The Bangladesh cricket team, led by new captain Mohammad Ashraful and interim coach Shaun Williams, will leave for Sri Lanka today to play three Tests and as many one-day internationals.
   The Tigers’ Qatar Airways flight is expected to take off from the Zia International Airport at 8:30pm. They are scheduled to reach Colombo via Doha on Sunday.
   Ashraful’s men will open their tour with a three-day warm-up match starting on June 20.
   The three-Test series begins on June 25. It will be followed by the one-day series that commences on July 20.
   
   ITINERARY
   June 20-22: Warm-up game, Colombo
   Tests
   June 25-29: 1st Test, SSC, Colombo
   July 3-7: 2nd Test, PSS, Colombo
   July 11-15: 3rd Test, Kandy
   ODIs
   July18: One-day warm-up, Colombo
   July 20: 1st ODI, PSS, Colombo
   July 22: 2nd ODI, RPS, Colombo
   July 24: 3rd ODI, RPS, Colombo

Sri Lanka’s new coach Trevor Bayliss Friday said he was hopeful that the island could win the next World Cup.
   Bayliss, 44, was picked on Thursday night to replace another Australian, Tom Moody, who quit last month to work with Western Australia after having guided Sri Lanka to the World Cup final.
   ‘Sri Lankans are a pretty good side,’ he told reporters after signing a two-year contract. ‘I see no reason why they cannot win the next World Cup if they maintain their hard work, which put a lot of teams under pressure in the last World Cup,’ Bayliss said.
   He was picked over fellow Australian Terry Oliver and became the fifth Australian and the first non-international cricket player to coach the Sri Lankans following Dav Whatmore, Bruce Yardley, John Dyson and Moody.
   Bayliss played 58 first-class matches for New South Wales as a middle-order batsman from 1985 to 1993 before making his mark as the state coach when he took over from Steve Rixon during the 2004-05 season.

FIFA said on Friday that its recently imposed ban on playing international matches at more than 2,500 metres above sea level remained in effect and had not been lifted.
   On Thursday, Bolivian doctor Ivo Eterovic, a member of the South American Football Confederation (CSF) medical committee told reporters after a committee meeting that FIFA had agreed to lift the ban, saying matches could be played at 2,800 metres but not higher than 3,000 metres.
   However a FIFA spokesman denied on Friday that any such decision had been taken.
   ‘The only body that can change the ruling is the executive committee who imposed it in the first place and the executive committee do not meet again until June 27 so the ruling remains in place,’ the spokesman told Reuters.
   FIFA surprised the South American nations by announcing the 2,500-metre limit on May 27.
   The decision caused an outcry in some of the Andean nations, where the matter has become a major political issue.
   Bolivia president Evo Morales has led the campaign to have the ruling overturned and on Tuesday took part in a kick-about with some of his aides on a mountain at nearly 6,000 metres above sea level.
   The CSF’s executive committee was due to meet on Friday to discuss the issue. Earlier this year, Brazilian club Flamengo issued a furious protest after playing a South American Libertadores Cup match at nearly 4,000 metres above sea level against Real Potosi in Bolivia.
   Potosi directors rejected the protest and said they did not want to play in Rio de Janeiro because of the ‘the heat and the mosquitoes’.
   Brazil’s first defeat in a World Cup qualifier was away to Bolivia in La Paz in 1993.
   If matches were allowed at 3,000 metres they could be played in Quito and Bogota, the capitals of Ecuador and Colombia respectively. However, it would still mean that La Paz in Bolivia, situated at 3,600 metres, was out of bounds.

Kevin Pietersen has warned the hectic international cricket schedule and the prospect of impending fatherhood could cut short his England career.
   The 26-year-old batsman is due to wed his pop star fiancee Jessica Taylor in December. But before then he is likely, if fit, to play in 11 Tests, the Twenty20 World Cup in his native South Africa and several one-day internationals.
   So congested is England’s fixture list they are due to fly to South Africa the day after their seventh one-day international against India in September.
   ‘There is a lot of cricket being played these days and time will tell how fatherhood changes my attitude,’ Pietersen, who would like to start a family, told July’s edition of the Wisden Cricketer magazine.
   ‘I don’t like spending time away from my family, I don’t like it at all, especially since I met Jessica. All these future tours that just get chucked in here and there, they don’t make me happy.
   ‘There are so many exciting things to look forward to in life other than cricket and I’ve changed a heck of a lot both as a person and a player.’
   However, he insisted he still had ambitions as a cricketer.
   ‘I’ve always said I want to be a great player – the best I can possibly be – and if that means I end up as one of the best players around then that’s just how it is.
   ‘A lot of people have criticised me for getting ahead of myself but it’s just my ambition. That’s the way I’ve been brought up, to challenge myself.’
   Pietersen, who scored a Test-best 226 in the second Test against West Indies at Headingley last month, is set to take his place in the England XI for the fourth and final Test of the series starting at the Riverside on Friday.

Nick Dougherty’s two-under-par 68 was good enough for the first-round lead at the 107th US Open golf championship Thursday, but certainly not enough to discourage Tiger Woods.
   Dougherty was one of only two players to break par on Thursday, despite the fact that Oakmont’s notoriously difficult greens had been softened slightly by rain.
   The 25-year-old Englishman kept his nerve after back-to-back bogeys at the seventh and eighth, then picked up birdies at 11, 13 and 17 coming in to set an early target that none of his rivals could quite reach.
   Argentina’s Angel Cabrera had sole possession of second place on 69, and two-time Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal of Spain and American Bubba Watson were at even par 70.
   But with Woods lurking just three shots back on 71, and Phil Mickelson sure that his four-over 74 kept him in contention, Dougherty had plenty to think about heading into the second round.
   The group on 71 also included Fiji’s Vijay Singh, 2003 US Open champion Jim Furyk, England’s Justin Rose and young Spaniard Pablo Martin, who turned pro last week after becoming the first amateur to win a European Tour event at the Portuguese Open in April.
   World No 2 Mickelson, playing with a sore left wrist that he said was more ‘aggravating’ than excruciating, posted a four-over 74.
   Woods said his solid finish – par saves at 16 and 18 sandwiched around a birdie at 17, were the key to his round.
   ‘I ran my putt by about eight feet there on 16, made that. Made a nice up and down for birdie at 17, and a nice par for 18, so basically could have lost three shots there, but I was able to keep it as is.’
   Woods said that Oakmont was probably as vulnerable as it would be all week, with the pins located in the easiest spots.
   ‘But still, look at the scores,’ he said. ‘It’s as soft and receptive as you’re possibly going to have it, and not too many guys are taking it to the golf course.’
   But the par-70, 7,230-yard layout was no pushover, as Dougherty was at pains to point out.
   After rolling in a six-footer for his first birdie at the sixth, he was in the rough and the front bunker en route to bogey at seven.
   At eight, the long par-three that played at 261 yards Thursday from the front tee, he was bunkered again, made a good sand shot and missed a 10-footer.
   He responded at the 11th, knocking a nine-iron to 15 feet that led to a birdie at 11. He sank birdie putts of 13 and six feet at 13 and 17.
   Other players who flirted with the lead included Rose and fellow Englishmam Ian Poulter, both going going as low as two-under. Poulter settled for a two-over 72.
   He was in a group that included Australian Marcus Fraser, who was even through 17 holes but double-bogeyed his last, the ninth.
   South African Ernie Els, winner of the last US Open held at Oakmont, in 1994, posted a three-over 73.
   Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie, who suffered a heartbreaking disappointment at at Winged Foot last year, posted a six-over 76 that included a double-bogey at the par-five 12th, which played at a massive 667 yards from its back tee.
   South Korean KJ Choi, winner of the Memorial tournament two weeks ago, was a further shot back on 77, also taking double-bogey at the 12th.
   Sergio Garcia’s day was even worse, the Spaniard struggling to a nine-over 79.

