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Bangladesh warmed up for the upcoming Champions Trophy one-day tournament with an emphatic seven-wicket victory in a practice match here on Wednesday.
   Aftab Ahmed top-scored with 76 and Saqib Al Hasan hit an unbeaten 66 as the tourists surpassed Punjab Cricket Association President team’s total of 205 with nine overs to spare.
   Bangladeshi seamers Syed Rasel and Farhad Reza grabbed three wickets apiece, while left-arm spinners Mohammad Rafique and Abdur Razzak finished with two scalps each. Bangladesh clash with Sri Lanka in the opening qualifying match of the Champions Trophy in Mohali on Saturday. They will then play defending champions West Indies and Zimbabwe. The top two sides will advance to the main draw that features Australia, India, England, South Africa, New Zealand and Pakistan.
   Meanwhile, coach Dav Whatmore has said that his side is under no illusion about their chances in Champions Trophy and would instead like to use the tournament to prepare a side for the future.
   Bangladesh take on Sri Lanka in the tournament opener on October 7 in Mohali. They along with the West Indies and Zimbabwe are in qualifying stage out of which only two teams will advance to the main draw.
   ‘We are under no illusion but Bangladesh team is capable and efficient of beating the best in the business. We have done it in the past and we can do it again,’ said Whatmore. ‘However, we have even more important things in mind than the Trophy or even World Cup. Of course they are also important but our main objective is to build a strong and competitive side over a period of time. That’s where our focus will be when we take on bigger sharks in the pool. We want to use the tournament as an opportunity to test our strength and showcase our talent.’

Reigning champions Abahani Krira Chakra face arch-rivals Mohammedan Sporting Club in the final of the Shah Sports Club Cup Hockey Tournament at the Maulana Bhasani National Stadium at 3:00pm today.
   Abahani have proved their efficiency by winning all four matches with relative ease to reach the final. The Sky Blues have scored 17 goals and conceded just one. Mohammedan, on the other hand, demonstrated superb team spirit to edge out title contenders Usha KC in the semi-finals.
   Abahani have experience, talent and motivation to prove themselves as the best as Sumon and Shuvo duo in the forward line and Musa, Jimmy and Rana marshalling the midfield have caused great difficulties for the opponents. In Rasel Khan Bappi Abahani have the best custodian of the country.
   The Mohammedan forward line – comprising Prince, Shamin Reza and Habul – has the ability to crack any defence and their defence, led by Yamin who will be restricting his elder brothers Musa and Issa, is another strong forte of the team.
   Abahani coach former national midfielder Mahbub Harun was in a confident mood. ‘We just want to continue the winning spree, Mohammedan have a strong defence but we are confident of winning the title.’
   His counterpart former national midfielder Barkatullah Chapal was ready to face the challenge. ‘Abahani are stronger than us but we are now more motivated to put up a real fight, this is a final match and we will be ready to face hardest challenges,’ he said.
   Any match between the arch-rivals creates a high-voltage atmosphere and the final is expected to be an enjoyable encounter.

The Indian media on Wednesday predicted the end of Sourav Ganguly’s cricket career after the former captain failed miserably in a trial one-day series.
   The left-hander, making a last-ditch attempt to regain his place in the Indian team, made 24 and three in the two matches he played in the domestic Challenger series in Chennai over the last three days.
   Ganguly, playing for India B, slashed a catch to point off Munaf Patel in the first match on Monday against India Seniors captained by Rahul Dravid.
   In the second game against India A on Tuesday, he was bowled by Test seamer Shanthakumaran Sreesanth for three.
   Ganguly was Wednesday left out of the Rest of India squad for another trial fixture, the five-day Irani Cup match against Ranji Trophy champions Uttar Pradesh starting in Nagpur from October 9.
   ‘Sourav’s name was discussed, but he will have to do well in other domestic matches to stay in contention,’ India’s new chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar, a former Test captain, told reporters.
   Television channels ran special programmes to highlight Ganguly’s failures and the mass-circulating Hindustan Times newspaper said the Challenger series may have dealt the final blow.
   ‘This effort pushes him back to a point from where comeback doors seem to be closed, forever,’ the newspaper said.
   ‘The Chennai stadium has seen another momentous occasion – Sourav Ganguly walking into oblivion.’
   Ganguly, 34, was sacked as captain last year and later dropped from the national side following unfavourable comments from coach Greg Chappell, who said Ganguly was a ‘disrupting influence’ in the team.
   The stylish batsman has not played a one-day international since September last year and was omitted from the Test squad after the tour of Pakistan in February.
   Ganguly has not been selected for the upcoming Champions Trophy, but he was being regarded as a serious candidate for the year-end tour of South Africa and the World Cup in March, with the floundering Indian team having won just one of its last nine one-dayers.
   Ganguly is one of only four batsmen in the world to score more than 10,000 runs in limited-over cricket and has played in two World Cups, the last as captain in 2003 when India reached the final.

Australia have won three World Cups but have come up short in the Champions Trophy, a failure that skipper Ricky Ponting wants his team to redress in this month’s fifth edition in India.
   The Australians, nominal favourites for a hat-trick of World Cup victories in the Caribbean next March-April, have prepared for a serious crack at the Champions Trophy by winning a tri-series against the West Indies and India in Malaysia last month.
   Australia will be bolstered by the return of wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist, who along with team-mate Mike Hussey ranks as the two top-ranked ODI batsmen in world cricket.
   Ponting’s team, who have won 16 of their 24 ODI matches this season, tuned up for the world’s second biggest one-day tournament with a crushing 127-run victory over the West Indies in the final of the DLF Cup in Kuala Lumpur on September 25.
   The tri-series was Australia’s first competitive cricket since whitewashing Bangladesh in three ODIs last April.
   Ponting, who also has his eye on regaining the Ashes off England in the five-Test home series later this year, believes Australia has all the bases covered for the Champions’ Trophy.
   ‘It’s obviously one we want to win. It is the second biggest one-day tournament in the world and it is one that has eluded Australia,’ Ponting said.
   ‘We have been knocked out in the semi-final in the last two Champions Trophies, but we definitely have the squad and the players to challenge seriously this year.
   ‘We’ve played some good cricket in Indian conditions before so we can go there now with confidence.’
   Australia have been knocked out of the Champions Trophy in the last two semi-finals, by England two years ago and Sri Lanka in 2002.
   Australia will field four of the top-10 ranked batsmen in ODI cricket—Hussey (1), Gilchrist (2), Ponting (4) and Andrew Symonds (5) -- and three of the top-10 bowlers—Brett Lee (2), Nathan Bracken (4) and Glenn McGrath (5).
   But the team will be strengthened by left-arm speedster Mitchell Johnson and all-rounder Shane Watson, who both did well in the Malaysian tournament.
   Johnson snared a career-best 4-11 against India before he was sent home early from the tour in a pre-planned decision by selectors to trim their 18-man squad.
   Watson was used as an opening batsman with success and took seven wickets in four games.
   ‘It’s been very successful with the experimentation, trying different guys in different roles,’ Ponting said.
   ‘It’s been a really good exercise. Having had a look at a few extra players in different roles, we have lots of different bases covered for the Champions Trophy.
   ‘We’ve got a pretty good structure in place and if each guy looks after themselves and keeps trying to make themselves better day in and day out, then we will go a long way in the Champions Trophy.’
   McGrath, who is the sixth all-time leading ODI wicket-taker with 225, is steadily working his way back into form after his first stint at the bowling crease since taking time off last January to look after his ill wife.
   McGrath, 36, claimed just one wicket in four limited-overs matches and struggled for rhythm at times, but is looking to recapture his best touch in India.
   ‘I feel I’m heading in the right direction,’ McGrath said. ‘We’ll be focused on bringing that ICC Champions Trophy home and then we start thinking about the Ashes.
   ‘India is probably the toughest conditions for a fast bowler,’ he said.
   ‘The wickets are pretty flat over there and the conditions are reasonably pleasant to bowl in.’

