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India (323 & 260/6) draw with England (393 & 297/3 dec)
   Indian opener Wasim Jaffer celebrated his comeback Sunday with a maiden Test century as the first Test against England ended in a hard-fought draw after a thrilling finale.
   Jaffer’s steady innings and a resolute 71 from skipper Rahul Dravid provided little clue that India were considering a last-minute dash for the unlikely 368-run target set by England.
   Any thought of pushing for victory had seemed to evaporate early in the day when England’s first innings bowling hero Matthew Hoggard dismissed hard-hitting opener Virender Sehwag for a duck with one that jagged back into his stumps.
   Jaffer, returning to the team after three years, scored exactly 100 to go with his 81 in the first innings. He put on 167 for the second wicket with Dravid to all but end England’s hopes of a win.
   It was after the loss of Jaffer and Dravid in the final session that things really got interesting as India, with wickets in hand, set about chasing eight or nine runs an over off the last 20.
   India’s decision to promote aggressive Irfan Pathan and Mahendra Dhoni ahead of star batsmen Sachin Tendulkar and Venkatsai Laxman almost paid off when the pair produced a flurry of boundaries.
   Late wickets from England captain Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison turned the tables yet again. When Harmison bowled big-hitting Harbhajan Singh—also promoted up the Indian order—it was England who were suddenly anticipating victory, with four wickets to go.
   However, when Laxman made it to the middle, the Indians decided it was too risky for any more heroics and accepted the umpires’ offer of bad light.
   Pathan had hit a 25-ball 35 while Tendulkar was unbeaten on 28 as India ended on 260-6, 108 runs adrift of the England target with 11.4 overs remaining.
   Injury-hit England go into the second Test at Mohali on Thursday with heads high as they managed to carve out of a winning opportunity without three of their key players—Michael Vaughan, Marcus Trescothick and Simon Jones.
   The tourists needed a couple of early wickets to put pressure on India, but could grab just one in two sessions on a pitch which was good for batting even on the last day.
   Hoggard, who grabbed six scalps in the first innings, again looked the most dangerous bowler early on as he tested both Jaffer and Dravid in a disciplined seven-over opening spell.
   With the pitch offering no help to England pacemen or spinners, India overcame the early loss of Sehwag as Jaffer and Dravid dug themselves in to keep the attack at bay. Earlier in the day India had made no attempt to chase what would have been a record winning target.
   The highest previous total made by a team to win a Test in India was 276-5 by the West Indies in Delhi in 1987.
   Jaffer and Dravid went for their shots only after having made the match safe for their team.
   The opener reached his half-century in the afternoon when he firmly drove Flintoff through the covers for a four and completed his hundred in the last session with a single to point.
   He cracked 12 fours in his 198-ball knock before being caught off an uppish drive by Andrew Strauss in the covers off Flintoff.
   Dravid also held his end intact for a long time to thwart England, taking no risks and patiently waiting for loose deliveries to punish.
   The Indian captain reached his 40th Test half-century when he square-cut Flintoff for a four. He was later bowled by left-arm spinner Monty Panesar, his third wicket of the match marking a promising debut.

India captain Rahul Dravid said he had tried to give England a little scare by mounting a late bid for victory in the first Test on Sunday.
   Chasing 368, India were 131-1 at tea before a quick spurt left them needing 108 to win in 11.4 overs with four wickets in hand. Bad light then foiled both sides and the game was drawn.
   ‘We thought we would give England a bit of a scare,’ Dravid said. ‘It was always going to be very difficult but you never know what can happen if Irfan (Pathan) (35 off 25 balls) or (Mahendra) Dhoni (16 off 21) have a good day.’
   The captain defended his spin bowlers after allowing England to shake off early trouble on day one to dominate the Test.
   Off spinner Harbhajan Singh managed just two first innings wickets after going wicketless in the first two Tests in Pakistan in January before he suffered an injury to his spinning finger.
   ‘It was not an easy pitch to bowl on,’ he said. ‘’Bajji’ is a proven performer and hopefully he will be a factor in future games.’
   Harbhajan and leg spinner Anil Kumble were expected to exploit England batsmen’s perceived weakness against spin but took only four wickets between them for 361.
   Dravid praised England, saying: ‘Two of their boys scored hundreds. It was a great show.
   ‘Last week they had a lot of problems but they still did well. It shows they are a very good side.’
   Indian opening batsman Wasim Jaffer struck 100 for his maiden Test hundred. The 28-year-old was playing only in his eighth Test and the first since the 2002 England tour.
   ‘I’m very happy with the way he played,’ Dravid said. ‘It is good to see the kind of temperament and composure he showed in his comeback Test.’
   ‘Hopefully this will kick-start a long career for him.’
   Meanwhile, England captain Andrew Flintoff praised his young side for showing character to draw the first Test. ‘I’m proud of the lads,’ he told reporters. ‘Coming into this Test match, a few things went against us.
   ‘It is one of the youngest sides England have fielded in four years, three debutants.’

