Sunday World Sports News

Venus downs Serena to win fifth title Reuters/ London

Venus Williams survived a fierce onslaught from Serena Williams to win her fifth Wimbledon singles title on Saturday, finally subduing her younger sister 7-5, 6-4. In the seventh all-Williams grand slam final, the 28-year-old Venus fought back from a break down in both sets to trump her sister in high-quality contest on a windswept Centre Court. The American also achieved another milestone when she fired the fastest serve by a woman at Wimbledon, a 129 mph (208 kph) bullet, en route to securing her seventh grand slam crown. After trading bludgeoning groundstrokes from the baseline, Serena surrendered her title hopes when she scooped a backhand wide to hand Venus victory following an absorbing battle lasting one hour and 51 minutes.
Sri Lanka pin hopes on Mendis Agence France-Presse . Karachi

Sri Lanka will look to their new spinning sensation Ajantha Mendis to defend their Asia Cup title against batting juggernauts India when the two teams meet in the final here today. The 23-year-old from Moratuwa has bowled impressively in a tournament dominated by batsmen, and after going wicketless in the first match took 5-22 against United Arab Emirates and 4-47 against Pakistan to lead his team into the final. Sri Lanka rested him in the Super League match against India on Thursday after they had already qualified for the final. Captain Mahela Jayawardene played down the hype around his unorthodox spinner, who has six different deliveries in his armoury. ‘We are not going to put lot of pressure on the guy,’ said Jayawardene of Mendis, who has been in the limelight since making his debut against the West Indies earlier this year. ‘He (Mendis) has done what he is capable of doing, we are just going to give him the freedom to go out there and enjoy his first final playing for his country, that’s how we are going to treat him,’ said Jayawardene. Spinners Upul Chandana and Sanath Jayasuriya contributed to Sri Lanka’s 25-run win over India in the 2004 Asia Cup final in Colombo. Jayawradene said resting Mendis and spearhead Chaminda Vaas in Thursday’s game against Pakistan was part of the plan. ‘We rested them because we wanted to rest them. It’s about executing your game plan,’ said Jayawardene, whose team are trying to overcome poor form since finishing runners-up to Australia in the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean. Sri Lanka won only eight of their last 22 one-day internationals before this tournament. ‘We set ourselves a goal to get into the final, we now need to focus hard. After trying a few things, which we wanted to try (against India), we have an idea of exactly how we want to go about in the final,’ said Jayawardene. The pitch at National Stadium will help his spinners, Mendis and off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, he added. ‘We now have played six-seven matches on the squares, which are bound to deteriorate, and the spinners are getting enough spin on the ball. We’ve been very successful batting first, putting runs on board and defending.’ Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni admitted it would be a tough final. ‘We are playing Sri Lanka, a very good team, so we expect it to be tough, but we are ready for all kinds of challenges in this final,’ said Dhoni, whose team lost to Pakistan in the final of the tri-series in Dhaka last month. Dhoni hoped his openers would once again set the pace. ‘Our openers have given us good starts and if they continue to do so it would keep pressure off the middle order and set the foundation,’ said Dhoni. Teams (from): Sri Lanka: Mahela Jayawardene (captain), Kumar Sangakkara, Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Udawatte, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chamara Silva, Chamara Kapugedera, Kaushal Weeraratne, Thilan Thushara, Chaminda Vaas, Dilhara Fernando, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Jehan Mubarak, Nuwan Kulasekera. India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Pathan, Piyush Chawla, Pragyan Ojha, Manpreet Gony, Rudra Pratap Singh, Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar. Umpires: Simon Taufel (AUS), Tony Hill (NZL) TV umpire: Zameer Haider (PAK) Match referee: Alan Hurst (AUS)
BFF set to start Fed Cup from July 31 Staff Correspondent
Bangladesh Football Federation is all set to stage the Federation Cup football from July 31 and president Quazi Salahuddin believes with the rolling of the ball the federation will also be highly focused on the development of the game. Salahuddin was talking to reporters in his office at the BFF House on Saturday. He ruled out Bangladesh national football team’s participation in a tournament in Indonesia. ‘I have found that it was just a proposed tournament and the invitation was sent by a football agent, actually the tournament is not taking place,’ he said. Salahuddin intends to bring back former national goalkeeper Shahidur Rahman Shantu as the coach of the U-16 football team. Primarily Shantu will conduct the talent hunt programme in four divisions and the selected youngsters will be holed up for long-term training in a camp. Salahuddin said the BFF is yet to get a sponsor for the curtain-raising tournament. ‘Yes, we are in talks with a couple of companies, we hope to sign a deal within a few days,’ he said. Salahuddin said Aktel has shown considerable interest to get involved in football but has sought sometime to make the final decision. The BFF boss was concerned about how to root out match-fixing. ‘In fact we all know that it happens in football, but we don’t have the evidence to prove it. ‘However, I firmly believe that with the watchdogs remaining vigilant and active the federation would be able to cut it down significantly, we will take strong actions against the teams playing fixed matches,’ said the BFF chief. Salahuddin hoped that after the ball rolls on the field many quarters will come forward to help the game. ‘For the last one and a half years there has been no football in the field, with the ball rolling again I hope we shall overcome many obstacles,’ concluded the BFF supremo.
Holding quits ICC over Oval change as Zimbabwe remain Agence France-Presse . London
Cricket officials who hoped this week might end with one sort of resignation from the International Cricket Council (ICC) had to cope with another as Michael Holding quit its cricket committee. The West Indies great stepped down in protest at the ICC’s decision, taken at its board meeting in Dubai, to change the result of the 2006 Oval Test from an England win over Pakistan to a draw. Pakistan were originally ruled to have forfeited the match, something never before seen in a Test, following their refusal to take the field after tea on the fourth day having previously been penalised five runs for ball-tampering by umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove. A subsequent hearing cleared Pakistan of ball-tampering and, on Thursday, the ICC took the extraordinary step of altering the match result. Former fast bowler Holding, while accepting Pakistan were not guilty of ball-tampering, said their refusal to play should not go unpunished. ‘When you take certain actions, you must be quite happy to suffer the consequences,’ he said while commentating for Sky Sports on Friday during Kent’s semi-final win over Durham in English cricket’s domestic 50-over event. ‘That game should never, ever be a draw. ‘I have just written my letter of resignation to the ICC cricket committee because I cannot agree with what they’ve done. ‘A lot of things that are happening today I don’t want to be involved with, so I’ve moved on.’ Holding’s announcement set the seal on a turbulent week for the ICC which saw England and South Africa pushing for the suspension of strife-torn Zimbabwe from world cricket. But the Asian bloc — led by the game’s commercial powerhouse India — opposed the move. Instead a compromise was reached which saw Zimbabwe pull out of next year’s World Twenty20 in England. That move came after the British government had made it clear it would not issue visas to Zimbabwean cricketers, thereby effectively cancelling their scheduled tour of England in 2009. Had Zimbabwe insisted on its right to participate, the lucrative tournament could have been moved elsewhere although that in turn could have led to a boycott by England and other leading nations. Quite apart from the politically inspired violence which saw opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai pull out of the country’s recent presidential election in order to spare his supporters further punishment from the regime of President Robert Mugabe, there is a cricketing case that can be made for exiling Zimbabwe. They voluntarily withdrew from Test cricket in September 2005 following a collapse in playing standards brought about by a race row over selection. However, they remained an active one-day international side. But in their 32 ODI since August 2006 they have won only two, losing 28. Meanwhile concerns have been raised regarding the finances of Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC). Malcolm Speed effectively stepped down early from his post as ICC chief executive because of the board’s failure to take action on the back of an audit by leading accountants KPMG, said to have noted ‘serious financial irregularities’ in ZC’s books. Although there has been much talk within ICC circles of keeping politics out of cricket, former Zimbabwe batsman Andy Flower, now an England assistant coach, is adamant that Peter Chingoka and Ozias Bvute, the chairman and managing director of ZC respectively, have close links with Mugabe’s ruling ZANU-PF party. But incoming ICC president David Morgan, formerly the chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, told reporters in Dubai: ‘The full membership of Zimbabwe is currently not in doubt. There was not even a discussion on the issue of Zimbabwe’s membership.’
