The Iraqi team are on an emotional rollercoaster after reaching their first Asian Cup final as it took a bloody toll back home where at least 50 celebrating fans were killed.
   Iraq shocked the more fancied South Korea 4-3 in a penalty shootout after it was scoreless after extra time on Wednesday to put them on the brink of their greatest footballing achievement.
   They had only got as far as the semi-finals in 1976 and lost in their last three consecutive quarter-finals at the Asian Cup, but now travel to Jakarta for an all-Arab final with Saudi Arabia on Sunday.
   ‘Everyone is happy and we have reason to be happy because this victory brings us to the final and we deserved that,’ said Iraq’s Brazilian coach Jorvan Vieira, who has been in charge for less than two months.
   ‘My boys have worked very hard.’
   An emotional Vieira said the victory was for ‘the people of Iraq because they deserve it’.
   Thousands of Iraqis wearing team jerseys and waving national flags poured on to the streets of Baghdad cheering and firing assault rifles wildly into the air after the match to celebrate a rare moment of shared joy.
   But the jubilation didn’t last long.
   Two massive car bombs were detonated in the Iraqi capital by insurgents, killing at least 50 people and wounding 90.
   Goalkeeper Noor Sabri was Iraq’s hero, making a crucial save in the penalty shootout to steer his side into the final, and he dedicated his team’s fighting spirit to his beleaguered compatriots in his war-ravaged homeland.
   Noor illustrated the grim personal cost his teammates
   have endured to play at the
   Asian Cup and how they are doing their bit in lifting spirits for those suffering in the Iraq civil conflict.
   ‘Four days before we came to Bangkok my wife’s brother died and my teammate Hawar Mohammed lost his step-mother,’ he said.
   ‘We know we are struggling inside Iraq and we are struggling on the playing field because it is a very modest thing we can give to our people.
   ‘We have to struggle, we have to show them that we are sharing all what we are achieving here. But this is historic for football in our country.’
   It is testament to the players that they have got so far in the tournament with so little preparation amid the chaos in their homeland.
   Vieira, who before the tournament said every person in the Iraqi team had lost family or friends in the ongoing conflict, had scant time to work with his players.
   But he is well versed in Arab football with stints over 20 years in Morocco, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt, Oman and Saudi Arabia, and has managed to mould a skillful and unified team.
   ‘We missed more opportunities than Korea, especially in the second half and in extra time,’ he said.
   ‘The Koreans were down on fitness. We were tired too but we were better on the fitness side and it’s a game that will never be forgotten, especially by us.’
   Iraqi players dream of playing in Europe and the big salaries of the continent’s club professionals, away from the perils of their war-torn country where their talents go unrewarded, and their run to the final could open doors.
   Reports have already linked Nashat Akram with English Premier League side Sunderland.

The International Cricket Council Thursday announced the umpires and match referees for the inaugural Twenty20 world championships, excluding five involved in April’s shambolic World Cup final.
   ‘A total of three ICC match referees and nine umpires will officiate during the 27-match Twenty20 World Cup, which is scheduled to take place from 11-24 September in South Africa,’ an ICC press release said.
   The three referees, all from the ICC Elite Panel, are headed by former Sri Lanka captain Ranjan Madugalle and include Mike Procter, the former South Africa all-rounder and ex-England opening batsman Chris Broad.
   The nine umpires include five officials from the ICC Elite Panel, namely Australians Daryl Harper and Simon Taufel, England’s Mark Benson, Billy Doctrove of the West Indies, and Asad Rauf from Pakistan.
   The four other umpires, who are from the ICC International Panel, are Steve Davis of Australia, South African Ian Howell, England’s Nigel Llong and Tony Hill from New Zealand.
   The match appointments for the opening stage of the tournament will be made and announced in due course, said the release.
   The ICC however said that it had left out all five officials who were responsible for the bungled end to the World Cup final in the West Indies earlier this year.
   It announced the decision to omit them last month.
   Australia’s victory against Sri Lanka in the showpiece match in Barbados on April 28 was overshadowed by a farcical climax brought about by a failure to apply a standard playing condition.
   Referee Jeff Crowe, on-field umpires Steve Bucknor and Aleem Dar, third umpire Rudi Koertzen and reserve official Billy Bowden incorrectly ruled, after a stoppage for bad light, the game had to continue even though the required minimum of 20 overs in the second innings had by then already been bowled.
   The officials insisted Sri Lanka bat out the final three overs of the game in near darkness.
   All 10 Test playing countries, along with associate teams Kenya and Scotland, will compete in the Twenty20 event. Matches will be held at Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg, the ICC said.

The Tour de France resumed Thursday without its famed yellow jersey, which fell victim to the latest in a string of doping scandals that have thrown the world’s greatest cycle race into disrepute.
   The yellow jersey was temporarily retired for the 17th stage after the race leader, Denmark’s Michael Rasmussen, was sensationally withdrawn by his own Rabobank team on Wednesday on suspicion of doping.
   On Thursday the Dutch outfit’s manager Theo de Rooy said Rasmussen was not only out of the Tour but had also been sacked from the team.
   ‘He lied to me, that is the chief reason (for sacking him),’ de Rooy said.
   Rasmussen, 33, who had worn the yellow jersey for over a week and had looked as if he had sealed overall victory when winning Wednesday’s stage, had already had his presence in the race questioned after it was revealed he had missed four out of competition dope tests in the past 18 months.
   And when Rabobank discovered on Wednesday that he had been in Italy in June, and not at home with his wife in Mexico, as he had claimed, they pulled him out.
   Race organisers welcomed the action taken by the Rabobank team.
   ‘Rasmussen’s exit is the best thing that can happen to the Tour,’ race director Christian Prudhomme told reporters before the start of Thursday’s stage.
   ‘The race will start without him and the yellow jersey will be given out after the stage,’ he said.
   The Danish rider, who insisted at a press conference earlier this week that he was clean, was left reeling by the decision.
   ‘I’m disgusted, disgusted. My career is ruined. I don’t know what to do, or where to go,’ the Dutch Het Algemeen Dagblad newspaper quoted him as saying.
   But if Rasmussen’s departure now saved greater embarrassment later, it still added another layer of scandal to a Tour already straining to stay on course.
   ‘The death of the Tour’ was the unequivocal judgement of the French daily Liberation.
   Germany’s top selling daily Bild said the time had come ‘to stop this farce. Stop, nobody wants to see this fraud any more. Let’s start again from zero to save the sport, to offer our children new role models.’
   Rasmussen’s forced withdrawal followed in the wake of the departure of the Astana and Cofidis teams.
   On Wednesday France’s number one team Cofidis were forced to pull out after it was revealed that Italian Cristian Moreni had tested positive for testosterone.
   A day earlier, the Astana team of pre-race favourite Alexandre Vinokourov was thrown out after Vinokourov tested positive for homologous blood doping following his victory on stage 13’s time trial in Albi.
   If Vinokourov’s B sample also tests positive, it will prove that he injected the red blood cells from a compatible donor to boost his performance.
   Prudhomme suggested it would have been unfair on the rest of the Rabobank team to suffer for Rasmussen’s errors.
   And the Frenchman said that even thinking about bringing the race to a premature end would unfairly punish the riders who have stayed clean.
   ‘Astana and Cofidis acted accordingly, they took their responsibilities. The race will go on for the rest of the riders and we believe it would be an insult to them to stop the race,’ Prudhomme said.
   ‘We believe the general classification is much better now than it was. The majority of the riders are not cheating. And things are changing,’ he added.

