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Bangladesh Cricket Board announced Bangladesh Red and Bangladesh Green team two play two limited over and two three-day match between them to pick up the Bangladesh A team which will tour the United Kingdom in July-August this year.
   The recently finished National league performers who were overlooked in the national team selection got the opportunity to have a test in the two teams along with some discarder players like all rounder Mushfiqur Rahman, Alok Kapali and others. Even there are players like Manjarul Rana, Tushar Imran who are included in the one-day team which will play the triangular series in England.
   The first limited over match will be held on May 23 when second match will be held on May 30. The two three-day match will begin on May 24 and May 31 respectively.
   Tushar Imran will lead the green team in the first one-day and three day match when Mushfiqur Rahman will lead the next two matches. Meanwhile Alok Kapali will lead the Red team in all four matches.
   Red Team (from): Golam Rahman, Nasiruddin Faruque, Alok Kapali, Farhad Reza, Manjarul Islam, Hasanuzzaman, Dhiman Gosh, Alamgir Kabir, Gazi Alamgir, Mossarraf Hossain, Nabil Samad, Hasanuzzaman Rosel, and Imran Ahmed.
   Green Team (from): Naeem Islam, Tushar Imran, Sakib Al Hasan, Nazimuddin, Faisal Hossain, Mushfiqur Rahman, Abdur Razzak, Tareq Aziz, Shafaq Al Jabir, Gazi Saghir Hossain, Mohammad Shahazada, Nabil Samad, Dollar Mahmud and Shamsur Rahman.

The main attraction of the country’s football, the 10-team Metropolis Premier Division Football League will begin on May 20 at the Bangabandhu National Stadium with holders Brothers Union Club taking on newcomers Dipali Jubo Sangha in the opener at 4:15pm.
   Muktijoddha Sangsad KC will play Dhaka Wanderers Club on the following day (May 21) at 4:15pm at the same venue.
   Both the premier and first division matches will be played on return league system. According to the revised byelaws of the league, each team of premier league will be entitled to recruit maximum three foreign booters and all three will be allowed to play for a team in a match.
   Rate of gallery ticket has been fixed at Tk 20 for premier league match.
   Meanwhile, Victoria Sporting Club will play Agrani Bank SC in the opening match of the eight-team Metropolis First Division League beginning today at the Bir Shreshtha Shaheed Sepoy Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur.
   The match will start at 4:30pm. The other six first division teams are: Badda Jagarani Sangsad, Dhanmondi Club, Rahmatganj MFS, Mohakhali Eleven, BRTC SC and Wari Club.
   No foreign player is allowed to play in the first division league and the spectators will enjoy the league matches free of cost.
   The three leading teams of the 1st Division league will gain promotion to the premier division league next year while two bottom teams relegated to the second division league.

In a novel exercise, the Asian and African cricket bodies have joined hands to hold an annual limited-over cricket feast between the combined teams of the two continents.
   As per an agreement reached between the Asian Cricket Council and the African Cricket Association combined teams of the two continents would play three limited-over matches every year beginning with the first series later this year, the ACC chief executive Ashraful Haque said over phone.
   He said that as per the MoU signed between ACC and ACA, which has already been ratified by the two boards, a new body by the name of Afro-Asian Cricket Co-operation has been created to organise these matches on annual basis with the venue alternating between Asian and Africa.
   The first series would be held in Africa later this year and the dates would be finalised depending on the availability of players while the International Cricket Council would be approached to accord official status to the matches, he said.
   For the first three years the new body would be headed by ACC chief Jagmohan Dalmiya with Peter Chingoka, chairman of ACA, as the vice-chairman.
   As per the agreement, which has already been ratified by the boards of ACC and ACA a couple of days ago, 70 per cent of the net profit from the matches would go to the hosting continent and 20 per cent to the visiting side while 10 per cent would go to a specially created charity for the promotion of cricket in the two continents, Haque said.
   He further said the two boards would constitute their selection committees to pick the continental sides for the series.

Desmond Haynes has described the possibility of being appointed India’s new coach as an ‘honour’.
   The former West Indies opening batsman was revealed on Friday as one of four short-listed candidates.
   He has no coaching experience at senior international level but has worked in South Africa and England, as well as in the Caribbean.
   ‘I have got the eye to pick up flaws and correct them,’ said Haynes, who is due to be interviewed next week.
   Greg Chappell, Tom Moody and Mohinder Amarnath have also been linked with the job and the two Australians are regarded as the favourites.
   But Haynes is respected throughout the cricket world as one of the finest West Indian batsmen of the modern era, who was equally adept in Tests and one-day internationals.
   ‘It’s an honour to be associated with the Indian team,’ he told CricInfo.
   ‘My first job would be to get to know the players – to know what makes them click, how we can get them to perform.
   ‘Then I would outline my style: I play fair, but I like to play tough.’
   He added, ‘Over the years I’ve had a very good relationship with some of the former Indian players, and that is a plus point for me.’
   The BCCI hopes to make an appointment by next month at the latest.
   The Indian team are due to return to action in August when they take part in a triangular one-day series in Sri Lanka, also involving West Indies.
   It is due to be followed by a tour to Zimbabwe, then a busy winter programme which will see them play host to Sri Lanka and England either side of a series in Pakistan.