Sharad Pawar, the Indian board president, met with senior cricketers in the Indian team and coach Greg Chappell on the eve of the final day’s play of the Nagpur Test, and later announced that the BCCI wanted to ‘close the chapter’ on the controversial comments by Chappell on Sourav Ganguly.
   ‘Chappell admitted during the meeting that it had been a mistake on his part to have suggested that [captaincy was utterly important to Ganguly’s life and finances],’ said Niranjan Shah, the board secretary, who also attended the meeting.
   Addressing the media after the meetings, which took place at around 9.30pm, Pawar said Chappell had assured the board that he would not talk about any individual players and restrict his comments to the team’s performance.
   Referring to Chappell’s interview to The Guardian in which he made certain remarks about Ganguly, Pawar said ‘we expressed our displeasure to Chappell on this issue and he has assured that he would not make any comments about any individual player. We want to close the chapter here.’
   Apart from Pawar, Shah and Shashank Manohar, the vice-president, were also present at the meetings, the first of which was attended by Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar and Anil Kumble.
   Shah said Chappell’s comments were not discussed in that meeting: ‘It was a general discussion and Chappell’s recent remarks about Ganguly were not brought up.’ After the players left, the BCCI officials met Chappell for about 30 minutes.
   Responding to queries about Ganguly’s reported threat of going to court over the remarks, Pawar said: ‘If the contract [with the BCCI] does not prohibit him from going to court, he is free to do so. Otherwise he cannot.’
   In the controversial interview to The Guardian, Chappell said he had advised Ganguly to step down as captain in his own interest ‘to give himself mind space to work on his batting so that it could be resurrected but he was not prepared to do that’.
   Chappell was also quoted as saying that ‘what I didn’t realise at that stage was how utterly important to his life and finances being captain was’.

Sourav Ganguly will not be recalled into the Indian team as long as the present selection committee is in office, Kiran More, the chairman of the five-man committee, told Cricinfo in an interview on Saturday evening.
   Following Ganguly’s exclusion from the first Test, More had made a statement that ‘there is no looking back on this issue now’, which had been varyingly interpreted by the media.
   More clarified to Cricinfo that the reference then, and now, was to the tenure of the current selection committee, rather than just the present series against England.
   ‘We took a decision that we have to look ahead,’ he said.
   ‘We decided that so much has been said on this issue, that we wanted to send a message across that, `this is what we are looking at, and as far as this committee is concerned, this is what we have decided, that we will not look back at all.’
   More further spelt out that the committee was ‘definitely looking beyond’ Ganguly even if he were to perform well in domestic cricket.
   About the public and media pressure generated by the decision, More said: ‘Pressure is always there in any job and it is a good thing. You have to make some strong decisions. That’s why you’re selecting the Indian team.’
   The team for the second Test against England at Mohali is to be announced this evening. Ganguly, meanwhile, is slated to play for East Zone tomorrow at Jaipur in the Deodhar Trophy, the domestic zonal one-day tournament.
   More’s comments were part of a wide-ranging interview, taken before Sharad Pawar held meetings with the Indian players and coach late on Saturday night. The full interview will be published soon on Cricinfo.

Middle-order batsman Yuvraj Singh has returned to India’s squad for the second Test against England after recovering from a hamstring injury, the selectors announced Sunday.
   India, who drew the opening Test Sunday, have also included seamer Munaf Patel in the squad after he grabbed 10 wickets in a practice match against the tourists at Vadodara last month.
   All-rounder Suresh Raina and paceman Vikram Singh have been dropped.
   Left-hander Yuvraj sustained the injury during a one-day series in Pakistan last month.
   The second Test begins at Mohali on Thursday.
   Squad: Rahul Dravid (capt), Wasim Jaffer, Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Venkatsai Laxman, Mohammad Kaif, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Dhoni, Irfan Pathan, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Munaf Patel, Piyush Chawla, Rudra Pratap Singh.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter says his organisation should take over ticketing arrangements for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
   Blatter said in an interview published Sunday it would have been better if soccer’s world governing body had organized ticket sales for the 2006 World Cup, rather than host country Germany, after criticizing strict German controls.
   ‘It would probably have been better if we had taken over the ticket sales. The Germans have chosen a system that I don’t understand at all,’ Blatter told the weekly NZZ am Sonntag.
   Tickets are embedded with microchips and issued to individuals, who will face recognition scanners at the stadiums’ turnstiles. Blatter thinks the system is too intricate, but organizers say it is for security reasons.
   The 3.3 million tickets will be personalised, creating the threat of long queues at the stadiums with organizers planning checks if the person with the ticket is the person on the ticket. The idea is to eliminate stolen or counterfeit tickets, as well as keeping ticket brokers or others from inflating the price.
   ‘I don’t know how many meetings we’ve had about it. We’re just not making any progress with the German Football Association,’ Blatter said. ‘I don’t understand it. I distanced myself from it from the start, but in the end I’m guilty anyway. In South Africa 2010 we’ll take over the ticketing again.’
   A lawsuit has been filed in Frankfurt by one ticket holder who bought his on eBay. World Cup organisers, who have warned that sales on Internet sites could turn out to be fraudulent, have refused to put his name on the ticket, making it unusable.
   ‘In Germany they have to really try if they want to recreate what happened in 2002 in South Korea or in 1998 in France,’ Blatter added. ‘They have to prove that the World Cup will be as good as the expectations.’

