Delayed after being snarled up in the reliably nose-to-tail Mexico City traffic, following a flight from Atlanta, Fabio Cannavaro was 75 minutes late on Tuesday for his press conference to preview Uzbekistan’s World Cup debut, against Colombia.Wrapped up against the freezing air conditioning in a sprawling marquee that is acting as a temporary press room, head coach Cannavaro’s inquisitors would agree he was worth the wait; save the chap from Uzbekistan who railed at a blameless volunteer after he did not get his turn to ask a question.After lasting just six weeks and two matches as China boss, but having overseen success with Tianjin Quanjian and Guangzhou Evergrande, a small smile crossed Cannavaro’s face when he was asked what the country could learn from Uzbekistan, the world No 50 nation who cruised through qualifying to reach their first World Cup.Appointed boss of the Central Asian nation only last October, Cannavaro, a brilliant defender in Italy’s 2006 World Cup-winning team, told the South China Morning Post: “One of the things that was important when I decided to sign for Uzbekistan was that the federation invests a lot of money in the academies and facilities [they opened a well-appointed national football centre last year].“The future Uzbekistan footballers will grow, and we’ll see more of them playing in Europe. I’m sure of that because the mentality they are working with, and which they are growing, is really good.”Having qualified for the only time in 2002, China are absent from their sixth straight World Cup finals.