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If football and cricket are just creating ripples among womenfolk, then two other major team sports in the country namely hockey and kabaddi are trying to stage a revival of sorts.
   In the late 70s and early 80s, both games were at the height of their popularity and played in front of the masses in wide open spaces.
   ‘I can remember playing hockey regularly five years in a row from 1976-81. We had six teams, who once participated in a league. Shakila Jafar, now a popular singer, played in the league with me for Dhaka metropolitan team,’ recalled Parvin Nasima Nahar, a veteran sportswoman.
   The popular event among the women was however stopped suddenly in 1982 when former military dictator HM Ershad usurped power. Twenty-three years later and women’s hockey remains a part of history.
   The story of national sport kabaddi is almost identical. The Bangladesh Kabaddi Federation staged an exclusive women’s competition in 1979-81 with the participation of well-known clubs like Abahani, Victoria and Dhaka Mariner before it was also scraped during the Ershad regime.
   ‘We had no problem in running the women’s event at the Dhaka outer stadium. But only after Bangladesh Television broadcast a match Ershad, acting on the outcry from a religious group, ordered its suspension,’ narrated Asaduzzaman Kohinur, the former Mariner women’s kabaddi team organiser.
   Now hockey and kabaddi are trying to make a comeback. In the case of kabaddi it has become paramount after the organisers of the South Asian Games recently included a women’s version for the Colombo edition, to be held in August this year.
   In line with the decision, the Women Sports Association has planned to host an orientation camp for female kabaddi players in February, though it has nothing to do with the Colombo SA Games.
   ‘With such a short period, it is not possible to prepare a women’s kabaddi team for the Colombo SA Games. But we will try popularising the game among women so that a team can participate in the SA Games in future,’ explained Quamrunnahar Dana, general secretary of the Bangladesh Women Sports Association.
   Dana informed that they were told by the Bangladesh Hockey Federation to introduce a camp for themselves as well.
   But she also stated that with the existing facilities and funds it is very hard for them to hold so many events. ‘Currently we are running at least 12 disciplines for the girls with a number of short training courses and competitions. But we are getting an annual grant amounting to only Taka 11 lakh from the National Sports Council for the purpose. True, we generate some cash through aerobics and swimming. But there it is insufficient to run so many events. Now if we add hockey and kabaddi to the list then who knows what will happen,’ she said.
   Another sensitive issue was the availability of a venue. At the moment there is a beautiful multi-purpose sports complex at Dhanmondi that includes a hostel, gymnasium and swimming pool. But sadly the NSC, the regulatory body of the complex, often rents it out for non-sporting events like rock concerts, fairs, political receptions and even social functions such as weddings and mejban (an annual festival of Chittagonian people) much to the annoyance of local residents.
   ‘I don’t like to comment as the NSC knows it best. The only thing I must say is that with so many unsporting events, it is very tough to run women sports here smoothly.’
   With space at a premium in the capital and frequent threats from fundamentalists, any attempt to reintroduce outdoor games like hockey and kabaddi must first require a burden-free women sports complex.

Bangladesh fast bowler Mash-rafee-bin-Mortuza returned to action after a four-month injury lay off as the Bangladesh A team thrashed the visiting UAE team by 114 runs at the Khulna Divisional Stadium on Thursday.
   Mashrafee, who bowled six overs in his comeback match, conceded 21 runs for his two wickets that helped the A team bundle the visitors out for 155 in 42.1 overs.. Mahbubul Alam and Alok Kapali also grabbed two wickets each for the hosts.
   Earlier, the A team finished on 267-6 with middle-order batsman Tushar Imran and Golam Rahman smashing half-centuries. Tushar, who scored 70 off 54 balls, smote seven fours and two sixes to become the top-scorer. Rahman made 69 from 89 balls while skipper Rajin Saleh contributed 45.
   The teams will play another limited-overs match at the same venue today.

Hsin Han Lee of Chinese Taipei and Joshua Dandan Kyle of Philippines will play in the boy’s final of the SBSL-BKSP International Tennis Tournament today. Viktoriya Kamenskaya of Russia and Nigora Sirojiddinova of Uzbekistan will vie for the girl’s title at the same venue.
   In the semi-finals held on Thursday, Hsin defeated Jeong Han Seo of Korea 6-1, 6-4 and Kyle ousted Gujrati Akkash of India 6-4, 6-2.
   Kamenskaya booked her place in the final with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Lutfiana Aris Budiharto of Indonesia while Sirojiddinova defeated Korean Yoon Young-Jeong in a hard-fought 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 win.

The Chief Election Comm-issioner of the National Sports Council on Thursday postponed the election of the Bangladesh Table Tennis Federation indefinitely after receiving objections to the draft councillors’ list.
   A press release issued by the Chief Election Commissioner, Abul Kalam Azad, said as the objections raised regarding
   the voters’ list need more
   time to verify all the election procedures will remain suspended till the anomalies are rectified.
   The president of the federation, Abu Solaiman Chowdhury, had prepared a councillors’ list without the approval of the current executive committee and without holding an AGM.

Tangail moved into the semifinal of the JFA Cup Under-16 Football Tournament after beating Narayanganj 2-0 in the last match of final round in the group-B at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Thursday.
   They will face group-A runners-up Rangamati in the second semifinal on Sunday. Satkhira also advanced to the last four from the same group despite conceding a 2-4 defeat against Kurigram at the same venue.