India's hosting of the 2011 World Cup could be at risk if it does not sign a new contract with the International Cricket Council.
   India's cricket board (BCCI) objects to the members' participation agreement, covering major one-day tournaments.
   ‘If the BCCI fails to agree terms, it will mean they could not continue as one of the hosts of the 2011 World Cup.
   ‘We hope agreement can be reached and that common sense will prevail,’ said ICC president Percy Sonn. The BCCI has until next Tuesday to notify the world governing body of specific objections to the contract.
   India are currently scheduled to host the 2011 World Cup final, with Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh sharing other games in the tournament.
   The new members' agreement is set to run from 2007-15 and cover 18 major events, including two World Cups, three Champions Trophy tournaments and the first two Twenty20 World Championships.
   Once a deal is in place, the ICC can finalise negotiations with television broadcasters, expecting to improve on its existing $550m (£291.5m) deal.
   In an extra twist, the Board of Control for Cricket in India has expressed an interest in bidding for the rights itself, and selling them on to other broadcasters.
   The BCCI caused a major row ahead of the last World Cup in 2003 when it declined to sign the participating nations' agreement.
   Ambush marketing rules prevented its players from advertising products of companies that were rivals of the ICC's official sponsors.
   ‘The new MPA is significantly more flexible than the agreements that regulate participation in ICC events through to 2007,’ added Sonn.
   ‘In particular, the MPA addresses all areas of concern raised by Indian players ahead of previous ICC events and provides more scope for players and boards to maintain their own interests.’

South Africa batsman Herschelle Gibbs will meet with Indian police for questioning over his involvement in the Hansie Cronje match-fixing scandal.
   Since 2000 Gibbs has declined to tour India over fears of being detained by police.
   South Africa coach Mickey Arthur said on Wednesday Gibbs would hold a brief meeting with police on arrival in Delhi before joining up with the South Africa squad for the ICC Champions Trophy.
   ‘Herschelle will fly on the night of October 10 straight to Delhi and will be accompanied by his lawyer,’ Arthur said.

Captain Brian Lara said West Indies would not experiment with their batting order and play their best possible eleven in the ICC Champions Trophy cricket tournament.
   ‘There is no question of experimentation in the Champions Trophy,’ Lara said.
   ‘Experiments are done keeping in view the importance of match and tournament. This is a mini-World Cup and being the defending champions we’re also under pressure and so we will field our best eleven,’ he added.
   The world’s highest run-getter in Tests, however, agreed that their experiments were beneficial in Malaysia. ‘We tried some experiments in the DLF Cup tri-series. But we performed well against the top two teams of Australia and India.’
   Lara said an all-round performance was needed to win the trophy again. ‘We did not play much before the DLF Cup but still our batsmen’s performance was not bad. We’ll have to look at every aspect of our game, whether it is batting, bowling or fielding, to win the trophy again. Matches are won by all-round display of skills,’ he said.
   Lara expressed hope that the team would improve further before the World Cup as they have to play a lot of cricket in the build up to the quadrennial event.
   ‘We have to play a lot of cricket before the World Cup so we’ll improve. After Champions Trophy we have to play Pakistan and then there is also a tri-series in India. We have a lot of time to prepare for the World Cup,’ he said.

Australian seam bowler Stuart Clark was Wednesday ruled out of the ICC Champions Trophy with a thigh injury he picked last weekend playing club cricket.
   Clark had a scan Tuesday evening which showed a tear in his left quadriceps which will not heal in time for the one-day tournament starting in India on October 7, Cricket Australia said.
   A replacement is yet to be announced.
   ‘The nature of the injury means it would be unlikely that Stuart would be able take any part in the ICC Champions Trophy,’ said team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris.
   ‘Therefore, the decision was made for him to stay in Australia and undergo treatment to maximise his chances of a full recovery before the Ashes series.’
   Clark is likely to be sidelined for up to six weeks.
   ‘It is very disappointing to get an injury like this right on the eve of such an important tour. However, all I can do is look forward and commit myself to a full rehabilitation,’ said Clark.
   ‘I am confident that I will be back playing as soon as is possible and will be doing everything in my power to ensure that I’m fully fit ahead of the Ashes series.’

The Bangladesh Cricket Board will adopt a transparent policy in floating the tender of TV rights and finalising it in public.
   The two folder tender will be floated in the local and international media at the end of the next week and October 31 will remain as the last date of submitting the tender. Then the bids will be opened in front of officials and media in a gala programme.
   The two folder tender will consist a technical evaluation and the financial offer. The cricket board officials said in the initial days they were ignorant about many clauses but with time they have also learnt a lot.
   In the earlier deal signed in 2000 with ESPN the cricket board agreed to give the satellite channel top priority for the next deal. Now the highest bidder would have to negotiate the deal with ESPN first. ESPN gave Bangladesh a purse of 11.75 million dollars for the six-year contract that expired on last June. BCB hopes to increase the amount this time.

Epyllion saved the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s blushes when the textile group agreed to sponsor the national team during the ICC Champions Trophy.
   The International Cricket Council restricted the participating teams not to approach any mobile phone operator, bank, drinks or electronics companies as the mini-World Cup will be sponsored by various giants of the disclosed criteria.
   However, Epyllion Group bailed the Board out after managing director Reazuddin al Mamun, the media committee chairman of the cricket board, offered Taka 15 lakh for the Tigers three first round matches.
   Mahbub Anam, the general secretary of the BCB, thanked Epyllion for the support. ‘They have arrived in a critical time and we have to admit it,’ he said at a press briefing held at the National Sports Council conference room.
   Mamun was elated to avail the opportunity. ‘We will be proud to see the national cricketers wearing the Epyllion branded jersey. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime and I feel it will increase the team spirit.’
   If Bangladesh progress to the main competition then Epyllion would increase their sponsorship.

A powerful hardline Hindu political party is threatening to disrupt this month's Champions Trophy if Pakistan are allowed to play any of their matches in India.
   Shiv Sena, a force in Mumbai's political structure, is opposed to India having cricket links with Pakistan and in the past has dug up pitches ahead of Test matches and ransacked the cricket board's office in protest.
   ‘How can one allow Pakistan to play matches in our country when the Mumbai police have evidence of its involvement in the July 11 terror attack?,’ Uddhav Thackeray, the party's executive president, was quoted as saying in newspapers on Wednesday. Mumbai police joint commissioner Arup Patnaik said tight security would be provided before and during the matches in the city.
   ‘They can make their political statements, but our stand is very clear: we'll go by the law,’ Patnaik told Reuters.
   Serial blasts on Mumbai trains in July killed at least 186 people and last week police said the Pakistan-based Islamist militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba was responsible.
   Pakistan are one of the 10 teams participating in International Cricket Council's biennial event to be played at four venues across India from Saturday, but will only travel to Mumbai if they reach the final on November 5.
   Shiv Sena hacked up the pitch at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium in 1991 to stop an India-Pakistan match and repeated the act at Delhi's Ferozeshah Kotla in 1999, forcing the Test to be rescheduled.

Andrew Flintoff admits he is raring to go as he makes his long-awaited return to the England side for the Champions Trophy.
   Skipper Flintoff has shaken off the effects of surgery on his left ankle which kept him sidelined for most of the English summer.
   England have been planning to play their inspirational captain and leading all-rounder as a batsman only in the lead-up to their defence of the Ashes starting in Australia in November.
   The 28-year-old quick has insisted he will bowl only if he reaches full fitness.
   ‘I’m confident I’ll be fine after the work I’ve done so far,’ he said.
   ‘The 12-week rehab programme finishes in mid-October, to coincide with the India trip.
   ‘It’s going well at the moment. Everything I’ve done has responded well to the operation.
   ‘I’ve been batting, I’ve done a few walk-through drills with the ball and I’ll build up and see how I feel when I start to bowl a bit quicker.’
   Flintoff, however, fears that the international careers of top-class players will inevitably be shortened by the seemingly non-stop round of Tests and one-day internationals.
   ‘I believe careers are going to get shorter with the amount of cricket we are playing,’ he said.
   ‘It’s not seasonal for us any more. We play in the summer and then we go away. If you look at the schedule we have got in the next few months there’s not a great deal of time off.
   ‘We’ve got the ICC Trophy, the Ashes; then when we get back from the World Cup we start back again in England next (northern) summer.
   ‘For bowlers, especially, it’s inevitable - with the strains and stresses - that they won’t be able to go on as long as players did in the past.’
   But Flintoff, who missed most of the recently concluded English season, rejected suggestions made by legendary England all-rounder Ian Botham that he should miss the Champions Trophy in order to be fully fit for the Ashes.
   ‘I can’t wait to go to India, to be honest,’ said Flintoff. ‘I’ve missed 12 weeks of the season. I’ve trained hard and worked hard to get back out on the cricket field, so India is something I’m desperately looking forward to.’

