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The legendary Brazil side which won the 1970 World Cup has been voted the greatest team of all time by BBC Radio Five Live listeners.
   The Brazil team beat the Liverpool side which won the European Cup in 1977, 1978 and 1981 into second.
   Real Madrid’s five-time European Cup winners (1956-60) were third, ahead of England’s 1966 World Cup winners.
   The first non-football team was the England side which won the 2003 Rugby World Cup in seventh place.
   Two cricket teams made the top 10, with the all-conquering Australia cricket side of the past decade edging out England’s 2005 Ashes victors for ninth place.
   The winning Brazil team contained legendary figures such as Pele, Rivelino, Jairzinho, Gérson, and Tostão.
   They beat Italy 4-1 in what is considered the best World Cup with Pele, who scored one goal, setting up Carlos Alberto for the stunning final effort.
   Liverpool’s three-time European Cup winners were the stand-out side in an era when English clubs dominated European football.
   Under the astute guidance of manger Bob Paisley, the likes of Kevin Keegan, Kenny Dalglish and Emlyn Hughes entered English football folklore.
   The two were some way clear of the rest of the field.
   After Real’s five-time European champions and England’s boys of ‘66 came Celtic’s European Cup champions of 1967.
   The Manchester United treble-winning team from 1999
   finished sixth, ahead of
   the England rugby union team from 2003 and Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’ from the 2003-04 season.
   After the Australia and England cricket teams came the Sir Steve Redgrave-inspired coxless four which won Olympic rowing gold in Sydney 2000.
   The dominant West Indies cricket team of the 1980s came 12th, ahead of the French football team which lifted the 1998 World Cup and became European champions two years later.
   The top 15 is rounded out by two rugby union teams, the New Zealand side which dominated the 1980s and the Welsh side which dazzled a decade earlier.
   The results were announced on BBC Radio Five Live on Christmas Eve in a special programme presented by Mark Saggers.
   Five Live listeners ranked their top five teams from a list of 32 selected by a panel of experts between 17 November and 1 December.

The country’s second largest cellular operator Aktel stepped in to become the title sponsor of the ongoing Premier Cricket League it was officially announced at a press conference arranged by the Bangladesh Cricket Board at the Sonargaon Hotel on Sunday.
   The briefing was addressed by Mahbub Anam, the BCB general secretary, Khondakar Jamil Uddin, the chairman Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis, Ahmed Ismail, managing director of Aktel and Asif Iqbal, the head of marketing of Aktel.
   The aim of Aktel, which will spend almost Taka 43 lakh, was two-fold. Firstly, to respond to the Board’s request to help developing the infrastructure of six venues that are hosting the league and secondly assisting them to run the league smoothly.
   As part of the deal, Taka 25 lakh will go towards infrastructural development and Taka 18 lakh to the account of CCDM, the sub-committee responsible for running the league.
   Explaining why the BCB turned to Aktel with the league five rounds old, Anam admitted at a crowded briefing that it was the Board’s failure and not anybody in particular.
   ‘We believe that it’s always better late than never so that’s we never gave up on arranging a sponsor,’ he said.
   In his speech Iqbal termed Aktel’s maiden venture as a cricket partner as significant because they look to extend
   their helping hand in the long-run.
   ‘Through our association we hope Aktel will play a bigger role in the development of cricket in the country.’
   Asked whether they intended to use the experience to sponsor any international home series, Iqbal said was too early to make such a comment.
   Javed Tareq, the head of corporate affairs of Aktel, was also present.

The super six phase of the Nitol-Tata National Football League starts with a super match between defending champions Brothers Union and traditional crowd-pullers Moham-medan Sporting Club at the Bangabandhu National Stadium at 4:00pm today. Both the teams will rely on their overseas recruits as the local stars are yet to return from their national duties.
   In the super six phase Group A teams will be pitted against Group B teams with the top four qualifying for the semifinals.
   Defending champions Brothers Union played with verve and deservedly obtained the top spot in Group A with eight points. The orange outfit have earned four points from the first phase and are in an advantageous position to retain their title. The return of the national players – defender Shujon, wingback Parvez Babu, midfielder Abul and forward Emily who are now in Karachi with the national team to play the Asian Cup pre-qualifier – will boost the champions further.
   Bangladesh Army can shock any team on their day and have a bunch of fit and agile booters in the team.
   Samabesh Club of Munshiganj are the surprise pack of the
   tournament but they have very little chance of going any further.
   Abahani topped the Group B and they carry four valuable points into the Super Six phase. The Sky Blues looked the most organised side in the first round and their four foreign recruits – Nigerian defender Ngasa Marshall, Ghanaian midfielder Audoo Ibrahim, Cameroonian midfielder Endem Kiyek and Moroccan midfielder Yigir Mohamed – were in superb form.
   The return of national skipper Joy, midfielder Uzzal and forwards Farhad and Tipu will further strengthen Abahani.
   Muktijoddha are carrying two points from the first phase and are awaiting the return of their national footballers. Goalkeeper Aminul Haque, defenders Rajani Kanta Barman and Firoze Mahmud Titu, midfielders Arman Miah and Hasan Al Mamun and striker Rokanuzzaman Kanchan will make George Kottan’s team a real title contender. Muktijoddha have a strong foreign force in Adafa, Jeremiah and Paul Nawakuchu.
   Traditional crowd-pullers Mohammedans did not fare well in the first phase and earned only one point from their four games. However, the homecoming of their national booters – custodian Biplob, Nazrul, Arman Aziz, Alfaz Ahmed, Matiur Munna – will add much-needed vigour to the Mohammedans tent and coach Shafiqul Islam Manik can now cool-headedly work out his strategy for success.