New Australian coach Tim Nielsen will bring the country’s 25 elite players to a pre-season training camp in August ahead of an arduous 18 months of continuous cricket, reports said Friday.
   The camp will involve physical fitness work but there will be no repeat of last year’s military-style pre-Ashes boot camp which had players hiking, abseiling and embarking on midnight orienteering through dense forests.
   Nielsen, who took over from long-time coach John Buchanan following Australia’s victory in the World Cup in the Caribbean last April, has recently been interviewing each contracted player.
   But this will be his first chance to address a new-look group he hopes will retain cricket’s top ranking without retired stars Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Justin Langer and Damien Martyn.
   ‘It will be a different set-up, a chance just to get everyone back together in that we have had a long break from play,’ Nielsen told Friday’s Herald-Sun newspaper.
   ‘We will try and get our thoughts focused on where we are going to go over the next little while.’
   Australia faces up to 27 Tests, 50 one-day internationals and at least a dozen Twenty20 matches in the 18 months from September.
   Australia will compete in the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa in September before heading to India for seven one-day internationals.
   A home summer of Tests and one-dayers against Sri Lanka and India then awaits, along with the Chappell-Hadlee one-day series against New Zealand.
   Test tours of Pakistan, the West Indies and India follow next year.

Hosts Farashganj Sporting Club avenged their first-leg loss to visitors Arambagh Krira Sangha with a 1-0 victory in the return leg of the B league at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Friday.
   Striker Mohammad Robin scored the winner in the 59th minute.
   It was Farashganj’s fourth win in 13 matches and took them to fourth place alongside Chittagong Mohammedan with 17 points.
   The port city team, however, have played a match less.
   Aramabagh, who beat Farashganj 2-0 at home, slipped to fifth on 16 points from as many matches.

Chris Gayle will captain West Indies in their forthcoming Twenty20 matches and one-day internationals against England, with stand-in Test skipper Daren Ganga omitted from the 14-man squad announced here Friday.
   Ganga, who became captain after Ramnaresh Sarwan sustained a tour-ending shoulder injury in the side’s record innings and 283-run defeat in the second Test at Headingley, will depart after the fourth and final Test here at Riverside.
   Also leaving are fast bowlers Corey Collymore and Jerome Taylor, who both played during the World Cup in the Caribbean, and batsman Sylvester Joseph.
   Ganga, who has only played seven one-day internationals in nearly five years, had been reported to be the favourite of the West Indies Cricket Board executive committee to captain the limited-over side, with the selectors favouring fellow opening batsman Gayle.
   Lendl Simmons and Dwayne Smith will join the squad after the fourth Test, where play was delayed on the first day here Friday because of rain.
   Austin Richards, a 23-year-old left-handed batsman from Antigua, has received his first international call-up.
   He impressed in first-class domestic cricket where, in the 2006-07 season, he scored 183 for the Leeward Islands against the Windward Islands.
   West Indies, now 2-0 down in the four-match Test series, play England in back-to-back Twenty20 matches at The Oval on June 28 and June 29 before facing their hosts in three one-day internationals in the first week of July.
   They then go to Ireland where they will feature in a four-nation tournament also including Scotland and the Netherlands.
   West Indies Twenty20 and one-day squad: Chris Gayle (captain), Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dwayne Bravo, Fidel Edwards, Runako Morton, Daren Powell, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Ravi Rampaul, Darren Sammy, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Devon Smith, Dwayne Smith, Austin Richards Jr.
   Fixtures
   June 28: 1st Twenty20 v England, The Oval
   June 29: 2nd Twenty20 v England, The Oval
   July 01: 1st ODI v England, Lord’s
   July 04: 2nd ODI v England, Edgbaston
   July 07: 3rd ODI v England, Trent Bridge
   July 10: ODI v Netherlands, Dublin
   July 12: ODI v Scotland, Dublin
   July 14: ODI v Ireland, Dublin

The fourth and final Test between England and West Indies was abandoned without a ball being bowled because
   of rain at the Riverside here Friday.
   Umpires Billy Bowden of New Zealand and Aleem Dar of Pakistan called the game off for the day following an inspection at 12.30pm local time (1130GMT).
   Heavy rain Friday morning meant the pitch and square were all fully covered, with the toss not taking place as players waited in the pavilion.
   A spokesman for the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said the value of refunding
   what had been expected to be a sell-out 15,600 crowd was 640,000 pounds but that this would be met by their insurance policy.
   The match is now set to resume on Saturday at 11.00am (1000GMT).
   England have already won the series, going 2-0 up with one to play after their 60-run win in the third Test at Old Trafford completed Monday.

Andy Roddick believes his decision to opt for a prolonged stay in London could pay dividends with success at Wimbledon.
   Roddick, 24, could have been forgiven for flying home to America after his early exit from the French Open, but he decided to go straight to the English capital late last month and begin preparations for the grass court season.
   The world number five enjoys playing on the lush lawns of west London, as his three Queen’s titles and two Wimbledon final appearances prove. So it was an easy decision to forgo a return to Texas and instead practice and relax in one of his favourite cities.
   He is already back in the old routine after beating Alex Bogdanovic on Thursday to reach the quarter-finals at Queen’s and it would be no surprise if he mounted a serious challenge for Roger Federer’s Wimbledon crown.
   ‘It was a pretty easy decision,’ Roddick said. ‘I like it here in London. It’s one of my favourite places and it’s a pretty easy place for me to be.
   ‘There’s not much grass back in Texas and what there is the cows lay on and make a mess on, so it was a group decision to stick here.
   ‘I went home after Rome so it’s not like I was over here for a month and a half before the French Open.
   ‘I thought I would get more practice here as well. There are more players over here and I’ve played top 50 players every day which is what I was looking for.’
   Roddick will face Croatian wild card Marin Cilic in the last eight and he is confident his game is progressing as he tunes up for the All-England Club Grand Slam later this month.
   ‘I’m happy with where my game is,’ he said. ‘I played great in my first match and today I didn’t have my best stuff but I got the win against a player who was playing well and that’s a good sign.’
   Bogdanovic, 23, can take heart from the way he pushed one of the game’s premier grass-court players to the limit. Roddick consoled his opponent at the net, telling him he could become a top player if he continued to produce performances like that and Bogdanovic agrees.
   ‘It was definitely the best performance of my career,’ he said. ‘I played a great match. I knew I had to play better than I did against Jamie Baker in the last round but today was a different kind of pressure because I had nothing to lose.
   ‘Andy said ‘great stuff, if you keep going like this you are going to get up there pretty soon’.
   ‘Matches like this are really going to help me get up to the top. In big matches you have to play your best tennis on big points and I’m working towards that.
   ‘I feel like I’m more comfortable out there no matter who I’m playing.’
   Roddick sees no reason why Bogdanovic shouldn’t crack the top 50 if he knuckles down and he said: ‘He should legitimatly aim for the top 50 by the end of the year. That is a very realistic goal and he can go from there.
   ‘But he has to play like that on a weekly basis and not just in one tournament or one match. He showed what he is capable of doing and he has to recreate that more often.’

