Brazil´s Elano still in doubt ahead of Dutch clash

Brazilian midfielder Elano remains troubled by an ankle injury and is in doubt to play against the Netherlands in their World Cup quarter-final in Port Elizabeth on Friday.

Team doctor Jose Luis Runco said Elano could be ready to play next week if Brazil progress, but there was also a chance that the Galatasaray midfielder could miss the rest of the tournament.

“Elano has been undergoing intensive treatment which can take a few days, weeks or a month,” Runco told a press conference here on Wednesday.

“Each day we will make an evaluation of him. It’s hard to gauge his exact prospects at this stage.”

Runco said scans had revealed that Elano has a deep-seated bruised bone which will prevent from having impact training with the rest of the players until at least Friday.

Complicating the issue for coach Dunga is that Elano’s likely replacement Benfica’s Ramires is suspended from the next match after picking up his second yellow card of the tournament against Chile.

Elano picked up the injury in Brazil’s second group match win over Ivory Coast and he subsequently missed the scoreless draw with Portugal and Monday’s 3-0 round-of-16 win over Chile.

Elano, who found the net in each of Brazil’s first two matches, said he was forced to cut training short on Tuesday after feeling sharp pain in the ankle.

“It was a spectacular start to the tournament after scoring two goals in the first two matches,” he told the press conference.

“I am disappointed, but I remain positive. I’m hopeful that I will still be able to play.”

Elano’s ankle took the full brunt of a crunching tackle from Ismael Tiote midway through the match against Ivory Coast at Soccer City on June 20.

“I don’t like to complain, but this type of violence needs to be analysed,” he said. “People talk about the ball, about using video to see if it was a goal or not, but I wanted to go to the referee and say, ‘You didn’t even call a foul?'”

Although Tiote was not cautioned for his tackle on Elano he received a yellow card later in the same match.

Runco said that midfielder Felipe Melo also has a left ankle injury, but it was too early to say whether he would be able to play against the Netherlands.