One of the few less-publicised aspects of the Indian Premier League concerns the orange helmet kept at each of the eight franchise venues. After each round of matches this strange accessory - the IPL’s answer to the Tour de France’s yellow jersey - is handed to the competition’s leading run-scorer. After tonight’s pièce de résistance at the Chinnaswamy, it will take something bordering on the miraculous to deprive Brendon McCullum of his dubious honour.
   His unbeaten innings of 158 from 73 balls was not merely the kind of knock we used to think was only played by a wicketkeeper if his name was Adam Gilchrist. It was an absurd piece of good fortune for the competition organisers, who have been telling anyone who will listen that the IPL really is a cut above other forms of the game. Here, presumably, was proof. Not even a dismal effort from the Bangalore Royal Challengers batsmen could detract from the glow.
   Let’s start with the facts. He hit 10 fours and 13 sixes, one of them an outrageous paddle over his left shoulder off a disbelieving Zaheer Khan, and ended up scoring more runs than anyone has ever done in the brief history of Twenty20 cricket. The previous record-holder - Cameron White, who hit 141 not out for Somerset against Worcestershire two years ago but contributed just six to the Bangalore’s pitiful total - spent most of the innings watching helplessly as one ball after another disappeared into the night sky. The pre-match fireworks had nothing on this.
   McCullum’s penchant for the spectacular is not new. Only last month he creamed 170 off 108 balls to help Otago make mincemeat of Auckland in the final of New Zealand’s State Shield, but on that occasion hardly anyone bothered to turn up to watch. Now, he did the business in front of well over 40,000 fans, most of them barracking at the start for their local side but many giving McCullum the ovation he deserved as he took the Bangalore bowlers to pieces. Fair enough: it was a knock that transcended partiality.
   ‘I was pretty nervous at the start,’ said a visibly exhausted McCullum afterwards. ‘It was such a big occasion, and for the first six balls I just couldn’t move my feet. But with the short boundaries, I managed to get away with a few and it was just nice to keep going.’
   McCullum, who fetched US$700,000 at the Mumbai auction in February, admitted he felt under a bit of pressure because of the money involved, but once he had overcome his initial nerves in Praveen Kumar’s opening over, the bat turned into a howitzer. Zaheer Khan disappeared for 18 in the next over, and a pull for six off Ashley Noffke recalled his destruction of England’s bowlers during the one-day series in New Zealand two months ago.
   The century came off 53 balls with a dab for two into the covers off White, who was still recovering from two sixes earlier in the over, and by the end McCullum was doing as he pleased, passing White’s record with another pull for six off Kumar. Rahul Dravid, the man responsible for sticking Kolkata into bat, said his side had been beaten by a ‘truly exceptional Twenty20 innings,’ while John Buchanan, the Kolkata coach, joked that McCullum had set himself some worryingly high standards.
   Like most New Zealand cricketers, McCullum was magnanimously humble. ‘I haven’t been that nervous in international cricket for a long time,’ he said.
   ‘It was partly because of the hype around the game and some of the big names in the side with huge records. I guess you want to prove yourself and that adds to the nerves around.’ Perhaps that urge will feel a little less acute now.
   Context, in cricket as in life, is everything. This was the curtain-raiser to the most anticipated series of matches since Kerry Packer and all that. The stadium was full. There was a super-rich owner to impress and a price tag to justify. Buchanan even said the ball was moving around more than McCullum’s batting made apparent. Throw all those factors into Bangalore’s melting-pot - and it was extremely hot out there for a western cricketer - and he might never play a better innings. Let’s just hope the orange helmet fits.

