David Beckham quit as England captain Sunday, the morning after his team went out in the World Cup quarterfinals on penalties to Portugal.
A tearful Beckham, wearing a suit and tie, read a statement to a crowded news conference at England’s training camp in Buehlertal, Germany.
“I have lived the dream,” he said. “I am extremely proud to have worn the armband and been captain of England and for that, I will always be grateful.”
He stressed that he wanted to continue playing for the national team.
First capped at 21 against Mol- dova in September 1996, Beckham was named captain for the first time by caretaker coach Peter Taylor for a friendly in Italy. He took over the captaincy permanently from Alan Shearer, who retired after the 2000 European Championship.
On Sunday, Beckham said he felt “the time is right to pass on the armband as we enter in a new era” under new coach Steve McClaren, who is taking over as England coach from Sven-Goran Eriksson.
Beckham, 31, has been captain for 58 of his 94 England caps. He said he had decided “some time ago” to quit as captain after this World Cup, his third.
Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard or Chelsea defender John Terry are most likely to take over as captain. Both are captains for their Premier League clubs.
“This decision has been the most difficult of my career to date,” he said. “It has been an honor and a privilege to have captained our country, and I want to stress that I wish to continue to play for England and look forward to helping both the new captain and Steve McClaren in any way I can.”
Germany’s Frings cited
Germany midfielder Torsten Frings was cited for throwing a punch at an Argentine opponent, and could miss his team’s World Cup semifinal match against Italy.
FIFA took action Sunday after reviewing TV footage of the on-field melee that followed Germany’s penalty shootout win over Argentina in Friday’s quarterfinals.
Frings had until this morning to explain himself to a disciplinary committee, FIFA spokesman Andreas Herren said. A decision on a possible punishment was expected later today.
France sees yellow
Zinedine Zidane is one of several French players who would be suspended for the World Cup final if he gets another yellow card against Portugal and his team wins.
Given the way most of Portugal’s matches have ended at the World Cup, that’s sure to be a major headache for France coach Raymond Domenech. In five matches so far, Portugal’s opponents have been shown 20 yellow cards and four red cards.
France plays Portugal in the semifinals Wednesday in Munich.
