Andile Jali, the South African World Cup hopeful, is being sent to see experts in America after tests discovered the midfielder has a heart condition. Jali, who is only 20 and made his international debut earlier this year, had a mild cardiovascular condition detected in routine tests of players in the 30-man preliminary World Cup squad, the South African Football Association (SAFA) said. Jali was tested twice after a routine assessment found a possible heart problem and a second medical opinion was sought.
The second test, communicated to the association last Monday, confirmed the initial findings. "SAFA is heeding a doctor's recommendation that Jali travel to the University of Florida Gainesville Medical Centre in the United States as this facility has a track record of dealing with athletes in this area of medicine," an SAFA statement said. "It is envisaged that Jali's tests will be performed in time for him to be available for the finalisation of the squad."
Jali left Johannesburg for the US yesterday. Carlos Alberto Parreira, South Africa's Brazilian coach, intends to name the final 23-man squad for the tournament tomorrow. Shane Duffy, the Republic of Ireland defender, was recovering yesterday after undergoing life-saving surgery after suffering a freak accident in a training match on Friday night. The Everton teenager suffered a laceration to his liver after colliding with Adrian Walsh, the Irish amateur team goalkeeper during the clash at Gannon Park.
Professor John O'Byrne, the team surgeon, said: "Shane collided with a player in a way that you would see thousands of times in football matches. "It was a freak injury that in another 100 years of medicine, we may never see again." Giovanni Trapattoni's Ireland team will provide World Cup warm-up opposition for Paraguay and Algeria in friendlies this week. * Agencies