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A Bangladeshi shooter disappeared in Germany after he went to the country to participate in the World Cup Shooting held at Munich from June 6-13.
   Bangladesh had sent a four-member team in the competition, all of whom returned home on Tuesday except Anwaruzzaman, an air rifle shooter, who did not qualify for the competition initially but was later included after he agreed to bear own expenses.
   Sources in the shooting federation claimed Anwar did not only return home with the others member of the team but he also did not participate in the competition.
   Aleya Ferdousi, a joint secretary of the Bangladesh Shooting Federation, who led the team in Munich, admitted the fact. ‘A day after we reached Munich, Anwar left the hotel saying that he was going to meet a friend.
   ‘Since then he did not communicate with us,’ said Aleya upon her arrival from Germany.
   It was not the only setback for Bangladesh in the competition. Two other shooters, Sharmin Akhtar and Suraiya Akhtar, also performed below-par in their event. Sharmin scored 389 in the 10 metre air-rifle while Suraiya scored 379. According to the officials, their normal score at home is far better than this.

Bangladesh Football Federa-tion is yet to get the financial support required to appoint their preferred Argentine coach, Vicente Cayetano Rodriguez, but it is hoping to find a solution very soon.
   The BFF planned to pay $10,000 per month to the coach and a trainer, both from Argentina, from their own resources, and the rest will be spent from the donations of the Asian Football Confederation. The responsibility of finding sponsors for the purpose was given to the National Team Management Committee, who a few days ago informed the BFF that they have failed to find permanent sponsors, who were willing to bear the expenses for one year.
   But the BFF refused to accept the proposal as it is a temporary solution. ‘We can’t accept the proposal because it’s temporary and unrealistic. Anything can change any moment, so who will bear the responsibilities then,’ said Anwarul Huq Helal, the general secretary of the BFF. However, Helal informed they had sought more time from the coach in their latest correspondence.
   The BFF is also in a tricky situation regarding the coach’s recruitment as the AFC opposes the recruitment of any coach apart from the Asian region and says that the financial assistance will not be available if the coach is non-Asian. But if the BFF can bear all the expenses then there is no objection. The BFF planned to spend a part of the regular AFC donations on the Argentine coach and his trainer.
   At last the Bangladesh national team has got an international duty as the qualifying matches of the Asian Cup will start from September and the participating teams split into groups of three will play on home and away basis, for the first time in history.
   The BFF has decided to host an international club tournament next February with four local and six international clubs.
   The federation has also decided that the next edition of Nitol-Tata National Football League will be held in September and the members of the national team will have to skip their club duties, if there are any international fixtures.
   BFF has urged the National Sports Council not to start any renovation work of the Bangbandhu National Stadium till February next as a good number of local and internationals are on the cards.

No matter what happened to the Bangladesh team in the Test series against England and the impending tough triangular series also involving Australia, the Tigers are the ambassadors of the nation.
   A British journalist thinks Bangladesh innings is like a marriage of the celebrities because both take little time to collapse. Some other journalists laboured hard to know the living standard of Bangladesh and mixed it up with the game of cricket to describe how poor the Bangladeshi cricketers are. According to them, it was natural that the poor Bangladesh team would be defeated by England inside two-and-a-half days in Tests.
   However, isn’t it surprising and shameful that England could not beat Bangladesh in single day in each Test being a rich country with the highest level of living standard of the world?
   Having seen them play in the typical England condition in front of some keen cricket lovers some pundits naturally thought that the Bangladesh cricketers were nervous in the two Tests they played against England. Once in the hotel Marriot lobby Bangladesh captain said confidently that they want to forget the word ‘Lord’s’ and will take the Test like any other match.
   However, the word Lord’s was too heavy to remove from the minds of Bangladesh players. Surely Bangladesh team uttered the word in every single delivery during the Test.
   Whether it was natural or not the performance Bangladesh produced in the second innings of the second Test at Durham was enough to make proud the thousands of Bangladeshis all over the world.
   A local hotel owner of Chester le Street invited the full Bangladesh team for dinner after the Test. In his introductory speech, the presenter mistakenly mentioned the Bangladesh captain as Abul Bashar and at the end of the dinner they congratulated the captain naming him as Habibul Bari and confessed that they hardly follow Bangladesh cricket but they were very proud that Bangladesh were playing in England.
   Moreover, there are many Bangladeshis in England like them who do not enjoy cricket but are proud of Bangladesh team. And there are also some Bangladeshis who really keep information on Bangladesh team and dream to provide some young talent for Bangladesh from the Bangladeshi community in England.
   ‘One of my Russian friends told me he heard that Bangladesh play at world level in a sports event. That made me very proud,’ said Amirul a businessman and sports organiser in London.
   ‘I was a fan of football and kept all news of the football stars in the past. It is unfortunate that our football did not get up to the world level but cricket made us happy. They are ambassadors of Bangladesh,’ said the proud Bangladeshi.
   Amirul informed cricket is also fast spreading among the Bangladeshi community and a professional community league will be started within a short time.
   ‘There are already a couple of cricket teams here. In England we organise four football tournaments including League Bangla and we are planning to organise a cricket league in Bangladeshi community because Bangladesh cricket is the identity for us in an alien country,’ concluded Amirul.

