The Bangladesh cricket team under new Australian coach Jamie Siddons leaves for New Zealand today to play three one-day internationals, two Tests and a Twenty20 charity match. It is their second tour of the country since 2001.
   The Tigers will open their month-long tour with warm-up matches against provincial sides Northern Districts on December 16 and 18 at the Seddon Park in Hamilton and against Auckland on December 21 at the Eden Park Outer Oval.
   Bangladesh will also play a special Twenty20 match against the Black Caps on Decembers 23 at Seddon Park to raise funds for the Sidr victims. Stephen Fleming will lead the New Zealand XI side.
   The first of the three-match ODI series will be held on December 26 at Eden Park in Auckland. The second and the third games are on December 28 and 31 at McLean Park in Napier.
   The first Test begins on January 4 at the University Oval in Dunedin while the second Test is from January 12-16 at Basin Reserve in Wellington.
   The Tigers leave for home on January 17.
   On their previous visit, Bangladesh suffered humiliating defeats in the two-match Test series. They were crushed by an innings and 52 runs in the first Test and outplayed by an innings and 74 runs in the final Test.
   Bangladesh: Mohammad Ashraful (captain), Mashrafee bin Murtaza (vice-captain), Javed Omar, Tushar Imran, Abdur Razzak, Shakib Al Hasan, Syed Rasel, Aftab Ahmed, Mushfiqur Rahim (wicketkeeper), Shahadat Hossain, Junaed Siddiqui, Farhad Reza, Mehrab Hossain, Tamim Iqbal and Nazmul Hossain.

The Cricketers Welfare Association of Bangladesh urged the Bangladesh Cricket Board and the clubs to take immediate steps to resolve the legal wrangling regarding the Premier Division Cricket League.
   The CWAB expressed their concerns at the delay in starting the most colourful domestic competition at a press conference held at a local restaurant in Dhanmondi.
   National skipper Mohammad Ashraful presented a realistic view. ‘While those of us who are in the national pool may not feel the pinch, but there are hundreds of the cricketers who depend on playing in the league just to make ends meet. So, they will suffer immensely if the Premier League continues to remain uncertain,’ he said.
   His predecessor Habibul Bashar also emphasised on a seeking a quick solution. ‘Since the Premier League is regarded as the showcase tournament, every effort should be made to resolve any outstanding problems so that the show can begin.’
   The CWAB members also highlighted that the discharged committee of the BCB did not complete the relegation league and the new ad-hoc committee all of a sudden wanted to initiate it. But Brothers Union and Indira Road, the two clubs fighting in the relegation zone, did not turn up in the field according to the fixture provided by the board. So BCB relegated both the team to the first division.
   Brothers lodged a writ against the BCB in the High Court and the court stayed the petition for two months in November. As a consequence the board is unable to start the competition.
   The CWAB, which was granted membership of the Federation of International Cricketers Associa-tion a few days ago, urged the board and the clubs to sit together and remove the obstructions.
   CWAB officials Debobroto Paul, Ahsanullah Hasan, cricketers Tushar Imran, Al Shahriar, Ehsanul Huq, Imran Parvez were present on the occasion.

The Bangladesh Football Federation elections took a new turn as the football organisers convinced BFF president SA Sultan that formation of the divisional and district football associations should be approved in the annual general meeting first of all.
   A group of football organisers led by former general secretary of the football federation Harun-ur Rashid had a long discussion with Sultan at BFF House on Tuesday. The meeting lasted over two hours and afterwards both parties explained their position to the press.
   They disclosed that formation of the DFAs will fall under legal complicacies if it is not approved by the existing councilors at the AGM first. The football organisers also declared that the infrastructure of the DFA does not suit the socio-financial structure of a third world country like Bangladesh. They urged the president to inform the findings to FIFA as soon as possible.
   Moreover, they said that since BFF is a National Sports Council affiliated organisation and DSA also comes under NSC jurisdiction, so how the DFAs will act with the NSC is also not clear.
   Sultan presented a new stance regarding the issue. ‘After deep discussion I realised that there are some technical and legal complicacies regarding the formation of the DFAs. To ensure a transparent and fair atmosphere we now have to think differently as we all want to wipe out all the uncertainties existing in the football arena,’ said Sultan.
   Harun-ur Rashid who resigned after BNP swept to power in 2001 and opened the door for Sultan and company to rule the BFF, offered a truce. ‘We urged the president to listen to us more than once but somehow it did no see light. If the discussion would have taken place earlier many present day complicacies would not occur,’ said Harun.
   Badal Roy, the former joint secretary of the federation, explained the legal side of the issue. ‘Anybody can lodge a case in court that BFF did not inform him about formation of the DFAs and it is illegal. Actually BFF was doing all the work on a one-way basis which does not match the FIFA statutes,’ said Badal Roy.
   Sultan however did not admit whether the federation would host an AGM. The issues would be decided in an emergency meeting of the BFF executive committee today. He also apprehended that the election procedure mat be affected by the new development.

Sri Lanka (379/4) lead England (351) by 28 runs at stumps, day 3
   Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene took over from Sanath Jayasuriya as his country’s leading run-maker as the hosts pulverised England in the second Test here on Tuesday.
   Jayawardene made 167 not out and Michael Vandort hit 138 as Sri Lanka, replying to England’s first innings total of 351, piled up 379-4 by stumps on the third day at the Sinhalese Sports Club Cricket (SSC).
   Sri Lanka go into the fourth day’s play leading by 28 runs with six wickets in hand and almost certain to put England under pressure when the tourists bat a second time.
   England coach Peter Moores said his team had worked hard on an unresponsive wicket and hoped to limit Sri Lanka’s advantage when play resumed.
   ‘We kept them under three runs an over which is a great effort on a flat wicket,’ said Moores.
   ‘It is frustrating for the lads, but they have kept at it.
   ‘We will work very hard to try and stay in this game. The lads will come back tomorrow for another go. We have to come back and fight.’
   Jayawardene, on 43 overnight, batted the whole day to surpass the recently-retired Jayasuriya’s career tally of 6,973 runs and also equalled Aravinda de Silva’s Sri Lankan record of 20 Test centuries.
   The 30-year-old now has 7,030 runs from 92 Tests while Jayasuriya played 110 matches before retiring from the longer format of the game after the first Test in Kandy last week.
   Jayawardene shone once again on his favourite hunting ground where he scored 374 against South Africa two years ago during a world record stand of 624 with Kumar Sangakkara (287).
   The Sri Lankan captain has 2,034 runs from 19 matches at the SSC, the most by any batsman at a single venue, surpassing former England captain Graham Gooch’s 2015 runs from 21 Tests at Lord’s in London.
   Jayawardene, who has hit 13 boundaries and a six, and Vandort put on 227 for the third wicket after coming together in the post-lunch session of the second day with Sri Lanka struggling at 22-2.
   The pair batted through Tuesday’s morning period before left-arm seamer Ryan Sidebottom broke the stand with his fourth delivery with the second new ball an hour after lunch by trapping Vandort leg-before.
   Vandort hit 18 boundaries, and a six off Monty Panesar, but failed by two runs to surpass his Test best of 140 against Bangladesh in 2002.
   Chamara Silva helped his captain put on 128 for the fourth wicket, making 49 before he fended a short ball from Steve Harmison to Ravi Bopara at point.
   England, who lost the first Test by 88 runs, were denied quick wickets after they had removed the prolific Sangakkara and Upul Tharanga cheaply on Monday.
   The nearest England came to taking a wicket in the morning session was when Panesar got one to spin sharply across Jayawardene’s bat, but wicket-keeper Matthew Prior failed to take the thin edge.
   Jayawardene moved to 88 when he edged Harmison to gully where Ian Bell dived in front, but indicated to the umpires he had picked up the ball on the half-volley and was not claiming a catch.