The GP-BCB Academy confirmed their berth in the final of the Grameenphone Academy Cup triangular one-day tournament when they inflicted massive 119-run defeat on their South African counterparts at the Chittagong Divisional Stadium on Saturday.
   Mehrab Hossain Junior and Nasir Hossain scored two unbeaten half-centuries to lift the hosts to 246-4 in 50 overs before they bundled the South African side out for 127 runs with eight overs still to bowl.
   After deciding to bat first, the GP-BCB Academy were in trouble slumping to 61-3 in 15.4 before Mehrab and Nasir salvaged the home side.
   Partnering with Mushfiqur Rahim (35), Mehrab put together 58 runs for the fourth wicket, but the real resistance came when Under-19 all-rounder Nasir Hossain joined him The duo put on 124 runs in an unbroken fifth-wicket stand with Mehrab remaining not out on 89 off 107 balls hitting eight fours.
   Nasir scored an unbeaten 54 off 66 balls, his second half-century in three games, with five boundaries.
   Pacer Nazmul Hossain (1-27) and Delwar Hossain (2-15) rattled the top-order to reduce South Africa to 26 for three in two overs and the visitors never recovered from the damage.
   Mathew Arnold top-scored with 25 as spinners Sohrawardi Shuvo (2-27) and Nasir Hossain (2-25) and then Arafat Sunny (1-17) and Farhad Hossain (1-8) sealed the deal for the hosts.
   The South Africa Academy, who are now out of the contention, will play their fourth match today against Pakistan National Cricket Academy. The Pakistan NCA have already confirmed their place in the final, scheduled for April 23.
   The hosts will face Pakistan on Monday in the last group match.

Cricket Australia have agreed to split their postponed tour of Pakistan into two and complete it before the teams meet in Australia in 2009, the Pakistan Cricket Board said on Saturday.
   The Board said a final announcement of the new arrangement would be made in next two or three days.
   Australia postponed their tour to Pakistan in March because of security concerns. But the Australians assured the Pakistan board they would play the series in the next available window in the international calendar, the Pakistan board said.
   ‘Australia has been very receptive and cooperative and in the next two or three days we will hopefully be able to announce the revised schedule,’ Shafqat Naghmi, chief operating officer of the PCB told reporters.
   Naghmi said five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 game would be played first, then Australia would tour again to play three tests. Sources in the board told Reuters that Australia were expected to tour Pakistan before the Champions Trophy in late September and again in March 2009 for the Tests.

Chennai Super Kings (240/5) beat Kings XI Punjab (207/4) by 33 runs
   A pair of Australians, in what was more Pura Cup action than IPL, treated a buzzing Mohali crowd to a run-filled Saturday clash as the bandwagon moved north.
   Unfortunately for Kings XI Punjab, James Hopes’ 32-ball 71 couldn’t overhaul a massive target of 241, while the Chennai Super Kings had their Victorian specialist Michael Hussey to thanks for a massive total.
   His scintillating unbeaten 114, another superb exhibition for this juiced-up format, left Punjab a mountain to climb and with Yuvraj Singh dethroned early they could only muster 207 for 4.
   ‘We’ll just have to put runs on the board and pressure on Yuvraj,’ was Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s reason for batting first on what looked a dry pitch and 20 overs later his team had reason to feel confident.
   Walking in at No. 3 after Brett Lee’s pace and bounce accounted for Parthiv Patel Hussey looked on as Matthew Hayden’s cameo came to end.
   Then Dhoni, the most expensive player in the IPL, flopped for 1 though replays suggested an inside-edge onto pad. But Hussey, preferred to Stephen Fleming today, was immediately dancing down to hit Lee through extra cover and past midwicket.
   His cool head and ability to put away the average deliveries kept runs ticking over on a speedy outfield and his handling of the slow bowlers was superb.
   Piyush Chawla wasn’t allowed to settle, his first ball sailing over mid-on for six, and Suresh Raina took a cue with a pull for maximum and a lovely straight-driven four.
   The Hussey-Raina stand, a blend of soft-handed pushes and some crowd-pleasing pulls, yielded 66 in five overs. Raina’s 32 from 13 balls was a powerful effort before he fell attempting a fourth six.
   Hussey, however, wasn’t flustered by the loss of wickets. Hopes was hit for a straight six, Wilkin Mota’s military medium was clubbed over mid-on, and Hussey celebrated a drop by Sreesanth with ten in two balls.
   Irfan Pathan took his second wicket by yorking Jacob Oram - a dismissal which was celebrated with a raucous din - but Hussey motored on with effortless biffs down the ground.
   His seventh six, again lofted straight, took him into the 90s and two balls later the landmark was duly reached with a single off Lee. It took just 50 balls.
   Hussey celebrated with two more sixes and, with some help from a gung-ho S Badrinath, Chennai took 25 off the final over.
   Hopes took to Punjab’s daunting target with steely-eyed gusto, adding 56 in 5.5 overs with Karan Goel.
   He was quick to latch on to anything fractionally short, the pick being flat sixes over backward point and deep square leg off Manpreet Gony. Hopes raised a 24-ball half-century, the fastest of the tournament, to keep Punjab near the asking rate.
   Dropped by P Amarnath off his own bowling, Hopes hammered Joginder Sharma for powerful boundaries and with Kumar Sangakarra sensibly farming the strike, he even slogged Muttiah Muralitharan for six. But Amarnath had his revenge when long-off held an easy catch and with that, ultimately, went Punjab’s hopes.

