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Brothers Union 4 Farashganj 2
   Brothers Union took a big step towards regaining their title of the Premier Bank Senior Division Football League defeating Farashganj by 4-2 goals at the Bangbandhu National Stadium on Tuesday.
   Though the outcome of the match was heard before the starting whistle, the victory put Brothers Union not only in the pole position but also in a firm position to win the title for the second consecutive season. Brothers Union now has 35 points from 14 matches, three ahead of Mohammedans.
   In the four remaining matches Brothers play Abahani, Muktijoddha, Dipali and Mohammedans. If they can secure 10 points from these matches the title will be in their cupboard.
   Mohammedans on the other hand have to face four tough challenges against Farashganj, Abahani, Muktijoddha and Brothers Union.
   They have to win all to make their dream come true. Mohammedans will also have to pray for a defeat of Brothers Union in the other three matches. Mohammedans is not in a position to lose even one point which remains strongly questionable regarding their last couple of performances.
   Playing fixed matches is an open secret in Dhaka football as clubs share the results for different reasons.
   The match between Brothers Union and Farshganj indicated some mystery as Farsahganj rested four of their regular players in midfielder Adafa, arguably the best foreigner of the league, hard working midfielder Kabir, and two of their reliable defenders Khaled and Arup Baidya. Even, seasoned striker Walid did not get a chance.
   Brothers Union went ahead through winger Parvez Babu in the 9th minute as he received a Liton corner from the right-flank at the edge of the box by dribbling past two defenders before slamming the ball home.
   But Farshganj were level in the 17th minute as Rony dashed past Brothers defenders with a Pavel through and beat the onrushing custodian Tarek with a placing shot.
   Lition scored his eighth goal to put Brothers ahead in the 36th minute as Farshganj custodian Piru fumbled to hold a Hicham Inani cross and Litton pounded the ball home.
   Two minutes after the break, Nigerian striker Felix headed a Palash cross to bring Farshganj back again into the game.
   But since then the old Dhaka outfit contained themselves as Monowar restored the lead with a header for Brothers Union off a Topu cross in the 60th minute and four minutes later Piru seemed to allow Emily’s shot into the net.

The Bangladesh team for the forthcoming Sri Lanka tour is likely to be announced today with a little chance of having any change from the squad that toured England last month.
   ‘We will select the final squad on Wednesday, now it’s up to the BCB when they will make it public,’ said Athar Ali Khan, one of the selectors.
   Unlike the previous occasions, the selectors are facing some problems in picking the team as they have to give a serious thought on the new rule of super-sub in the one-day cricket.
   This is the first time Bangladesh are going to play a one-day series under the new rule and the team management is looking forward to making the best use of it.
   ‘Personally I have thought a lot about it. This is something very new to us and must take the advantage of it,’ coach Dav Whatmore told the reporters on Tuesday after the team’s practice at the Mirpur Indoor Cricket Complex.
   Whatmore is in favour of giving the batsmen a priority for the super-sub role as they could take maximum advantage of it.
   ‘If we take Tapash off after he has bowled five overs and push in another bowler for him, he can bowl only the remaining five overs, But if he is replaced by a batsman he can bat until the last over,’ he said.
   Many observe the comment of the coach is an indication of inducting an extra batsman into the squad, and Alok Kapali is tipped to take up the role.
   Whatmore also hinted to take an extra spinner alongside Mohammad Rafique and Manjarul Islam Rana, who played one-dayers on the England tour. ‘The wicket in Sri Lanka is normally slower than what we got in England. So, it would be very usual to have an extra spinner offloading a seamer,’ said the coach, who is also a selector.
   Left-arm spinner Enamul Haque and Abdur Razzak is vying for the slot.
   Both Whatmore and Athar Ali dismissed the chance of including an extra wicketkeeper alongside vice-captain Khaled Mashud. ‘We had included an extra wicketkeeper for the England tour as there were a number of practice matches. But this is not the case for Sri Lanka tour,’ said Athar.
   ‘If we need an extra wicketkeeper finally we can take him easily as Sri Lanka is not far away from Bangladesh,’ added Whatmore. It means the teenage wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim, who is yet to recover from injury, has no chance apparently.

The dissolution of the BCB advisory panel due to the upcoming election of the ruling body of cricket brought some early disorder in the Bangladesh Cricket Board.
   It was reported in a national daily that the foreign employees including national coach Dav Whatmore and Macky Dudhia threatened to resign on Monday after the BCB president Ali Asghar commented that the ‘foreigners have a lack of commitment to serve cricket’. The report said an influential former adviser of the Board resolved the matter later.
   The BCB president Ali Asghar said to New Age that his alleged comments on the foreigners and the resignation drama are all rumours. And there is no disorder and mismanagement in the BCB for the election.
   ‘I did not say anything like this. And the reports that the foreigner threatened to resign are also false,’ said BCB president to New Age.
   Meanwhile, Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar was cautioned by the BCB for his comment to media that he has picked a squad for the Sri Lanka tour although he did not name the players. Bashar, who is not a regular member of the selection committee, was invited to help national coach Dav Whatmore and selector Athar Ali Khan to finalise the squad as the other two selectors are now out of the country.
   Chief selector Faruque Ahmed is currently enjoying a vacation in the USA while Golam Nowsher is serving as the A team manager on the UK tour.
   Two crucial team-selections have been made recently without the presence of them. One is the national team and the other is the under-19 team for the next World Cup.
   Bangladesh, who became the plate champions in the last Under-19 World Cup beating Australia, are expecting to form a strong team this time.
   The BCB president said the absence of the chief selector was not a problem as he was notified about the team selection over phone.
   However, a foreign employee said, ‘Now everybody should see that Bangladeshi people also have some lack of commitment.’

