Rome  - The absence of controversial talent Antonio Cassano from Italy's line-up is the talking point this week among football buffs as the world champions gear up for two qualifying games to the 2010 World Cup.

Coach Marcello Lippi resorted to his trademark tough-guy attitude saying that he doesn't have to give reasons for his choices - one of the benefits of having won Italy's fourth world title in 2006.

"I have my convictions and I don't owe explanations," he said. "And not because I'm arrogant, but because I want to work with who is present."

Copenhagen - FIFA president Joseph Blatter remained adamant Wednesday in opposition to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) out-of-competition testing rules.

"We are the international federations which probably undertake the most but we need some private sphere for our footballers," Blatter said while attending the UEFA congress in Copenhagen.

Blatter said the federations were jointly combating doping but this should not turn into a "witch hunt."

Copenhagen  - UEFA expects to make a net loss in the next three years to the 2012 European Championships after a profit of 235 million euros (317 million dollars) last year, European football's governing body said at its congress Wednesday.

Thanks to Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland, UEFA increased its capital in the 2007/2008 season to 508.4 million euros.

Revenue increased by almost 775 million euros to 1.925 billion euros over the previous season.

Gelsenkirchen, Germany  - Former Schalke 04 coach Huub Stevens Wednesday ruled himself out as a candidate for the post of general manager at the troubled Bundesliga club.

Stevens had been mentioned in media reports as a possible candidate but told German Press Agency dpa he had neither been contacted or expected to be contacted by the club.

"I have other offers which I am considering," said the Dutch coach who was in charge of the team between 1996 and 2002, winning the UEFA Cup and the German Cup twice.

Leipzig, Germany  - Germany coach Joachim Loew tested the fitness of his players and called for all-round improvement Tuesday ahead of World Cup qualifiers.

The tests in Leipzig come after two home defeats to England and Norway and some 18 months after the Germany squad took part in a similar fitness check.

"This is a stocktaking a year before the World Cup in South Africa," Loew said of the tests which among other things included sprint, stamina and reaction checks.

Johannesburg - South Africa and Brazil have all the necessary measures in place to co-operate on security issues during the 2010 World Cup South African media reported on Tuesday.

The South African Press Association quotes the South African Defence Minister Charles Nqakula as saying that an initiative between Brazil, India and South Africa identified a need for a better co-ordinated approach to new threats regarding security and social economic development.