India’s much lauded middle-order quartet may have failed to score a fifty between them during the drawn first Test but England fast bowler Chris Tremlett believes that could change come the second match of the series, starting at Trent Bridge here today.
   There had been much talk leading up to the enthralling contest at Lord’s as to how England would cope without the ‘fab four’ of Stephen Harmison, Matthew Hoggard, Simon Jones and Ashley Giles, their bowling quartet that regained the Ashes in 2005, in what was the hosts first Test without any of them since that dramatic series win against Australia.
   But after the recalled James Anderson, who took a Test-best five for 42 in the first innings, led an attack featuring left-arm quick Ryan Sidebottom, debutant Tremlett and left-arm spinner Monty Panesar to within a wicket of victory, the attention switched to India’s ‘fab four’.
   India captain Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman managed just 192 runs between them at Lord’s.
   However, it was a similar story during India’s last tour of England in 2002 when a modest opening Test tally of 259 was followed by the quartet compling a further 1,294 runs between them in the next three Tests including five hundreds and five fifties.
   Tremlett, a late call-up for the injured Matthew Hoggard at Lord’s, was England’s most successful bowler in the second innings with three for 52 before bad light and rain ended play just before tea with India nine wickets down.
   ‘They are obviously great players and it would be stupid to say they are losing their touch,’ said Tremlett.
   ‘I played for England Lions (the national A side) against India and Sachin made a hundred and he looked class,’ explained the 6ft 7in seamer, set to be a member of an unchanged England side.
   ‘He still looks a very good player,’ added Tremlett, who modestly omitted to mention that he had had Tendulkar, who went on to make 171, twice dropped off his own bowling, on 39 and 53, during that warm-up match at Chelmsford which took place the week before the Lord’s Test.

The Bangladesh Under-19 team suffered a huge
   132-run defeat to their Indian counterparts in a tri-nation tournament match on Thursday, following the miserable performance of the batsmen at the Police Park in Colombo.
   Nasir took four wickets for Bangladesh as the bowlers restricted India to 265-7 in 50 overs and after a rain delay, Bangladesh were given a revised target of 212 runs to score off 29 overs.
   But the batsmen never seemed to chase the score.
   They could manage only 80 for the loss of seven wickets. Tapash scored highest 25 while Mithun Ali made 18 for Bangladesh.
   Bangladesh will meet the same side in the final of the tournament that also involved hosts Sri Lanka on July 28 at the P Sara Stadium.

Dhaka Moha-mmedan Sporting Club lost two valuable points when they drew 1-1 against Khulna Abahani in the B league at the Khulna stadium on Thursday. While the black and white outfit slipped up their arch rivals Dhaka Abahani play their 19th match against Sheikh Russell today. A victory for Abahani in the match will seal the title for them.
   Due to heavy downpour overnight and on Thursday morning the Bangabandhu National Stadium pitch became unplayable forcing the B league committee to shift the Abahani-Russell match to Friday. But Dhaka Mohammedan, who travelled to Khulna to play their away match, had to take the field against the local Abahani. GM Mamun, the speedy forward of Khulna Abahani, justified his national call-up by putting his team in front in the 47th minute. Farhad rescued the visitors from defeat scoring the equaliser on 60 minutes.
   Dhaka Abahani have 41 points from 18 matches while Dhaka Mohammedan have accumulated 39 from 19 matches. Only a loss or a draw by Abahani can put back the title race to the next round. Abahani play Muktijoddha while Mohammedan meet Arambagh in their last matches.
   Satyajit Das Rupu, the manager of Dhaka Abahani, was hopeful to produce their best. ‘All my players are ready, it’s the most significant time for the team, we are ready to play our best to win the title,’ said Rupu.

The country’s football standard will be tested again when Bangladesh play against Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore and the Maldives in the upcoming Merdeka Cup, to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from August 19 to 29.
   Bangladesh Football Federation has also decided to participate in the Nehru Cup that will take place in New Delhi from August 16 to 29. Five teams including Bangladesh have confirmed their appearances in the tournament to date. The other four teams are hosts India, Cambodia, Syria and Kyrgyzstan. The All India Football Federation will confirm the sixth team within a few days.
   BFF deputy general secretary and acting chief of the National Football Management Committee, Monzur Hossain Malu, said they would send strong teams for both the tournaments. ‘Bangladesh will be represented by the best possible teams in the tournaments, we have two preliminary squads and we will pick the best possible squads,’ said Malu.
   The BFF handed over the coaching responsibilities to former Indian national team coach Syed Naeemuddin and the camp will start at the BKSP on August 1

Bangladesh national cricket team returns on Saturday after their dismal show in Sri Lanka. Bangladesh lost both the Test and ODI series by 0-3 margins and failed to lift their game.
   Under the new captain Md Ashraful and interim coach Shaun Williams Bangladesh started their long tour on June 18. The Test series was followed by the ODI series.

The breakaway Indian Cricket League seems to be gaining momentum with marquee names like Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath most likely to join Brian Lara for the inaugural multi-million dollar Twenty20 tournament being funded by Zee Telefilms. ‘Yes, they (Warne and McGrath) are on the verge of signing and they are working out the last few details’, Kapil Dev, chairman of the executive board, told Cricinfo. ‘We should release the news within the next 24 hours.’
   Dean Jones, one of the executive directors on the ICL board, speaking from Sydney told Cricinfo that by next week a few more big names are expected to join the ICL which could have a snowballing effect, convincing many others who have been thinking twice before signing up. ‘I have spoken to a lot of players over the last month and the interest has been high,’ Jones said. Although refusing to commit on the names of Warne and McGrath, Jones said that by next week everything will be out in open. ‘We plan to announce a few big marquee names that will generate further interest from others who have been thinking about the offers.’