The deals which took Petr Cech and Didier Drogba to Chelsea, the ‘super-agent’ Pini Zahavi and Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce all face further investigation after 17 transfer deals were identified as suspect in a report presented to the FA Premier League on Friday.
   The report, drawn up by former London police chief Lord Stevens following a far-reaching investigation, identifies five clubs—Chelsea, Newcastle, Bolton, Middlesbrough and Portsmouth—as having acquired players in deals which potentially breached transfer regulations.
   But Stevens concluded there was no evidence of illegal payments to club officials or players and said the clubs had all fully cooperated with his investigation.
   The former police chief does however express serious concerns over the conduct of 15 agents, including Zahavi, an Israeli agent who is one of the most high-profile figures in the game.
   Stevens recommends that Zihavi should be subject to a FIFA investigation.
   Two managers—Sam Allardyce, the former Bolton boss now in charge at Newcastle, and former Newcastle manager Graeme Souness—are also placed firmly in the spotlight.
   The report highlights ‘inconsistencies’ in the evidence provided by Souness and Kenneth Shepherd, the son of Newcastle chairman Freddie Shepherd.
   In the case of Allardyce, it identifies a possible conflict of interest arising from the fact that his son Craig Allardyce, a former agent, was involved in transfer dealings with the club.
   The findings of Lord Stevens will now be passed to either the English Football Association (FA) or football’s world governing body FIFA, depending on where the individuals identified are registered, for possible disciplinary action.
   Despite finding evidence of wrongdoing in the cases he has highlighted, Stevens said that he was satisfied transfer dealings involving English clubs were largely free of corruption.
   ‘Many lessons have been learned and strict adherence to and enforcement of the recommendations should ensure that the game and the transfer market can proceed in an untainted and transparent manner,’ Stevens said.
   Of the 17 transfers, four relate to Newcastle signings (Emre Belozoglu, Jean Alain Boumsong, Amady Faye, Albert Luque), four to Bolton (Ali Al-Habsi, Tal Ben Haim, Blessing Kaku, Julio Correia), three to Chelsea (Didier Drogba, Petr Cech, Michael Essien), three to Portsmouth (Collins Mbesuma, Benjani Mwaruwari, Aliou Cisse) and two to Middlesbrough (Aiyegbeni Yakubu and Fabio Rochemback).
   The player and club involved in the 17th transfer were not identified.
   British Sports Minister Richard Caborn urged the FA and FIFA to crack down on agents who had not cooperated with the inquiry.
   ‘While it’s pleasing to hear that all clubs and officials have cooperated fully with the Steven’s inquiry, I am deeply concerned that some agents haven’t,’ Caborn said.
   ‘It’s now for the FA and FIFA to pursue these agents vigorously and they will have my support every step of the way. The role of agents in football will always be controversial and that’s why they need proper regulation at national, European and international level.’
   The report was severely critical of Zahavi’s failure to coperate fully with the inquiry having initially failed to disclose his involvement in a number of transfers then refused to provide bank statements requested by investigators.
   ‘There remain questions relating to his relationship with and payments to (British agent) Barry Silkman and Barry Silkman’s failure to initially disclose his involvement in all the transactions in which he received fees,’ the report notes.

India’s motor sports officials and media on Friday reacted with skepticism and bemusement at the news that the country may hold a Formula One race in 2009.
   A disbelieving Indian Express said it was ‘a bit difficult to digest’ that the race could be held in New Delhi so soon without the necessary infrastructure already in place.
   Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi announced on Thursday a deal had been clinched with F1 commercial boss Bernie Ecclestone to hold a Grand Prix event in two years time.
   The IOA has until September 30 to convince the F1 organisers that it can build the necessary infrastructure and raise funds, estimated to cost about 300 million dollars, before a formal contract is signed.
   ‘We are enthusiastic about holding F1 races,’ said Kalmadi. ‘We are capable enough to raise the money. We have done it in the past. We will do it again.’
   But the country’s media and motor sports officials remained skeptical.
   ‘A dream coming true or just tall claims?,’ asked the Indian Express.
   ‘This formula of the Indian Olympic Association was a bit difficult to digest when it was unfolded today,’ the paper wrote.
   ‘If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.’
   Indian motor sport chief Rajat Majumdar said, ‘Maybe Kalmadi can explain it better how he plans to do this or what blueprint he has with him.’
   Narain Karthikeyan, India’s first and only F1 driver who drove for Jordan in 2005, said, ‘It all boiled down to funds and the right infrastructure.
   ‘It’s fantastic news,’ said Karthikeyan. ‘It will do great things for motor sports in India. Bernie has been interested in India for a long time.
   ‘If the government is behind it, there is no reason why we should not have a Grand Prix in 2009.’

Emirates, the Dubai-based international airline, is offering its customers a once in a lifetime opportunity to be part of Emirates Team New Zealand’s challenge for the 32nd America ‘s Cup.
   Emirates Team New Zealand will face team Alinghi in the America’s Cup, the oldest active trophy in international sport, which begins just off the coast of the Mediterranean city of Valencia on June 23.
   Emirates is offering unique land-based packages of three-night accommodation including buffet breakfast at the AC Valencia Hotel. The highlight of the stay in Valencia is undoubtedly the visit to the Emirates Team New Zealand base camp at the port America’s Cup and one-day race viewing on board the team’s VIP boat, including full hospitality.
   The cost of the packages are 1,280 pounds/1,850 euros for 2-people sharing and 925 pounds/1,325 euros for a single; further information on bookings can be found at emirates.com.

England captain Michael Vaughan faces an uncertain future as a one-day international cricketer after chairman of selectors David Graveney refused to confirm Friday if the batsman was in the squad for the forthcoming limited overs series against West Indies.
   England are due to announce their squad for two Twenty20 matches at The Oval, the first on June 28, and three one-dayers against West Indies, in the first week of July, next week.
   Vaughan, England’s captain at the World Cup, had a poor tournament in the Caribbean and it wasn’t until his team’s final match of the competition, a ‘dead’ fixture against West Indies in Barbados where neither side had a chance of reaching the semi-finals, he found his touch with 79.
    Graveney, who met with England coach Peter Moores at the Riverside here Friday, where the first day of the fourth and final Test against West Indies was washed out without a ball bowled, told Sky Sports afterwards: ‘I spoke to Vaughany on a number of occasions leading into the meeting.
   ‘He is not actually a full-voting selector but it wasn’t a case of ‘sorry Vaughany you are going to have to step out of the room’.
   ‘I’m aware of what his views are as he has talked about them the last couple of weeks.’
   Vaughan, in an interview with Britain’s Guardian newspaper last week, reiterated criticisms of all-rounder Andrew Flintoff’s late-night drinking escapade after England’s defeat against New Zealand in their World Cup opener in St Lucia, which culminated with the all-rounder being discovered in a pedalo in the early hours of the following morning.
   ‘Amongst the much-publicised articles about pedalos and everything else, there were some quite interesting observations about his role and playing one-day cricket,’ Graveney said of Vaughan.
   ‘Being the type of person he is, he put his hand up and said things didn’t work out for him personally. To me the way he played against West Indies is the way we have all wanted Michael Vaughan to play limited-over cricket. It’s whether or not he can reproduce that form.
   ‘We have talked about his position as a batsman and, without revealing what is going to happen, that is an ongoing discussion.
   ‘But we haven’t skirted the issues, he knows the way he has played, he knows what he wants to do long-term and that is an ongoing scenario,’ said Graveney.
   ‘We are playing at a Test match at the present stage and we intend to talk at the end of the Test match about what we are going to do in one-day cricket and Michael is party to that.