Batsman Justin Kemp, who is suffering from a shoulder injury, withdrew Sunday from the South African team for the Boxing Day Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
   The world’s top-ranked batsman Jacques Kallis will return to the team after missing last week’s drawn first Test in Perth with an elbow injury.
   Coach Mickey Arthur said the tourists would recall Kallis for Kemp in a straight swap and were also considering choosing left-arm spinner Nicky Boje for swing bowler Charl Langeveldt.
   ‘I guess it made our selection poser a little bit easier for us, but unfortunately he (Kemp) is not available for selection,’ Arthur told reporters at the MCG Sunday.
   ‘Kallis will slot in at four, the world’s best player, he’ll bat in a position that he’s quite familiar with.’
   Arthur said the team would make a final inspection of the drop-in pitch on the morning of the match Monday before confirming the bowling line-up.
   ‘I guess the final poser will come down to, do we play a four-man seam attack or do we play a spinner?’ Arthur said.
   ‘It looks a little bit browner than it did yesterday (Saturday). I think it has dried out quite nicely.
   ‘I do like going into a Test match with a spinner. I think it gives you greater options. But conditions must allow for that.’
   Arthur said he expects leg-spinner Stuart MacGill to be the 12th man for Australia and left-arm swing bowler Nathan Bracken to retain his place in the home bowling attack.

Bangladesh Biman registered a nail-biting two-run win over Sonargaon Cricketers in the delayed match of the Aktel Premier Cricket League, following a dramatic collapse of the league newcomers at the Dhanmondi Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
   Sonargaon were well on course for victory after they were asked to chase 212, but the lower-order let them down by surrendering meekly at the crucial stage of the match.
   A laborious half-century from Indian recruit Manvinder Singh, 57 off 89 balls, and a cameo 39 by Mohammad Ashraful took the team to 184 for four in 44.1 overs, from where the star-studded side threw the match surprisingly. The team lost five wickets for only 26 runs to complete their 50 overs on 210 for nine.
   Biman all-rounder Mushfiqur Rahman was mainly responsible for snatching the match from the grips of Sonargaon as he took three wickets in the space of 11 balls in between 48th and 50th overs. The man-of-the-match was, however, left-arm spinner Mosharraf Hossain, who ripped through the middle-order to return with 29 for three.
   Earlier, Pakistani cricketer Ashraf Ali fought almost single-handedly to prop up the Biman innings with an unbeaten 78 off 126 balls. His patient knock featured six boundaries. Apart from Ashraf only Shahriar Hossain and Mushfiqur Rahman made decent contributions adding 29 and 22 respectively.
   With the win Biman raised their tally to six points from five matches while Sonargaon have four from the same number of outings. Old DOHS are leading the table with 10 points from five matches.

Next month’s Afro-Asian ‘A’ Team Tournament has become uncertain after a number of key participants expressed their reluctance to send a team, revealed Bangladesh Cricket Board general secretary Mahbub Anam.
   The competition is scheduled to be held in Chittagong from January 18-28.
   ‘At this moment I cannot say yes or no about the status of the tournament. However, I don’t see any justification in holding the tournament if it becomes a farce,’ Anam told reporters at a city hotel on Sunday.
   Anam was apparently frustrated that India also intended to pull out of the tournament to facilitate its second-string players taking part in the Ranji Trophy.
   Pakistan and South Africa have already turned down invitations citing busy domestic calendars and the participation of Zimbabwe has also become uncertain following a players’ boycott. Now if India withdraws then the tournament will turn into a tri-series involving Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Kenya, which according to many could be meaningless.

Inzamam-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, had some good news for Umar Gul, the discarded young medium-pace bowler, on Saturday.
   Inzamam told The News that Umar figured very much in the plans for next month’s Test series against India and could be selected in the Test squad.
   ‘He is a fine bowler and we wanted him to go and play some domestic cricket after his recovery from his back problem,’ said Inzamam.
   ‘He is definitely in our plans for the series against India and I would like the selectors to invite him for the conditioning camp we set up from January 6.’

Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath expects the MCG wicket to be an ally in his heavyweight battle against South Africa’s gun batsman Jacques Kallis in the second cricket Test starting today.
   McGrath and Kallis enter Boxing Day as the world’s highest ranked bowler and batsman despite their uncharacteristic lead-ups to this match.
   McGrath put in a below-par first Test while Kallis missed the match with a nagging elbow injury.
   McGrath has dismissed Kallis six times in Tests – the equal-highest of any bowler, with teammate Shane Warne and Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan – and is keen for another crack at the backbone of the Proteas line-up.
   ‘He’s a class player, there’s no doubt about that,’ McGrath said.
   ‘Not too many weaknesses, he seems pretty technically correct and is a very patient batsman, so we’ll have our work cut out.
   ‘I’ve always enjoyed bowling to Jacques and I’ve knocked him over a few times.
   ‘But he’s got a couple of
   hundreds as well, so I’m looking forward to the challenge again.’
   McGrath failed to get much out of the WACA wicket last week, where he took just one wicket for the Test and South Africa held out for a draw, but he’s expecting the MCG pitch to be a lot more bowler-friendly.
   The Melbourne wicket still had a good cover of grass on it today, and had a motley-green appearance, which was encouraging for the bowlers.
   ‘I had a look yesterday and it was still quite damp,’ McGrath said.
   ‘It seems to have dried out a little bit more today, but there’s good grass cover so it will probably go through a little bit more, and as long as it’s hard enough there might be a bit of seam movement.
   ‘At the moment it probably suits the quicks.
   ‘With the wicket they prepared in Perth it was a bit like the Melbourne wicket, so the least they can do is prepare a Perth wicket in Melbourne.’
   Kallis enters the second Test as cricket’s best batsman, but still with points to prove against the world champions.
   The 30-year-old right-hander averages a tick under 35 against Australia, well down on his lofty career mark of 57.
   He has scored just the one Test century (and a single one-day ton) from 13 matches against Australia, his 101 in the Boxing Day Test of 1997 steering South Africa to a draw in that match.

