Balls up over Gerrard's name

Soccer star Steven Gerrard may be the heartbeat of England's midfield - but makers of an officially endorsed football still could not spell his name, it emerged today.

The football, which has the players' names printed in capital letters as well as their signatures emblazoned on it, has "Gerrerd" printed on it instead of the correct "Gerrard".

A spokesman for supermarket chain Asda, which stocks the ball, said: "It looks like the Football Association's official spellcheckers have made the 'muck-cup' of the season.

"Clearly they don't know their As from their Es. Let's hope the Football Association don't submit the wrong name on the team sheet come Sunday."

A Football Association spokesman denied it was their mistake.

He said: "When we approved the ball, we approved it with the correct spelling of the name. We are led to believe it was a mistake at the factory where it was being produced."

The FA said it was getting the licensee of the product to recall the faulty footballs.

The spokesman added it was a limited number, stocked in Asda, which were affected by the error.