Narrow victory for Australia Agence France-Presse . Basseterre

Australia (282/8) beat West Indies (281/6) by 1 run Shane Watson kept his nerve, and the seventh-wicket pair of Denesh Ramdin and Darren Sammy failed to carry West Indies over the threshold, as Australia completed a thrilling one-run victory in the fourth One-day International on Friday. Australia had set West Indies 283 for victory from 50 overs, and successfully defended the target score, when Watson – with the home team needing eight runs from the last over – conceded six runs from the final six balls. The victory handed Australia a 4-0 lead in the five-match series, after they won the opening match by 84 runs in St. Vincent, the rain-affected second ODI last Friday by 63 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis Method, and the third ODI last Sunday by seven wickets. It also set the Aussies up to make a swing at a rare ODI series sweep in the Caribbean. Only South Africa (5-0 in 2005) and Pakistan (3-0 in the same year) have achieved this in the Archipelago. Australia looked set to suffer their first defeat in the series, as West Indies captain Chris Gayle marched to a run-a-ball 92, Ramnaresh Sarwan coasted to 63 from 79 balls, and Shivnarine Chanderpaul gathered 53 from 71 balls. But Australia responded with a crucial wicket every time West Indies appeared to be getting into the swing of things. Brett Lee was the most successful Australia bowler with three wickets for 64 runs from 10 overs. After Lee had Xavier Marshall adjudged lbw for a two-ball duck with the third ball of the West Indies’ innings, Gayle and Sarwan added 137 for the second. Lee returned for a second spell and broke the stand, when he had Sarwan caught behind in the 24th over. Australia were again put on the back-foot, when Shivnarine Chanderpaul joined Gayle and they added 50 for the third wicket. But Shane Watson had the West Indies captain caught at extra cover in the 34th over. The Aussies were put through the ringers again, when Dwayne Bravo joined Chanderpaul and added 59 for the fourth wicket before James Hopes bowled him for 31 in the 43rd over. Australia then made two crucial strikes, when ODI newcomer Shawn Findlay was caught at mid-wicket for nine off Lee in the 48th over, and Nathan Bracken then bowled Chanderpaul in the penultimate over to leave West Indies 275 for six. But Ramdin and Sammy failed to carry the home team to ‘the promised land’ much to the consternation of near capacity, holiday crowd at Warner Park. Earlier, Andrew Symonds hit the top score of 87 and David Hussey supported with 50, as Australia, sent in to bat, reached 282 for eight from their allocation of 50 overs on a hard, true pitch. Dreadlocked Symonds and ODI newcomer Hussey put Australia back on a track, after the visitors wobbled to 129 for four in the 29th over. When Symonds was caught at mid-off off Fidel Edwards in the 47th over, they had added 127 for the fifth wicket. Australia lost Hopes caught at mid-wicket for a first-ball duck off Edwards’ next ball, and as they chased quick runs late, Hussey was caught inside the deep mid-wicket boundary off Gayle in the 48th over before Luke Ronchi was caught inside the long-off boundary for 12 in the final over. Australia had started steadily before Shane Watson was caught behind off Daren Powell for 20 in the eighth over, and Shaun Marsh was also caught behind off the same bowler for 16 to leave the visitors on 56 for two in the 12th over. Michael Clarke, leading Australia for the first time in an ODI, joined Mike Hussey, David’s elder brother, and they stabilised the innings with a stand of 60 for third wicket before they both fell within in the space of five overs. Hussey was caught on the deep mid-wicket boundary for 11 mistiming a pull at a short ball from Bravo in the 24th over, and Clarke was adjudged lbw for 36 to become left-arm spin bowler Nikita Miller’s first wicket in ODIs. West Indies made two changes to their line-up. They dropped Andre Fletcher and Sulieman Benn, and brought in Findlay and Miller for their ODI debuts. Australia made just one change, bringing David Hussey in for his ODI debut for injured captain Ricky Ponting, whose stiff right wrist has precipitated his early departure from the Caribbean, so that Clarke led Australia to victory for the first time in an ODI.
Fifth Wimbledon title for Venus Agence France-Presse . London

Venus Williams outhit younger sister Serena to claim her fifth Wimbledon crown in exhilarating fashion here on Saturday. The defending champion recovered from a whirlwind start by her younger sister to land her seventh Grand Slam title courtesy of a 7-5, 6-4 win. The lacklustre nature of some of the sisters’ previous meetings had led some to voice fears that this would be another contest lacking in the intensity both women bring to bear on other rivals. On that score, the opening point of the match was encouraging, Serena ruthlessly taking advantage of a short second serve with a searing forehand down the line. Any lingering doubts that this would be as ferociously contested as any final of recent years were then completely banished by an exchange in the third game of the match. Having followed up her break in the opening game with a service game to love, Serena was looking to take a stranglehold on the match. So when the opportunity arose to punish an under-hit volley, she duly accepted, lashing the ball straight at her elder sister’s midriff. It must have been pure survival instincts that enabled Venus to get her racquet on to the ball but somehow she squeezed it back over the net to win the point. The defending champion managed to hold her serve but the momentum remained with Serena, who was denied a 4-1 lead when a forehand from her sister caught the top of the net and dropped almost dead on the second break point of the fifth game. Venus was clinging on and her perseverance paid off when Serena’s level finally dipped sufficiently for her to level things with a break for 4-4. She then got her nose in front thanks to a sporting gesure from her sister. With Serena having exclaimed ‘no’ as she mishit a backhand, both sisters were surprised to see the ball drop in. The umpire ordered the point replayed but Serena conceded it and the game. A tentative edge had appeared in Serena’s game by this stage and, serving at 5-6, she gifted her sister the first set with a tamely netted backhand. The first game of the second set saw Venus fired down a serve at 129 mph — a Wimbledon record. Yet it appeared Serena might have regained the initiative when she converted her seventh break point in a 14-minute third game of the second set. But Venus hit back immediately to level. The games then went with serve until, with Serena serving at 4-5, Venus ran down a drop shot and sent a backhand down the line to claim two match points. Serena produced an ace to save the first one but a long rally on the second ended with her pushing a backhand inches wide to hand her sister the title.