Turkish authorities are confident security arrangements at the Ataturk stadium will prevent trouble at the European Champions League final later this month between Liverpool and AC Milan.
   The kinds of scenes when two Leeds fans died in April 2000 before a UEFA Cup match against Istanbul club Galatasaray after a pitch battle between supporters is unlikely to repeat itself, say authorities.
   Liverpool’s presence in Istanbul on May 25 also evoked memories of the Heysel stadium tragedy in Brussels in 1985.
   As Liverpool and Juventus were preparing to contest the European Cup final, a wall collapsed killing 39 people as Juventus fans tried to escape a surging mass of Liverpool fans.
   But with less than two weeks to go to the showpiece final, local officials are adamant similar scenes will not take place.
   About 2,600 stewards will be spread throughout the crowd and 1,000 police will be present, including 600 hidden underneath the stands. Sami Colgecen, who is in charge of organising the final, told AFP, ‘We don’t have any particular worries about British supporters. A list of hooligans will soon be sent to us and they will not be able to enter Turkey.’
   Strict security checks will be made at Istanbul airports by Turkish police, aided by British authorities, and any trouble makers would be quickly identified, added Colgecen.
   ‘We know that English clubs only sell their quota of tickets to supporters who have followed the club the whole season, which helps the situation,’ he added.
   English and Italian supporters will have a hard time meeting such are the arrangements that have been put into place.
   English fans will arrive by charter plane at the Sabiha Gokcen airport, on the Asian side of the city, while those from Italy will fly into the Ataturk airport on the European side.
   The two groups of fans will be escorted to the stadium by different routes and will occupy distinctly different parts of the 78,000-capacity venue.
   The Turkish Cup final on Wednesday night, won 5-1 by Galatasaray against Fenerbahce, served as a dress rehearsal for security arrangements with about 8,000 police, stewards and officials on hand to ensure fans of the two Istanbul clubs did not express their rivalry in physical terms.
   Istanbul governor Muammer Guler, quoted by the Anatolie press agency, said, ‘We deployed all the measures which could be needed for the Champions League final and we were happy with the results.’
   A meeting between sports officials and authorities of the governor of Istanbul will be held in the next few days to fine-tune arrangements, particularly the securing of the area around the stadium and in the city centre.
   About 70,000 tickets for the final will be distributed, with 20,000 each for the two clubs, 16,000 for fans in Europe and 6,000 for sponsors with the rest going to European and national sporting bodies.
   The 120-million-dollar Olympic stadium of Ataturk is three and a half years old and was built as part of Istanbul’s plan to attract the Olympics to the city but it has been largely underused. It is the biggest and most modern stadium in Turkey.
   Several hundred buses will ensure transport to the stadium, which is about 20km outside the city, with the help of reserved lanes and traffic restrictions imposed in certain areas, Colgecen added.

Kevin Pietersen hit his first century for Hampshire on Friday, boosting his hopes of selection for England’s first Test against Bangladesh at Lord’s later this month.
   The South African-born batsman struck 125 off 111 balls to help his new side pile up 461 for nine declared on the third day of the county championship first division match against Kent at Canterbury.
   Kent, chasing 485 to win, were 121 for two at the close.
   Former Nottinghamshire batsman Pietersen, 24, scored three hundreds in England’s one-day series against South Africa earlier this year but has yet to win his first Test cap.
   The selectors will announce England’s squad on Sunday for the Lord’s Test against Bangladesh, which starts on May 26.
   England captain Michael Vaughan also enjoyed a welcome return to form on Friday, making 53 for Yorkshire in their second division game against Leicestershire.

A ‘zero tolerance’ policy to hooligans and other troublemakers will be adopted for the upcoming World Cup finals, German officials said Saturday.
   ‘We’re not going to let violent-prone people ruin the World Cup - they won’t have a chance in 2006,’ said Fritz Behrens, interior minister for the state of North-Rhine Westphalia.
   Europe has been rocked by numerous outbreaks of hooligans in recent months, leading the World Cup hosts to review their security plans.
   They will be finalised at a May 25 special meeting of the interior ministers, responsible for security in their state, and will include plans on how to handle the threat of terrorism.
   Germany’s interior minister, Otto Schilly, said the country will study lessons from past Olympics and major soccer events. In particular, he was impressed by security at the 2002 Winter Olympics, hosted by Salt Lake City.
   ‘At Salt Lake City the Americans succeeded - despite high security measures - to create an impressive atmosphere,’ Schilly said. ‘We won’t make any compromises either and use all legal means to stop outbreaks of violence. But we have to keep the enjoyment of the sports event.’
   North-Rhine Westphalia will be the home of a specialist group targeting hooligans during the tournament, which will include local and foreign police officers.
   About 6,000 registered German hooligans will be banned from stadiums and must report to police stations during games. Police across Europe will also trade intelligence to ensure foreign troublemakers don’t enter Germany.

England great Ian Botham says they should not be concerned about the poor form of their batsmen ahead of the first Test against Bangladesh.
   ‘I’m not in the slightest bit bothered. It’s better to have a bad run now and get it out of the system,’ he said. ‘I would think a lot of these guys have the Ashes at the back of their minds and aren’t 100 per cent into these games.
   ‘If the England players were given a choice I would say they would do without the Bangladesh series.’ England play two Tests against Bangladesh, on the county’s inaugural Test tour of the UK, but one eye is already on the first Test of the Ashes series at Lord’s on 21 July.
   ‘The problem is, teams like Bangladesh and Zimbabwe just haven’t come up to standard,’ Botham told BBC Sport.
   ‘They would struggle, in all fairness, to beat a county side or even a minor counties side.
   ‘All England can do is go out there and win convincingly. It doesn’t do anyone any harm to get runs in the Test arena.’

