It’s been a terrible weekend for England fans, as the news that Rio Ferdinand injured his knee during a training session spread across the country.
The thirty-two year old Manchester United centre back became England captain this year, having made 78 appearances for his country in previous tournaments, qualifiers and friendlies. He has withdrawn from the tournament after the injury to a ligament in his knee, suffered just 24 hours after arriving in South Africa.
Courtesy of @Paolo Camera on Flickr
What losing their captain and central defender Ferdinand will do to the England squad’s morale remains to be seen, but luckily Rio has agreed to stay with the team in South Africa until their opening world cup game against the USA on Saturday in Rustenburg. We can only hope that hopes remain high and that Ledley King will not find Rio’s shoes too big to fill.
It’s good for the team that Rio has decided to stay and support them, and we sincerely hope that he will make the most of the trip and enjoy his South Africa holiday. There has been a lot of attention lavished on South Africa recently thanks to the impending tournament, and no doubt even more curious travellers will begin to consider this marvellous and diverse country as their next holiday destination as a result.