England are set to be offered 100 million dollars (50 million pounds) to play five Twenty20 matches against a West Indies all-star side, according to reports here on Saturday.
   The England and Wales Cricket board this week revealed they were ‘very likely’ to accept around 10 million pounds (20m dollars) for a one-off match in the Caribbean that would be the richest single game in the sport’s history.
   The idea is the brainchild of Sir Allen Stanford, the billionaire banker from Texas, who finances the Stanford 20/20 Tournament in the West Indies, and who wants to expand the concept.
   Stanford wants England to play five Twenty20 games against his West Indies all-star side, the first to coincide with Independence Day in Antigua on November 1. And he held talks with ECB chief executive David Collier on Tuesday.
   ‘I talked to David about the first game and then how we could collaborate in the future,’ Stanford told The Times.
   ‘I said that it could be an annual event, maybe we could come to Lord’s in 2009 and then alternate. I would be happy to make a five-year commitment.’
   Asked if that meant a total input of US dollars 100 million, he said: ‘I would be willing to do it.
   ‘The money is real and I think we will get a game.’
   ‘David is a great guy and we seem to be on the same page.’

Former foes, including Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly, have become Indian Premier League team-mates and publicly patched up their differences. Ponting and Ganguly played small parts in Kolkata’s 140-run thrashing of Bangalore and set out to work together on the field.
   ‘We’ve always got on really well right throughout our careers,’ Ponting said in the Daily Telegraph. ‘Ganguly mentioned that he wanted to work pretty closely with me to make sure we get everything right on tactics on the field.’
   Ganguly said any tension between the players was in the past and he was excited about joining forces with Ponting. ‘Things happen when you compete in series,’ he said, ‘and that’s over and done and we need to look forward.’
   Matthew Hayden, one of the key figures in the hearings after the SCG Test, now believes the events surrounding Harbhajan Singh’s race charge were ‘blown out of all proportion’. ‘Bhaji is a true fighter and we enjoy the on-field rivalry,’ Hayden said. The pair is likely to face off again when Hayden’s Chennai take on Harbhajan’s Mumbai on Wednesday.
   ‘Whatever happened in Australia was blown out of proportion and has been talked to death,’ Hayden said. ‘In fact, playing Bhaji helped me understand how to get into the mind of a spinner.’
   Shane Warne and Graeme Smith, who had a prickly on-field relationship before the legspinner’s international retirement, are in the same team at the Rajasthan Royals, but Warne doesn’t expect any problems. ‘We have had a fair go at each other as opponents but I believe we will jell quickly,’ he said in the Herald Sun. ‘He is a competitor and is always up for a scrap, which I like, and I’m sure playing in the same side will be fun.’ Smith’s entry has been delayed while he completes domestic duties in South Africa.

Cricket Coaching School gained promotion to the Premier League as they finished runners-up in the Metropolis First Division Cricket League with a 7-wicket win over newly crowned Gazi Tank Cricketers on Saturday.
   After the match at the Narayanganj Osmani Stadium in Fatullah, new league champions Gazi Tank Cricketers (28 points) and runners-up CCS (24) earned the right to play in the most prestigious Metropolis Premier Division Cricket League from next season.
   In the day’s other matches, Orient SC beat Indira Rad KC by nine wickets at the Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Azad SC beat Brothers Union by 46 runs at the Dhanmondi Cricket Stadium and Bangladesh Boys Club defeated Rupali Bank CC by 21 runs at the BKSP ground-2.
   Sent in to bat first, Gazi Tank Cricketers scored 218 runs for 6 in allocated 50 overs.
   In reply, CCS easily reached their target of 219 runs in 44.3 overs for the loss of three wickets.

