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Zinedine Zidane scored for Real Madrid when he was given an emotional send-off by the club’s fans on Sunday in his last match at the Bernabeu before his retirement after the World Cup.
   With his side trailing 2-1 to Villarreal, the three-time World Player of the Year rose to the occasion when looped a header over keeper Mariano Barbosa and into the net after David Beckham had clipped the ball into the area.
   Real ended up drawing the game 3-3, a result that allowed them to leapfrog Valencia and take second place in the Primera Liga a point ahead of Valencia and 12 behind Barcelona, who retained their title in midweek.
   An 80,000 capacity crowd paid tribute to the 33-year-old France midfielder before kick-off by holding up a vast, white mosaic made up of shirts emblazoned with his name and the number five.
   The Frenchman was given a standing ovation by the crowd while the video screens played highlights of his five-year career with the Spanish giants.
   The player himself looked somewhat embarrassed by the tribute. He kept his head down and carried on with his warm-up exercises but briefly acknowledged the crowd before the match got underway.
   Zidane’s team-mates all wore a shirt specially made for the occasion with ‘Zidane 2001-2006’ embroidered below the club crest.
   The Real Madrid playmaker was given another ovation when he was substituted five minutes from the final whistle and returned to the centre of the pitch after the match to thank the fans for their support.
   Zidane joined Real for a world-record transfer fee of $66 million from Juventus in 2001, having been targeted by then club president Florentino Perez as a key part of his plans to construct a ‘Galactico’ super team for the club’s centenary season.
   He had a difficult start at Real but soon became an integral part of the team and proved to be the most influential player in their run to the European Cup final where he scored a stunning winner in the 2-1 victory over Bayer Leverkusen in Glasgow.
   The victory enabled Zidane to complete an impressive collection of winners’ medals for club and country which included the 1998 World Cup and the European Championship in 2000.
   He helped Real to win the league title in 2003, the club’s last trophy, but his powers have been on the wane since then and at the end of April he announced his intention to retire after the World Cup in Germany.
   ‘I’ve really enjoyed these five years,’ Zidane was quoted as saying in the programme for the Villarreal match.
   ‘There have been some bad times, but it will be the good ones I will always remember. I came here hoping to win the European Cup and I can leave happy as I have done that.
   ‘I’ve got great memories of that game and I also had the good luck to score that goal in Glasgow. I’ll never forget that moment.
   ‘My departure forms part of football, I’m not afraid of retirement. I’m proud of my career because I’ve played with two of the biggest teams, Real Madrid and Juventus, and I’ve won a lot of trophies.
   ‘I’ve always been a very competitive player and done all I can to win and I haven’t been doing that recently. I’m retiring because I can no longer offer Real Madrid a Zidane at 100 per cent.’
   Zidane and former Real Madrid great Alfredo Di Stefano will be given a joint tribute on Tuesday.
   Real will play Stade Reims, the side they beat to win the first of their nine European Cups in 1956, at the reserve team ground in Valdebebas which has been named after the Argentine.
   Zidane will play his last game for Real in next week’s league match at Sevilla before hooking up with the France squad for the World Cup, which starts on June 9.

Very few people are betting against Brazil at the World Cup. Brazil have many of the best players in the world, a record five World Cup titles, and one of the greatest traditions in soccer. The national team has won two of the last three titles - and is coming off a successful season last year.
   There’s no denying Brazil are heavily favoured to win the tournament in Germany. The Brazilians admit that - as do most of their opponents.
   The Brazilians, however, will be the first to point out that things likely won’t be as easy as they look.
   ‘It’s true that we have great chances to win the World Cup,’ Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira said recently. ‘But that doesn’t mean it’s a done deal, we still need to play the matches and win them. And we know that’s not going to be easy. All teams will be trying their best to beat the defending champions.’
   Brazil are a stronger favourite than ever as this World Cup approaches.
   In addition to comfortably leading FIFA’s world rankings since 2002, Brazil won the 2004 Copa America and last year’s Confederations Cup. They also finished first in the South American World Cup qualifying group, ahead of rivals Argentina.
   The team will be led by two-time FIFA player-of-the-year Ronaldinho, and he will be supported by all-stars including Kaka, Ronaldo, Adriano, Cafu, Robinho and Roberto Carlos.
   ‘We have a very strong team, very technical and experienced,’ Ronaldo said.
   Brazil’s World Cup record are hard to be matched. Brazil have reached the semi-finals in 10 of the 17 World Cups since the competition started in 1930, and is the only team to have played in every tournament. They were runners-up twice, including in 1998 to hosts France.
   Brazil have played 87 World Cup matches, winning 60 (including the last seven), drawing 14 and losing only 13. They have outscored their opponents 191-82.
   But no matter how good Brazil may be, history shows they might have a hard time in Germany.
   After winning their first two titles in 1958 and 1962, Brazil were heavily favoured to clinch a third in 1966 in England. Even with Pele in his prime, the team played poorly and was eliminated in the first round.
   Another disappointment took place in the 1974 World Cup in West Germany, after Brazil’s dazzling campaign to win their third title in the 1970 tournament in Mexico. This time without Pele, Brazil were eliminated by the Netherlands and finished fourth.
   ‘Several times the favourites came back home early,’ Parreira said. ‘Just remember France and Argentina in 2002, they had chances to win the title but were knocked out early.’
   In 1982 in Spain, Brazil assembled a great team with stars including Zico, Socrates and Falcao. The team enchanted fans and cruised through the first two rounds, then were shocked 3-2 by Italy when they needed only a draw to advance.
   ‘When a national team is too superior than another technically, things can get out of control,’ Pele said recently. ‘The other team will enter the field knowing they have to play their best. They will play harder to try to overcome their disadvantage.’
   Everyone will be aiming for the five-time champions. If Brazil win a sixth title, it will be at least another 12 years - or 2018 - before the Brazilians can be matched by another team.
   Italy and Germany are the closest to Brazil in titles, with three each. Argentina and Uruguay are next with two each.
   ‘All teams that made it to the World Cup finals play at a very high level, and all of them will be extra motivated to try to beat Brazil,’ Ronaldinho said.
   The Europeans will have a slight edge with the tournament being played in the old continent. European nations have won eight of the nine World Cups played there.
   In their past 19 matches since 2005, Brazil have lost only three times, but all of the losses came against possible World Cup opponents. It fell 3-1 to Argentina and 1-0 to Ecuador in the South American World Cup qualifying, and 1-0 to Mexico in the Confederations Cup.
   This year, Brazil are in Group F with Croatia, Australia and Japan. Brazil and Croatia drew the only two times they played, including 1-1 in a friendly last August.
   The Brazilians have a winning record against Australia, having won three of their five matches. Australia beat Brazil 1-0 the last time the teams met, however, in the 2001 Confederations Cup in South Korea.
   The defending champions have five wins in seven matches against Japan. The teams drew the other two times, including 2-2 in the Confederations Cup last year in Germany.
   ‘This could be one of the most even World Cups ever,’ Ronaldo said.

Croatia head into this year’s World Cup as a darkhorse - again. The fledgling Balkan country has a considerable pedigree since joining FIFA in 1992. They have qualified for five of six major international tournaments, including the last three World Cups.
   In Germany, the Croats hope to emulate their maiden World Cup appearance in France 1998, where they finished third.
   Pele has singled Croatia out as one of the hidden favorites of this year’s tournament - most probably swayed by the team’s recent 3-2 victory over two-time world champions Argentina in a warm-up match.
   The Croats also led five-time champions Brazil in another friendly before having to settle for a 1-1 draw.
   In its short history since winning independence in 1991, Croatia have only lost five European Championship or World Cup qualifying matches. The team finished undefeated atop Group 8 in qualifying, beating rivals Sweden and Bulgaria.
   In the last two World Cups, they have racked up victories over Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.
   The successful road to Berlin has rekindled passions in the soccer-mad country of 4.2 million and raised hopes that a new crop of talented players could fill the shoes of the storied ‘98 generation.
   Besides the trademark red-and-white checkered jerseys, many still remember captain Zvonimir Boban, who helped AC Milan to a string of league and European titles; Robert Prosinecki, who wore the colours of Real Madrid and FC Barcelona; and Davor Suker, who won the 1998 World Cup Golden Boot award as the top striker.
   ‘It may sound far-fetched, but we could go as far as they did, maybe further,’ coach Zlatko Kranjcar said. ‘If we are spared injuries and luck goes our way, we can beat anyone - even Brazil.’
   The Croatians will have a chance to do just that. They are in Group F with the title-holders, as well as Japan and Australia.
   ‘Realistically, Brazil are in a world of their own. The key to the next round depends on our matches with Japan and Australia. After that, anything is possible,’ Kranjcar said.
   Croatia bid farewell to their old stars in South Korea and Japan four years ago, exiting prematurely after a win against three-time champions Italy, but costly losses to Mexico and Ecuador.
   Kranjcar took over the national squad after it flopped at Euro 2004 in Portugal under defensive-minded Otto Baric.
   A former striker who captained Croatia in their first ever international match against the United States in 1990, Kranjcar returned players to their natural positions, reviving the team’s creative flair and impulse to attack.
   The strategy revolves mostly around his son, Niko, who is tasked with feeding the team’s frontmen or moving into a scoring opportunity by himself.
   The backline is Croatia’s main forte, with current and former Juventus defenders Robert Kovac and Igor Tudor acting as pillars alongside AC Milan’s Dario Simic and Hertha Berlin’s Joe Simunic.
   Rangers forward Dado Prso spearheads the attack. A spirited fighter with a gentle touch when it comes to finding the net, Prso scored five goals in the qualifying phase.
   ‘Croatia are not one of the favorites, but we’re certainly dangerous for all of the favourites,’ Prso said.