The International Cricket Council (ICC) was under growing pressure on Tuesday to eject Zimbabwe from Test cricket after the debacle of their two day defeat by New Zealand.
   The cry for Zimbabwe’s removal from cricket’s top level has now even spread to their own national and government controlled newspaper, The Herald.
   For the first time in the long running debate about Zimbabwe cricket status as a test nation, local demand for their removal from inside the country was vehemently expressed by the deputy sports editor of the government controlled The Herald newspaper, Lawrence Moyo.
   Moyo wrote under a huge headline of Worst Cricket Team Ever—’If what was on display at Harare Sports Club is to be reviewed at the highest level then Zimbabwe should not be playing Test matches in the interests of the world’s Test match standards.
   ‘Those watching the match were given better walue by the security guards marching to the wicket after the day’s breaks.’
   Alongside his artlcle was a photograph of Craig Wishart being bowled, above the caption’ Hopeless, clueless, useless...’
   New Zealand won the the first of two scheduled Tests by an innings and 294 runs with more than three days to spare as the home side became just the second team ever to be bowled out twice on the same day.
   Moyo added that the umpires and match officials should now order the second Test to be played immiately, ‘so that it could be finished any day after tomorrow.
   ‘Then the New Zealand cricketers could go off and enjoy some of the country’s resorts.’
   New Zealand and Zimbabwe are not due to meet for the second Test in Bulawayo until next Monday.
   India are due to arrive for a triangular ODI series on August 23, followed by their own two Tests series.
   The chairman of Zimbabwe Cricket, Peter Chingoka, remained upbeat when approached for comment by AFP.
   He had not yet seen the Moyo article but said, ‘It was a bad day, but we will battle on. We know we can do much better and I still have faith in the future.’
   Chingoka referred to the first session of the match, soon after which Zimbabwe had New Zealand in difficulties on 113-5.
   ‘We can build on that first session, ‘he said.
   ‘The potential is definitely there and we just need more time.’

Sanath Jayasuriya completed 10,000 runs in one-day cricket during a solid half-century as Sri Lanka posted a challenging 281-9 against India in the triangular series final here on Tuesday.
   The left-handed opener, who was 10 runs short of the landmark before the match, scored 67 to join India’s Sachin Tendulkar (13,642) and Sourav Ganguly (10,020) and Pakistan’s Inzamam-ul-Haq (10,933) in the 10,000-club.
   Mahela Jayawardene (83) and left-handed Russel Arnold (64) then built on Jayasuriya’s effort to help their team set a stiff target. The pair put on 125 for the fourth wicket.
   Sri Lanka looked in trouble for a brief spell when they lost three wickets in the space of seven overs and 35 runs. Left-arm seamer Ashish Nehra took all the scalps and went on to finish with 6-59, his second-best haul.
   The hosts survived Nehra’s early triple-strike as Jayasuriya, Jayawardene and Arnold batted confidently against both seamers and spinners.
   India went into the day-night match with five specialist bowlers for the first time in the series but failed to put pressure on the Sri Lanka batting trio.
   Their catching also left much to be desired as wicket-keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni dropped both Jayasuriya and Jayawardene off left-arm fast bowler Irfan Pathan. Jayasuriya was on
   19 and Jayawardene on 20 when let off.
   Jayasuriya went on to dominate the Indian attack during his 58th half-century in 337 matches. He was caught short of the crease while coming back for a second run.
   The opener, who struck nine fours in his 77-ball knock, helped his team maintain an impressive run-rate despite the fall of the three early wickets.
   Skipper Marvan Atapattu (11) became Nehra’s first victim when he was bowled playing a wrong line.
   Nehra struck in his next over when he trapped pinch-hitter Dilhara Lokuhettige (nine)
   leg-before and then had Kumar Sangakkara (eight) caught by Virender Sehwag in the covers.
   Jayawardene then held centre-stage, hitting five fours in his 23rd half-century before being caught by Mohammad Kaif at short fine-leg to become Nehra’s fourth victim.

At least 11 objections have been lodged by nine organisations against the draft voter list for the upcoming BCB election, to be held on August 27, including one from the popular Dhaka giants Abahani.
   AHM Mostafa Kamal, the chairman of the Abahani cricket committee, in a letter to the election commission said that he had named Jalal Yunsu as the councillor of the club but his name was not included in the list.
   Ahmed Sazzadul Alam is now representing Abahani after Kazi Shahed Ahmed, the director in-charge of the club, sent his name. ‘If anyone has sent the name of a councillor using the pad of the club before, that should be dropped,’ said Kazi Shahed in his letter while naming Alam as their councillor
   Kamal, however, claimed otherwise. ‘During the last two elections, the BCB had accepted the persons sent by me. So this year it should not be an exception,’ he told the election commission.
   Apart from Abahani, objections came from Madaripur, Sylhet, Manikganj, Khulna, Chittagong and Rangpur DSAs and Gopibagh Friends and the CCS, the association of the third division clubs. Madaripur and CCS raised two objections each.
   The election commission will hold a hearing on the objections today.