Pakistan on Friday dropped experienced batsman Mohammad Yousuf for their first ever home Twenty20 international, against Bangladesh.
   The prolific Yousuf, 33, was also left out for Pakistan’s Twenty20 World Cup campaign when they finished runners-up to India.
   Pakistan have already secured the five-match one-day series 4-0 with the final fixture being played here on Saturday. The Twenty20 match is today.
   Squad: Shoaib Malik (captain), Salman Butt, Younis Khan, Nasir Jamshed, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Asif, Umar Gul, Sohail Tanvir, Rao Iftikhar, Wahab Riaz, Fawad Alam, Shoaib Khan, Mansoor Amjad

Last year’s joint-champions Usha Krira Chakra and Abahani Limited moved into the semi-finals of the Club Cup Hockey Tournament after outclassing their respective third round opponents at Maulana Bhasani National Hockey Stadium on Saturday.
   Usha swamped Bangladesh Sporting Club 6-1 while Abahani trounced Ajax Sporting Club 2-0.
   Both Usha and Abahani raised their points tally to nine from three outings and will face each other in their routine last group B match.
   The Old Dhaka outfit Usha led the first half 3-0 with former national striker Rafiqul Islam Kamal striking twice in the first and ninth minutes while Maksudul Alam Habul added the third goal in the 27th minute. After the break Imran Ahmed Rubel made the scoreline 5-0 netting one apiece in the 38th and 40th minutes.
   Zahidul Islam Rajon scored the sixth goal in the 52nd minute for the winners before Abdur Rahman scored the consolation goal for the losers five minutes from time.
   In the second match, Moududur Rahman Shuvo gave Abahani a 28-minute lead and then sealed the victory with a 57th-minute strike.

Serena Williams continued her domination of Maria Sharapova with a 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 win in the quarter-finals of the 1.3 million dollar WTA Family Circle Cup on Friday.
   Williams improved to 5-2 overall against the Russian who lost for just the second time in 26 matches in 2008.
   ‘In the third set I started to play the Serena game,’ said the fifth seeded American who has now won four straight against Sharapova. ‘I’m not new to this.’
   The tournament lost its top seed and defending champion as Serbian Jelena Jankovic was eliminated by ninth-seeded Russian Vera Zvonareva 6-2, 3-6, 6-2.
   The defeat left Jankovic still in search of her first title of the season.
   Zvonareva advanced to a meeting with fourth-seeded compatriot Elena Dementieva, who defeated seventh-seeded Swiss Patty Schnyder 6-4, 6-4.
   Williams, 26, will face France’s Alize Cornet, a 7-5, 6-4 winner over Hungarian Agnes Szavay.
   Williams, the former No. 1 is attempting to capture her third consecutive tournament at this clay court event, having won consecutive titles in Bangalore and Miami.
   ‘This is definitely a big win, but I still want to win the next round and win the tournament,’ said Williams, who is ranked ninth in the world.
   Facing Williams for the first time on clay, Sharapova was in control early and served for the first set at 5-4.
   Williams, however, reeled off the next three games - including two breaks - to steal the set.
   ‘I was lucky to hang in there during the first set,’ said Williams, who is 17-1 this season. ‘In the third set I finally started played the Serena game.’
   Sharapova rebounded to even the match at one set apiece, but Williams dominated the decisive third set, opening up a commanding 5-0 lead en route to the win.
   Sharapova’s record against Williams is just one of two losing marks against current players ranked within the top 10, the other being her 3-6 record against world No. 1 Justine Henin.

