Beckham misses ball after England snub

The disappointment of missing out on his 100th cap for England was all too much for David Beckham, it appears, as the 33-year-old footballer pulled out of a charity event at just two hours notice last night after being snubbed by the national team's new boss, Fabio Capello.

Becks had been lined up to host a charity dinner in aid of cystic fibrosis, yet within hours of hearing that he wasn't in the squad for the friendly against Switzerland next Tuesday, his camp claimed that he had been called back to America for pre-season training with the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Organisers of the 'Liv' ball persuaded the TV presenter Davina McCall to take his place. The event seems to have been cursed with its choice of host: first-choice Thierry Henry had to pass on the engagement when a rearranged football game in Spain, where Henry plays for Barcelona, left him stranded there.

The event, which aimed to raise more than £1m for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, was a star-studded affair, with footballers such as Beckham's erstwhile England colleague Peter Crouch, Arsenal's Emmanuel Adebayor, PM Gordon Brown and his wife Sarah, and many more in attendance.

The disappointment at the no-show of two of football's most charismatic characters was tempered by performances from Sir Elton John and comedians Jimmy Carr and Matt Lucas.