It’s crunch time in the Champions League today as four teams attempt to secure the two remaining tickets into the knockout stage of Europe’s top club competition.
   With Spanish giants Barcelona already qualified as Group E leaders and German champions Stuttgart out of contention at the bottom of the pile, Rangers and six-time French champions Lyon are left to scrape it out at Ibrox for second place.
   Rangers need only to avoid defeat against Lyon to book a place alongside their domestic league rivals Celtic in the last sixteen but Walter Smith will hope for a repeat performance of their impressive 3-0 win over Alain Perrin’s men at the Gerland stadium in October and has no intention of sending his side out to secure a draw.
   Smith said: ‘I don’t know how you’d set out to play for a draw. Never in my whole career as a manager have I considered trying to play for a draw so I won’t change now.
   ‘If you set your team out to simply avoid defeat what would happen if you lost a goal in the last minute? Obviously the draw suits us, but we will approach the game like any other and try our best to win.’
   Lyon’s preparation for the do-or-die game was far from perfect showing some defensive frailties as they lost to eighth-placed Caen 1-0 in the domestic league on Saturday under the watchful eyes of Smith, who had made the trip to size up his opponents.
   In contrast Rangers were allowed to postpone their Scottish Premier League fixture against Gretna on Sunday and will be fresh for the encounter.
   Despite Rangers’ 3-2 defeat away at Stuttgart in October, Gers boss Smith believes the nature of Wednesday’s fixture will help concentrate minds against a Lyon team very capable of dashing his side’s qualification hopes.
   ‘We have to make sure that the levels of concentration are as high as they possibly can be,’ he told the League Managers’ Association website, www.leaguemanagers.com.
   ‘Against Stuttgart they weren’t and I don’t know whether it was just because of the fact that we had a margin of error there or that it didn’t matter if we won, lost or drew the game, as long as Lyon took a point against Barcelona we were always going to go to the last game anyway.
   ‘So I don’t know whether that was the case because over the European campaign the attitude and levels of concentration have been terrific.
   ‘The one thing that the Stuttgart game did show was that if we do slip a little bit then teams will definitely take advantage of that.’
   There’s nothing to play for in Group F apart from pride as English champions Manchester United and Italian giants Roma have already booked their spots in the knockout stage qualifying first and second respectively.
   The two teams will face each other in the group’s ultimate match in the Italian capital and officials will be looking to avoid a repeat of last season’s
   violence when a number of United fans were taken to hospital after clashing with Italian police outside Rome’s Olympic stadium.
   Sir Alex Ferguson’s Red Devils go into the game on a high having used bottom of the Premier league table, Derby, for target practice at the weekend, winning 4-1, while Roma slipped up in the Italian championship drawing 1-1 with lowly Livorno.
   In group G, Serie A leaders Inter have already clinched top spot leaving Turks Fenerbahce, on eight points, and Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven, on seven points, to fight for the runners up spot.
   The Turkish champions have the more favourable tie as they play host to bottom of the group CSKA Moscow while PSV welcome Inter in a bid to advance to the next phase.
   Arsenal and Sevilla have both booked their tickets out of Group H and into the last sixteen. However today’s ties will decide who qualifies top of the group.
   Sevilla, who enjoyed a comfortable 3-1 win over Murcia on Sunday in the Spanish League, are group leaders on 12 points but have to make the away trip to Slavia Prague.
   Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal, who suffered their first Premier League defeat of the season when they were beaten 2-1 at home by Middlesbrough on Sunday, are just two points behind the Spaniards in second place as they prepare to welcome Steaua Bucharest at the Emirates stadium.
   

   Fixtures
   Wednesday
   Group E
   Rangers (SCO) v Lyon (FRA)
   Barcelona (ESP) v Stuttgart (GER)
   
   Group F
   Roma (ITA) v Manchester United (ENG)
   Sporting (POR) v Dynamo Kiev (UKR)
   
   Group G
   PSV Eindhoven (NED) v Inter Milan (ITA)
   Fenerbahce (TUR) v CSKA Moscow (RUS)
   
   Group H
   Arsenal (ENG) v Steaua Bucharest (ROM)
   Slavia Prague (CZE) v Sevilla (ESP)

Cricket has taken the first step on the long road to inclusion in the Olympic programme by winning provisional recognition status.
   Cricket and sport climbing were awarded the status for their work with youths, the International Olympic Committee said on Monday.
   The earliest cricket could be seen at the Games is 2020.
   As it will not have spent the mandatory two-year provisional status by the time the 2008 Beijing Olympics are over, its case will be reviewed following the 2012 London Games.
   The Olympic programme is determined seven years ahead of every Games.
   ‘Both (sports) showed a lot of activity and work with youth,’ IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies told reporters after the first day of an executive board meeting.
   Other fully recognised sports include rugby, golf, squash, bridge and tug-of-war. Provisionally recognised sports include sumo wrestling.
   The IOC also said it would release the final tranche of funds withheld from the International Amateur Boxing Association over scoring and judging irregularities.
   About $415,000 will be handed over after the IOC said changes to the judging and scoring system were successfully implemented in the recent world championships.
   ‘This is in recognition of reforms that have been taken on board,’ Davies said.
   About $1.1 million in Olympic revenue was withheld after the 2004 Athens Games.
   Davies said the recent boxing world championships showed past irregularities had been rectified.
   A total of 31 athletes nominated by their National Olympic Committees will vie for four spots on the IOC athletes commission during elections in Beijing.
   Among those hoping to win a spot on the commission that deals with the issues of athletes and pushes their cause during Games time are tennis players Justine Henin and Amelie Mauresmo, track and field athletes Wilson Kipketer and Paul Tergat and swimmer Grant Hackett.

Mohammad Yousuf was so surprised that Anil Kumble sledged him, that he lost his concentration, and ultimately his wicket, on the third day of the third Test in Bangalore.
   ‘Moments before I got out, Anil Kumble threw a few words at me. I just walked up to him and told him that it doesn’t look good for a senior player like him to behave in such a manner,’ Yousuf wrote in his column in the Times of India. ‘It was completely unexpected from someone like him.’
   The incident happened at the end of the 70th over, bowled by Harbhajan Singh. Kumble exchanged words with Yousuf, who was then on 23 from 71 balls. Just before the next over, bowled by Irfan Pathan, Yousuf walked over to gully where Kumble was fielding and continued with the verbal volley.
   He was visibly agitated, Kumble patted him on the back and asked him to continue batting but Yousuf even had a word with the umpires Simon Taufel and Rudi Koertzen.
   Six balls later, for the addition of just one run, Yousuf chased a wide one from Pathan and drove it straight to Yuvraj Singh at point.