Maria Sharapova closed in on the world number one spot when she reached the Rome Masters semi-finals with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Elena Bovina on Friday.
   The 18-year-old Russian, top seed in the Italian capital, will replace Lindsay Davenport at the top of the rankings if she triumphs this week.
   Earlier, defending champion Amelie Mauresmo crushed four-times winner Conchita Martinez 6-1, 6-2 to set up a last four clash against another Russian, Vera Zvonareva, who edged out Italian Francesca Schiavone 7-5, 7-6.
   Sharapova was rarely stretched by the ninth seed. She simply outgunned her compatriot, moving her around the court with low, flat groundstrokes and firing back serve return winners to break in the sixth and eighth games and take the first set.
   Having held off three break points against her serve early in the second set, Sharapova lashed a return down the line to go 4-2 up, then held to close out the contest.
   ‘A year ago I’d just turned 17 and a lot has happened since then,’ said Sharapova, who lost in the third round at Rome in 2004.
   ‘Having a year to work hard physically has made a big difference.
   ‘Strength-wise I feel a lot stronger on the court. I can play more matches in a row without getting tired, which is important on clay, where you often get tough matches.’
   She next faces in-form eighth seed Patti Schnyder, who crushed another 18-year-old Russian, the unseeded Evgenia Lintskaya, 6-1, 6-0.
   ‘I’m really excited about being in the semi-finals. It’s been a great tournament so far, though obviously it gets harder from here,’ she said.
   The tussle between Mauresmo and Martinez failed to live up to its billing.
   The 33-year-old Spaniard, who won the tournament four times in a row between 1993 and 1996 but is now ranked 47th in the world, was out of her depth against the second seed, who stayed on course for her fifth final in six years in Rome.
   Martinez lacked power and precision on her groundstrokes and made a string of mistakes.
   ‘I think my opponent today had some ups and downs,’ Mauresmo said.
   ‘The first three or four games of the match were very important. She had some opportunities early in the first set, which she didn’t make, and then I was able to break her first and play some great tennis.
   ‘I didn’t miss, I didn’t let her play her top-spin on both sides. I think I was putting a lot of pressure on her.
   ‘I knew that was the way I had to play because if you spend too much time on court you can easily end up playing her game, and then it’s another story.’
   Mauresmo will go into her match against Zvonareva as the clear favourite. The Frenchwoman has won all six previous meetings, including a 6-3, 6-3 win in the semi-finals at Rome 12 months ago.

World number one Roger Federer swept through to the Hamburg Masters semi-finals with a resilient 6-4, 7-6 victory over Argentina’s Guillermo Coria on Friday.
   The 23-year-old top seed, who also beat Coria in last year’s Hamburg final, was a break down in both sets and behind in the tiebreak but recovered to quell the 10th seed and set up a semi-final against Russian Nikolay Davydenko.
   Davydenko beat Italy’s Filippo Volandri 7-6, 6-4 while Belgian Christophe Rochus upset Argentina’s Juan Ignacio Chela 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 to reach his first ATP Tour semi-final.
   Rochus will face powerful French teenager Richard Gasquet, a 6-1, 6-2 winner over Italian Andreas Seppi.
   Federer, who attempts to win the only grand slam trophy missing from his collection at the French Open starting in 10 days, punched the air in delight after lashing a forehand winner past Coria on match point.
   ‘It’s a message from me to the other guys for the French Open,’ said the Swiss who missed last week’s Rome Masters with a foot injury. ‘I feel I’m back to very good form on clay.’
   Federer trailed 3-1 in the first set before unleashing some devastating backhands to help turn it around. He broke decisively at 5-4 with Coria, last year’s French Open runner-up, twice hitting forehands out to lose the set.
   The second set was interrupted for five minutes with Coria trailing 2-3 after a spectator fell ill in the stands, and the incident seemed to break Federer’s concentration.
   A careless forehand gave Coria break point soon after and, riding his luck, the Argentine mis-hit a forehand on to the line to lead 4-3.
   Federer broke back for 5-5, however, and took the tiebreak 7-3 after overturning a 0-2 deficit as a tired-looking Coria, beaten in five sets in the Rome final last Sunday, lost his
   nerve under pressure.
   ‘I’m tired mentally and physically,’ he said. ‘If you are not 100 percent against Federer it’s pretty much impossible to beat him.’
   Federer has now won 39 of his 41 matches this year and together with in-form Spanish teenager Rafael Nadal, who missed the Hamburg event due to a hand blister, is the favourite for the French Open crown.
   As the only one of the top 10 seeds left at Hamburg, he is also an overwhelming favourite to win his third Rothenbaum title in four years.
   Davydenko, the world number 20 who reached the semi-finals in Barcelona last month, was a little fortunate to beat Volandri.
   The Italian was furious after he lost the first set tiebreak 7-5 when his forehand was called out on set point despite replays suggesting it clipped the line. He then tossed away a 3-0 lead in the second set.
   Gasquet, ranked 56th, could provide the main threat to Federer, whom he beat last month in one of the shock results of the season in the Monte Carlo Masters quarter-finals.
   The 18-year-old from Beziers bludgeoned his way past Seppi, the world number 113, in a display of brute force in the centre court’s evening game.
   Rochus knocked out another Argentine, French Open champion Gaston Gaudio, in the previous round and turned his match against Chela on its head by reeling off eight successive games midway through the match.