Shane Warne can’t accept Ricky Ponting as the captain of the Australian cricket side, South African captain Graeme Smith told the Afrikaans daily Beeld in Johannesburg.
   As the war of words between the two sides continued ahead of the second match of the Australian tour starting on Boxing Day in Melbourne, Smith told the Beeld that Warne’s comments have become ‘laughable’, with his outbursts having become more like those of a comedian than a cricketer.
   Smith’s strong comments came after an attack on him by Warne, who said the South African captain was not innovative enough.
   ‘The conclusion that we have come to as a team is that it bothers Warne tremendously that he is not the Australian captain,’ Smith said.
   ‘I sincerely believe that is the one yearning desire that is still there in his cricket career. He would give his all to become Australian captain, but Ricky Ponting was appointed above him and he can just not handle that.
   ‘That is why he is so full of himself on the field. For us, it is obvious that Warne places Ponting under much greater pressure than the Australian captain already is with his action on the field.
   ‘It is Warne who regularly does the moves with field positions and he constantly tries to prescribe to Ponting what to do. He is a real old showman who wants the attention to be focused on him all the time.’
   Smith said the fact that Warne was not the captain meant that he had to find alternative ways of keeping attention on himself, which was why he acted the way he did.
   Smith said he suspected that there might be problems in the Australian camp.
   ‘There is a lot of pressure on them in Australia. They have been an established team winning everything for so long that people cannot accept that things are not going so well any longer.’

Sri Lanka’s former captain and ace all-rounder Sanath Jayasuriya Sunday said he was hoping to make a mark during upcoming one-day series in New Zealand and Australia.
   ‘New Zealand is a nice country. I made my debut there 15 years ago so obviously I have fond memories,’ said Jayasuriya, recalled to the national side after missing a Test series in India.
   Sri Lanka will play four games against New Zealand from December 31, a continuation of last year’s five-match series that was called off after the December 26 tsunami. They will then participate in a tri-series in Australia from January 13 which will also feature South Africa.
   Jayasuriya, a star of the 1996 World Cup triumph, was dropped from the Test squad after Sri Lanka were thrashed 6-1 by India in a preceding one-day series.
   But the 36-year-old left-hander forced his way back with a prolific run in domestic games.
   ‘We have had a lot of success against New Zealand in one-dayers and I am expecting the momentum to flow even though we haven’t done so well in the past few weeks,’ said Jayasuriya, who has scored more than 10,000 runs in one-dayers.
   ‘Nobody likes to get out of the team. But the break helped me work on my game and I am glad to get back into the team,’ he added.
   ‘The series is going to be very tough, especially the Australian leg of the tour. It’s a big task for us to regroup and get back to winning ways,’ said Jayasuriya.
   ‘Australia is the toughest place to tour and the challenges you face are enormous. The expectations in Sri Lanka are always high and we have got to be at our very best,’ he added.