Argentina go into their opening Confederations Cup tie here today carrying the burden of heavy favourites against underdogs Tunisia.
   The South American giants, winners of the inaugural edition in 1992, have already assured themselves of a place in the World Cup finals in Germany next year.
   And the Olympic champions could not have had a better build-up to the 2005 Confed Cup than last week's 3-1 World Cup qualifier defeat of Brazil.
   Manchester United left-back Gabriel Heinze is eager for battle to commence.
   'We've qualified for the World Cup, but I'm not thinking about that here, only this competition,' he said.
   'We are representing Argentina, so the responsibility is enormous. Putting the Argentine shirt on makes you give that little bit more,' said the 27-year-old who was given his international chance by Jose Pekerman's predecessor, Marcelo Bielsa, in a friendly against Libya in 2003.
   Heinze has come up against some of the Tunisian players from his days at Paris Saint Germain.
   'Many play in France and French soccer is no pushover. And they've removed the pressure from themselves by saying we're favourites.'
   Pekerman is without some of his key men like Hernan Crespo, Roberto Yala and Juan Sebastian Veron, and first choice goalkeeper Roberto Abbondanzieri has stayed at home on Libertadores Cup duty.
   But among those he can count on for what he is regarding as a dress rehearsal for the World Cup is Villareal's Juan Roman Riquelme, who could be paired up with Pablo Aimar in a move that would delight the fans.
   The tandem worked well together when helping Argentina win the Under 20 world cup in Malaysia in 1997 under Pekerman.
   'It's one of the options,' he said.
   'They certainly know each other, and we're watching them.'
   Confed Cup debutants Tunisia may be rated as minnows but coach Roger Lemerre insists they are there to bloody the noses of some of the world's footballing superpowers.
   'We're not here to make up the numbers, we aim to trouble the big teams,' said the man who has transformed the north Africans from a team of also-rans into African champions.
   Bolton defender Radhi Jaidi insisted Tunisia were up for it.
   'We're ready to take on any team,' the English Premiership player said.

England (179/8) beat Australia (79) by 100 runs
   Seamers Darren Gough and Jon Lewis teamed up to take seven wickets for eight runs in just 20 balls as England stunned Australia to win their first Twenty20 international by 100 runs on Monday.
   The match was little more than a light-hearted romp before the serious business of the one-dayers and the Ashes series.
   But Michael Vaughan's England side, egged on by the crowd at Southampton's Rose Bowl, were soon jumping into each others arms in sheer disbelief as Australia were bowled out in 14.3 overs.
   One moment the world champions, chasing England's 179 for eight off their 20 overs, were 23 without loss in the third over. The next they were 31 for seven in the sixth. The 29-year-old Lewis, uncapped in one-dayers or Tests, took four for 24 off four overs while Gough took three for 16 off three.
   Three wickets fell in four balls, with Gough sparking the carnage. Adam Gilchrist had made 15 off 14 balls before a big slog across the line went straight up in the air and the ball was caught by Kevin Pietersen. Next delivery, Matthew Hayden went for the pull and Pietersen, this time running back, made it two out of two.
   Michael Clarke then followed for a golden duck, prodding forward and adjuged caught behind with Geraint Jones standing up to Lewis. Moments later and man-of-the match Pietersen, who had earlier hammered a quickfire 34, had his third catch, snapping up Andrew Symonds.
   Earlier Pietersen hammered 34 off 19 balls, Marcus Trescothick made 41 and Paul Collingwood top-scored with 46 off 26 balls before going last ball of the innings to give Glenn McGrath his third wicket.
   England had just one low, when Vaughan, in his first Twenty20 match at any level, went first ball to Symonds's spin.

It is a fundamental requirement of triangular one-day tournaments that, all things being equal, three teams should be involved.
   Even the most politically correct of observers, however, would concede that the event starting at The Oval on Thursday feels, at worst, like a two-horse race and, at best, like England, Australia and the other in the form of Bangladesh.
   To be fair to Bangladesh, who take on England in the opening match, far stronger sides would feel equally out of place.
   The Ashes are the main dish of the English summer, pitting the world champions against their nearest challengers. In the meantime, every run and every wicket, whether in the Twenty20 format or one-dayers, will be analysed with that in mind.
   Bangladesh’s one hope of not being marginalised altogether would be to stage a drama in one of their six pool games. The odds, though, are slim, despite this week’s limited-overs win over Worcestershire.
   They have lost all six one-day meetings with the world champions and all four against England. Only once in those 10 games have they managed to get past 200.
   Bangladesh came to England with limited ambitions, hoping to prolong their two tests into a fifth day, only to be trounced on both occasions by the third morning. In the one-dayers, coach Dav Whatmore will just hope that his unreconstructed strokemakers get lucky, at least once, as the weather warms and the ball seams less.
   England have the bolder ambition of testing Australia.
   The hosts are beginning to progress under Michael Vaughan, with exciting limited-overs players in batsmen Marcus Trescothick, Kevin Pietersen, all rounder Andrew Flintoff and fast bowler Steve Harmison, even if they remain far more accomplished in the longer game.
   If Vaughan wanted to be highly selective, he could point out that England have beaten Australia in their last one-dayer, their last test match and, after Monday’s victory, in their only Twenty20 meeting.
   Ricky Ponting, however, has heftier statistics on his side, starting with a record eight Ashes series wins in a row. Before England upset Ponting’s men in the ICC Champions Trophy semi-finals last year at Edgbaston, Australia had won their last 14 one-dayers between January 1999 and March 2003.
   One-dayers are meant to be something of a lottery but Australian excellence — Ponting has suggested that only one Englishman, Flintoff, would get into his team — has made of nonsense of the notion.
   England and Australia first cross swords in the triangular on Sunday at Bristol, before meeting in Durham on June 23 and Birmingham on the 28th. Barring miracles, flooding or earthquakes, they should meet in the final at Lord’s on July 2 as well.
   Vaughan, buoyed by the Twenty20 win at the Rose Bowl, will want to press his opponents hard throughout, while scoring a few pre-Ashes points besides.
   Those Englishmen tempted to embrace optimism too readily, however, might cast their thoughts back to 2001, when England last hosted a triangular one-day tournament on the eve of an Ashes series. The home team lost all three matches against Australia, all three against Pakistan and watched the final on television.
   In the second game against Australia, at Old Trafford, England were bowled out for 86 on a damp evening, surrounded by a retinue of close catchers. Australia played one-day cricket with test tactics and have never looked back since.
   Eight of the Australians who won then are still in the team, while England have just four survivors. Vaughan went first ball that day, but at least most of his current team will not bear the same Manchester scars.