The Bangladesh Football Federation on Friday called up 25 under-15 players for 30-day training at the Tata Sports Academy at Jamshedpur in India.
   The players are: Rafiqul Islam, Nurul Karim, Rana Miah, Rashed Khan, Swapan Barman, Jewel Hossain, Mohammad Javed, Amjad Hossain, Naimur Rahman, Mohammad Sohail (2), Asiful Islam, Arif Hossain, Habibur Rahman, Imran Hossain, Jamal Hossain, Ariful Haque Saikat, Saddam Hossain, Limon Chowdhury, Mohammad Sohail (1), Mamunur Rashid, Shakil Alam, Kamal Hossain, Shariful Islam, Mohammad Rubel and Shaheen Uddin.
   The team will leave Dhaka on June 22.

New Zealand Test batsman Hamish Marshall Friday turned down a national cricket contract in favour of playing county
   cricket in England as a local
   player.
   His decision means he will no longer be eligible for New Zealand.
   ‘I spoke to Hamish about the decision earlier today. I believe he likely had a future with the Blackcaps,’ New Zealand manager Lindsay Crocker said.
   ‘However, I accept his reasons for pursing the certainty of a career in county cricket.’
   Marshall is a six-year veteran of the New Zealand team and two weeks ago was among 20 players offered contracts for the coming year.
   He is currently playing for Gloucestershire as an overseas player but is eligible to play as a local because he holds an Irish passport.
   ‘This has been the most difficult decision of my life,’ he said.
   ‘This has not been an easy decision but I now look forward to the future and hope that I will still have opportunities to play in New Zealand before my career finishes.’
   Marshall cannot return to the New Zealand fold until he relinquishes his local player status in England.

Spare a thought for Frenchman Marc Gicquel who went on to win his second-round tie at the ATP Halle tournament despite receiving a serve – travelling at 208 kilometres per hour – in the testicles.
   The 30-year-old was in the second set of his match against German Benjamin Becker – no connection to compatriot and tennis legend Boris – when he was felled by the serve which scored a bulls-eye straight into his delicate area. With the speed-gun showing the serve was 208 km/h, the game was stopped for ten minutes while the Frenchman had ice applied, discreetly, to his wedding tackle – in front of an 8,000-strong crowd.
   In a show of brotherly solidarity, Becker went over to his pole-axed opponent to pass on his deepest – and heart-felt – sympathy.

Voters in the Swiss capital Berne could deal an embarrassing blow to Euro 2008 organisers this weekend when they vote on the city’s plans to host three of the tournament’s matches.
   With just under a year to go until the start of Euro 2008, voters will decide on Sunday whether to back the city government’s contribution of 5.6 million Swiss francs ($4.50 million) towards hosting the group stage games.
   The city’s main political parties have all come out in favour of the payment, but a small committee of green and left-wing politicians are urging voters to reject it – arguing that public money is being used to boost profits at European soccer’s governing body UEFA.
   ‘We are not enemies of football,’ committee member Daniele Jenni told Reuters on Thursday. ‘We just think it’s unjustifiable that taxpayers’ money is being used to support a big organisation such as UEFA which is more than capable of covering its own costs.’
   Those backing the tournament argue that the money is being used primarily to fund events outside of the soccer stadium, including public viewing areas, which will generate additional revenue for the local economy.
   ‘It’s highly unlikely that we can stage the matches if the voters come out against the government contribution,’ Berne’s Euro 2008 project leader Marcel Bruelhart told Reuters. ‘The only alternative would be through private sponsorship which would be hard to guarantee in the time remaining.’

There was no change at top of the table in the Destiny International Rating Chess Tournament after GM Ziaur Rahman, IM Enamul Hossain and FM Sheikh Nasir Ahmed took their points tally to 4.5 points each after the end of the sixth round in the Premier Group on Friday.
   IM Abdullah Al Rakib, FM Khandakar Aminul Islam, Abdul Maleq and Debaraj
   Chatterjeee are in second place with four points each respectively.

Premiership club Newcastle signed Manchester City midfielder Joey Barton for £5.8 million (8.6 million euro) on Thursday.
    The 24-year-old asked for permission to speak to Newcastle last week after both the Magpies and West Ham submitted bids of £5.5 million or more. Newcastle followed up their initial bid with an improved 5.8-million offer on Thursday.

Chelsea on Thursday completed the signing of Bolton’s out-of-contract Israel centre-back Tal Ben Haim on a four-year deal.
   The news ends a six-month chase for the 25-year-old who was also a target for Newcastle, now managed by Ben Haim’s former boss at Bolton Sam Allardyce.
   ‘I feel fantastic to be part of that amazing club. Amazing fans and I’m looking forward to start,’ said Ben Haim. ‘The first games in the Champions League, I’m very excited about that.
   ‘If you ask every player, they want to play for Chelsea, for that team. It’s one of the best teams in the world so I’m very happy to be part of that.
   ‘I don’t like to talk too much about myself but I can guarantee that I give 100 per cent for the club and hopefully I don’t disappoint anybody, especially myself.’
   Ben Haim becomes the third new addition to Chelsea’s first team following Claudio Pizarro’s signing earlier this month and the agreement that Steven Sidwell will join on July 1.
   Ben Haim spent three years at Bolton, where he made 110 appearances. He previously played for Maccabi Tel Aviv and has played 22 times for the Israel national team.

Arsene Wenger appears to have signalled his willingness to sell Thierry Henry by entering into negotiations with Barcelona for the first time. The Arsenal manager met Ferran Soriano, the Spanish club’s financial director, in Paris this week for preliminary discussions, though both parties remain some distance from agreeing Henry’s transfer.
   Wenger wants to sign Samuel Eto’o as part of the deal, but Barcelona are reluctant to allow the Cameroon striker to leave despite his problems at the club this season.
   Eto’o has fallen out with Frank Rijkaard, the coach, and Ronaldinho, his team-mate, but this week spoke of his desire to stay at the Nou Camp and play alongside Henry, whose arrival would represent a greater threat to the Brazil forward.
   Eto’o is a close friend of Henry and the pair have spoken recently about the prospect of forming a new strike partnership.
   Even if Barcelona were willing to release Eto’o in order to secure Henry’s services, they would demand at least £10 million from Arsenal to complete the deal. AC Milan are also interested in Henry, but Barcelona would be his preferred destination.
   Wenger’s surprising decision to speak to Barcelona stems from his realisation that he is running out of options, with Henry eager to take what many believe would be his final opportunity to move to Spain. Wenger may resolve to cash in on an unsettled player in any case, as he did when selling Patrick Vieira to Juventus two years ago.
   Barcelona are expected to make a preliminary offer next week of £15 million and with Arsenal’s asking price £20 million, the parties are not too far apart.
   The negotiation of Henry’s personal terms may not prolong the process as Barcelona have prepared a three-year contract offer worth £6.7 million a year with an option for a further 12 months.
   Henry was close to joining Barcelona last summer but changed his mind in the emotional aftermath of Arsenal’s march to the Champions League final in Paris, signing a new contract two days after their 2-1 defeat by the Spanish club. The 29-year-old had cause to regret his decision during a difficult season in which he made only 27 appearances because of various injuries as Arsenal finished fourth in the Barclays Premiership.
   Barcelona sources were claiming on Thursday that the transfer could be completed next week, though it may drag on for much of the summer. Henry is on holiday in the United States, watching his close friend, Tony Parker, compete for the San Antonio Spurs against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals, and will want to talk to Wenger before making his decision.
   The pair have had a close relationship since first working together at AS Monaco more than a decade ago and
   Henry retains a great attachment to Arsenal after spending eight successful years at the club, though his recent comments on his future have been ambivalent.
   ‘At this moment I am an Arsenal player and in the same situation as I was last year,’ he said this week. ‘Last season people were announcing all over the place that I was leaving. Some people wrote that it would happen for sure but at the end of the day I stayed at Arsenal. It could be the same this year.
   ‘I’ve not taken any decision and my name is not up on any departures board. If something happens, I will tell everybody.’
   Jerome Anderson, Henry’s agent, has also said that he will sue France Football magazine after unsubstantiated claims that he met Txiki Beguiristain, the Barcelona sporting director, to discuss a move.