Japan coach Zico figures his team has nothing to fear at the World Cup. Drawn in a tough Group F that includes five-time champions Brazil, Australia and Croatia, the Asian champions will need all the courage they can muster to advance to the second round, however.
   Zico, who took over from Philippe Troussier after the 2002 World Cup, said Japan's players have become stronger after a series of setbacks.
   At the 2004 Asian Cup in China, local fans booed during Japan's national anthem and hung banners criticising Tokyo's aggression during World War II. Japanese fans and players were harassed throughout the tournament and riot police were called in to ensure their safety.
   Prior to a key World Cup qualifier against Oman, a typhoon swept through Japan and the team had to hold a training session in the banquet room of a hotel.
   'Through tough situations like those our players have become stronger,' Zico said. 'We won 11 of 12 games to qualify for the World Cup and we'll be heading to Germany with confidence.'
   Zico will have some tough questions of his own to resolve before Japan open their World Cup campaign on June 12 against Australia.
   While he originally intended to go with a midfield consisting of Hidetoshi Nakata (Bolton), Shunsuke Nakamura (Celtic), Junichi Inamoto (West Bromwich Albion) and former Feyenoord player Shinji Ono, Zico said the emergence of domestic players Mitsuo Ogasawara and Takashi Fukunishi could result in a change of plans.
   Then there is the question of who will play forward. Zico speaks highly of Atsushi Yanagisawa, who played for Japan four years ago, but the veteran striker has been sidelined with a foot injury since March and will have had little time to prepare.
   J-League players Tatsuhiko Kubo, Masashi Oguro and Keiji Tamada have been used up front in recent friendlies with limited success.
   Defence is solid with captain Tsuneyuki Miyamaoto and veteran Koji Nakata. Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi is expected to be Japan's starting goalkeeper.
   To have a realistic chance of advancing, Zico knows the match against Australia will be key.
   'The match against Australia is very important,' Zico said. 'They have many high-level players who play in Europe and if you give them space, they'll define the match so we have to mark them very closely.'
   'We're in a very tough group,' Zico said. 'It's almost guaranteed that Brazil will go through so the other teams each have a 33 per cent chance to advance. The team that makes the fewest mistakes will be the one that advances.'
   Japan will be making their third appearance in the World Cup. The team's best performance was in 2002 when it co-hosted the tournament with South Korea and advanced to the second round.

Theo Walcott and Aaron Lennon are in England’s provisional World Cup squad, but Shaun Wright-Phillips, Jermain Defoe and Ledley King miss out.
   Arsenal teenager Walcott is one of only four strikers in Sven-Goran Eriksson’s 23-man squad named on Monday, alongside injured pair Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen.
   Darren Bent misses out, while Defoe is on a five-man standby list.
   Middlesbrough winger Stewart Downing and Bayern Munich’s Owen Hargreaves are other surprise inclusions.
   Chelsea winger Wright-Phillips, an England squad regular this season, does not even make the standby list, which also includes uncapped West Ham midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker and Crystal Palace striker Andy Johnson.
   Eriksson admitted he was taking a gamble after selecting untried Walcott, who is yet to make a first-team appearance for Arsenal after joining from Southampton in January. ‘It is a gamble, of course it is a gamble I can’t deny that but it is a nice one,’ he said.
   Provisional squad
   Goalkeepers: Paul Robinson, David James, Robert Green; Defenders: Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Ashley Cole, Sol Campbell, Jamie Carragher, Wayne Bridge: Midfielders: David Beckham, Michael Carrick, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Owen Hargreaves, Jermaine Jenas, Stewart Downing, Joe Cole, Aaron Lennon; Forwards: Michael Owen, Peter Crouch, Wayne Rooney, Theo Walcott.

Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari believes goals will be in short supply at next month’s World Cup finals in Germany as teams prefer to defend rather than attack in numbers.
   ‘Attack with six players and defend with eight when you lose the ball.
   ‘That is football at the moment,’ Scolari said in an interview with Kicker magazine.
   ‘For that reason I do not think this World Cup will be a goals fest. There will not be as many goals as at previous World Cups.’
   At the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea the 64 matches produced 161 goals at a ratio of 2.5 goals per game.
   The 57-year-old Scolari, who led Brazil to World Cup glory four years ago, guides Portugal at the finals and believes his side have improved since Euro 2004 when they reached the final as hosts.
   ‘I think our team are better than at Euro 2004,’ Scolari said. ‘We had to go through qualifying this time and that was an advantage as we coped with the pressure.
   ‘I would say that we are one of the best eight teams in the world at the moment.’

Dutch veteran Edgar Davids has been left out in the cold by coach Marco van Basten who announced Holland's 28-man, World Cup pre-squad on Monday.
   Eighteen of those players, expected to be in the final 23 by FIFA's May 15 deadline, will be underdoing national training from Tuesday to Friday this week. The other 10 have not yet been released by their clubs.
   Absentees compared to the 33-man squad named last month, apart from Tottenham midfielder Davids, include Aston Villa's Wilfred Bouma, Ron Vlaar of Feyenoord, Ajax's Urby Emanuelson, Patrick Lodewijks of Feyenoord and AZ Alkmaar's Martijn Meerdink.
   Van Basten, who had already left out Bayern Munich striker Roy Makaay and AC Milan midfielder Clarence Seedorf from the 33 named in April, has not commented on whether or not omitted players could be reprieved and included in the final squad at the last minute.
   Ajax defender Johnny Heitinger, not included in the original 33, has made it to the 28-man squad however.
   Squad:
   Keepers: Edwin van der Sar, Maarten Stekelenburg, Henk Timmer.
   Defenders: Khalid Boulahrouz, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Tim de Cler, Kew Jaliens, Jan Kromkamp, Joris Mathijsen, Andre Ooijer, Johnny Heitinga and Barry Opdam.
   Midfielders: George Boateng, Mark van Bommel, Phillip
   Cocu, Nigel de Jong, Denny Landzaat, Hedwiges Maduro, Wesley Sneijder, Rafael van der Vaart.
   Strikers: Ryan Babel, Romeo Castelen, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Dirk Kuijt, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Robin van Persie, Arjen
   Robben, Jan Vennegoor.