The Bangladesh Under-19 team will play their Sri Lankan counterparts in the first of the five-match limited-overs series at Shaheed Chandu Stadium in Bogra today.
   Suhrawardy Shuvo, who successfully captained the Junior Tigers to clinch the five-match one-day series 3-2 against Pakistan last week, will lead the team against the Lankans.
   Ashan Priyanjan Subasinghe will lead the tourists, who reached the capital on Monday.
   The Sri Lankans will also play two more limited-overs matches at the same venue on December 14 and 15.
   The two teams will play the remaining games at the Fatullah Stadium on December 18 and 20.
   The Bangladesh Cricket Board announced a 15-member team. Three new faces in the squad are Nadimuddin Mintu, Hamidul Islam and Ashraful Hossain.

Bangladesh Grand Master Abdullah Al Rakib finished ninth in the Commonwealth Chess Championship with 7.5 points, one point adrift of the eventual champion Indian GM RB Ramesh. Another Indian GM SS Ganguly finished runner-up also securing 8.5 points.
   Rakib, in the last and tenth round, beat Indian WGM Nisha Mohota on Tuesday.
   Country’s first Grand Master Niaz Mushed became 11th despite collecting 7.5 points. Another GM Reefat Bin Sattar was placed 29th with 6.5 points. FM Kh Aminul Islam finished 95th bagging 5.5 points while IWM Rani Hamid became 209th securing 3.5 points.

The ninth Asia Cup will be played in Pakistan next June, as originally planned. This was confirmed by the executive board of the Asian Cricket Council, which met in Delhi.
   The teams taking part are defending champions Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, along with Hong Kong and United Arab Emirates. The previous edition of the Asia Cup was held in mid-2004, with Sri Lanka defeating India by 25 runs to claim the trophy.
   The Asia Cup was initially scheduled for April 2008, but it was postponed to accommodate the Indian Premier League, a franchise-based Twenty20 tournament organised by the Indian board.
   There was speculation that the Asia Cup could be postponed again because of the political situation in Pakistan but Nasim Ashraf, the president of the Pakistan Cricket Board, allayed those doubts by saying he had received an assurance from the BCCI that India would participate in the tournament.
   The details of the fixtures will be released at a later date.

Rangamati moved into the semi-finals as Group C champion when they drubbed Gaibandha 5-0 in the second Inter-district Women’s Football Competition at the Dhanmondi Women’s Sports Complex on Tuesday.
   Sainu Pru scored two goals while Mainu, Lina and Jaya netted one goal each for the winners. Pru was adjudged best player of the match.
   In the day’s other matches, Khagrachari also confirmed their super-four berth as Group B champions after playing out a goalless draw with Rajshahi while Jessore blanked Sirajganj 3-0.

Australia (186/6) beat New Zealand (132) by 54 runs
   A fast bowling blitz saw Australia thrash New Zealand by 54 runs in a Twenty20 international at the WACA Ground here Tuesday.
   The home side made 186 for six from its 20 overs, led by an unbeaten 85 from powerful all-rounder Andrew Symonds, and the Black Caps managed just 132 in reply in front of 17,344 spectators.
   Although Twenty20 is viewed as a batsman’s game, the Australian pace attack derailed New Zealand’s run chase from the start with some extremely hostile bowling in another tough match for new Black Caps captain Daniel Vettori.
   On a lively wicket, Brett Lee (17-2) claimed the wicket of dangerous opener Lou Vincent from the first ball of the innings, the Kiwi batsman getting a top edge to a rising ball and skying it to wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist.
   Lee then dismissed Brendon McCullum, who had survived a close third umpire run out decision and audaciously slashed the Australian quick over point for six in his previous over, in similar fashion, caught behind from a leading edge for 13.
   Fellow tearaway Shaun Tait (22-2) was brought into the attack and claimed a wicket with his first ball, Jamie How (4) gloving a bouncer through to Gilchrist, who pulled in a stunning catch.
   Gilchrist leapt high to get a hand to the ball, and then wheeled around and dived full length to snare the ball in one hand.
   The first three New Zealand wickets had all fallen to express, rising deliveries.
   Three deliveries later, Tait removed Ross Taylor for a duck off an inside edge.
   When Gilchrist took his fourth catch to remove Mathew Sinclair for a duck, the third of the innings, and give Mitchell Johnson (19-2) his first wicket, the Black Caps were 31 for five and the game was as good as over as a contest. Another quick, Ashley Noffke, celebrated his promotion with 18-3.
   Kiwi all-rounder Jacob Oram restored some respectability and gave another reminder of his hitting ability with an unbeaten 66 from 31 balls, hitting five sixes in eight balls from the spin of Symonds.
   Australia’s imposing total was built around a typically brutal knock from Andrew Symonds, who faced just 46 balls, hitting seven fours and three sixes.
   Australia was not in great shape at 73 for three after 10 overs, but Symonds teamed with rookie Adam Voges (26) for an 80-run stand that accelerated the innings.
   Michael Clarke, captaining the Australian side for the first time, opened the batting with Adam Gilchrist and made 33 from 26 balls.
   Gilchrist could scarcely believe his misfortune when he slashed at a wide ball from Mark Gillespie in the second over and hit it sweetly, only for Ross Taylor to take a freakish one-handed catch to his left at gully.
   Unlucky Australian batsman Brad Hodge was a late omission from the side, when he hurt his back just an hour before the game.
   Meanwhile, Australia face a mounting injury list as they prepare for the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy against New Zealand, with star all-rounder Andrew Symonds in doubt with an ankle injury.
   Powerful opener Matthew Hayden missed Tuesday’s match with knee soreness, but the Australians hope he will be available for the Adelaide match.

The four host countries of the 2011 cricket World Cup will ask the International Cricket Council if they can hold the tournament over a shorter period of time, an official said on Tuesday.
   Representatives of Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh met in Bangalore and have reached a consensus on a format for the 2011 tournament, which they will submit to the ICC for discussion and ratification, a Pakistan cricket board official told Reuters.
   ‘We want to have the eight team quarter finals directly after the preliminary round of matches between the two groups of seven,’ he said.
   In 2003, the ICC had a super sixes stage after the preliminary round, followed by the knockout stage matches.
   In the 2007 edition in the West Indies, the format of 16 teams drew criticism for lasting over a month.
   Pakistan and India also bemoaned the first round format, which saw their teams eliminated from the competition after just two matches.
   ‘The format on we have reached a consensus will save time and also provide every team a chance to play a minimum of six matches in the preliminary round before the knockout stages,’ the official said.
   The four countries also discussed having a single visa for visitors to the World Cup, which would enable them to go to all four countries on the same visa.

Indian police on Tuesday began questioning South African cricketer Nicky Boje about a major match-fixing scandal in 2000, police Crime Branch officers said.
   The 34-year-old was escorted in a private vehicle by South African diplomats to a New Delhi interrogation centre where detectives began the questioning, they said.
   ‘The questioning has begun and Boje is cooperating nicely with us,’ New Delhi Police spokesman Rajan Bhagat told AFP.
   Others said the left-arm spinner, who retired from international cricket last year, came voluntarily from the northern Indian city of Panchkula, where he is playing in the rebel Indian Cricket League until Sunday.
   Bhagat said Boje was being questioned in connection with the match-fixing scandal involving then South African skipper Hansie Cronje and three of his teammates during South Africa’s tour of India in 2000.
   The police issued the summons on Wednesday, ordering Boje to ‘assist’ detectives in the ongoing probe.
   The scandal earned a life ban for Cronje, who died in an aircrash in 2002.
   Crime Branch officers said they had a written questionnaire for Boje.
   ‘We want him to corroborate certain things that (South Africa’s Herschelle) Gibbs told us during his questioning in October 2006,’ a police officer, who declined to be named, told AFP without elaborating.
   Boje had previously skipped two tours of India after failing to obtain assurances that he would not be detained by police.
   Spokesman Bhagat declined to say if Boje would be detained after his grilling. ‘We will offer comments after the questioning,’ he said.
   Cronje and batsman Gibbs were found guilty of being part of the skipper’s conspiracy in a public inquiry in South Africa.
   They were fined and banned for six months after Indian police exposed the biggest betting scandal to hit cricket.

