MONACO, Monaco - Monaco and Colombia striker Radamel Falcao says he has not given up hope of playing in this years World Cup despite tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during a French Cup game on Wednesday. Atletico Madrid Thomas Lemar Jersey . Falcao will have major surgery to repair the damage in coming days, and typically rehabilitation from such injuries takes many months. The World Cup in Brazil starts on June 12, and Colombias first match is on June 14 against Greece. Japan and Ivory Coast are also in Group C. "I am not going to hide that my sadness is huge," Falcao said Thursday on Twitter. "My heart is destroyed. But I still hold faith of playing at the World Cup. God makes the impossible possible. I believe in Him". Falcao was stretchered off the field after damaging his knee during a French Cup match on Wednesday when he was tackled by Chasselay centre half Soner Ertek. "The player will have surgery in next few days. Doctors will do everything possible to speed up recovery," Monaco said in a statement. Falcao has 20 goals in 51 international appearances, including nine goals in qualifying for this years World Cup. "He choose to go to Portugal, where he knows doctors he trusts, and were following his condition," Colombian federation president Luis Bedoya said. Falcao was examined in Portugal by Dr. Jose Carlos Noronha, who told the Colombian radio station Caracol that swelling must subside before a date for the operation can be set. "I cannot say that he will miss the World Cup," Noronha said. After Wednesdays game, Monaco coach Claudio Ranieri criticized referee Philippe Kalt for not taking firmer action against Chasselays players. "If Falcao has a serious injury, its the referees fault. Its not possible to let things go like that," Ranieri said. "When there are fouls, you have to whistle. When its a bad foul, you have to get a yellow card out, and if theres another bad foul, then its a red. Tonight I saw neither." Atletico Madrid Vitolo Jersey .S. Basketball Writers Association. McDermott, who finished his career at Creighton as college basketballs fifth-leading scorer, accepted the honour from Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson at AT&T Stadium, site of the Final Four. Atletico Madrid Fan Gear . I kept my eyes focused up on the camera during each approach. I just tried to stay focused on my form, as I didnt know what the ball reaction was. I was quite emotional at the end. I did not actually see any of the shots in the game until I got home and watched the video. http://www.cheapatleticomadridjersey.com/?tag=atletico-madrid-diego-costa-jersey . -- Brendan Leipsic had two goals and an assist and Nicolas Petan extended his point streak to 11 games as the Portland Winterhawks slipped past the Red Deer Rebels 5-4 on Saturday in Western Hockey League action.MELBOURNE, Australia - With Li Na in retirement and not defending her title at the Australian Open, there are far fewer Chinese flags and fans with red-and-yellow-streaked faces in the stands at Melbourne Park.So much so that when Peng Shuai, now Chinas top-ranked tennis player, was beating Magdalena Rybarikova in a second-round match, there was just one fan shouting encouragement in Mandarin with a solitary Chinese flag.Contrast that scene with a stadium in the Australian capital on Sunday where thousands of red-shirt wearing Chinese supporters cheered on Chinas soccer team as it defeated North Korea in a group match at the Asian Cup.With Li transitioning from tennis star to soon-to-be-mother, her departure from the sport raises an interesting question in China: Can tennis keep its nascent fan base and continue to grow in the country without its global superstar?Its literally the billion-dollar question. Ultimately, no one knows, said Richard Heaselgrave, the commercial director for Tennis Australia, which has a considerable stake in the answer as host of the Australian Open, the self-described Grand Slam of Asia-Pacific.Theres no doubting that tennis popularity has grown immensely in China due to Lis success. According to the WTA, a Chinese television audience of 116 million watched Li become the first Asian player to win a major at the French Open in 2011.Adding the Australian Open title last year cemented her status as one of Chinas top celebrities — she now has more than 23 million followers on Sina weibo, Chinas Twitter equivalent, more than almost all other athletes.Sensing a golden opportunity, the WTA jumped on Lis success to expand aggressively in Asia, with a record seven tournaments in China this year, second only to the U.S.Now that Chinas biggest star is no longer playing, though, some believe this rapid growth may have been premature.Zhang Bendou, the tennis writer for Titan Sports, the largest sports newspaper in China, said the crowds were visibly thinner at thhe Shenzhen Open tournament earlier this month without Li there to defend her title from the year before. Atletico Madrid Juanfran Jersey. Its embarrassing to see the pictures, he said. If the tournaments cannot attract enough sponsors and spectators and media interest, (China) will lose them eventually. I think they are in danger, some of them.Part of the problem is that because tennis is relatively new to the country, Chinese fans typically only pay attention to the big-name stars and local players, Zhang said.This partly explains why the mens tennis tour has been more cautious to expand in China — there are no bankable Chinese mens players yet. Only one made the main draw at the Australian Open — Zhang Ze, who lost in the first round to 33-year-old Australian veteran Lleyton Hewitt.Heaselgrave is optimistic the Australian Open will retain its Chinese fan base. To help ensure this, Tennis Australia has signed LI to a three-year contract to act as the tournaments unofficial ambassador in China and recently signed a new contract with China Central Television to produce bespoke TV and digital content from the tournament for Chinese consumers.Theres talk of opening Tennis Australia training centres for casual and club-level players in Shanghai and Beijing, as well.Were absolutely nowhere near being the Grand Slam of Asia-Pacific that we want to be, but weve made a big start, Heaselgrave said.The Chinese Tennis Association, meanwhile, is busy trying to find the next homegrown star.There are now 11 female players ranked in the top 200, led by Peng Shuai, the recent U.S. Open semifinalist, at No. 22. But the one Chinese Fed Cup captain Peng Wang is most excited about is 17-year-old Xu Shilin, the No. 2 girl in the junior rankings, who goes by the English name Coco. The top seed in the girls draw at the Australian Open, she has the potential to be the next Li Na, Peng said.Everyone I think in China has confidence now, the coaches, the players, he said. So they work hard, more than before. Cheap Diamondbacks Jerseys Cheap Braves Jerseys Cheap Orioles Jerseys Cheap Red Sox Jerseys Cheap Cubs Jerseys Cheap White Sox Jerseys Cheap Reds Jerseys Cheap Indians Jerseys Cheap Rockies Jerseys Cheap Tigers Jerseys Cheap Astros Jerseys Cheap Royals Jerseys Cheap Angels Jerseys Cheap Dodgers Jerseys Cheap Marlins Jerseys ' ' '