Atletico Madrid skipper Fernando Torres has told Revista Manchester United did try to sign him in the summer. United, who sold their No 1 striker Ruud van Nistelrooy to Real Madrid, were hot on the Spanish golden boy, but so were his current employers - and the feeling was mutual.
   Torres could have left the Vicente Calderon and made millions in the process but instead he agreed a 12-month contract extension in a bid to ward off a host of Europe’s top clubs - for now.
   Both the player and his club accept he will leave eventually - certainly before his contract is up in 2009 - and Sir Alex Ferguson is said to be in pole position to claim his signature. But Torres is in no rush to go and has made it clear he will only depart when it is convenient for all parties involved, which means Fergie and everybody else will have to wait.
   ‘Well, there was interest (from United) and when there is interest it gets put to Atletico,’ the 22-year-old said. ‘They are the ones who have the last word and I don’t know anymore about it.
   ‘I know other players have gone to Italy and England. But I told the club they were the ones who had to decide if they wanted to keep me or not.
   ‘They showed confidence and trust in me at a time they could have made a lot of money. They could have built a more competive side if they had sold me but they prefered to keep me and I thank them.
   ‘After the World Cup lots of things were said about my future, about the possibility of me joining other teams. I think this is a way to show people what we have been saying for a long time, that I have never thought of leaving and that I am staying.
   ‘We have added another year to the contract so that has put an end to the specualation as people know that if I wanted to leave I would have moved. But that was never the case.
    ‘After the World Cup many teams came in for me but this is a way to show the trust that exists between the club and myself. This should calm things down and hopefully this year nobody will talk about my future.’
   The darling of the Atletico faithful, Torres, who came up through the youth ranks, has been the club’s leading scorer in each of the last four seasons and is without a doubt their prize asset.
   He had been tracked by a host of sides over the summer, with AC and Inter Milan, Spurs and United all putting serious offers on the table, but still he and Atletico could not be parted.
   In fact, with millions of pounds just a signature away, he was more than happy to commit himself to coach Javier Aguirre’s plans and their relatively modest short-term ambition - European football.
   ‘This seson the aim is to have success, which is what we have lacked in the past two years. We need to get into Europe. If the team grows then we as players grow, don’t we?’ he said.
   ‘If we miss out on Europe again, no matter how well the season goes, next year will be the same. If we get into Europe, we as players will improve because we will have played at a higher level.
   ‘We would be seen all over Europe and since we would have been part of a project that would have taken us from La Liga to play in Europe, people would see the club is making progress. We are making slow but good progress.
   ‘We know Real Madrid and Barcelona are going to be there fighting at the top. Valencia are pretty strong too and so are Sevila but they probably aren’t strong enough to challenge Real or Barca.
   ‘There are a group of teams who want the same things as we do, the Champions League or the UEFA Cup. We will see how we do. We want to be in front of our rivals but we don’t want a repeat of last season where we have fallen apart and been left behind.

Clarence Seedorf says he’s delighted to be part of such a united squad after playing in his 200th game for Milan.
   The 30-year-old reached the important landmark on Saturday at the San Siro when the Rossoneri obtained their third consecutive goalless draw against Siena.
   ‘It is beautiful to be part of a group that has done so much over the years,’ the Dutchman told Milan Channel. ‘This club believes in the team and in what Milan have built in the past few seasons.’
   The midfielder signed for the Rossoneri in 2002 after spending two terms with city rivals Internazionale.
   ‘It isn’t easy to explain what it feels like to be part of this family,’ noted the Suriname-born ace. ‘I decided to come to Milan for many reasons, including the importance that is given to the small things – even off the pitch.
   ‘I enjoy the everyday life at Milanello [their training base]. Even if you go into the kitchen you see people smiling while they prepare lunch and these small things are important.’
   Milan have been struggling for form of late, but Seedorf is optimistic that the side will soon get back to winning ways.
   ‘As to our difficult moment, I think our opponents fear us and play very defensive matches when they face us,’ he noted.
   ‘This limits the space and it’s difficult for us to attack, but we have always created scoring opportunities so I’m not worried.
   ‘The team has changed after Andriy Shevchenko’s departure and we must all attack and try to score, even the midfielders.
   ‘In the end, it isn’t important who the scorer is as long as we find the net.’

Brett Lee will definitely line up for Australia in the first Ashes Test against England at the Gabba next month even though his wife is due to give birth to their first child the day before the start. The Lees have agreed that, should the birth of their child, a boy, clash with the Test, the fast bowler will remain in Brisbane to play.
   ‘We’ve said right from the start, which is credit to the person that Liz is, I will definitely be playing in the first Ashes Test,’ Lee said. ‘I’m hoping and praying that it either comes early or late. To me, cricket is important, but family is the most important thing in my life. Hopefully I can be there for both.’
   Lee has turned down(£35,000 for exclusive photographs of his wedding and baby. He declined an offer from a women’s magazine for the rights to photograph his wedding to Liz Kemp in June, and has since rejected a further deal for photographs of their child.
   Lee has even more reason than most of the Australia team for wanting revenge over England after being involved in the closest finish in Ashes history at Edgbaston, where he was at the crease as the Aussies fell just two runs short of victory.
   He has lent a personal memento from the match, a signed painting capturing Andrew Flintoff’s gesture of sportsmanship moments after Michael Kasprowicz’s dismissal, to the Museum of Sydney, as part of its Ashes display, which will feature the original urn.

France need to put their run to the World Cup final behind them and get ready for a tough Euro 2008 qualifier against Scotland on Saturday, according to coach Raymond Domenech.
   ‘The match against Scotland is the first true rendez-vous on the road to the European championship,’ Domenech told reporters. ‘Before that, we were still in the aftermath of the World Cup.’
   France began their Group B campaign with a 3-0 victory over Georgia and an impressive 3-1 win over world champions Italy last month. However, beating Italy was much more like a settling of World Cup final scores than a move towards Euro 2008.
   ‘This game has all the ingredients of a great test,’ Domenech said. ‘We are expecting a strong physical and technical challenge in front of a crowd of soccer-loving fans.’
   Top spot will be at stake as the Scots lead France on goal difference after they demolished the Faroe Islands 6-0 and won 2-1 in Lithuania.
   Domenech has warned his men against any over-confidence and said that competition for places would soon be stepped up.
   ‘A priority has been given for a while to those who took part in the World Cup,’ he said. ‘But this situation is not going to last.
   ‘I wanted to make it clear that I was still counting on the guys who went to the World Cup. But we must now think about the future and prepare for it.’
   Domenech, whose side take on the Faroe Islands on Wednesday, has called up two uncapped players, Olympique Lyon midfielder Jeremy Toulalan and Sevilla defender Julien Escude.
   ‘We’ve developed a way of doing things and I’m not going to break it all up just for the fun of it,’ Domenech said. ‘I’m going to use what works or what I think will work.’
   Domenech is eager to avoid the mistake which cost former coach Roger Lemerre his job in 2002 after France suffered a humiliating exit from the World Cup.
   Lemerre stuck by a team made up of members of the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000-winning squads and Les Bleus crashed out in the first round in South Korea.

West Indies opener Chris Gayle tuned up for the Champions Trophy with a blistering 101 off 82 balls in a practice match here on Wednesday.
   The left-hander smashed 13 fours and three sixes before retiring to the pavilion as the West Indies piled up 344-5 from 45 overs against a
   Gujarat team at the Motera stadium.
   Runako Morton hit a run-a-ball 91 during a second-wicket stand of 227 with Gayle and Wavell Hinds made 61 off 58 balls.
   The tourists won by 173 runs as the locals were restricted to 171-6 despite batting for 50 overs. Seamers Corey Collymore, Dwayne Smith and Dwayne Bravo picked up two wickets each.
   The West Indies, who won the previous Champions Trophy tournament in England in 2004, open their campaign with a qualifying match against Zimbabwe on Sunday.
   Brian Lara’s men will also play Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in the round-robin league with the top two advancing to the main tournament against Australia, South Africa, India, Pakistan, New Zealand and England.
   Brief scores:
   West Indies: 344-5 in 45 overs (C. Gayle 101 retired, R. Morton 91, W. Hinds 61, A. Makda 3-65)
   Gujarat XI: 171-6 in 50
   overs (N. Patel 37, C. Collymore 2-45, D. Smith 2-16, D. Bravo 2-21)

Manchester City midfielder Joey Barton has escaped a police charge after dropping his shorts in the direction of Everton supporters following their 1-1 draw at Goodison Park on Saturday.
   Merseyside police confirmed Wednesday they have terminated their inquiries into the incident, and will now leave the Football Association (FA) to consider any further punishment.
   ‘Merseyside Police has been in consultation with the FA in relation to the (Barton) incident. The FA will now continue with their own investigation,’ a police statement read. City boss Stuart Pearce earlier called for a sense of perspective to be applied to any punishment meted out to the 23-year-old midfielder.
   ‘Let’s get things into a little bit of perspective,’ said Pearce.
   ‘Maybe some of the things that were said to that player are a more serious matter but we are not going to rake that up.

