Slovakia midfielder Karhan ruled out of World Cup

Slovakia midfielder Miroslav Karhan was ruled out of the World Cup on Saturday after failing to recover from a hamstring problem, local news agency SITA reported.

"I have a little rupture there, preventing me from starting in the World Cup finals. There are two weeks to go to the finals but I should take a break for three weeks," said Karhan, Slovakia's most-capped player with 96 starts.

"Unfortunately, this is the life of soccer. I am very disappointed, it is hard to say more," the 33-year-old Karhan, who plays for Bundesliga side Mainz, told SITA.

Slovakia coach Vladimir Weiss has until Tuesday to name his final 23-man squad for the June 11-July 11 finals in South Africa.