Alan Shearer reckons that Steven Gerrard is the man who can take up the mantle of England match-winner in Wayne Rooney's probable absence.
   Rooney is racing to be fit in time for this summer's World Cup after breaking a metatarsal in the recent game against Chelsea, leaving Sven Goran Eriksson scratching his head and frantically searching for a Plan B.
   While Shearer accepts that Rooney's injury is terrible news, he does not believe that there is any need to be overly negative about England's chances
   'It is a massive blow to lose Wayne Rooney, there is no doubt about that,' the newly retired Newcastle forward told The Sun.
   'But if we throw our hands up and say all is now lost we are being disrespectful to the other players.
   'I believe we still have enough players to do it and with a little bit of adjustment, have the formation to do it too.'
   Shearer's solution would be to push Gerrard into a more advanced role, playing off a lone striker.
   Shearer believes that the Liverpool skipper would thrive in such a position, and that the whole team would benefit.
   'Steven has been playing in that sort of position for Liverpool for some time now, that's why he has 20 goals this season,' he explained.
   'I am a massive fan of his and have no doubts he can step forward to fill that role left by Rooney.
   'Other players have to step forward now Rooney is injured and Gerrard is certainly one who can do that. He could emerge as our main man in the tournament.
   'There is no doubt he has the bottle to take up the gauntlet if it is laid down - you only have to look at last season's Champions League final to see that. He is someone who inspires.
   'With Gerrard further forward, Lampard can come into his own in the centre.
   'Then I would have Michael Carrick as the holding midfielder.'
   Shearer also praised the appointment of Steve McClaren as England manager, tipping him to be successful when he takes charge at the end of the summer.
   'I think Steve will do a good job. He knows the players and the set-up inside-out from being Sven's right-hand man,' he commented.
   'I was just glad it was an Englishman.'

One million people lined the streets here on Sunday to witness Barcelona's Spanish League title celebrations.
   The team, champions for a second successive season, paraded the trophy from an open-top bus in a parade which took four hours to wind its way through the crowds.
   Police estimated the crowd at around one million.
   The parade was also a send-off for the team which faces Arsenal on May 17 in Paris in the Champions League final.

Chelsea’s place at the top of the Premier League is destined to become a familiar sight given the ease with which Jose Mourinho’s men retained their title in 2006.
   In charge from the start, prompting bookmakers to pay out as early as September, Chelsea’s sheer consistency left the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal trailing in their wake.
   Mourinho’s management skills, the seemingly limitless transfer budget of Russian billionaire owner Roman Abramovich and the ability of Frank Lampard to score goals and John Terry to prevent them made the Blues all but unbeatable.
   Even before being strengthened in the months ahead with the likely recruitment of Bayern Munich playmaker Michael Ballack, Chelsea are a formidable side.
   Keeper Petr Cech’s safe pair of hands, Terry’s rugged defence and the outstanding holding role of France midfielder Claude Makelele made them very difficult to break down.
   Going forward, Chelsea raided from the flanks with Joe Cole, Arjen Robben and Damien Duff, down the middle with 20-goal Lampard and up front with imposing Ivorian Didier Drogba.
   It will require a huge effort from their rivals next season to deny them a hat-trick of titles.
   United paid the price for a patchy opening three months of the season which led to their inspirational captain Roy Keane’s surprise departure for Celtic.
   Manager Alex Ferguson, who appears to enjoy the support of the club’s new American owners, will certainly need some transfer funds.
   Fired by England striker Wayne Rooney, United strung together an impressive winning run in the closing stages and threatened trouble if Chelsea suffered a sudden collapse.
   But Chelsea held their nerve and United finished up with second place and a modest League Cup to show for their season, following a shock exit from the Champions League’s group stage.
   The exceptional talent of Rooney, whose broken foot was a bigger blow to England’s World Cup hopes than it was for United, proved yet again to be United’s catalyst.
   Dutch strike partner Ruud van Nistelrooy chipped in with 21 league goals, though his days at Old Trafford look numbered after a spat with Ferguson.
   Liverpool predictably lost their European champions’ crown but gained a great deal more credibility at home-snapping at United’s heels in the closing weeks after overcoming a goal drought.
   Showing a real improvement in Spanish manager Rafael Benitez’s second season, Liverpool won 50 percent more league games than in 2004-05 and reached an FA Cup final they should win against West Ham United on Saturday.
   As ever, captain Steven Gerrard was their driving force and England fans will pray he takes that form to the World Cup.
   Fourth place, and a slot with Liverpool in the Champions League qualifiers, went to Arsenal at the expense of north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on a pulsating final day.
   Thierry Henry’s hat-trick against Wigan Athletic in their final game at Highbury ensured the Frenchman finished as the Premier League’s top scorer for the fourth time in five years.
   However, he remains linked with a possible move to Barcelona, ironically the team Arsene Wenger’s youngsters face in the Champions League final on May 17.
   Arsenal, who will start next season at the 60,000-seater Emirates Stadium, ended their final Highbury campaign with a flourish after an often painful period of transition.
   Captain Patrick Vieira left for Juventus in July, Sol Campbell was hit by injuries and a crisis of confidence, fellow defender Ashley Cole was sidelined for more than six months and Dutch forward Dennis Bergkamp brought his career to an end.
   The emphasis of Spurs boss Martin Jol on English players, compared to their rarity at Arsenal, was a notable feature of a side featuring World Cup hopefuls Ledley King, Jermaine Jenas and Michael Carrick, plus young midfield revelation Aaron Lennon.
   However, the biggest contributor to a fine season was an Irishman, striker Robbie Keane, whose clever footwork and cool finishing brought him 16 goals.
   Two promoted clubs fared extremely well with West Ham already sure of a UEFA Cup place-along with Spurs and Blackburn Rovers-and Wigan Athletic reaching the League Cup final and a top six place in the table before fading.
   Sunderland returned to second division football with the lowest points total ever in the Premier League, though, joined by West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City. None of them will be missed.

Germany’s shooting star Lukas Podolski revealed Monday that he is set to join newly-crowned German champions Bayern Munich after next month’s World Cup finals in his homeland.
   FC Cologne forward Podolski has been coveted by several top clubs in the Bundesliga but the 20-year-old striker is to make Munich his new home.
   ‘It was a really difficult decision. Werder Bremen and Hamburg are both attractive options and I thought about them, but Bayern are the best club in Germany at the moment,’ Podolski said in Bild daily.
   ‘I always wanted to play at the very top and challenge myself. At Bayern I would have to measure myself against top stars every day and that is an advantage.’
   Cologne have just been relegated from the Bundesliga and Bayern are reportedly ready to offer seven million euros for Podolski.
   Cologne are reluctant to sell but are likely to do business as a get-out clause allows Podolski to leave for just one million euros next summer.
   ‘The time is right for both clubs and I hope the transfer goes through as soon as possible,’ Podolski added.
   ‘I have to thank this club for everything. The fans are unique in the Bundesliga and I will never forget them for the way they stuck by me in the bad times.’
   Podolski has disappointed with 10 league goals so far this season but his record of 10 goals in 22 internationals suggests he can be a prolific striker. With Dutch international Roy Makaay, Paraguayan star Roque Santa Cruz and Peruvian internationals Claudio Pizarro and Paolo Guerrero striking competition is fierce at Bayern but Podolski says he is not worried.
   ‘If it came to that (sitting on the substitutes bench) I would not have a problem with it. I am young and still have a lot to learn,’ Podolski declared.
   Podolski is expected to spearhead Germany’s attack at next month’s World Cup with his nation opening the tournament against Costa Rica in Munich on June 9.

AC Milan’s Ukrainian striker Andriy Shev-chenko has been sidelined for 25 days with a knee injury, the Serie A club said on Monday.
   Shevchenko is the key player for Ukraine in their first World Cup finals campaign which starts with their Group H opener against Spain on June 14 and his injury could effect his preparation for the tournament.
   The former European-player-of-the-year picked up the injury early in Milan’s 3-2 win over Parma in Serie A on Sunday.
   Milan said the forward had suffered ‘a sprain and stretching of the medial collateral ligament’ but ruled out any need for an operation.
   Shevchenko will miss Milan’s final game of the season at home to Roma.