Ridley Jacobs has been named the captain of the Antigua & Barbuda line-up which will take on the Pakistanis in a warm-up match in Antigua today.
   The 15-man squad consists mostly of up-and-coming young players, and has only two others of international experience - Runako Morton and Sylvester Joseph, both middle-order batsmen.
   According to a report in Antigua Sun, Morton has been chosen a guest player. The squad includes Austin Richards Jr and Amwaa Prince, two aggressive opening batsmen.
   The line-up also has two wicketkeepers, Kerry Mentore and Devon Thomas. Among the bowlers are Gavette Hughes, a left-arm seamer , and spinner Justin Athanaze.
   The match on Sunday will be Pakistan’s only practice match of the entire tour.
   Squad: Ridley Jacobs (capt.), Amwaa Prince, Austin Richards Jr, Kerry Mentore, Ajarni Fredericks, Sylvester Joseph, Runako Morton (guest player), Ian Tittle, Devon Thomas, Wilden Cornwall, Justin Athanaze, Gavette Hughes, Rafique Browne, Chad Hampson and Ricky Christopher.

The Kenyan cricket match-fixing scandal, which led to a five-year suspension of former captain Maurice Odumbe and further investigations on other players, may have jeopardized Sandeep Patil’s candidacy as the next India coach, reports said on Saturday.
   The 48-year-old former Indian Test batsman was coach of the Kenya cricket team twice, first taking over in 1996 to 1997 and later return after the 1999 World Cup in England.
   He left in controversial circumstances after the final of the 1997 ICC Trophy tournament in Malaysia but it was in his second time in charge that he scored much success with Kenya, leading the East Africa to their first-ever semi-finals of the 2003 World Cup in South Africa.
   It was also during the same period that the allegations of match-fixing tainted the sport and Odumbe was subject of an inquiry investigation by the International Cricket Council (ICC) Anti-Corruption and Safety Unit.
   The 2003 probe inquiry which found the player quilty of taking bribes from an Indian bookmaker also implicated other players who were later questioned by two investigators from the London-based unit.
   Early this year, Kenyan cricket officials said the investigators were also keen to interview Patil in connection to a four-nation tournament held in Nairobi in 1999.
   Indian media said the choice of Patil as one of the four candidates to replace John Wright as team coach ‘may not be welcomed by the ICC’s Corruption Unit.’
   ‘Kenyan player Maurice Odumbe has been banned for five years and the ICC is wondering how his (Odumbe’s) nexus with the Mumbai bookie went unnoticed by Patil who also hails from Mumbai and was a coach of the team during Odumbe’s frequent visits to the city,’ the Inadaily.com said quoting the sources.
   Patil’s compatriot Mohinder Amarnath is one of three men who will be interviewed by a selection panel later this month before Wright’s successor is announced.

Having been clobbered all over the park in his opening spells during the recent one-day cricket series against Pakistan, Lakshmipathy Balaji is now determined to plug the loopholes so as to concede less runs in the first 15 overs which is the ‘key to a positive result of the match’.
   The Tamil Nadu seamer is utilising the welcome three-month break from international cricket to hone his skills in the shorter version of the game and make himself an all-round bowler.
   ‘I want to show consistency and take more wickets for India. We struggled in one-day games against Pakistan. I want to master my skills in the first 15 overs of a match and stop conceding runs,’ the 23-year-old Balaji said in an interview.
   The right-arm seamer is wiser by the experience, and a fast learner as well.
   His impressive performance in the Tests against the arch-rivals Pakistan, on return from an eight month injury lay off, was followed by some rough sailing in the one-day series when he was at the receiving end of Shahid Afridi.
   Balaji went for 51 runs in six overs at Kanpur where Afridi struck the world’s second fastest ODI century of 102 in 42 balls.
   ‘The first 15 overs are the key to a positive result in a match. So I am prepared to take this challenge and I want to implement all my plans in the coming series,’ he said.
   His predicament is interesting because Balaji came on the scene, in 2002, with the image of an one-day specialist. Then Australia 2004 happened, and since the tour of Pakistan, his big toothy smile has become a permanent feature of the Indian team.
   In contrast, in the last three one-day tournaments excluding the tri-series in Holland — the Asia Cup, the NatWest Challenge in England, and the series against Pakistan — he has averaged above 57.00 with eight wickets in 10 matches.
   In between, in his zeal to improve, the youngster tried too many things and lost his action. And the worst nightmares came in September last year when he returned home from England before the prestigious Champions Trophy with an abdominal injury.
   Balaji’s fightback from the career threatening injury is a story in itself. And he is thankful to MRF Pace Foundation for the support and guidance.
   ‘It’s the only such international foundation in the country and (Dennis) Lillee advised me as to how I should attack the crease, jump out and to bowl to line and length,’ Balaji said.
   ‘That really helped me sort out deficiencies. Importantly he gave me few tips on improving upon my skills to a great extent.
   ‘It is always necessary to seek the advices from a legend like Lillee.’
   A combination of abdominal muscle tear, inflammation in the adductor region and oestistubis, a major inflammation on the cartilage of the pelvic bone, made the recovery process a complicated and sensitive one.
   Foundation’s fitness trainer Ramji Srinivasan explained the tough and self-doubting weeks the bowler had to go through.
   ‘It generally happens due to sudden turning and twisting and Balaji must have developed this problem because of sheering force due to backfoot landing and weak abdominal area,’ Ramji said.
   ‘Andrew Leipus (the then physio of Indian team) sent us the details of tests done in England and in India and also gave a basic programme.
   ‘We modified it according to Balaji’s requirement. All our tests and his progressive developments were also scientifically validated.’
   After the intitial screening, Balaji started off with basic weight training, movement analysis and developing core strength and stability, gate training principles and functional drills.
   Targets were set on a month by month basis. His running technique was changed, including the initial strides and back-foot and left-foot landing. All devised to suit his specific bowling methods.
   ‘This is the first time that anyone in India is attending to a specific problem of a bowler for an injury. The drills adapted was very specific to Balaji which may not suit any other bowler,’ Ramji said.
   The first six months was spent on just getting back to bowling.
   Balaji said the tips given by Lillee and Foundation’s Head Coach T A Sekhar were of great help. ‘Those adjustments like run up and delivery of the ball did help me,’ he said.
   The wiry bowler is now looking forward to the start of the new season, and will fine tune himself by playing in the first division league of the TNCA league.
   ‘Preparing for the league is the immediate task, though I am working simultaneously for forthcoming international events,’ he said.
   ‘I plan my workouts and skill improvements. I have been keeping in tough with Gregory King (Indian team trainer) and all my seniors in the team during the off season.’
   In keeping with the modern trend, he has added yoga and meditation to his daily schedule.
   ‘I have been experiencing that yoga and meditation helps in my body being relaxed and bowl in rhythmic manner.
   ‘I always look forward to take challenges and go head-on to achieve it. If I am not head-on, my performance will go down.
   ‘I am trying to master that aspect and so far I have found positive and gained in confidence and accuracy besides other things,’ he added.