Werder Bremen’s German international striker Miroslav Klose said Wednesday that he is not interested in joining German champions Bayern Munich and if he leaves Werder it will be for a top club abroad.
   ‘Bayern are a top club but I would like to emphasise that if I do change clubs I want the move to be abroad,’ Klose said in SportBild magazine.
   Klose, golden boot winner at the World Cup, had been expected to leave Bremen at the end of this season but said he was not in a major hurry.
   ‘We will sit down over the winter break and discuss my contract,’ said Klose. ‘Who said I want to go next year? I want to play abroad with a big club at some stage in my career but it does not need to be 2007.’
   The 28-year-old Klose started his career with Kaiserslautern before joining Bremen for five million euros in the summer of 2004.

Former England striker Stan Collymore revealed Wednesday that he is targetting a comeback.
   The former Liverpool and Aston Villa player has embarked on a three-week fitness programme in Tenerife.
   ‘I’ve had physical tests and I’m confident I will come back faster, stronger and fitter than I ever was,’ Collymore told the Daily Mirror.
   ‘A month from today I guarantee I will be able to stand side by side with any striker in the country and my physique will be up there with any of them.
   ‘This time I’m not going to self-destruct. You are not going to see headlines about me being kicked out of a bar somewhere in the early hours rolling drunk.’
   The 35-year-old added, ‘I know I can still be among the best.’
   Collymore last played professional football for Real Oviedo in Spain’s Primera Liga in 2001.
   Since then he has tried to forge a career as an actor, appearing in Basic Instinct 2.

Juventus goal-getter Alessandro Del Piero is in no hurry to notch his 200th goal for the Bianconeri, saying he is not anxious about the situation.
   The milestone eluded Del Piero in the Old Lady’s 2-0 win over Piacenza at the weekend, David Trezuguet taking over the scoring duties, but the 31-year-old is not letting nerves get to him.
   ‘It’s an important record, but I’m not anxious,’ the goal ace told Juve’s official website.
   ‘It’s like last year when I had to overcome Giampiero Boniperti’s 182 goals,’ he added. ‘A player looks to score a goal to win, not for personal records. Anyway, I hope to be able to score in next match.’

After making the bold decision to leave captain Raul out of his squad, Spain coach Luis Aragones has now hinted at a change in style for their Euro 2008 Group F qualifier against Sweden on Saturday.
   ‘We have to win this game by whatever means. A draw isn’t the end but it isn’t a good result,’ Aragones told Spanish state radio on Wednesday. ‘It is vital we don’t concede a goal and maybe we’ll play a little more on the counter.’
   During the World Cup and for the start of the Euro 2008 qualifiers Spain played an attacking game, looking to dominate possession and pressure their opponents high up the pitch.
   But after the setbacks of an early exit in Germany and last month’s surprise 3-2 away defeat to Northern Ireland, Aragones has been working on a new way forward for the side.
   In training his adventurous 4-3-3 formation looks set to revert to a 4-4-2, with a number of new faces making their way into the side.
   The midfield is likely to see the biggest changes with Valencia’s Miguel Angel Angulo coming in on the right and Barcelona’s Andres Iniesta on the left, with David Albelda and Cesc Fabregas in the centre.

Makhaya Ntini made history on Tuesday when he was named Cricketer of the Year for a record fifth time at the Mutual & Federal SA Cricket Annual awards in Johannesburg.
   Rookie fast bowler Dale Steyn, newcomer Hashim Amla, Ashwell Prince and wicket keeper Mark Boucher were also named as the four other players of the year at the banquet held at the Wanderers club.
   Ntini has become the main strike bowler in the South African team.
   Shaun Pollock has lost some pace but still remains in the setup as the first change bowler.
   Dale Steyn forged a brilliant opening bowling partnership with Ntini and the South Africans have prospered with this new aggressive opening duo.
   Dale Steyn improved enormously this season with the new ball and has given the bowling attack the extra firepower needed to dismantle top-order batsmen with ease.
   Hashim Amla has showed long lasting powers of concentration at Test level and this bodes well for the future.
   Ashwell Prince was named as the man to replace Graeme Smith as captain for the away series to Sri Lanka. He preformed admirably under immense pressure.
   South Africa lost the series but Prince gained respect for his conduct as the first non-white South African captain.
   Mark Boucher recently broke another wicket-keeping record when he surpassed Rod Mash and Adam Gilchrist by taking his 356th dismissal against New Zealand.
   Boucher has been in amazing batting form over the past 12 months and had a successful tour Down Under earlier in the year.
   The future looks bright for South African cricket.

James Sutherland, the chief executive of Cricket Australia, is concerened about the increasing number of reports on Australian players for bad on-field behaviour over the last year. He has told Ricky Ponting, the Australian captain, that expectations of how they handle themselves on the field had risen.
   The most recent offender was Ponting himself when he protested against umpire Asad Rauf’s decision to call a wide during the DLF Cup in Kuala Lumpur. He has been found guilty of dissent twice by the ICC. Adam Gilchrist, Brett Lee and Glenn McGrath have also had to appear before the match referee for bad conduct in the recent past.
   ‘I know it’s something the players have talked about in recent times, even at the camp to address areas of concern, areas of susceptibility,’ Sutherland told the Herald Sun. ‘I am sure they are making conscious efforts to keep the slate clean and play the game in the right spirit.’
   ‘If you have a look at a case-by-case scenario, I think they have been relatively minor’ added Sutherland. ‘I am not in any way condoning that behaviour, but they are level one. My strong feeling is that the bar has actually been raised a little bit by the ICC over the last 12 months, 18 months. Mentally we need to continue to keep up with that.’

England’s National Academy boss Peter Moores is expecting members of his squad to play a part in the Ashes series against Australia this winter. Moores will be in charge of a group of 14 players, based in Perth, who could be called up if England need them.
   ‘History tells you that on most England tours somebody gets injured at some stage,’ said the former Sussex coach.
   ‘Any international side now needs very strong support underneath them because of the volume of work they do.’
   On England’s last tour to Australia in 2002-03, both Andrew Flintoff and Darren Gough were sent home without playing a game and Simon Jones suffered a tour-ending knee injury during the first Test in Brisbane.

Michael Owen has been told he will make a full recovery.
   The striker could even play again for England this season – in the Euro qualifier in Estonia on June 6.
   Newcastle star Owen, 26, has had two operations on the ligament and cartilage damage he suffered at the World Cup finals in the summer.
   He said, ‘Generally they say six to nine months for this type of injury.
   ‘If it’s six I’ll be back at the start of April. If it’s seven then it’s May. If it’s eight or nine, I’ll miss the season.
   ‘But there are always targets. I have a specific game in mind that’s probably miles off but it gives you something to focus on and something to look forward to.’
   The Toon had virtually written off their £16-million man for the season but Owen has clearly not given up hope of playing some games.
   Owen has been told his right knee will be in great shape once he has been through lengthy rehabilitation.
   The former Liverpool ace said, ‘The surgeon, Dr Richard Steadman, is pleased. He said when I was leaving America that if I have to retire because of injury, the last thing it will be because of is my knee.
   ‘It’s in great condition and he was happy the way the operation went. Early signs are that it’s feeling great.
   ‘I’m bending it as much as we can and we’re starting extra things now – more resistance work and that.
   ‘I’ve just got off my crutches for the first time, which is a little bonus.
   ‘When you’re on the treadmill or bike the main thing you are focused on is jogging on to that pitch and hopefully getting a round of applause.
   ‘After that I’d love to score my first goal back and win our first game. Those dreams keep you going.’
   Owen also backed Wayne Rooney to return to his scoring ways for club and country in the near future.
   Owen thinks it is only matter of time before Rooney finds his goalscoring form.
   ‘He doesn’t have to change his game or do anything to get that elusive goal that he’s looking for,’ Owen told Sky Sports News.
   ‘Honestly, he’s still a brilliant player, whether he scores goals or not.
   ‘It won’t be the first sort of lull he’s going through in his career, and won’t be the last.
   ‘He’ll get written off a million and one times before he hangs up his boots as well, but in the meantime, he will be bringing a lot of pleasure to England fans and Man United fans.
   ‘He’s not going to do anything to turn the corner – it’ll just happen for him, as long as he keeps doing what he knows best.’
   Owen added that the omission of former England captain David Beckham from Steve McClaren’s squad is an occurrence every England player must be prepared for.
   ‘It’s a big storm when he gets left out of a squad, but as I say, it happens to everyone at some point in their career,’ he added.
   ‘Sad as it is, that’s what happens. It will be someone else’s turn next, and one day, it’ll be my turn. That’s just life.
   ‘David is philosophical about it at the moment. He’s had a fantastic England career, and you never know, there might be more caps to come.
   ‘No matter if he gets another cap or not, no one can take away what he’s done for England.’
   The former Liverpool and Real Madrid hit-man has praised current Three Lions captain John Terry for his leadership since claiming the armband from Beckham.
   ‘John’s been given the role and he’s been fantastic so far,’ Owen said. ‘It’s nice to see him doing so well.
   ‘Everyone looks to John to push the team forward in adversity and when you’re playing well.
   ‘It’s a great honour for him and I was really pleased for him when he got it (the armband).’
   After last month’s wins over Andorra and Macedonia, Owen hopes a convincing qualification campaign is in the offing for England.
   ‘We’ve had some cracking results already in qualification,’ he said.
   ‘We want to put that (campaign) to bed as soon as possible by winning as many games in qualification.
   ‘To know you are going to the next tournament would be a great feeling, if we did that as soon as possible.’