Rival captains Ricky Ponting and Michael Vaughan both played down the impact of England’s 100-run Twenty20 win against Australia here Monday, each man stressing it was no indication of how either the one-day series or the Ashes would pan out.
   Ponting in particular insisted it would be a different Australia side that took the field for its triangular series openers against Bangladesh and England this weekend in Cardiff and Bristol respectively.
   ‘I think it’s that sort of game Twenty20. So much happens that wouldn’t normally happen in a 50-over game so I don’t think the result of today’s game will do them any good and probably won’t do us any harm,’ Ponting told reporters after Monday’s Rose Bowl rout.
   Australia, chasing 180 to win, were bowled out for 79 in just 14.3 overs with only Jason Gillespie (24), Adam Gilchrist and Brett Lee (both 15) making it into double figures.
   All-rounder Paul Collingwood led England to a total of 179 for eight with 46 off 26 balls before taking two for eight with his medium-pacers.
   Gloucestershire seamer Jon Lewis, on his senior international debut, took four for 24 while veteran quick Darren Gough, who took two wickets in two balls, finished with three for 16.
   It was a dramatic start to Twenty20 international cricket for England, now ranked number two in the world Test rankings behind their oldest foes.
   And it was also their second successive one-day win against Australia after a six-wicket success in the semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy at Edgbaston in September.
   ‘It’s not the ideal start for us,’ added Ponting, whose side came into the game, played in front of a 15,000 capacity crowd, on the back of a 95-run thrashing of Leicestershire.
   ‘Not much went right. We got behind in our overs so we had to rush everything through from there.
   ‘And the batting was very ordinary,’ said the Tasmanian, one of three Australian batsman out for nought.
   ‘Every time it went in the air it went straight to a fielder and there were some poor shots mixed in there as well for us. It was a pretty ordinary day for us. England just outplayed us everywhere.’
   Ponting, whose team now have a chance to regroup against Somerset in Taunton on Wednesday, insisted the only long-term impact of the Twenty20 would be a postive one for Australia. ‘It will hopefully make us a bit more determined the next time we play against them (England).
   ‘It was just one of those games. We are not going to worry too much about it. It was obviously a very ordinary start for us.
   ‘But we’ve got a few more days now to give ourselves the best chance of playing well on Saturday. That’s all we’re focusing on.
   ‘There’s nothing as good as time in middle so hopefully (Michael) Hussey and (Michael) Clarke and even me and Damien Martyn will be able to get some more time in the middle in the Taunton game.
   ‘We had two months off leading into this tour but by the time Saturday and Sunday’s games come around there won’t be any excuses as far as preparation goes from us.’
   England, for whom victory at Edgbaston ended a run of 14 successive one-day defeats against Australia, have lost the last eight Ashes Test series.
   ‘It’s nice to win, nice to beat Australia, but I wouldn’t read too much into a Twenty20 victory,’ said Vaughan whose team open the triangular against Bangladesh at The Oval on Thursday.
   ‘When we batted we maintained momentum and when we bowled everything seemed to go to hand.
   ‘We’re delighted to have won but we realise a 50 over contest is totally different to a Twenty20 contest and five-day contest is totally different to one-day cricket
   ‘They are going to have stages when they are on top of us this summer and that will be the real test for the team.’

