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Powell slams penalty "cowardice"
Mon, 11 Jul 07:49:45 2011
England women's coach Hope Powell accused her team of "cowardice" after she struggled to find volunteers for the World Cup quarter-final penalty shoot-out against France.
Claire Rafferty, a 22-year-old full-back who had come on after 80 minutes to make her World Cup debut, and Faye White missed the fourth and fifth penalties respectively to seal England's exit and Powell was furious at the overall lack of courage shown by her players.
She told The Guardian: "Three times I had to ask before anyone stepped forward. 'Where are you?' I was thinking, and then a young kid (Rafferty) is the first to put her hand up. And Kelly Smith was dying on her feet but she stepped up and took one. You've got to want to take a penalty, but other players should have come forward and they didn't. That's weak, it's cowardice."
Mon, 11 Jul 07:49:45 2011
England women's coach Hope Powell accused her team of "cowardice" after she struggled to find volunteers for the World Cup quarter-final penalty shoot-out against France.
Claire Rafferty, a 22-year-old full-back who had come on after 80 minutes to make her World Cup debut, and Faye White missed the fourth and fifth penalties respectively to seal England's exit and Powell was furious at the overall lack of courage shown by her players.
She told The Guardian: "Three times I had to ask before anyone stepped forward. 'Where are you?' I was thinking, and then a young kid (Rafferty) is the first to put her hand up. And Kelly Smith was dying on her feet but she stepped up and took one. You've got to want to take a penalty, but other players should have come forward and they didn't. That's weak, it's cowardice."
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