All Portugal’s disappointed players walked past reporters after Wednesday’s 2-1 defeat by Holland in the European Under-21 Championship – all except Nani, that is, who was escorted secretly on to the team bus to save him facing the media. Then again, what could he have said? Manchester United’s new £17 million whizz-kid was all but anonymous as he failed to make any lasting impression at the Euroborg Stadium.
   It was left to childhood friends, such as Manuel Fernandes, recently of Everton, and Miguel Veloso, who grew up with both Nani and Cristiano Ronaldo at Sporting Lisbon, to provide a perspective on the young man of whom so much is expected.
   With his predilection for dribbling, his pace and a multi-million-pound price tag, Nani has been hailed as the ‘new Ronaldo’, even by United fans yet to see him play. Any watching his peripheral contributions in this tournament would understand why Fernandes urges caution. Veloso believes Nani, if allowed the protection of patience, can ultimately be as good as Ronaldo.
   Fernandes, who played in the same Amadora streets at 7 years of age, told the London Times: ‘Nani has always had a lot of talent, even when we were growing up. He will be a great player. Of course, Cristiano inspires us all, everyone needs to look at him because he is one of the best in the world.
   ‘Nani isn’t the new Ronaldo. One is Ronaldo; the other is Nani. You cannot put both players in the same package. A lot of pressure has been put on to Nani in comparisons with Ronaldo but he must be left to do his own thing. He is very strong and that is why a team like Manchester United wanted him.’
   Nani, 21, scored as Portugal’s seniors beat Belgium 2-1 a fortnight ago and may be suffering from ‘David Bentley fatigue syndrome’ as he readjusts to under-21 level. But, brought up as one of eight siblings by a single mother, he will not be found wanting for mental strength, according to Fernandes.
   The Benfica midfield player impressed in the Barclays Premiership last season, firstly on loan with Portsmouth and then with Everton, though he is uncertain whether he will be loaned out again. He has witnessed at close hand how Ronaldo has coped with the fall-out from last summer’s World Cup quarter-final, when he appeared to help to get Wayne Rooney sent off.
   ‘I wouldn’t say I was impressed with the way he handled himself after the World Cup because I already knew all about his mental strength,’ Fernandes said. ‘That has helped him become the player he is now, so I am not surprised. He has always been like that – not only physically strong, but mentally strong, too. I believe Nani has these qualities but only time will tell.’
   Portugal struggled as Holland booked their place in the semi-finals – and, with it, a passage to next year’s Olympic Games in Beijing – but Veloso scored their first goal of the tournament with a superb free kick in the 2-1 defeat to give them a chance of progressing should they beat Israel tomorrow and Belgium lose to the host team.
   Veloso is confident Nani will be given the necessary leeway to find his feet at Old Trafford. ‘Manchester United have the example with Cristiano Ronaldo where he had time to come and develop and we are thinking the same will happen with Nani,’ the midfield player said. ‘I know Nani well, as I have worked with him, and I am sure he will develop his qualities in time to be as much of a good player [as Ronaldo].’

Chelsea will have to conquer the North West in the first weeks of the season if they are to set the pace and win back the Premiership title.
   That is the view of Blues midfielder Frank Lampard, who is relishing the prospect of locking horns with Liverpool and Manchester United away within a month.
   The Stamford Bridge club paid the price for a stuttering start to their campaign last term.
   And while they dropped points they could only watch as United raced into an early lead with a whirlwind beginning to their season.
   Old Trafford boss Alex Ferguson has since insisted that United won the title partly because they got off to a flier.
   Now, after surveying the fixture list for the new campaign yesterday, Lamps reckons Chelsea must do the same.
   He told The Sun: ‘The first thing we have to be thankful for is a home game to start.
   ‘I know Birmingham are a good team who played really well to get promoted and the enthusiasm of being back in the Premiership makes the first match tricky.
   ‘We found that out at Wigan a couple of seasons ago, when we had to wait until injury time to win the match.
   ‘But the two fixtures that really stand out in the first few weeks are the ones at Liverpool and United.
   ‘It’s quite simple. If you’re serious about winning the championship then those are the games you have to get results in and so we know what’s ahead.’
   Chelsea enjoyed mixed fortunes in the corresponding fixtures last season. They came from behind to draw at Old Trafford but were soundly beaten by Liverpool at Anfield after the turn of the year.
   Blues boss Jose Mourinho knows the importance of a good start to the season. In his first two years at Chelsea, his team were undefeated for at least the first nine matches.
   That is a fact that is not lost on Lampard, either — and he knows how high the standard has been set in the past three seasons by themselves and United.
   He added: ‘We played very well in the second half at Old Trafford last season — some of the best football we played all season.
   ‘It was a different story at Liverpool, when it seemed that we were caught cold and lost early goals.
   ‘But Liverpool have had a habit of gaining momentum later in the season this past couple of years so, maybe, playing them in the third match could be a good time.’
   Regaining the title from United is potentially a greater challenge for Chelsea than retaining it after their first success in 2005.
   England midfielder Lampard holds the record for consecutive Premiership appearances by an outfield player — 164 — so he knows all about the ups and downs of a long, hard season.
   But he is convinced the Chelsea players will return from holidays refreshed and determined to lay to rest some of the demons of last season.
   Lampard, 29, said: ‘It can be a gruelling campaign but the rewards are worth it.
   ‘I’ve never gone into a pre-season thinking ‘I can’t believe it’s here again’ because I am always keen to get started — and this summer is no different.
   ‘We had a few disappointments last year in certain games and some upsetting experiences.
   ‘Our first away match is at Reading where, last season, we lost Petr Cech and Carlo Cudicini to head injuries in the same game.
   ‘But we won’t treat it any differently — even though I’m sure none of us who played will ever forget that match.
   ‘It’s a new season and a different competition — and one that we want to win.’