India captain Rahul Dravid believes his side’s star-studded middle-order will come good during their Test series against England.
   The ‘fab four’ of Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman managed just 192 runs between them at Lord’s.
   But it was a similar story during India’s last tour of England in 2002 when a modest opening Test tally of 259 was followed by the quartet compiling a further 1,294 runs between them in the next three Tests including five hundreds and five fifties.
   ‘We would like more runs in the middle order there’s no secret,’ Dravid told reporters at Trent Bridge, where the second Test of a three-match series is due to start on Friday.
   ‘The positive we took from the last game was the bowling. The batting was an area we know we can improve on and hopefully the next couple of Test matches we should be able to do a lot better than we did at Lord’s and we’ll need to do that,’ he added here Thursday.
   ‘We were in this sort of situation on the last tour (of England). We lost at Lord’s, we didn’t start particularly well at Nottingham but we turned it around in the second innings and went on to have a very good summer with the bat.’
   That second innings saw India score 424 for eight declared with Dravid himself making 115.
   ‘It took us a bit of time even then to start off,’ added Dravid of a series that ended being drawn 1-1.
   ‘And it’s been no different this time around. The guys have experience, there’s a lot of quality there and it’s just a question of now actually producing that quality in the middle.’
   Although the likes of Yuvraj Singh are waiting in the wings, Dravid said talk of splitting up India’s middle-order quartet was premature but stressed no-one had a guaranteed place in the team.
   ‘When you are playing international sport you are constantly being judged all the time. At various stages, we’ve heard this before. If people don’t keep performing and the results don’t show you are going to have hear this and you are going to have to listen to it.
   ‘The only way to answer this criticism is to perform. If you don’t perform, then people have to take their course. It’s part and parcel of being an international sportsman. I don’t think it’s something to fear or something to worry about: it’s just life.’
   Ganguly’s fitness became a concern Wednesday when he missed the squad’s training session with a lower back strain.
   Dravid said Ganguly’s fitness would be assessed at England’s National Performance Centre at nearby Loughborough, where both teams trained Thursday, as rain prevented outdoor practice at Trent Bridge.
   ‘Sourav is progressing well,’ said Dravid. ‘He’s going to take part in a full practice session today (Thursday) and we’ll have a clearer picture at the end of it.
   ‘But he’s feeling a lot better than he did and so we’ve picked him as part of the twelve, the same eleven as the last game and Yuvraj Singh.’

Kieron Dyer could leave Newcastle because of family problems, according to club manager Sam Allardyce.
   The 28-year-old England international has been linked with a move to West Ham amid claims that personal issues have made him unhappy with life on Tyneside.
   Allardyce held talks with Dyer over the weekend and discovered that a family problem is at the root of the midfielder’s desire to quit St James’ Park.
   ‘At the moment, there’s a problem from a family point of view and we have to try to see whether we can resolve that, and if we cannot, then that may well result in Kieron looking to leave the club for that reason and that reason alone,’ Allardyce said.
   ‘That’s the discussion we have had. It’s obviously disappointing for me, but it is one I understand.
   ‘If somebody has got a problem they cannot resolve, then ultimately in the long run, it is better for the club and better for him if you can resolve that problem. If that’s away from here, then so be it.’
   Dyer has been a Newcastle player for eight years - since signing from Ipswich Town - but his time at the club has been plagued by a series of injuries. It could be that he believes a move to West Ham would offer him a fresh start and help solve his family problem.
   While Allardyce is sympathetic to Dyer’s plight, he will only give the go-ahead for him to leave if the price is right.
   ‘If it’s not right for Newcastle United, Kieron Dyer will not be leaving,’ Allardyce said. ‘If it’s right for us and right for him, it can’t just be right for him and not for us.
   ‘Those discussions will continue over the period of time it takes to come to the decision one way or the other.
   ‘If everything falls into place for both, for us and for him, then that’s fine; if it doesn’t, then from my point of view, I have to protect the interests of Newcastle United.’

Manchester City manager Sven Goran Eriksson has agreed to sign Bulgarian international winger Martin Petrov for 4.7 million pounds from Atletico Madrid.
   The 28-year-old passed a medical on Thursday and will become Eriksson’s fourth signing since he took charge at Eastlands once he is granted a work permit.
   City’s new Thai owner Thaksin Shinawatra has given Eriksson substantial transfer funds to overhaul a squad that struggled in the Premiership last season.
   The Swede has already brought in Rolando Bianchi, Geovanni and Gelson Fernandes and is lining up moves for Bayern Munich’s Roque Santa Cruz and Racing Santander’s Nikola Zigic.
   City Chief Executive Alistair Mackintosh believes Eriksson’s presence persuaded Petrov to make the switch.
   ‘Unsurprisingly given the calibre of the player, there were a significant number of clubs competing for Martin’s signature and I am absolutely delighted that he has come to Manchester City,’ he said.
   ‘Having Sven-Goran Eriksson as our manager proved to be a major factor in the player’s decision to move here.’

Benfica have agreed to sell Simao Sabrosa to Spain’s Atletico Madrid for 20 million euros ($27.41 million), the Portuguese club said on Thursday.
   The international winger’s transfer is subject to a medical examination, Benfica said in a statement, and they also have an option for two Atletico players to move in the opposite direction.
   Spanish media reported the 28-year-old had arrived in Madrid on Thursday to complete his move on a five-year contract.
   Simao joined Benfica from Barcelona in 2001 for a fee of around 13 million euros after two unsuccessful seasons with the Catalan side.
   He became Benfica’s leading player and club captain, and helped them win the Portuguese league title in 2005. He has won more than 50 caps for Portugal.
   A number of Europe’s top clubs had chased his signature, including Liverpool and Valencia.
   Simao is a possible replacement for Atletico’s Bulgarian winger Martin Petrov who is close to sealing a move to Manchester City.
   If the deal goes through Atletico, who finished seventh in the Primera Liga last season, will have taken their spending in the close season to almost 50 million euros.
   They sold Spain striker Fernando Torres to Liverpool for 36 million euros, and have brought in Uruguay striker Diego Forlan from Villarreal, and midfielders Luis Garcia from Liverpool, Raul Garcia from Osasuna and Brazilian Kleber Santana from Santos.
   Atletico trail Romanian side Gloria Bistrita 2-1 going into the home leg of their Intertoto Cup tie on Saturday.

Arsenal defender Gael Clichy insists Freddie Ljungberg
   was wrong when he claimed that the London club lack ambition.
   Ljungberg marked his departure from the Emirates Stadium this week by accusing the Gunners of breaking their promise to spend enough money to keep pace with Manchester United and Arsenal.
   The Swede hinted that his departure to West Ham so soon after Thierry Henry left for Barcelona signalled the end of a glorious era for Arsenal.
   But Clichy is convinced his former team-mate’s comments are well wide of the mark and the French left-back sees a bright future for Arsene Wenger’s side.
   ‘I don’t think Arsenal lack ambition,’ he told the Evening Standard. I don’t know why Freddie said that.
   ‘He has had nine great seasons with Arsenal and he’s entitled to his opinion but I’ve got a different opinion.
   ‘For two years we hear Arsenal are not competitive any more but last season we won both matches against Manchester United and drew both against Chelsea with what is supposed to be a young team, so I don’t know what’s wrong with that.
   ‘We know we’ve got the quality, the strength. Everyone is confident, we have signed great players and we are going to have a great season.’

Goalkeeper David James on Thursday said he would fight to return to the England set-up after his rejuvenating first season at Portsmouth. James, 36, played a key role in Portsmouth’s drive to ninth in the Premier League and was in electric form in the Asia Trophy win over Fulham.
   ‘The England selection process is beyond my control—all I can do is keep giving the same level of performance and improving,’ he said.
   ‘If I’m enthusiastic and fight there’s no way I shouldn’t be playing if the opportunity arises. I’m looking forward to having the opportunity.
   ‘If the opportunity doesn’t arise Portsmouth are still going to benefit from my playing well.’