Lancashire are examining the consequences of leaving Old Trafford and moving to a purpose-built ground at nearby Wigan if the cost of bringing their home of more than 100 years up to scratch proves too expensive.
   Old Trafford, which is just a short walk away from the Manchester United football ground of the same name, has been Lancashire’s base since 1864.
   But its facilities have lagged behind those of fellow Test venues Lord’s, The Oval and Trent Bridge - all of which have undergone extensive upgrades in recent years - and Lancashire reckon updating Old Trafford could cost as much as 25 million pounds.
   Previously, there had been talk of moving across Manchester to Eastlands, near Manchester City Football Club’s new home on the site of the 2002 Commonwealth Games stadium.
   But the Lancashire committee were also weighing up a move to Wigan and members were informed at the club’s annual general meeting at Old Trafford here Saturday that Manchester City Council, the main backers of any move to Eastlands, would not force the issue.
   That left Wigan in pole position should the county leave Old Trafford although cautious Lancashire chief executive Jim Cumbes said: ‘As a club this is one of the biggest challenges we’ve faced.
   ‘Whether it’s redevelopment or whether it’s relocation it’s going to be a massive task, there’s no question about that.
   ‘Obviously emotionally Old Trafford has a huge pull but if the decision is to relocate, we have to remember tradition is great as long as it doesn’t hold back progress.
   ‘I’m not saying that would be the decision. If we can get to the right arrangement here at the ground then that may well be the decision that would be taken.’
   Old Trafford has witnessed some of cricket’s greatest feats such as Jim Laker’s 10 wickets in an innings against Australia in 1956, Ian Botham’s blistering century in the 1981 Ashes Test and leg-spinning great Shane Warne’s ‘ball of the century’ to Mike Gatting in 1993.
   Members were told Saturday that Wigan Council had already applied for a grant from Britain’s National Lottery for the 22-acre site where the ground could
   have a sliding roof similar to the one at Melbourne’s Docklands Stadium.
   Lancashire would help fund any move by selling Old Trafford, which could raise an estimated 25 million pounds.
   Officials are reluctant to go down the path of Surrey and Yorkshire, Lancashire’s main nothern rival for Tests and one-day internationals.
   Both clubs took on big debts to redevelop The Oval and Headingley respectively with Yorkshire now owing Leeds City Council 19 million pounds.
   Any move away from Old Trafford would have to be approved by a special general meeting and Lancashire members are set to received more information on all options from the county in August.

Edgar Davids revealed how his punch-up with Robbie Keane helped put Tottenham on the threshold of the Champions League.
   The Dutch firebrand, known as ‘Pitbull’, scrapped with his team-mate as astonished colleagues looked on in disbelief.
   But two months later, Davids, 33 next week, insists the bust-up added the extra touch of steel that has carried Spurs into the top four.
   Davids said, ‘Robbie and I had an argument and later on we spoke about it. It’s good because he said something that was on his chest and I said something, too.
   ‘Here you have people who are honest, tell it how it is and don’t beat about the bush. We had a discussion, talked about it and it was over and done, so we moved on.
   ‘Now I think our relationship is even better because after that we played some very good matches. It’s good to talk about things in a team.
   ‘Sometimes you clash but you grow from it. It’s not good for everybody to say “yes” if you really mean ‘no’.
   ‘If an argument is constructive, in favour of the team and not a personal thing, it’s good. A personal argument...well, that is something else.’
   Sunday, Davids takes on fast-improving Blackburn – and fellow hardman Robbie Savage – at White Hart Lane admitting he’s also had words with boss Martin Jol. In a colourful career the former Ajax, Juventus, and Inter Milan star has rowed with Dutch managers Guus Hiddink and Dick Advocaat.
   He stormed out of the Dutch squad at Euro 96.
   Davids added, ‘Martin and I get along okay because we feel the same about football. We have had differences of opinion – but healthy ones.’
   Davids’ reputation means Premiership referees have a constant eye on his tough tackling. He’s been booked nine times this season and feels officials are looking for him.
   He said, ‘Everybody has frustration with refs but I think my reputation counts against me. Sometimes what happens is a little bit exaggerated but I don’t complain. If I get a tackle, I don’t complain either – but that surely means I must be able to tackle as well. It must be give and take.’
   ‘I’ve enjoyed this season and will be very disappointed if we don’t make Europe. There are 11 games to go and we must stay focused.
   ‘The Premiership is of such high standard, with the best midfielders in the world. Many sides would love to have the midfielders England can call on. I am here for another year. I shall try to win things and make beautiful football.’