Top seeds Tommy Robredo and Guillermo Coria made confident starts to their bids for a first grasscourt title as they cruised into the second round of the Ordina Open on Monday.
   Number one-seeded Spaniard Robredo eased past Gilles Muller of Luxembourg 6-4, 6-4 while Argentine Coria, runner-up to Frenchman Michael Llodra last year, crushed German lucky loser Lars Uebel 6-3, 6-1.
   Robredo, who also lost to Llodra last year in the quarter-finals, outclassed Muller, breaking early in both sets and cruising to victory to set up a clash with another German, Lars Burgsmueller.
   Second seed Coria made light of the cool, breezy conditions early in the day as he dominated Uebel, who was playing his first ATP Tour event. He will now face Czech Jan Hernych.
   ‘I took the opportunities I had and this gives me a lot of confidence,’ said Coria, who was making his first appearance since his surprise defeat by Nikolay Davydenko in the French Open fourth round.
   ‘I went back to Argentina after Paris for some rest and than I started to prepare for the grasscourt season.
   ‘I spent a lot of time on the courts back home and I really feel that I’m ready to go for a good swing and to get as many matches as possible here and at Wimbledon.’
   Llodra won his first match since March as he edged out German qualifier Denis Gremelmayr, the world number 379, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 while fifth seed Robin Soderling also advanced.
   In the women’s tournament Martina Navratilova, playing what may be her last singles match in a WTA Tour event, gave Claudine Schaul of Luxembourg a scare before bowing out 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.
   Schaul, the world number 166, seemed overawed by the occasion as the nine times Wimbledon champion, 48, came from 3-1 down to win the first set.
   But Schaul hit back to take the second and withstood a late fightback from Navratilova to serve out for victory.
   ‘It was pretty ugly out there,’ said Navratilova, who accepted a wildcard as extra preparation for her doubles commitments at Wimbledon next week.
   Top seed Elena Dementieva of Russia begins her campaign on Tuesday with a second-round clash against Czech Denisa Chladkova.

Former Australia captain Greg Chappell will open a challenging new chapter in his cricket career this week when he formally begins a two-year stint as India’s coach.
   The 56-year-old arrives in India on Wednesday and a cricket-mad public is eagerly awaiting to see how Chappell plans to revive a jaded team, particularly in the one-day arena.
   An elegant batsman and astute captain, his first full national coaching role has thrust him firmly into the media spotlight in India since he was appointed to succeed John Wright on May 20.
   New Zealander Wright quit a month earlier after four-and-a-half years as the country’s first foreign coach.
   Every word from Chappell has been reported, even his preference for a strict vegetarian diet.
   He has already called for greater discipline and a solid work ethic if the team from world cricket’s commercial hub has aspirations of matching world champions Australia on the field.
   ‘His Australian experience will be of great help to Indian cricket,’ former all-rounder Chandu Borde told Reuters.
   ‘He is great cricketer, a great thinker. He has gone through all strategies of Australia, how they plan the game, how they work. But it depends on how nicely our players grasp them.’
   Ex-India wicketkeeper Syed Kirmani agreed.
   ‘I don’t see any major challenges for Chappell and it is up to the team to perform,’ he said.
   However, Chappell will also inherit unsettled players.
   Premier batsman Sachin Tendulkar is recovering after recent elbow surgery and will be out of action until late September.
   Captain Saurav Ganguly, his international future uncertain due to poor batting form, will miss four more games after he was banned for six one-dayers for his team’s repeated slow over-rate.
   Off spinner Harbhajan Singh is still under scrutiny after only receiving conditional clearance for his ‘doosra’ after he was reported for a suspect bowling action.
   Chappell may also have to contend with the thorny issue of not being a selector, something which rankled his predecessor.
   Borde and Kirmani defended India’s five-man selection panel which only consults the coach and captain.
   ‘The selection panel is supreme. If the coach and captain select the team why have a selection committee?,’ Kirmani said.

Seeds Vera Zvonareva and Nathalie Dechy were wafted into the second round on a windy opening day at the Eastbourne WTA grasscourt tournament on Monday.
   Russian Zvonareva, the fifth seed, beat Czech Nicole Vaidisova 6-3, 6-2 while Frenchwoman Nathalie Dechy, the number eight, made short work of Amanda Janes, one of the two British wild cards in the draw, winning 6-1, 6-1 in 63 minutes.
   Eastbourne, a sedate resort on England’s south coast, is known for its gentle sea breezes. On Monday, the gusts across Devonshire Park’s centre court were rather stronger and blew the sun hats from spectators’ heads as players fought to toss a straight ball.
   Zvonareva and Vaidisova both struggled to hold serve in the first set of a baseline battle before the Russian broke to go 5-3 up.
   Zvonareva, 20, hit two double faults in the ninth game and wasted a set point. She wandered to the back of the court, where she gave herself a good ticking off, before hitting an ace on her second set point to close the set in 42 minutes.
   The Russian was swiftly 4-0 up in the second set and, despite losing her serve in the sixth game, took advantage of poor serving by Vaidisova to break back and go on to clinch the match with an ace.
   Janes, the daughter of 1961 Wimbledon finalist Christine Truman, also found the wind problematic and hit seven double faults — each one producing a collective sigh of disappointment from the partisan crowd.
   Zvonareva will play Croatia’s Karolina Sprem or Italian qualifier Roberta Vinci.
   The top four seeds — Amelie Mauresmo of France, Australian Alicia Molik, last year’s champion Svetlana Kuznetsova and fellow Russian Anastasia Myskina — have first-round byes at the 585,000-pound ($1.05m) tournament and will not play until today.