A Sold-out Tannadice is poised to bear witness to the birth of what Ronaldinho believes could be one of the most potent attacking combinations in world football.
   The celebrated Brazilian forward Wednesday proclaimed himself rejuvenated after a lengthy summer break and ready to showcase himself at his sparkling best on Barcelona’s pre-season trip to Scotland. Ronaldinho dismissed the persistent speculation linking him with a transfer to European champions AC Milan and insisted he is eager to form a potentially thrilling partnership with Barcelona’s new recruit Thierry Henry.
   After wading his way patiently and courteously through the scores of autograph
   hunters who have besieged the Catalan club’s training camp at the Old Course Hotel in St Andrews, Ronaldinho was
   similarly unruffled during a media conference attended with equal enthusiasm by both Spanish and Scottish journalists.
   The 27-year-old, without question the most entertaining footballer in the world and arguably still the greatest, appears genuinely enthused by the prospect of teaming up with one of those considered a rival for the latter mantle.
   Henry will make his first appearance in Barcelona colours against Dundee United tonight following his £16 million move from Arsenal and his presence has been warmly embraced by Ronaldinho.
   ‘Having Henry in the team is a great motivation for all of us,’ he said. ‘He is one of the best players in the world, he is a really open person and is settling in well. I’m sure he will help us win back the titles we lost last season.’
   The issue of just how Barcelona will accommodate Ronaldinho, Henry, Samuel Eto’o and Lionel Messi, or the ‘Fanatastic Four’ as the Spanish press now refer to them, in the same starting line-up remains the most intriguing aspect of Rijkaard’s reshaped squad. Messi is not with them in Scotland due to his recent participation in the Copa America with Argentina, but Ronaldinho believes a place can he found for them all.
   ‘I would love to work together with those three players,’ he said. ‘The more quality players we have in the team, the better it is for the club. It is up to the coach to decide how we play together.’
   Ronaldinho, however,
   understandably has no doubts that he should remain at the front of the queue when Rijkaard is handing out the striking duties. Asked by one Spanish inquisitor whether he would be content as a substitute, the famous gleaming smile appeared.
   ‘The best players always have to play,’ he said through the grin. ‘We must be ready for everything. As the coach has said, we are all starting from scratch and I will do whatever they tell me.
   ‘I am highly motivated for the new season. I asked to miss the Copa America with Brazil because I knew I needed extra time off this year.
   I had a good holiday and I hope to be at my best.
   I can’t wait to get onto the pitch again.
   ‘I can feel a lot of warmth from the people since we arrived in Scotland this week and I would like to thank them for that.
   ‘I hope to play my way in the two matches here and I hope that they enjoy it.’
   The Spanish media continue to report that some members of the Barcelona board of directors would be happy to sanction Ronaldinho’s departure
   from the club, with Milan president Silvio Berlusconi
   having indicated his willingness to pay the alleged £80 million release clause in the player’s contract.
   ‘It is always good to know there is interest in you from other clubs, but I am really and absolutely focused on Barcelona,’ was Ronaldinho’s pointed response. ‘I’m happy here. I respect every opinion, but I am working hard for the club and that’s what I want to do.’
   There was a more light-hearted reaction to another enquiry regarding the circumstances which once saw Ronaldinho linked with St Mirren.
   When he was on the move from Gremio in Brazil to European football six years ago, it was suggested he might spend a brief spell on loan at Love Street before completing the red tape of his transfer to Paris St Germain.
   Asking his interpreter to repeat the question, Ronaldinho appeared completely bemused by the suggestion before providing a suitably diplomatic reply.
   ‘That was a long time ago,’ he said, ‘and before leaving Brazil I had a lot of offers from Europe before going to Paris. I can’t remember where they were all from.’

Japan coach Ivica Osim has admitted that his formula of ‘beautiful football’ flopped as the defending Asian Cup champions crashed to Saudi Arabia’s formidable strikeforce in the semi-finals.
   Yet despite the end of their bid for a third straight continental cup, his players as well as Japan Football Association president Saburo Kawabuchi vowed to stick with Osim in the drive to the 2010 World Cup finals.
   ‘I took a risk in pitting our two stoppers against the opposite side’s two top forwards all along,’ said the Bosnian coach after Japan bowed 3-2 to the Saudis, who won the Asian Cup in 1984, 1988 and 1996.
   ‘If I avoided the risk and put a libero (sweeper) to have three stoppers against the two forwards, we would have lost our numerical advantage in midfield.’
   Osim said the theory was that a thicker midfield would allow a ‘playmaker or a beautiful player’ to come forth.
   ‘Wasn’t it more attractive the way we played? It makes the game more open and shows beautiful football that way,’ said Osim, who led the former Yugoslavia to the 1990 World Cup quarter-finals.
   ‘Unfortunately, we lack something and you know what was missing,’ he said, adding that his squad, especially key players, were overly tired and lacked concentration.
   Saudi livewire forward Malek Maaz scored the opener and netted a brace with strike partner Yasser ‘Sniper’ Al Qahtani also scoring.
   Japanese centre-backs Yuji Nakazawa and Yuki Abe headed home on corners in a desperate attempt to catch up.
   Celtic star Shunsuke Nakamura, the Scottish Player of the Year, and Frankfurt striker Naohiro Takahara failed to shine as Japan squandred scoring chances against Saudi Arabia’s determined defence behind their big firepower.
   ‘I don’t think Japan were inferior in capability. We had far more chances but the luck was on the other side,’ Osim said. ‘They scored goals on all three chances when our concentration lapsed.’
   ‘Their two top forwards were fierce,’ admitted Nakamura, whose free-kicks helped Celtic win a second straight Scottish Premiership title.
   He added that Maaz and Al Qahtani freed up the other players to concentrate on defending.
   ‘The eight men defended all along. They were the toughest side to deal with. We were trapped in their tactics.’
   But the 29-year-old midfielder said now he could see better where Osim, who took over from Brazilian legend Zico after Japan’s winless exit from the World Cup last year, was taking Japan.
   ‘I can see our basis as a team. I have the grip of what else we should do,’ said the 2004 Asian Cup most valuable player, who also played a part in Japan’s triumph in 2000 when they beat the Saudis in the final.
   ‘I am glad I took part in this tournament.’
   Takahara, who remained the tournament’s joint top scorer with four goals alongside Al Qahtani, said Japan could not move and ‘failed to find rhythm and yielded goals through mistakes.’
   ‘It has become clear what we can do and what we should do,’ said the 28-year-old, who
   scored 11 Bundesliga goals since he moved from Hamburg last year.
   ‘Ours is a team which has just begun and this is not the end.’
   Kawabuchi, the JFA chief, added, ‘We pursued our own way of football and gave up three goals by chance. We tried to pull them back and fought to the end. I would buy that. We are moving forward smoothly in building up a team and I appreciate that.’