European football governing body UEFA is to investigate the use of two referees in matches amid increasing claims of players faking injury.
   UEFA chief executive Lars-Christer Olsson told BBC Five Live’s Sportsweek programme: ‘The use of two referees will be discussed in the summer.
   ‘Previous tests haven’t been successful because of communication.’

Referees at the World Cup will send off players who elbow or tackle recklessly, FIFA said Saturday.
   A meeting of the governing body’s International Football Association Board (IFAB) in Lucerne also approved yellow cards for shirt-pulling or holding an opponent, as well as for playing the ball after the referee has blown his whistle.
   ‘The FIFA World Cup is the perfect platform to send out this message to the whole world of football as people all around the globe will follow the 64 matches in Germany,’ said FIFA President Sepp Blatter. ‘The stars of the tournament will serve as role models for hundreds of millions of other players around the world. So it is all the more important that Germany 2006 sets a positive example.’
   The modifications will apply at the June 9-July 9 World Cup.
   The IFAB meeting also agreed on further tests for goal-line technology to determine whether a goal has been scored or not provided an immediate decision can be made.
   It approved the continuation of an experiment using computer chips inside balls, as well as a proposal by the Italian soccer association to use digital cameras.
   The board also confirmed that players’ kits must be composed of separate items – shirt, shorts, socks, shin guards and shoes – after Cameroon wore an all-in-one kit for the 2004 African Nations Cup.
   Players, who are not on the pitch including substitutes, are also liable to be punished for breaking the game’s laws, IFAB decided.

Mansion, a little-known internet gambling group based in Gibraltar will soon become a household name: the company has won the battle to become Manchester United’s new shirt sponsor.
   The deal, for £60m over four years, is expected to be unveiled within days by the Glazer family, which took control of the club in an £800m takeover last year.
   The sponsorship arrangements will be viewed as a coup for the club, as it dwarfs the current deal with Vodafone, which concludes at the end of the current season. Mansion, headed by Indonesian billionaire Putera Sampoerna, will yield Man Utd £15m a year against £9m from Vodafone. Mansion is understood to have beaten off stiff competition from Qatar Airways.
   Vodafone is ending its shirt sponsorship contract two years early. The transaction comes at a time when United could do with a fillip to its financial position, which is under pressure. The club’s relative failure on the pitch in recent seasons has cost them tens of millions of pounds in lost revenue from both the Premiership and Champions League.

Goals from Didier Drogba and Joe Cole gave Premier League leaders Chelsea a 2-1 win over West Bromwich Albion in a bad-tempered clash at the Hawthorns on Saturday in which they had Arjen Robben sent off.
   Drogba struck just after the break and, following Robben’s dismissal, Cole wrapped up the points for the champions with a close-range effort 10 minutes after replacing Damien Duff. Nwankwo Kanu hit a late consolation for West Brom.
   Chelsea moved on to 72 points from 28 games, stretching their lead to 17 points after Liverpool could only draw 0-0 with Charlton Athletic in a late kick-off.
   The disappointing point allowed Liverpool to rise above Manchester United into second place with 55 points, although United (54 points) play at Wigan Athletic today.
   Arsenal revived their hopes of a top-four finish with a 4-0 thumping of Fulham at Craven Cottage to go fifth.
   West Ham United’s surge was checked by a 2-2 home draw against Everton and Newcastle United’s improvement continued with a 3-1 defeat of Bolton Wanderers.
   At the bottom Birmingham City failed to take advantage of West Brom’s defeat, losing 1-0 at Middlesbrough when a win would have taken them out of the relegation zone.
   Portsmouth’s survival prospects look grim after a Milan Baros winner for Aston Villa left them without a league win this year. They are second from bottom, eight points adrift of safety.
   Chelsea, who face a daunting Champions League trip to Barcelona on Tuesday when they will try to overturn a 2-1 deficit, hardly mustered a shot in a dreary first half.
   But the game crackled into life after the break as tempers frayed on and off the pitch.
   West Brom manager Bryan Robson was infuriated by the late arrival of Chelsea’s players for the resumption of play, and his mood worsened when Drogba was allowed to run unchallenged to plant a low shot past keeper Tomasz Kuszczak after 50 minutes.
   Robben then had a rush of blood to the head, diving in recklessly on Jonathan Greening to get a straight red card from referee Mark Halsey in the 62nd minute – a decision met with sarcastic applause by grizzly Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho.
   West Brom failed to capitalise, however, and Cole made the points safe in the 74th after the home defence failed to clear.
   There was still time for another angry exchange between the managers after Drogba’s theatrical reaction to a tackle from Greening and for substitute Kanu to set up a frantic finale.
   Liverpool showed a worrying lack of killer instinct against Charlton just four days before they attempt to claw back a 1-0 deficit against Benfica in the Champions League.
   Charlton goalkeeper Thomas Myhre made great saves from Djibril Cisse before the break, while England striker Peter Crouch missed a second-half sitter and Robbie Fowler had a goal ruled out for offside.
   Arsenal’s season has been sabotaged by eight away league defeats, but they finally clicked at Fulham.
   Thierry Henry scored twice for the Gunners with Emmanuel Adebayor and Cesc Fabregas also on target to give them an injection of confidence as they prepare for Wednesday’s Champions League second leg against Real Madrid.
   Newcastle continue to impress under caretaker manager Glenn Roeder, their defeat of Bolton making it four wins and a draw since the sacking of Graeme Souness.
   West Ham missed the chance to move to within two points of the Champions League spots despite twice leading against Everton. Marlon Harewood and Dean Ashton gave the Hammers a 2-1 halftime lead but James Beattie gave Everton a deserved point with a superb 71st-minute equaliser.