A Thierry Henry hat-trick ensured Arsenal will be back in the Champions League next season as local rivals Tottenham endured a final day of the Premiership season that was sickening in every sense.
   Henry’s heroics inspired Arsenal to a 4-2 win over Wigan in what was the final match to be played at the club’s Highbury stadium.
   That was enough for Arsene Wenger’s side to snatch fourth place in the table as Spurs, with half their team suffering the after-effects of a food poisoning bug, went down to a 2-1 defeat at West Ham.
   ‘No-one now can say we didn’t deserve it,’ a delighted Henry said. ‘We are fourth and we are going to play the final of the Champions League.’
   ‘At the end of 38 games the table does not lie.’
   When Henry completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot he fell to the floor and kissed the turf. ‘It was a goodbye kiss to the stadium,’ he said, refusing to comment on speculation that he could be on his way to Barcelona this summer.
   Arsenal had got off to a perfect start with Robert Pires putting them ahead in the 8th minute.
   Wigan equalised, through Paul Scharner, less than two minutes later and then went ahead thanks to David Thompson’s clever free-kick.
   That simply set the stage for Henry, who got his side back on level terms ten minutes before the break, put them ahead 11 minutes after the restart and completed his hat-trick with a 76th-minute penalty after Andreas Johansson pulled back Freddie Ljungberg.
   Johansson, who had only just come on as a substitute, received a red card and there was no way back for Wigan.
   Spurs, who failed in a bid to have their match delayed until Sunday evening to allow their players more time to recover from a bug picked up in their pre-match hotel, were always on the back foot at Upton Park after West Ham took a tenth-minute lead through Carl Fletcher.
   Former West Ham striker Jermain Defoe got Spurs back on level terms ten minutes before the break.
   But, after Paul Robinson saved a Teddy Sheringham penalty, it was no surprise when Israeli midfielder Yossi Benayoun sealed victory for the FA Cup finalists with ten minutes left.
   ‘Full credit to West Ham because they played like it was the FA Cup final, but it was very disappointing because we could not give it 100 per cent,’ said Spurs boss Martin Jol.
   Manchester United beat Charlton 4-0 to clinch second place in the table and direct entry to the group stages of next season’s Champions League.
   But events off the field at Old Trafford could prove equally significant for United’s future following a pre-match walkout by Ruud van Nistelrooy.
   The Dutch striker stormed off after turning up at the ground to discover he had been left on the bench with teenage striker Giuseppe Rossi and Louis Saha starting in attack.
   Saha demonstrated why he has overtaken van Nistelrooy as United’s first-choice striker by heading them into a tenth-minute lead.
   A Cristiano Ronaldo strike and an own goal by Jason Euell ensured Alan Curbishley’s final match in charge of Charlton was all over as a contest by half-time and Kieran Richardson rounded things off just before the hour mark.
   Afterwards Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson said there had been ‘issues’ involving van Nistelrooy in midweek which had led him to drop the Dutchman.
   ‘We will be discussing it with the club directors tomorrow and on Tuesday and that’s it,’ the Scot said in remarks that may well signal the end of the Dutchman’s time at Old Trafford.
   United’s win made Liverpool’s trip to Portsmouth meaningless. Robbie Fowler, Peter Crouch and Djibril Cisse secured a 3-1 victory for the Reds but their afternoon was overshadowed by the potentially serious ankle injury suffered by midfielder Xabi Alonso. Ognjen Koroman notched Pompey’s goal.
   Champions Chelsea suffered back-to-back Premiership defeats for the first time under Jose Mourinho thanks to a 1-0 defeat at Newcastle.
   Titus Bramble scored the winner, 17 minutes from the end and the Magpies, who finished 7th in the table, were able to hold out despite having defender Stephen Carr sent off shortly after they had taken the lead.
   Elsewhere, Gareth Barry and Liam Ridgewell gave Aston Villa a 2-1 win over bottom-side Sunderland, who finished the season with a paltry haul of 15 points.
   Goals from Zurab Khizanishvili, courtesy of a horrendous blunder by England number two David James, and Shefki Kuqi gave Blackburn a 2-0 win over Manchester City, while Ricardo Vaz Te secured a win for Bolton over relegated Birmingham.
   A last-minute equaliser from Duncan Ferguson earned Everton a 2-2 draw at home to West Brom.
   UEFA Cup finalists Middlesbrough paid for resting most of their big guns ahead of this week’s meeting with Sevilla when they were beaten 1-0 at Fulham, for whom Heidar Helguson won and then converted an 84th-minute penalty.

Zinedine Zidane may be on the verge of hanging up his boots, but Real Madrid are not likely to stray too far from the French foreign legion of soccer superstars.
   Real supporters bid an emotional goodbye to Zidane, the three-time World Player of the Year, who played his last official game in the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday in a 3-3 draw against Villarreal.
   However, the French influence at the Spanish giants did not start with Zidane and it is not likely to end with him.
   Rumours are rife in the Spanish capital that Real are prepared to break the bank this summer and make Thierry Henry the world’s richest player.
   Henry’s contract at English Premiership side Arsenal ends this season and if The Gunners do not beat Barcelona on May 17 in Paris and lift the Champions League then most pundits expect Real to be in the running to sign him.
   Newspaper reports in Spain two weeks ago predicted that Real would try to snatch Henry from under the noses of their bitter rivals Barcelona.
   For the privilege of following in the footsteps of Zidane, Real apparently would pay Henry an annual salary of around 10 million euros, nearly double what Ronaldo and David Beckham are believed to be currently earning.
   The concept of having multi-millionaire players wearing the now-famous white jerseys would have been beyond the comprehension of the first Frenchman to play for Real Madrid, Enrique - or Henri in some accounts - Normand.
   Normand was one of the founders of Madrid FC in 1902, as they were before the Real moniker was acquired, combining his football with a full-time job as an industrial engineer.
   He didn’t play in either of Madrid’s two official games in their first season but soon developed into an indispensable member of their side, getting four Spanish Cup winners’ medals.
   The next French players to appear for Madrid were the brothers Juan and Rene Petit de Ory, who appeared for the club during World War I.
   Juan’s career was brought to a premature end in 1917 when he suffered injuries while fighting with the French army.
   It was then to be more than 30 years before another Frenchman appeared for Real but Santiago Bernabeu, the president of the club before building the stadium that now bears his name, started the trend for signing foreign players, now full-time professionals, that continues unabated to this day.
   Among Bernabeu’s first overseas acquisitions were the French internationals Louis Hon and Jean Luciano in 1950, although neither man lasted more than three seasons.
   ‘Talented but difficult,’ commented one recent Real Madrid history, hinting at their rows with Bernabeu, but the pair paved the way for the arrival of the first French ‘galactico’ in 1956, the dazzling striker Raymond Kopa.
   ‘The three years I spent at Real Madrid were unforgettable. The best days of my life. I was playing for the best team in Europe,’ said Kopa, who was part of teams that won three successive European Cups.
   ‘It’s impossible to calculate what it would cost these days to put together a team that had the talents of Di Stefano, Puskas, Gento and me.’
   After the departure of Kopa in 1959, the next Frenchman to arrive was international midfielder Lucien Muller three years later.
   Muller now barely gets a mention when Real’s French players are remembered, probably because he committed the ultimate sin, in the eyes of many of the club’s fans, by signing for Barcelona in 1965.
   It was to be 32 years before another Frenchman played for Real.
   Christian Karembeu ended the wait in 1997 and he was followed shortly afterwards by Nicolas Anelka and Claude Makelele before former club president Florentino Perez signed Zidane five years ago.
   Perez was prepared to pay Juventus what remains a world record transfer fee of 72.1 million euros for Zidane, but fans on Sunday were firmly of the opinion that he has been worth every centimo, as have been most of his French predecessors.

Eyebrows were unfairly raised when FIFA announced that Mexico would be one of the eight seeds at the World Cup - but the CONCACAF qualifiers have more than justified their status.
   Wins over Argentina and Brazil over the past two years plus an impressive 20-match unbeaten streak have instilled a strong sense of self-belief in Ricardo Lavolpe's squad ahead of the finals.
   Lavolpe, a member of Argentina's 1978 World Cup-winning squad, has proved to be an astute tactician during his four years in charge. Whereas the Mexicans used to rely on a handful of individuals, Lavolpe has expanded the pool of available players by blooding young talent.
   He has also not been afraid to court controversy, axing legendary striker Cuauhtemoc Blanco midway through qualifiers. Lavolpe has also attracted criticism by including two naturalised Mexicans, Argentina-born Guillermo Franco and Brazil-born midfielder Antonio Naelson.
   With the exception of a draw against Panama and an away defeat to the United States - which was cancelled out by a home win over Bruce Arena's team in the Azteca Stadium - Mexico sealed their place in Germany in some style.
   While Blanco is likely to be persona non grata, Lavolpe is able to call on the likes of strikers such as Bolton's Jared Borgetti and Francisco Fonseca of Cruz Asul.
   Borgetti became the country's top all-time international goal-scorer during qualifying, adding 14 goals.
   There are a whole batch of relative newcomers too such as Carlos Salcido the Guadalajara defender and Toluca's Zinha, as well as the experience of men like Barcelona star Rafa Marquez and goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez.
   Although Mexico reached the quarter-finals on both occasions they hosted the World Cup in 1970 and 1986, they have fallen at the last-16 stage at the last three events.
   After being drawn against Portugal, Iran and Angola in Group D, Mexico look set for a run to the second round once more.
   But the team have struggled against European opposition under Lavolpe. They lost all six of their matches against European teams until the 1-0 win over Hungary last December.