The world championships in a rain-swept Helsinki marked a year during which a new generation of athletes usurped the older guard.
   The youngsters are best personified by the likeable trio of American sprinter Justin Gatlin, Ethiopian runner Kenenisa Bekele and Russian polevaulter Yelena Isinbayeva, the latter two voted 2005 athletes of the year by the world athletics governing body, the IAAF, for the second year running.
   It was a stellar year for Gatlin, who followed up on his Olympic 100m gold in Athens with a two-medal haul in the World Championships in a rain-swept Helsinki.
   In the absence of world record holder Asafa Powell through injury, Gatlin destroyed his rivals in the 100m and 200m, and would surely have emulated fading American sprint legend Maurice Greene had the US team not dropped the baton in the heats of the 4x100m relay.
   ‘Double gold means I’m king of the sprints. It shows I’m the best sprinter around,’ said Gatlin.
   Ethiopian running phenomenon Bekele rebounded from the death earlier this year of his fiancee Alem Techale from a suspected heart attack to retain his 10,000m title in Helsinki.
   The 23-year-old, also the Olympic 10,000m champion and four-time double world cross country champion, then broke his own 10km world record by more than two seconds in the Golden League meet in Brussels.
   While the self-effacing Bekele admitted he had not attempted the 10/5000m double in Helsinki because her death had affected him, leaving him fatigued, he said the record in Brussels had helped in the grieving process.
   ‘I cannot say this has been a good year, for obvious reasons, because of Alem’s death as there is a huge gap in my life and has been since that day in January,’ he said.
   ‘However I can say that the world record goes some way to wiping away the memories of that dreadful tragedy,’ added Bekele, who also owns an Olympic silver medal and a world bronze medal in the 5000m.
   Bekele’s counterpart Tirunesh Dibaba, 19, also set the women’s distance running alight, becoming the first woman to achieve the 5,000m and 10,000m double.
   ‘I’m very happy to make history,’ said Dibaba. ‘I’m planning to do that again next time.’
   Another athlete to have let her performances do the talking was Isinbayeva, who won the world title with a world record vault of 5.01m.
   The 23-year-old broke her own world record nine times this year, and she looks so far ahead of her competitors that her dominance seems set to last for a long while to come.
   Isinbayeva, whose good looks and lissom figure have guaranteed her a place as a pin-up in the athletics world, remains modest about her achievements, which garnered praise from no higher a source than Ukrainian pole vault legend Sergei Bubka, who still holds the men’s record of 6.14m.
   ‘Over five metres is a very serious height in vaulting. But she can jump higher,’ said Bubka, whose 35 world records is being chased by the Russian phenomenon.
   ‘She’s a real star and is bringing a lot of success to athletics.
   ‘She’s still young and will grow and gain in experience. She already has great confidence and great motivation.’
   But Bubka also had a dig at her rivals.
   ‘She has showed the way, the technique. The others need to learn from her and improve to increase the competition.’
   Elsewhere, there were other Americans to take up Gatlin’s rallying cry in Helsinki in the form of 21-year olds Lauryn Williams winning the 100m and 4x100m relay, and Jeremy Wariner in the men’s 400m.
   They were supported by 19-year-old Tianna Madison, who secured the long jump title in her first major final, and 22-year-old Bershawn Jackson, who produced a terrific display to replace an ailing Felix Sanchez as king of the 400m hurdles.
   ‘Old stars fade, new stars light up the sky’ was how veteran US 110m hurdler Allen Johnson assessed the state of play before the championships.
   The four-time 34-year-old world champion wasn’t far wrong as he only managed to take bronze behind two 22-year-olds in Ladji Doucoure of France and China’s Olympic champion Liu Xiang.
   Others were not even lucky enough to come away with a medal. The evergreen Maria Mutola finished fourth in the 800m and 38-year-old Lars Riedel made the discus final but no impression after that.
   One note of redemption was struck by Britain’s Paula Radcliffe, however, who bounced back from the disappointment of failing to finish the marathon and 10,000m in Athens to record an impressive win in the endurance event in Helsinki.
   ‘This is really for me. Anyone can think what they want. I knew I was capable of doing it,’ said a defiant Radcliffe, who was demonised by some British newspapers after the Olympics disaster.
   Russian triple jumper Tatyana Lebedeva, two-time triple jump world champion and long jump Olympic queen, earned the biggest payday in athletics after becoming the only athlete to record six wins in the six Golden League meetings.
   The 29-year-old, who spurned the chance to compete for her country in Finland, scooped a cool one million dollars after victories in Paris, Rome, Oslo, Zurich, Berlin and Brussels.
   ‘I think I made a good decision to save my energy and not jump in Helsinki.
   ‘Now I do not need to worry about my family, my daughter or our future.’

Exiled Zimbabwean cricketer Henry Olonga shared the pain and anger of the South African players subjected to racial abuse during their Test match with Australia in Perth.
   Olonga, 29, internationally renowned for his stand against the government of despotic president Robert Mugabe, was an official guest of the WA Cricket Association at its Test lunch and attended the first two days’ play.
   ‘Any cricketer would be and should be quite vocal in their condemnation of any act of racial discrimination,’ Olonga said.
   ‘There is no place for such behaviour. No-one should have to put up with that abuse. It is very unpleasant if you are a victim of it, as I have been - bizarrely on the Indian subcontinent.
   ‘You only have to be aware of South Africa’s history and what the country has achieved since 1994 to understand how sensitive this issue is.’
   At the 2003 World Cup, staged by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya, Olonga and Andy Flower wore black armbands and issued a statement mourning the ‘death of democracy’ in Zimbabwe.
   Their actions shocked the local cricket authorities and outraged the Mugabe regime and, at the age of 26, Olonga was compelled to leave his homeland and pursue a career beyond cricket.
   Zimbabwe’s first black cricketer on the international stage, and therefore a hero and role model to countless youngsters, many suffering considerable privation, Olonga was a natural athlete and fast bowler who played 30 Tests and 50 limited-overs matches.
   That nothing has changed in Zimbabwe or Zimbabwean cricket since he fled, further disillusions him. ‘I’m distraught with what’s happening there; distraught,’ he said.
   Indeed, in recent days 37 contracted players have withdrawn their services until the Zimbabwe Cricket Union honours promises and pays outstanding salaries and expenses, and Test captain Tatenda Taibu has been in exile for weeks.
   Olonga is living with the anxiety of being stateless when his Zimbabwean passport expires next October and is considering further approaches to the British and Australian governments for assistance.
   Since leaving Zimbabwe he has divided his time between England and Australia. He is presently in Adelaide with the family of his wife, Tara, whom he met there in 1996 when he was at Cricket Australia’s academy.
   A warm, articulate man of strong faith, Olonga has a fine singing voice and is intent on developing a career as a performer and recording artist and, should the muse decree, an actor. ‘It’s been a long journey since going to England in 2003,’ he said. ‘I always had an inkling music and performing would be my future but there was no solid opportunity.’
   However, in recent months prominent identities within the cricket world have pooled their resources and Olonga is hoping to record at least three songs soon.
   After being formally interviewed at the Perth Test match lunch, he delighted the crowd with a net and tested his upper register with a little of Puccini’s famous aria Nessun Dorma from Turandot.
   He is not, however, an opera singer. A tenor with a range that is being further developed by his vocal coach in England, Olonga says his style is still evolving but that his first recordings will be contemporary. As a schoolboy he appeared in a number of Gilbert and Sullivan productions and was the narrator in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Tim Rice, who presided over the Marylebone Cricket Club in 2002-03.
   While in Adelaide he is looking forward to working with composer Timothy Sexton, who is noted for his association with the Adelaide Art Orchestra and is a regular guest conductor with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.
   An introduction from commentator and writer Mark Nicholas to the English band Purple Stacks and invitations from television interviewer and author Michael Parkinson to appear in cabaret specials have given Olonga hope he can forge a career as an entertainer.
   Furthermore, noted Australasian businessmen, philanthropists and cricket benefactors Ron Brierley and Basil Sellers have provided him with patronage. Olonga sang at Sellers’ lavish 70th birthday party in Adelaide this year while Brierley’s support is expected to enable recording sessions to go ahead early in the New Year.
   While searching for a new career path, Olonga has played cricket with the World XI of the renowned Lashings club in England and also worked as a television commentator. Lashings, which provides a vehicle for many past and present international players to raise money for charity, has announced it is prepared to offer Taibu a job if the crisis within Zimbabwean cricket is not resolved soon.
   England, Australia and the Lashings club, and the cricket community at large, have provided Olonga with a safe haven at a traumatic time in his life.
   ‘I’ve always found Australia to be friendly and tolerant,’ he said. ‘Indeed, on a scale of 1-10 Australia is very low in the racism stakes.’
   It is to be hoped these words reach the ears of South Africa’s black and coloured players before the second Test starts today.

