Will Wayne Rooney Control His Temper at the 2010 FIFA World Cup?

Injured captain Rio Ferdinand insists Wayne Rooney’s hot temper won’t get the better of him during the World Cup.

The Manchester United striker was booked for having a go at inept referee Jeff Selogilwe in Monday’s uncomfortable 3-0 victory over mediocre local club Platinum Stars—and he delivered some crunching challenges before scoring after coming on at half-time.

Selogilwe claims he was “abused and insulted” by Rooney over a meaningless decision, though he had given a seriously questionable penalty to the Platinum Stars just ten minutes into the match at the Moruleng Stadium near South Africa’s Las Vegas, Sun City.

With the opening Group C game against an in-form USA coming up at the nearby Bafokeng Soccer Palace, Selogilwe helpfully warned Rooney that further outbursts would see England’s talisman sent off during the World Cup proper.

Rooney’s club-mate Rio, forced out of the competition when he injured his knee in the first training session last Thursday, disagrees.

After watching England’s lacklustre performance, which was lifted by the arrival of Rooney and Emile Heskey up front, he said: “Wayne's disciplinary record has been magnificent over the last couple of years, since the red card in Germany against Portugal. He's done so well to get where he is now.

“I don't see Wazza having a problem. People have to realise it was only a practice match. I'm sure he's said a lot worse to other referees in Premier League games. But being here magnifies things with the World Cup around the corner.”

Watford and USA captain Jay DeMerit see Rooney's temper in a slightly different light. He’ll be marking England’s top marksman on Saturday. He said: “If he brings that stuff out in the way we play against him then that's good. I'm not going [to] wind him up.

“You try to make his day difficult and if a guy has as much fire as he has, those kind of things come out. That's our job. It's not about kicking him when no one is looking or using tactics like that. It's not necessarily something you try to do because then you're thinking of the wrong things on the pitch.”

Ferdinand has also eased tension over the Emile Heskey tackle that ended his World Cup chances. He said: “The ball came in to Emile, I'd gone to try and tackle him from behind—he didn't see me coming—we both went off balance and Emile's weight went down on my knee.

“It's not Emile’s fault. It's just a freak accident that could happen at any given time and it had no connection to any previous injuries I've had.”

Ferdinand was reluctant to return home immediately—he now plans to fly back to Heathrow on Monday. He said: “Leading out your country at a World Cup is the stuff of dreams. It's been taken from me. I spent a long evening thinking about that.

“But I've got to get on with it. There's a lot more people worse off than I am. I'm not dying and it's not like I'll never be able to play football again.”

Neal Collins is in South Africa to promote his first novel, A Game Apart , currently No. 15 on Amazon's African best-sellers list. For more information, see www.nealcollins.co.uk.

Readers may be interested in this USA Today piece, published yesterday: http://content.usatoday.com/community/comments.aspx?id=38793306.story&p=2

For exclusive video footage of Monday night’s action see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5CX4pb8Xmo

Remember, it's never too late to book a flight and come see this World Cup for yourself. You'll be safe, secure, and you'll love it!