Real Madrid and Inter Milan have made clear their interest in luring Rafael Benitez away from Liverpool. The club’s hierarchy may have to spend heavily in order to match the Spaniard’s ambition and keep him at Anfield.
   Benitez has been left in no doubt that his achievements on Merseyside, notably Liverpool’s remarkable European Cup win last season, have won him influential admirers at both the Bernabeu and San Siro. The Liverpool board are aware of the interest and know they will have to recruit world-class players or risk losing their man.
   A source close to Benitez said he had been informed that the powers-that-be at both Real and Inter were keen on him. Real made a tentative move for Benitez about two months ago by letting it be known they were interested. When Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry learned of Real’s interest, he took no action, according to a source close to Benitez, and this is thought to have upset the Spaniard.
   Fernando Martin Alvarez, who replaced Florentino Perez as Real’s president in last weekend’s bloodless coup, has placed Benitez at the top of his list of managerial targets along with Juventus’ Fabio Capello. Alvarez wants stability after a constant managerial merry-go-round at the Bernabeu — five coaches in the last two years. He wants a manager who can build a new team, breaking up the galactico squad put together under Perez’s presidency.
   Benitez, 45, is almost two years into a five-year contract at Anfield worth an estimated £2.5m a year. He is understood to feel that, while he has done well with the current personnel, Liverpool need to spend big on quality players if he is to move the club on to a higher level, at which they could compete seriously with Chelsea. Regaining their status as domestic champions for the first time since 1990 is the former Valencia coach’s top priority.
   During almost two years in charge, Benitez has spent nearly £40m on players and recouped £19m from selling, among others, Michael Owen and El Hadji Diouf. He is frustrated that Liverpool have so far not been in the market for world-class players and his main aim this summer is to sign top-level performers at centre-back and on the right wing.
   That might cost £30m. The Anfield board have been scouring the globe for some time seeking new investors, without whom they cannot afford the very best players. Real and Inter are able to spend freely. Inter’s president, Massimo Moratti, sees Benitez as a man who could help his club escape from the shadow of city rivals AC Milan and Juventus.
   However, Benitez enjoys the freedom he has at Liverpool and harbours reservations about working for such a hands-on boss as Moratti. He had similar doubts about the now-departed Perez at Real.
   Capello is another serious contender to fill the Bernabeu hot seat this summer. He has recently spoken of his desire to explore a new challenge abroad, and has already managed Madrid, in 1996-97, when he led them to the league title.

Joe Cole admits he is driven by the startling fear that he could still be sold by Jose Mourinho.
   The midfielder has battled his way from bit-part player to England World Cup cert and Chelsea regular in two spectacular seasons at Stamford Bridge.
   Yet Cole, 25, confessed he is preparing for another summer of insecurity and worry over his Stamford Bridge future.
   He said, ‘I keep on having to dig deeper and deeper to find more and improve my game because I’ve had to.
   ‘Other players in the Chelsea and England sides have secured their places but I’m constantly having to fight and scrap to edge myself in front.
   ‘For instance, I won the title last season and during the last six months I really felt I had found my game and had achieved something.
   ‘I went on holiday for a break and no one could blame me for lying on the beach and feeling chuffed about what I had been a part of. People were talking about me being one of the top players.
   ‘Then all of a sudden my phone rings and I’m being told Chelsea have just signed two players for £50 million in the two positions I play!
   ‘At that moment, I really thought the worst. I thought it might all be over for me and that here was a clear sign that I would be off.
   ‘I wasn’t sure if the next phone call would be someone telling me they had accepted a bid for me or something.
   ‘I know the same could happen again this summer. I know what kind of spending power the club has and how they are looking to improve so I still don’t think I’m safe.
   ‘You try and put those thoughts out of your head and just get on with it – but it can be hard sometimes with all the rumours around.’
   It seems an amazing admission from a player who has won more praise than criticism from his manager this season.
   Cole added, ‘I wonder sometimes how I continually cope with all that. I think it’s because I’ve had the eyes of the world on me since I was a kid at West Ham. I was used to the attention before I came to Stamford Bridge.
   ‘Some are put under too much pressure when they are young but I’m bearing the fruits of that pressure now because I know how to make it work and I never suffer from nerves.
   ‘The more pressure I get, the more I seem to come up with the goods.’
   Blues boss Mourinho has been quick to seize upon errors in Cole’s game – even on days when Cole has produced match-winning goals. It has been a fiery relationship which has seen the two at loggerheads as recently as Chelsea’s first-leg Champions League defeat to Barcelona.
   Cole admitted he was furious at being substituted and heated words were exchanged between the Chelsea chief and the England midfielder.
   Cole revealed, ‘The manager wants me to become a better player but we have not always seen eye-to-eye.
   ‘He has been critical of me and at times it has hurt. But it has also worked, which is the most important thing.
   ‘I was very disappointed to come off during that match but the gaffer tried to explain it was necessary after we had gone down to 10 men.
   ‘But as far as I was concerned, I needed to be on the pitch to try and win it.
   ‘A few words were said but I had to try and think about what the manager was thinking.’
   Now Cole, Chelsea and most of Europe are looking forward to the return clash at the Nou Camp with baited breath.
   Cole added, ‘Barcelona is the defining game of the season and we are planning on making it a game to cherish.
   ‘March is the month that will separate the men from the boys. We all know now is the time to stand up and be counted.’