England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson has revealed he could quit the post if the national side win the World Cup in Germany next year.
   Eriksson, whose team are on course following a successful qualifying campaign so far, has also revealed his successor should be English.
   ‘Winning the World Cup is not my last ambition,’ said Eriksson.
   ‘The biggest, but not my last. If we won the World Cup it might be the time to go. The climate would be right.
   ‘Where do you go from there? I have a contract for another two years after the World Cup in Germany and we will see,’ Eriksson told the Daily Star.
   The England coach also revealed he would advise his bosses at the Football Association to choose an English manager next time.
   ‘I will not recommend a name. But if they asked me, then I would say the next manager of England should come from this country.
   ‘If I was chairman, my attitude would be the only criteria is to get the best, even if he came from China. But for this job, the next man would be from this country.’
   Eriksson also believes next year presents his best chance of winning a trophy as England boss.
   ‘Everything is in place. This is the best squad I have had and they are good enough to win it.’

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has dismissed transfer speculation linking Frank Lampard with Real Madrid.
   The England midfield ace is the player Real fans want to see their club splash out on in the summer and ironically he had a taste of their affection this week as he was in Madrid to shoot a commercial.
   Asked about the possibility of losing Lampard to the Spanish giants, Mourinho barked, ‘Real Madrid does not have the money to pay for the transfer of Lampard.’
   Meanwhile, Real vice-president Emilio Butragueno said, ‘Lampard is a very complete midfield player, but he is a fundamental man for Chelsea, where he has had a great campaign and it is necessary to be realistic.’

Tiger Woods ended his streak of 142 tournaments without missing a cut on Friday by shooting a two-over-par 72 in the second round of the Byron Nelson Classic.
   The last time Woods missed a weekend on the PGA Tour was in 1998, when he withdrew after two rounds of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am because of a postponement.
   ‘I struggled warming up, and it just didn’t quite happen today,’ said Woods, who finished at one-over par 141 as he came up one shot short of advancing to the weekend rounds.
   His only other outright missed cut was at the Canadian Open in 1997.
   Woods’s 142 events without missing a cut - a streak that includes 31 tournaments that didn’t have a cut - is a record that surpassed the 113 consecutive cuts made by Byron Nelson himself.

Alex Ferguson wants a face-to-face meeting with Malcolm Glazer before deciding if he wants to stay.
   Boss Fergie has told the Manchester United board that he will not make a decision on his future until he knows the American's plans for the club.
   Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner Glazer wants the meeting, too, and is ready to charter a private jet to take Ferguson to Florida to see him.
   The American billionaire is desperate for Ferguson to stay as manager and become his ambassador to the fans, who are in open revolt at his takeover.
   But he will have to convince Ferguson of his business plan for the club and himself before he decides to stay.
   Ferguson has threatened to walk out in the past if things have not been right at the top and he is ready to do so again.
   Ironically, it will not be the first time Ferguson will have met Glazer. They had a chance meeting in a New York hotel back in November, 2003.
   That came during an international break when Ferguson took a holiday in America.
   Glazer was then only at the start of his dream of taking over the world's biggest club.
   They are understood to have had an amiable chat. Last year in Chicago after United's opening pre-season friendly against Bayern Munich, Fergie was due to meet him again.
   But Glazer did not turn up and the manager had to make do with his sons Joel and Avi.
   Then they told the club they were just investors who had no interest in taking over United.
   It quickly became apparent they had serious designs on the club that has become a worldwide business.
   Now Ferguson wants a meeting to find out exactly what they are going to do. He passed on his views to an emergency board meeting at Old Trafford on Friday.
   He cancelled all his engagements - including a press conference and an evening social occasion where he was to be guest of honour.
   Ferguson also skipped training as the team prepared for their final league match of the season at Southampton today.
   A meeting of all staff was called on Friday so chief executive David Gill could outline what had happened with regard to the takeover.
   He will have tried to calm fears of job losses. But the truth is that nobody knows Glazer's long-term plans.
   Ferguson, 63, is engrained in the fabric of United.
   That is why he will want to know every detail of Glazer's new vision before deciding whether to be part of it.
   First he will want all present contract negotiations with players such as Rio Ferdinand, Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo to be completed. He will also want money for team rebuilding. Ferguson will want to ensure the fans are not priced out of Old Trafford and will also want his rolling contract honoured.
   There are plenty of pros and cons for Ferguson in staying. The pros of staying include spending £20 million on players this summer if Glazer's promise of transfer funds is realised. That would give him a chance of strengthening his team and leaving next summer with the Premiership title reclaimed.
   The cons against him staying are just as plentiful, however. First he has the feelings of the hard-core fans to consider.
   Protests are planned, not least in Cardiff at the FA Cup final with Arsenal next Saturday.
   Ferguson would not want to be seen as betraying those fans unless everything was right with the takeover.
   The task of catching Chelsea too is a huge one. They are 20 points behind the champions and will finish third for the third time in four years.
   They have also failed in the Champions League at the first knockout stage. Glazer has shown at Tampa Bay that he is ready to sack coaches to be successful.
   Would Fergie want to stay on only to find himself sacked by the new owners next year with some fans backing that decision?
   In a week he could walk out of the job clutching the FA Cup.
   Nobody would blame him for leaving on such a high. Or has the gritty Scot one more fight left in him?
   Meanwhile, Manchester United captain Roy Keane is ready to move to Celtic in the summer. The Sun says Keane is ready to walk out of Old Trafford if manager Sir Alex Ferguson quits. Manchester United's captain, Fergie's closest ally, will join Celtic should his manager become a victim of Malcolm Glazer's £790 million takeover.