Sri Lanka’s hopes of replacing Australia at the head of the triangular series table were scuttled Thursday but only after off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan gave the hosts a few heart flutters at the Adelaide Oval.
   The Australians eventually ground out an unspectacular five-wicket win, reaching 219-5 in reply to Sri Lanka’s 218-8 off 50 overs.
   But Muralitharan sent a few late shudders through their camp when he grabbed 2-3 in the 41st over to leave them still chasing 42 runs with 57 balls remaining.
   In the end batsmen Michael Hussey and Michael Clarke steered their team home with a 42-run partnership.
   The Australians had played a steady but unremarkable innings up to that point, anchored by 52 off 89 balls from opener Simon Katich.
   Just as the Sri Lankans before them had failed to set the match alight, so too did the Australians, with Damien Martyn making a sluggish 46 off 72 balls.
   Opener Adam Gilchrist with 34 off 33 and Andrew Symonds with 32 off 33 had set a livelier pace.
   Nuwan Kulasekera finished with 2-32 off nine overs while Muralitharan took 2-35 from 10, snaring both Symonds and Martyn.
   Sri Lanka had earlier struggled without the services of big-hitting opener Sanath Jayasuriya, who has a thigh injury.
   He was replaced by Upul Tharanga who opened with Jehan Mubarak. The pair started steadily, keeping the run-rate ticking at four an over until their 53-run stand was ended by Symonds.
   Mubarak had clouted him for a six over long on to bring up the half century two balls into the 14th over. But with the next delivery he popped a catch to Brett Lee at mid-off to be out for 34.
   Danger man Kumar Sangakkara and Tharanga dug in for 10 overs to add another 43 when the latter fell victim for 31 to a clearly elated Glenn McGrath.
   McGrath came into the match under considerable pressure, with media reports quoting former Australian fast-bowling great Jeff Thomson as saying the 35-year-old was on the downhill slide.
   Thomson was quoted as saying that McGrath, who had taken just three wickets in three matches so far in the series, was getting too old to recapture his best one-day form.
   Acting Australian captain Adam Gilchrist then brought left-arm chinaman bowler Brad Hogg into the attack with immediate effect. Hogg extracted plenty of spin and took a wicket with his fifth delivery.
   Sangakkara, on 25, played defensively but caught an inside edge and clipped the ball onto the stumps, putting pressure back on Sri Lanka with the score at 100-3.
   Paceman Nathan Bracken then turned up the heat, claiming the wickets of captain Marvan Atapattu for 32 and Mahela Jayawardene for 25 to leave Sri Lanka on 161-5 off 39 overs.

Match referee Ranjan Madugalle has told Pakistan vice-captain Younis Khan to keep his players in check after several were involved in verbal exchanges with the Indian team during the drawn second Test.
   ‘Yes, Younis was called for a meeting and the match referee said he wanted the series to be played in a good spirit between both sides and would take action if any future incidents occurred,’ Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq told Reuters on Wednesday.
   Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Akhtar were among some of the Pakistan players involved in verbal confrontations with the Indian players. Umpires Rudi Koertzen and Simon Taufel at one stage spoke to Younis on the field.
   ‘I think the players were a bit frustrated out there given the hard conditions but it is not something that will get out hand,’ Inzamam said.
   ‘If it had been serious the ICC (International Cricket Council) match referee would have taken action against the players.’
   Inzamam, who had to sit out most of the Test after injuring his back during Pakistan’s first innings, said there was no animosity between the two sides.
   ‘Pakistan and India contests are always like this but our players have been told to keep things under control.’
   The first two Tests were drawn and India captain Rahul Dravid was hoping for a better pitch for the final match in Karachi, which starts on Sunday.
   ‘I hope we have a better track for the final Test in Karachi because India and Pakistan matches are not only watched in the sub-continent but all over the world,’ he told a news conference.
   ‘Unfortunately if we have the same kind of pitches that we have had for these two Tests then the third Test will also be a draw and cricket is the loser,’ he added.
   Inzamam was optimistic the match would end in victory for someone.
   ‘The groundsmen had said before the series that due to the cold weather the pitches will not support the bowlers,’ he said.
   ‘Unfortunately in the first two Tests that has come true but in Karachi we have better weather and traditionally it has a good sporting track. Hopefully we can get a result there because I wouldn’t like this series to end in a stalemate.’

Skipper Rahul Dravid on Wednesday said the match-saving partnership between Irfan Pathan and Mahendra Singh Dhoni had vindicated the team management’s decision to play five bowlers in the second cricket Test against Pakistan.
   ‘Their (Pathan and Dhoni) counter-attacking partnership has given us a lot of heart and confidence. We played only five batsmen and were treating Pathan and Dhoni as all-rounders and they proved their worth in this match,’ Dravid said after the second Test ended in a dull draw.
   ‘The way we responded to tough situations in the two matches has shown the character of the side,’ Dravid said.
   The two rival captains called for a sporting pitch for the series decider in Karachi, saying that flat tracks like the ones provided for the first two matches made it very tough for the bowlers.
   ‘The bowlers had to fight very hard on such a flat wicket and it was very difficult for them,’ Dravid said.
   Inzamam-ul-Haq also said the conditions were not easy for the bowlers and they had to toil hard for success. They hoped that a better pitch could enable the bowlers to come into their own.
   Dravid said it was nice to get a few wickets in the last session of the match, which could help the confidence of the bowlers.
   ‘It was good for Zaheer and RP to get some wickets and hopefully, we have learnt something about their batsmen going into the third Test,’ he said.

Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar is nursing an ankle injury and will struggle to be available for the third and final home Test against India.
   Team management expect to know in two days time if he is 100 per cent fit for the series decider in Karachi.
   ‘His ankle is bothering him,’ admitted Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq.
   ‘Right now we are not sure if he will be completely fit for the Test but he is very keen to play and take some wickets, which is good news.’
   Shoaib, 30, has taken only one wicket so far in the series, which stands at 0-0 with bowlers on both sides struggling in benign conditions.
   By contrast, in the 2-0 series win against England he took 17 wickets in the three matches.

Former captain Sourav Ganguly, currently on tour as part of the Indian team, may fly back to India if he is not selected for the third and last Test in Karachi beginning on Sunday.
   Ganguly, who has not faced a single ball so far on the tour, may make the trip back to play for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy finals.
   ‘From the look of things, with Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Irfan Pathan batting so well in the second Test under pressure, captain Rahul Dravid and coach Greg Chappell might consider going in with an unchanged eleven for the final Test,’ The News quoted a source as saying on Wednesday.
   ‘This would leave Ganguly free to play for Bengal if he is required by his state association but the problem is that he has not touched the bat out in the middle since arriving in Pakistan.’
   Bengal will play Uttar Pradesh in the finals of the premier domestic tournament from January 30.
   The Kolkata southpaw arrived in Pakistan later than his teammates after playing a domestic game in India and missed the tour opening practice match at Lahore.
   He was selected for the first Test at Lahore but with weather playing spoilsport, just one Indian innings was possible and Ganguly had no opportunity to bat.

Spain and Real Madrid captain Raul hopes to make his comeback from a knee injury in early March.
   'I'm happy and satisfied because treatment is going to plan,' said Raul, who suffered a ruptured meniscus and a partial knee ligament rupture when playing for Real against Barcelona on November 19.
   'There's no fixed date for my return. The most important thing is that I feel good. I haven't yet started to kick a ball. I hope to be back in around one month,' he said Wednesday.

India may have made merry by scoring as many as 603 runs in their first innings in the second cricket Test here but Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul Haq still believes his bowlers did a good job.
   ‘They were more disciplined here. Their line and length was very good and it was good to see them fight all the way,’ said the Pakistan captain after the second Test ended in a tame draw.
   He also defended the move not to declare, saying it was a risk his team would have taken had it put 300 runs on the board. ‘But we were only 250 ahead at lunch and it was a risk we did not want to take,’ he said.

The University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh cricket team posted an eight-wicket victory over East West University in a friendly match at Mohammadpur recently, says a press release.
   After winning the toss, EWU elected to bat first and scored a fighting 153-8 in the stipulated 30 overs. Skipper Rangan made 41 off 34 balls. ULAB skipper Nabil took 3 for 32 and Shoaib took 2 wickets for 11 runs. In reply, ULAB openers. Shujon and Russel put on 96 runs before the latter was out for 36. But Shujon guided the side home with an unbeaten 72 and was adjudged man-of-the-match.
   Vice-Chancellor of ULAB, Kazi Shahid Ahmed, later distributed the prizes among the winners.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho insists he does not get the respect he deserves from some other managers in England.
   Mourinho says it is unfair to question why foreign managers such as he and Arsene Wenger get some of the biggest jobs in the Premier League.
   ‘I often read - and it makes me laugh a lot - managers saying, ‘why are they there and not me?’’ Mourinho says in an interview with BBC Radio Five Live.
   ‘I think it’s a lack of respect. People have to respect what we did before.’
   He adds: ‘Why did Wenger arrive at Arsenal? Because he had great results before.
   ‘Why did Mourinho arrive at Chelsea? Because he had great results.
   ‘I learn to live with this situation. I think it’s more important what I think about myself, my self-image, my self-confidence... than what people think.’
   Mourinho famously described himself as ‘the special one’ in his first news conference after joining Chelsea from Porto and he says he chose the phrase deliberately.
   He says: ‘If I had come to my first press conference in England and people had treated me like a European champion - which I had become two or three days before - I wouldn’t have needed to say such a strong couple of words.
   ‘I needed to show people I’m different, I’m not afraid, I’m confident, I can say things with a big percentage of risk.
   ‘It still happens a bit, when people say I do it for the money. It’s because people don’t know where I come from.’
   Mourinho says he is very happy at Chelsea in the interview, which is part of a Five Live Chelsea Night to mark the club’s centenary season.
   ‘One and a half years on, I’m very happy - I couldn’t be happier with the move,’ he says.
   ‘I love the club, I love the players, everything around me. I like to live in this country with my family.
   ‘At this moment I’m not thinking about the next move because I’m really happy within Chelsea Football Club.’
   Mourinho insists England is the best country for footballers and managers to work in.
   ‘The English football fan is the best in the world,’ he says.
   ‘A few things happen that could only happen in England - big applause for an opposing team, a cup match between a top team and an amateur team when you get a full crowd, a player diving for a penalty and being booed by his own players.
   ‘It’s the best place for a professional to work.’
   Mourinho also has kind words for two of his biggest managerial rivals.
   He says Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is ‘the best results manager in the history of English football and a person I like very, very much.
   ‘We can laugh before a game, after the game, in spite of the result and we respect each other during the game,’ he adds.
   And Mourinho says both he and Arsene Wenger are to blame for their much-publicised spats.
   The Portuguese manager described his Arsenal counterpart as ‘a voyeur’ in October when accusing him of taking too much interest in Chelsea.
   Wenger countered by threatening to sue Mourinho, although he subsequently decided against doing so.
   Mourinho says: ‘He is guilty, I am guilty. In the end we respect each other.
   ‘I think he’s one of the best managers in the game and I hope in the future we don’t have problems.
   ‘But if we do, we must keep personal respect.’