Franz Beckenbauer apologised for the confusion surrounding his comments about South Africa’s ability to host the 2010 World Cup.
   Beckenbauer, head of the organising committee of this summer’s World Cup in Germany, caused a stir last month when he reportedly said the tournament – the first to be held in Africa – was ‘beset by big problems.’
   His comments came amid national and international concerns over the state of stadium construction, transportation arrangements and security plans.
   Irvin Khoza, chairman of the local organizing committee, released a letter from Beckenbauer on Tuesday.
   ‘I am very sorry that these statements were falsely portrayed and I shall do everything in my power to support the World Cup in South Africa 2010,’ he said.
   In the letter addressed to his South African counterpart, Danny Jordaan, Beckenbauer said he was surprised at the outcry, adding that he had been responding to ‘media reports that there are certain difficulties relating to stadia construction, etc.’
   ‘At no point did I mention that Germany could be a substitute organizer. On the contrary, it is my own and my colleagues’ understanding that it is most important that the upcoming World Cup in South Africa is a success,’ he said.
   Khoza, speaking after a two-day meeting of the organizing committee’s board, reaffirmed South Africa’s preparedness. The tournament will bring in an estimated 350,000 foreign visitors to the month long event.
   ‘I am confident in terms of our program that we will meet our commitments,’ he said.
   The government has earmarked about $710 million for building and renovating 10 stadiums, and a further $1.2 billion on upgrades to airports, roads and railway lines.
   Khoza said Parliament would complete funding arrangements this month, and the construction of six new stadiums would begin in January. He also said a proposal had been made to FIFA to allow neighboring countries to be used as base camps by participating teams.
   ‘This will allow us to make it a truly African World Cup and spread the economic benefits around,’ he said.
   Khoza said the board had been briefed on transportation and security plans.
   ‘Never in the history of the country has the government failed to secure an event,’ he said.
   FIFA secretary-general Urs Linsi, a member of the local organizing committee’s board, gave his support for the country’s plans.
   ‘We have started planning earlier than ever before. 2010 is now our main focus. There are challenges but we will meet them. It has been an excellent meeting and the lights are green for go-ahead,’ he said.
   FIFA president Sepp Blatter is to arrive in South Africa this month.

West Ham striker Carlos Tevez says he and recent signing Javier Mascherano are desperate to repay the club’s faith in their services.
   The Hammers’ form has coincidentally nosedived following the signing of the Argentine starlets, but Tevez claims the pair are not individuals.
   Tevez is desperate for success in England but wants more time to adjust to the rigours of the Premiership before being able to display his best consistently.
   ‘We have felt great support from everybody at the club,’ explained Tevez. ‘We are desperate to succeed in the Premiership
   ‘I would love to win the title with the club and repay all the trust and care that everybody has been giving us from the minute we arrived.
   ‘It seems to us that West Ham is like a big family and we would love to repay their confidence in us with success and by winning something.
   ‘They told us that the Premiership is a no-nonsense league, with plenty of tough tackling and challenges. I’m sure we can cope with it. We just need time to adjust.
   ‘We know there will be a lot of fuss around us because we are two new players from Argentina, but we see ourselves as team players, not as individuals.’

France manager Raymond Domenech went on the defence Tuesday after being accused of lacking courtesy by Gerard Houllier.
   The Lyon coach had attacked Domenech on Friday over what he regarded as the lack of respect he displayed when selecting Lyon players for the national team.
   Eight of Houllier’s French champions figure in Domenech’s squad for the Euro 2008 qualifiers against Scotland on Saturday and the Faroe Islands four days later.
   ‘More and more of my players are being used 100 days a year by the national team, and I don’t even get a handshake or a phone call (from Domenech).
   ‘One day this is going to blow up. I’m going to blow a fuse,’ said a clearly irate Houllier.
   The former Liverpool and France manager added, ‘We see (Pierre) Mankwoski, (Bruno) Martini (Domenech’s two assistants) coming to watch our games, but only because they’re picked up by the TV cameras in the stand.
   ‘They leave without speaking to us.
   ‘He (Domenech) calls (Robert) Duverne (Lyon’s physical fitness trainer), but as far as I’m aware, Robert isn’t the manager here...’
   Houllier compared Domenech’s approach to that of one of his predecessors in the top job, Michel Hidalgo.
   ‘Michel used to telephone me to say “I’m going to select such and such a player. How are they getting on at the moment?” Now, nothing. He (Domenech) behaves the same way with Arsenal, Barcelona, and the other teams. Just go and ask Arsene (Wenger) what he thinks.
   ‘There are the rules, but there’s also courtesy. When you think about it, it’s a big deal.’
   Domenech responded to Houllier’s outburst at France’s training camp near Paris.
   ‘Gerard is a true friend,’ he said, his voice laced with sarcasm.
   ‘He was manager of France for ...15 months, he knows the situation well.
   ‘Me, I was born in Lyon, everyone knows me down there, there’s no difficulty in getting information on players. When someone has a problem they can always telephone,’ he added.
   ‘It’s a pity he (Houllier) didn’t call me rather than create problems where none exist.’
   This spat follows Domenech’s war of words with Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, who criticised him for calling up Chelsea midfielder Claude Makelele against the veteran player’s wishes.
   Mourinho accused Domenech of treating Makelele like ‘a slave’.

Arsene Wenger says his relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson now resembles something approaching normality after a decade that has been characterised by a famous feud.
   Before the arrival of Jose Mourinho, the managers of Arsenal and Manchester United were by far and away the two most successful leaders in The Premiership and a number of fiery confrontations between their respective sides fostered an intense rivalry.
   After the infamous ‘Battle of the Buffet’ at Old Trafford in October 2004, where United ended the Gunners’ 49-game unbeaten run, relations hit an all time low with the Metropolitan Police even calling for calm ahead of a meeting in January 2005.
   However, their fractious history was diluted somewhat by Mourinho’s arrival on the English scene, and Wenger admits that the aggression felt between the two bosses has subsided.
   Indeed the Frenchman is keen for the new found calmness to continue as both clubs aim to break Chelsea’s stranglehold on The Premiership.
   ‘There is less aggression than there was before because we have both calmed down, and our relationship has become in a much more normal way,’ said Wenger during a web-chat on the club’s official website.
   ‘I hope we can continue at that level.’
   However, Wenger is less inclined to forget about the events of that day at Old Trafford back in October 2004, when a 2-0 defeat dealt a huge psychological blow to The Gunners after a period of sustained success.
   Indeed Wenger has accused Wayne Rooney of diving to win a penalty under a challenge from Sol Campbell.
   ‘I feel the penalty awarded by (referee Mike) Riley in our 50th game was a completely invented penalty. That is a decision which I regret,’ Wenger continued.
   ‘Rooney dived on that occasion. It was on a day when we did not deserve to lose.’
   Reflecting on his moves in the transfer market during his time in charge in North London, the Frenchman also revealed he was close to sealing deals for two of Chelsea’s current Premiership champions, as well as Barcelona star Samuel Eto’o.
   ‘Claude Makelele was close to signing for us, Samuel Eto’o too, and I missed a few,’ said Wenger.
   ‘I have been offered many players, like (Petr) Cech, who could have done well for us.
   ‘Makelele was straight after Vieira came (August 1996), it was very early when he was still in Nantes, and Eto’o, just before he joined Barcelona (August 2004), it was between us and Barcelona.’