Crocked England star Wayne Rooney is having rap music pumped into his oxygen chamber to entertain him as he heals.
   Hip-hop fan Roo is spending four hours a day in the 13ft tank to speed up his recovery from a broken metatarsal.
   He can’t take electronic equipment into the chamber, which is in the car park at Man United’s Carrington training complex.
   So bored Wayne, 20, has set up speakers around the £55,000 tank so he can listen to top tracks.
   A source said: ‘Wayne was bored out of his skull in the oxygen chamber.
   ‘It seems like an eternity when all you can do is read. He couldn’t take his iPod in, so he has set up speakers outside to play really loud music.
   ‘He’s had 50 Cent, Snoop and Eminem blasting out.’
   Fellow England and Man Utd team-mate Rio Ferdinand has been making playlists for Rooney.
   Both are huge hip-hop fans and got on stage with rapper 50 Cent last year at the men Arena.

German investigators said on Monday they had opened a probe into the head of one of the World Cup sponsors who is accused of giving match tickets to politicians or government employees.
   Utz Claassen, the chief executive of the EnBW energy group, is under
   suspicion of giving away tickets
   allocated to his company in its role as an official backer of the June 9-July 9 finals.
   Fifteen German politicians or government employees said to have received tickets are also being investigated, a spokesman for the prosecutor’s office in the southwestern city of Karlsruhe said, without identifying them.
   Prosecutors are also considering investigating another eight people.
   Under German law, government employees or politicians are not permitted to accept gifts.
   But the Vice-President of the World Cup organising committee, Wolfgang Niersbach, dismissed the suggestion that by giving politicians tickets, companies may be accused of attempting to buy favours.
   ‘It is grotesque and absurd that anyone who invites guests to World Cup matches or who receives an invitation is accused of having dishonest intentions,’ Niersbach said in Monday’s edition of the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper.

Real Madrid superstar Roberto Carlos is being linked with Chelsea. Diariosport says Roberto Carlos has told close friends he's moving to Stamford Bridge next season to solve Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho's left-back problems.
   Mourinho is ready to listen to offers for Asier del Horno, while a move for Arsenal's Ashley Cole has been called off due to the fallout from last year's tapping up scandal.
   Chelsea will offer £4 million to Real for the Brazil international, a cool £8 million less than what the Qatari League was offering in January. The Blues have also tabled Roberto Carlos a two-year contract offer to consider.

The stadiums are ready, the infrastructure is in place and excitement is building across Germany one month before the start of the World Cup.
   ‘We are very, very reassured. Everything is right in our time plan,’ said Jens Grittner, spokesman for the World Cup organising committee. ‘We are working calmly on the finishing touches. In fact, things are so calm it is making us a little uneasy.’
   The Germans have one nagging problem they can’t solve: the demand for tickets.
   The 64 matches for the June 9-July 9 tournament are all sold out, but the requests keep pouring in. Even heads of state have been making late demands for seats for up to 50 people.
   ‘The pressure just won’t go away. We will have this problem until the final game. We have 3 million tickets - we need 30 million,’ said Wolfgang Niersbach, vice president of the organising committee.
   Germany experienced some headaches with the 12 World Cup stadiums - including a leaking retractable roof in Frankfurt and a broken awning at Kaiserslautern’s Fritz-Walter stadium. But organisers say those problems have long been solved as they have poured hundreds of millions of euros (dollars) into renovating or building new arenas.
   ‘We are doing the fine-tuning now. We feel so confident we can say we will offer the best stadiums in the world,’ Grittner said.
   There is hardly a television station whose content isn’t dominated by soccer these days, and German companies like Puma, the sports clothing company, are mounting their largest advertising campaign in history - although they aren’t one of the World Cup’s official sponsors.
   The German effort to mount a perfect World Cup once led FIFA general secretary Urs Linsi to tell them to ‘relax.’
   Some German worries may appear minor to past organisers of major sports events, including the Athens Olympics, where workers were riveting bolts on arenas right up to the opening ceremony.
   ‘People have to understand this is a massive, enormous undertaking,’ Niersbach said. ‘Things can’t go perfectly. We could have a bus break down and it may take 30 minutes for the next one to arrive.’
   Security, hooligans and prostitution are more serious concerns.
   The top police officer in charge of keeping hooligans under control said last week he fears the troublemakers living in Germany more than the those from England or the Netherlands.
   ‘What gives me headaches sometimes is thinking about how we are going to keep our own 10,000 hooligans in line,’ said Michael Endler, head of ZIS, Germany’s office for sports information.
   In February, the Germans were embarrassed when 65 people were arrested after their fans rampaged before and during a friendly win in Slovenia - the worst violence from the country’s hooligans since the 2000 European Championship.
   NATO will have AWACS surveillance planes patrolling the skies over Germany during the tournament. Soldiers will be on standby with radiation and chemical warfare detection equipment. And the German government will reimpose national passport checks at borders to minimise the threat of terrorism.
   ‘I have great hope the World Cup will go off without harm,’ Deputy Interior Minister August Hanning said last week. ‘We can’t rule out surprises, but we have taken every precaution.’
   On the field, the 32 participating teams will start preparing for the tournament in the next week or so. With several European leagues already finished and more ending this weekend, coaches will have a chance to gather their squads together for warmup games ahead of the tournament.
   Several big-name players are still hoping to recover from injury to play, but it looks like England striker Wayne Rooney will miss much, if not all, of the tournament after breaking his right foot more than a week ago.
   Germany will play Costa Rica in the opening match on June 9. FIFA is inviting all former World Cup winners to participate in the opening ceremony before the game kicks off.

Portugal are aiming to overcome their split personality as they make a place in the World Cup quarter-finals their minimum objective.
   The Portuguese have been the Jekyll and Hyde of European football in recent years, brilliant one moment, awful the next.
   Even though 2002 World Cup-winning coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has steadily developed an exciting squad since taking over three years ago, consistency has remained elusive.
   At Euro 2004, for example, Scolari’s men beat Spain, England and Holland-but ended up losing twice to eventual winners, lowly-ranked Greece.
   In 2006 World Cup qualifiers, they scrambled a 2-2 draw against tiny Liechtenstein-and then walloped Russia 7-1 three days later.
   And in recent friendlies, they brushed aside Croatia-then drew with minnows Northern Ireland.
   Overall, though, qualifying was a breeze for the Portuguese and they won their group by seven points, amassing 35 goals in 12 games.
   That has got Portuguese fans confidently predicting that their team can advance to the later stages of this summer’s World Cup and there is no doubt that they have the squad do it.
   A Group D which pits them against Mexico, Angola and Iran should not hold too many fears for Scolari, whose team has an embarrassment of attacking options.
   Paris St Germain striker Pauleta, who netted 11 times in qualifying, spearheads a forward line that also features such gifted forwards as Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo, Benfica’s Simao Sabrosa, and the veteran Luis Figo.
   Figo, who reversed his decision to quit international football, has been in inspirational form this year since his transfer to Inter Milan.
   Another option up front is FC Porto’s flying winger Ricardo Quaresma, who has enjoyed a superb season after a disappointing spell at Barcelona.
   In midfield, Scolari can call upon the artful Deco, the Barcelona star who makes the team tick and is the conduit between defence and attack.
   Scolari meanwhile is warning against complacency, citing Portugal’s first-round exit in 2002 as evidence of what may happen when the team starts to believe its own publicity.