Retired South African fast bowler Allan Donald has not yet taken a firm decision about a position as England’s bowling coach.
   Reacting to international media reports that he was at the top of a shortlist to assist English coach Duncan Fletcher, Donald said he was not aware yet when he might be called to England for an interview. He had earlier applied for the position.
   Donald told the Afrikaans daily Beeld here that his current position as bowling coach for Cricket South Africa was not providing job satisfaction, as it included sessions with individuals.
   The position in England, on the other hand, provided the opportunity to contribute at a national level, something Donald said he was keen to do for his motherland as well.
   A meeting with Cricket South Africa chief executive Gerald Majola has been scheduled for Friday to discuss Donald’s future in the sport here. The paceman said he hoped to be more involved with the South African national squad.
   ‘They could do with someone like me in the change rooms,’ Donald told Beeld.
   ‘And I don’t have to assist just the bowlers. I can also support the other players with advice, especially the younger members of the team.’
   But even if he does get the position with the English side, Donald said he would still remain a South African at heart.
   Donald said it would feel ‘somewhat strange’ to sport an English blazer because he would remain a South African ‘until I go to my grave’.

Sir Alex Ferguson says he is keen to sign a midfielder before the January transfer window shuts.
   Manchester United’s midfield line-up was depleted against Blackburn in the Carling Cup semi-final on Wednesday because of injuries and suspensions.
   ‘We know it is going to be difficult but we would like to bring someone in,’ said the United boss.
   ‘We have to get someone who can add to the squad because it is squad number we are light on in midfield.’
   United were without John O’Shea, Park Ji-Sung, Paul Scholes, Quinton Fortune and long-term absentee Gabriel Heinze for the 3-2 aggregate win over Blackburn.
   But Ferguson conceded that he may struggle to find the right aquisition in time and may have to settle for a loan-signing.
   He said: ‘We are exhausting our knowledge of central midfielders in Europe, particularly one we can get on loan.
   ‘It is impossible really because there is only a week left which is not a lot of time to start negotiating fees and things but we could just run out of time.’

French striker Louis Saha volleyed Manchester United into the League Cup final on Wednesday, a 2-1 win over Blackburn Rovers at Old Trafford taking them through 3-2 on aggregate. United will face Wigan Athletic in the final at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on Feb 26.
   In a highly-charged tie Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, making his first League Cup start since United’s 2003 losing final appearance, fired the home side into an eighth-minute lead but Steven Reid levelled just past the half-hour.
   Brad Friedel dived to his right to superbly beat away Van Nistelrooy’s penalty just before halftime but was beaten on 51 minutes when Saha volleyed in Wayne Rooney’s cross.
   A fractious first half, which had threatened to boil over on more than one occasion, reached fever pitch at the whistle with affronted Rovers midfielder Robbie Savage, struck accidentally on the head moments earlier by van Nistelrooy, remonstrating with Rio Ferdinand.
   TV cameras then showed players charging after the pair into the tunnel to join an apparent fracas.
   ‘It was a very competitive game, they (Rovers) make you work and the referee work, there is no question of that,’ United manager Alex Ferguson told Sky Sports.
   ‘At the end of the day we had some fantastic chances and their goalkeeper (Friedel) has been magnificent again. Tonight he made three incredible saves.’
   Van Nistelrooy’s incisive finish had given United a flying start. Strike partner Rooney was the creator, although his intended pass after a surging run took a kind deflection off backtracking defender Michael Gray to fall perfectly for the Dutchman to fire past Friedel.

Pele is backing Brazil to retain the World Cup because they have more strength in depth than other top teams, like England or Italy.
   ‘I think England has a good team this year, Italy has a very good team but of course Brazil is the favourite, without a doubt,’ Pele told Reuters on Thursday.
   He gave his views about the likely winners of this year’s tournament in Germany on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, a gathering of political and business leaders.
   ‘Brazil has two teams. If they have to change a player it makes no difference. But if a team like England or Italy lose their best players through injury, they have problems to get replacements,’ said the triple World Cup-winner.
   ‘Normally, with the Europeans playing in their weather, in front of their public it’s always harder (for Brazil). But this year that could change,’ he said.
   Pele tipped Czech Republic and the Ivory Coast as countries who could spring a surprise at the finals.

Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann has made an unusual appeal to the media to respect his family’s privacy.
   At the same, Klinsmann threatened to legally pursue media outlets that broke German privacy laws. Klinsmann said he was making the appeal ‘in the name of all (family) members.’
   The coach who will lead Germany’s team at this year’s World Cup said he expected the media to refrain from using ‘print, photo and television reports on private and personal situations.’
   Klinsmann made the appeal in a statement distributed by the German soccer federation.
   ‘It’s a friendly but clear plea to respect Klinsmann’s private sphere,’ DFB spokesman Harald Stenger said. Klinsmann lives with his American wife and their two children in California.

Zimbabwe’s leading cricketers are preparing to sue their cricket board over unpaid salaries and fees.
   The Zimbabwe Professional Players Association has engaged leading lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa to pursue Zimbabwe Cricket for more than £400,000. The action will go through Harare High Court unless the players receive money owed to them by the end of January.
   The 35 players under previous contracts will not negotiate new ones until they have been paid everything outstanding.

Euro 2008 may be more than 2-1/2 years away but the focus will briefly switch away from this year’s World Cup when the draw for the qualifying round of the European Championship is held today.
   Just seven weeks after the draw for the World Cup finals in Germany was held in Leipzig, 50 European nations will be drawn into seven groups with the top two in each going through to join co-hosts Austria and Switzerland in the finals in June 2008.
   There will be six groups of seven teams and one group of eight teams with no playoffs at the end of the qualifying matches, which begin later this year.
   Greece, who surprisingly won the European title in Portugal in 2004 yet failed to even qualify for this year’s World Cup, are among seven top seeds along with the Netherlands, Portugal, England, Czech Republic, France and Sweden.
   The second tier of teams is almost as formidable, containing slumbering giants Germany and Italy plus World Cup qualifiers Croatia, Poland and Spain, along with Turkey and Romania.
   Pot Three comprises Serbia & Montenegro and Ukraine, who have both qualified for the World Cup for the first time, with Russia, Denmark, Norway, Bulgaria and Slovakia all underlining the strength in depth of the international game in Europe.
   A new trophy has been created for the 2008 tournament, 18 centimetres higher and two kilos heavier than the famous trophy first presented in 1960 and named after Henri Delauney.
   The former president of the French FA was given the honour after being the driving force behind the competition.
   The new trophy, which is close in design to the original and retains the name of Delauney, will be unveiled by UEFA president Lennart Johansson on Thursday.
   Swiss TV presenter Jacques Deschenaux will host the draw to be conducted by former Austria and Switzerland internationals Andreas Herzog and Stephane Chapuisat along with the presidents of the respective FA’s Friedrich Stickler and Ralph Zloczower.
   Although the build-up to this stage of Euro 2008 has been blighted by the usual rows over new stadiums, the tournament is due to start on June 7 in Basel with the final at the Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna on June 29.
   Zurich, Geneva and Berne are the other Swiss cities hosting games in Switzerland’s first major soccer event since it hosted the World Cup in 1954. Salzburg, Innsbruck and Klagenfurt, as well as Vienna, will stage matches in Austria.
   It will be only the second time in the tournament’s 48-year history that the finals will take place in two countries after Belgium and the Netherlands co-hosted the 2000 event.
   Austria will be taking part in the finals for the first time after having never previously qualified.

Arsenal captain Thierry Henry has been offered a fantastic five-year deal, says the Premier League club’s chairman Peter Hill-Wood.
   ‘I know two things,’ he was quoted as saying in Thursday’s Daily Star. ‘One, we want him to stay. Two, we have made him an absolutely fantastic offer.
   ‘I’m not going to say what it is but I know it made me shudder. It’s a lot of money,’ added Hill-Wood.
   ‘It’s for five years. (Manager) Arsene Wenger thinks he’s ‘physically very capable’ of playing for another five years.’
   Henry, 28, said this month he would stay with the north London club after speculation that he was considering a move to Barcelona. His contract runs until the end of next season.
   However, Hill-Wood said he had no indication as to whether the former Juventus player would commit his future to Arsenal by accepting the new contract that is ready to be signed.
   ‘If he wants to go to Barcelona, or somewhere, there’s absolutely nothing we can do, although someone will have to pay something to get him,’ said the Arsenal chairman.
   ‘But we’ve made him very welcome and we’ve made him a very good offer which is probably as good an offer as anybody in this country—maybe other than Chelsea—would make.’
   Arsenal move to their new 60,000-seat stadium next year and want the France striker, who became the top scorer in the club’s history this season, to lead out the team at their new home.
   ‘Thierry says he wants to know if the club is ambitious,’ said Hill-Wood. ‘We’re spending 350 million pounds ($626.4 million) on a new stadium and have just brought in three new players. That is not unambitious.’
   Arsenal, who are fifth in the Premier League, have signed 16-year-old forward Theo Walcott, Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor and French midfielder Abou Diaby in the January transfer window.

Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o, who will be watching the World Cup on television in June, struck his fourth African Nations Cup goal in two games on Wednesday to eliminate Germany-bound Togo.
   Eto’o followed up Saturday’s hat-trick against Democratic Republic of Congo by scoring the first goal and setting up the other as the Indomitable Lions beat Togo 2-0 to qualify for the quarter-finals.
   Togo, who have yet to score a point or a goal, cannot now qualify with one match still to play.
   Angola, also World Cup qualifiers, were held 0-0 by the Congolese despite having a one-man advantage for 71 minutes after Tresor Mputu was sent off.
   The results in Wednesday’s Group B matches have added to the intrigue over how Cameroon failed to make the World Cup while Togo and Angola qualified for their first finals.
   Although the latter pair produced improved performances in a double bill at the Military Academy stadium, where tracksuited conscripts were brought in to boost an otherwise meagre crowd on a chilly afternoon, they lacked firepower in attack.
   Cameroon have a maximum six points from two games, followed by Congo on four and Angola on one. Congo need only a draw against Cameroon on Sunday while Angola must win and hope Cameroon continue their winning run.
   ‘I didn’t think we deserved to lose by that score,’ said Togo’s Nigerian coach Stephen Keshi. ‘It was a big improvement on the last game.’
   Eto’o had already struck the post and been deprived by a world class save from keeper Koffi Agassi before he scored another superb goal in the 68th minute.
   After a series of rebounds in the Togo area, the ball ran loose to Eto’o and the Barcelona striker rifled home a first-time shot from the edge of the area.
   With five minutes left, Eto’o cut in from the right and fed substitute Albert Meyong Ze, who cleverly flicked the ball home.
   Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor, who threatened to go home after a public spat with Keshi earlier this week, started the game despite being labelled a cry baby by his boss.
   Adebayor came close to putting Togo ahead in the 53rd minute when he latched on to a defence-splitting pass by Moustapha Salifou.
   The lanky forward took the ball past Hamidou Souleymane, who managed to flick the ball away with his legs as Adebayor was about to score.
   Adebayor’s performance earned praise from Keshi.
   ‘He played really well but I don’t want to concentrate just on one player’s performance,’ he said.
   Angola coach Luis Oliveira Goncalves was a frustrated man after his team failed to break down Congo.
   ‘We didn’t have any luck,’ he said. ‘We dominated the game even when it was eleven against eleven and created three chances in the first 15 minutes.
   ‘Now, we have to depend on other people.’
   Congo were on the back foot after Mputu was dismissed for kicking out at Angolan defender Kali after 19 minutes.
   But even with their man advantage, Angola could not convert dominant possession into goals with captain Akwa particularly guilty of squandering a myriad of half chances.
   They were also vulnerable on the break with Congo striker Lomana LuaLua blasting wildly wide after breaking free in a counter-attack.

John Terry is confident England’s World Cup bid will not be disrupted by news Sven-Goran Eriksson will quit as national coach after this summer’s tournament.
   The 25-year-old Chelsea centre-half has promised to continue to give Eriksson his full backing and insists his England team-mates will do the same.
   ‘If our rivals think that Sven leaving will unsettle our squad, or blunt our desire and commitment to win, they can think again,’ Terry told The Sun.
   ‘We are all in it together, Sven is the manager and will be until the tournament is over so nothing has changed as far as the World Cup is concerned in my eyes.
   ‘He picks the team but once you cross the touchline it’s the players who carry the hopes of the whole country. It’s up to us. We understand and accept that.
   ‘We are all the same in the squad. Nothing can throw us off course.
   ‘ If our rivals think it will, let them. It will only help us.
   ‘We play for the fans and the dream to see England crowned world champions for the second time.’
   Terry is grateful to Eriksson for giving him a chance at international level and would love to give the Swede the perfect send off in Germany.
   ‘Sven gave me my debut, like a lot of those players who will travel to Germany. I have been behind him and will remain so, right to the end.
   ‘I know the other England lads feel the same.’

Gianluca Vialli is a candidate to replace Fabio Capello at Juventus after admitting that only a ‘mega offer’ could tempt him back to management.
   With Capello being strongly linked with a summer exit, with Manchester United and Real Madrid possible destinations, Vialli has been mentioned as a potential replacement.
   Now Vialli, who currently works as a television pundit, has opened the door for a return to his former club.
   ‘Only a mega offer can make me change my mind, because I’m really passionate about my current job,’ Vialli exclusively told Football Italia.
   ‘It’s very nice to work for the football fans, to change their mentality and their approach to the game.’
   Although the former Italian international admits he is in no hurry to get back into football, he concedes that he would like to initially revive his fortunes in the peninsula.
   ‘The day I return to coaching, I hope it’s in Italy, but then I would gladly move again to the Premiership,’ he added.
   ‘I want to end my career in England and I love London. It’s the birthplace of my wife and my daughter, definitely the city where I’ll keep living after football.’
   Vialli, who spent four years in Turin before his 1996 switch to Chelsea, has limited managerial experience.
   He was handed his first role at Stamford Bridge, replacing Ruud Gullit, and led the side to numerous Cup victories.
   However, Vialli was then sacked and his stint at First Division side Watford proved to be problematic.
   You can read the full exclusive interview with Luca Vialli in February’s Calcio Italia magazine.