After taking more scalps than any other Test cricketer, Australia’s Shane Warne turned his attention Tuesday to his own thinning locks.
   Warne, currently in Britain with the Ashes touring team, fronted a Sydney video conference to promote a hair loss treatment after being ribbed by teammates about his bald patch.
   The treatment involves weekly sessions under a metal contraption containing lasers that are designed to stimulate the scalp, running chemicals into his hair and taking special capsules.
   ‘It’s great my hair is growing back and my hair loss has stopped,’ he said.

Former Pakistan cricket captain Waqar Younis has said that Indian master blaster Sachin Tendulkar was still a legend and had a lot of cricket left in him.
   He rejected media speculations that it was time for Sachin to retire in the wake of frequent injuries and a protracted poor run of form.
   ‘Sachin is still the legend of the game. Tendulkar has served his country for nearly 15 years with tremendous success. He played more than 100 Test matches. He is a dedicated cricketer and I think he will stay in the game for many more years,’ Waqar said in an interview with the Dawn.
   Like Waqar, another Pakistan’s former skipper Wasim Akram also spoke highly about Sachin. In a separate interview with the paper, he dispelled the notion that Tendulkar was a spent force and said that being young he had a great desire to perform even better in the days to come.
   Akram also spoke highly of Shoaib Akhtar’s bowling capabilities and said the latter has a great future ahead.

Former French Open winners Gaston Gaudio of Argentina and Spanish duo Carlos Moya and Albert Costa all pulled out of Wimbledon on Monday.
   Gaudio, who also skipped last year’s Wimbledon and has only won one match on the grass at the All England Club in five visits, claimed he had a shoulder injury and has been replaced in the main draw by Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia and Montenegro.
   Fellow claycourt specialist Moya has a shoulder injury and is replaced by the Czech Republic’s Bohdan Ulihrach while Costa, who has undergone knee surgery, will be replaced by Australian veteran Scott Draper.
   America’s Mardy Fish and Argentinians Juan Ignacio Chela and Mariano Zabaleta also withdrew on Monday because of injury.

Dion Nash, the former New Zealand fast bowler, has been named as a national selector. He joins John Bracewell, the New Zealand coach, Richard Hadlee, the manager of the selection committee, and Glenn Turner, who comes back for a second stint.
   Nash and Turner replace Ross Dykes and Brian McKechnie, both of whom retired from the role last month. Looking ahead to his new job, Nash, 33, brushed aside suggestions that his proximity to some of the current players would hinder him in his task.
   Instead, he chose to look at the positives of having played international cricket as recently as three seasons back.

Brendan Taylor has been banned for nine months following reports of indiscipline during Zimbabwe’s recent A-team series against Pakistan.
   Taylor was slapped with the ban after reportedly missing training twice without informing Kevin Curran, the coach, or giving a satisf- actory explanation for his absence.
   The action rules Taylor out of the home series against India and New Zealand as well as Zimbabwe’s tour of New Zealand in January. He will, however, be able to play domestic matches.
   If the punishment appears to be excessive, sources report that this was not Taylor’s first brush with the authorities.
   Last month, Cricinfo exclusively reported that Taylor had stayed out clubbing all night less than 36 hours before the start of the Test against South Africa at Johannesburg in March.

Germany begin their bid for Confedera-tions Cup glory today when they pit their wits against Australia in the Group A
   match at Frankfurt’s Waldstadion.
   With home support the pressure is firmly on the shoulders of Germany and their coach Jurgen Klinsmann who knows an opening win is vital with a tough final group match against Argentina to come.
   ‘It is important that we start off with a win and we will attack from the first whistle,’ declared Klinsmann.
   The fixture is Germany’s first competitive match since Euro 2004 – when a second string Czech Republic team ejected Rudi Voeller’s side from the finals with a 2-1 win – and the pressure gauge has been cranked up since Klinsmann vowed to win this tournament.
   ‘Most people think we are just going to become Germany’s first victims,’ said Australia coach Frank Farina.
   ‘But if Klinsmann’s team underestimate us they could be in for a real surprise.’
   Opening fixtures have a habit of producing shock results such as Cameroon’s 1-0 victory over reigning champions Argentina in the 1990 World Cup, and more recently Senegal’s 1-0 triumph over holders France in the 2002 World Cup.
   Underdogs Australia hope they too can upset the form book while Germany want a repeat of the result the last time the two nations met in the 1974 World Cup.
   Germany routed the Socceroos 3-0 in Hamburg before going on to win football’s ultimate prize.
   The Bayern Munich spine of Michael Ballack, Oliver Kahn, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Sebastian Deisler is pivotal in Germany’s rigid 4-4-2 system but it is the inexperienced back four that has become a cause for concern.
   ‘The defence was heavily criticised after the Russia game but people make mistakes,’ countered Klinsmann. ‘We will stick with our attacking policy as it has worked well.’
   With Philipp Lahm injured and veteran Borussia Dortmund defender Christian Worns rested, the German rearguard has looked fragile and was exposed by the pacy Russians in a 2-2 friendly draw last Wednesday.
   ‘The German defence is slow and immobile and we have the speed to exploit that,’ said Australian striker David Zdrilic.
   Australia manager Farina adopts a 4-5-1 formation and Middlesbrough’s robust forward Mark Viduka will be the target-man if he can shake off a hamstring injury in time.
   Everton star Tim Cahill, scorer of seven goals in his first seven internationals, is another threat from midfield and believes silencing the crowd is the key.
   ‘If they don’t score then the fans could become a little frustrated,’ explained Cahill. ‘We could use that situation to our advantage.’