European football’s governing body UEFA signed a deal here Tuesday with leading web portal Sina.com offering all 31 European Championship matches next year live to China’s online consumers free of charge.
   UEFA President Michel Platini travelled to Beijing to seal the agreement whereby Sina will become the exclusive new media broadcaster for the tournament, airing all the Euro 2008 games on the Internet and offering highlights to mobile phone users.
   ‘China is the biggest audience in the world for football... Thanks to Sina the Chinese are going to see the entire European tournament live on the Internet and through their mobile phones,’ said the former French football captain.
   No details concerning the contract, including the financial aspects, were released by the two companies.
   China’s state broadcaster CCTV has already been chosen as China’s exclusive TV broadcaster of the event but lost out to Sina in the bid for the new media rights, a UEFA official told AFP.
   It is the first time that all European championship matches will be broadcast live over the Internet in China.
   The official said that only one match was aired live online during the 2004 event.
   In a company statement, Sina said that championship matches would be broadcast free of charge. The company already airs live English Premiership, Italian Serie A and Champions League games.

Bayern Munich have surprisingly suspended captain Oliver Kahn for their final Bundesliga game of the year and fined him 25,000 euros (36,600 US dollars) for ‘disciplinary reasons’.
   The 38-year-old misses the game at Hertha Berlin on Saturday, on top of the fine handed out by Bayern Munich coach Ottmar Hitzfeld, with no explanation given as to what Kahn did to warrant such sanctions.
   A press release issued by the German giants on Tuesday simply stated Kahn had been suspended, fined on ‘disciplinary grounds’ and the matter had been dealt with internally.
   But possibly the reason behind Hitzfeld’s tough stance can be linked to Kahn’s comments on Monday. After Bayern drew 0-0 with strugglers Duisburg on Saturday, Kahn was typically harsh with a thinly-veiled attack on his colleagues French midfielder Franck Ribery, who joined from Marseille, and Italian striker Luca Toni, who joined from Fiorentina.
   ‘There are one or two here who need to realise that two or three good games is not enough,’ Kahn told German magazine Kicker on Monday.
   ‘Bayern are not Marseille or Fiorentina, we are more like Milan, Real, Manchester United or Barcelona.
   ‘They have to be far more consistent.’ And according to Die Welt newspaper, Kahn left Bayern’s Christmas celebrations in Munich too early for Hitzfeld’s liking.

Bangladesh Army maintaining their winning spree in the Victory Day Basketball Tournament on Tuesday defeated Eagles Club 93-48 at the Shaheed Suhrawardy Indoor Stadium in Mirpur. They led the first session 53-20.
   Tuza caged 18, Baten 16 for the winners while Rahat scored 13 for the losers.
   In the day’s other match, Bangladesh Navy defeated BKSP 76-62 after leading the first half 39-36.

The City Bank Limited Under-20 Victory Day Judo Competition begins today at the National Sports Council gymnasium.
   Around 224 judokas including 79 women will participate in the three-day event that will be inaugurated by the CEO of Bangladesh Olympic Association, Col (retd) Mohammad Walli Ullah.
   K Mahmud Sattar, MD of City Bank Limited, will give away the prizes on the penultimate day while sports adviser Tapan Chowdhury will be chief guest on the concluding day and will present trophies to the winners.

Arsene Wenger is ready to put Arsenal’s Champions League ambitions at risk by playing an under-strength team in today’s match against Steaua Bucharest.
   The Gunners are already through to the knockout stages but need to better Sevilla’s result at Slavia Prague in the final round of Group H matches if they are to finish in first place.
   Wenger’s side would have an easier time in the second round if they top the group because the winners are drawn against one of the eight runners-up, with the decisive second leg at home.
   It could be a substantial advantage as the second placed teams are likely to face Barcelona, AC Milan, Real Madrid or Inter Milan, while the less daunting likes of Celtic, Rangers, Fenerbahce, Rosenborg or Olympiakos lie in wait for the clubs in pole position.
   But Wenger hinted he will take his chances with the draw because he would rather rest players ahead of Sunday’s crucial Premier League match against Chelsea.
   The French coach, who is already without Cesc Fabregas, Alexander Hleb, Mathieu Flamini and Robin van Perise, looks set to leave out Emmanuel Adebayor, Kolo Toure, Tomas Rosicky and Bacary Sagna today.
   He said: ‘I feel for us maybe it is not necessarily a disadvantage to play the big clubs. At least the big clubs will play as well.
   ‘Last year, we lost against Eindhoven, who refused to play in the first leg. Then, in the second game, they just waited for one counter-attack. We struggled more in that game than we had done the season before against Real Madrid.
   ‘Maybe when you play against Real Madrid or Barcelona, you say ‘what a hell of a task’ but then you face a different problem because they will come out and play.
   ‘If we do finish second in the group, nobody would be especially keen to play against us. But having said that I still want to finish top.’
   After a sparkling start to the season, Arsenal have hit their first sticky patch. The Premier League leaders have won only one of their last four matches and suffered a first league defeat at Middlesbrough on Sunday.
   The injuries to Fabregas and Hleb have played a major role in Arsenal’s slump. Both midfielders will be out for at least another week and Wenger concedes their creativity has been sorely missed.
   ‘At the moment we miss players in the same area. That handicaps a little bit our creative potential,’ he said.
   ‘But I always have confidence in the players who play. When you go into a season you know you will miss some players at some stage.’
   Flamini may be fit for the Chelsea game and Arsenal left-back Gael Clichy is hoping they can get back on track before the rest of the walking wounded return.
   ‘We have a strong squad and we are first and were playing well without five star players,’ he said. ‘It was a bit unlucky to have so many out. But we know with all these games we are going to get some injured players so we have to be focused now.
   ‘When you have players like Cesc, Robin, Alex and Mathieu in the side it is very different. We have the quality without those players so it’s not an excuse. But of course we look forward to them coming back because with them we are stronger.’
   Steaua are out of contention after taking only one point from their first five matches and cannot even qualify for the UEFA Cup.
   They gave Arsenal a harder than expected contest before losing 1-0 in October but that was one of the few positives of a mediocre season.
   Marius Lacatus’s side are 11 points behind Romanian league leaders Cluj and are already on their third manager this year. They will travel to London more in hope than expectation of a shock victory.