In club-versus-country rows FIFA can generally be relied upon to side with the international team – but not any more, at least not when it comes to Africa.
   The world governing body on Friday set a precedent by ordering Mali to retract their selection of Mahamadou Diarra and Frederic Kanoute for this weekend’s African Cup of Nations qualifier against Sierra Leone so that the duo may play for their respective clubs on the final day of the Spanish league season.
   FIFA justified its surprising decision by saying this weekend’s African fixtures were not provided for in the internationally-agreed calendar. Malian officials have rejected that logic, pointing out that the ACN fixtures were finalised in February 2006, which was before Spanish authorities decided to delay the start of their season to give players extra time off after the World Cup. Furthermore, FIFA’s executive committee itself approved the African fixture on June 17.
   Real Madrid can win La Liga this weekend if they beat Mallorca and had pleaded with the Malian Football Federation not to call up Diarra. Similarly, Sevilla, who hope Kanoute may recover from the injury that kept him out of last week’s league match in time for this weekend’s clash with Villarreal, are believed to have discreetly lobbied FIFA for permission to prevent the striker going to Mali.
   ‘FIFA has surrendered to pressure from the Spanish clubs,’ Mali’s French manager Jean-Francois Jodar told L’Equipe. ‘It seems a little African federation doesn’t count as much as Spanish giants’.
   As for the players, Diarra is furious at being denied the opportunity to help his country reach next year’s ACN finals in Ghana. ‘I understand what Real Madrid did, and they’re entitled to protect their interests but FIFA’s behaviour is scandalous,’ said the midfielder. ‘They’ve shown a lack of respect for African football and Africa in general.
   ‘I’ve seen the fax they sent to the Federation yesterday and I don’t understand their justification. They claim that if Fred Kanoute and I play against Sierra Leone we could be docked points or Mali could even be thrown out of the competition. National teams are supposed to take precedence over clubs but it seems FIFA has changed its rules a mere 72 hours before a match!
   ‘What’s more, Kanoute and I are now in the shit because people back home think that it’s us who’ve found a way to avoid playing for our country.’
   Mouloudia d’Alger and JS Kabylie, who are taking part taking part in this weekend’s Algerian Cup semi-final, had also sought permission to retain its Malian internationals (Moussa Coulibaly and Omar Dabo) – but unlike the Spanish request, their pleas were rejected.

England soccer ace Steven Gerrard has requested NO presents when he gets married tomorrow. The generous Liverpool skipper is asking wedding guests to donate to charity instead.
   Gerrard, 27, and longtime girlfriend Alex Curran, 24, will today head for Berkshire — where they plan to tie the knot at posh Cliveden House.
   A friend told The Sun: ‘Stevie doesn’t shout about all the charities he supports.
   ‘He is one of the few footballers who remembers where he came from.‘It doesn’t surprise me he has asked people to donate money. That’s the kind of lad he is.’

Milan are ready to spend over £70m to bring Barcelona star Ronaldinho to the San Siro, according to the Spanish Press.
   The Brazilian has yet to renew his contract with the Blaugrana and reports suggest that he might leave the Nou Camp if the Catalan outfit lose the Liga title race to rivals Real Madrid.
   Marca claims that President Silvio Berlusconi has put aside £70m for the former Paris-SG ace, whose contract expires in 2010, as he hopes to see a Ronaldo, Kaka and Ronaldinho trident next term.
   Spanish newspapers also reported a growing rift between the South American and his teammates, as confirmed by his refusal to attend the 2-2 draw with Espanyol last week and the fact that he walked out of training.
   The player, who is once again on Milan’s wish list after teammate Samuel Eto’o stated that he would not leave Barcelona, preferred not to comment.
   ‘Now I want to go on holiday, I will think about the future when I return,’ Ronaldinho told El Mundo Deportivo.
   Real Madrid transfer consultant Ernesto Bronzetti believes that a move is unlikely, mainly because of the player’s sponsorship deals.
   ‘I don’t think Barca will sell Ronaldinho, his sponsors want him to stay in Spain,’ said the football agent.
   ‘He is sponsored by Nike and they already have Ronaldo at Milan. If it were only up to the player, things would be different,’ added Bronzetti.
   In the meantime, Berlusconi admitted that Milan have made an enquiry for Chelsea star Didier Drogba, but the Blues turned down the offer stating that the Ivory Coast captain is not for sale.

Defender Mario Melchiot has joined English Premiership club Wigan from French first division side Rennes on a free transfer.
   The former Chelsea and Birmingham player passed a medical and agreed personal terms.
   Latics boss Chris Hutchings said: ‘Mario is someone we’ve been keen on for some time. He’s an experienced and versatile player and he’s another real quality addition to the squad.’
   Melchiot, capped by Holland 15 times, already has 230 Premier League appearances to his name and won the FA Cup in 2000 with Chelsea.
   The Dutch defender was an ever-present for Rennes last season, helping them to fourth in the table and a UEFA Cup finish.
   He joins fellow new arrivals Titus Bramble and Antoine Sibierski, who both signed from Newcastle, at the club.

The agent of rising Italian star Fabio Quagliarella said on Thursday the player could be heading to Manchester United if the Premiership champions confirm a bid he says they made for the 23-year-old striker a month ago.
   Quaglirella, who is jointly owned by Serie A clubs Sampdoria and Udinese, scored 13 goals for Sampdoria in Serie A the season just gone.
   He also netted both of Italy’s goals in their 2-0 win at Lithuania last week in his first start for the Azzurri.
   ‘One month ago Manchester United put in an offer of £10 million (14.8 million euro) for Fabio,’ Quagliarella’s agent Silvio Pagliari told Rete Sport.
   ‘We feel Fabio is worth between 15 and 20 million euros, so if the English club’s offer still stands, it is highly probable he will go abroad.’
   Naples-born Quagliarella began his professional career with Torino in 1999 and stayed with the Turin club for four years.
   He then spent three seasons playing third division football with Florentia Viola (now know as Fiorentina) and Chieti respectively before rejoining Torino in 2004.
   After that he spent a season with Ascoli before joining Sampdoria for the start of the 2006-07 season.

Rafael Benitez could quit as Liverpool manager after becoming increasingly frustrated at the lack of spending power at Anfield.
   The Spaniard warned the club’s new owners, George Gillett and Tom Hicks, he needed a £100m transfer kitty to overhaul his squad and turn them into Premier League title contenders.
   And he set his sights on making two major signings over £10m immediately after losing to AC Milan in the Champions League final.
   But the American tycoons are reported to be at loggerheads over the transfer budget.
   The first signs of conflict came after Liverpool pulled out of the £17m race to sign Charlton and England striker Darren Bent.
   Then the Reds made a £1m bid for West Ham winger Yossi Benayoun, which the Hammers described as an ‘insult’.
   Now a Reds source has told daily financial newspaper CityAM that Benitez has real concerns about the future ambitions of the club.
   ‘If Gillett and Hicks cannot give Rafa a budget in which a sensible assault on the title, then Rafa will not hang around for long,’ he said.
   ‘It simply doesn’t look like Liverpool are competing in the transfer market and Rafa would definitely position than he is right now.’

British football legend Sir Bobby Charlton will visit Cambodia next month to take part in a landmine victim awareness programme, football officials here said Friday.
   Charlton will tour parts of Cambodia’s mine-infested northwest, said Khek Ravy, vice president of the Football Federation of Cambodia (FFC).
   A consummate sportsman whose formidable speed and deadly long-range shot rated him as one of England’s best-ever footballers, his visit is also intended to breathe some life into Cambodia’s ailing football side.
   Battered by its opponents abroad and beset by scandal at home, Cambodia’s national team is ranked 169 out of 208 teams, according to world football body FIFA.
   ‘Many people see him as a hero. His fame will help our football programmes,’ Khek Ravy told AFP.
   He added that no exact date has been set yet for Charlton’s visit.
   Charlton retired from professional football in 1973 after a career with Manchester United and England. He was crucial to England’s 1966 World Cup victory, and appeared in 106 international matches, scoring 49 goals.