Following the spectacular start to the Indian Premier League, its organisers have chalked out plans for an inaugural Champions League featuring top domestic Twenty20 sides from several countries.
   Cricinfo has learnt the tournament is likely to be held in England between the ICC Champions Trophy - which ends on September 28 - and the first Test between India and Australia, starting October 9. A prominent cricket centre in North India would be the back-up venue - the ICC Champions Trophy final will be in Lahore, a short hop away.
   Details of the Champions League have been informally firmed up over the last few weeks during discussions between top BCCI officials and those from Cricket Australia, Cricket South Africa, Pakistan Cricket Board and crucially, the England and Wales Cricket Board, a senior official who is close to the negotiations, said.
   Considering the time constraints and the urgency to get the event off the ground this year itself, the officials were apparently keen that the event be wrapped up in nine days with eight matches and a final, ideally, at Lord’s. The common line that has emerged from the elaborate talks is that the Champions League, to start with, could be a short, single-leg league involving the top two domestic Twenty20 teams from the five countries.
   Lalit Modi, who presided over the opening day of the domestic Indian Premier League in Bangalore on Friday as its chairman and commissioner, is expected to ‘get cracking’ on the Champions League very soon.
   ‘Informally, a lot of discussions and decisions have happened on the Champions League,’ an official said. ‘Everyone wants to be on board and the level of interest has been very high. There was a joint call on how many countries need to participate, the window that is available at that point of time and so on.’
   However, officials are aware of the potential complications on the way, especially involving Indian teams whose overseas players may have appeared for their home sides in the domestic Twenty20 tournaments. For example, Kolkata Knight Riders, who won the inaugural match, have Ricky Ponting, the Australia captain, and Chris Gayle of West Indies.
   ‘Cricket Australia is one of the keenest supporters of the Champions League,’ the official said, ‘and could make a few adjustments if their players need to be released for the event.’

Roberto Donadoni admits Alessandro Del Piero is still in the hunt for a place at Euro 2008. ‘It’s all to play for.’
   The Italy Coach had excluded Del Piero after complaints from the Juventus player that he no longer wanted to be fielded out of position. It was thought his chances of getting back into the side for the European Championships in June were over, but his blistering recent form led to calls from all sides for a return.
   ‘Del Piero is not a grocer, he is a football player, so it is only normal that someone who plays football always aims for the highest targets,’ responded Donadoni on 7 Gold.
   ‘That is true for everyone in this sport and not just him. It is logical and normal that Del Piero should aspire to a Nazionale jersey at Euro 2008 and the same goes for anyone else who has played in my team in these two years.’
   This may leave the door open for Alex, but it is also a prompt for all the contenders to keep up the pace in the final five rounds of the Serie A season.
   ‘There are still some tough games to go and everything is still to play for, in every sense,’ continued Donadoni.
   ‘I am awaiting responses and consistency from everyone, including those who are already doing well.’
   He refused to be drawn on who would win the Scudetto out of contenders Inter and Roma.
   ‘I hope the campaign ends on a high and does not reserve any unfortunate injury surprises, so I can have the best range of options to choose from.’

Kaka has urged Milan to hold on to Gennaro Gattuso and forge a Selecao trident with Alexandre Pato and Ronaldinho.
   ‘I really cannot imagine Milan without Rino,’ said the World and European Player of the Year.
   Gattuso has been linked with fresh challenges at the end of this season, such as Bayern Munich, Real Madrid or even a return to Glasgow Rangers. An even stronger report is that Ronaldinho is on his way to the Rossoneri, as talks with the Barcelona star are at an advanced stage.
   ‘I think he could do very well here. We can play together and already have done for the Selecao. This is a team that can take many great champions in its line-up, so if more were to arrive that would be even better.’
   The reference could well be to former teammate Andriy Shevchenko, who is thought to desire a comeback after his Stamford Bridge nightmare.
   ‘If Sheva returned then I would be very happy, because he is my friend. For various reasons he has not played consistently for the past two years, but I know he could make his contribution to Milan.’
   Kaka has hinted he would love to go to China for the Olympics in August, but his club is none too happy about it.
   ‘I will speak to the club, but only after the campaign has finished. I think that if we did finish fourth then Milan would not release me, as it is not a FIFA competition.
   ‘All we must focus on now is the fact we have five Serie A games to win at all costs.’