Marcos Baghdatis extended his extraordinary Australian Open odyssey on Thursday when he became the first Cypriot to reach a grand slam final with a 3-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 defeat of fourth seed David Nalbandian.
   In the women’s singles, a heart-breaking injury to newly-crowned world number one Kim Clijsters propelled Amelie Mauresmo into only her second grand slam final, against Justine Henin-Hardenne. Henin-Hardenne, eighth seed and champion here in 2004, beat fourth-seeded Russian Maria Sharapova 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.
   Clijsters, plagued by injuries for the last two years, fell and hurt her right foot and was forced to quit with France’s Mauresmo leading 5-7, 6-2, 3-2. Both women’s matches were played indoors because of the extreme temperatures.
   A former junior world champion now ranked 54th in the world, Baghdatis looked down and out after conceding the first two sets to Nalbandian before scrambling madly throughout the third and fourth sets to push the match into a fifth set.
   The Argentine looked to have regained the upper hand when he broke to lead 4-2 before Baghdatis reeled off the next three games and served for the match.
   He was just three points away from victory when the heavens suddenly opened and rain forced a 30-minute delay. After the court was cleaned and play resumed, Baghdatis slammed an ace on his second match point to seal his win.
   Baghdatis, who has developed a cult following at Melbourne Park, will play the winner of Friday’s semi-final between world number one Roger Federer and Germany’s 21st seed Nicolas Kiefer.
   Clijsters has been plagued by injuries since she lost the 2004 Australian Open final to her fellow Belgian Henin-Hardenne but she thought her luck had taken a turn for the better when she won last year’s US Open. However, she hurt her back and hip during a warm-up event in Sydney earlier this month and failed to regain full fitness during the championship.
   Mauresmo’s only previous grand slam final was in Melbourne in 1999 when she was easily beaten by Martina Hingis.
   French Open champion Henin-Hardenne, who was unable to defend her 2004 Melbourne title last year because of injury, extended her winning streak in Australia to 20 matches against Sharapova. After splitting the first two sets, the Belgian served for the match in the ninth game of the decider.
   She faltered before recovering to break the Russian in the next game and claim the match with a blistering backhand winner down the line.
   Fourth seed Sharapova, beaten by eventual champion Serena Williams at the same stage last year, could not match the tenacity of Henin-Hardenne whose renowned backhand slowly began to take its toll.

England striker Michael Owen is adamant that the furore over coach Sven-Goran Eriksson will not sabotage his teammates’ World Cup campaign this summer.
   The Swede, who fell victim to a tabloid sting in which he made various claims about the state of the game in England as well as indiscreet comments on some squad members, will quit his post after the finals in Germany.
   ‘If the Press want to write about it every day and talk about other managers it might start annoying a few of the players,’ Newcastle striker Owen said.
   ‘We want to concentrate on the World Cup. We’ve not got to be affected as players because we have got a World Cup to participate in and 60-odd million people in our country that we have got to go and represent.
   ‘There are many, many reasons to concentrate solely on the World Cup and that tournament rather than what is going to happen afterwards. It’s more important to talk about what the manager and players are going to do at the World Cup as opposed to what’s going to happen afterwards.
   ‘It’s 10 times more important what happens during the tournament that what happens afterwards.’ There has already been speculation about who will take over from Eriksson and whether the next England manager should be English.
   Owen told the BBC: ‘I think that everyone would want the manager to be the best man for the job and if he is English then that will be double satisfaction because that would be great.
   ‘We are a big football nation so we have got some top managers. If we have to go down the foreign route then as long as it’s the best man I’m sure every England fan would be happy.’

The assistant of Brazilian striker Ronaldo denied on Wednesday the player will quit Real Madrid.
   The sports media have speculated that Italian coach Fabio Capello has demanded Ronaldo’s resignation prior to his possible comeback to Real Madrid.
   ‘Ronaldo has the full support of Real Madrid,’ the online edition of the daily O Dia has quoted Ronaldo’s press assistant Paulo Clement as saying.
   The assistant has added that Ronaldo’s contract with Real Madrid will expire in 2008 and the fine for breaking it reaches 180 million euros.
   ‘Real Madrid want to extend the contract with Ronaldo to 2009,’ Clement said.
   Capello coaches Juventus and led Real to the Spanish league title in 1997.
   Spanish coach Lopez Caro has been in charge of Real Madrid since December after the sacking of Brazilian Wanderley Luxemburgo and the club has said he will be in charge until the end of the season.

Fears that World Cup matches in Germany kicking off at 9:00 pm would fall foul of laws limiting noise were allayed on Wednesday when the government granted special permission for the games.
   ‘The new provision strikes a fair balance between the high public interest in the World Cup on the one hand and the neighbouring residents’ legitimate need for peace and quiet on the other,’ Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel said.The ruling means fans attending the late matches in the 12 World Cup host cities can cheer on their team without falling foul of the law. It also prevents residents from filing complaints against noise. The special permission can be granted for sporting events of ‘national or international interest’, Gabriel said.
   Just under half of the 64 matches at the finals will kick off at 9:00 pm.

Manchester United have made an official approach to Milan for their Swiss international Johann Vogel, according to reports in Italy.
   The Premiership club have been in the market for a midfielder ever since the departure of Roy Keane to Celtic.
   While it was initially thought that Gennaro Gattuso was at the top of Sir Alex Ferguson’s hit list, it has since emerged that Vogel is the player to have caught the Scotsman’s eye.
   Ferguson’s side have already splashed out £12m on defensive duo Patrice Evra and Nemanja Vidic.
   Although United chief executive David Gill claimed recently that no more players would be joining in the transfer window, the loss to injury of Paul Scholes and John O’Shea have hit the club hard.
   ‘It is well trawled we are looking for midfield players and it is recognised we need to strengthen that department of the club,’ said Gill at the weekend. ‘We will do that and the money will be made available.’
   Vogel was made Switzerland captain at the tender age of 22 and his distribution and leadership qualities are exactly the criteria United are looking for in an area that has under-performed this season.