Massimo Moratti says he was satisfied after his meeting with Francesco Saverio Borrelli on Tuesday, but insists that Inter are victims of a media conspiracy.
   The Nerazzurri owner was heard by the Italian Football Federation chief investigator in connection with the Telecom scandal and the accusations of former referee Massimo De Santis, who Inter allegedly ordered to tail and spy on in 2002.
   ‘I don’t really think I should comment on what we told each other, out of respect for Borrelli and his staff,’ said Moratti.
   ‘Everyone was very attentive and nice with me. I think we clarified all the important issues and I hope there will be no need for me to return for another hearing,’ added the oil tycoon.
   The Nerazzurri chief is convinced that those who have paid for the Calciopoli scandal are now trying to drag his club’s name through the mud and is unhappy with the media’s reporting.
   ‘I have seen and heard so many things in the past few days,’ he added. ‘This is unbelievable, but I will leave all the work to Borrelli.
   ‘We have paid a very high price over the years from a sporting point of view and now we have become the target of a media system, which is managed by the same groups of power.
   ‘I can only hope this will pass.’

Spain coach Luis Aragones intends to recall Raul Gonzalez to the national team after his recent omission.
   Aragones dropped Raul for the first time in 10 years last week when he named an 18-man squad for Saturday’s 2008 European Championship qualifier with Sweden and a friendly with Argentina four days later.
    ‘Raul will be in the national team ... because he’s a man who knows how to earn it,’ Aragones told Spanish national radio on Wednesday.
   Aragones, who could be fired if Spain lose to Sweden, praised Raul – Spain’s all-time leading scorer with 44 goals from 102 appearances – for a selfless reaction to losing his place.
   ‘Raul made a great remark that it’s the team for which everything is at stake. The national coach might also run the risk of losing or keeping his job but I think this is minor compared to many other things,’ Aragones said.
   Raul’s omission coincided with his return to scoring form last week. Without a goal for Real Madrid for nearly a year, the 29-year-old striker became the Champions League’s all-time leading scorer when he got two goals in a 5-1 win over Dynamo Kiev and added another in a 1-1 league draw with Atletico.
   Aragones warned that the game with Group F leader Sweden in Solna was vital, following last month’s humiliating 3-2 defeat against Northern Ireland.
   ‘We have to win at all cost. We could draw but that wouldn’t be a good result,’ the coach said.

Luca Toni denies there are any problems with Adrian Mutu and hopes Ukraine can bring him luck again for the Azzurri.
   Fiorentina had a difficult start to the season and have only managed to chip away six of the 19-point handicap that was handed out in the summer, with rumours suggesting that a rift in the locker room could be one of the reasons.
   ‘I have read that someone thinks there are problems between me and Mutu, but that is not true,’ said the Azzurri striker.
   ‘We are both working hard to obtain the same result, that is to score for Fiorentina and allow the team to win, I think we have proved on the pitch that we play well together.
   If I serve him the assist for a goal next time, the roles are likely to be reversed.
   ‘I only get mad at him because he could net many more goals than he actually does, he is an exceptional player,’ added Toni with a smile.
   Fiorentina grabbed their second win of the season on Sunday defeating Catania 3-0, with Toni one of the scorers.
   ‘We knew we had to win at all costs and that is never the best condition to play in. We could feel the pressure, but tried to put is aside,’ said last year’s top scorer.
   ‘We face a difficult season, the handicap we started with was severe, but we must do all we can to keep Fiorentina in Serie A, I don’t even want to consider relegation.’
   ‘I believe Ukraine brings me good luck and we are eager to do well and win. We absolutely want to qualify for the European Championship,’ concluded the world champion.

Former Uruguay striker Dario Silva expressed his gratitude on Tuesday for the support he has received since having his lower right leg amputated after a car crash last week.
    The 33-year-old said Diego Maradona had been among those to call his family after the accident in Montevideo on September 24.
   ‘I’m fine and I’m happy,’ he said in a radio interview. ‘I will be grateful for the rest of my life, it means I have left an important mark in the hearts of many people.’
   Silva, who was out of contract at the time, suffered an exposed fracture in his right leg after his pick-up truck collided with a lamp post on Montevideo’s sea front.
   Two other people in the vehicle escaped with minor injuries.
   The following day, doctors said they had no other option but to amputate the leg below the right knee.
   Lots of people had called to offer their support, he said.
   ‘Maradona was the one which caused the biggest impact. He spoke to my family because I was unconscious at the time.’
   The ex-Cagliari and Malaga front man also spoke to Italian television, telling Canal 4, ‘After the surgery, I felt really bad but then I had no choice but to accept it.
   ‘I really didn’t expect this situation to happen to me but that’s what it is. It’s a game I’ve lost and I have to try to recover and hope to overcome it.
   ‘I was at the end of my career – my reaction would have been different had I been a 20-year-old and had to sign a contract.’
   ‘In 20 days’ time, I will travel to Italy to get my leg prosthesis,’ he said.

Luiz Felipe Scolari has issued a statement that denies speculation that he could take over as West Ham manager.
   The Brazilian tactician is currently coach of Portugal but that has not stopped reports which have stated he could be interested in a switch to Upton Park.
   A Sunday newspaper published quotes at the weekend attributed to Scolari that suggested he had engaged in dialogue with Kia Joorabchian, the businessman interested in taking over the club, with regards the manager’s position.
   Current incumbent Alan Pardew has had to endure speculation about the security of his role with the East London outfit, but Scolari has been quick to distance himself from reports which appeared at the weekend.
   An official statement has now been put forward by Scolari which categorically denies the claims made in the News of the World on Sunday.
   ‘The English newspaper News of the World published an interview this Sunday with the coach Luiz Felipe Scolari that did not happen,’ read a statement.
   ‘The interview was distributed by the Reuters agency.
   ‘Scolari only granted one interview this week and that was to the daily newspaper Diario de Noticias de Portugal.
   ‘Through this official notice of assessing the press, we reaffirm that the interview with this tabloid is false.’

Conscious that a perceived lack of tactical flexibility was one of the sticks used to beat his predecessor Sven-Goran Eriksson, Steve McClaren insists he is ready to shake up England’s formation on the road to Euro 2008.
   Classic 4-4-2 formations have enabled McClaren’s reign to get off to a flying start with three straight wins.
   But the loss of his first choice holding player, Owen Hargeaves, to a broken leg means the England coach has some thinking to do ahead of the matches against Macedonia, here on Saturday, and in Croatia next Wednesday.
   ‘We might have to change it a little bit because losing a big player like that just changes the balance of the team,’ the former Middlesbrough boss admitted.
   Tough-tackling duo Scott Parker and Phil Neville offer McClaren the chance to replace like with like, while Manchester United’s Michael Carrick will be hoping for another opportunity to display his impressive range of passing at the base of a midfield diamond.
   ‘I haven’t decided who it will be but I have something in my mind for the two games,’ McClaren said. ‘Players have to be adaptable and flexible. They have to be intelligent and be able to adapt to different roles and different responsibilities.
   ‘I’m not averse to changing systems. I was very flexible at club level, playing 4-4-2, 4-5-1, 4-3-3 or 3-5-2, to adapt to any situation and to adapt the players within that.
   ‘The players have to be intelligent and I think at international level that’s what you need. I firmly believe that you can’t just have one system and be rigid in that.’
   McClaren will not however be abandoning his commitment to constructing a side with real pace throughout and the ability to turn defences through the use of skilful wide players, an objective which has contributed to the one-paced, non-dribbling David Beckhamn being left out in the cold.
   ‘Our game is about tempo, keeping a high tempo, but international football, European football, is totally different and perhaps we have to adapt,’ McClaren added.
   ‘We need to play with periods of intensity and to have periods of non-intensity, but we should always be in control of the game.’
   Having beaten Macedonia with something to spare in Skopje last month, England will be confident of improving on that 1-0 victory at Old Trafford on Saturday.
   But the trip to Zagreb to take on a Croatia team managed by former Everton and West Ham defender Slaven Bilic has the look of a mission that, handled badly, could bring about the end of McClaren’s honeymoon period.
   ‘Croatia is a big test for any team,’ he acknowledged. ‘They are a very good team technically. I had a chat with Slaven recently and he told me they had a very good young team. In Croatia you’re also dealing with the atmosphere, the intensity of the crowd, so it will be a big test for our players.’
   Carrick, 25, is expecting McClaren to mix things up a bit this week.
   ‘He’s talked about 3-5-2, and throughout the games that he’s been in charge he’s changed formations,’ the Manchester United midfielder said.
   ‘We have a home game and an away game coming up, and I wouldn’t have thought the manager would want to play the same way in both matches.
   ‘I haven’t really played the holding role since I went to Manchester United. I’ve been getting forward more than I did in all of my Tottenham career.
   ‘I really enjoyed playing that role at Tottenham, but it’s a slightly different system at United and we sort of take turns in doing the role.
   ‘I’m getting used to being in more forward positions, but I’m comfortable playing the holding role because I’ve done it for so long. It comes pretty naturally.’