Los Angeles Galaxy coach Frank Yallop wants to keep England football icon David Beckham on the bench until his sore left ankle is healed and the midfielder is 100 per cent fit.
   The 32-year-old did not play in the Major League Soccer (MLS) team’s 2-1 victory over Mexican club Pachuca on Tuesday and might not appear in Saturday’s next Superliga match here on Saturday against Chivas Guadalajara.
   ‘He’s a little bit ahead of where he was a couple of days ago, but why risk it? Why risk him getting another bang on it and him going back to square one?’ said Yallop, who played in England though at a markedly less high profile level than Beckham but carved out an honourable career mostly at Ipswich Town.
   ‘We want to make sure he’s going to be committed and 100 per cent before he actually plays. This takes the pressure off for Saturday, so we can move forward and get him ready to go when he will be ready. He’s still injured,’ added Yallop, who was capped over 50 times by Canada.
   Beckham, a former Manchester United and Real Madrid star, made his Galaxy debut in the 78th minute of a 1-0 exhibition match defeat here to English giants Chelsea last Saturday.
   While the Galaxy would like to have him in the lineup and getting to work his ball-bending magic with his new teammates, Beckham will be more needed when the Galaxy resume MLS competition on August 5 at Toronto.
   The club is near the bottom of the 13-team league but has played many fewer matches, the Galaxy schedule backloaded so every MLS city would have a visit from the team after Beckham’s arrival, setting up a gauntlet of games to come.
   ‘The more we can get him ready to play the full 90 minutes, the better we are,’ Yallop said. ‘It’s going to be a great atmosphere and I’m sure he’ll want to get some sort of time, but we’ll see.’
   ‘We talked on Monday, had a good chat and I said to him, ‘There’s no pressure to play until you’re ready.’
   ‘He doesn’t want to play if he can’t play well and that’s the important thing. He doesn’t want to come out and show badly. He wants to come out and be ready to go and really play well for this team.’

German midfielder Torsten Frings was a relieved man on Wednesday night after discovering his knee ligament injury was only a strain - not a tear as first feared.
   Initially, the German media were full of reports the 30-year-old Werder Bremen midfielder was set to miss months of the new season after injuring his right knee in Tuesday night’s pre-season friendly against Paderborn.
   But a scan has shown there is no tear, only strained ligaments.
   It is now hoped Frings will only be out for the next six weeks, but still faces a race against time to be fit for Germany’s Euro 2008 qualifiers against Wales and the Republic of Ireland in September.
   And he is almost certain to miss Germany’s friendly with England on August 22 at the new Wembley.
   But Frings was delighted when he heard his injury was not as bad as thought, late on Wednesday afternoon.
   ‘I am totally relieved after hearing these new results,’ he said.
   ‘It is still extremely annoying that I am injured, just before the season starts, but if nothing is torn, then it makes life so much easier.’
   German coach Joachim Low was also relieved to hear the news.
   ‘I am really glad that Torsten Frings will only be out for a certain time and his injury is not serious. He has been irreplaceable for us in the last year,’ said Low.
   Having spent most of Wednesday with long faces, Bremen’s manager Klaus Allofs and coach Thomas Schaaf were both relieved to hear the news.
   ‘Having heard initially that our worst fears were confirmed, with all the evidence pointing to Torsten having torn his cruciate ligament, this is naturally very good news,’ said Allofs.
   ‘The immediate loss of Torsten is still a blow to the team, but this is a much better situation.’
   And Schaaf was just as relieved.
   ‘After a day of bad news, it’s nice to get something pleasing. Most of all, I am pleased for Torsten that his injury isn’t as bad as we thought.’

Bayern Munich coach Ottmar Hitzfeld insisted on Thursday he is refusing to get carried away despite his ‘dream team’ reaching Saturday’s German League Cup final in Leipzig.
   Having spent a reported 69 million euros assembling a team of superstars over the summer, Bayern’s bosses have already been rewarded with convincing cup wins over Werder Bremen and last season’s German champions VfB Stuttgart.
   Bayern now face Schalke 04 in Saturday’s final, but for Hitzfeld, bigger prizes, like the UEFA Cup and the chance to be German champions for the 21st time, loom in the forthcoming season.
   In particular, French midfielder Franck Ribery - signed for 26 million euros from Marseille - has been in stunning early form with three goals in two games and is forging a strong partnership with German star Bastian Schweinsteiger.
   But despite Bayern’s 4-1 win over Bremen last Saturday, and their 2-0 win at Stuttgart on Wednesday, Hitzfeld is keeping his feet on the ground ahead of Bayern’s opening Bundesliga match against Hansa Rostock on August 11.
   ‘We wanted to get a win in Stuttgart, that was for us an important victory,’ said the 58-year-old, who has won the Champions League trophy with both Borussia Dortmund and Bayern.
   ‘We wanted to reach the final in Leipzig, and we wanted to set our marker down, but we can’t get carried away with just two wins.’
   Having scored twice against Bremen, then netted the opening goal against Stuttgart, before setting up the second, Ribery is already looking like a star performer in Bayern’s midfield.
   ‘He is an attraction worth watching, for us as well as the whole Bundesliga,’ said Hitzfeld.
   ‘Franck scores goals and is always looking to create something special.
   ‘That shows the class of a player he is.’
   Hitzfeld admitted he was impressed with the form of 19-year-old striker Sandro Wagner who was promoted from Bayern’s reserve team during the summer and scored the second goal in Stuttgart.
   Wagner replaced Miroslav Klose, the top scorer at last year’s World Cup, who dropped out of the Stuttgart game with a muscle strain, and Wagner took his chance with an impressive performance.
   ‘Sandro played well and made a lot of progress in the Stuttgart match, he held the ball up well and put in a good performance’ said Hitzfeld, although Wagner faces stiff competition from Bayern’s four international strikers competing for one of the two places up front.
   But after Bayern endured their worst season for a decade by finishing fourth and missing out on a Champions League place, Hitzfeld is pleased with the chemistry in his squad.
   ‘There is a good feeling in the squad,’ he said.
   ‘It all depends on the type of players you have, but performers like Franck Ribery, (Brazilian forward) Ze Roberto and Bastian Schweinsteiger have real substance and I am looking forward to seeing combinations develop.’

Coach Pim Verbeek says crushed South Korean will recover from the anguish of their defeat on penalties to Iraq and regroup mentally for Saturday’s ‘terrible’ play-off for third place at the Asian Cup.
   The spent Koreans were dumped from the tournament 4-3 on penalties in their second penalty shoot-out in three days here Wednesday as Iraq advanced to Sunday’s all-Arab final against Saudi Arabia in Jakarta.
   South Korea, winners of the first two editions of the Asian Cup in 1956 and 1960, were again cruelly denied a chance to reach their first continental tournament final since 1988.
   Verbeek has the task to lift shattered spirits for the third place play-off in Palembang, Indonesia, in a match he describes as ‘the most terrible game there is in football,’ yet which will qualify the winners for the 2011 Cup.
   The outspoken Dutchman, who has been with the Korean team for six years, was in a defiant mood after the match, critical of national over-expectations of their young team at the Asian Cup.
   ‘First, we all have to recover from this disappointment, not only the players, but the staff as well,’ Verbeek said.
   ‘I have to look at my players, how fit they are mentally, physically before taking a decision. We will not give up because Korean footballers never give up.
   ‘We will go for the third and fourth place match. I think it’s
   the most terrible game there is
   in football, but we will go for it and we will be ready again Saturday.’
   Verbeek, who had to battle against the Korean Football Association and KFA clubs to have his players released for pre-tournament training, said he had already made a decision about his position as national team coach.
   ‘I’ve taken my decision already, but I’m not going to tell you. I’ll keep Korea excited for the coming days,’ said Verbeek, who has had a running battle with the Korean football media throughout the tournament.
   ‘If the Korean fans think we didn’t play a good tournament then the fans have to think very deeply about having a real vision of international football.
   ‘I think a lot of countries would be very proud if their teams got through to the semi-final and fought until the last seconds and two times in extra-time for 120 minutes. I would be proud if I was a fan of Korean football.
   ‘We were not outplayed once in this tournament, we were fighting like hell to get the good result, if people think it is not enough, then it’s okay.
   ‘I have no problem with that, I think it’s a problem for the Korean peaople, not my problem.’