Chelsea manager Avram Grant believes his players’ unquenchable thirst for success has helped him prove his critics wrong.
   Grant’s appointment as Jose Mourinho’s replacement in September was greeted with widespread scepticism, but the Israeli has confounded predictions he would struggle at Stamford Bridge.
   Despite a host of injuries to key players, Chelsea are unbeaten in 15 matches since losing at Manchester United in Grant’s first match.
   They have already qualified for the Champions League knockout stages and can draw level with Premier League leaders Arsenal if they beat the Gunners on Sunday.
   It is a scenario that seemed unlikely during the early weeks of Grant’s reign, when rumours of dressing unrest were common-place.
   But Grant is adamant it is the character of his squad that has made the difference rather than his own contribution.
   Chelsea have been deprived of Petr Cech, Ricardo Carvalho, Didier Drogba, Michael Ballack and John Terry at various times this season, yet to Grant’s delight they remain in content for all four major honours.
   ‘First I disappointed you. You expected me to lose many games. I’m sorry about this!’ Grant said.
   ‘In this time we have built a very good start, we have won games and played better football.
   ‘And if I may say we had a lot of injuries. I never speak about this before the games but it showed about the character of the team. We had injuries to Petr Cech, almost all the defenders and midfielders.
   ‘You see other teams like Arsenal when they have two injuries what has happened in the last two games.
   You saw Manchester United without Wayne Rooney lose at Bolton.
   ‘It is important you have players with character. I am sure we have that here at Chelsea. We have a big squad and I think we use it well. It is not easy but we cannot control the injuries.
   ‘We have to say more than a good word about the players that played instead. Starting with Carlo Cudicini and Andriy Shevchenko and all the midfield players. They showed good character and quality.’
   Grant hopes Drogba will be back in three weeks after knee surgery but he will still miss Chelsea’s crucial showdown at Arsenal this weekend.
   With Chelsea already installed as Group B winners, Grant is likely to rest several players against Valencia to keep them fit for the London derby.
   ‘I cannot say that the Valencia game is important to us. I will not say it. Sunday is much more important,’ Grant said.
   ‘But it is in the Champions League and at home so we will do everything to win it. I need to see the players in training first before I decide who will play.’
   Valencia’s visit to London will bring happy memories for Grant, who believes Chelsea’s 2-1 win at the Mestalla in October was the turning point in his side’s season.
   ‘You can say it was very important for us because you know what happened then,’ he said. ‘Everybody thought that Chelsea were on the way down and would continue to be down after we lost to Manchester United.
   ‘Then we won at Valencia. We played very well, the attitude was good and since then we didn’t lose.
   ‘We had started the Champions League with a draw so we needed that win to qualify. Now you can see it was important.’

Asian champions Urawa Reds say the pressure is all on AC Milan as they look to defy the odds to take the Italian giant’s scalp in the Club World Cup semi-finals on Thursday.
   Confidence is running through the Japanese club after a morale-boosting 3-1 win over Iran’s Sepahan in their quarter-final clash Monday, a repeat of their two-leg AFC Champions League victory last month.
   While AC Milan will be hot favourite to reach Sunday’s final, Urawa refuse to be daunted by the task of taking on the European champions in Yokohama.
   ‘The pressure is on our opponents to win,’ Urawa striker and former Brazil international Washington said after scoring his team’s second against Sepahan in Toyota.
   ‘Urawa are on the verge of making history. We want to take advantage of the momentum and go for it,’ added the 32-year-old.
   Brazilian-born Marcus Tulio Tanaka, a tough, goal-scoring centre-back for both Urawa and the Japanese national team, agreed with Washington.
   ‘In football, it’s not the name that matters,’ he said. ‘It’s important to enjoy the game against Milan. There may be a thing or two which we can’t do against them but we have nothing to lose.’
   The Red Diamonds have been on a rollercoaster this past month.
   After beating Sepahan in the AFC final on November 14, they then lost their J-League title on the final day of the season and went out in the fourth round of the Emperor’s Cup tournament as holders.
   Urawa are the first Japanese side to join the Club World Cup of continental champions since the competition was created in 2005.
   It combined the traditional Intercontinental Cup—contested between the champions of Europe and South America—and a one-off world club championship in 2000.
   Washington, who had been in the Brazil team alongside Milan playmaker Kaka, defender Cafu and goalkeeper Dida in 2002 before being sidelined with a heart problem, said he had been disappointed not to be able to finish recent games.
   ‘But now I managed to score a goal and contributed to the team. I think we played fine football as a team,’ added the striker, who is expected to move to Brazil’s Fluminense.

Bobby Robson coached Ronaldo and Paul Gascoigne and was cheated by Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ goal.
   He led England to the World Cup semi-finals and won club titles in the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. He was a World Cup player when 17-year-old Pele burst onto the soccer scene in 1958.
   Now, Robson refuses to let cancer end his unbroken 57-year link with the sport. He has been honored for his service to the game, a distinction long overdue.
   ‘A lifetime achievement award suggests the next stop is a coffin,’ Robson said. ‘Let me assure you, that will not be the case.’
   When he tottered down the steps Sunday to receive his BBC award from another coaching great, Alex Ferguson, a stellar audience of British sports stars—Olympic champions Sebastian Coe and Steven Redgrave, rugby player Jonny Wilkinson and Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton—gave the 74-year-old Robson a standing ovation.
   True to form, Robson thanked everyone from his former players, fellow coaches and his wife of 52 years, Elsie.
   ‘Nobody wins anything on their own,’ said Robson, who joined Pele, Bjorn Borg, Martina Navratilova and George Best in receiving a BBC Lifetime Achievement award.
   ‘This award really is an extension and opportunity for me to say thank you very much to everybody that has supported me. Without the players, without the people that worked for me and that I inherited I wouldn’t be here tonight.’
   No brash boasts, no bad mouthing of rivals, no overstatements or fawning praise. Robson is one of those sports figures who is admired by all for his enthusiasm and integrity.
   Ferguson has refused to talk to the BBC for several years because of a program linking his son to soccer kickbacks. But he interrupted his boycott to attend its Sports Personality of the Year awards night and present Robson with his trophy.
   ‘To retain that enthusiasm and love for the game is an amazing achievement,’ said the Manchester United manager, who has led the Red Devils to 20 titles in 21 years at Old Trafford. ‘It’s a miracle.’
   While an attacking midfielder with Fulham and West Bromwich Albion, Robson played 20 times for England, including the 1958 World Cup. England was the only team not to lose to Brazil, holding the eventual champions to a 0-0 tie although that was days before Pele made his famous World Cup debut.

Chelsea manager Avram Grant expects Didier Drogba to be back in action in three weeks after his successful knee operation.
   The 29-year-old went under the knife on Saturday to cure the long-standing problem and it was expected he would be sidelined until the New Year.
   But Grant revealed the Ivory Coast striker’s surgery went well and he is hopeful of seeing him in a Chelsea shirt before the African Nations Cup, which starts in January.
   ‘The operation went well. It looks like it will be three weeks or something like this,’ Grant said.
   ‘We just have to wait and see. First I want him to feel good with his knee. He didn’t play at 100 per cent in his last games.’
   Grant has confidence that Andriy Shevchenko and Claudio Pizarro will fill Drogba’s boots but he knows he can’t afford to be without his talismanic forward for long.
   ‘I have confidence in these players but I would feel more confident if he (Drogba) would come back,’ Grant said. ‘You know his quality. I don’t need to say it again.
   ‘He is a very important striker for us. I would prefer him to be fit and play. But he is not here. That is a fact. We cannot fight it but we want him back as soon as possible.’