Two more different players couldn’t be lining up for the Australian Open women’s final than Amelie Mauresmo and Justine Henin-Hardenne.
   Once infamously referred to as ‘half man’ by Martina Hingis, the imposing Mauresmo is a power player of the new order, weighing in at 69kg and standing 5ft 9ins tall.
   On the other side of the net is the petite Henin-Hardenne, a tigerish baseliner 10 kilograms lighter and four inches shorter.
   While their physiques couldn’t be more different, they have one thing in common—they are playing some of the best tennis of their lives.
   Henin-Hardenne holds the upper hand in having won their last two encounters, in the final of the 2004 Athens Olympics and in Toronto last year.
   Overall, the Belgian has a 4-3 win record against the French star.
   Mauresmo has been in ominous form since winning the season-ending WTA Tour Championship last year and fought her way into the final when Kim Clijsters retired injured down 2-3 in the third set, giving the Frenchwoman a 5-7, 6-2, 3-2 triumph.
   As a 19-year-old, she lost in the final here in 1999 to Hingis, when the infamous ‘half man’ comment was made, but she says she has learnt a lot since then.
   ‘I’ve been waiting for this for so long ... like everyone else I grew up, I got more mature and I know a little bit more what I have learned now,’ said the now 25-year-old.
   ‘Seven years ago I was only 19, so I’m older now and it’s good to get into the final again.’
   It is a major breakthrough for Mauresmo, who despite maturing has subsequently failed to make another Grand Slam final, stretching over 24 attempts.

Russian starlet Maria Sharapova lashed out at the media Thursday for focusing too much on her grunting and what she is wearing and not enough on her tennis.
   The 18-year-old, who makes millions of dollars in endorsements, complained that the focus was shifting from what she was achieving on the tennis court.
   ‘I know you are reporters and I know this is your job, but take your note pads, take your pencils down, take your grunt-o-meters down, the fashion police, put everything away and just watch the match,’ she said.
   Sharapova’s high-pitched squealing and grunting during points has again attracted attention at the Australian Open, with former great John Newcombe saying it is illegal.
   Reports have said her grunts had been measured at 100 decibels, roughly the equivalent of the volume of a small aircraft landing nearby.
   She again produced a full repetoire of squeals and grunts in her semi-final loss to Justine Henin-Hardenne at the Australian Open Thursday. There has also been intense focus on the baby-doll, nightie-style dress she has been wearing here. She also berated the media for what she perceived as being negative.
   ‘For me to be able to go out there and play the quality of tennis that I did today, I think it was great,’ said the fourth seed.
   ‘And I know that probably I’m going be seeing headlines, you know, ‘Maria can’t get past the semis, Maria can’t finish it off in the third. But take all that away and just look at the tennis that we both played today. I think that shows a lot.’

Tennis sensation Sania Mirza, 19, who has been awarded the Padma Shri for her contribution to the game, feels proud to be the youngest recipient of India’s fourth highest civilian honour from Andhra Pradesh.
   ‘I hope this (award) will inspire me to aim for higher achievements and glory in the game,’ said Sania.
   The world number 32, who lost in the second round of the Australian Open last week, said she would try her best to live up to expectations.
   ‘I consider this as yet another New Year gift,’ said Sania, who had a highly successful run in the international tennis circuit last year.
   Her parents - Imran and Naseema Mirza - too were delighted.

Bangladesh Sports Writers Association will award 21 sports personalities and organisations for their outstanding contribution to the respective sporting fields in 2003 and 2004 at a ceremony today.
   The awardees for 2003 are: Mohammad Rafique (sportsman of the year), Habibul Bashar (cricket), Motiur Rahman Munna (football), Shaheen Mahmud (hockey organiser), Abul Hashem (swimming coach), Mahbubur Rahman (cricket umpire) and Bangladesh Chess Federation (best federation).
   The recipients of 2004 awards are: Mohammad Ashraful (sportsman of the year), Khaled Mashud (cricket), Rubel Rana (swimming), Zahid Hasan (hockey), Sharmin Akhtar (shooting), Bidyut Kumar (weightlifting), Fouzia Huda Jui (athletics), Mostafa Kamal (cricket organiser), Shafiqul Islam Manik (football coach), Akhtaruddin Shaheen (cricket umpire), Narail District Sports Association (best DSA) and Partex Group (sponsor).
   Besides, Dulu Afendi and Kazi Shahed Ahmed will be rewarded for their special contributions. Minister for water resources Major Hafizuddin Ahmed BB (retd) will present the awards as the chief guest.

BKSP clinched the title of Under-15 Young Tigers Tournament defeating Nabin Sangha by nine wickets in the final at the Dhanmondi Cricket Ground on Thursday. Batting first, Nabin Sangha were bundled out for only 71 in 23.2 overs.
   In reply, BKSP reached the target scoring 72 for one in 10 overs.

The three-day Apan Jewellers 18th National Junior Boxing Competition, organised by Bangladesh Boxing Federation (BBF), begins at the Mohammad Ali Boxing Stadium today.
   BBF president Major General Jahangir Alam Chowdhury will inaugurate the competition.