Australian strike bowler Brett Lee's hopes of playing in the third Ashes Test appeared to be receding on Tuesday after it was announced he would spend a second night in hospital with a knee infection.
   Captain Ricky Ponting was already resigned to playing the third Test at Old Trafford without fast bowler Glenn McGrath so the news about Lee, who did not travel to Manchester with the squad on Tuesday, will not have improved his day.
   'The doctors are happy with his progress so far, the knee appears to have improved, however the doctors still want him to stay in hospital overnight,' Australia physiotherapist Errol Alcott said.
   'We are hopeful he will be discharged some time tomorrow morning before travelling to Manchester where his fitness will be assessed.'
   The world champions, seeking a ninth successive Ashes series win, were pegged back to 1-1 at Edgbaston on Sunday. McGrath missed the defeat, damaging ankle ligaments just before the start by stepping on a stray cricket ball.
   Lee's problem stems back to the first Test at Lord's, when he grazed his left knee while fielding a ball.
   The knee has become inflamed again and he was on an intravenous drip and receiving antibiotics on Monday night in a Birmingham hospital.
   Alcott would not make a prediction over McGrath but the fast bowler was still limping on Monday night, albeit without the surgical boot that was used to protect his ankle.
   Alcott confirmed that McGrath had suffered 'extensive ligament damage'.
   Australia were already considering remodelling their attack for Old Trafford.
   The wicket, while hard, is expected to take spin and Stuart MacGill, who has had success against England in the past, is hoping to team up with fellow leg spinner Shane Warne.
   The loss of Lee, however, would be another significant blow.
   McGrath took nine wickets and was the man of the match at Lord's, while Lee took five in the second Test and scored a courageous 43 not out in the fourth innings to take his side to within two runs of England.
   It seems ironic that Lee should be laid low by an old graze, considering the number of blows he took to hand and body during that innings.
   Jason Gillespie, with two wickets for 163 in the series, and Michael Kasprowicz made up the pace bowling attack with Lee at Edgbaston but neither was as effective. Kasprowicz, McGrath's replacement, took three for 109.
   On Tuesday, Australia drafted in uncapped fast bowler Stuart Clark as cover for the injured pair after he impressed selectors with his form with English county side Middlesex.
   Another option could be the unested 22-year-old fast bowler Shaun Tait, who is already in the Test squad.
   England are unlikely to feel much sympathy, following their own bowling injury problems during the last two Ashes series.
   In 2002-3, Darren Gough and Andrew Flintoff missed the entire series, Simon Jones lasted one morning while Ashley Giles broke his hand after a single Test.
   When Alex Tudor came in, he was put in hospital by a bouncer while Chris Silverwood bowled four overs before having to return home with an ankle problem.

Kenenisa Bekele and Lauryn Williams, two athletes who have confronted personal tragedies in their lives, raced to world title glory at the world athletics championships here on Monday.
   Bekele retained his 10,000 metres title in style but admitted the death of his fiancee earlier this year ruled out taking on the 5000m challenge while Williams won the women’s 100m crown impressively despite her father’s longrunning battle with leukaemia.
   But while they were celebrating victory on Monday, there was disappointment for others with the agony particularly acute for the French team.
   First, their favourite for the 1500m men’s title Mehdi Baala made a complete mess of his semi-final and crashed out.
   That was soon to be followed by another disappointment for the immensely talented Christine Arron, who having looked the winner through the first few rounds, could only take bronze behind Williams.
   It didn’t stop the 31-year-old protesting that she was still the best despite Williams, 10 years younger than her, having already accrued an Olympic silver and now the world title within a year.
   A lesson for Arron in keeping your nerve after several mear misses came with the women’s high jump triumph of Swedish pin-up Kajsa Bergqvist, who despite taking bronze at the Olympics and last two world championships refused to buckle when young American Chaunta Howard pegged her back at 2.00m with her last attempt.
   However, Bergqvist threw back the challenge jumping 2.02m at the first go and the American failed her three.
   ‘I felt this was my chance to get the gold medal at the world championships. I knew I had to jump well with Howard going so well but I held my nerve and won,’ said the 27-year-old.
   There was also a show of mental strength in the men’s hammer as Ivan Tikhon of Belarus retained his title after trailing for most of the event.
   ‘I knew I had the psychological advantage as I was already the champion,’ he said proudly.
   Bekele, though, was majestic as he led home an Ethiopian 1-2 - Sileshi Sihine having to make do with another silver after his Olympic second place last year - but confessed that the death of his fiancee Alem Techale of a suspected heart attack had understandably worn him down.
   ‘I lost my fiancee and it has been very difficult to come back to international competition,’ said an emotional Bekele.
   ‘My fiancee... I loved her very much. She was very important to me.
   ‘Even now I don’t understand why she had to pass away,’ the 23-year-old said, adding that he had contemplated stopping running.
   Williams’ father’s illness by contrast seems to have seen her thrive as she pounded her way to her first major senior title leaving Arron and silver medallist Veronica Campbell trailing in her wake.
   However, even the seemingly nerveless American admitted to not having been as cool as all that.
   ‘I was very nervous before the race. When I crossed the line I wasn’t counting my chickens and didn’t know I had won till I saw the race on the video screen,’ said Williams.
   While her father - who was diagnosed with leukaemia in 1989 and has since suffered from a serious kidney disease - wasn’t present unlike in Athens to see her win the title she had no doubts he would be proud of her.
   ‘I run always with him in my mind but I know he gets the most joy in a difficult life from my successes and that in part is why I enjoy the sport so much,’ she said.
   On Monday both her and Bekele shone through their respective sadnesses and brought joy to the thousands that packed a rainsoaked stadium.
   Unlike Arron they were simply the best.