Australians are used to sporting success. A win at the World Cup in Germany would still be a novelty, though.
   Australia, one of the most powerful sporting nations in the world, have never scored a goal in a World Cup match - The best result in their only ever appearance was a 0-0 draw with Chile in Berlin at the 1974 tournament.
   The national soccer team will be looking for their first win on soccer’s biggest stage when they play Japan on June 12, however. Brazil and Croatia are also in Group F.
   Under Dutch coach Guus Hiddink, the Socceroos have set their sights high when they return to Germany in June.
   Hiddink, who led South Korea to the semifinals four years ago, concedes that beating Brazil will be hard, but believes his team can outgun Japan and Croatia.
   ‘Perhaps Japan and Croatia have other ideas, but realistically we are looking for the spot behind Brazil,’ Hiddink said on FIFA’s website. ‘They are the favourites and the toughest draw we could have had. You can have a strategy against Brazil, but they have the quality to open you up at any moment.’
   Australian sports fans - long accustomed to domination from Olympic swimming pools to the world’s cricket fields - have lofty ambitions, particularly since appointing Hiddink, who also reached the last four with the Netherlands in 1998.
   In France, the Dutch lost to Brazil on penalties. Four years later in South Korea and Japan - in a much bigger shock - Hiddink took the co-hosts to the semifinals, where they lost to Germany.
   His strength is doing whatever it takes - he sent star midfielder Edgar Davids home from the 1996 European Championship for launching an attack on his coaching style - to mold players into a cohesive team.
   He has the raw materials - injuries permitting - to pull off a few surprises in Germany.
   Hiddink’s Australian squad is packed with talent that has been seasoned by years in Europe’s top leagues.
   Standouts include Liverpool’s Harry Kewell, the Middlesbrough Marks - Viduka and Schwarzer - and Everton’s Tim Cahill.
   All four have been injured recently, and that could affect their participation in Germany.
   Schwarzer broke his cheek and Viduka strained a thigh playing for Middlesbrough, while the mercurial Kewell has battled for several years with a string of injuries that have left him struggling to regain the brilliance he displayed when he played for the Leeds team that reached the Champions League semifinals in 2001.
   Cahill is possibly the biggest doubt. The Everton midfielder is recovering from ligament damage to his left knee and his club says he may miss the World Cup.
   Starved of soccer on the world’s greatest stage since 1974, Australian fans reacted like they’d won the trophy when they sealed qualification for Germany in a nerve-jangling penalty shootout last November. Even Prime Minister John Howard, a noted cricket fan, congratulated them.
   Hiddink puts that into perspective now.
   ‘We are happy to have qualified but we are not here to make up the numbers and want to spring a surprise,’ he said recently. ‘Japan have changed a lot since 2002 and, like us, they will want to pull something out of the hat. I think it will go down to the final game against Croatia, which should be interesting as some of our players have Croatian heritage.’
   For Hiddink, the World Cup will be the final act in his brief association with soccer down under. He leaves after the tournament to coach Russia.
   For veterans like Schwarzer and Viduka, it will be their first and likely last World Cup appearance.

David Beckham has signed for his biggest American advertising deal yet - lending his upper lip to plug milk.
   The England skipper shot an advert in Madrid last week for the high profile US campaign, Got Milk?
   A-listers who have sported its trademark white moustache before include Madonna, Muhammad Ali, Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford.
   Becks’ latest corporate money spinner is sure to cement his status as a massive celebrity across the pond.
   A source at Got Milk? HQ said: "Having David Beckham as a face for the campaign is a huge result for both parties.
   "Kids idolise Becks so there is nobody better to encourage them to drink the white stuff.
   "It’s great for David too because he is keen to raise his profile in the US even further so his soccer schools take off.
   "The campaign traditionally has the biggest names in showbiz and sport. David fits the mould perfectly."
   The Real Madrid star spent Friday in Spain sporting the famous milky moustache while celebrity photographer Annie Leibowitz took the pictures.
   She has worked with David and wife Victoria in the past and has kept in touch.
   Her pictures of Becks will
   be plastered across huge billboards all over the US from next month.
   The milky ‘tache of Got Milk? has become one of the most recognisable advertising gimmicks in the world.
   Its success can be measured simply by looking at the list of megastars who have signed up for the gig in the past.
   Those lapping up big bucks deals include Sir Elton John, rapper Nelly, Batman star Christian Bale and Superman actor Brandon Routh.
   Oh, and how could I forget the lovely Kermit The Frog.
   With this deal, Becks’ superstardom is beginning to rank alongside other sporting idols in America including golfing sensation Tiger Woods. Even the world’s biggest movie star, Tom Cruise, is a huge fan of the former Manchester Utd star and has become a close friend.
   Another admirer, this time from the music world, is rapper Snoop Dogg.
   David’s football academies are proving to be a real money-
   spinner and can only get bigger and better. Now he’s a face of milk in America his position as a global sports icon is assured.
   With the figures for this deal shrouded in secrecy, I wonder if Becks is getting a lifetime supply of milk as his fee instead?

Fans buying tickets on auction websites for the World Cup are paying huge mark-ups and risk getting turned away at the turnstiles, a report has warned.
   Tickets for the football tournament sold via unauthorised websites are, on average, 327 per cent more expensive than their face value, security firm G4S found.
   Two tickets for the England v Trinidad & Tobago fixture sold online for £1,500 - 2,307 per centover the original sale price. Security checks could mean fans with such tickets are barred from matches.
   ‘FIFA has implemented a rigorous identification system for the World Cup finals, so supporters purchasing tickets from touts could face severe disappointment,’ said Douglas Greenwell from G4S.
   ‘If the ticket holder’s details do not match those of the purchaser they will be refused entry to the stadium.’
   Tickets are issued in the name of the applicant or guest specified in the original order and an ID or passport number is required.
   According to the terms and conditions of sale, tickets can only be transferred by an application to the FIFA World Cup organising committee.
   Thousands of tickets are being sold illegally by online auction sites and tickets touts despite the fact the UK government has banned the unlicensed sale of tickets for the finals, G4S added.

The Serie A title race will go right down to the wire after leaders Juventus and their closest challengers AC Milan both won their penultimate matches on Sunday.
   Reigning champions Juventus edged Palermo 2-1 in Turin to maintain their three-point lead over Milan, who won 3-2 at Parma.
   If the pair finish level on points at the end of the season, Milan will be crowned champions courtesy of their better head-to-head record - they won at the San Siro and drew at the Delle Alpi.
   The Palermo defence failed to clear the danger after Mauro Camoranesi crossed from the right and Pavel Nedved pounced on the loose ball to drive home a low, left-footed shot.
   Zlatan Ibrahimovic increased Juve’s lead in the 61st minute, racing on to Camoranesi’s long ball before side-footing home his first goal in more than two months.
   Palermo hauled themselves back into contention when Dennis Godeas’ fierce, angled drive from a tight angle flashed past Gianluigi Buffon.
   And the Juve fans had their hearts in their mouths in the closing stages when Nigerian striker Stephen Makinwa missed a golden opportunity to equalise.
   Milan suffered a major blow at Parma when Andriy Shevchenko hobbled off injured early on.

Parjoar Kalindi High School, Mashkata Dighi High School and Nasirabad High School moved into the semi-finals of the Standard Chartered Young Tigers National School Cricket after beating their respective opponents on Monday.
   At the Dhanmondi Cricket Stadium, Chittagong Nasirabad High School defeated Sylhet Blue Bird High School by 176 runs while Mashkata School of Rajshahi emerged winners by seven wickets against Manikganj Government High School at the neighbouring Dhanmnodi Club ground.
   Dhaka Metropolitan zone champions Kalindi High School squashed Barisal Udayan High School by five wickets at the Jagannath Hall ground. Kalindi will face Nasirabad in the semi-final match at the same venue today.
   In the other semi-final, Mashkata will meet title contenders BKSP at the Dhanmondi Cricket Stadium.

West Indies (333/6) beat Zimbabwe (251/7) by 82 runs
   Impressive bowling from Fidel Edwards, as well as a dominant batting performance, paved the way for West Indies to complete an 82-run win in the fourth one-day international against Zimbabwe at Bourda Oval on Sunday.
   Edwards snared three wickets for 42 runs from his allotment of 10 overs, as Zimbabwe, chasing 334 for victory, were restricted to 251 for seven to hand West Indies an unstoppable 3-0 lead in the seven-match series.
   Zimbabwe never had a chance once Edwards removed opening batsmen Piet Rinke and skipper Terrence Duffin for ducks in the space of four balls in the first over.
   Elton Chigumbura and Vusimuzi Sibanda took the opportunity to enhance their reputations with meaningful half-centuries that were the backbone of the visitors’ innings before Edwards and Tino Best, respectively, removed them.
   Chigumbura hit four fours and three sixes in 60 at a run-a-ball and Sibanda supported with nine boundaries in 52 from 73 deliveries.
   Led by half-centuries from Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Runako Morton, and Brian Lara, West Indies, choosing to bat on a hard, true pitch under sunny skies, totalled 333 for six from their allocation of 50 overs.
   Chanderpaul, playing in his first match on home soil since resigning the West Indies captaincy, won tumultuous applause when he arrived at the wicket and entertained the near capacity crowd with nine fours and three sixes in 93 from 82 balls.
   He gained support from Morton, who struck nine fours and one six in 79 from 82 balls, and skipper Lara, who collected nine fours in 56 from 45 balls, to get the ball rolling in the early part of the innings.