Manchester United fans awoke on Friday the 13th to confront what they always feared would be the nightmare scenario at ‘The Theatre of Dreams’.
   It is the spectre, in financial terms, of ageing American tycoon Malcolm Glazer standing at the gates of Old Trafford.
   Glazer has become a reviled figure at Manchester United without ever setting foot inside the ground.
   He is seen as an outsider from across the Atlantic who will take Manchester United away from the people and into the hands of market forces.
   But the 76-year-old has simply refused to go away despite the protests – and whether United’s fans like it or not – he is about to become their paymaster.
   So what are the implications for Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson and the club’s supporters?
   Sir Alex Ferguson’s future?
   Ferguson has been against Glazer’s takeover and has backed United fans in their opposition – he is as loyal to them as they are to him.
   He will want assurances about his own position, and how Glazer’s arrival will impact on his firepower in the transfer market.
   Glazer, for all his distance from Old Trafford, will know Ferguson retains massive popularity and will not want to further fire up the wrath of his new customers by unseating a legend almost immediately after winning control.
   Talk of a new five-year contract for Ferguson may be wide of the mark, but initially Glazer’s arrival may even strengthen his position.
   The great unknown is Ferguson’s own reaction.
   Ferguson’s footballing senses are fine-tuned to perfection, and if he feels Glazer will be an adversary, or will damage United, he may take matters into his own hands. An intriguing time is in prospect.
   Are Manchester United in crisis?
   It is currently a crisis caused by nothing more than uncertainty.
   There is no proof yet that Glazer’s takeover would be bad for Manchester United, other than it takes the club’s ownership out of English hands.
   Much has been said about United’s ‘heart and soul’ being ripped out, but Old Trafford was opened up to market forces went it went public 14 years ago – the start of a period of spectacular success.
   ‘Not for sale’ is the great rallying call for Old Trafford’s faithful, but in reality almost everything at Manchester United has been for sale since that day. A hollow cry from this mega-rich and mega-marketable club.
   If Glazer, as his thousands of detractors insist, is purely in it for the money, then he is highly unlikely to adopt policies that would ruin a club that became the most profitable in the world into the ground.
   If Manchester United’s level of success goes down, so does the value of Glazer’s investment.
   But Glazer is no benefactor in the mould of Roman Abramovich. He is a businessman who will want a return on his investment – an investment that will plunge him deep into debt.
   Until Glazer states his intentions, the air of uncertainty – and the protests – will continue.
   Big bucks for transfers?
   Ferguson will reportedly be handed a constant £20m-a-year transfer fund. Sounds good when you say it, but not so clever in practice.
   This amount of cash would be heaven-sent for almost every other club, but when new champions Chelsea have an owner who might find £20m down the back of his settee, Glazer will hardly cool the rage of United’s fans with this sort of talk.
   No more – indeed possibly less – generous than the current regime and about the same transfer kitty on offer at newly-promoted Wigan Athletic.
   Glazer price increases?
   Glazer’s investment will need to be recouped somewhere – fans fear prices will be hiked up almost as high as his trousers, whether it is season tickets or car park spaces.
   It may make Glazer unpopular, but it seems clear he is not bothered about winning any contests there.
   United have kept ticket prices down, although they recently caused a stir by raising some season tickets by 27 per cent. You can be sure Glazer will be looking for more, although perhaps not instantly.
   And while thousands of United fans say they will stay away, Glazer will be confident their places will be taken by others only too happy to buy into the worldwide brand.