English Premier League side Manchester City are planning big-name close-season signings to ensure Champions League soccer within the next two years, executive director Taweesuk Jack Srisumrid said.
   City’s billionaire Thai owner Thaksin Shinawatra has his sights set on the Champions League and wants the world’s best players to ignite the club’s growth overseas, Taweesuk told Reuters.
   ‘What we will look to do in the summer is to further boost the squad, bring in top quality, internationally-recognised players,’ he said in an interview.
   ‘Superstars would help fill the stadium and help our global branding. Primarily, we must win on the pitch—it can’t be a gimmick.’
   One of those top names could be Barcelona’s former world player of the year Ronaldinho, whom Taweesuk confirmed was a transfer target.
   ‘We’ve had discussions (with Ronaldinho) but we’ll see how that pans out,’ he said. ‘We’ve looked at a host of players.
   ‘Man City having discussions with superstar players used to be unimaginable, but not now. With the investment, it’s going forward.
   ‘It won’t be a Galacticos strategy,’ he said referring to the expensive transfer policy made famous by Real Madrid, ‘but older famous names. We want to build around the team we have.’
   Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin, ousted in a coup in 2006, bought City for 81.6 million pounds ($162.9 million) while living in exile last July, a deal his critics dismissed as an expensive publicity stunt aimed at a return to politics.
   The former policeman turned telecoms tycoon invested more than 40 million pounds ($79.84 million) in the squad, then saw City—three decades without a trophy—record their best league start in over a century.
   Taweesuk, a Harvard-educated businessman brought in by Thaksin ahead of the takeover, said the club’s owner was highly ambitious and aiming for a top eight finish this year, UEFA Cup qualification next season and a Champions League berth by 2010.
   He said City were in the process of building up contacts with foreign clubs and agents to bring in top players. The main target for city’s growth and future funding will be in Asia, he added, with player visits, fan clubs and soccer academies planned initially for Hong Kong, China, Thailand, Japan and South Korea.
   ‘We don’t have the success of Manchester United, but we can grow if we position ourselves as the Asian Premier League club,’ Taweesuk said.
   ‘We have the finance for an initial investment period, but we will need some returns at some point and that’s where global branding comes in.’

Titas Club beat Sonali Bank Club by straight 3-0 sets in a match of the Premier Division Volleyball League at the Volleyball stadium on Saturday.
   In the day’s other matches, Water Development Board defeated Fire Service Sports Club by 3-0 sets while Power Development Board outplayed Wari Club by 3-1 sets.
   Bangladesh Police take on East End Boys Club at 5:30pm at the same venue today.

The 3rd Asian Wushu Championships will begin on Wednesday at the Mirpur Shaheed Suhrawardi Indoor Stadium.
   Six countries – holders India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Afghanistan and hosts Bangladesh – will take part in the three-day meet, organised by Bangladesh Wushu Association and sponsored by Standard Bank Limited.
   The championship will feature two events – Thailu and Sansu, both in men’s and women’s groups.
   Private satellite channel ATN Bangla, as media partner of the championship, will telecast the opening matches live.
   Of the total budget of Tk 15 lakh for the championship, sponsors Standard Bank will provide Tk 5 lakh while co-sponsors Asian Land Development Ltd and Chinese Embassy will give Tk 4 lakh and Tk 1.5 lakh respectively.
   Organising committee secretary SM Shahidul Haque Bhuiyan disclosed the details of the championships at a press conference at the National Sports Council conference room on Saturday.
   Bangladesh Wushu Association president FR Siddiqui and general secretary Dildar Hasan Dilu, Standard Bank deputy managing director SA Faruqui and ATN Bangla adviser Nawajesh Ali Khan also spoke on the occasion.