Newcastle United hope to have injury-prone England striker Michael Owen available for their Premier League match at home to Derby County later this month, manager Sam Allardyce said here on Monday.
   A variety of setbacks have ensured Owen has started a mere 21 games for Newcastle since joining the north-east side from Real Madrid in September 2005.
   His latest injury happened when the 27-year-old sustained a thigh strain in the first half of England’s 1-0 friendly international win last month over Austria in Vienna.
   ‘I have arranged a behind-closed doors game this week when we are hoping that the likes of Damien Duff, Abdoulaye Faye, Claudio Cacapa and Shola Ameobi will all play,’ Allardyce told the Newcastle Evening Chronicle.
   ‘Michael Owen will probably not play in it but we are expecting him back with the rest of the first-team squad nearer the end of the week.
   ‘And while Saturday will probably come too early for him he should certainly be back for the game with Derby County at St James’ Park a week on Sunday.’

Manchester United striker Louis Saha fears players could be subjected to racist abuse when the English giants face Roma during today’s Champions League match in the Italian capital.
   In the past black players such as England striker Emile Heskey have been the victims of racist taunting when playing in Rome.
   But black players within Roma’s ranks have also found themselves on the receiving end of such abuse during matches against capital rivals Lazio.
   Saha, himself a black France international, speaking during a conference on racism and bullying at Old Trafford here Monday, said that racism was still an issue within football.
   ‘You will see it on Wednesday, I think. We are travelling to Italy, and in those kind of places it seems like they are used to it. They don’t fight it like we have done in England.
   ‘They are starting to recognise it and think about it, but not very strongly - whereas England is a good example of where it has been tackled.’
   Saha, 29, said he had personal experience of racist abuse. ‘In football I’ve had many things thrown at me - but I’ve always been a very calm person. I try to keep everything inside,’ he said.
   ‘Away from football it did happen once; I was 12 years old when I was with my father at a game between Paris St Germain and Sochaux at the Parc des Princes.
   ‘I made a bad mistake of choosing the wrong coffee, so I went over to get another - but the area was full of skinheads.
   ‘My father decided to stand up to them, and I was very impressed. He showed me how to react by being very calm and willing to do anything to protect me. From that day, I thought that is the way to fight it - because it is not right.
   ‘We should not have to accept it in the 21st century, and things like this have to change. I have to think about the future of my children as well - and since having two children of mixed colour, I’ve become more passionate about this.
   ‘Everyone has to understand it is a bad thing, that they shouldn’t get used to it or turn their back. That’s not the way to fight it. Everybody has to understand it is not acceptable any more.’

Injury-plagued AC Milan striker Ronaldo said Tuesday he was still hoping to play in the Club World Cup, amid mounting sympathy from teammates over his injury woes.
   The 31-year Brazilian joined the team’s training for the first time since the European Champions League winners arrived here last Thursday as they gear up for their first match against Japan’s Urawa Reds.
   ‘I feel fine,’ Ronaldo told reporters before working out alone with 30 minutes of light jogging.
   The star forward is unlikely to take part in Thursday’s match, but asked if he would be fit should AC Milan reach the final on Sunday, Ronaldo replied: ‘I will see. I will be trying in the next days.’
   Ronaldo has featured in just one match this season, starting against Cagliari two weeks ago in his return from a thigh problem, before injuring his calf in training.
   Fellow Brazilian and playmaker Kaka earlier said Milan team-mates had been talking to Ronaldo here ‘because we want him to feel’ part of the team.
   The 25-year-old Kaka said Ronaldo had gone through ‘more difficult times,’ pointing to his two-year layoff with a knee injury before coming back to help Brazil win the 2002 World Cup in Japan.
   Ronaldo scored twice in Brazil’s 2-0 win over Germany in the 2002 final at the Yokohama International Stadium, which is also the venue of AC Milan’s semi-final in this year’s Club World Cup.
   Goal-machine Filippo Inzaghi said he has advised Ronald not to make a premature comeback from injury.
   ‘I know what he is going through. I hope he can recover soon,’ Inzaghi said.
   ‘However, he must only return if he is 100 percent, and it’s fair that he thinks it so.’
   Midfielder Massimo Ambrosini said ‘the doctors and us team-mates stimulate him’ and that ‘even if it won’t be easy, he will come out of it.’
   The Club World Cup runs from December 7-16 in Japan and pits the champions of each continent in a straight knock-out tournament.
   Milan and Argentina’s Boca Juniors, who beat the Italian side in the 2003 Intercontinental Cup final, are semi-finalists here.
   Both sides won the South American-European Intercontinental Cup three times but never the three-year-old Club World Cup.