Australia opening batsman Justin Langer has told BBC Sport he wants to play in county cricket next season after all.
   The 35-year-old rejected Derbyshire’s initial offer to captain the side but had a change of heart after they signed Jacques Rudolph and Mohammad Yousuf.
   Langer has suffered rib and hamstring problems during the Australian season and is keen to see regular action.
   ‘Having missed a few Test matches this summer I have realised how much I have missed playing cricket,’ he said.
   ‘With the entire winter
   free from international duties, there may be an excellent opportunity to play county cricket again.
   ‘At this stage I haven’t spoken to any other counties but I am looking to put the feelers out.’
   The Western Australia captain missed the first two Tests against the West Indies with a rib injury, ending a sequence of 53 consecutive appearances dating back to August 2001.
   Langer then pulled up on day three of the first Test against South Africa with the hamstring problem which has ruled him out of the Boxing Day game in Melbourne and possibly the third Test in Sydney.

A FIVE-member Indian delegation arrived here Sunday to assess security at grounds before their team’s tour of Pakistan next month.
   ‘We are here to discuss security and venue assessment, and will tour all the venues of the series,’ said Yashovardhan Azad, a senior police official.
   India will start their tour on January 5 and will play three Tests and five one-day games.
   New Delhi has cleared the tour but concerns remain, particularly over violence-plagued Karachi where foreign teams have previously refused to play a five-day Test, and the northern city of Peshawar. India rejected Karachi for a Test when they toured Pakistan last year, their first tour across the border since 1989-90.
   The Indian delegation will visit Karachi on Monday and then travel to the other venues, said Azad, elder brother of former cricket international Kirti Azad, who managed security for Pakistan team in 1999 and early this year.

In an unprecedented move in South African cricket, 20 players have been banned for three years each after they were found to be involved in racial abuse and violence. In addition, two other players have been banned for 10 years each after being found to have been the chief culprits in a violence-ridden match in Durban on November 27 this year.
   The president of the KwaZulu-Natal Cricket Union, Dr Logan Naidoo, said the players belonged to two first division clubs in Durban - Reservoir Hills Crimson and Crusaders.
   Crimson are made up of players of Indian origin while the Crusaders players are mostly white. An investigation had found that the Indian players had been subjected to racial abuse and one of them, Akesh Kisoonlal, was involved in a skirmish with one of the opposition players, Tim Dunk.
   The Indian players were reported to have been told: ‘You coolies don’t come into our area and take a chance, we will wipe you out.’

Michael Owen scored his 158th and final goal for Liverpool the last time he played at Anfield against Newcastle.
   When he returns today, 19 months later, the Magpies striker will be out to end third-place Liverpool’s seven-match winning streak in the English Premier League.
   Newcastle bought Owen for 17 million pounds ($30 million) in August, one year after Liverpool had sold him to Real Madrid for half that amount. He has scored seven goals in eight games for Newcastle—including a hat-trick against West Ham last week—to continue his prolific form.
   The 26-year-old has averaged about a goal every two games for England and Liverpool, while he netted 16 goals in 40 games for Madrid despite rarely making the starting team.
   Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez tried to re-sign Owen from Madrid, but Newcastle’s offer was too high to match.
   ‘There were several reasons why it didn’t happen in the summer: the price, the time, the decision of Michael and the fact that we already had good strikers at the club,’ Benitez said.
   When asked if Owen could ever play for Liverpool in the future, Benitez replied:
   ‘Sure, why not? He is a good player and good players are always interesting to other clubs.’
   Newcastle’s Celestine Babayaro, Stephen Carr, Steven Taylor, Emre Belozoglu and Charles N’Zogbia return from injury, but midfielder Scott Parker is suspended. Captain Alan Shearer needs one more goal to equal Jackie Milburn’s club record of 200.
   Liverpool, who conceded their first goal in 12 games in losing the World Club Championship final 1-0 to Sao Paulo last week, are missing only the suspended Mohamed Sissoko.
   Meanwhile, Chelsea, who lead the standings by nine points, host Fulham; while second-place Manchester United are at home to West Bromwich Albion.
   Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has injury doubts over left-back Asier Del Horno (leg) and midfielder Damien Duff (Achilles), while England defender Wayne Bridge has been linked with a loan move to Fulham in the January transfer window to improve his chances of making the World Cup squad.
   Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson is expected to bring back Ruud van Nistelrooy, Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Edwin van der Sar from the team that beat Birmingham City 3-1 in the League Cup on Wednesday. Midfielder Cristiano Ronaldo is suspended.
   Ferguson said he’s not going to focus on Chelsea after it beat Arsenal 2-0 last week.
   ‘I know people are saying the title race is over, but that opinion is based on the assumption Chelsea are not going to drop any points,’ he said. ‘Their record over the past 18 months gives strength to that argument, but we have to put ourselves in a position where we could do something if they slip up.’
   Tottenham, level with Liverpool on 31 points, host 19th-place Birmingham City, who play Manchester United and Chelsea in their next two matches.
   Birmingham striker Mikael Forssell is doubtful with a thigh injury, while defender Mario Melchiot (thigh) and midfielder Muzzy Izzet (hamstring) are still out. Goalkeeper Nico Vaesen returns from a one-match ban and competes with Northern Ireland No. 1 Maik Taylor for the position.
   Spurs midfielder Andy Reid is out for a month with a knee complaint, while striker Jermain Defoe injured his ankle ligaments last week and is in severe doubt. Teemu Tainio (knee) is out, but Wayne Routledge and Aaron Lennon return to bid for a midfield position.