Real Madrid will clinch La Liga for a record 30th time if they beat Real Mallorca on Sunday, which would give departing David Beckham something to show for his four years in the Spanish capital.
   ‘It makes me sad to be leaving Real Madrid. I have not won anything during my four years here but I hope that will change on Sunday, however I don’t regret my decision to leave,’ said the 32-year-old on Thursday.
   The mathematics are simple even though Real could easily end the season on the same number of points as their bitter rivals and reigning champions Barcelona.
   Having beaten Barca in the Santiago Bernabeu and then memorably drawn 3-3 in the Catalan club’s Nou Camp this season, Real have the advantage should there be a tie for the championship for the first time since 1994.
   However, Mallorca are unlikely to give Real the title on a plate despite having nothing to play for other than pride.
   They showed that they want to finish the season on a high note by holding third-placed Sevilla to a 0-0 draw last Saturday, a result which effectively ended the UEFA Cup winners’ title hopes.
   ‘Mallorca haven’t hidden the fact that they want to get one over on us and they aren’t going to give us any free gifts. It’s worthwhile being prudent and humble about the outcome,’ commented Real club captain Raul Gonzalez earlier this week.
   ‘We are going to the Bernabeu to win or draw, and even if we lose then we are going to go down with dignity,’ added Mallorca defender Sergio Ballasteros.
   The game will be the last one in a Real jersey for fan’s favourites Beckham and also Roberto Carlos, both of whom will make possibly the last move of their illustrious careers.
   The former England captain joins LA Galaxy almost immediately while Roberto Carlos has signed for Turkish club Fenerbahce after 11 seasons with Real.
   Unlike Beckham, Roberto Carlos has already won a myriad of honours with Real including three Champions League crowns.
   ‘But this title will be one of the sweetest,’ said the Brazilian wing-back earlier this week.
   ‘If we do win the title it will be proof of how hard we’ve worked (over the second half of the season) but Mallorca do have a habit of beating us as well,’ added Roberto Carlos.
   Barcelona travel the short distance down the Mediterranean coast to try to beat relegated bottom club Gimnastic Tarragona and then keep their fingers crossed that Real slip up.
   ‘We know our chances (of winning the league) are minimal. I just hope Mallorca show that great professionals they are,’ said Barca goalkeeper Victor Valdes.
   Sevilla are two points behind the leading pair and theoretically could still lift their first title since 1946 but they know that their options are even limited than Barcelona.
   They could scarcely have picked a more difficult opponent on Sunday as Villarreal is still bidding to qualify for the UEFA Cup and have put together a run of seven consecutive wins.
   ‘There still remains one weekend left for us to score a goal with our hands like Barcelona and Real,’ said Sevilla midfielder Enzo Maresca, with scarcely-veiled sarcasm about the fact that referees have allowed some dubious goals by their two rivals in recent weeks.
   At the other end of the table, four teams are still trying to avoid filling the two vacant slots in Spanish second division next season.
   Real Sociedad are second from bottom and have to win at Valencia and then rely on the rest of the results falling in their favour if they are to avoid dropping out of the top flight of Spanish football after 40 years.
   Celta Vigo play host to Racing Santander and have one point to catch up on fellow strugglers Athletic Bilbao and Real Betis, who are at home to Levante and away to Racing Santander respectively, if they are to avoid going down.

David Beckham reckons being axed by England and Real Madrid was harder than being Public Enemy No 1.
   The midfield ace, 32, thought he could never sink lower than the agony of being the most hated man in England after his red card against Argentina at the 1998 World Cup.
   Becks was sent off for kicking out at Diego Simeone and returned home from the last-16 exit to a torrent of abuse and even burning effigies.
    He thought that was bad, but the suffering inflicted by Steve McClaren wielding the axe on his Three Lions career – and then Fabio Capello doing the same in Spain – was even worse.
   Beckham told the British Press, ‘It’s been the toughest season of my career, on and off the field.
   ‘1998 was difficult but this season I’ve gone through things I never thought possible.
   ‘It was the most difficult time that I have had – not being involved in training, not being involved in matches and certain things being said about me that weren’t true.’
   Becks has survived the storm and is back where he believes he belongs – playing for his country in the fight to qualify for Euro 2008 and just five caps short of a century.
   And on Sunday he can end four seasons of hurt in Spain after his £25-million move from Manchester United by winning his first Spanish title.
   Real are one win from glory as they take on Real Mallorca.
    Beckham, who has scored 18 goals in 155 games for Real, is joining LA Galaxy in the US in a £128m deal.
   He added, ‘I haven’t won anything in four years and hopefully that will change this Sunday.
   ‘My best memory at the club so far was signing for Real Madrid.
   ‘I’m hoping on Sunday my memories will be taken up to a different level by winning something for this club.
   ‘It’s been difficult but I’ve had a lot of people round me, not just my friends and family that have given me so much support while I’ve been at Real Madrid and especially this season.
   ‘I am sad to be leaving. I didn’t expect to be leaving.
   ‘Everybody knows what has happened in the last six months for me.
   ‘The reason my form has been so good in the last months is because I didn’t play earlier in the season.
   ‘When I wasn’t playing and training I was resting and spending time with family.
   ‘I was having days off when players were meeting up with national teams.
   ‘That’s why I’m so fresh and I’ve got such a lot of confidence. Six months ago my confidence was knocked out of me.
   ‘Hindsight is a strange thing. My life and my career here six to eight months ago was a lot different to what it was before and to what it is now. I was told to make a decision when I was told that I would be leaving the club at the end of the season.
   ‘I’m looking forward to new challenges. It’s going to be difficult but it will be rewarding if I can take football in America to a new level. I’m excited about that.
   ‘If it was different, who knows what would have happened.
   ‘I never expected to be leaving and I said before I expected to be at Real Madrid for the rest of my career.
   ‘But I always said I thought I would never leave Manchester United, which I did four years ago. So things change in football, things change in life.
   ‘I’ve made a decision now and I don’t regret it. I’m looking forward to the challenge but I will be sad to leave Spain and Real Madrid.
   ‘I’ve always said in my life and in my career that I never want to regret any decision that I make.
   ‘I am honoured to have had such an amazing career playing for two of the biggest clubs in the world, playing in many big competitions, winning everything possible for Manchester United and hopefully winning something with Real Madrid before I leave.’
   Meanwhile, Beckham has revealed that England manager Steve McClaren has already assured him he can keep his England place when he joins Los Angeles Galaxy.
   The 32-year-old starred on his recent return to Steve McClaren’s squad, crossing for John Terry’s goal in the draw with Brazil at the new Wembley, and setting up two in the Euro 2008 qualifying victory over Estonia.
   But with the Real Madrid midfielder soon to swap the Bernabeu for a move to the United States, it has been suggested Beckham’s return to the international fold could prove short-lived.
   Asked whether he can keep his place in the England squad from across the Atlantic, the 32-year-old said, ‘Without a doubt. The manager has already made me aware of that.
   ‘My fitness will be the same as it is now, if not better. I don’t think that’s going to be a worry.
   ‘Some people think I am going into semi-retirement, I don’t see it as that.
   ‘And there are some people who think I can play for another two or three years at the top – and I’m one of those people.’
   And the former Manchester United insists he will have a part to play under McClaren for as long as his form and fitness remains as it is now.
   ‘As long as my fitness is right, as long as I’m playing like I have been playing over the last six months – which is the reason why he’s said he brought me back into the team – then there won’t be a problem,’