25 Carlos Alberto - Brazil 4 Italy 1, World Cup final, 1970. The full-back’s fulminating shot to round off a perfect flowing move gave us the alpha and the omega of what football is all about.
   24 Gary Lineker’s third - England v Poland, World Cup group F, 1986. Lineker was out of sorts and under pressure for his place from Kerry Dixon and Mark Hateley before getting his skates on against the Poles. His hat-trick revived England’s fortunes and set him on the way to being the best striker in England history.
   23 Ray Houghton - Italy 0 Ireland 1, World Cup group E, 1994. The Glaswegian’s effort at Giants Stadium set up Ireland’s finest World Cup win.
   22 Gerd Muller’s second - England 2 West Germany 3, World Cup quarter-final, 1970. Der Bomber’s extra-time shocker put the skids under Alf Ramsey’s England reign.
   21 Gerry Armstrong - Spain 0 Northern Ireland 1, World Cup group 5, 1982. Armstrong’s strike in Valencia set the seal on Northern Ireland’s proudest night.
   20 Jan Domarski - England 1 Poland 1, World Cup qualifier, 1973. One Pole goal put England out and laid waste to a generation of talent. The nation endured 12 World Cup-less years thereafter.
   19 Don Masson - Wales 0 Scotland 2, World Cup qualifier, 1977. Masson’s penalty kick went a long way towards sending the Scots to the finals. But was the hand-ball by Joe Jordan? Of course it was by Joe Jordan.
   18 David Beckham - England 2 Greece 2, World Cup qualifier, 2001. The draw saved England’s place in the finals, and Beckham’s last-minute free-kick preserved his status as the team’s most important player for a few more years.
   17 Pele - Brazil 1 Wales 0, World Cup quarter-final, 1958. The 17-year-old scored late in the second half, but if Wales had grabbed the goal they deserved history may have panned out very differently.
   16 Nandor Hidegkuti - England 3 Hungary 6, friendly international, 1953. It took less than a minute for the Magyars to blow apart the myth of English superiority with the first goal in a performance which changed the landscape of world football.
   15 Hector Castro - Uruguay 4 Argentina 2, World Cup final, 1930. The centre-forward scored in the last minute in Montevideo to confirm the hosts as the first-ever world champions.
   14 Steve Chalmers - Celtic 2 Inter Milan 1, European Cup final, 1967. Celtic’s second goal in Lisbon was a victory for attacking football against the negative, anti-football of the Milanese. They became the first British team to win the trophy, and also clinched an immortal Quadruple.
   13 Michael Thomas - Liverpool 0 Arsenal 2, First Division championship decider, 1989. ‘It’s up for grabs now!’ gasped Brian Moore in the commentary box as Thomas strode through in the last minute at Anfield to score the goal that gave Arsenal the title in the most dramatic climax to a season in memory.
   12 John Robertson - Hamburg 0 Nottingham Forest 1, European Cup final, 1980. The Scot’s shot was good enough to win the Cup for Forest for a second year in a row. Will a club of that size ever win the Champions League? Unlikely. And retain it? Never.
   11 Ian Porterfield - Leeds United 0 Sunderland 1, FA Cup Final, 1973. Most neutrals’ idea of the best FA Cup Final upset ever: plucky Division Two underdogs, Jim Montgomery’s double save, Bob Stokoe’s porkpie hat – and Porterfield’s iconic rocket shot into the roof of the net.
   (to be continued)

Steven Gerrard admits he is blown away by Liverpool’s new £300million stadium.
   The Reds unveiled the latest plans for their new 60,000 capacity ground in Stanley Park on Wednesday.
   The club will dump the old Anfield name but will incorporate an 18,000 seat stand in the image of the famous Kop.
   And skipper Gerrard, who signed a new five-year deal in May, says he is thrilled by the plans to retain a huge part of the club’s tradition in their new home.
   ‘The prospect of this was one of the major factors in me signing a long-term deal with the club and I just hope I’m still around when the day comes for us to play our first game in it,’ Gerrard told the club’s official website.
   ‘The fact a massive Kop stand will be incorporated into the new stadium is great.
   ‘After five minutes looking at the plans I was completely blown away by it. It is amazing and the best thing about it is that it is so different to any other.
   ‘We will have our own
   identity stamped all over this stadium and that is how it should be.
   ‘We are Liverpool Football Club, we expect the best and this will be the best.
   ‘As a supporter myself, I know what to look for in a stadium and I’m sure all our fans are going to love it.
   ‘We all know the level of noise 40,000 Liverpudlians can make at Anfield so I can’t even begin to describe what 60,000-plus can do inside the new stadium.
   ‘It’s going to be unbelievable and I can’t wait to lead the team out there.’