The World Cup in Germany is less than a year away and organising committee president Franz Beckenbauer knows his team can’t afford any slip-ups when the Confederations Cup starts Wednesday.
   With five of the venues for this eight-nation tournament in operation at the World Cup, organisers are wary of potential problems.
   Plus, with German soccer still reeling from a match-fixing scandal, FIFA president Sepp Blatter has warned that any referee who falls short of the top standard will be sent home.
   The last Confederations Cup was marred by the death of Cameroon star Marc-Vivien Foe – who collapsed on the field because of a heart condition.
   Two years on, and the much-maligned competition is still trying to gain positive feedback from fans and the media.
   The two-week championship starts with host Germany facing Australia, and Argentina meeting Tunisia. On Thursday, it’s World Cup holders Brazil against European champions Greece, and Japan against Mexico.
   Although Brazil’s Ronaldo headlines a list of some of the world’s best players who have stayed away because of fatigue, injury or club commitments, FIFA believes the participation of top stars such as fellow Brazilians Ronaldinho and Kaka proves the credibility of the event.
   Beckenbauer, the only man to have won the World Cup both as a player (1974) and as a manager (1990) after Brazilian Mario Zagallo, coached an under-strength Germany in the 1999 Confederations Cup after France withdrew.
   His team was eliminated in the first round – losing 4-0 to Brazil and 2-0 to the United States.
   ‘A lot of people in my country were a bit distressed and thought that the Confederations Cup was more of a pain then a thing of joy,’ Beckenbauer said. ‘But the Confederations Cup has developed tremendously since then. It’s now being televised in 170 countries and 3,000 media have been accredited. Up to now 550,000 of the 650,000 tickets have been sold.’
   A match-fixing scandal, however, provides a disturbing backdrop.
   It broke in January, when referee Robert Hoyzer admitted fixing games in lower divisions for bribes from a Croatian betting ring. Hoyzer has since been banned for life.
   Three Croatian brothers remain in custody and Berlin prosecutors are investigating 25 people, including players and other referees.
   Blatter, who addressed the issue in a pre-competition news conference, said that more professional referees are needed.
   ‘I’m not saying they will never be tempted to step out of line but a professional referee is more difficult to corrupt than someone who isn’t paid,’ he said.
   Twelve match officials were thrown out of the Netherlands’ World Youth championship
   with poor fitness levels and Blatter said that referees could be ejected from this competition too.
   ‘We have noticed that some trios (of youth officials) have failed our tests and have been sent home immediately,’ he said.
   On the field, Brazil and Argentina want to underline why they are among the favourites to win next year’s World Cup, while Japan, Australia and Tunisia – all winners of their regional titles – are out to show they are emerging contenders of the future.
   Although Brazil have left behind Real Madrid stars Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos, they have Barcelona’s Ronaldinho, AC Milan’s Kaka and Inter Milan’s Adriano on a star-studded attack.
   Argentina have decided not to bring Milan’s Hernan Crespo, Inter’s Juan Sebastian Veron and Valencia defender Roberto Ayala, but still have Carlos Tevez of Corinthians, AS Monaco’s Javier Saviola and Manchester United’s Gabriel Heinze.

