World Cup 2010 diary: South Korea's Ji-Sung Park sparks crisis of confidence in Japan

Park’s comments, after scoring in Korea’s 2-0 win against their Far East rivals on Monday, were viewed as a national insult in Japan — who face England in Austria tomorrow. The defeat has left coach Takeshi Okada fighting to save his job. Okada said: “After losing to South Korea, I asked the JFA president if he wanted me to stay on and he said, ‘Yes.’ I still think this team is capable of going places.”

Olsen’s injury gamble
Simon Kjaer, the highly rated Palermo defender, has been included in Denmark’s 23-man World Cup squad, despite being carried off with a knee injury in Thursday’s friendly against Senegal. Kjaer, a long-term target of Manchester United and Liverpool, will undergo scans for suspected ligament damage, but coach Morten Olsen has gambled on the 21 year-old making a swift recovery.

Aussies’ escape act
Lucas Neill insists the Australia squad were delighted to be the first team to arrive in South Africa, after claiming their preparations had descended into a “circus”. Pim Verbeek’s team touched down in Johannesburg on Wednesday — 18 days before the Group D opener against Germany. Neill said: “Australia was a little bit of a circus if we are being honest. There was a little bit too much to do and a little bit less focus on the football.”

Blowing their own trumpet
Cape Town is aiming to claim the record for the world’s biggest vuvuzela after unveiling a 35-metre version of the controversial trumpet-style instrument. Fifa have relented on plans to ban the ear-splitting vuvuzelas from matches and Cape Town’s horn, based at the V&A Waterfront, will blow whenever a goal is scored at the city’s Green Point Stadium.

Double trouble for italy
Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon claims the champions will struggle to defend the World Cup in South Africa. Buffon said: “We have less chance of retaining the World Cup than we had of winning it in 2006 because, after winning, it becomes more difficult to repeat that.”