West Brom boss Bryan Robson has warned Barcelona to be prepared for the play-acting of Chelsea striker Didier Drogba in Tuesday’s Champions League clash.
   Jose Mourinho will take his side into their biggest game of the season in the Camp Nou with stinging criticism from Robson ringing in his ears after his 100th match in charge of Chelsea ended in acrimony.
   The 2-1 victory at The Hawthorns moved Chelsea another step closer to retaining their title but did little to enhance their reputation.
   As well as having Arjen Robben sent off for a two-footed lunge at Jonathan Greening, the champions were accused of gamesmanship by Robson, who also branded Drogba, a diver who feigns injury.
   The match ended with Mourinho storming out of The Hawthorns, snubbing both the media and Robson’s offer of a post-match drink.
   Robson, a former England captain, had been involved in several heated touchline exchanges with Mourinho, having initially been infuriated by the late appearance of several Chelsea players for the second half of a match, which had been finely balanced over the opening period.
   Robson went on to accuse Drogba of attempting to get Greening sent off shortly after Robben had received his second red card in six matches, which will almost certainly earn him a three-match ban.
   The West Brom manager stormed, ‘It was a blatant dive by Drogba. He was rolling around and feigning injury in an effort to even things up and fortunately, the referee did not buy it.
   ‘I thought Robben was a little unlucky to be sent off. If I had been playing in the game, I would not have been happy with a decision like that.
   ‘But what Drogba did was not acceptable. Jonathan Greening did not touch him and the way he reacted was not good. Jose did not see it that way and that is why we had a difference of opinion.’
   Mourinho had to be restrained by police and stewards in the technical
   area as he reacted to Greening’s challenge on Drogba, who had earlier scored his ninth goal of the season to set Mourinho on course for his 72nd victory since taking charge at Stamford Bridge.
   Joe Cole, who was left on the substitutes’ bench for 60 minutes, emerged to score his ninth goal of the season to make the game safe before Nigerian playmaker Nwankwo Kanu scored a late consolation for West Brom.
   Chelsea could find themselves in trouble for holding up the re-start of the game by around three minutes as William Gallas and Drogba were late taking the field after a half-time dressing down from Mourinho.
   ‘I don’t think it influenced the game, but the referee should have started the match without them,’ Robson insisted.
   He added, ‘Jose Mourinho does not wind me up. He is a good coach and he has done a fantastic job at Chelsea, but the bell had been rung several times and there is no excuse for players not taking the field. All my players were ready to start the second half.’
   Chelsea were without Frank Lampard because of the hamstring injury that kept him out of England’s win over Uruguay last week, but he is expected to play against Barcelona.
   Claude Makalele should also be fit, despite suffering a nasty blow to his right ankle, after a late tackle by Ronnie Wallwork.
   Robson insisted he did not have any long-term problems with Mourinho.
   ‘I have invited him and his staff in after the game for a glass of wine. I have no qualms about it,’ said Robson. ‘That’s it as far as I’m concerned.
   ‘He is a very good coach and is doing a fantastic job at Chelsea. They grind out results. He hasn’t wound me up, my team wound me up.’