Bangladesh A play first 3-dayer today Staff Correspondent
Bangladesh A team begin their England mission today with the first of the five three-day matches against England Under-19 team at the Hazelgrave Ground, Loughborough. The second string Bangladesh side will play their second three-day match against Warwickshire on July 11-13, the third against Leicestershire on July 16-18, the fourth against Derbyshire on July 21-23 and the fifth and final match against a South African selection on July 25-27. After the three-dayers, Bangladesh A will play three one-day matches against Lancashire on July 30, Marylebone Cricket Club on August 1 and Durham on August 3.
ACC to honour Akram Khan today Staff Correspondent
Former Bangladesh national skipper and current selector Akram Khan will be felicitated by the Asian Cricket Council in Karachi today. ACC will honour four cricket legends of the Asian circuit and Akram Khan is one of them. Akram Khan skippered Bangladesh to championship in the ICC Trophy in 1997 and later captained the team in Tests and ODIs.
BSJA to felicitate Usha today Staff Correspondent
Bangladesh Sports Journalist Association will felicitate Premier Division Hockey League champions Usha KC at 3:00pm at National Sports Council conference room today. BSJA will also accord reception to the best player of the league Zahidul Islam Rajon (Usha KC) and the highest scorer Mamunur Rahman Chayan (Abahani Limited). Meanwhile, Mehrab Hossain Kiron and Syed Al Masum of Mohammedan SC and Krishna Kumar of Sonali Bank will also be given reception as promising players. Bangladesh Olympic Association secretary general Kutubuddin Ahmed will remain present on the occasion as chief guest.
Open Squash Staff Correspondent
Bhola Lal Chowhan of Sonargaon Hotel recorded his fourth consecutive victory in the Delta Life Open Squash with a 3-0 drubbing of Raju Ram of Navy Club at the Dhaka Club squash court on Saturday. In the other matches of the day, Ram Jagadish of Cadet College Club beat Dilu of Gulshan Club 3-0 and Bishunath of Gulshan Club overpowered Zain Omar of Dhaka Club by 3-0 games. In the ‘A’ division, Omar Bhai, Santosh Chowhan and Jagadish Chowhan registered victories over their respective opponents. In the U-18 section, Habib, Eman and Amol won their respective matches.
BVF to launch talent hunt programme Staff Correspondent
Bangladesh Volleyball Federation will launch a talent hunt programme next month and the selected spikers will be given a long-term training. The federation said this at a press conference on Saturday. The federation will pick young boys having a height of six feet while the female players should be 5ft 6in at the least. About 200 to 300 players will be selected for higher training. The federation will require about Tk. 20 lakh for the purpose and said the money will be collected by them from various sources. The programme will be conducted throughout the country. The president of Bangladesh Volleyball Federation, Golam Quddus Chowdhury, disclosed the details to the newsmen. BVF vice-presidents Morshed A Chowdhury and Major (retd) Aminul Islam., general secretary Mostafa Kamal and other officials were present at the press conference.
Sangakkara bats for Asiansupremacy in cricket Agence France-Presse . Karachi
Sri Lanka’s wicket-keeper batsman Kumar Sangakkara Saturday said Asia leads international cricket as the financial hub and custodian of the game which has pioneered unprecedented globalisation. ‘Asia have transformed from minnows of world cricket to the true powerhouse of cricket and we are now the economic driving force behind the world cricket,’ said Sangakkara at a seminar marking the silver jubilee of the Asian Cricket Cricket Council (ACC). The seminar, ‘past, present and future of Asian cricket’ was attended by current and former cricketers and administrators from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and various other Asian countries. The ACC was formed in 1983 and now has four full and 18 associate members. The seminar was hosted on the sidelines of ninth Asia Cup which is hosted by Pakistan. Sangakkara, who will play for Sri Lanka in the final against India today, said Asia was now the spiritual home of the game. ‘There is no doubt that Lord’s in London has traditionally been accepted as traditional home of the game but, in my opinion, there has been a gradual shift with magnificent stadiums in Asia. ‘The ravages of tsunami being soothed by the panacea that is cricket and when I see this all I have to ask has Asia not now become the new spiritual home of world cricket? I think it has.’ Sangakkara said Asia had produced world class players who have revolutionised the game. ‘Asia have produced teams that have impacted the game in profound ways and cricketers who have individually shaped the way cricket is played and introduced new skills in the game,’ he said. ACC chief executive Ashraful Huq said Asian cricket had come a long way in the last 25 years. ‘From a body formed by some eight experienced administrators, the ACC has come a long way and so has Asian cricket. It is a long successful journey and we are proud to be the leaders of world cricket,’ said Huq. Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Nasim Ashraf, who will take over as ACC chairman from Sri Lanka’s Arjuna Ranatunga on ‘, said Asian cricket had progressed by leaps and bounds. ‘Asian cricket is like Ferrari, going fast and smooth and if we follow the rules of transparency and integrity there is no reason why Asian cricket do not attain maxium heights,’ said Ashraf.
Captain Clarke wriggles out of trouble Cricinfo
Michael Clarke is never shy to dash over to Ricky Ponting in the field with a fresh idea but in his first one-day international as captain, Clarke gained a new appreciation for the pressure Ponting faces. With three overs remaining, West Indies needed 13 with six wickets in hand and Clarke required several miracles. The first came when Brett Lee sent down a stunning over that brought 1 for 1. The second occurred when Nathan Bracken bowled Shivnarine Chanderpaul for 53 from the last ball of the penultimate over, five deliveries after Clarke himself made an uncharacteristic misfield as the tension mounted. The final piece clicked when Shane Watson kept the batsmen to singles in the 50th over when they needed eight runs to win. When Darren Sammy drove the last delivery to mid off, Clarke curled his clammy hands around the ball and ran in to the stumps at the bowler’s end to ensure a one-run victory in his first match as ODI captain. His first comment after the game was: ‘Ricky can have it back.’ The win means Clarke has a 100 per cent success rate in charge of Australia after leading the team to victories in two Twenty20 internationals during the Australian summer. This time he was guiding a relatively inexperienced team that featured the debutant David Hussey, and third- and fourth-gamers in Luke Ronchi and Shaun Marsh. Hussey contributed an important 50, while Marsh was Man of the Match in the opening game and Ronchi has been outstanding behind the stumps as Australia built their 4-0 series lead. Clarke said the success of the new faces was one of the most pleasing aspects of Australia’s enjoyable trip. ‘It was obviously going to be a tough tour to see how some new young guys went but they’ve certainly stood up,’ Clarke said. ‘The Test series was fantastic and we’re obviously showing in the one-dayers that there’s a lot of class back home playing first-class cricket.’ However, it was one of Australia’s most reliable old hands, Andrew Symonds, who set up the win with his 87 and earned the Man of the Match award. Similarly, West Indies counted on two of their most experienced men, Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan, as they launched a chase that was well on track at the halfway mark. But the loss of Gayle, who skied a catch for 92 when he unnecessarily tried to go over the top off Watson, proved to be an important moment. After West Indies’ previous loss Gayle had harsh words for his middle-order batsmen but on this occasion he knew he had to take responsibility for the disappointing finish. ‘I thought myself and Sarwan really set the foundation,’ Gayle said. ‘The manner in which I got out as well, I was very disappointed. I really take the blame for that, I should have carried on and get a hundred and see the team home.’ West Indies’ coach John Dyson said it was disappointing but not necessarily surprising that the world champions Australia prevailed in the tense finale. ‘Players do feel pressure and when they’re in these sort of situations,’ Dyson said. ‘Experience is a great thing to have behind you, you see Australia in a pressure situation when they are used to winning and they stay as calm as calm can be. Perhaps because our guys, because they are not used to winning, feel the pressure more.’
