time leading scorer Benni McCarthy was one of five players cut from the World Cup host's squad Tuesday as coach Carlos Alberto Parreira settled on his 23 players for the June 11-July tournament. The decision to ditch McCarthy was a major surprise but follows criticism concerning the forward's fitness. Parreira also dropped defender Bryce Moon and goalkeeper Rowen Fernandez in two other surprise cuts. Parreira sympathized with the players cut from the squad and thanked them for their commitment. “My heart bleeds for them,” he told a news conference in Johannesburg. “Put your heads up. Life goes on. We are only allowed to take 23 but thank you very much for your efforts, your attitude and commitment. A team is when somebody shares the same vision, whether you are playing or on the bench.” McCarthy's omission effectively brings down the curtain on a turbulent international career in which he won 79 caps and netted a record 31 goals. McCarthy played at the 1998 and 2002 World Cup Finals but had a stormy relationship with the national side, twice retiring from international football when it conflicted with his club career in Europe, making him a deeply divisive figure in South Africa. A recent knee injury saw McCarthy play little for English club side West Ham this year and he was criticised when he joined up with the preliminary World Cup squad for being overweight and out of condition. Barcelona does not rule out Ibrahimovic sale Barcelona has not ruled out the sale of Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the club's director general Joan Oliver said Monday following controversial comments made by the player's agent last week. The agent, Mino Raiola, was quoted as saying by Spanish media that Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola should go to a psychiatric hospital if he did not make greater use of the 28-year-old in the upcoming season. “We didn't like Mr. Mino Raiola's statements at all, especially the tone. The reference to the coach is in very bad taste,” Oliver said in comments published on the club's website. “The club doesn't need money. We don't want to sell. But if things get too complicated, there will be no option but to sell the player. However, that's not the intention of the club at this moment.” The Spanish champion was reacting to quotes from an interview Mino Raiola gave when he said Barca coach Pep Guardiola “would need to go to a mental hospital,” if he was considering off-loading Ibrahimovic for next season. “If Barca need money why do they always talk about Ibrahimovic and not Lionel Messi or Pedro?” Raiola was quoted as having said on the Barca website. Ibrahimovic, who joined Barcelona in July 2009 from Inter Milan, has had a mixed first season at Barcelona. He scored 16 times for the club in the Spanish league but failed to win over fans and ended the season on the substitutes' bench. His center-forward role was taken over by teenager Bojan Krkic and he will face even more competition next season from Spanish international striker David Villa who joined Barcelona from Valencia earlier this month.