Sir Alex Ferguson believes Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is right to tone down his confrontational approach this season.
   Mourinho claims he will try not to get embroiled in any more controversy with opponents and officials because he fears the football public have started to turn on him.
   The Portuguese has had high-profile spats with the likes of Rafa Benitez and Arsene Wenger during his time at Stamford Bridge and Ferguson - no stranger himself to taking on other managers - insists the tough guy act was wearing thin.
   ‘It’s probably a good thing for him he has said he will be less outspoken,’ said the Manchester United manager.
   ‘He was getting himself in all sorts of difficulties and he is not stupid.
   ‘He has realised that everything he tries is just for a reason and to suit himself. He has realised that everyone has cottoned on and are not stupid and what he says does not have the same impact.
   ‘He is obviously not relishing the bad publicity and has obviously learned his lesson a little bit, everybody does.’
   Mourinho’s brash pronouncements initially made him the darling of the Premiership when he arrived from Porto. Ferguson admits he does have a soft spot for his title rival and doesn’t want him to get in any more trouble.
   ‘I do like him, he has brought a bit of colour to the Premiership,’ said Ferguson, who is not averse to sharing a bottle of wine or two with fellow wine buff Mourinho after their club head to heads.
   ‘He did well on the publicity side when he first came because he was brash, young and brave with his comments.
   ‘He endeared himself to a lot of people. The important thing is that he obviously wants to change the way he gives out publicity before games and things like that and that is not a bad thing,’ said Ferguson, who was not best pleased when he got an early taste of Mourinho’s style after Porto eliminated United from the Champions League in 2004.
   Ferguson has also revealed why he will wait as long as it takes to land Carlos Tevez.
   The Manchester United boss believes the player is a rare talent in football nowadays.
   But while lawyers and the Premier League try to unravel his proposed transfer from West Ham, Ferguson is already envisaging the Argentine hitman blasting goals for United.
   He said, ‘Quite simply, top strikers are becoming rarities and it is very difficult to get them.
   ‘Carlos has shown his ability to play in England and the immense influence he had on a team at the bottom of the league.
   ‘Sometimes you worry about players from South America – that there might be a settling-in period.
   ‘I don’t think there is any doubt, despite whatever West Ham may say, that he kept them up. His performances were that good.’
   Ferguson will play Tevez up front alongside Wayne Rooney, with Cristiano Ronaldo floating behind in a destructive attacking force.
   He said, ‘Our front players are mobile, quick and very strong.
   ‘Carlos is a through-the-middle player. One or two times he played wide left, but his best work is as a centre-forward.
   ‘I see Carlos as a central player and Rooney as a central player, whereas Ronaldo can play anywhere.’
   The Tevez case is now going to the High Court as his agent Kia Joorabchian and the Hammers battle over ownership of the player.
   Ferguson said, ‘I feel more confident about getting him now because the agent is confident enough to take it to the High Court.
    ‘You can be embarrassed there if it is not right and lose everything. He must be very confident regarding the situation with West Ham.
   ‘I would imagine it will be done before the deadline – and we will wait for him anyway if we have to.
   ‘We have gone so far now there is no point stepping back.
   ‘Last summer we didn’t go for him because we weren’t sure of the arrangement.’
   While Fergie waits for Tevez, he remains determined that Gabriel Heinze will not go to Liverpool.
   But the United manager does not blame Rafa Benitez for trying to get the Argentinian full-back. Ferguson said he would do the same if Steven Gerrard ever became available.
   He added, ‘Liverpool are opportunists, like the rest of them. The agent has presented them a situation and they have looked at it.
   ‘If an agent came to me with a letter saying Steven Gerrard was available for a certain fee, then I would try to sign him.
   ‘But Heinze is our player, not Liverpool’s, that’s the important thing. People are going on as if he is their player.
   ‘There are two years left on his contract. If he completes his contract and leaves at the end of it that is fine by us because he will be 31 and we’ll have had five good years out of him.’
   Ferguson believes Heinze will still show his commitment to United if he starts the season with them.
   He said, ‘People want to see players who are committed and that is what Gabriel is. He is a bit of a warrior. He will not change once he comes back into the fold and plays a game, he will just want to win.’
   With Ronaldo and Rooney on board, new players signed and Tevez still to come, United are rightly favourites to retain the title.
   Obviously, Ferguson will look at Chelsea and Liverpool as potential title rivals.
   But he also believes there will be a revival of fortunes at Arsenal, actually helped by the fact they have lost Thierry Henry
   He said, ‘They had really lost Henry in December, so I do not think they will suffer too much, his time had gone. I think Arsene knew that, there is no doubt about that.
   ‘I expect Arsenal to improve. They have signed a right-back, midfielder and striker.
   ‘They will be more consistent. The signing of a striker tells you where their problems were, they needed more goals. They will also have Adebayor and Van Persie back so they are not too bad, are they?’
   Neither are United. Right now, the rest of the pack seems to have more reasons to fear United than the Reds have to fear them.

Bombers murdered at least 50 Iraqi football fans Wednesday as they cheered their team’s victory in the Asia Cup semi-finals but failed to stop thousands more from sharing a rare moment of national joy.
   After the national team beat South Korea in a tense penalty shoot-out in Kuala Lumpur, thousands of Iraqis poured into the streets of Baghdad cheering, waving flags and firing assault rifles wildly into the air.
   For the vast majority of the city it was a moment of shared fun, but the country’s four-year-old civil conflict did not stay dormant for long.
   One massive car bomb detonated in the formerly upscale western neighbourhood of Mansour in the middle of a crowd, killing at least nine men.
   Another 62 people, including women and children, were wounded in the blast, according to an official at Baghdad’s Yarmukh hospital.
   ‘I was in a car with my friends, people all around were celebrating and then there was a huge explosion and a lot of fire,’ said an eyewitness at the scene, who asked not to be named.
   In a separate attack another car bomb went off in Zayuna, a mixed neighbourhood near the city centre, killing at least 17 people and wounding 60 others, security officials and medics at two hospitals said.
   It was not clear who planted the bombs, but similar attacks have in the past been blamed on Sunni insurgent groups such as Al-Qaeda’s Iraqi affiliate who kill to spread chaos and undermine the US-backed government.
   Another two people were killed by stray rounds when citizens rushed into the streets and fired in the air, a long-standing Iraqi tradition that has grown more lethal as firearms have proliferated in the war-torn capital.
   Immediately following the victory Baghdad was rocked by the sound of assault rifle and machine-gun fire as police, soldiers, insurgents and residents put aside their differences and fired skywards.
   Iraqi state television showed thousands of people pouring into the streets across the country, from the northern Kurdish city of Irbil to the Shiite strongholds of the south, all wearing team jerseys and waving national flags.
   Brigadier General Qassim Atta, the spokesman for Baghdad’s five-month-old security plan, asked people to refrain from the time-honoured tradition of firing guns in the air in celebration, but the calls went unheeded.
   In central Baghdad Iraqi policemen and soldiers danced in circles in the streets, waving pistols, assault rifles and national flags.
   During the game itself, Baghdad’s coffee shops and restaurants were packed with Iraqis in team jerseys, standing and roaring at every near-goal scored by a mixed squad drawn from Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish communities.
   ‘Even though we are living in distressing times we follow the matches as though we are following our players into a battle,’ said Rahim Sahid, as he watched the game at a coffee shop in the upscale Karrada commercial district.
   ‘The matches make us very nervous but our players are heroes whether they win or not. They bring joy to our hearts and to everyone in our society, children, women, old men, have all been waiting for these beautiful moments.’
   Many expressed the hope that their team’s victory would at least temporarily turn the eyes of the world away from the relentless stream of bombings and killings that have otherwise distinguished the country in recent years.
   ‘It is a victory for the entire country. No one makes us feel happier or more victorious than our national team,’ said Ahmed Hadi, a 24-year-old university student.
   ‘We had great confidence that our team’s players would prove our courage in achieving this victory which raises the flag of our country before the world.’