Smith will come good, says Prince Agence France-Presse . London
Ashwell Prince told South Africa cricket fans not to worry about the form of Graeme Smith after the Proteas captain’s first, and possibly only, innings before next week’s first Test against England saw him make just 35 against Middlesex here Friday. This was the left-handed opener’s first match since tearing his hamstring in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and it looked like he was consciously trying to settle in for a long stay as he took more than two hours over his runs. Smith contributed just 29 to a second-wicket stand of 106 with Hashim Amla after the early loss of Neil McKenzie before being caught behind shortly after lunch off pace bowler Alan Richardson. Amla, by contrast, made 161 to follow his 172 against Somerset in the tour opener at Taunton while Prince was unbeaten on 104 as South Africa finished the first day of three at Uxbridge on 339 for four. Smith’s 77-ball stay featured just the four boundaries but fellow left-hander Prince said his captain’s time in the middle couldn’t be quantified by statistics alone. ‘He batted for more than two hours out there, and the ball did go around a little bit this morning,’ Prince said. ‘He hasn’t batted for a while. But those two hours - and some more in the second innings, we hope - I’m sure that will be enough time in terms of preparation for the Test. ‘It’s much better to get time in the middle than in the nets - and I’m sure he’d like to have another go in the second innings.’ And Prince said Smith’s tempo was all the more understandable given the need to adjust from the frenetic pace of Twenty20. ‘He conscientiously took his time,’ Prince admitted. ‘He probably could have been a bit more aggressive. ‘But I think he probably opted to play the way he did, because he hasn’t had much time in the middle - and the last time he was batting it was in Twenty20. ‘He wanted time at the crease and to get used to playing cricket with a red ball, the IPL being the last time he batted.’ No 3 Amla, whom South Africa will hope is not one of those batsmen who makes big scores in tour matches only to come up short when it really matters in the Tests, made a scratchy start. But he ultimately took advantage of the benign batting conditions, with 12 fours alone in his first fifty. His century took Amla just 119 balls and saw him strike three sixes off one over from on-loan Yorkshire leg-spinner Mark Lawson. After Jacques Kallis was caught behind for two, Prince came in and the left-hander looked in fine touch while making a 167-ball hundred in a stand of 190. Amla, whose innings featured several wristy deflections, eventually fell to a tired drive off Danny Evans which gave wicket-keeper Ben Scott his third catch of the innings. In all he batted for just over five hours, facing 233 balls with three sixes and 22 fours. England and South Africa play the first of a four-Test series at Lord’s, starting on Thursday. In the corresponding Test five years ago, Smith made 259 at the ‘home of cricket’ and fast bowler Makhaya Ntini took 10 for 220 as South Africa won by the large margin of an innings and 92 runs.
Van’s still the man as Kent reach final Agence France-Presse . London
Martin van Jaarsveld’s third hundred this week helped propel Kent into the final of the Friends Provident Trophy, English domestic cricket’s premier 50-over event, as they beat holders Durham. Former South Africa batsman van Jaarsveld backed up his twin unbeaten centuries against Surrey in the County Championship with a superb 122 not out off 93 balls, while rising English star Joe Denly made 102 as visitors Kent comprehensively defeated Durham by 83 runs at the Riverside on Friday. Those two hundreds formed the backbone of an impressive total of 301 for four with discarded England fast bowler Stephen Harmison taking all the wickets to fall as he showed some of his old fire on the way to a haul of four for 47. Kent captain Robert Key said of van Jaarsveld: ‘The week he has had 300 runs without being dismissed in three innings and a five-for thrown in, he is having pretty much a stormer. It doesn’t get much better than that. ‘And for Joe Denly, a young player coming in, to go out there like he did and get a hundred was brilliant,’ former England batsman Key added. ‘The senior guys are expected to turn it on but for him to do it against a proper attack - that was a serious attack - was great. He played without fear against people like Shaun Pollock. ‘I think the reason we probably didn’t get more was Steve Harmison, he was unbelievable.’ Durham’s South African captain Dale Benkenstein gave the hosts hope with a fine innings of 80 not out. But when Will Smith, who helped his skipper add 108 for the fourth wicket, was out the innings started to fall away and, although there was a brief flurry from former South Africa all-rounder Shaun Pollock, Durham lost their last five wickets for 10 runs. Van Jaarsveld, who cuts a distinctive figure at the crease with a ‘baseball’ style backlift that sees the blade of his bat held vertically high above the stumps as the bowler runs in, struck three sixes and nine fours. He initially took his time, with the stylish Denly allowing him to settle without worrying he was stalling the run-rate. But van Jaarsvelled then upped the tempo in an innings watched by a crowd including his father, who had travelled over from South Africa. Denly, dropped on 37, showed his class with several stylish drives and kept his compsoure after being hit on the head by a Harmison bouncer. The Durham spearhead, bowling with real venom in a spell where he topped 90mph, eventually bowled Denly off his pads. In a match featuring several South Africans, van Jaarsveld slog-swept compatriot Albie Morkel for two sixes in one over with his other shot that cleared the ropes also coming off the seam bowler.
It’s sprinters v punchers for Tour’s second stage Agence France-Presse . Brest
The Tour de France sprinters are hoping to officially announce their race entry with a bunch finish today, but there are plenty of ‘punchers’ who will look to kick that plan into touch. At just 164.5km long, the second stage takes the peloton north from Auray to Saint-Brieuc over undulating terrain, paying tribute to Tour legend Bernard Hinault on the way by passing through his hometown of Yffiniac. Breakaways are a near certainty, and with five-time winner Hinault’s name on everyone’s lips a few Frenchman are likely to be among them. The only problem for any breakaway group is the location of the last of the day’s four climbs - and the slightly uphill finish in the coastal city known most for its superb sailing and scallops farming. Ascents which are close to the finish line can often condemn the plans of the sprinters teams, who like to up the pace on rolling terrain before getting their fast men organised on the flatter home straights. The final climb on Sunday is 70km from the finish, although the slightly undulating terrain in between should allow the sprinters’ teams the chance to up the pace and reel in any early escapees. From the fourth-last kilometre on Sunday, the road rises before it gets to the 200 metre long home straight. Whether the sprinters keep it together for the first mass battle of this year’s race remains to be seen. But most will keep in mind it was Liquigas’ Italian ace Filippo Pozzatto, a ‘puncher’ who can pull away from rivals ahead of and on inclines, who won when the Tour last visited St Brieuc in 2004.