Andre Agassi began his quest for a second successive title with an emphatic 6-4, 6-2 win over Spain’s Alberto Martin in the first round of the Montreal Masters on Monday.
   Tim Henman, however, became the highest seeded casualty on the first day of the event when he was tamed 3-6, 7-5, 6-1 by Slovakia’s Dominik Hrbaty.
   Agassi, who marked his comeback from a two-month injury layoff with victory in Los Angeles eight days ago, fired down eight aces to easily overcome Martin.
   ‘I was pleased with the way I improved over the course of the match,’ said the 35-year-old American fourth seed.
   ‘I was a little nervous in the beginning and the ball was really flying ... and I was losing control of a few shots. But by the end, I started finding my swing again and felt pretty good.’
   Tenth seed Henman appeared to be coasting towards a place in the second round before Hrbaty suddenly came to life to bamboozle the Briton.
   Despite the defeat, Henman remained upbeat about his chances at the US Open, which begins on August 29.
   ‘It’s frustrating but not alarming,’ said Henman, who arrived in Canada after a family holiday in Tuscany.
   ‘I played well in the first set but when my level of play dropped, his rose.
   ‘I’m trying to improve certain aspects of my game and I’m going to continue to put into play in matches what I work on in training.’
   Former French Open champion Gaston Gaudio led a trio of Argentines into the second round.
   Sixth seed Gaudio defeated Italy’s Davide Sanguinetti 1-6, 7-6, 7-5, eighth seed Mariano Puerta edged out Luis Horna 7-6, 7-6 and ninth seed David Nalbandian beat countryman Juan Ignacio Chela 6-4, 6-1.

Shane Warne’s Ashes career is set to come full circle when the third Test of this season’s series starts at Old Trafford on Thursday.
   Twelve years ago at the Manchester ground Warne’s first delivery in Test cricket against England saw him dismiss Mike Gatting.
   A vicious turner that pitched outside the batsman’s pads before clipping the top of off-stump, the delivery was latter dubbed ‘the ball of the century’.
   Now Warne returns to Old Trafford needing just one more wicket to become the first bowler to take 600 in Tests.
   The 35-year-old leg-spin great is in prime form after taking 10 for 162 during England’s thrilling two-run win at Edgbaston here Sunday that saw them level the five-Test series at 1-1.
   Warne, for whom cricket has appeared to offer some refuge from a troubled personal life which eventually led him to separate from wife Simone in June following a string of lurid newspaper revelations, couldn’t quite believe how his on-field life had panned out.
   ‘Old Trafford has been a happy hunting ground for me. It’s one of my special memories in 15 years of international cricket, the Mike Gatting ball was my first one against England,’ Warne told reporters here Monday.
   ‘Whoever writes my scripts over the years, well it’s quite something to be on 599 going back to Old Trafford.
   ‘My parents are coming over for that Test match which has been planned for a long time. They’ve supported me through a lot of things in my private life.’
   But Warne, whose gutsy 42 on Sunday helped Australia get close to pulling off a seemingly impossible chase, said indvidual success would mean little unless it helped his team win a Test.
   ‘I feel good about my bowling. But to take 10-for doesn’t mean anything. I took 12 for 128 against South Africa in Sydney in 1994 and we lost the Test by five runs. It means nothing in the context of things. When we all sit around at a barbecue and have a beer it won’t be one I’ll be taking about.’
   Warne, a veteran of 125 Tests, said wickets had been harder to come by in recent years given that so few of Australia’s games were reaching the fifth day when a wearing pitch usually offers the spinner more assistance than at any other time in the match.
   ‘Over the last few years especially there haven’t been a lot of five-day Test matches, so you’re not exploiting the conditions late (in the) fourth day and fifth day,’ explained Warne, who also took six wickets in Australia’s 239-run first Test win at Lord’s last month.
   ‘I’m bowling a lot more on day one, two and three these days so to spin the ball, as I have done at Lord’s, and in this game means I must be doing something pretty right.
   ‘I’m not a big stats man but my stats over the last couple of years bowling on day one, two and three, stand up to any stage in my career,’ added Warne, who in 2003 received a 12-month ban from all cricket after a failed drug test.
   Warne has found himself upstaged at Edgbaston by Andrew Flintoff’s man-of-the-match winning display with both bat and ball.
   However Warne, who was the first Australian to congratulate the England all-rounder after bowling him for 73 in England’s second innings, had nothing but admiration for Flintoff, who himself was the first member of the home side to shake Brett Lee’s hand after the tailender finished the Test on 43 not out.
   ‘I think he’s a guy anyone would want in their side.
   It’s always nice to see someone like ‘Freddie’ do well because he’s one of the good guys of cricket.’
   Asked how long he might continue, Warne, who is 50 wickets ahead of Sri Lanka off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan in the list of leading Test wicket-takers, replied: ‘As I’ve probably said 500 times, when the enjoyment stops I’ll stop. At the moment the enjoyment is going pretty well.
   ‘The way the Lord’s Test match was played, the way England have fought back here, who wouldn’t want to be involved and how can you not enjoy it?’