Sven-Goran Eriksson said he feared England would fail to qualify for the World Cup following their humiliating defeat to Denmark.
   England lost 4-1 in the friendly in Copenhagen in August and the manager admits he was worried the team might not make the trip to Germany if they did not improve.
   Eriksson told Sky Sports News: ‘We had too many players out of form and I stuck with them anyhow - right or wrong I don’t know.
   ‘We were worried as well that going on playing like this we would not qualify for the World Cup.’
   However, Eriksson felt some valuable lessons were learned during the difficult days of the campaign, which included defeat by Northern Ireland.
   ‘We learned that if we don’t stick together, if we don’t show up as a unit, a team, we are not that good,’ added Eriksson.
   England eventually topped their group - despite the 1-0 defeat in Belfast - and travel to Germany as one of the favourites for the tournament and Eriksson believes he is ‘very lucky’ to be the team’s manager.
   The 57-year-old will lead England at their third major tournament since his appointment in October 2000 after reaching the quarter-finals at both the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004 - before being knocked out by Brazil and Portugal respectively
   Eriksson told the Football Association’s official website, www.theFA.com: ‘I know I am very lucky with the job I have. I have been extremely lucky in my life.
   ‘When I was a young guy, football was my hobby. I tried very hard to be a professional without any success at all.
   ‘But today, what was once a hobby is now my work. So, when I wake up in the morning I never complain about the job I have.’
   The Swede claims England have a strong team spirit which is based on mutual respect that pervades the entire international set-up.
   ‘Whoever you are dealing with, whether it be a player, a kit man, an administrator, a masseur or a doctor, you must treat people in the same way.
   ‘You don’t treat people according to their salary, you treat people because they are people and you want to have a good atmosphere.
   ‘The team spirit is excellent, it couldn’t be better. The key is that everyone has to agree that respect for each other is important.
   ‘That goes for everyone, whether it be between me and the players, the players themselves or between the players and the staff.
   ‘But we have a very good group of players. They are very good young men.’

A maze of drainage ditches, water pipes and mounds of dirt crisscross the pitch at Banda Aceh’s Lampineung Stadium, home of the Persiraja football club. The stands are mostly stacks of warped boards, which dozens of construction workers are removing in preparation for a major renovation.
   Soccer’s international governing body FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) are financing repairs to the facilities in preparation for the team’s return to the Indonesian first division for the first time since last year’s undersea quake, tsunami and subsequent relief operations devastated the site.
   ‘We have to thank FIFA for helping us in our time of need,’ said Burhanudin Amin, a Persiraja official supervising the works on the monsoon-drenched stadium. ‘Without them, this club would have died in the tsunami.’
   The 15,000-seat Lampineung Stadium was badly damaged by the earthquake that struck a year ago on December 26. The huge wave that spread across the provincial capital also washed over the field, leaving only the forlorn-looking goalposts standing.
   Spanish and other foreign troops who arrived a few days later with heavy equipment to help with rescue and relief operations, further damaged the site. They bivouacked at the stadium, setting up makeshift warehouses for humanitarian supplies on the pitch.
   As the rescue effort gradually wound down, FIFA and the AFC launched a US$10.5 million tsunami solidarity fund for soccer infrastructure reconstruction in areas affected by the tsunami. This included financing for numerous projects in Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Thailand, where a tsunami memorial football centre will be built.
   In the Maldives, relief financing was directed into repairs to the damaged headquarters of the national soccer body and its training center, while in Sri Lanka 13 separate reconstruction projects were funded.
   Much of the money in Aceh was spent on donations of soccer equipment for the many traumatized children, as sport and play was considered essential to help their recovery. FIFA and the AFC also sent delegates to set in motion coaching and refereeing courses, and soccer clinics for homeless kids as well as local tournaments were set up.
   Still, there has not been a single official match in Aceh since the tsunami, and the three teams that used to play in Indonesia’s 1st, 2nd and 3rd Divisions are hoping to return to national competitions when they resume in February.
   In preparation for this, the tsunami solidarity fund is also financing repairs to soccer pitches in the outlying towns of Bireun and Langsa.
   Nuzuli Ibrahim, deputy head of the Indonesian Sports Confederation in Aceh, said that despite the help received so far, and the insistance of the national soccer body that Acehnese clubs should return to competition, it was still difficult to reconstruct the teams and get the players motivated to participate.
   ‘The teams are not back to speed,’ he said. ‘Players have not played in a long time, coaches have left, stadiums are still unfinished and money is short to support the programme.’
   But on an optimistic note, Ibrahim said help was still arriving, sometimes in unexpected forms.
   ‘For instance, Bosnia—another country familiar with tragedy—had just offered to send a coach, and maybe a couple of players to help out Persiraja with its return to league competition,’ he said.