Jose Mourinho ruled himself out on Monday of becoming the new manager of the England football team, according to a statement on his agent’s website.
   The Portuguese former Chelsea coach had been one of the leading contenders to replace Steve McClaren, sacked last month by the Football Association after England’s failure to qualify for next year’s European Championships.
   FA chief executive Brian Barwick and Sir Trevor Brooking, the former England midfielder who is the governing body’s director of football development, both made contact with Mourinho.
   But in a statement on the www.gestifute website of his agent, Jorge Mendes, Mourinho said: ‘After Steve McClaren left the England football team, my representatives maintained contact with the FA.
   ‘In that sense, I had myself useful discussions with Brian Barwick and Trevor where we exchanged ideas to evaluate the entire situation about the England squad and set the goals in case of real invitation being addressed to me,’ he added.
   ‘After deep and serious thinking, I decided to exclude myself from being England manager despite it being a fantastic position for me.
   ‘I’m sure FA will hire a great manager, one able to place the team back where it belongs.
   ‘I reiterate my respect for English football and, after three good years in England, I firmly believe that the England squad will soon be back to their usual great results.’
   Britain’s News of the World tabloid reported that Mourinho, while initially keen on the England job, had received an offer on Friday of a contract to coach a ‘big club’ next season.
   Many within English football believed the 44-year-old was only using his apparent interest in the England position as a way of advertising his availability for a club role.
   Meanwhile, British newspapers turned their focus to Italy’s Fabio Capello on Tuesday after Jose Mourinho decided he would not seek the position of England manager.
   That did not stop some of them from criticising Mourinho, however, for what they saw as an attempt by the former Chelsea boss to raise publicity in an effort to seek out offers from European clubs, after his resignation from the Premier League side following a fall-out with Russian owner Roman Abramovich.
   Among the critics was Des Kelly of the Daily Mail, who wrote in his column that Mourinho ‘just wanted a bit of attention.’
   ‘The tell-tale signs were there last week when he was asked if he would like the job.
   ‘Mourinho sat back smugly as newspapers, columnists, phone-in hosts all screamed he was ‘perfect’, while the Football Association boss Brian Barwick was roundly accused of being a complete idiot for not immediately climbing over Jose’s garden gate and forcing him to sing up there and then.’
   The Guardian’s Kevin McCarra highlighted some positives for England arising from Mourinho’s rejection, noting that the Football Association would have had ‘to wonder about the ensuing furore when Mourinho dealt with defeat in his normal manner, by accusing someone of something.’
   ‘The Special One might have needed a special unit at the Foreign Office to deal with the damage to international relations.’
   McCarra pointed to Capello as the likely successor to Steve McClaren, who was sacked following England’s 3-2 defeat against Croatia at Wembley, that ensured they failed to qualify for next year’s European Championships.
   ‘Old school as he seems, Capello’s command of the contemporary scene is never in question,’ he wrote.
   ‘In Capello ... the FA have a candidate who craves the mission and is certain he can fulfil it triumphantly.’
   Capello, one of European football’s most successful club coaches, has expressed an interest and replaced Mourinho as favourite with leading British bookmaker Ladbrokes following the withdrawal of the ‘Special One’.
   Marcello Lippi, who guided Italy to the 2006 World Cup title, is another possible contender.
   Both men fit the FA’s bill for a ‘world-class’ coach.
   The Daily Mirror tabloid backed Capello, plastering him across a two-page spread under the headline, ‘The Godfather: England will make ‘Don Fabio an offer ... let’s hope he can’t refuse’.’
   Its tabloid competitor The Sun, Britain’s best-read daily, also backed Capello, writing in its editorial that in ‘the absence of Mourinho, legendary Italian Fabio Capello looks like the next best thing.’
   ‘But the FA must hear our words: To allow one great manager to get away may be misfortune. To let two escape would seem more like serious incompetence.’
   Meanwhile, Inter Milan have denied that president Massimo Moratti contacted former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho over taking over at the nerazzurri helm, following press reports on Tuesday.
   The Gazetta dello Sport claimed that Moratti had been in contact with Mourinho in view to the Portuguese coach taking over Inter next season.
   But on the club’s website, Inter vehemently denied the rumours.
   ‘With respect to reports in a national newspaper today (Tuesday) the president Massimo Moratti categorically denies having met with or contacted Jose Mourinho,’ said the club’s statement.
   The newspaper claimed the pair met in secret in London to talk about an eventual succession to Roberto Mancini and also to try to scupper any hopes AC Milan may have of luring the former Porto boss.
   ‘This is a false and unverified story which we consider to be a serious affront to our organisation,’ added the statement.
   Inter are currently flying both at home and in Europe, five points clear at the top of Serie A and having qualified for the second round of the Champions League with a game to spare.
   Mancini guided Inter to a record 17-straight league wins last season while winning the title by more than 20 points.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is set to ring the changes for tonight’s meaningless Champions League trip to Roma by fielding several young players.
   United have already sewn up group F with five wins out of five while Roma are guaranteed to finish second and join United in the knock-out stages.
   It means that both sides will probably rest several big name players, particularly with vital league matches coming up at the weekend.
   United travel to Liverpool while Roma face a trip to Torino, desperate to win and hang on to Italian league leaders Inter Milan’s coat-tails. So the match is likely to feature a whole host of little-known players.
   ‘There’s no doubt we’ll take some young kids,’ Ferguson told Manchester United Radio. ‘We’ve won the group and Roma are guaranteed second place, so there’s no issue with us potentially affecting the outcome of the group.
   ‘We wanted to give the young boys experience playing in the League Cup but they let themselves down against Coventry.
   ‘Now there’s a chance for the likes of Jonny Evans, Gerard Pique, Danny Simpson and Chris Eagles to elevate themselves. We know all about their ability but this is an opportunity for them to prove themselves.
   ‘They won’t be on their own, though. They’ll have back-up from players like John O’Shea, Darren Fletcher, Michael Carrick, Louis Saha, Nani and Anderson. Cristiano Ronaldo might possibly be involved as well.
   ‘We’re not in the habit of sending teams out to lose. We’ll be sending out a team that we think is good enough to win.’
   United’s largely second-string side were humbled 2-0 by Coventry in the League Cup at Old Trafford earlier in the season but the youngsters have a mixed history in European competition.
   Three years ago after having already secured qualification from the group stages, Fergie sent out a team packed with young players such as Kieran Richardson, Liam Miller, Eric Djemba-Djemba and David Bellion in Istanbul against Fenerbahce.
   After a bright opening the move back-fired, they lost 3-0, finished second to Lyon in the group and were knocked out in the second round by AC Milan.
   However, back in the 1994-95 season, Fergie was forced into making changes due to injuries and the foreign player limitations of the time for United’s final group game against another Turkish team, Galatasaray.
   The likes of David Beckham, Gary Neville, Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes stepped into the fold and proved their class with a stunning 4-0 triumph.
   This time, though, United’s opponents are also likely to be taking the game lightly, apart from club captain and talisman Francesco Totti.
   He’s bidding to recover his form and fitness following three-weeks on the sidelines and is expecting to play the full 90 minutes, particularly having been disappointed at being substituted in Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Livorno.
   ‘The game counts for nothing in terms of the group standings, but it means a lot to us,’ Totti told reporters. ‘If nothing else, it is a question of prestige.’
   Roma are still sore about losing 7-1 at Old Trafford at the quarter-final stage last season, so are unlikely to treat the game as a friendly.
   ‘I am the first one to admit that I am not at 100 per cent. That’s normal after a period on the sidelines, I need to play to get back to my best,’ he told the Corriere dello Sport.
   ‘The substitution was strange. I don’t always agree with (Roma coach Luciano) Spalletti but it’s not a problem.
   ‘Now I think that on Wednesday I can play the 90 minutes against Manchester United. It’s a match that has no bearing on the standings but we want to win, if only for a matter of pride.’
   Meanwhile, Wayne Rooney will captain Manchester United in their Champions League clash with Roma at the Stadio Olimpico tonight.
    ‘He has been pestering me for quite a while now, so I have given in,’ said Ferguson.

Cristiano Ronaldo is determined to use comparisons with Manchester United’s legendary ‘Holy Trinity’ as motivation to get even better.
   The names of George Best, Denis Law and Bobby Charlton still roll off the tongue as easily as they did in their 1960s heyday.
   They were afforded their nickname by United fans as recognition of their immense contribution to the Old Trafford club’s rise to the top of the European game just a decade after the Munich Air Crash had cruelly wiped out Matt Busby’s ‘Babes’.
   Yet now Ronaldo is part of a new trio being afforded a favourable comparison with the illustrious heroes of the past.
   Together with Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez, the Portugal winger knows he still has some work to do if he is to leave a legacy as distinct as the one Best, Law and Charlton created.
   Indeed, Charlton is amongst those who think they can although for now the 22-year-old is happy to be mentioned in the same terms.
   ‘To be compared to some of the best players in the history of Manchester United, absolute legends at the club, is good and just gives us more motivation to work hard,’ said Ronaldo.
   ‘It would be fantastic if people still talked about me at United after I finished playing.
   ‘Sir Bobby is an honest guy. When he says something positive about me and my colleagues, it is good.
   ‘He knows football. He knows about the game and this club. He knows how difficult it is when you are young, so his words will only help me to do better.’
   The weekend could hardly have gone any better for Ronaldo and his team-mates.
   After overcoming a sodden pitch and an obdurate Derby outfit at Old Trafford on Saturday, United then saw next Sunday’s opponents Liverpool crash to defeat at Reading.
   If that was not enough, 24 hours later Arsenal lost their unbeaten record at Middlesbrough, meaning what had been a four-point deficit on the Gunners before the weekend has now been reduced to just one. Not that Ronaldo is getting too excited just yet.
   The former Sporting Lisbon star knows it is where the Red Devils are in mid-May that counts, not mid-December.
   ‘The priority is to finish top at the end of the season, so the best thing we can do is concentrate on our own results,’ he said.
   ‘We should not worry if we don’t pass Arsenal next week. There is plenty of time left.
   ‘We play Liverpool next weekend and if we win that we will have a better chance.’
   In snubbing Tevez’s pleas to take the late penalty against Derby on Saturday, Ronaldo not only denied the South American a hat-trick opportunity, he also allowed himself to net for the 14th time this season and extend a run of scoring in seven out of the last eight games in which he has been involved.
   It is a new landmark, even for a player of Ronaldo’s exceptional ability. And it is one he would like to keep going over the next week, especially with a visit to Anfield on the horizon.
   ‘I have not been on a run like this before. I am very proud of it and hopefully I can carry on,’ he said.
   ‘I feel I am getting better. I try to improve every year and my ambition is to be better than I was two years ago.’
   With top spot in Group F secure, Ronaldo could be one of the star names rested from today’s encounter with Roma in the Stadio Olimpico.
   The 22-year-old’s name did not feature in the likely starting line-up named by Ferguson on Saturday evening and given his importance next weekend, Ronaldo might well be give a few days off rather than make the trip to Italy.
   ‘I respect the manager’s decision,’ he said.
   ‘He knows what is best for the team. Our squad is big and other players want a game as well, so if I stay here it won’t be a problem.’