Three victories away from becoming the first Russian woman to attain the number one ranking, Maria Sharapova insists she is more interested in staying at the top than reaching the pinnacle in the first place.
   ‘I know I say this all the time, but I am 18 and it’s more important that I’m fully ready to remain number one as long as I can,’ Sharapova told Reuters on Monday.
   ‘Being there for a week would give me pride, but not as much as staying there for the long term.’
   Top seeded at this week’s JP Morgan Chase Open, Sharapova needs to reach the semi-finals to overhaul American Lindsay Davenport and become the first player from her country to climb to the top of women’s tennis.
   Last year’s Wimbledon champion has a first round bye before a tricky path to the top ranking begins in the second round with a match against her best friend on tour, Maria Kirilenko.
   Sharapova could then face 16th seeded compatriot Anna Chakvetadze or possibly the in-form Sania Mirza of India.
   Should she advance to the quarter-finals, the ninth seeded Daniela Hantuchova appears likely to be the woman standing between the Russian and the top ranking.
   Sharapova realises that the closer she gets to achieving the feat the more questions she will be have to answer about it.
   ‘It’s just something else I have to hear,’ she said. ‘It’s all about locking it out. I’ve been close before and I’m close now, but I’m not looking at it as a one-week thing.’
   Whether or not she achieves it this week, the fact a Russian is so close to the milestone is something Sharapova’s compatriot Elena Dementieva is all too aware of.
   ‘It’s such a big goal for every player that sometimes when you get so close, you can’t reach it,’ the sixth-ranked Dementieva said.
   ‘But I think she can do it and will really deserve it. We all wanted to be the first Russian player to be number one. It means a lot to us and I’m still trying to reach that goal, even if she does it first.’
   At this event two years ago, Belgium’s Kim Clijsters was in a similar position to Sharapova when she had to take the title to become number one for the first time and victory over Davenport in the final was enough to enable her to achieve the goal.
   ‘I didn’t think about it until the third set of the final, but I didn’t let it influence me,’ this year’s fifth seed said.
   ‘You think about it off court, but I was able to push it aside on court. Maria is very focused on court and I’m sure she won’t have any problems with it.’
   Sharapova was on the verge of taking the number one ranking in May, but came up short at tournaments in Berlin, Rome and the French Open.
   However, those events were held on her weakest surface, clay, and the JP Morgan Chase Open is played on hard courts, where she has won titles before.
   The task will not be an easy one though, given that Sharapova has been suffering from a lower back injury that forced her to pull out of last week’s San Diego Classic.
   Knowing that Davenport was out injured (the American also misses this week’s event), Sharapova looked destined to claim the top ranking but opted to rest rather than risk damaging her back further.
   ‘My back wasn’t that bad, it was just tight and I didn’t want to start playing San Diego with a tight back,’ Sharapova said.
   ‘I was still practicing and doing more strength training. It was more important to have another week of preparation.
   ‘If I wanted number one so bad, I would have played last week, but I wanted to make sure I’m healthy and that I’m ready for the US Open (starting on August 29).’

Although the West Indies board (WICB) has been quick to deny rumours flying round the Caribbean concerning the content of Justice Lucky’s report, it seems increasingly likely that it will contain some criticisms of the board and the way the Digicel sponsorship was handled.
   Yesterday, the WICB issued a press release stating that the committee members ‘wish to state that the reports contain a number of inaccuracies and the information is wholly inconsistent with the findings of the members of the committee on the major issues.
   ‘Further, the wild speculation, which has been a feature of the reporting of the work of the committee, has in some cases been detrimental to the task of the committee.’
   That appears to have done little to quell speculation.
   A report in the influential Barbados Nation went as far as claiming that the WICB might be forced to renegotiate the deal with Digicel as well as completely overhauling the structure of the board to ensure ‘transparency and accountability’ in its functioning.
   The article added that the report would be highly critical of the way the sponsorship was handled by the WICB.

World number ten Guillermo Canas of Argentina has been banned for two years for doping, the Association of Tennis Professionals, the governing body for men’s tennis, announced on Monday.
   The 27-year-old tested positive for the prohibited diuretic hydrochlorothiazide at Acapulco, Mexico in February, where the Argentinian was beaten by Spain’s Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals.
   He must repay 276,070 dollars in prize money and forfeit 525 singles and 95 doubles ranking points as part of the sanction.

Real Madrid star Zinedine Zidane has admitted a mysterious apparition advised him to end his self-imposed international retirement to return and help France qualify for the 2006 World Cup.
   Zidane returned to the France fray recently and was immediately named captain for the remaining qualifiers which the former world champions must win if they want to have any chance of going to Germany next year.
   The French icon, who has had a huge influence in France's success over the years, said the 'overpowering presence' left him with only one decision to make.
   'I didn't want to make a big thing out of this, and for people to interpret what I say badly but what happened to me is really quite mysterious and unexplainable,' Zidane said in Tuesday's edition of France Football magazine.
   'You could even say it's irrational.
   'One night about three o'clock in the morning I woke up suddenly and began speaking with someone. Afterwards I didn't tell anyone about it, not even my wife.
   'It's a total enigma, but don't try to explain it - you can't. It's someone that you are likely to never meet. I can't even begin to explain. This person exists, but it's a total mystery.'
   He added, 'A few hours later I was with my wife at home and that's when I decided.
   'I've never had an experience like it. It was like I was powerless against this presence that was forcing me.
   'It was like a revelation, and suddenly I realised I had to go back on my decision to retire.'
   Zidane said he wants to speak of his strange experience to put an end to speculation which suggests his return has been orchestrated purely for commercial or financial reasons.
   It has been suggested that several sponsors as well as state television channel TF1 - who are transmitting the World Cup in France next year - have banded together to force Zidane's hand.
   Zidane is sponsored by both the private television channel Canal Plus and telecommunications network Orange - and announced his decision to return on their websites following an initial announcement on his personal site.
   He added, 'Why am I telling you this? It's because I want to put an end to the unfounded rumours that are flying about.
   'Do you really think that people who have an interest in my return could really make me - such as Adidas, Orange, Canal Plus, TF1 or even the president of France - come back?
   'When I read that I couldn't believe it. It's only logical I announce it through Canal Plus and Orange because they spend a lot of money for my image so I don't see me announcing it anywhere else.
   'If I'm coming back it's because I want to, and that's the only reason,' said the 33-year-old who admits that he will now stay with Les Bleus until he decides to hang up his boots for good.
   'The day I retire from the France squad is the day that I will retire from football for good.'
   Zidane, however, will have pressure to produce some of the midfield magic which has been his career trademark.
   France have had a poor qualifying campaign so far and sit fourth on ten points in the Europe zone group four behind leaders the Republic of Ireland (13), Switzerland (12) and third-placed Israel who have 11 points.
   Raymond Domenech's Bleus have four matches to redress their poor start, beginning with the visit of the Faroe Islands on September 3.
   Four days later they travel to face Ireland, and a month later travel to Switzerland before winding their qualifying campaign up at home against Cyprus.

