "gobsmacked" when the referee showed him the red. In his first public comments since being sent off in a shootout loss to Portugal at the World Cup, the England striker said he is still stunned by his ejection. "I remember the incident clearly and have seen it several times since on TV," the Manchester United star said in a statement. "I am of the same opinion now as I was at the time, that what happened didn't warrant a red card." In the 62nd minute of Saturday's game, Rooney broke through two tacklers, then stomped on the prone Carvalho's groin. England went on to lose the quarter-final in a penalty shootout. "He slid in from behind me and unfortunately ended up in a position where my foot was inevitably going to end up as I kept my balance," Rooney said. "That's all there was to it. From what I've seen in the World Cup, most players would have gone to ground at the slightest contact but my only thought then was to keep possession for England." Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo ran up to the referee to protest Rooney's actions, getting a shove from his United teammate in the process. "When the referee produced the red card I was amazed, gobsmacked," Rooney said. "I bear no ill feeling to Cristiano [Ronaldo] but I am disappointed he chose to get involved. I suppose I do, though, have to remember on that particular occasion we were not teammates." Ronaldo, who was caught winking to the Portugal bench after Rooney was ejected, denied a rift between the two. "There is no problem at all between me and Rooney," said in a statement. "I insist: no problem at all. At the end of the game, we exchanged a series of text messages just as we had on the day before."
Brazil's left back: Roberto Carlos announced his retirement from international soccer after Brazil was eliminated from the World Cup in the quarterfinals. "My history with the 'selecao' is finished," Roberto Carlos said. The 33-year-old left back, who scored 10 goals in 128 internationals and was part of the 2002 champions, was criticized in Brazil for his performance in Saturday's 1-0 loss to France. "I did everything to win," he said Monday on his Web site. "Only those inside [the squad] know the pressure and the difficulties that exist in a World Cup."
Greece is not the word: Greece's sports minister threatened to cut off government funding to the country's soccer association Tuesday, one day after FIFA suspended all Greek teams from international competition. Soccer's world governing body has accused the government of interfering with the Hellenic Football Federation, or HFF, and said it had ignored repeated warnings to stop. Under the FIFA ban, Greek clubs cannot participate in the Champions League, and the national team is banned from playing in competitive or international friendly matches. Athens is due to host the final of the Champions League next year.
Associated Press
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