Chelsea may have dominated the field this season, but Arsenal will be well-placed to dethrone the English champions next year, manager Arsene Wenger insists.
   The Frenchman takes the Gunners to Birmingham on Sunday where a win will leave his side on 86 points, only four fewer than last year when they won the Premiership title.
   And Wenger says that Arsenal's mid-season wobble will pay dividends as it forced him to blood youngsters such as Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie and Philippe Senderos.
   'We have lived a little bit in the shadow of last season,' said Wenger. 'It seems that everything we did last season was perfect and everything this season is not.
   'We had 90 points last year. If we can finish with 86 this season I do not think we will be as far off as people think.
   'Certainly the difference in publicity is not justified given the number of points between the two years.
   'We would only be four points off and we have scored more goals. Also, I feel we have played some games recently that were better quality-wise than last year. We have played great football.
   'For a while we were shaky after the defeat to Manchester United. I realised we needed a wake-up call because we were slowly dropping off the top. We had a difficult winter where we made some good results without being really convincing.
   'It was an opportunity for the young players to show how good they are. Now the team is growing again and the young players have improved tremendously.'
   Arsenal will take on Birmingham without Lauren (food poisoning) and Gael Clichy (foot) is still out, meaning Kolo Toure may be switched to left-back.
   Freddie Ljungberg is available again after undergoing an operation on swollen glands and is likely to be given 45 minutes to prove his fitness ahead of next weekend's Cup final against Manchester United.
   Thierry Henry returned from a groin problem as a second-half substitute in Arsenal's 7-0 rout of Everton and came through unscathed. The 27-year-old is set to feature against Birmingham.
   Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger has infuriated Manchester United fans by telling them , ‘Give Malcolm Glazer a chance.’
   Wenger, boss of arch-rivals Arsenal, said, ‘Don’t convict a guy who has not yet made one decision. He could be very good for the club.
   ‘If you invested £790 million tomorrow, would you want to destroy it? A guy who does that knows he will only get it back if the club does well.’
   Wenger, asked if he would miss Alex Ferguson should the United boss be axed, pretended to wipe away tears and said, ‘It’s not for me to judge. To judge the position of the United manager – that is down to Glazer.’

A wave of kidnappings has rocked Brazilian soccer, but the players aren't the targets - it's their mothers.
   The mothers of five Brazilian players, including all-star strikers Robinho and Luis Fabiano, have been kidnapped since November. Athletes are scared, and looking for new ways to protect their families.
   'We need to be careful,' Sao Paulo striker Diego Tardelli said. 'It's clear that the kidnappers are after soccer players and their families.'
   For years, soccer players seemed to be considered off limits to kidnappers. But that changed in November, when the mother of ace Santos striker Robinho was kidnapped from a family gathering.
   She was freed unharmed five weeks later, after Robinho paid a ransom reportedly of 200,000 reals (US $81,000). It was a lot of money in a country where the minimum wage is 300 reals
   (US $121) a month - and drew copycats.
   'The kidnappers pursue those with a lot of money, it doesn't really matter who they are,' said Joel Antonio dos Santos, a police investigator with Sao Paulo's anti-kidnapping unit. 'They began targeting players' mothers because they realized that it was a lucrative deal. Robinho paid the ransom, and now it has become trendy to go after the players' money.'
   After Robinho's mother was abducted, four other kidnappings have occurred in Sao Paulo state. Last Thursday, the mother of FC Porto striker Luis Fabiano was released after more than 60 days in captivity.
   'It was like being born again,' Fabiano's mother, Sandra Helena Clemente, told the Diario de S. Paulo newspaper. 'I don't have words to describe how happy I am after two months of a lot of desperation.'
   The mother of Corinthians defender Marinho, who was abducted on May 3 in Santos, was still being held captive.
   'This is a very difficult situation,' Marinho said in a statement after the kidnapping. 'I hope to be talking to you again very soon, but with my mom at my side.'
   In March, police freed the mother of defender Rogerio, who plays for Portugal's Sporting Lisbon, three days after she was abducted from her home in Campinas, near Sao Paulo. A month earlier, the mother of Sao Paulo striker Grafite was kidnapped near Sao Paulo, but freed by police after a day.
   'All these kidnappings got a lot of attention, it's natural that players started becoming wary of the situation,' investigator Santos said. 'It has suddenly become a reality for them.'
   Robinho was the only player to pay a ransom. In all other cases, police found and freed the mothers before a ransom was paid.
   Nine people have been arrested in connection with the kidnappings, authorities said. But many players are taking their own precautions.
   Robinho, reportedly bound for Real Madrid next season, now goes everywhere with two bodyguards by his side. To protect his mother, the striker bought her an armor-plated car.
   Luis Fabiano planned to move his entire family to a safer neighborhood in Campinas, and several players - including Corinthians' Argentine international Carlos Tevez - have hired private security guards for themselves and their relatives.
   Even players abroad have shown concern.
   Claudio Pitbull, Fabiano's teammate at Porto, said the threat of kidnapping was one of the reasons he recently rejected an offer to play for five-time national champion Flamengo in Rio de Janeiro.
   He told Flamengo's official Web site that 'it would be an honor to play for Flamengo, but the risk of playing in Brazil is too great.'

Real Madrid’s Portuguese midfielder Luis Figo has agreed to return to the national side during upcoming World Cup qualifiers, the Portuguese Football Federation said Friday.
   ‘Luis Figo agreed with the request made by the president of the Portuguese Foootball Federation, Gilberto Madail, and the national coach, Luiz Felipe Scolari, to once again represent the national team,’ it said in a statement.
   Figo, 32, announced his retirement from the Portuguese squad in August but he refused to shut the door completely on a possible return at a later date.
   Last month Figo hinted that he was on the verge of a comeback, saying that because he wasn’t starting regularly for his club he felt less tired and could then return to the Portuguese team.
   ‘I retired from the international scene because I was tired and I wanted to dedicate my remaining years to my club. But as I am not a first choice selection at the moment I have started to think differently,’ he said.
   Capped 110 times by his country, Figo’s contract with the Spanish giants expires at the end of the season.
   He had been Portugal’s standout player for years before his retirement, having scored 31 goals since his debut for the squad in 1991, making him the third-best scorer in the history of the team.
   Portugal lead Group Three in the 2006 World Cup qualifiers on 14 points but face a crucial home match on June 4 with Slovakia, who are second in the group on the same number of points.