CA spells out tough stand on ICL Cricinfo
The Champions League is still in the planning stages but one clear strand that has emerged is a hardening of positions vis-à-vis the unofficial Indian Cricket League. Cricket Australia has joined the BCCI and Cricket South Africa in adopting a strong position against allowing players associated with the ICL to participate in the proposed Champions League. ‘We have made clear our position in respect to the ICL from the start,’ James Sutherland, CA’s chief executive, told Cricinfo. ‘We don’t support competitions that are not properly authorised by the home body and we wouldn’t support that in our country. But we understand the problems for some other countries which are in a predicament.’ It appears now that England, with around 25 ICL cricketers playing for 15 of its 18 counties, will have to take a tough decision on the Champions League though there have been attempts to break the deadlock with a suggestion that players who took part only in the inaugural ICL tournament, possibly unaware of the consequences, be considered for the event. ‘It’s too early to really comment on that. It’s not something I feel comfortable talking about right now,’ said Sutherland, who was part of the negotiations that took place here on Thursday between the boards of Australia, England, India and South Africa. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is also understood to be already exploring other options, including accepting an offer to take part in another, similar tournament. The Champions League is proposed to be held in the 10-day window between the ICC Champions Trophy and Australia’s first Test in India starting October 9. That will most likely clash with a scheduled practice match on Australia’s tour and raises the possibility of a conflict of interest for the two Australians - Michael Hussey and Matthew Hayden - who are part of the Chennai Super Kings, which qualified for the Champions League. Sutherland, though, said Cricket Australia will speak to its players on the issue. ‘One of the things that is really critical for us is to ensure the best possible preparation for what will be a really big Test series. We know that playing India in India is always going to be very tough and I am sure our players will want to ensure the best possible Test series. So we will have to talk to the players and the coach about what the best preparations are going to be. ‘The purpose of discussions during the course of last few days was to just progress those a little bit, put them on the table, and have a bit of a debate on some of the more contentious issues and try to smooth that through,’ he said.
More knee surgery for Mushtaq Agence France-Presse . Hove
Mushtaq Ahmed will have surgery on Monday to determined the extent of an injury to his right knee, Sussex announced Friday. Mushtaq has suffered a fresh cartilage tear but has been told he will not know the full extent of the injury until the operation has been carried out. Former Pakistan leg-spinner Mushtaq underwent keyhole surgery in May. The worst case scenario is that Mushtaq is out of the season but, if the tear is only a minor one, he could be back in time for the title-holders’ County Championship match against Lancashire at Old Trafford on August 6. Mushtaq took 90 first-class wickets for Sussex last season at a low average of just over 25 apiece as the south coast club were crowned county champions. The Pakistani also notched up a century of dismissals when Sussex first won the title five years ago.
Federer and Nadal rivalry isgreatest ever: Safin Agence France-Presse . London
Marat Safin, one of the few current players to have tasted Grand Slam success, believes the rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will go down as the greatest in the history of tennis. The Russian’s shock run to the Wimbledon semi-finals ended in a straight sets defeat to five-time champion Federer, but even that failed to dampen his enthusiasm for a sport many people believed had left him behind. The 28-year-old, a former world number one and Australian and US Open winner, insists that the Federer-Nadal story is an intriguing blockbuster, more gripping even than the acclaimed rivalry between Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. ‘It’s interesting to see because everything depends on the tactics,’ said Safin. ‘Clay courts are just too tough for Federer because Nadal is playing open stance, backhand and forehand, so he can’t really make him stretch. ‘He can’t do anything. He can’t go to the volley because Nadal is just too fast and he’s using the open stance. But here he will try to push him, and maybe he has more chance. It’s more fun than Sampras-Agassi.’ In his time on tour, Safin has seen contenders come and go. But Federer and Nadal, who will collide in a third successive Wimbledon final today and for the 18th time in their careers, have earned the respect of their peers, both inside and outside the locker room. ‘I hope that this will be one of the greatest rivalries. They will be the greatest tennis players in the history,’ said Safin. ‘ Nadal didn’t lose a match on clay since, I don’t know, he was 10 maybe! And Federer, he’s going for his sixth Wimbledon. He’s going to pass the 14 Grand Slams (Sampras’s record). I guess I can say to my kids that I played against him. ‘They are just two great guys. Really down to earth. Federer is quite funny. Nadal is also. It’s good to be with them in the same locker room.’ Safin, whose ranking should improve from 75 to a place in the top 40 on Monday, wants to build on his performances here so that he can be one of the 32 seeded players by the time the US Open draw is made. He certainly showed he’s still a player to be fears as he reached his first Wimbledon semi-final, knocking out third seed Novak Djokovic along the way. ‘I never lost my passion for the sport,’ said the Russian. ‘We just love the game. We love to go on the court. We love to play great matches. We love to suffer and we love to win. After tennis you’re going to miss that adrenaline.’
Pernice, Overton provide fireworks at ATT National Agence France-Presse . Bethesda
Americans Jeff Overton and Tom Pernice share a three-shot lead after the rain-interrupted second round of the six million dollar PGA ATT National on Friday. Pernice matched the course record with a blistering seven-under 63 while Overton, who hasn’t finished in the top 20 all year, fired a 65 to reach nine-under 131 at the Congressional Country Club course. ‘I finally made a cut,’ said Overton in celebration. Overton had not broken par since the last week in April and has missed the cut in six of his past seven tournaments. ‘It was one of best ball striking rounds I’ve had probably in my whole life,’ the 25-year-old Overton said. ‘I hit a lot of two-irons just because I knew I could hit 7-, 6- or 5-irons into the green I was very confident with it. It was a fun round.’ Pernice, 48, warmed up after his first five holes with a string of four-straight birdies beginning at the par-four sixth hole. He added three birdies on the back nine, including one to close his round at the par-four 18th. ‘I’m obviously very happy with the round and how it turned out,’ he said. ‘You don’t hit that many iron shots that end up that close. That really makes it nice. ‘But the rain we got this morning made it much more playable.’ Anthony Kim is third at six-under 134 after carding his second consecutive 67 in a round that was interrupted for one hour because of rain. A group of seven players are at five-under, including Australians Rod Pampling and Nick O’Hern who shot 69 and 65. ‘The greens were a lot softer,’ Pampling said. ‘We obviously had that rain this morning, so it was difficult to get it close to some of the pins. ‘A lot of times we had short irons and you really had to be careful not to spin it too much.’ It marked the second time this year that Pernice shot a 63. He also posted the same score in the final round of the St. Jude Championship last month en route to tying for eighth. Pernice, who missed the cut last week at the Buick Open, is seeking his first win on the PGA Tour in seven years. First-round leader Steve Marino is also at five-under after an even-par 70. Defending champion K.J. Choi has fallen eight shots back of the leaders after a one-over 71 dropped him to one-under 129 and a tie for 26th. The event was supposed to be hosted by Tiger Woods who underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee three weeks ago.
Alonso leads final British GP practice Agence France-Presse . Silverstone
Fernando Alonso set the fastest lap in Saturday morning’s final practice ahead of British Grand Prix qualifying in the afternoon. The Renault driver made light of the slippery track conditions early on in the session and then returned in the final seconds to post a lap of 1:20.740, two tenths of a second quicker than that of Mark Webber who was second fastest for Red Bull. Finnish driver Heikki Kovalainen was third fastest for McLaren just ahead of Toro Rosso’s young German Sebastian Vettel. Home favourite Lewis Hamilton was fifth quickest and will hope for better in qualifying in front of the packed grandstands. Nelson Piquet completed a good morning for Renault by clocking the sixth quickest time but surprisingly the Ferraris of Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa were back in the middle of the time sheet. The session began in patchy sunshine after a heavy downpour had thoroughly soaked the track. Hamilton impressed early in the proceedings, slotting in at the top of the timesheet alongside the Ferrari duo of Massa and Raikkonen. Alonso also took easily to the wet conditions: in his first stint the Spanish former world champion managed to squeeze enough out of his Renault to outpace Kovalainen and was only marginally slower than the other pacesetters. Force India’s young German Adrian Sutil was another driver to impress in the wet but as the cars finalised their set-ups for the afternoon’s qualifying shoot-out, the track began to dry out and the times tumbled accordingly. BMW’s Nick Heidfeld was the first driver to attempt a run on dry tyres, the German immediately knocking four seconds off the previous fastest lap. Over the last fifteen minutes of the session there was constant movement at the top of times with, amongst others, Raikkonen, Massa, Webber and Vettel all taking their turn to lead the way. The McLarens emerged from the pits late on and it looked like they would top the times until Alonso and Webber surged through with late flying laps.