Steven Gerrard believes it will go down as “a waste” if England come home empty-handed from the World Cup—because the next finals will be far harder to win.
   Sven-Goran Eriksson’s side go to Germany as FIFA’s second seeds, behind Brazil, and with the advantage of the finals being staged in a familiar climate.
   The recent European Footballer of the Year award saw Gerrard finish
   third, behind second-placed England team-mate Frank Lampard.
   And with the likes of Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen, Rio Ferdinand, Paul Robinson, David Beckham and Ashley Cole also inked into Eriksson’s team, not only is there stability within the national side but also enviable quality.
   Adding to the sense of anticipation was last month’s 3-2 victory over Argentina, another of the fancied teams for next summer’s finals.
   ‘When you beat Argentina like that and play so well, you start to think you can beat anyone,’ Gerrard told The Independent.
   ‘It is probably the most exciting team there has been at that level for a while. I think it will be such a waste if we go there and fail.
   ‘It all depends on what England side turns up.
   We’ve got world-class
   players in Lampard, Rooney and Owen.
   ‘We’ve got so many top centre-halves, the best left-back in the world, the experience of Gary Neville.
   ‘The 2010 World Cup will be really difficult in South Africa but this one in Germany will really suit us. We’ve got to make the most of it.’

Goalkeeper; 1 Iker Casillas (Real Madrid): One wonders where Real would be if not for his heroic performances. Light years ahead of anyone in Spain, and on a par with, if not better than, Buffon and Cech, the Spanish number one was an automatic choice. Palop and Dudu Aouate have been good, but nowhere close.
   Defenders (right to left); 2 Miguel (Valencia): The Portuguese international has done little wrong since August, despite being overshadowed by one or another of the more attacking full-backs each week. Having said that, he seldom embarrasses himself when he does go forward. Daniel Alves (Sevilla) came close, but in the end, dependability won it for the Che full-back.
   3 Gonzalo Rodriguez (Villarreal): The summer saw Barcelona, Manchester United and Milan query his availability. Villarreal hung on to him thanks to Champions League football, and the young Argentine international has since galvanised the entire ’yellow’ defence around him. With Villarreal still alive in three competitions, expect to hear a lot more about him leading up to the World Cup.
   4 Juanma (Deportivo): With Andrade and Coloccini obvious starters on paper, one would have thought ’game over’. But he has consistently stolen the limelight from the duo since getting his chance in late September, to the extent that a frustrated Coloccini is now thinking for a move away.
   5 Pernia (Getafe): Dominance in the air, and pace to track back with fast wingers. Add to that an outrageous left foot and the makings are there for a classy left-back. Desperate, to play for Spain, more solid in defence than Antonio Lopez, and way better than Del Horno in attack; one wonders what more he should do!
   Defensive/Holding Midfielders; 6 Patxi Punal (Osasuna): A number of significant performances, particularly from Edmilson (Barcelona), Maresca (Sevilla), and Duscher (Deportivo). Even Pablo Garcia (Real Madrid) has done well despite the Real collapse. But in the end, it is the Osasuna strongman who makes it here for anchoring a consistently steely, yet effective, midfield.
   7 Xavi (Barcelona): The heart and soul of the Barcelona ’way’, I dare say. The results have been coming despite losing him, but the Barcelona of December are a far cry from the all dominating one of November. They have been asphyxiated by Betis, Cadiz, and Celta for significant parts of the match, being made to struggle for fluency in midfield. Spain can pretty much wave any faint World Cup hopes goodbye if he fails to recover in time. Other credits: Xabi Prieto (Real Sociedad), Senna (Villarreal),
   Attacking Midfielders (right to left, interchanging); 8 Nestor Cannobio (Celta Vigo): Has turned into the perfect foil for the centre-forward, dragging defenders out of position, creating spaces, and supplementing these with a great shot on goal. Took on most of the creative responsibilities for Celta, allowing Fernando Vasquez to play two solid lines of four behind him and Baiano. Out of position here, but only slightly so.
   9 Riquelme (Villarreal): Galvanizes Villarreal into a team with his never say die approach. Once dismissed at Barcelona for being unwilling to learn or adapt to Spanish football, the Argentine international has turned Villarreal around over the last three years, and continues to help them scale higher peaks. Aimar (Valencia), Valeron (Deportivo), and Arango (Mallorca) have put on a good show since November, but their late charge was never quite going to be enough to displace the former Boca Juniors and Barca man.
   10 Ronaldinho (Barcelona): Demoralizes the opposition players with his abilities, creates goals on a platter for his team-mates, and yet is second in the Pichichi charts only to teammate Eto’o. Pretty much perfect.
   Forward; 11 Eto’o (Barcelona): Has improved on his efficiency in front of goal from last season, which means he is now good bet to score from his first chance in a game. Seventeen goals in seventeen games have pretty much ensured he will be leading the Pichichi race when he returns from the African Nations Cup. David Villa, Fernando Baiano, Riki, and even the legendary Ronaldo: distant second this season.
   Coach; Javier Aguirre (Osasuna): The kind of belief this side have shown is entirely down to the Mexican. Nothing highlights it better that the last two matches: a draw at El Bernabeu with ten men, and a win coming from a goal down against Atletico. It would take a very brave man to now bet against them securing at least a UEFA Cup place, if not a Champions League berth.
   — NEW AGE DESK

Spartak Moscow expect Nemanja Vidic to leave the club—with Manchester United deemed to be the likely destination.
   United have reportedly spoken to the 24-year-old Serbia and Montenegro defender but no fee has been agreed.
   ‘He has told me straight that he will leave, the only question is to which club will he move,’ said Spartak chief executive Sergei Shavlo.
   ‘He was going to Fiorentina, now he’s inclined to accept United’s offer. We continue to have talks over the fee.’
   It was reported that
   United met with Spartak officials in London on Monday but that no agreement could be reached for the £8m-rated international.
   Vidic has also been linked to United’s Premiership rivals Liverpool.