England star Rio Ferdinand has agreed a new four-year deal with Manchester United, the Premiership club confirmed on Monday.
   The defender, who has two years left on his current contract, is yet to sign the new deal, but when he does it will keep him at the club until 2009.
   The agreement is a timely one for boss Sir Alex Ferguson, who has said he wants everyone at the club to have ‘a show of unity’ before the season starts.
   The announcement comes on the eve of United’s first competitive game of the campaign – a Champions League qualifier against Debrecen of Hungary.
   ‘It’s great news that Rio has agreed a contract,’ said Ferguson.
   ‘The reality of negotiations today is that they take time. But these have always been conducted in a good spirit and we are very pleased with the outcome. We can now look forward to the future.’
   It ends months of speculation about Ferdinand’s future which had led to Red Devils fans booing the 27-year-old central defender during pre-season matches.
   Ferdinand was reported to be holding out for 100,000 pounds (178,000 dollars) a week to stay with the club.
   But club officials refused to say whether Ferdinand has received the extra 20,000 pounds (36,000 dollars) a week his adviser Pini Zahavi had demanded.
   United fans were outraged at his contract stance given the Old Trafford club stood by him - and continued to pay his wages – throughout his eight-month
   suspension for a missed drugs test.
   Ferdinand said, ‘I am delighted to be signing a new deal. I said all along that I wanted to stay at the club and this has now put that issue to bed.
   ‘I’m looking forward to the start of what I expect will be a great season. It’s good to get this matter out of the way to allow me to concentrate on playing for United.’
   Meanwhile, England defender Rio Ferdinand says he was hurt by the barracking from Manchester United fans before agreeing his new four-year deal with the club.
   The 26-year-old, who will be at Old Trafford until 2009, had been targeted by supporters over the prolonged negotiations over a new deal, their frustration fuelled by reports he was demanding 120,000 pounds ($214,400) a week.
   ‘It’s not nice when you are getting stick from some supporters, particularly over something that was never true,’ Ferdinand was quoted as telling The Sun on Tuesday.
   ‘I don’t know where those stories came from but it was a load of rubbish. I can’t blame the fans for wondering what was going on. I would have asked the same questions if I was reading some of that stuff.’
   Ferdinand, who became the world’s most expensive defender when he joined from Leeds United in 2002 for 30 million pounds, also indicated that a new deal had never been in doubt.
   United had supported the player during an eight-month ban in the 2003/2004 season for missing a drugs test.
   ‘I will never forget how the club stood by me during my eight-month ban last year and of course it hurts to suggest I would throw that loyalty back in their face,’ he said.

Alex Ferguson predicted the return to form of Ruud van Nistelrooy will ensure Manchester United are challenging in England and in Europe in the forthcoming season.
   United swing into action on Tuesday when they host Debrecen of Hungary in the first leg of their Champions League third qualifying round tie and need the Dutchman back to his best.
   Van Nistelrooy scored 16 goals in all competitions during an injury-hit last season as United finished third in the Premier League and were knocked out at the last 16 stage of the Champions League by AC Milan.
   'Ruud had a fragmented season last season and his goal per game ratio was nowhere near previous seasons,' he told news conference on Monday.
   'Now he is fit and looking terrific. We expect and we know he will deliver for us. That is going to be a good boost to us all.
   'I will feel better when Ruud hits the goal scoring trail as that will make a massive difference to us. He is the best finisher I have seen in my time as a manager. He is an incredible finisher.'
   Ferguson refused to discuss speculation that Van Nistelrooy could have a new strike partner in Michael Owen, even though a United spokesman had earlier denied Real Madrid's claim that the two clubs had been in contact.
   But he did call on Manchester United's supporters to use the Champions League qualifier against Hungarian champions Debrecen as a chance to present a show of unity to the football world.
   United have endured a summer of turmoil with fans mounting protests against the Malcolm Glazier takeover, Roy Keane reportedly falling out with the manager and Rio Ferdinand being booed by supporters angry at his refusal to sign a new contract - which he finally signed on Monday.
   'It doesn't matter what the issues are; we have to get off to a good start in terms of unity of the whole club. That's the supporters, players and my staff. If we do that we give ourselves a chance,' Ferguson said.
   The United manager also instructed supporters to stop booing Ferdinand
   'Rio is giving 100 per cent on the football field and that is all we should concentrate on,' he said. 'You would expect them to get behind him.'
   Ferguson said he will not be taking Debrecen's challenge lightly. 'It is always a worry when you play teams and you don't know exactly about them, but we watched them at the weekend when they won 5-0,' he said.
   'This is the best team we have had to play at this stage and we have got videos of their last five games and we won't be short of knowledge.'