Real Madrid put a turbulent week behind them on Saturday with a 2-1 victory over city rivals Atletico Madrid but Barcelona moved on towards a title defence with Samuel Eto’o securing a 3-2 home win over Deportivo La Coruna.
   The win left Frank Rijkaard’s side on 61 points from 26 matches, ten ahead of Real. Third-placed Valencia, who can close the gap on the leaders to eight points if they win at bottom side Malaga on Sunday.
   Eto’o was once on Real’s books and the capital club could have done with his 19 league goals this term given the erratic form of Ronaldo, dropped for the Atletico test.
   Italian Antonio Cassano filled in admirably on his first league start since a January move from Roma, however, heading in after just two minutes before Brazilian Julio Baptista wrapped up the win after Mateja Kezman had given the visitors brief hope
   Real coach Juan Ramon Lopez Caro hinted that top-scorer Ronaldo may not even start at Highbury on Wednesday as Real try to overturn a 1-0 Champions League deficit against Arsenal.
   Real, nine-time European champions, are ten points adrift of Barca after Eto’o close-range poach saw off stubborn Deportivo La Coruna.
   Real’s win went some way to making up for the shock midweek resignation of Florentino Perez as chairman.
   Construction magnate Perez went after six years at the helm having acknowledged that too many cracks had appeared in his ‘galactico’ empire with the club facing a third straight season without a trophy.
   Deputy Fernando Martin oversaw his first match as Perez’s successor and could not have missed banners
   reading ‘thanks Floren, we’re with you,’ and ‘Florentino, it’s not your fault. Mercenaries get out of this great club.’
   Martin had called on the squad to shape up and earn the millionaire lifestyle and Cassano showed the wisdom of his selection by scoring on three minutes after a Roberto Carlos cross teed him up.
   Barca roared back, however, and Swedish veteran Henrik Larsson made it 2-2, heading in powerfully off a Ronaldinho corner in the 33rd minute.
   Another corner from the mercurial Brazilian fed Eto’o and another three points were in the bag.
   Earlier, Argentine playmaker Juan Riquelme fired up Villarreal’s bid for a Champions League spot next season by scoring a brace in a 3-2 home win over Alaves with Guille Franco netting an 82nd-minute winner.

FIFA and German authorities are considering cancelling the World Cup if a pandemic of bird flu breaks out in Europe, according to Brazilian newspaper O Estado de Sau Paulo.
   ‘Hightening the paranoia, political figures in Germany and the president of FIFA, Sepp Blatter, have confirmed that the World Cup, due to start in June, could be cancelled if the virus (H5N1) mutates and begins to infect the population,’ wrote the paper’s Zurich correspondent, from the city where FIFA’s headquarters are situated.
   ‘It would be normal for there to be no World Cup if the bird flu transforms into a pandemic,’ the paper quoted Blatter as saying.
   Cases of bird flu have been found all over Europe and the virus was recently detected in a cat in Germany, while more than 140 wild birds across the continent have been infected. Not everyone is getting carried away, however, as the paper goes on to quote German interiror minister Wolfgang Schauble as saying: ‘I cannot see any danger for the World Cup.’
   A dozen cities in Germany will host games and more than 3 million visitors are expected to converge on the country during the month-long spectacular.

Brazil and Barcelona playmaker Ronaldinho has ruled out a big-money summer move to Chelsea.
   ‘I know Chelsea want to sign me but they are a team I don’t want to play for,’ he told the News of the World.
   Ronaldinho, 25, was angered by the Blues’ physical approach in the recent Champions League meeting - a tie Barca lead 2-1 going into the second leg.
   ‘They went to kick my feet before trying to get the ball. Their style does not interest me,’ he added.
   ‘I’ve been feeling the pain from those kicks from Chelsea and had to pull out of Brazil’s friendly because of it. That kind of game isn’t for me and rather than ever play like that I’d say ‘no thank you’.’

Juventus maintained their 10-point lead in Serie A when Pavel Nedved scored the winner for a 1-0 victory over Sampdoria on Saturday.
   The result gave Juventus 73 points from 28 matches. Second-placed AC Milan continued their distant pursuit by beating Empoli 3-0. The Italian champions lacked their usual cutting edge though in a disjointed first half performance.
   Sampdoria went closest to taking an early lead when Sergio Volpi fired a long-range free kick against the woodwork.
   Nedved missed a sitter just before the break, skewing Del Piero’s lay-off over the bar, but made up for his mistake in the 68th minute when he rose above his marker to head in an Adrian Mutu free-kick.
   The key player in AC Milan’s win over relegation-threatened Empoli was Filippo Inzaghi, who scored twice to continue his push for a place in Italy’s World Cup squad.
   The 32-year-old striker, who has hit the target seven times in his last five Serie A appearances, is bidding for his first international call-up since October 2003.

Nadia Petrova pulled off a stunning 6-3, 7-5 victory over world number two and top seed Amelie Mauresmo of France to win the Qatar Open on Saturday.
   The Russian’s victory denied Mauresmo a return to the top in Monday’s WTA rankings with world number one Kim Clijsters out of action this week nursing an injury.
   In a match that lasted one hour and 45 minutes, world number eight Petrova fought relentlessly to outgun the Australian Open champion and gain revenge for her loss in their last meeting in the Antwerp semi-finals last month.
   The Frenchwoman, who had a 4-1 career advantage against Petrova before Saturday’s final, had predicted a tough match and her worst fears came true as the Russian came up with a superb performance.
   Petrova had previously had problems closing out her matches against Mauresmo. In Antwerp, she held a 5-2 lead in the second set but squandered three set points and lost in two.
   It was the fourth successive Russian victory in Qatar after Anastasia Myskina in 2003 and 2004 and Maria Sharapova last year.
   Petrova broke Mauresmo in the second game of the first set and set the tone for her dominance, pinning the Frenchwoman to the baseline.
   Though Petrova took a 3-0 lead, Mauresmo came back strongly. She held her serve and broke Petrova back in the fifth game to make it 3-2 to the Russian but Petrova then leapt into a 4-2 lead before taking the set 6-3.
   Caution was the key word in the second set and games went with serve until it was 5-5.
   Petrova then sensed victory with a crucial break in the 11th game. The pressure factor seemed to have caught up with Mauresmo as she made two unforced errors, sending a forehand into the net and then hitting a backhand wide. Looking more confident, Petrova seized the opportunity with both hands and served out the match in great style.