Manchester United defender Gerard Pique heads back to Barcelona for the Champions League semi-final between the clubs on Wednesday with a put-down for his pal Lionel Messi.
   The two players came through the youth system at the Spanish giants before pursuing different avenues.
   Argentina striker Messi, 20, progressed to the first team - and continues to show astonishing maturity - while Pique moved to Old Trafford.
   Messi has the world at his feet but his old friend believes United’s Cristiano Ronaldo puts him in the shade.
   Pique, 21, said: ‘Ronaldo is the more complete player of the two. He can play striker as well as on the right and left wing. Not only that he scores a lot of goals.
   ‘The difference between them is that Messi needs a lot of chances to score.
   ‘Ronaldo, on the other hand, seems to score in every match.’
   Pique is excited at what lies ahead at the Nou Camp.
   He said: ‘I have already spoken with Messi about the tie and they should be two great games.
   ‘It will be a special feeling going back to my home city and the stadium as my friends will be in the crowd.
   ‘But when I am there I will just be thinking about United winning the game and getting the result we need.
   ‘There is a lot of pressure on Barcelona as this is probably their last chance of winning a trophy as the title looks beyond them.
   ‘The atmosphere will be intimidating but a lot of our players are very experienced and I do not think that will concern them. We will just focus on our game.’
   United disposed of Roma in the last round and are unbeaten in Europe this season.
   Even though manager Sir Alex Ferguson has shuffled his pack in a few matches they have progressed with a degree of comfort.
   Pique said: ‘The team continue to play well, no matter who is playing.
   ‘You can see the boss has a lot of confidence in the squad.
   ‘Now it is up to us to try and win every game as this is the most important part of the season.’
   Paul Scholes and Gary Neville are in line to make their 100th Champions League appearance in this first leg match.
   Both players have recovered from knee and ankle injuries respectively at a crucial stage of the season. They would become the third member of the current squad to reach that milestone with Ryan Giggs already ahead of them.
   Scholes is especially anxious for United to win the trophy as he missed out in 1999 as he was suspended.
   Meanwhile, Liverpool striker Fernando Torres reckons Manchester United would be nothing without Cristiano Ronaldo and is confident Barcelona can knock them out the Champions League.
   Torres, 24, whose side visit Chelsea in the other Champions League semi-final on Tuesday, said: ‘I watch Ronaldo every weekend and he is massively impressive. He carries United on his back in some matches.
   ‘Barca have no idea how spectacular Ronaldo is or how far ahead of every other player in the world he is right now.
   ‘But if they keep the ball away from him Barca will get to the Champions League final.
   ‘United suffer against teams who keep possession of the ball.’
   As for Liverpool’s clash at Stamford Bridge, Torres is predicting tight game, unlike the 4-2 win over Arsenal in the quarter-finals.
   ‘It won’t be as colourful as the amazing game against Arsenal,’ he said.
   ‘It will be a really tactical and strategic game.
   ‘Just one tiny detail, one mistake or one set-play will decide our semi-final.’

Manchester City’s Premier League clash with FA Cup finalists Portsmouth has been overshadowed by club owner Thaksin Shinawatra’s veiled criticism of manager Sven Goran Eriksson.
   The former Thai Prime Minister caused a stir at Eastlands this week when he announced from Thailand that there would be a review of the club at the end of the season.
   Thaksin’s unexpected outburst came after a dip in form by the team but followed a victory at Sunderland, which reignited their slim hopes of a European place.
   His remarks inevitably led to speculation Eriksson’s job could be on the line.
   Giving his first public response on the affair Eriksson said: ‘It would have been better if he had not said what he did at this moment.
   ‘But it (his remarks) are out there. If that is his opinion, it is okay.
   ‘It is not a big problem for me. I will do the job as if those things had not been said.’
   Asked if he will be seeking assurances about his role, the former England boss said: ‘I already have assurances. I have a contract, so there is nothing to discuss about my situation.
   ‘There is always pressure - that is why you want jobs in football. I like it.
   ‘I had one year off (after England) and there was no pressure at all. That was absolutely awful.’
   While City will be facing the FA Cup finalists at Eastlands, Thaksin will remain in Thailand.
   However, he is due to arrive the following weekend when he will hold talks with Eriksson, presumably about the way forward for the club.
   The Swede said: ‘We will have meetings then as he has been busy. He has not been here for a month.
   ‘He is in Thailand at the moment sorting out his private business.
   ‘I have not spoken to him for some weeks but (our relationship) has always been good.’
   Thaksin told Eriksson he would be satisfied with a top-10 finish and the City boss said: ‘I have to believe that.
   ‘I am confident we can achieve that position at least. But we can still make Europe if we finish the season well.
   ‘That was the dream when we started so brightly and it is still achievable.’
   Eriksson is taking the blame for City’s season tailing off after they looked odds-on for a UEFA Cup place at least.
   He said: ‘I know the second half of the campaign is not as good as the first.
   ‘We should have done better but we had some players injured and some players whose form suffered.
   ‘It is a long, tough season with no breaks and this is a new, young team. Mentally it is hard.
   ‘Maybe we trained too much over Christmas and new year. That is my fault, but there are signs we are now getting better.’
   Eriksson expects Portsmouth to provide difficult opposition.
   He said: ‘They are having a good season and I am sure they will want to get a victory here.
   ‘But if we are to get into Europe we have to win our remaining home games.
   ‘We needed to beat Sunderland and we did, so I am confident of our chances against Portsmouth.’
   Portsmouth travel to the north with Lassana Diarra, Milan Baros and John Utaka all back from injury.