Players from Premier League clubs lead the way in the shortlist for the inaugural FIFPro World XI Player Awards.
   There are 19 Premiership stars on the 55-man shortlist - eight from league champions Chelsea including England trio Frank Lampard, John Terry and Joe Cole - for the awards being organised by the international players’ union.
   England also heads the list in terms of nationalities with 10 players compared to nine Brazilians, seven Italians and five Frenchmen and Argentineans - although Michael Owen does not make the list.
   Voting has taken place in a secret ballot after forms were sent to 38,000 professional footballers belonging to the 40 professional organisations asking them to select a world XI.
   World governing body FIFA’s world player award is voted for by international managers and captains.
   FIFPro general secretary Theo van Seggelen said, ‘There are no greater football critics than the players themselves. To be recognised by your fellow professionals from across the world will be a unique honour.’
   After the Premiership comes Italy’s Serie A with 18 nominations, Spain’s La Liga with 13, the Bundesliga in Germany with three and two from the Dutch League.
   AC Milan has most nominations for any one team with 10, Chelsea have eight, Real Madrid seven, Manchester United and Juventus six, Barcelona five, Arsenal four, Bayern Munich three, Inter and PSV Eindhoven two, and one each from Liverpool and Valencia.
   The shortlist is: (Home country/club 2004/2005)
   Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Italy/ Juventus), Iker Casillas (Spain/ Real Madrid), Petr Cech (Czech Republic/ Chelsea), Nelson Dida (Brazil/ AC Milan), Oliver Kahn (Germany/ Bayern Munich).
   Defenders: Alex (Brazil/ PSV), Roberto Ayala (Argentina/ Valencia), Cafu (Brazil/ AC Milan), Sol Campbell (England/ Arsenal), Fabio Cannavaro (Italy/ Juventus), Roberto Carlos (Brazil/ Real Madrid), Ricardo Carvalho (Portugal/ Chelsea), Ashley Cole (England/ Arsenal), Rio Ferdinand (England/ Man Utd), Gabriel Heinze (Argentina/ Man Utd), Lucio (Brazil/ Bayern Munich), Paolo Maldini (Italy/ AC Milan), Alessandro Nesta (Italy/ AC Milan), Carlos Puyol (Spain/ Barcelona), Walter Samuel (Argentina/ Inter Milan), Jaap Stam (Holland/ AC Milan), John Terry (England/ Chelsea), Lilian Thuram (France/ Juventus), Gianluca Zambrotta (Italy/ Juventus), Javier Zanetti (Argentina/ Inter Milan).
   Midfielders: Michael Ballack (Germany/ Bayern Munich), David Beckham (England/ Real Madrid), Joe Cole (England/ Chelsea), Deco (Portugal/ Barcelona), Luis Figo (Portugal/ Inter Milan), Gennaro Gattuso (Italy/ AC Milan), Steven Gerrard (England/ Liverpool), Kaka (Brazil/ AC Milan), Frank Lampard (England/ Chelsea), Claude Makelele (France/ Chelsea), Pavel Nedved (Czech Republic/ Juventus), Andrea Pirlo (Italy/ AC Milan), Arjen Robben (Holland/ Chelsea), Ronaldinho (Brazil/ Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/ Man Utd), Paul Scholes (England/ Man Utd), Mark van Bommel (Holland/ Barcelona), Patrick Vieira (France/ Juventus), Xavi (Spain/ Barcelona), Zinedine Zidane (France/ Real Madrid).
   Forwards: Adriano (Brazil/ Inter Milan), Hernan Crespo (Argentina/ Chelsea), Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast/ Chelsea), Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon/ Barcelona), Thierry Henry (France/ Arsenal), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden/ Juventus), Ronaldo (Brazil/ Real Madrid), Wayne Rooney (England/ Man Utd), Andriy Shevchenko (Ukraine/ AC Milan), Ruud van Nistelrooy (Holland/ Man Utd).
   The final World XI will be announced in a ceremony at Wembley conference centre on September 19. A world player and young player will also be announced.

Michael Owen is at the centre of a £15 million tug-of-war between Newcastle and Manchester United.
   Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd is putting all his weight behind their bid to drag the Real Madrid striker to Tyneside.
   But Alex Ferguson remains in the battle, despite United on Monday night insisting they have yet to make a formal approach.
   Shepherd has met with Real and is determined to use his head start on Ferguson to convince Owen, 25, to link up with Graeme Souness.
   Newcastle are now seeking to hold face-to-face talks with Owen, who is at Madrid’s pre-season training base in Austria.
   But the England striker prefers a move to United with Souey’s troops out of Europe.
    Owen said, ‘I would like to return to the Premiership one day. My time abroad has matured me and I believe that when I do return, it will be as a better player.’
   A Bernabeu spokesman said, ‘Newcastle are very interested in Owen and are showing the most interest. However, other sides are interested, including Manchester United.’
   Meanwhile, the Liverpool board has convinced manager Rafa Benitez to seriously consider bringing Real Madrid striker Michael Owen back to Anfield.
   The Daily Mirror says, Benitez now plans to offload Czech striker Milan Baros within the next 48 hours to pave the way for Owen’s return to Merseyside.
   The Liverpool boss has done something of a U-turn over Owen’s merits after opting to sign Crouch rather than the former Anfield favourite.
   But with Madrid lowering the asking price after having no takers for their original £16 million valuation, Benitez and the Liverpool board are now ready to step in and offer Owen the escape route he needs – if the price is right.
   Liverpool will ask Real to allow Owen to join them on loan with a view to a permanent move back. The Bernabeu club want Owen off their books within a fortnight.