Lee leads assault Agence France-Presse . Rogers
South Korea’s Lee Seon-hwa led another Asian assault on the LPGA Tour Friday by firing an eight-under 64 for a two-shot lead after the first round of the Arkansas Championship. Lee rolled in nine birdies and is the leader in the clubhouse after a rain-delayed first round at the Pinnacle Country Club. ‘I hit pretty good today,’ the 22-year-old Lee said. ‘I mean, I didn’t miss any fairways and had a pretty solid iron round. ‘I hit a lot of birdies because of my irons, actually made nine birdies today. So that was really, really good.’ The first round was called due to darkness because of a five-hour delay which pushed back tee times. First-round play will resume early Saturday followed immediately by the second round of the 54-hole event. The 2006 LPGA rookie of the year, Lee has two career USLPGA Tour victories, winning once in each of the past two seasons. ‘I was just pretty solid today and very consistent with every shot,’ said Lee. South Korea’s HJ Choi is two shots back reaching the clubhouse with a 66 while Japan’s Ai Miyazato and South Korean Ji Eun-hee fired 67s. The top five players Friday are all Asian. China’s Feng Shanshan and South Korean Il Mi-chung are part of a group of five players who shot three-under 69, five shots back of Lee. ‘I think this golf course is good for the Korean players because it is not long and the greens are really soft this week,’ Lee said. ‘So I think the Korean players are really consistent. That’s why a lot of the Korean players played well today and maybe this week too.’ Lee, of Chonan, said she waited out the delay in her hotel room watching South Korean shows on her computer. ‘My caddie was here very early in the morning and he called told me there was a three-hour delay,’ she said. ‘Then a five-hour delay. So I just stayed at the hotel watching TV and just relaxed.’ Choi said the South Korean players are competitive by nature and that explains some of the Asian domination on the women’s tour this year. ‘There is a competitive side,’ said Choi, who made seven birdies on Friday. It is the second year in a row the tournament has been affected by bad weather. There is no defending champion at this year’s Arkansas event because heavy rains washed out the final two rounds of the 2007 tournament. American Stacy Lewis fired an opening round seven-under 65 before the storms made the course unplayable and organisers determined no winner would be declared.
Formula One teams fear burnout from expanded calendar Reuters/Bdnews24.com . Silverstone
Formula One team bosses expressed concern on Saturday about the risk of burnout to mechanics when the calendar expands to 19 races next year without an August break. ‘I think the absence of the August break in the calendar next year is very tough. It really is tough on the mechanics,’ said McLaren executive Martin Whitmarsh at the British Grand Prix. ‘It worries me how hard it is going to be on the teams but I think that’s a management challenge; how we’re going to deal with that and make sure we don’t burn people out during the course of the season,’ he added. The 2009 provisional calendar, issued last week, has the Turkish Grand Prix on August 9 followed by the European Grand Prix in Valencia on August 23. This year, with 18 races, there is a gap between Hungary on August 3 and Valencia on August 24. Abu Dhabi will make its debut next year as the closing event in November after four other long-haul races in succession in Singapore, Japan, China and Brazil. All of the 10 teams are based in Europe, with the majority in Britain. ‘The August break was introduced as a means of genuinely giving everyone a rest in the middle of tough seasons,’ said Honda team principal Ross Brawn. ‘Now we want to expand the number of races and not do that (have the break), so we end up having to look at reserve squads and back-up mechanics and groups of people who can take over so the other guys can get a rest,’ he added. ‘Without doing that, to have a whole race team that can’t take a holiday from what would effectively be February until November is not easy.’ Williams founder and co-owner Frank Williams said the extra race would be good for sponsorship revenue but there would be added costs from having to take on more mechanics. ‘Perhaps it’s a little bit better for the bank balance but not as much as you might guess,’ he said. ‘(McLaren boss) Ron Dennis once said several times to (FIA President) Max (Mosley) and (F1 supremo) Bernie (Ecclestone) in particular and eyeball to eyeball: ‘The more races you put on, the more we lose.’ Formula One has only once before had 19 races, in 2005, but there has been talk of ultimately expanding to a 20-round calendar now that testing has been reduced significantly. South Korea and India are due to make their debuts in 2010 while there is still a strong desire to have a U.S. Grand Prix back in the championship.
Liverpool sign Italian defender Dossena Agence France-Presse . Liverpool
Liverpool announced Friday they’d signed Italian defender Andrea Dossena from Udinese. The left-back joined shortly after the Reds signed Swiss right-back Philipp Degen. Like Degen, Dossena has signed a four-year deal. The 26-year-old replaced Norwegian John Arne Riise who left for Roma earlier in the close season and joined for an undisclosed fee reported to be around 7 million pounds ($14 million). He has been capped once by Italy, in a friendly last year. Degen joined Liverpool on a free transfer from Borussia Dortmund.
Ajax sign striker Sulejmanifrom Heerenveen Reuters/Bdnews24.com . Amsterdam
Ajax Amsterdam have signed striker Miralem Sulejmani from Dutch rivals Heerenveen for 16.25 million euros, the Amsterdam club said. The 19-year-old Serbian international joined Heerenveen last season from Partizan Belgrade and scored 15 goals in 34 league appearances. According to media reports, Sulejmani is set to sign a four-year deal in Amsterdam where he becomes coach Marco van Basten’s second signing after Argentine striker Dario Cvitanich.
Armenia invites Turkish president in football diplomacy Agence France-Presse . Yerevan
Armenian president Serzh Sarkisian has invited Turkish president Abdullah Gul to watch a football match in Yerevan, a spokesman said Saturday, despite a diplomatic freeze between the two countries. ‘The president has invited Turkish president Abdullah Gul to visit Armenia on September 6 to watch the World Cup qualifying match between Armenia and Turkey,’ Sarkisian’s spokesman, Samvel Farmanyan, told AFP. There are currently no diplomatic ties between Turkey and Armenia because of disputes over the massacre of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in the early 20th century and over Turkey’s support for Azerbaijan, Armenia’s arch-foe. Backed by Armenia, ethnic-Armenian forces took control of the Azerbaijani province of Nagorny Karabakh during a war in the early 1990s that killed thousands and forced nearly a million people on both sides to flee their homes. There have been recent calls to reopen the border between ex-Soviet Armenia and Turkey to help growing trade ties between the two, which are currently conducted through third countries such as Georgia.
Lazio sign Czech U-19 striker Libor Kozak Agence France-Presse . Prague
Czech under-19 striker Libor Kozak has been signed by Italian Serie A club Lazio, his second division club Slezsky FC Opava announced on Saturday. Kozak signed a five-year contract with the Rome-based club, the CTK agency said, adding that according to unofficial sources they paid 1.2 million euros (1.8 million dollar). The forward scored 11 goals for the Czech club last season and hit the net three times in eight appearances for his country at under-19 level.