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard insisted Wednesday that is determined to prove himself to new England boss Steve McClaren.
   Lampard played every minute of this summer’s disappointing World Cup under previous manager Sven-Goran Eriksson despite a slump in form.
   But despite looking certain for Saturday’s European qualifying match against Macedonia and next Wednesday’s game in Croatia, Lampard insists he is not taking his place in the team for granted.
   ‘That is one of the really good and refreshing things with Steve McClaren and his staff,’ he said.
   ‘From the moment you join up with the team on Tuesday afternoon, there is pressure.
   ‘You know that you must train well, that you must be around the hotel with your mind on the game and that when the game comes you must perform at your top level.’
   McClaren has already stamped his authority on the side by omitting former captain David Beckham from every squad since taking over, and Lampard accepts no-one is certain of their place any more.
   ‘This is England we are talking about, not some team that does not have young players pushing for places,’ he said.
   ‘I have always had the idea that if my level drops I could be out of the team.
   ‘The thing that keeps the top players on top is that they keep pushing themselves.’
   Concerns over Lampard’s form have continued into the new domestic season but he has vowed to prove wrong those who have begun to doubt his ability since the World Cup.
   The 28-year-old hit an incredible 23 goals for club and country last season but failed to find the net when it mattered this summer.
   ‘After the World Cup, I rued the fact that I had not scored any goals,’ he said.
   ‘You have to shut your ears off and not take to heart what is being said, because we all doubt ourselves in certain moments.
   ‘I had a few weeks off and now I just want to work hard. The only way you can put things right is on the pitch,’ Lampard added on BBC Radio Five Live.

Andriy Shevchenko believes that Brazilian starlet Kaka will become his successor at Milan. ‘He is an extraordinary player,’ stated the Ukrainian.
   The Rossoneri have failed to find a replacement for the striker after his summer move to Chelsea and are suffering a goal drought, resulting in three straight goalless draws, but Sheva is confident that things will change.
   ‘There is a man who can become my heir and that is Kaka, he is an exceptional player who still has an enormous potential,’ said the player to La Gazzetta dello Sport.
   ‘You haven’t yet seen what he can really do, I am sure he will write an important page in the history of Milan.
   ‘I have heard of a small disagreement between him and Coach Carlo Ancelotti, but there are always discussions in football teams. I don’t think that represents a problem just as long as there is mutual respect.
   ‘Milan’s form? We all go through bad periods as I am not scoring either, but these things can happen. You just need to be patient and wait for things to improve.
   ‘Ricardo Oliveira? He mustn’t feel he is constantly compared with me, when I started everyone reminded me of Marco Van Basten’s performances,’ continued Shevchenko, who has just turned 30.
   Sheva joined the Stamford Bridge outfit in a £31m move this summer, but so far has been overshadowed by Didier Drogba.
   As a result there have been rumours suggesting he may consider a return to Italy, whispers that he immediately dismissed.
   ‘I am glad about the choice I made, this is the life I chose for myself and my family, life goes beyond football,’ he added.
   ‘My move had nothing to do with the money and life for a football player is easier in London.
   ‘It’s much more simple and there is not all the pressure there is in Italy, football is a show that finishes once the game is over.
   ‘This is the truth behind my move. If someone doesn’t believe me it’s maybe because they are not used to saying the truth,’ concluded Sheva

David Beckham’s spokesman on Wednesday dismissed a claim made by Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon that the former England captain will quit in two years.
   And Calderon said that he was confident the 31-year-old would extend his contract with the Spanish side which expires next year, despite not holding down a regular place on the team this season.
   ‘As far as I know he has decided to retire in two years’ time,’ Calderon told BBC Radio Five Live.
   ‘It would be fantastic if he would stay with us for the next two years.’
   But a spokesman for Beckham said: ‘This is a complete surprise to us. No one has ever discussed a retirement date.’
   Calderon insisted that Beckham is still in the frame for Real coach Fabio Capello despite being restricted in the past few weeks to the substitutes’ bench.
   ‘We need him. He’s playing very well. The coach trusts him. We hope everything will be arrived at in the next 15 to 20 days to sign the new contract,’ he said.
   Calderon hinted that Beckham may head to the United States after leaving Madrid.
   ‘I read somewhere that perhaps he’s going to the States for a golden retirement,’ he said.
   ‘I’m quite sure that nowadays a player at 34 or 35 can play easily. Especially him, who’s a great professional, he’s been training all his life.
   ‘He does things in the right way. I imagine that if he wants, when he leaves Real Madrid, he can be anywhere in the world - in the States perhaps, why not back in England?’
   Beckham moved to Real from Manchester United in 2003 in a deal worth 25 million pounds (46.8 million dollars, 36.7 million euros).
   He would be free to negotiate with other clubs in January if he failed to agree a new contract with Real, who have have failed to win a major trophy in his three seasons in Spain.
   Beckham was axed from the England team by new manager Steve McLaren following its World Cup flop.
   But the midfielder says he is determined to force his way back into the squad, even if he doubts McClaren’s public declaration that ‘the door is still open.’

Sir Alex Ferguson believes player power is the biggest challenge facing football managers nowadays.
   The legendary Manchester United boss is part of a dying breed of tacticians who rule their charges with an iron fist.
   Much of the fiery Scotsman’s success has been built on the foundation of strict loyalty and adherence to the fact that no one player is bigger than the club.
   Roy Keane’s controversial exit from Old Trafford was a case in point, and Ferguson refuses to accept his values have become outdated over time, as he discussed the modern day difficulties facing coaches.
   ‘There is a player ego that you have to deal with. As a coach the one thing you must have is control,’ Ferguson told The Tactician magazine.
   ‘You can’t afford to let players take charge of a training session, there has to be a strong discipline in the training and in general.
   ‘Simple rules must apply such as time-keeping and concentration at training.
   ‘More and more we are dealing with player power. I grew into all of that but a young coach must realise that he is walking straight into all of that.
   ‘They have to find a way of navigating all of these pressures.
   ‘Another thing of course is the pressure of results. When I came into the game the media demands were less than we have today, and there were no agents or freedom of contract back then.
   ‘If you have a good chairman and board you are lucky, if not then you have to handle that situation as well.’
   Ferguson famously avoided the sack at United with a 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup third round, after three years at the helm.
   The Red Devils went on to lift the trophy that season and Ferguson went on to fill the Old Trafford trophy cabinet with honours.
   Ferguson has consequently urged other clubs to do away with the fast food culture that has seen managers throughout the world have such a high turnover in recent times.
   ‘It’s not healthy that a coach can lose four games and then he is out of a job - that is not good for the football industry especially if the coach has not been given time to produce,’ he added.
   ‘I wish the presidents of clubs and the supporters would have the same patience that the coaches have - we are asking miracles of course.
   ‘It is a very emotional game and sometimes the expectations are too high.
   ‘There’s no evidence to suggest that continually changing of coaches brings success.
   ‘Coaches such as Fabio Capello, Marcello Lippi, Arsene Wenger and myself suggest the opposite and that longevity can bring success.’

Gianluigi Buffon says Inter can keep last season’s Scudetto after insisting it is worthless to them. ‘I won it with Juventus,’ he argued.
   The Nerazzurri were handed the title after Juve were stripped of their last two championships as a result of the Calciopoli probe.
   ‘I am not envious of the 2005-06 title,’ said the ‘keeper from the Italian national camp ahead of the Euro 2008 qualifiers with Ukraine and Georgia.
   ‘I won it in May and all football players know how things went.’
   ‘I don’t think the Scudetto should be taken away from Inter as we should just leave things as they are, but we should all accept resp-onsibility for the past,’ added Buffon.
   ‘I don’t really care about all these issues as I know we were one of the strongest sides last season,’ noted the Bianconero.
   ‘We all know what it means to play on the pitch and we would have known if we had received any help from the outside.
   ‘Juventus were handed a severe punishment, but I am not ashamed of what has happened,’ he continued.
   ‘We must now just concentrate on playing football. Others have misbehaved and I am not referring to Inter, but I am sure justice will be done.
   ‘In any case, I am glad I stayed at Juve. I am enjoying playing in Serie B and I think I made the right decision.’