Argentina giants Boca Juniors insist they will play with their usual attacking flair when they take on Tunisian surprise package Etoile Sahel in the Club World Cup semi-finals here today.
   ‘We’re not going to do something different against them. We will do what we have always done,’ Boca’s coach Miguel Angel Russo said ahead of their opening match in the tournament of continental champions, which also features AC Milan.
   ‘We will score goals no matter what and win. That is our style and I’m not going to change it against any opponents.’
   Etoile, the African champions who are packed with young talent, upset the odds to beat Mexico’s Pachuca 1-0 in their opening match with an 85th-minute goal from midfielder Moussa Narry.
   Etoile’s French coach Bertrand Marchand said they had nothing to lose in the match of their life against Boca.
   ‘They are a big club and have different potential,’ Marchand said of the Argentinians. ‘They are highly technical and a more offensive team than ours.’
   But he admitted that the likely scenario in the final would be South America against Europe.
   ‘I think the final showdown will be fought between South American and Europe clubs. Boca and Milan are at a high level. We feel happy just being able to fight such a team,’ he said.
   Milan, the European Champions League and Super Cup holders, play on Thursday against Asian champions Urawa Reds of Japan, who whipped Iran’s Sepahan 3-1 on Monday.
   Boca coach Russo pointed to Etoile’s defensive game with four players deep in midfield.
   ‘In any way, we will shake them off balance and turn their errors into our goals,’ he said.
   Russo added that all his players were fit with some having recovered from injuries sustained in the domestic league, where Boca are currently second to Lanus.
   ‘Every player is ready to go out onto the pitch,’ he said.
   Marchand pinpointed Boca captain Martin Palermo as a key threat, but is also wary of their defensive strengths.
   ‘He is a star indeed. He has headed in many goals. We need to check him thoroughly,’ he said of striker Palermo.
   ‘Boca are full of experienced players who have played on the big stage of the world. They are totally different from us.’
   He said added though that his side were drawing strength from ‘faith as a team.’
   ‘Those who fight in earnest win,’ he said.

European soccer’s governing body UEFA detected just three instances of doping last season after carrying out tests on more than 1,600 footballers.
   UEFA said on Tuesday it had conducted a total of 1,662 doping tests during the 2006-7 season including 938 tests for the blood boosting substance EPO.
   Two of the three positive tests involved the use of cannabis during a futsal event while the third involved high levels of the steroid Betamethasone during a Euro 2008 qualifying match.
   Azerbaijan defender Sergei Sokolov was handed an 18-month ban in January after testing positive for Betamethasone during his country’s 3-0 defeat to Belgium in October 2006.
   There were 506 out-of-competition tests on players competing in the Champions League, none of which returned positive results.
   The three positive tests were an improvement on the previous season which saw seven players testing positive for banned substances, despite fewer tests being conducted.
   UEFA said the current season’s doping programme would be even more extensive, largely due to the staging of Euro 2008 in Switzerland and Austria next June.

Fabio Capello’s son, who is also his agent, has indicated his father would be interested in becoming the new England manager although neither of them have yet to hear from the Football Association.
   Capello became the bookmakers’ favourite after Portuguese former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho ruled himself out of the running for the role on Monday.
   ‘The England job is really special,’ Pierfilippo Capello told Sky Sports on Tuesday. ‘When the FA wants to speak to you, you have to listen, no contact has been made yet but we are waiting.’
   England are looking for a new manager after Steve McClaren, only appointed in August last year, was sacked last month following a 3-2 defeat against Croatia at Wembley which meant the team failed to qualify for the Euro 2008 Championships in Austria and Switzerland.
   The FA have made it clear they are looking for a world-class coach and the 61-year-old Capello would appear to fit the bill.
   In 16 years as a coach Capello has won nine league titles and one Champions League. The Italian made his managerial reputation at AC Milan, whom he guided to four domestic championships and European glory in the 1990s.
   He later steered Roma and Juventus to the Serie A title and twice topped the table in Spain with Real Madrid.
   Reports in British and Italian newspapers suggest that if Capello were appointed he would bring in former Chelsea and Italy forward Gianfranco Zola as a member of his backroom staff.
   But these reports also suggest he would want English involvement in the coaching set-up with current Under-21 boss Stuart Pearce, Portsmouth assistant Tony Adams and former striker Alan Shearer, all of whom are ex-England internationals, linked with roles should Capello take charge.
   England’s next match is a February 6 friendly international against Switzerland at Wembley. They don’t have a competitive fixture until September when their qualifying campaign for the 2010 World Cup gets under way.

Veteran Italian forward Christian Vieri said Monday that he is still hoping to make an international comeback in time to play for Italy at Euro 2008.
   Vieri has not played for Italy since 2004, largely due to injuries disrupting his last few seasons.
   But the 34-year-old, who is enjoying an Indian summer to his playing career at Fiorentina, is still hoping to force his way into Roberto Donadoni’s squad for Austria and Switzerland.
   ‘I’ve been working hard since July to try to get back into the national squad,’ Vieri told Tg2 television station.
   ‘Am I waiting for a call from Donadoni? More than that, I’m waiting for a call up!’
   Vieri is rarely a first-choice starter for Fiorentina and in 18 games this season he is yet to complete 90 minutes, coming on as substitute 12 times and being substituted six times.
   But former Juventus, AC Milan, Roma and Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello has given the Australian-born Italian his backing.
   ‘Capello said I was ready to come back to the national team? Well, I agree with him,’ said Vieri, smiling. ‘For me the important thing is play and score to prove that I deserve to wear the blue shirt (of Italy).’
   Vieri has scored just five times this season and Fiorentina are in desperate need of his goals right now having lost three and drawn one of their last four league matches.
   The wife of their coach Cesare Prandelli died two weeks ago and it has been suggested that the club is in crisis.
   ‘We’re not in crisis and we’re not worried, we know how to get out of this situation, we just need to keep working hard,’ Vieri added.
   ‘How much have we been influenced by Prandelli? I don’t know, but we did have three to four very difficult days.’
   Vieri, like everyone else in Italy, admitted that he cannot see the title heading anywhere other than back to Inter Milan at the end of the season.
   ‘Between Inter and the other teams there’s no contest,’ he said.