Spain coach Luis Aragones says the national team is suffering a decline because of the increasing number of foreign players in Primera Liga sides.
   'The problem is that Spain is essentially a country that imports players,' Aragones told sports daily AS on Tuesday.
   'The big clubs that are fighting to win the league or are in the Champions League only have two, three or maybe four players that are eligible for the national side.'
   Aragones pointed to the lack of Spanish players at Real Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia as a factor limiting the progression of the national team.
   All four of Real Madrid's close season signings have come from South America, while the club has not signed a major Spanish player in the last five years.
   'Thank goodness we've now got three or four players who are at Liverpool too,' said the 67-year-old.
   'There is less and less space for Spaniards in the starting 11 at leading clubs and that is a problem and it will become even more serious in the future.
   'Obviously football is an international game, but the reality is that by importing so many foreign players, those from the European Union and those who have got dual nationality, the majority of players at clubs just aren't available to play for Spain.
   'It certainly isn't a good period for Spanish football.'
   'We have to change the rules whilst at the same time not damaging the rights of people to work professionally. This is a matter for the football authorities, though, and not one for me.'

Ghanaian midfielder Michael Essien is definitely staying at Lyon and will not be going to Chelsea, the French club's president said Tuesday.
   'England has the (2012) Olympics but Chelsea will not get Michael Essien,' Jean-Michel Aulas said on the club's Web site. 'Michael Essien is and remains Lyonnais. The affair is finished.'
   Aulas said he would be meeting Essien and his agent to discuss a new contract. He said Essien has a bright future and that Lyon 'is better with him than without him.'
   'In my dream, I see him scoring with a header in the Champions League final at the Stade de France ... against Chelsea,' Aulas said.
   Essien, 22, has been at the center of protracted transfer negotiations between Lyon and Chelsea, the Premier League champion owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.
   Lyon had reportedly been seeking US$55.74 million for Essien.

Italian director Marco Risi, the son of acclaimed director Dino Risi, says he has reached an agreement with Diego Maradona to direct a film on the player's life.
   The film will be called 'La Mano di Dio,' named after Maradona's 'Hand of God' goal in the 1986 World Cup, when he punched the ball in for a goal against England in the quarterfinals. The younger Risi says he is looking for an Argentine to play Maradona.
   'It doesn't have the classic style, it's a series of incursions in the various phases of his life, with extracts of his most glorious soccer moments,' Risi said in an interview published Tuesday in La Repubblica.
   'I think of him as a genius. Soccer exists before and after Maradona. It's like Van Gogh in painting or Charlie Parker in music.'
   Risi, who plans to start filming in October, added that the film will also include parts on Maradona's demise and his battle with drugs. As well as winning the 1986 World Cup, Maradona led Napoli to the Italian league title in 1987 and 1990, the only two championships in the club's history. He also played for Barcelona and Boca Juniors.
   Another film on Maradona's life is being directed by two-time Cannes Film Festival winner Emir Kusturica.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is backing Spanish striker Fernando Morientes to hit top form this season after the patchy start to his Anfield career.
   Morientes has scored just three goals in 16 starts for the European champions since signing from Real Madrid for 6.3 million pounds ($11.24 million) in January.
   ‘We know Fernando can play better and the player knows he can play better. In fact he wants to play better,’ Benitez told a news conference.
   ‘So we have all the ingredients to see the best of Fernando this season. He is training well now and I believe if we cross more balls for him, we will see a better Fernando.

BKSP Red Punjab National Bank in final
BKSP Red will play against the Punjab National Bank Hockey Academy team in the final of the North Bengal CA 3rd BKSP Cup U-18 Hockey tournament on Thursday. The finalists moved into the final beating their respective rivals in the semi-finals at the BKSP ground in Savar on Tuesday. In the first semi-final, Panjab National Bank Hockey Academy outplayed Bangladesh Hockey Federation (BHF) Red 3-1 while BKSP Red thrashed the BHF Green team by a solitary goal in the second match.
— BD News

Fans clash with police in Genoa
Fans furious over a decision to relegate Italian club Genoa for match-fixing, clashed with police in the northern city into the early hours of Tuesday morning, overturning cars and setting fire to waste bins. Police in riot gear used tear gas to block the protestors from reaching the city’s train station, which they had intended to occupy. Television footage showed an angry mob hurling bottles, stones and other objects at police while bins burned. It was not clear if anyone was injured in the violence, which began just before midnight. Around 2,000 fans had gathered in the evening to protest against Monday’s decision by the Italian Football Federation to reject an appeal against the side’s relegation.
— AFP

Marsh returns to Adelaide
Former Australia wicketkeeper Rod Marsh has accepted a coaching role with the South Australia Cricket Association, Cricket Australia (CA) said on Tuesday. Marsh is returning to Australia in September after four years as the head of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) academy which helped mould several of the current side playing in the Ashes series against Australia. Prior to joining the England academy, he was head of the Australian academy from 1991-2001, overseeing players such as Ricky Ponting, Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee, when it was based in Adelaide. Marsh’s new role will see him work with South Australia’s elite and junior squads, CA said in a statement on their website.
— Reuters

Dudek blow for Liverpool
Liverpool keeper Jerzy Dudek has been ruled out for three months after dislocating his right elbow in a training ground accident on Monday. The Poland goalkeeper, who has been replaced in the side by Spaniard Jose Reina despite the final heroics against AC Milan which helped secure the Champions League title in May, will now be out of action until November meaning there is little prospect he might be sold before the transfer deadline. Another Liverpool keeper, Scott Carson, appears to be ahead of Dudek in the pecking order but the Pole, who has two years left on his current contract, says he wants to remain with the club. Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon have expressed interest but Reds boss Rafael Benitez has so far refused to sell.
— AFP