Jens Lehmann is to auction a crumpled note on the penalty habits of Argentina’s players that he stuffed in his sock at the World Cup.
   The Germany goalkeeper, who saved two Argentina spot kicks during their quarter-final shootout, said the note had been hard to read because it was written in pencil and damp with sweat.
   Studying the paper between each kick may have unnerved the Argentines, however, and helped Germany through to the semi-finals where they lost to Italy.
   Lehmann told German television the note, which has also appeared in a documenatry about the World Cup, would be auctioned for charity.
   In translation it reads:
   1 Riquelme left high
   2 Crespo long run/right, short run/left
   3 Heinze left low
   4 Ayala long wait, long run right
   5 Messi left
   6 Aimar long wait left
   7 Rodriguez left

Frank Lampard on Tuesday backed football’s attempts to clean up the game.
   England’s midfield star insisted he will support anything which makes the game ‘more transparent’.
   In the wake of Lord Stevens’ initial bung-buster revelations on Monday, Lampard declared, ‘If there is wrongdoing in the game, then it has to be stopped.’
   He is fully behind new rules which will force players and not clubs to pay agents’ fees from January.
   Chelsea ace Lamps added, ‘I’ll be happy to pay my agent.
   ‘I don’t have a problem with that and nor do I have a problem with anything which makes the game more transparent. There has been too much negativity around football lately.’
   Lampard’s pledge came on the same day the FA announced it was charging agent Charles Collymore for touting players illegally.
   Collymore was one of the agents featured in the Panorama bungs sting, though the charges laid against him are not related.
   He is alleged to have touted Luton striker Enoch Showunmi to Millwall without the knowledge or consent of the player’s club.
   He has been charged with breaching agents’ regulations as well.
   Collymore said Tuesday, ‘There’s a lot I want to say but have been told not to. But I will in due course. I want to clear my name.’
   The FA also took action against two other licensed agents.
   Saif Rubie had his licence suspended for failing to provide information on his company Up ’n Up Management Ltd, his professional indemnity insurance and the annual declaration form licensed agents must submit. He was also fined.
   And North East-based agent Ian Elliott has been warned as to his future conduct after admitting failing to lodge with the FA his representation contract with Sunderland player Grant Leadbitter.
   The Association of Football Agents will open its files to help Lord Stevens’ inquiry.
   But it has only 80 of the 280 licensed agents among their members.

Former Italy coach Marcello Lippi has confirmed his football comeback could be in Spain next season.
   ‘I’d very much like to be a Coach in La Liga. It’s a type of football that I enjoy,’ said the 2006 World Cup winner on RAI Uno programme ‘Porta a Porta’.
   ‘I haven’t received any offers from Italian clubs, but I did get plenty of interest from abroad. However, I don’t intend to resume work in the next few months.’
   Lippi surprised many when he resigned from his post just days after winning the most prestigious trophy in the sport, although once again he hinted that it was the pre-tournament Calciopoli scandal – and attempts to implicate him in it – that soured the situation.
   ‘Guido Rossi had asked me to stay on. I said enough was enough, because I didn’t consider all that controversy to be healthy. I earned my place at the World Cup, so I didn’t feel I should be put under pressure to give that up. Besides, there were other factors that also pushed me to quit after the tournament. It was a two-year experience and the end of a natural cycle.’
   New Italy boss Roberto Donadoni also admitted this week he had offered to resign following the dreadful start to his campaign, but Lippi defended his heir.
   ‘Donadoni is a wise and capable Coach. I am sure that he’ll slowly emerge from this situation and with the strength of this squad can give Italy some magic moments.’
   The Azzurri lifted the World Cup after a penalty shoot-out with France, but it could be the last time this happens. FIFA President Sepp Blatter has urged for major games to be replayed or decided by taking more and more players off the field.
   ‘In my view a penalty kick is a technical test, not a lottery. It’s difficult that a team which didn’t deserve it will emerge on top after a shoot-out. It would be complicated to replay a match of that magnitude and with such a tight international schedule.’

Hernan Crespo insists he has not retired from international football after pulling out of Argentina’s squad for the friendly with Spain.
   The Internazionale striker has been forced to withdraw from the game to ensure he does not aggravate a thigh injury.
   But there have been suggestions that Crespo has made himself unavailable for his country, something he is quick to refute.
   ‘Sometimes I say that the press is very weird,’ said Crespo. ‘I don’t know why they have been saying in Argentina that I was going to resign from the national team.
   ‘I had been asked to give an opinion about Riquelme’s decision and I did, but I never said that I was going to resign.
   ‘Maybe because I said that I don’t have long-term projects, that I prefer to have in mind what I have to do in each day, they thought I was thinking about resigning from the national team, but it’s not like that.
   ‘I am very proud that I have been recalled by (Alfio) Basile for the match against Spain, but unfortunately I am currently injured and I will not be able to play that match.
   ‘I am always available for the national team, so I expect to be recalled for the next match.’
   Manchester United defender Gabriel Heinze will also skip the game in Murcia next Wednesday as he nurses a knee injury.
   Roberto Ayala and Pablo Aimar are back in the squad after missing the Brazil game, while West Ham United duo Javier Mascherano and Carlos Tevez are also selected.
   Meanwhile, Juan Pablo Sorin admits he must prove his fitness with new club Hamburg before he secures a recall to the Argentina side.
   Sorin said: ‘I always have the expectation of being recalled to the national team, despite that I haven’t been training for a long time.
   ‘I have had my debut in Hamburg and last Tuesday I played in the Champions League. I have to be totally fit at Hamburg to be called up by Argentina.
   ‘Alfio Basile is a winning coach and he likes the Argentinian style very much, so I expect him to have success.’

Totti hits out
at critics
Francesco Totti has hit out at his critics by stating that no-one can question his commitment to the Italian national side. The Roma skipper is refusing to play for the Azzurri until 2007 in order to fully shake off an ankle injury at a time when Roberto Donadoni’s side are struggling in their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign. A draw against Lithuania and defeat at the hands of France have intensified the calls for Totti to return to the setup, and certain elements of the Italian press have criticised the playmaker for his refusal to do so. However, after helping Italy to World Cup glory despite being short of fitness, Totti believes his commitment to the Azzurri is beyond reproach. ‘At the World Cup I’ve risked myself,’ said Totti. ‘No-one can doubt the respect I have towards the national team. I did this out of thankfulness for coach Marcelo Lippi and that group.’
— New Age Desk

Rooney will be
razor sharp
Wayne Rooney looked back to his razor-sharp best Tuesday when he reported for England duty. The Manchester United striker, 21 this month, has endured a troubled, stumbled start to the season with no goals since the first day and very few close shaves. But he looks years younger after foaming up and taking a blade to his two-week growth. Now Roo has ditched the beard he’ll be hoping to clean up in the Euro 2008 qualifying double header against Macedonia and Croatia. Can he become a hero in one smooth stroke?
—New Age Desk

Styris fit for
Champs Trophy
Scott Styris has been declared fit for the Champions Trophy that starts in India in October after recovering from a back injury that forced him to return early from his stint at Middlesex during the 2006 county season. Styris is currently participating in a camp at Christchurch and John Bracewell, the New Zealand coach, said that he would be fit to bowl in the tournament as well. Buchanan said that Styris had been eased into preparations and increased the work load to build up strength. New Zealand’s preparation for the Champions Trophy has been limited. Their last one-day international was back on March 4, and only a handful of their players have been involved in the English country season. New Zealand’s first game is against South Africa in Mumbai on October 16.
—Cricinfo

C’wealth Games
hit F1 revenue
This year’s Commonwealth Games has been blamed for a dramatic loss generated by the Australian Formula One Grand Prix, according to a report tabled on Wednesday. In its annual report tabled in the Victorian state parliament, the Australian Grand Prix Corporation announced a loss of more than A$21 million (8.3 million pounds), significantly worse than last year’s deficit of more than A$13 million (5.1 million pounds).Australian Associated Press said the report noted the four-day event was pushed back almost one month to the end of March, making way for the Melbourne Games earlier in the month. ‘There was, however, a risk that ticket sales revenue would be impacted by staging two major events so close to each other,’ the report said.
— Reutersp