Sir Alex Ferguson has insisted Cristiano Ronaldo’s burgeoning celebrity status will not be allowed to ruin his career at Manchester United - just as it did with David Beckham.
   Ronaldo has inherited Beckham’s former title as United’s most high-profile and marketable player, an iconic superstar whose looks and unique talent make him just as valuable off the field as on it.
   But Fergie, who sold Beckham to Real Madrid in 2003 because he felt the former England captain’s celebrity profile had suffocated his ability and ultimately become detrimental to United, is adamant Ronaldo will not suffer the same fate.
   ‘It’s obvious when a talent like Ronaldo comes along that there will be attention,’ said Fergie in a break from United’s preseason tour of Asia.
   ‘But this club has been used to that for years now. There was George Best and then Ryan Giggs.
   ‘Every time a fresh young talent comes along, they get praise heaped upon them. This club is great at creating heroes - there’s no question about that.
   ‘Ronaldo is 22, and at that age you have to be flexible when it comes to curtailing their youthfulness.
   ‘I remember Ryan coming into training once wearing a new jacket, and I said to him ‘Where the hell did you get that?’
   ‘But young people like to dress differently and they want a bit of freedom in their choices. They want to be men before they’re men and, with Cristiano, a lot has happened to him in his time at Manchester United.
   ‘He’s matured fantastically well and he’s an intelligent boy who looks after himself. He has a lot of pluses. You never know how players handle celebrity and all the attention.
   ‘But with Ronaldo, he seems to do OK with that. He seems to be fine. He doesn’t seem to be overwhelmed or overly flattered by it.
   ‘The problem comes when players get flattered by it and start enjoying it. That’s when you start worrying.’
   The similarities between Beckham and Ronaldo are compelling, not least because both are synonymous with United’s iconic No7 shirt and have a global appeal that transcends football.
   Beckham brought out a clothing range called DB7 during his United career, while Ronaldo has just launched his own chain of fashion stores, intriguingly called CR7, in his native Madeira.

Liverpool will be at full strength for the Asia Trophy final after record signing Fernando Torres was given permission to play and Steven Gerrard recovered from injury, their coach said on Thursday.
   Rafael Benitez said Torres and Dutch forward Ryan Babel had international clearance for Friday’s match against Portsmouth after a bureaucratic bungle ruled them out of the semi-final.
   ‘Torres and Babel have been cleared and have permission to play,’ Benitez said, adding that England star Gerrard had recovered from a stomach problem.
   ‘I think he’s OK. He will be all right.’
   Torres and Babel were left out of Tuesday’s game because they did not have the international clearance needed to appear in a Premier League-endorsed competition.

Doubt never crossed Sir Alex Ferguson’s mind that he would lead Manchester United to Premiership glory again - despite going four years without the title.
   Fergie, 65, claimed his ninth title as United boss, and his 21st trophy in as many years, when his men ended Chelsea’s recent domestic domination last term.
   And Fergie explained why he had to take apart his last title-winning side to rebuild and create a new United dynasty.
   ‘I think we made decisions a couple of years ago about where we were going,’ he said. ‘To build a new team. And that’s not easy.
   ‘When you’ve been somewhere for 20 years, it’s bound to happen. You have to rebuild.
   ‘Nicky Butt and Phil Neville going, that had a big impact on the club - and on me - because those guys had been here since they were kids.
   ‘Then Roy Keane and David Beckham left. It changes all the time when you’ve had players for so long.
   ‘You can’t keep them forever and give them a pension. There comes a point where they have to move on.
   ‘Sometimes you have to capitalise on their abilities, then sell players and let them go.’

England defender Jonathan Woodgate was voted the worst signing of the 21st century by readers of www.marca.com, the Web site for Spain’s biggest selling sports daily.
   The 27-year-old was the runaway winner polling 37.11 percent of the votes cast on their Web page, the newspaper said.
   Real Madrid signed ‘Woody’ from Newcastle United for around $25 million in August 2004 but because of a thigh injury he did not make his debut until September 2005.
   His first official game turned into a nightmare when he scored an own goal and was sent off in the league match against Athletic Bilbao at the Bernabeu.
   Woodgate was put out on loan to Premier League Middlesbrough in August 2006 and the move became permanent for a fee of $14 million earlier this year.
   He made only 14 competitive appearances for Real Madrid.

Juventus ‘keeper Gigi Buffon has set himself the ambitious target of playing until the age of 40 so he can lift the 2018 World Cup.
   The 28-year-old custodian models himself on his idol Azzurri legend Dino Zoff who is the oldest man ever to win football’s greatest prize.
   Zoff led Italy to glory in the 1982 World Cup at the age of 40 and Buffon has revealed to FIFA magazine that he wants to do the same.
   ‘I always admired Zoff’s loyalty to Juve and the national side,’ he stated. ‘In recent times Italy have been in a World Cup Final every 12 years and I hope to still be there in 2018.’
   Buffon won a special place in Juventini hearts when he decided to remain a Bianconero despite the side’s demotion to Serie B and he took time to explain the reasons for his choice.
   ‘I stayed in Turin because the directors and the fans showed me how important I was in the reconstruction of the squad. Most of all, I believed in the objectives that were set,’ he declared.

The Italian Cup has been revamped for the forthcoming season in an attempt to increase its diminishing popularity, the Italian Football League (Lega-Calcio) announced on Wednesday.
   The competition, which will start on August 15, will consist of the 42 clubs in Italy’s top two divisions (20 Serie A clubs and 22 Serie B clubs). Unlike last season, third division clubs have not been invited to play.
   The first three rounds will be one match knockout ties rather than two-legged matches.
   The competition will begin with 24 clubs, the 22 Serie B clubs plus Genoa and
   Napoli who both won promotion from the second division last season.
   Ten Serie A clubs, including newly-promoted Juventus, will join the competition in the third round alongside the six survivors of the previous two rounds.
   The eight winning teams in the third round will then be joined by the top eight seeds, including holders and Serie A champions Inter Milan, for the round of 16 when ties will revert back to two legs all the way to the final.
   However, the final will be a single match and is expected to be played at Rome’s Olympic stadium.
   The Italian Cup is lightly regarded by Italy’s top clubs and attendances tend to be very low until the competition reaches the latter stages.

Saudi Arabia’s star forward pairing of Yasser Al Qahtani and Malek Maaz could play anywhere in the world, according to their Brazilian coach Helio Dos Anjos.
   The dynamic strike duo shot down tournament favourites Japan 3-2 in the Asian Cup semi-finals on Wednesday to further bolster their burgeoning reputations in the region.
   And Dos Anjos gushed over the pair afterwards, claiming they could play for any team in Europe, although he did complain that the oil-rich kingdom was suffering from not having players plying their trade on foreign shores.
   ‘The big advantage that Australia, Japan and South Korea have over Saudi Arabia is that we don’t have any players playing outside of their own country,’ said Dos Anjos.
   ‘That brings some problems for our team, especially in terms of competitiveness. Even Iraq have some players playing in other Gulf leagues.

Liverpool striker Peter Crouch on Thursday said he was confident of playing a key role this season despite intense new competition for places.
   The lofty England man said he has been assured he is in the thoughts of coach Rafael Benitez, who has strengthened his front line with record signing Fernando Torres, Ryan Babel and Andriy Voronin.
   ‘It was the same last year. When new strikers come in people automatically think where does this leave the strikers already at the club,’ Crouch said ahead of the Asia Trophy final here.
   ‘But the manager’s spoken to me and said I’m in his plans. We’ve got four strikers but hopefully I will play some part.
   ‘It’s going to be difficult to get in the team but when you play you have to do your best to impress.’
   Benitez said he hoped to see more goals this season from Liverpool, who have been criticised for being too defensive.