Real Madrid great Alfredo Di Stefano will require bypass surgery to deal with the serious consequences of the heart attack he suffered in the early hours of Saturday morning.
   Medical staff at La Fe hospital in Valencia said the 79-year-old Argentine would only be able to undergo the surgery when his condition improved.
   ‘He has a circulation problem and there are some arteries feeding the heart that have been seriously narrowed,’ head of cardiac surgery Anastasio Montero told a news conference on Sunday.
   ‘We need to carry out a bypass to overcome this problem, but we will have to wait for his condition to improve before we can operate. He has had a heart attack and a pulmonary edema and if we operate now it will be in unfavourable circumstances.
   ‘His heart is beating with difficulty. A person needs sufficient arterial pressure or else they will die and because of the heart attack his heart does not have enough strength.
   ‘We have inserted a system that will help the heart and the rest of his body function for the time being.’
   Di Stefano, a diabetic and smoker, was admitted to hospital in Sagunto after suffering pains in his chest in the early hours of Saturday.
   He was transferred to a nearby hospital in Valencia on Saturday night where he
   underwent cardiac catheterism to assess the extent of the
   damage caused by the heart attack.
   ‘He has been conscious at all times and when he has been able to he has spoken normally with his family and with the people from Real Madrid who have visited him,’ said Valencia health authority spokesman Manuel Cervera.

Inter are looking to replace the departing Juan Sebastian Veron with Bayern Munich captain Michael Ballack.
   Veron has confirmed that he will be heading back to Argentina in the summer, for family reasons, and the Nerazzurri are understandably looking for a player of real quality to step into his shoes.
   That man is believed to be Ballack, who looks almost certain to quit the Bundesliga champions at the end of this campaign.
   The German international will be a free agent in the summer and Inter are one of numerous clubs keen on his services.
   Inter already signed an alternative to Veron last summer when David Pizarro arrived from Udinese.
   However, the Chilean’s difficulties in settling at the San Siro have left question marks regarding his presence in the plans of Roberto Mancini.
   That, plus the likely departure of Cristiano Zanetti whose contract expires in June, means Inter will bring in a central midfielder.
   Ballack is known to be a player who owner Massimo Moratti really admires and whispers suggest that initial talks have already taken place.
   However, Inter may find it tough to net the former Bayer Leverkusen star given that Manchester United, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Milan and Juventus have also been linked.

Another seven in JFA Cup zonal final
Gaibandha, Ranghamati, Satkhira, Tangail, Manikganj, Bagerhat and BKSP moved to the zonal final of the JFA Cup Under-16 Football Tournament at the seven different venues on Sunday. Mahmudul Kabir netted all the four goals of Gaibandha including a hat-trick at the Gaibandha stadium. Ranghamati outplayed Khagrachari 3-0 at the Ranghamati Stadium while Satkhira beat Jessore Education Board 2-1 at the Satkhira Stadium. Tangail defeated Kishorganj 6-1 at the Tangail Stadium while Manikganj outplayed Faridpur 2-1 at the Manikganj Stadium. Bagerhat beat Narail 4-0 at the Bagerhat Stadium while BKSP outplayed Nilphamari by a solitary goal at the Kurigram Stadium.
— BDNews

DRU lose to BFF in friendly football
Despite brilliant performance from goalkeeper Anwarul Haque, staff reporter of BDNEWS, Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) conceded a 5-0 defeat to the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) eleven in a friendly match at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Sunday. BFF Deputy General Secretary Monjur Hossain Malu and Amirul Islam Babu netted two goals each and Jabid Hossain Apu scored the other goal for the winners. Three women referees conducted the match.
— BDNews

Bashundhara win in squash league
Bashundhara Group defeated Sac-Nas 7-2 in the ongoing Federation Squash League at the Cadet College Club on Sunday. Swapon Parvez and Razu of Bashundhara beat Mohit Chouhan and Mamun of Sac-Nas 3-0. Misha of Sac-Nas outplayed Dulal of Bashundhara 2-1 at the same venue.
— BDNews

Ma-Hai Ching
in final
Ma-Hai Ching moved into final of U-16 girls’ event of the Victory Day Tennis competition with a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Baichee at the National Tennis Complex on Sunday. Arif Hossain and Hasibul will play the U-13 boys’ final as both the players beat their respective rivals in the semis. Arif outplayed Chandan 6-0, 6-4 in the semi final while Hasibul defeated Raisul Islam 6-1, 6-0 in the other semi final. Amol Roy and Alamgir Hossain moved to the semi-finals of men’s single defeating Niranjan Ram and Shahnewaz 6-1, 6-3 and 6-3, 7-6 respectively.
— BDNews

Nat’l sub junior chess from Dec 31
The 26th National Sub Junior Boys’ and Girls’ Chess Championship-2006, organised by Bangladesh Chess Federation, will begin on December 31 at the Chess Federation hall-room. The championship, which will be held on nine round Swiss League system, is an open event for Under-16 boys’ and girls’. Interested players can enroll their name without any fee on or before December 29 at the Bangladesh Chess Federation office. The participants from the district level can also enroll their name with a letter from the respective District Sports Association.
— UNB