The National Sports Council in consultation with the Bangladesh Olympic Association allocated Tk 10 lakh for the preparation of the national U-23 football team for the upcoming SA Games.
   State minister for youth and sports, Fazlur Rahman, sat with BOA acting secretary general Kutubuddin Ahmed to discuss about the stalemate regarding the Tk 47 lakh budget sought by the Bangladesh Football Federation. The NSC initially agreed to provide Tk 10 lakh and assured that the rest of the amount will be provided after the adoption of new national budget for the next fiscal year.
   It is learnt that the NSC and the BOA are not interested to pay the salaries of the Argentine coach Diego Cruciani and trainer Victor Coleman as sought by the BFF.
   Meanwhile, the football federation has got the needed green signal to declare the preliminary squad and start the training camp. ‘We just needed the nod from the BOA and we have got it, we will now take all the necessary steps to start the camp. The squad will be declared shortly,’ said Anwarul Huq Helal, the general secretary of the BFF. The U-23 national team’s camp will be based at the BKSP but as many of the athletes of other disciplines are also staying there, lodging of the booters remains a headache. The BFF has urged the BOA to solve the problem and the BOA has given the assurance to provide the required facilities.

Faridpur High School and Kanial Khata High School of Nilphamari scored 6-0 victories over their opponents in the banglalink tiger trophy National School Football Championship on Monday.
   Faridpur High defeated Madaripur Public Institute with Ali Raz and Hafiz Sheikk scoring a brace. Kanial Khata High School thrashed Gajghanta School and College with Jamal slamming a hat-trick. Babul netted a brace.
   In the other match at the same venue Gobindaganj High School of Gaibandha defeated Bangladesh Railway CP High School 4-0. Shamim, Dilip, Rabbi and Arman scored apiece.
   At the Sirajganj Stadium, Jamalpur District School beat Hardinge High School 2-0 with Hijjatul and Johnny scoring apiece. In Comilla, Zahurul scored a hat-trick for Hajiganj Pilot High against Madhabdi SP Institute to seal a 3-0 victory.
   At the Faridpur Stadium, Mehedi scored a hat-trick for Shahid Samad High of Shariatpur against Rajoir Gopalganj KJS Pilot High School to mastermind the 3-0 victory.

South Africa have climbed above New Zealand into fifth place in the ICC Test rankings following the Proteas’ 2-0 series victory over the Black Caps.
   The International Cricket Council announced the standings on Monday, one day after South Africa had defeated New Zealand by four wickets in the third and final Test in Johannesburg.
   Australia remain well clear in top spot on 131 points, ahead of England (113), India (111) and Pakistan (109) with South Africa (101) moving four points clear of New Zealand.
   South Africa skipper Graeme Smith also enjoyed a boost in the player rankings, rising five places to 19th in the batsmen’s standings following his two half-centuries in the final New Zealand Test.
   However, all-rounder Jacques Kallis paid the penalty for a poor final Test when he fell behind India’s Rahul Dravid into third place.
   Australia’s Ricky Ponting retained top spot by a comfortable 89-point margin.
   In the bowling rankings, the top 10 players were unchanged with Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan heading the list, ahead of South Africa’s Makhaya Ntini and Australia’s Shane Warne.
   Despite taking a 200th Test wicket in the New Zealand series, Kallis also fell behind England’s Andrew Flintoff at the top of the all-rounder rankings.
   Flintoff will captain an injury-depleted England in the first of three Tests against Sri Lanka starting at Lord’s on Thursday.

The Dhaka Bank National U-19 Cricket Tournament begins tomorrow simultaneously in seven venues across the country.
   A total of 64 teams that include 62 districts and two educational institutions will participate in the tournament, which is going to be held after a two-year interval. The two non-participating districts are Sherpur and Sunamganj.
   After the preliminary knockout round, 12 teams – two teams each from Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna and Rajshahi divisions and one each from Barisal, Sylhet divisions and educational institutions and the reigning champions Comilla – will compete in the final round, to be held in Dhaka from May 25. For the competition, Bangladesh Cricket Board has prepared a budget of Tk 38.93 lakh of which sponsor Dhaka Bank will provide Tk 25 lakh.
   A press conference was held in this connection on Monday at the National Sports Council, where the BCB vice-president, Shah Nurul Kabir Shaheen, member Khandaker Jamil Uddin, CEO Mahmudur Rahman and Abu Musa, the deputy managing director of the Dhaka Bank, were present.

The Bangladesh national hockey team in its lone preparation match before the Asian Games qualifiers beat Bangladesh Army 1-0 at the Maulana Bhashani National Stadium on Monday.
   Midfielder Chayan scored the all-important goal in the second half. Coach Jamal Haider expressed satisfaction over the performances of his players. 'We played cautiously to avoid picking up injuries on the new turf and before the tournament. The players responded to my plans,' he said.
   Meanwhile, the teams have started to arrive in the capital to play in the eight-team qualifiers. Singapore were due to be the first to land on Monday night.

Fiorentina’s Italy international striker Luca Toni struck twice in his team’s 5-2 win over Reggina on Sunday to become the first player in 47 years to score 30 goals in Serie A.
   The last man to reach 30 goals in a season was Argentine Anton Valentin Angelillo who scored 33 goals in the 1958/1959 season for Inter Milan.
   Toni is only the third Italian born player to have achieved the feat in Serie A following Felice Placido Borel of Juventus in 1934 and Giuseppe Meazza for Inter Milan in 1930. Both scored 31 goals.
   Fiorentina’s win maintained their two point lead over AS Roma in the battle for fourth place in Serie A which brings a place in the qualifying round for next season’s Champions League.
   Toni is expected to lead the line for Marcello Lippi’s Italy in the World Cup finals in Germany.

India’s star batsman Sachin Tendulkar, afflicted by injuries and inconsistent form, has turned to Hindu religious rituals to help overcome the crisis.
   Priests traced the trouble to ‘sarpa dosha’ or evil snake effects in the planetary alignments of the 33-year-old, The Times of India said on Monday.
   To correct the evil, Tendulkar, draped in white silk, and his wife Anjali began two days of prayers at the Subramanya temple complex in the southern Indian state of Karnataka.
   ‘The master blaster’s loss of form and injury problems were traced to adverse planetary positions for which corrective rituals are taking place,’ the daily said. The rituals would continue early Monday.
   Recovering from a shoulder surgery a year after being treated for a tennis elbow, he missed the recent one-day series at home against England and will also sit out of the five one-dayers in the West Indies later this month.

