It didn’t take long for the wives and girlfriends to stamp their Jimmy Choos all over Fabio Capello’s no-WAG rule. Mrs Joe Cole, Carly, flew out to South Africa ahead of England’s do or die match against Slovenia on Wednesday along with Emile Heskey’s fiancée Chantelle Tagoe, Michael Carrick’s wife Lisa, and Matthew Upson’s girlfriend Ellie Darby. While Steven Gerrard’s missus Alex says she will be on the first plane over to South Africa if he needs her and Abbey Clancy, the girlfriend of striker Peter Crouch, jetting out in the next few days. Is the absence of the WAGs the reason England has been so lacklustre in Group C? Are they just simply missing the love of a good woman? The flashy WAGs came under fire for the media frenzy they created in the last World Cup especially when they went for a girls night out in the German town of Baden Baden. Capello was having none of this in World Cup 2010 but after recent results maybe the WAGs weren’t to blame for England not winning the World Cup since 1966. Although there’s always an excuse when it comes to England underperforming in the World Cup. Perhaps this year, it’ll be the vuvuzelas..or just boredom. The England players claim they have had their fill of table tennis and are bored hanging around the hotel. They have urged Capello to allow them to see their wives and girlfriends, if reports are to be believed. However, never underestimate a WAG; just because they were “banned” from cheering on their hubbies and boyfriends in the stands doesn’t mean they were not going to get their five minutes in the spotlight. A documentary that recently aired on BBC showed a group of WAGs, including Tagoe and Matthew Upson’s girlfriend Ellie Darby, and ex-WAGs, slumming it in the real South Africa. There we saw tears and a lot of “thanking God for what I’ve got back home” while they were caring for children infected by HIV. But this week, the England players’ wives and girlfriends came under fire, after it emerged that some will receive £9,000 worth of jewellery, clothes and holidays for attending a celebrity cocktail party in Pretoria on Friday. South African cosmetics company Optiphi said four England WAGs were expected to attend their promotional event, including Tagoe, Darby, and Michael Carrick’s wife Lisa. It’s easy to see why the WAGs are suddenly booking their flights to South Africa. Tagoe was also criticised for appearing in a promotional photo with South African children dripped in designer gear from head to toe. One wonders if the girls who starred in the BBC documentary will return to the streets of South Africa and dismiss the luxuries of Sun City now that the cameras aren’t rolling. But, queen of the WAGs Victoria Beckham is reported to be snubbing the rest of the wives and girlfriends in Sun City and is instead renting an apartment in Cape Town’s Camps Bay. Posh is distancing herself from the WAG parade this time round saying she doesn’t consider herself to be a WAG in the traditional sense (anymore). Or is it that she just does not need the publicity? With England’s 1-0 victory on Wednesday and an overall improvement in play (although they were playing Slovenia), perhaps an influx of WAGs is just the tonic they needed. Sure enough the paparazzi will be out in force stalking the WAGs who do make an appearance during the World Cup, undoubtedly trawling the designer stores of South Africa.

Taking his accusations against cycling ace Lance Armstrong to the airwaves for the first time, Floyd Landis slammed the seven-time Tour de France champion with his most blunt attack yet. "I saw Lance Armstrong using drugs," Landis told ABC's Nightline in an interview for Friday night's show, adding that he received the banned substance EPO, as well as other drugs, from the seven-time Tour de France champion. "Lance Armstrong handed me some testosterone patches," Landis said, adding that he saw Armstrong receiving multiple blood transfusions; another banned practice that boosts a cyclist's endurance. Landis confessed earlier to doping, and said he witnessed widespread cheating on Armstrong's US Postal Service teams when he was a member from 2002-04. Landis is also cooperating with the government in a federal grand jury investigation of possible doping conspiracies on Armstrong's teams, the Daily News reports

Their relationship has blossomed from childhood sweethearts into one of England’s most famous glamour couple. While husband Wayne carries England’s hopes into South Africa, wife Coleen has forged a successful career as a TV presenter. As a teenager she was often described as frumpy but she has carefully nurtured her image into England’s second most popular wag.

I couldn't omit Sylvie Françoise Van der Vaart. The Dutch model is renowned for her beauty in Europe. No wonder journalists portray Sylvie and Rafael Van der Vaart as the new Beckham's. Although the couple put comparisons to bed as they "live normal lives," Sylvie and Rafael are still adored for their looks. In fact, isn't Sylvie the prettiest woman among all those mentioned?

As the big tournament approaches, Umbro has designed shirts to celebrate each of the seven nations who have become world champions. The teams featured are Italy, Uruguay, France, Argentina, Germany and five-time winners Brazil. And with a stroke of genius they have asked the likes of Peter Crouch’s fiancee Abbey Clancy and an array of other sexy girls relative to football to model the gear ahead of the launch. While Peter Crouch still has work to do to be picked for the England squad, his model-turned-TV presenter WAG is as much demand as ever (see the photo right.) Alongside Abbey Clancy appear Arsenal star Gael Clichy’s wife Charlene Suric modeling the French shirt while Luli Fernandez, Pablo Mouche’s girlfriend, models the Argentinean shirt. Representing Italy is Alice Bregoli, the girlfriend of Alberto Gilardino, while Uruguay is modelled by Diego Forlan’s wife Zaira Nara. Marcell Jansen’s wife Julia Godicke in the Germany colours, and Susana Werner – Julio Cesar’s other half – in the famous yellow of Brazil (see the photos below.) And as you can see they’re all absolute dazzlers – we’re talking about the shirts, of course. The launch of the kits mirrors a promotion Umbro led way back in the 60s and the kit manufacturer are hoping the casual shirts sell famously alongside the England team shits. Each kit features a redesigned national badge, put together by ‘mixture of graffiti artists, cartoonists, tattoo designers, record label owners’. And prices start from £40, for a shirt from the country of your choice. However, there’s no representation from Spain, who are the choice of many football pundits as eventual winners. [via DailyMail (UK) and Metro (UK)]

Professional golfer Tiger Woods has been off his game since his extramarital affairs were exposed last year, but he is still the world's highest earning athlete, according to two lists released on Wednesday. Woods claimed the top spot on a 2010 U.S. list of 50 athletes for the seventh consecutive year compiled by Sports Illustrated's SI.com, though his total earnings fell 10 per cent to $90.5 million. His total is also down 40 per cent from $127.9 million in 2008. Woods also topped Forbes magazine's 2010 list of the top 50 earning athletes in the world at $105 million, down 4.5 per cent from last year as the star golfer has lost such sponsors as Accenture Plcand AT&T Inc. It was the ninth consecutive year he topped the Forbes list.