Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk says the World Cup will be poorer without his former clubmate Sadio Mane, even though the Dutch now face a weaker Senegal side in their Group A opener on Monday.
Senegal's talisman Mane was ruled out of the tournament in Qatar late on Thursday after his team's doctors re-examined a latest batch of scans of his knee injury, suffered playing in the Bundesliga for new club Bayern Munich earlier this month, and said his recovery could take several months.
Mane was Van Dijk's team-mate at Liverpool up to the end of last season and the pair were set for an on-field reunion as the Netherlands and Senegal kick off their World Cup campaigns at the Al Thumama Stadium.
"I am very sorry that Sadio misses the match against us because this World Cup simply deserves the best players, Sadio is one of them," said Van Dijk.
"Sadio is world class, he is my friend and I will miss him."
Van Dijk also echoed coach Louis van Gaal’s sentiment from earlier in the week that the Dutch could be strong competitors at the tournament.
"For me, Argentina, Brazil and France are the favourite countries," he told reporters.
"The Brazilians are always there. The Argentines are strong and the French have a great selection. We have a good group, we have a very experienced trainer, but above all we have team spirit."
Brazil's former midfielder Ze Roberto said criticism of Dani Alves' call-up for the World Cup is due to a cultural taboo on veterans that was still present in Brazilian football, something that he experienced in his last finals in 2006.
Brazil coach Tite drew criticism from local media after calling on Alves, 39, who last played in September and recently recovered from a knee injury.
"This issue of age is cultural. I experienced it first-hand when I returned to Brazil after the 2006 World Cup," Ze Roberto told Brazilian website UOL.
"It's difficult to change this mentality, because it's part of the culture of the Brazilian fans, of the press.
"In my case, I had to kind of face a taboo. From what I see, this taboo hasn't been broken yet, it exists to this day."
Ze Roberto went to the 2006 World Cup in Germany aged 32 after returning to Brazil following a long career in Europe, something that also sparked criticism in his home country.
The now 48-year-old added that Alves' experience will be of great value to a team who are among the favourites to lift the trophy in Qatar.
"Daniel Alves's experience is crucial for the group. New players have emerged, who are excelling in Europe but will be playing in their first World Cup," Ze Roberto said.
Spain left back Jose Gaya has withdrawn from their squad after suffering an ankle injury in training, the team announced on Friday.
The statement said that Gaya suffered a low-grade lateral sprain in his right ankle while training in Amman, Jordan on Wednesday and will return to Spain later on Friday.
Spain registered a friendly 3-1 win over Jordan in a warm-up game on Thursday, six days before they face Costa Rica in their World Cup opener. Luis Enrique's side are also due to play Germany and Japan in Group E.
Alejandro Balde will be Gaya's replacement in the squad for the 2010 world champions, with the 19-year-old earning his first senior call-up.
The sale of alcohol to fans at World Cup stadiums in Qatar has been banned with just two days to go until the tournament kicks off.
Fans will no longer be able to buy Budweiser, which would have been the only alcoholic beverage available to fans due to its sponsorship of FIFA.
Now no one attending matches will be able to consume alcohol within the stadium perimeter, with the exception of corporate spectators.
FIFA released a statement on Friday confirming the removal of sales points of beer from the stadium perimeters "following discussions between the host country authorities and FIFA".
It is understood Qatar, as hosts, are concerned about the impact of alcohol sales on fans for whom drinking is not part of the culture - not just Qataris but people from other parts of the Middle East and Asia more widely.
Supporters will still be able to consume alcohol in designated fan zones, but the incident throws into question the degree to which FIFA has control over the tournament.
James Maddison was again the only player to train away from the main group as England continued to gear up for their World Cup opener.
The Three Lions kick-off Group B against Iran on Monday, before facing the United States and neighbours Wales.
Maddison hopes to be fit for the start of the tournament after a positive scan on the knee complaint which saw him substituted in the first half of Leicester's win at West Ham last weekend.
The midfielder came out for the pre-session huddle on Friday but worked away from the main group for the second straight day due to what the Football Association called load management.
Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips were among the 25 training at England's Al Wakrah Sports Complex base as they build fitness after injury.
World Cup-bound Cameroon scored first but spent much of the second half on the back foot as they drew 1-1 with Panama in a friendly international on Friday.
Cameroon, warming up for their eighth World Cup finals appearance, took a 48th minute lead through Eric Maxim Choupo Moting, who had come on as a substitute at the start of the second half.
However, they were only able to stay in the lead for seven minutes before Michael Murillo equalised at Abu Dhabi's Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium.
Cameroon coach Rigobert Song fielded a full strength side for their only warm-up game before they meet Switzerland in their opening Group G game in Al Wakrah next Thursday.
Additional reporting: PA
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