Federer and Nadal poised for epic Agence France-Presse . London
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, tennis’s glittering top of the bill double act, clash in a third successive Wimbledon final today to determine who is the world’s best player. The final will be the sixth time the elegant Swiss and the muscular Spaniard have met in a Grand Slam final, bettering the five played by Mats Wilander and Ivan Lendl, and then Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi in the 1980s and 1990s. Federer has won two on the grass of the All England Club in 2006 and 2007; Nadal has claimed three on his beloved Roland Garros clay in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Never have the stakes been higher. A victory for Federer will make him the first man since the 19th century to win six Wimbledons in a row. A win for Nadal, on the other hand, will take him alongside Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg as the only man to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same season. He would also become the first Spanish men’s champion since Manuel Santana in 1966. It’s hardly surprising that the 26-year-old Federer and Nadal, just 22, are keen to stress that the pressure is on the other. ‘For me, Roger is the best in history,’ said Nadal who stormed to a fourth successive French Open title a month ago destroying Federer in a brutally one-sided final where the world number one won just four games. That Paris annihilation, coupled with Nadal taking Federer to an epic five-set final here in 2007, has led many to suggest that the era of the Swiss superstar’s dominance is at an end. He may have been world number one for 231 weeks, and can lay claim to 12 Grand Slam titles compared to Nadal’s four, but many argue that Nadal, especially with a first grasscourt title from Queen’s tucked under his belt, is really the world’s pre-eminent tennis talent. ‘If I have the title on Sunday, then on Monday I’ll continue to be the number two but I’ll have more chances to become the number one in the next months,’ said a cautious Nadal. He may boast 11 wins in 17 meetings with Federer, but nine of those have come on clay. Furthermore, Federer insists that the trauma of Paris is now a distant memory even if the media revel in reminding him of his latest failed French Open campaign. ‘That final is out of the picture. I hardly remember it. It went so quickly,’ said Federer who remains fulsome in his praise of his tormentor. ‘I’m not going to draw anything out of that match because Rafa plays so different on clay and grass. He plays so much closer to the baseline that I have to draw from my two previous Wimbledon finals. ‘I enjoy the challenge. Rafa is a great competitor. He’s got a winning record over me. Every time I play him I want to try to beat him. The thing is, I’ve played him so often on clay, it’s more of an advantage for him in the head-to-heads. ‘At the same time, he’s now become so good on all other surfaces as well that he’s a real threat on anything.’ Federer has waltzed into his sixth final virtually untroubled. He has been detained on court for over two hours only once in his six matches and has yet to drop a set. But he only met one seeded player. That run has allowed him to take his grasscourt winning streak to 65 matches, a run stretching back to 2002. Nadal’s route was slightly tougher having to see off three seeded players but dropping serve just once against the promising Latvian Ernests Gulbis in the second round. ‘My way to the final’s been great,’ said Federer. ‘I’ve just been playing consistently well. ‘I wasn’t pushed to the degree where I have to say I played my best tennis ever. ‘If I were to win on Sunday, then maybe I can say I’ve been playing my best ever.’
Torres praises Benitez and ‘great leader’ Gerrard Agence France-Presse . Liverpool
Fernando Torres on Saturday said that Liverpool coach Rafael Benitez was the inspiration behind his goal-scoring exploits which helped Spain to Euro 2008 glory. Torres netted 33 times in a blistering first season for Liverpool - breaking Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record for goals scored by a foreigner in a debut Premier League campaign. The 24-year-old said that Benitez’s relentless quest for improvement since he joined from Atletico Madrid has been a catalyst for his career. ‘There are days when you think: ‘My God, this guy (Benitez) doesn’t let you breathe’,’ Torres told the club’s website. ‘At a club like Liverpool, you can’t sit back after scoring 20-odd goals and say: ‘Well, that’s it.’ After you score 20, Benitez is at you during the next training session and stays on top of you all day, all week.’ Torres was instrumental in helping Spain win their first major honour in 44 years, scoring the winning goal in last weekend’s Euro 2008 final against Germany. He added: ‘He (Benitez) tells you to go off on your own and do new exercises. I want to progress in life, not relax, not be complacent, and you need someone close to you telling you to keep at it. ‘It is impossible to do it otherwise. We don’t always fancy someone that close but, in the long term, I am sure that everybody will thank him for it.’ Torres also spoke of his admiration for the leadership qualities of club captain and England star Steven Gerrard. ‘He’s a great example, and those of us who have been in a similar situation know how difficult it is to handle. ‘It’s incredible the way he (Gerrard) carries himself regardless of what is going on around him. I’d love to be captain of another team one day and Steve has shown me how to be a great leader.’
Aragones signs a two-year contract with Fenerbahce Agence France-Presse . Istanbul
Spanish coach Luis Aragones on Saturday signed a two-year contract with Turkish club Fenerbahce. ‘I am here both with my brain and heart to work for Fenerbahce,’ the 69-year-old, who led champions Spain in Euro 2008, told a news conference through an interpreter. ‘I know I have come to a good and strong team. I can tell you that I am very happy,’ he added. Fenerbahce had first announced a two-year pre-contract with Aragones on June 25, but the coach – then still at the helm of Spain on the eve of their Euro 2008 semi-final against Russia – had denied the deal. Approaching his 70th birthday, Aragones became the oldest coach to win the European title when Spain beat Germany 1-0, clinching their second title after the first in 1964. Back in the dark days of Spain’s early qualifying campaign for Euro 2008 Aragones had tendered his resignation after back-to-back defeats to Northern Ireland and Sweden. A former Spanish international, he coached several major Spanish clubs before becoming the national boss in 2004. At Fenerbahce he will replace Brazilian Zico, who joined the club on a two-year contract in July 2006, leading them to the league and Turkish Supercup titles during their centenary year in 2007.