The players limbered up on Monday for the Confederations Cup as German fans rushed to snap up match tickets, showing the considerable interest in the dress rehearsal for next year's World Cup.
   The eight-nation tournament kicks off today when host nation Germany take on Australia in Frankfurt while Argentina tackle Tunisia in Cologne.
   Germany is using the 16-match event as a mini-World Cup, one year ahead of the real thing.
   While Brazilian superstar Ronaldinho sat out one of his teammates' training sessions ahead of their opening match against European champions Greece on Thursday, Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann faced the massed ranks of the home media.
   Klinsmann was forced to defend his youthful defence despite strong criticism following last week's 2-2 friendly draw with Russia.
   'I am aware that there were a lot of discussions about our defence after the Russia game,' Klinsmann said.
   'It is a learning curve but we will not budge from four at the back. The system suits us and we have the players to fit in.
   'We have a young team and players make mistakes. But there is no team in world football that is perfect.’ Australia are hoping they can count on striker Mark Viduka who has played only a few minutes for his English Premiership side Middlesbrough this year due to a hamstring injury.
   While Viduka worked out with physiotherapists, there was better news for Australia coach Frank Farina when in-form forward John Aloisi joined up with the squad after finishing on the losing side for his club Osasuna in the Spanish Cup final at the weekend.
   Reigning world champions Brazil, who lost a tough World Cup qualifier to Argentina last week, eased into their preparations.
   Ronaldinho was not injured, just feeling aches and pains after a long club season with Spanish giants Barcelona, Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira said.
   'Ronaldinho is tired and has foot pain but it is not serious,' he said, adding he was counting on his star as well as fellow midfielder Emerson for Thursday's match.
   This tournament pitting the champions of the FIFA continental confederations against each other has been criticised because it runs into the closing stages of some European leagues and cup competitions.
   But the competition is proving a hit with spectators in football-mad Germany who have already made two of the matches sellouts, the organisers said.
   All 44,000 tickets for Brazil's match with Greece in Leipzig have been snapped up and the clash between Germany and Argentina on June 21 will be played to a full house of 42,000 people in Nuremberg.
   However only 15,000 tickets had been sold by Monday for the Group A match between Tunisia and Australia, which will also be played in Leipzig, on June 21.
   Leipzig is the only city in the former communist East Germany to host matches in this tournament and next year's World Cup.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter revealed Monday that the 2006 World Cup could see the introduction of electronic chips to determine once and for all whether the ball crosses the goal-line.
   Speaking at a FIFA press conference ahead of the Confederations Cup, Blatter explained that the idea of inserting a chip in the match-ball would be tested at the under-17 world championships in Peru in September, and then reviewed.
   ‘We will test the goal-line technology at the FIFA Under-17 world championships in Peru,’ declared Blatter. ‘If it works then we could introduce the chipped ball for 2006.
   ‘If it is not successful the referee and his assistants will have the responsibility.’
   Blatter pointed out that an electronic chip appeared the only way to determine whether the ball crosses the line with television replays proving inconclusive.
   ‘It is not set in stone that the chip will be used,’ continued Blatter. ‘But without the chip it is impossible to determine whether the ball has crossed the line.
   ‘We found that out this season when Liverpool played Chelsea in the Champions League semi-final and no-one knew for certain whether it was a goal, despite 12 camera angles.’
   Liverpool midfielder Luis Garcia scored the decisive goal to defeat Chelsea 1-0 at Anfield in the Champions League semi-final, but countless replays could not determine whether the ball had actually crossed the line.
   Despite being keen to introduce new technology Blatter insisted football still needed its talking points such as Geoff Hurst’s controversial goal for England in the 1966 World Cup 4-2 final win over Germany.
   ‘People still talk about the 1966 goal and that is what makes football interesting,’ he added. ‘If we take discussions like that out of the game it will not be beneficial.
   Meanwhile, Sepp Blatter has agreed to Australia playing in the Asian World Cup qualifying zone for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
   ‘So long as the associations in Oceania and Asia are happy with this development there are no laws to prevent such a solution,’ Blatter said Tuesday.

Arsenal's Dutch striker Robin van Persie was arrested Monday night on rape charges, prosecutors said Tuesday
   'He was arrested last night and is considered a suspect following an allegation of rape,' public prosecutors' spokesman Jeichin de Graaf told AFP.
   Police can hold Van Persie, 21, for a maximum of three days without a formal charge.
   Under the Dutch legal system prosecutors can alter the charges against a suspect up until trial and even during the proceedings.
   The incident allegedly happened over the weekend when Van Persie was in Rotterdam with the Dutch squad for World Cup qualifiers against Romania and Finland.
   Van Persie joined Arsenal from Feyenoord last summer and finished the season in
   style after helping the London side win the FA Cup and secure second in The English Premiership.
   The prosecution spokeswoman would not give any additional information.
   In October last year Van Persie made headlines when he crashed his car in London. He left the scene of the accident unharmed and the wrecked car unattended.

Michael Essien's agent has admitted the Ghana midfielder is keen on a switch to the Premiership but fears his French club Lyon's asking price could rule out a move.
   The French champions have so far resisted Chelsea's bid to sign the 22-year-old voted player of the year in France. Fabien Piveteau told BBC Sport, 'The problem is that Chelsea want him but, for now, the bid is too small for Lyon.
   'If possible he would prefer to come to England. He speaks English, he likes English football.'
   Essien has so far declined to sign a contract extension but Lyon are determined not to let him go without a fight. 'Lyon want big, big money for the player,' added Piveteau. 'The problem for Chelsea is when they arrive for discussions with another club the price is doubled.'
   Piveteau said Essien would consider a move elsewhere in England but feels the transfer fee is likely to put most clubs off.
   'Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal would interest him,' he said.
   'I know the Arsenal coach likes him very well but, for now, there have been no discussions.
   'At Manchester I had discussions with their coach two months ago but after that there has been no news. 'For Liverpool there could be a solution because Lyon want Milan Baros and it may be possible to organise for Baros to go to Lyon and Michael to go to Liverpool - and the same for Chelsea with Didier Drogba.'
   Lyon dismissed a proposed swap deal involving Drogba on Monday. Their president Jean-Michel Aulas told sports newspaper l'Equipe, 'If chief executive Peter Kenyon proposes a deal because Chelsea have signed Eto'o or Adriano, I would listen.
   'But I don't believe in Father Christmas.'

