Moldova's national soccer team starts preparations for World Cup

The footballers selected to represent Moldova's national soccer team, aka Selecţionata, are expected Monday, August 18, to appear before head coach Igor Dobrovolski for preparations before a friendly against Lithuania on Wednesday in Mirjampole. At a news conference today, Dobrovolski said such kind of matches aim to smooth the game between Selecţionata's players. “None of the summoned players will be tested, but fully engaged in preparations for the qualifiers”. The Selecţionata will conduct its training sessions on the athletic facilities of the State technical University, after the venue at Vadul lui Voda was affected by floods this July . Dobrovolski used the occasion of the conference to shed light on his relations with Spartak Moscow's Sergiu Kovalciuk, who hasn't played for Moldova for more than a year. “After I took over the team, Kovalciuk refused to be selected. All my inquiries had a standard answer. One of the stated reasons was the need to put Kovalciuc in a German hospital for rehab. I don't need players who do not wish to play for the national team”, the coach stated. The match against Lithuania completes the round of preparatory matches before the qualifiers for the 2010 Word Cup in South Africa.