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Beckham and booze: England expects

Beckham is carried off after the tackle that broke a bone in his foot

LONDON, England (CNN) -- For once, the press announced double cheer for England fans -- David Beckham might be fit for the World Cup after all, and a court had ruled that pubs could serve alcohol during the matches.

Watching games through an alcoholic haze is a national pastime. Now those hardy souls who can stomach six pints of premium strength export lager at 7am will be able to exercise their right to do so.

And the beer will probably fuel debate about the healing properties of a metatarsus bone. There are thousands of experts on this since Beckham was stretchered off in agony during Manchester United's Champions League game against Deportivo La Coruna.

The fact that the man whose tackle broke his foot, Aldo Duscher, is Argentinian, got the conspiracy theorists working overtime. Argentina are England's opponents on June 7.

It is hard to pick up a newspaper or magazine or flick through TV channels without seeing Beckham. The England captain is a national sporting hero, a rare commodity in a country uncomfortable with worshipping idols. (Full story)

A marriage made in showbiz heaven: Becks and Victoria, formerly Posh Spice

Beckham means scoring, smiling, winning, looking good, making money -- all with a celebrity wife and a cherubic son.

While other English football stars hit the headlines for violence, drunkenness and court cases, Beckham is a quality role model. No wonder the money makers behind commercials, TV trailers, chat shows and billboards fall over themselves to use his image.

There is even a movie, "Bend it Like Beckham", inspired by the 26-year-old's last minute free-kick against Greece which booked England's place in the World Cup finals and prompted Madame Tussaud's museum to capture the moment with a wax model.

So when Duscher's lunging challenge put Beckham in plaster, it relegated the Middle East conflict to the inside news pages. "The Foot -- A Nation Holds its Breath," said The Mirror.

Its tabloid rival, The Sun, carried a full front page picture of the foot and urged readers to rub it in an attempt at mass faith healing. Even the topless model who graces page three was leaning on crutches with her foot in plaster as a token of sympathy.

Eriksson: Will fans still sing Sven's Song after the World Cup?

Beckham is vital to England's hopes of success. So prime minister Tony Blair apparently told cabinet colleagues. It is hard enough being in the ubiquitous "group of death" with Argentina, Nigeria and Sweden. And if England manage to get through that, there is likely to be France or Brazil waiting for them.

England trade on tired memories of a solitary World Cup victory 36 years ago. Beckham's injury meant the odds were stacking up against them and the euphoria generated by September's 5-1 win in Germany was giving way to harsh reality.

This victory elevated manager Sven Goran Eriksson, a Swede, to cult status. He personified intelligence and tactical awareness, qualities apparently lacking in English coaches who rely on fist-clenching motivation and hurling cups around the changing rooms.

"Sven's Song", a pop tribute, was released. Now you can also buy a CD of Eriksson's selection of classical music.

So when the story circulated that he was having an affair with TV presenter Ulrika Jonsson, a fellow Swede, the coach was front page news. True to form, he calmly told reporters: "My private life is my private life and that's it." (Full story)

English fans and the press are fickle and failure in Japan and South Korea could mean a swift end to the footballing love affair.