Brazil was expected to take a second-string squad to the Confederations Cup in June, but FC Barcelona star Ronaldinho says he’s ready and eager to play.
   Ronaldinho, voted the world’s best player in 2004, said he was waiting for confirmation from Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira that he was on the team.
   ‘Few players will have a chance to go to the Confederations Cup. I want to be on that list,’ Ronaldinho told the Brazilian Soccer Confederation’s (CBF) Web site.
   Ronaldinho’s availability belies local reports that Parreira planned to field a ‘B’ team for the Confederations Cup in Germany to rest his top stars for the 2006 World Cup qualifiers and the Cup itself.
   ‘I’m very pleased,’ Parreira said. ‘When a superstar like Ronaldinho shows desire to play for the Brazilian team, it sets an example.’
   Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Robert Carlos and other World Cup veterans play in Europe, where the soccer season runs all winter. If they don’t rest this summer, they might not get a vacation before the 2006 Cup in Germany.
   Parreira has admitted he could test new players at the Confederations Cup, and many Brazilians think he will try out eventual replacements for aging wingers Cafu and Roberto Carlos.

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney is to be charged with careless driving after being involved in a car crash this week which left a woman with whiplash injuries, police said on Friday.
   The England player was not hurt in the accident, which happened on Thursday in Stockport, northern England.
   ‘A BMW X5 was in collision with a Nissan Primera,’ Greater Manchester police said in a statement. ‘The 45-year-old female driver of the Nissan suffered minor whiplash injuries.
   ‘The 19-year-old male driver of the BMW from Cheshire has been reported for summons for driving without due care and attention.’
   Rooney, one of England’s most talented players, has been the subject of several damning headlines this season and is often criticised for swearing at referees.
   Sepp Blatter, the head of soccer’s world governing body FIFA, has said Rooney deserves a ‘clip around the ear’ for his behaviour this season. Earlier this month, the English Schools Football Association dropped him as a guest at a school football match because they said he was a bad example to young players.

Marseille goalkeeper Fabien Barthez has vowed to keep on playing after a three-month ban for spitting on a Moroccan referee in a friendly match in Casablanca in February was doubled.
   The ban now runs to October 15 but it will be extended to December 31 if he refuses to do community work.
   It was feared a six-month ban could force Barthez, who has already said he will retire after the 2006 World Cup, to bring forward his retirement plans.
   He declared Friday, 'Whatever happens I plan to carry on.
   'I have no intention whatsoever of retiring. I'll be at the World Cup. I'll keep fighting and where I'm strongest, on the pitch. So I'll keep fighting as soon as I come back.' And he said he had no objections to doing community work.
   'I'm not against community work, on the contrary I accept it.'
   But he added: 'But I'll have to size things up, see where I stand.'

Jose Mourinho has told Alex Ferguson to stay and fight. The Manchester United chief's future is in the balance following Malcolm Glazer's arrival.
   But Mourinho, whose Chelsea champions won 3-1 at Old Trafford on Tuesday night, said, 'There is always one day for us to stop.
   ‘The difficulty is choosing the right moment.
   'And if you have achieved what Alex Ferguson has, you should choose. No one should tell you.
   'From the little moments I share with him before and after matches, he is still at the maximum of his qualities and potential.
   'I learn from him every time we meet, which is why I hope I can have him for a long time not only as an opponent but a person I respect a lot. He is a winner.'

Beckham key for Essien in Real move
David Beckham could be the key to the future of Olympique Lyon midfielder Mickael Essien. The Ghana international was the subject of a £15 million bid this week from Chelsea, which was turned down flat by Lyon chiefs. Manchester United and Arsenal are also chasing Essien – as are Spanish giants Real Madrid. While Essien would like a move to Old Trafford, it’s understood he also favours a switch to Madrid to team up with one of his heroes, England captain Beckham. Real won’t match Chelsea, which are prepared to go as high as £18 million for the Ghanaian, but know the influence of Beckham and Essien’s ambition to play for the glamour Spanish club could be enough to see the deal swing in their favour as the summer market opens.
— SPORTINGLIFE

Troussier wants Japan return
Under-fire Olympique Marseille coach Philippe Troussier has said he wants the Japan job back at the 2006 World Cup, a Japanese newspaper reported on Saturday. Troussier’s future at Marseille is in doubt following a string of poor results and the Frenchman expressed interest in returning to Japan, if they qualify for next year’s World Cup. ‘I want to coach Japan if they qualify for the 2006 World Cup,’ Troussier, who coached Japan from 1998 to 2002, was quoted by Japan’s Nikkan Sports daily. Troussier, who enjoyed a largely successful spell in his four years in charge, criticised the methods of current Japan coach Zico. ‘Zico doesn’t use young players. His style is too regimented,’ he said. ‘He should let the players play with greater freedom.’
— Reuters

Queiroz slams Chelsea over Mikel ‘kidnap’
Manchester United have accused Chelsea of kidnapping star recruit John Obi Mikel. In a stinging attack, United’s assistant coach Carlos Queiroz has claimed the Blues have used the laws of the ‘jungle’. United had a deal agreed with Lyn Oslo to sign the Nigerian midfield star, 18. But Mikel and his agent have reneged on that contract and are understood to be in talks with Chelsea. Queiroz said: ‘We cannot live with these jungle rules. It is unacceptable that a young boy of 18 can be almost kidnapped. ‘Football’s authorities must stop it.’ Mikel insisted last week it was a dream come true to join United. But in a TV interview in London yesterday, he suddenly changed his tune and claimed he had been pressurised into joining United. Queiroz added: ‘Everybody felt the boy had just made the best decision of his entire life, at least from a professional point of view. ‘Next day he comes on TV and says he signed the agreement under pressure.
— Sportinglife