May 13, 2008 12:15 PM

SOURCE:
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Maniche left out of Portugal’s Euro 2008 squad

Inter Milan’s Maniche was a surprise omission when Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari named his 23-man squad for June’s European Championship finals in Austria and Switzerland on Monday.

Former Porto and Benfica midfielder Maniche played in the Euro 2004 and World Cup 2006 finals and was a regular starter in Portugal’s stuttering qualifying campaign. His brother Jorge Ribeiro of Boavista was included in the squad.

Scolari refused to explain the reason for leaving out the 30-year-old but said that expectations were as high for the team as when they finished runners-up four years ago on home soil.

“The expectations are the same as in 2004,” Scolari said in a televised news conference. “We have great quality to clinch the qualification in the first phase. I have total belief in this squad.”

Portugal are in Group A where they will face Czech Republic, Turkey and co-hosts Switzerland.

Scolari named 11 of the players that made up their Euro 2004 squad when they lost to Greece in the final and said the experienced group would rely on collective leadership.

“Firstly, we plan a little change,” he explained. “We will choose a group of five captains so they can work together with other players by imposing what we believe to be correct.”

The squad gathered in the central town of Viseu for a training camp on Monday.

Ricardo Carvalho and Paulo Ferreira of Chelsea, and the Manchester United pair of Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani will join them after the Champions League in Moscow on May 21.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Ricardo Pereira (Real Betis), Quim Silva (Benfica), Rui Patricio (Sporting)

Defenders: Miguel Monteiro (Valencia), Jose Bosingwa (Porto), Paulo Ferreira (Chelsea), Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea), Fernando Meira (VfB Stuttgart), Bruno Alves (Porto), Pepe (Real Madrid), Jorge Ribeiro (Boavista)

Midfielders: Raul Meireles (Porto), Joao Moutinho (Sporting), Deco (Barcelona), Armando Petit (Benfica), Miguel Veloso (Sporting)

Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United), Simao Sabrosa (Atletico Madrid), Ricardo Quaresma (Porto), Nuno Gomes (Benfica), Hugo Almeida (Werder Bremen), Nani (Manchester United), Helder Postiga (Panathinaikos)