Rafael Nadal lifted his first title of the year on Saturday when he beat Roger Federer 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the Dubai Open final between the world’s two players.
   It was the Spanish teenager’s third win in four meetings with the Swiss world number one and followed his semi-final victory over Federer in the 2005 French Open semi-finals after which Nadal went on to claim his first grand slam title.
   Nadal, who earned his 13th career title, was playing only his second tournament this year after missing three months with a foot injury that kept him out of the Masters Cup in Shanghai and the Australian Open. The defeat ended top seed Federer’s 16-match winning streak this year after he had claimed titles in Doha and at the Australian Open.
   The 19-year-old Nadal was able to turn the match in his favour after Federer almost totally dominated the opening set.
   Federer, seeking to win four titles at one event for the first time in his career, gave up only two points on serve as he broke to lead 2-0 with a forehand winner and won the final eight points of the set, closing it out with a spectacular over the shoulder backhand that forced an error from his opponent.
   The Swiss was able to take control by mixing the pace well, often coming to the net and not letting Nadal settle.

Lou Vincent was a surprise omission from a 13-man New Zealand squad named on Sunday for the first Test against the West Indies in Auckland this week.
   Vincent would have been considered an automatic selection as an opener after making scores of 52, 224, 13 and 92 in his last four Test innings, as well as a superb century in Wednesday’s one-day international against the touring West Indies.
   But coach John Bracewell said Vincent was overlooked after he told the selectors he wanted to bat in the middle-order but they could not find a place for him.
   Vincent’s omission leaves New Zealand facing the prospect of fielding a new opening partnership against the West Indies with the uncapped Jamie How the only chosen specialist opener.
   Hamish Marshall, who normally bats in the middle-order, is likely to be promoted up the order from three with Peter Fulton, who is also uncapped, named in the middle order.
   A third uncapped player, offspinner Jeetan Patel, was also named in the squad while pace bowler Chris Martin was recalled.
   The first Test starts at Eden Park on Thursday, with the second and third Tests to be played at Wellington and Napier.
   Squad: Stephen Fleming (captain), Jamie How, Hamish Marshall, Peter Fulton, Nathan Astle, Scott Styris, Brendon McCullum, James Franklin, Kyle Mills, Daniel Vettori, Jeetan Patel, Shane Bond, Chris Martin.

Alex Ferguson is planning a swoop for Lille midfield duo Mathieu Bodmer and Jean Makoun.
   News of the World can reveal the Manchester United manager has identified the two stars after scouts watched them several times.
   United directors have already met Cameroon ace Makoun’s representatives and plan to make a move at the end of the season.
   Makoun, 22, said, ‘I know that United are interested in me. They sent a scout to our game against Monaco last week. My agents have met United.
   ‘Apparently they want to sign me for next season.
   ‘There is no concrete offer for Lille but I know United will make one at the end of the season.’
   Lille are third in the French league and will cash in on Makoun if they fail to clinch a Champions League place.
   Fergie tried to sign Frenchman Bodmer, 23, in January. Bodmer said, ‘I’ve a clause in my contract that allows me to go if a club offers £5.5m.’

Sven-Goran Eriksson has backed England captain David Beckham to put his club concerns at Real Madrid to one side in time for the World Cup finals.
   Beckham, 30, has another season left on his contract with the Spanish giants and the former Manchester United midfielder has said he wants to begin discussions on a new deal soon.
   However, his future at Real is less certain following the recent departure of club president Florentino Perez, the man behind Beckham’s move to the Bernabeu three years ago.
   ‘In general it’s better that these things are solved before a World Cup, whether a player moves between clubs or stays at the same club,’ Eriksson said.
   ‘But David Beckham can handle all sorts of problems and pressures and I don’t think he will be worried about that playing in the World Cup.’
   Another midfield worry for Eriksson ahead of the finals in Germany in June and July concerns the identity of the ‘holding’ player. Eriksson believes that, long-term, either Steven Gerrard or Frank Lampard will move into that position.
   But the Swede, who will quit following the World Cup after a series of unflattering newspaper revelations, has not ruled out the possibility of employing Michael Carrick in a defensive role in Germany – even if it means dropping Liverpool skipper Gerrard or Chelsea mainstay Lampard.
   ‘Gerrard and Lampard are two extremely intelligent football players who, in the future when they lose a little bit of energy, could play extremely well as sitting midfielders. I’m sure about that.’