Grand Olympics stage for Messi Agence France-Presse . Sydney
The football world is in raptures over diminutive Argentine Lionel Messi as he prepares to become one of the showstoppers at the Beijing Olympics. The lavishly-skilled Messi, who has just turned 21, spearheads the crack Argentines in their pursuit of back-to-back gold medals in the under-23 Olympic football competition. Messi, a mercurial 1.69m (5ft 6in) attacking midfielder with intricate dribbling skills, was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency at a young age that impeded him from growing, yet he now stands as a colossus in world football. He has been burdened with ‘the new Maradona’ tag, yet even the Argentine legend doesn’t demur, saying, ‘I have seen the player who will inherit my place in Argentine football and his name is Messi.’ Maradona, who split FIFA’s Player of the Century award with Pele, is effusive about the kid from Rosario, who debuted for the Argentina national team at 18 and played in the 2006 World Cup in Germany. ‘Messi is a genius and he can become an even better player. His potential is limitless and I think he’s got everything it takes to become Argentina’s greatest player,’ waxed Maradona. His former coach at Barcelona Dutchman Frank Rijkaard hails the prodigy as ‘unique.’ ‘He’s a unique player and he deserves it, because he can do things of almost imperceptible excellence and is a gem to watch,’ Rijkaard enthused. Dutchman Johann Cruyff, acclaimed as European Player of the Century, said of Messi, ‘He deserves ten out of ten for doing what he does. He is a sensation, but still he can improve. He must know when to move the ball on quickly and when to try the impossible mission. ‘When he learns this, he won’t win a single Golden Ball, but an entire collection.’ Team-mate Juan Sebastian Veron is another unabashed Messi fan. ‘I see Maradona every time he grabs the ball and accelerates. We must protect him. I’d personally put him in a drawer of my bedside table.’ The mutual admiration society doesn’t just end there with the playing fraternity, but even with opposing fans. There were extraordinary scenes at Argentina’s recent World Cup tie with fierce South American rivals Brazil in Belo Horizonte. The game ended goalless but the Brazilian crowd applauded Messi, who was arguably the best player on the field, when he was substituted. Brazilian international Gilberto was miffed. ‘Messi’s plaudits are hard to accept, we play in other countries and we do not see the local fans supporting our players there. ‘Over 40 thousand Brazilians applauded, and that’s hard for who is on the field. When I see them applauding Messi I get annoyed.’ So precious is Messi to Barcelona that his Spanish club made concerted attempts to stop him going to the Olympics as it clashed with the European Champions League in August. But FIFA, through vice-president Julio Grondona, the Argentine federation president, stated that all players aged under 23 have to be mandatorily released to play at the Olympics under the FIFA regulations. ‘Without Messi there isn’t team for Argentina,’ Grondona said. ‘‘Messi is brilliant, different, with a strong mentality. Let’s hope he doesn’t change.’ So the Beijing Olympics have something special to savour in the football competition throughout China. ‘I am going to the Olympic Games whatever may happen,’ Messi said. ‘It is up to me to decide and the Olympic Games are something I will never be able to play in again and I am very excited at the prospect. ‘There is no doubt that I will be there. I have really high hopes with the Olympic squad.’ In 110 matches for Barcelona over four seasons, Messi has scored 42 goals and in 29 appearances for Argentina has netted nine times, among those are some absolute classics. Messi was the runner-up to Brazilian Kaka and ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo in the 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year and was the Golden Ball and Boot winner at the 2005 FIFA Under-20 World Cup in the Netherlands.
Kewell signs two-year contract with Galatasaray Agence France-Presse . Istanbul
Former Liverpool star Harry Kewell on Saturday signed a two-year contract with Turkish champions Galatasaray, describing his move as a ‘new chapter’ after five injury-stricken years at Anfield. The Australian international said he chose Galatasaray after speaking to club officials about their plans for the team and having seen Turkey’s improving performance in international football competitions. ‘For me it was a decision not to think about anything except my football. I want to enjoy my football and I think this is the place where I can come and enjoy my football,’ the 29-year-old winger told a televised news conference. Kewell, who has battled a series of injuries over the past few years, has been available on a free transfer since he was released by Liverpool at the end of his contract. ‘You could say it is a new chapter,’ Kewell said when queried over his move from Anfield to Istanbul. ‘I wanted to move on and I think this is the best way to move on,’ he added. Kewell, who was welcomed by throngs of supporters on arrival in Istanbul, said he was excited to have joined a club with a passionate fan base. ‘I know that the fans are passionate about sport and I love that,’ he said. ‘I can’t wait to get more of it.’ During his time with Leeds, Kewell played against Galatasaray in the UEFA Cup semi-final in 2000, when he was sent off. The move to Galatasaray has ended any possibility of Kewell playing for Australia at the Beijing Olympics.
Taylor extends Newcastle deal Agence France-Presse . Newcastle
Newcastle United defender Steven Taylor has signed a new three-year contract with the club. With several teams reportedly interested in the 22-year-old, Newcastle owner Mike Ashley instructed new managing director Derek Llambias to make sure the local hero didn’t leave St James’ Park. Taylor, who came up through the club’s Academy, said Friday: ‘I am thrilled to have signed this new contract. ‘Newcastle United is my hometown club and the only team I’ve ever wanted to play for. ‘I can’t wait to get back into pre-season training next week and get stuck into the Premier League campaign next month.’
Real, MU bosses to meet over Cristiano saga Agence France-Presse . Madrid
Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon and Manchester United chief executive David Gill will hold talks in Switzerland next week over Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, the Spanish sports daily AS reported Saturday. The private talks will take place on Monday at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon on the sidelines of a wider meeting of European clubs, AS said. United on Friday moved to quell further talk that their prize asset was about to link up with the Bernabeu club, saying the rumours were ‘utter nonsense and totally laughable. Cristiano Ronaldo is not for sale’. Manchester United have repeatedly said the player - whose contract runs until 2012 - is definitely not for sale. Last month the club reported nine-time European champions Real to UEFA for trying to unsettle Ronaldo, though the global governing body have yet to make their decision known. Ronaldo, currently an injury concern, is not scheduled to join the club on their pre-season tour of South Africa which begins on July 18.
Barca won’t sell Ronaldinhoat a discount Agence France-Presse . Madrid
Barcelona warned Friday that they would not sell their Brazilian striker Ronaldinho, who has been deemed surplus by the Spanish side’s new coach Pep Guardiola, at a discount. ‘Ronaldinho is a player of great value and we will only sell if we get a proper price. If we don’t get it, he won’t go,’ Barcelona vice-president Ferran Soriano told a news conference. Ronaldinho, who has two years left on his contract, has been linked to a move to AC Milan and Manchester City since Guardiola declared him surplus along with Samuel Eto’o and Deco following the 28-year-old’s disappointing, injury-prone season. Sports daily Marca reported Friday that the 40 million euros ($63 million) demanded by Barcelona for an out of shape Ronaldinho had put off potential buyers like Chelsea and AC Milan. Catalan sports daily Sport, meanwhile, said AC Milan are interested in signing the 2005 FIFA world player of the year but at a ‘reasonable’ price below 20 million euros. Only the Premier League’s Manchester City appears to be interested in the player at the moment, but Marca said the player wants to go to a more prestigious club.
Italian players charged after fixing probe Reuters/Bdnews24.com . Rome Five players have been charged over alleged match-fixing in last season’s home and away Serie A fixtures between Atalanta and relegated Livorno, Italy’s football federation (FIGC) said on Friday. Atalanta’s Gian Paolo Bellini and former Livorno captain David Balleri have been charged with seeking to fix the results of the games on Dec 23, which ended in a 1-1 draw, and May 4, which Atalanta won 3-2, the FIGC said. Livorno brothers Emanuele and Antonio Filippini, along with team mate Alessandro Grandoni, have also been reported by the federation’s prosecutor to the national disciplinary commission for a failure to inform the authorities about the events. The two clubs were also reported to the commission over the behaviour of their players. ‘I don’t think there was any type of agreement at all,’ Luigi Del Neri, the coach of Bergamo-based Atalanta, was quoted as saying by La Gazzetta dello Sport’s website (www.gazzetta.it). ‘Atalanta played to win, as always.’ Italian soccer has only just got over the 2006 match-fixing scandal, which led to Juventus being relegated to Serie B and AC Milan, Lazio, Fiorentina and Reggina being deducted league points. Juventus, whose former general manager Luciano Moggi was accused of being at the centre of attempts to secure compliant referees for some teams’ games, won promotion back to Serie A at the first attempt and finished third last season to win a place in the Champions League qualifiers