World Cup 1998 Golden Boot Davor Suker was questioned in the killing of a popular soccer agent who was gunned down in front of his home over the weekend, police said Tuesday.
   Suker, who co-managed several players with Dino Pokrovac, was questioned for over three hours late Monday, giving details about his business relations with the slain man, a police report said. The retired soccer star refused to comment to the media after the talks.
   Police released a sketch of the suspect and were checking leads suggesting that Pokrovac had also worked as a loan-shark to Zagreb's underworld.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said Tuesday that it will launch a new competition for emerging nations from next year.
   The AFC already holds the President's Cup for clubs from smaller footballing nations in Asia.
   'Unlike the AFC Presidents Cup, the AFC Challenge Cup is a competition for national teams. Entries are expected from 17 emerging countries as well as India and Bangladesh,' the AFC said in a statement.
   'Meanwhile, the AFC Presidents Cup will remain as an eight-club competition next year,' it said, adding that the AFC is covering the costs of both competitions.
   The emerging teams involved are: Afghanistan, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, Guam, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Macau, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tajikistan and East Timor.
   Today the AFC will hold a draw for the quarter finals of the Champions League and AFC Cup events.

Liverpool will receive 30.6m euros (US$36.9 million) for winning last season's Champions League, one of three English teams among the competition's top four earners.
   The English side beat AC Milan in Istanbul last month to secure the trophy and the biggest share of the 415.6m euros ($501.3 million) distributed among the 32 entrants, UEFA said Tuesday.
   UEFA splits revenue from TV rights and sponsorship according to teams' performances, while TV revenue comes from broadcasters in the teams' countries.
   Due to the large fee received to broadcast matches in the UK, Chelsea received the second-highest share at 28m euros (US$33.8 million) even though they only reached the semifinals.
   Arsenal, who were eliminated in the second round, had the fourth-highest amount, with 23.4m euros (US$28.2 million).
   Milan will collect 26.2m euros (US$31.6 million), the third-highest sum.

Portuguese soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo, 20, and a drink firm PT Bintang Toedjoe jointly raised one billion rupiahs (about 0.1 million US dollars) for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of tsunami-hit Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Province, state-owned Antara news agency reported Monday.
   'From proceeds of the sale of tickets to Aceh to meet an invitation for dinner and the sale of Ronaldo's memorabilia, we managed to raise 842 million rupiahs (about 85,000 US dollars) and the company rounded off the figure to one billion rupiahs,' Joseph D Angkasa, president director of PT Bintang Toedjoe, said after the fund raising programme for Aceh here on Sunday night.

Chelsea keeper Petr Cech won the Golden Ball award as the Czech Republic's player of the season on Tuesday, beating five-time winner Pavel Nedved of Italian champions Juventus.
   The 23-year-old, who becomes the first keeper to win the award, played a key role in helping Chelsea secure their first league title for 50 years and reach the Champions League semi-finals.
   Striker Milan Baros of Premier League rivals and European champions Liverpool came third, followed by Borussia Dortmund striker Jan Koller, the national team's all-time top scorer.

Runs galore in tsunami spectacle
Graeme Smith and Brian Lara kept the International XI in touch as they chased a massive 328 to beat the MCC XI in the tsunami fund-raiser at Lord’s. The two left-handers hit some lavish boundaries on a delightful wicket as Jacques Kallis took much of the flak in a monstrous 17-over score of 123-2. Earlier, Kallis had been one of the MCC’s leading lights with the bat. He and Stephen Fleming hit identical scores of 62 as opposing skipper Lara used 10 bowlers, including himself. Andy Flower (55) and Kumar Sangakkara (46) hit the accelerator late on before both were dimissed by Shane Warne, whose eight overs cost 64. The contest features some of the best cricketers on the planet, though there are no England players available and just one Australian in Warne. The crowd came to life when Fleming took two fours and one six from Makhaya Ntini’s third over, with the South African bowling first change. Fleming’s barrage came after Chaminda Vaas had removed Chris Gayle and Sourav Ganguly cheaply. The New Zealander added 112 with Kallis for the third wicket before VVS Laxman contributed a sprightly 47 to keep the MCC score ticking along nicely. Chris Cairns removed both those batsman, but the real acceleration came when Flower got stuck into Warne. The former Zimbabwe star hit the leg-spinner for a series of inventive boundaries before being caught in the deep off the same bowler. Warne also removed Sangakkara in the final over, but the last was smashed by Shaun Pollock for the 34th boundary of the innings.
— BBC

Italy makes blood tests mandatory
Blood tests will be mandatory in Italy’s top two soccer divisions next season in an effort to detect illegal transfusions and the performance-enhancing hormone EPO. The league and the players’ association announced the agreement Monday. Optional blood tests were in effect last season but several players, including AC Milan’s Gennaro Gattuso and Giuseppe Pancaro, refused to take them.
— AP

Best pleads
innocence
George Best is ‘totally innocent’ over allegations he indecently assaulted a young girl, the former Manchester United star’s agent insisted on Tuesday. The retired Northern Ireland winger, now 59, was arrested last week on suspicion of having assaulted a girl under the age of 13, police said Monday. Best, who last week was also questioned by police over a separate claim he punched a friend of his ex-lover, is alleged to have attacked the girl last month.‘We have received an allegation of indecent assault against a 59-year-old man who was arrested on June 9,’ a spokesman for Surrey Police said.‘The allegations concern a girl under the age of 13, and the incident is said to have taken place in May,’ the spokesman said. ‘We’re not prepared to discuss details of this investigation any further. ’Best’s agent Phil Hughes described the claims as ‘outrageous’ and ‘totally unfounded’. ‘George is totally innocent,’ he said. ‘We will defend this vigorously.
— AFP