Shield your eyes – Chelsea have a new away kit. The luminous yellow number has been unveiled gradually by the club over the past two weeks – perhaps for fear that sudden exposure could lead to temporary blindness – but on Thursday it was revealed in its full glory.
   The new hue, ‘electric yellow’, was described by the club as ‘a new twist on the traditional shade’. Visibility issues – a worry for designers since Manchester United players complained of being unable to see each other in a grey strip – have been so successfully circumnavigated that it seems likely that Chelsea could now practise at night without any need of floodlights.
   The shirt immediately gained admirers at the headquarters of the T&G, the union that represents thousands of road maintenance workers. ‘They have adopted the road workers’ fashion but not their pay,’ a spokesman said.
   Staring at the promotional photographs of Didier Drogba, John Terry and Michael Ballack, who seem to emerge out of the black night as if running to mend a pothole, the spokesman added, ‘I think the serious point to make is that road workers are far more handsome than these three ugly blighters.’
   Nicola Copping, The London Times menswear columnist, thought the strip was in line with a summer trend towards neon. ‘The kit seems like something from the nu-rave scene,’ she said. She felt it could allow players and supporters to pass from stadiums to trendy London clubs without needing to change their shirts. ‘You could go to Boombox in Hoxton wearing that and not look out of place,’ she said.
   While Chelsea have sought a relentlessly modern look for their away matches, elsewhere in the Barclays Premier League the mood is swinging towards vintage.
   Tottenham Hotspur’s new home strip, barely adorned – and white – is intended to represent ‘125 glorious years’. Fulham’s new away kit represents one glorious year – designers have reintroduced the red-and-black striped shirt in which they reached the 1975 FA Cup final.
   But it is Arsenal who have gone farthest in their attempts to write their history into their away kit. Printed in grey, in a horizontal band across a white shirt, is the story of Herbert Chapman, the club’s manager between 1925 and 1934.
   Defenders who get too close to Thierry Henry, should the forward stay at the club, will now be able to read of Chapman’s achievements – of how he pioneered the use of white footballs, redesigned Arsenal’s logo and introduced an extra man at the back.

San Antonio’s fourth National Basketball Association title in nine seasons was the best of them all because the Spurs were finally forced to fight back to complete a sweep of Cleveland.
   Manu Ginobili scored 13 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, including six tension-packed free throws in the last 24 seconds, and the Spurs edged the Cavaliers 83-82 Thursday to win the best-of-seven NBA Finals in four games.
   The Spurs also took titles in 1999, 2003 and 2005 with forward Tim Duncan and coach Gregg Popovich having been a part of every championship run.
   ‘It was great, probably the best one,’ Duncan said. ‘The road we took to get here was as tough as we ever had it.’
   Cleveland had not led in the second half of any finals game until just 7:55 remained in the fourth quarter of game four, but Duncan and Ginobili answered a 14-0 Cavaliers run by leading a

It has a certain ring to it: Sir David Beckham. It’s the corollary – Lady Victoria Beckham – that gives pause.
   The former ‘Posh Spice’ is one of several reasons Britons are ambivalent about rumored plans to give the Manchester-turned-Madrid-turned-Los Angeles soccer star a knighthood.
   Likewise, there’s bemusement over informal talk of putting Beckham on the 20-pound note, a spot historically reserved for people such as the British monarch or economist Adam Smith. If Beckham is such a British hero, some here want to know, why is he moving to Los Angeles?
   The controversy arose almost immediately after British papers got wind that prime minister Tony Blair was said to be thinking of recommending a knighthood for the 32-year-old soccer player, who has signed a five-year contract to play with the Los Angeles Galaxy, beginning next month.
   The honour is intended for those deemed to have rendered exceptional service to the United Kingdom. Sean Connery is a ‘sir.’ So is Paul McCartney, along with half a dozen past soccer greats, former Formula One race car drivers Jackie Stewart and Stirling Moss and enough cricket players to fill Piccadilly Circus.
   Why not Beckham, many have argued, an English soccer legend in his own right and a key political player in London’s successful bid for the 2012 Olympics?
   Lots of reasons, apparently.
   First, there were leaks to the Evening Standard that unidentified ‘civil servants’ had created a backlash against the rumored proposal to include Beckham in Blair’s imminent list of nominations to precede his departure from office June 27.
   The reluctant bureaucrats were said by the newspaper to be concerned that Beckham was about to become a ‘tax exile’ in the United States. Cabinet spokesmen denied there was any such civil service rebellion.
   Beckham ‘is an excellent sportsman who has been a good role model for young people,’ Jim Devine, a member of Parliament from Livingston, Scotland, said in an interview. ‘But knighthoods are for people who have lived extraordinary lives, at least that’s how it should be, and made major contributions in a broader sense than just having talent to play football.’
   Actor Michael Caine, himself a sir – a title he uses with his real name, Maurice Micklewhite – opined that Beckham seemed ‘a bit young to be a sir,’ and noted that he didn’t receive the honour until he was more than twice Beckham’s age, 66.
   Some ordinary Brits have been even less polite. ‘To honour a tattooed twerp whose only skill is kicking a ball around, and who makes millions in the process, would be an insult to ordinary people who give their all for the benefit of humanity…without reward,’ Devon resident Colin

AC Milan will not sell playmaker Kaka despite saying they are aware that the Brazilian’s father has held a meeting with Real Madrid.
   ‘We can confirm we will not sell Kaka but we knew about this meeting because we were already informed of it by Kaka’s father,’ Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani told the club Web site (www.acmilan.com).
   Galliani said top Spanish clubs could afford to pay players more than Italian sides could because of tax reasons and this was why Kaka’s father had held talks with Real.
   ‘Kaka is certainly not for sale but this offer is born out of the different fiscal constraints between Italy and Spain which give an advantage to the top Spanish sides compared to the top Italian clubs,’ he said.
   Kaka, widely regarded as one of the best players in the world, was instrumental in leading Milan to their seventh European Cup triumph last season.

Chelsea’s misfiring striker Andriy Shevchenko could soon be on his way back to AC Milan after just one season in the English Premiership.
   The 30-year-old Ukraine international has failed to live up to his illustrious reputation since his 30 million pounds transfer from the Serie A giants last year, scoring just four league goals for the Blues.
   AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi confirmed that his club are trying to bring Shevchenko back to the San Siro.
   ‘The other day when I spoke to (AC Milan vice-president) Galliani, the deal seemed 80 per cent done,’ Berlusconi was quoted as saying in Friday’s Gazzetta dello Sport.
   ‘If the situation has changed since then Galliani would have definitely told me.
   ‘Sheva has a great desire to return and there would be no problems in terms of his salary. He would be paid the same as our best players.
   ‘Then we need to reach an agreement with Chelsea over the transfer fee. I believe Sheva would be ideal to complete our attack.’
   Milan, who won the Champions League last month after beating Liverpool 2-1 in the Athens final, have been linked with a move for Barcelona striker Samuel Eto’o.