Beckenbauer is without doubt one of the greatest players and managers of all time. He redefined the role of ‘libero’, lifted the World Cup as captain in 1974, before repeating the feat as a manager in 1990. The son of a General Manager of a postal depot, he began his career at the age of 9, in the youth team of SC Munchen 06, before joining FC Bayern Munich in 1958.
   He made his debut for Bayern on the left wing, against FC St Pauli, on 6 June 1964. In only his first season in the regional league, he won promotion to the Bundesliga.
   Franz celebrated his first international cap on 26 September 1965 at the tender age of 20, and went on to play in three World Cups. The young Beckenbauer made his first finals appearance in 1966, scoring 2 goals in a 5-0 victory over Switzerland in his first game. Although Germany lost in that legendary Final to hosts England at Wembley, more than 30 years later, Beckenbauer can reflect positively on events: ‘Being a runner-up in the World Cup isn’t too bad for a young player’, Beckenbauer told FIFAworldcup.com.
   His second tournament in Mexico 1970 was also memorable as he played in the semi-final against Italy with a dislocated shoulder, carrying his injured arm in a sling. However, his dedication went unrewarded, as Italy won the match 4:3, and the Germans had to settle for third place.
   Nevertheless, Beckenbauer still has fond memories of Mexico: ‘1970 was a magnificent tournament. The fans were fanatical and stadium security wasn’t quite so intense in those days. You could still do pretty much what you wanted to. There was just one armed policeman who sat outside the entrance and watched the whole ground. Obviously, that would be unthinkable today. Back then, it was simply more relaxed. The games in Mexico were colourful. The country laughed and football danced’.
   Then in 1974 came his finest hour. By now, Beckenbauer was playing in the position he revolutionised - as libero behind the defence. He organised the team from the back but also came forward when his side attacked. It was in his nature to go forward, he simply couldn’t stop himself.
   The 1974 World Cup in Germany was something extra-special for Beckenbauer and his team. From the first whistle, the home fans expected nothing less than victory. The high expectations were something the captain was all too aware of, ‘when you are hosts, there is obviously twice the pressure, because everybody expects you to win’.
   Gerd Mueller, Paul Breitner, Wolfgang Overath and the rest of the team withstood the pressure to make Germany winners for the second time. After the 2-1 victory over The Netherlands, Beckenbauer became the first captain to lift the brand new World Cup trophy after Brazil had retained the Jules Rimet cup in 1970.
   In 1977, Beckenbauer left Bayern Munich to join the New York Cosmos. By the time he left Munich he had won every major honour with ‘his’ Bayern (hat-trick of European Cups, four Championships, four German Cup medals). He hoped to find a new challenge in America’s professional league, as well as earn a good living. From a sporting point of view, however, the switch to America did not further his development: ‘Football-wise it was a non starter’ he said.
   The move across the Atlantic also brought an end to his international career. Since he was plying his trade abroad, he was no longer considered for selection by the German Football Association. He made 103 appearances for his country, becoming the first ever German player to break through the ‘magical’ 100 cap barrier.
   In 1982, he made his comeback in the Bundesliga at 35, playing for one season with Hamburg. He retired from playing in 1983 after another spell with the Cosmos in New York.
   In July 1984, after the failure of Jupp Derwall at that year’s European Championships, Beckenbauer was installed as national manager.
   His first major success as manager was at Mexico 1986, where he led his team to the Final. Although Argentina won the trophy, Beckenbauer had come of age as a manager.
   At Italia 1990, Germany became undefeated World Champions, and when Andreas Brehme converted his penalty in the final against Argentina, Beckenbauer secured his place in German football history for all eternity. He became the first man to win the World Cup as captain and as manager.
   Winning the trophy as a manager remains the pinnacle of Franz Beckenbauer’s football career: ‘I would say 1990 in Italy was the most important to me, it doesn’t come any better than managing a side to victory,’ he has been quoted as saying.
   Beckenbauer was President of FC Bayern Munich until 1998, when he was made Vice-President of the German Football Association. It was under his reign that the successful campaign to host the 2006 World Cup was launched.
   Since Germany’s bid to host its second finals tournament was accepted, he has taken an active role in the planning and staging of 2006 World Cup as chairman of the organising committee.
   —Fifaworldcup.com
   
   Name : Franz Beckenbauer
   Date of Birth : September 11 1945
   Birthplace : Munich, Germany

By now Europe was teetering on the brink of major conflict, and, two years after Hitler had used the Berlin Olympics to glorify Nazism, France was chosen to stage the 1938 World Cup.
   Austria’s ‘Wunderteam’ was a notable absentee—Austria had been invaded by Germany—while Spain were also missing, preoccupied with civil war. England were in conflict with FIFA, and South America, peeved at not being chosen as host after Italy 1934, sent only one representative, Brazil.
   Asia was represented for the first time, by Indonesia, playing as the Dutch East Indies, though were quickly on their way home after losing 6-0 to Hungary in the first round.
   Having edged Brazil 2-1 in the semis, Italy, under tough coach Vittorio Pozzo, lifted the trophy for the second tournament in succession, defeating Hungary 4-2 in the final at Colombes.
   The Hungarians had reached the final by demolishing Sweden 5-1, despite conceding a goal after only 30 seconds. Italy captain Giuseppe Meazza was the star of the Italian team, while Brazil’s ‘black diamond’ Leonidas da Silva finished top scorer with eight goals, including four in an astonishing 6-5 victory over Poland.
   
   STARS
   Giovanni Ferrari
   Italy: b. 1907, d. 1982
   With Giuseppe Meazza, one of only two players to take part in both of Italy’s World Cup winning teams of 1934 and 1938.
   Although an inside left he made his debut for Italy against Switzerland in Rome in 1930 as an inside-right and put the ball over an empty goal while standing under the bar. Italian coach Vittorio Pozzo assured him he would do better. Became the indispensable constructive midfield player in the Italian side and won 44 caps, although he had to wait a year for the second of them, and scored 14 goals.
   At Juventus he won five consecutive Italian championships and added another with Inter in 1938.
   
   Leonidas da Silva
   Brazil: b. 1913
   Became known as the Black Diamond in Europe after the 1938 World Cup when he was leading scorer with eight goals but in Brazil he was known as O Homen Borracha (the Rubber Man) because of his remarkable agility.
   Famed for his bicycle kicks, capped 23 times as inside or centre-forward and ranked alongside Pele by most Brazilians. He was only 18 when he first played for Brazil and scored twice against Uruguay in 1932. A veteran of the 1934 World Cup, he opened his account in the 1938 World Cup with four goals against Poland.
   
   Giuseppe Meazza
   Italy: b. 1910, d. 1979
   One of the most complete forwards ever to play for Italy. With Ferrari was one of only two players to appear for Italy in 1934 and 1938 winning World Cup sides.
   Made his debut for Internazionale as a 17-year-old in 1927-28 and scored a dozen goals. The following season he scored 33, a record he would never surpass, although he got another 31 the next season.
   Superb dribbler and although not tall remarkably good in the air.
   Peppino, as he was nicknamed, made his debut for Italy against Switzerland at Rome in 1930 and scored twice in a 4-2 win. Made his name with three goals in a 5-0 win over Hungary in his fourth international and went on to score a record 33 goals for his country.
   His first 15 caps were won at centre-forward but in 1933 he played inside right to Schiavio in a 3-1 win over Germany in Bologna.
   It was a combination which would help them win the World Cup the following year. Meazza played in every game in that competition, scoring once in the opening match, a 7-1 victory over the United States, and getting the vital goal in the bitterly-contested quarter-final replay with Spain.
   In the 1938 World Cup he played alongside Piola and captained Italy to another victory, again playing in every match. His only goal was a winning penalty in the 2-1 semi-final win over Brazil.
   
   LEADING SCORERS
   Leonidas Da Silva (BRA) 8
   Gyula Zsengeller (HUN) 7
   Silvio Piola (ITA) 5
   Gyorgy Sarosi (HUN) 4
   Gino Colaussi (ITA) 4
   Gustav Wetterstorm (SWE) 4
   Ernst Willimowski (POL) 4
   
   TRIVIA
   l Disappointed fans attacked the Argentine Football Federation offices in Buenos Aires after Argentina pulled out of the competition when their application to host the event was rejected.
   l For the first time both France as the hosts and Italy, the holders, were exempted from the qualifying rounds.
   l Austria’s ‘Wunderteam’ was plundered by Germany following Hitler’s take over in Vienna. However, it did the Germans little good—they lost in a first round replay 4-2 to Switzerland.
   l Out of 25 entries, 15 nations contested the finals, with eight again being seeded and one, Sweden, receiving a bye into the quarter-finals.
   l Brazil’s quarter-final clash with Czechoslovakia in Bordeaux degenerated into violence, with two Brazilians and one Czech sent off.
   l France became the first hosts to lose a match when Italy beat them 3-1 in the quarter-finals.
   l Italy’s fascist dictator Benito Mussolini sent a telegram to coach Vittorio Pozzo before the final saying: ‘Win or die.’
   l Luckily Italy won, and Pozzo became the first coach to win the trophy twice following the 1934 success. Giuseppe Meazza and Giovanni Ferrari became the first players to win consecutive winners’ medals.
   l There was not another tournament for 12 years because of World War Two.
   l The Jules Rimet Trophy survived the hostilities, hidden under the bed of an official of the Italian Football Association.
   
   WINNING SQUAD
   Italy
   Goalkeepers: Carlo Ceresoli, Guido Masetti, Aldo Olivieri
   Defenders: Alfredo Foni, Eraldo Monzeglio, Pietro Rava
   Midfielders: Michele Andreolo, Aldo Donati, Mario Genta, Ugo Locatelli, Renato Olmi, Mario Perazzolo, Pietro Serantoni
   Forwards: Sergio Bertoni, Amedeo Biavati, Bruno Chizzo, Gino Colaussi, Giovanni Ferrari, Pietro Ferraris II, Guiseppe Meazza (capt) Pietro Pasinati, Silvio Piola
   Coach: Vittorio Pozzo
   — Agence France-Presse