Sir Alex Ferguson expects Rio Ferdinand to follow Paolo Maldini’s lead and carry on playing for another decade.
   Although it might be another couple of weeks before the 29-year-old England star actually puts pen to paper, there is no likelihood of the stalling which characterised negotiations over his current deal.
   With rumours of interest from Chelsea widespread, at the time Ferdinand was barracked by United fans who questioned the player’s commitment.
   Now there is no disputing Ferdinand’s commitment to the Old Trafford cause, having skippered United regularly this season when Ryan Giggs has been rested.
   And with the England defender seemingly happy and content, Ferguson has raised the possibility that, like Maldini – who has just signed a new contract with AC Milan at the ripe old age of 40 – Ferdinand could go on well past the veteran stage.
   ‘Of course, Maldini is an exception and whether Rio wants to go on until he is 40 is another matter,’ reflected Ferguson.
   ‘But with his athleticism and pace – and the fact he has no weight problems, there is no reason why he cannot play on well into his late 30s.
   ‘His performance against Arsenal last Sunday was absolutely fantastic. Together with Gerard Pique, he took care of all the threats that can arise against Arsenal.’
   It is easy to see why Ferdinand’s Rolls Royce style earns comparison with Maldini and why, once Giggs and Gary Neville call time on their stellar careers, he is favourite to inherit the captain’s armband on a permanent basis.
   Alongside Brown, who has finally ended the impasse which threatened to see him leave United in the summer, and Carrick – who has improved steadily since arriving from Tottenham in an £18-million deal in 2006 – Ferdinand is part of a new side Ferguson is building for the Red Devils, which should be in place long after he vacates the hot-seat.
   Not that Ferguson has any intention of quitting yet, whether United are successful in their latest Champions League quest or not.
   A trip to Barcelona for Wednesday’s semi-final follows Saturday’s encounter with Blackburn at Ewood Park as Ferguson’s team close in on back-to-back Premier League titles.
   Yet already thoughts are turning to the summer, with the Old Trafford chief intent on strengthening his squad even further.
   ‘We have a strong squad already and I would imagine there is a good possibility of stocking up again in the summer,’ said Ferguson.
   Certainly, it takes a special player to cope with the intensity demanded by Ferguson and his coaching staff, which is one of the reasons why the character of Manchester United players is rarely questioned.
   While Liverpool, Arsenal and, to a lesser extent, Chelsea frequently come away from trips to Blackburn and Bolton complaining about opposition tactics, United just tend to get on with the job of trying to win.
   ‘The secret is in the character, determination and attitude of your players,’ said Ferguson.
   ‘Maybe, if I had a different set of players, we could be beaten before we got to the game but I don’t have any problems, I am delighted with the players I am taking.
   ‘Blackburn is not an easy place to go to but with four games to go, do we expect an easy game?’
   Ferguson has no fear the enormity of a semi-final at the Nou Camp will cloud his players’ minds this weekend. Neither is he scared about the prospect of failure, nor the reaction which would accompany it.
   In fact, the United manager feels it is lessons learned in adversity that helps him steer an even course along a route he has travelled down so many times during his two decades at the top.
   ‘You get accustomed to the drama of the season and there have been a lot of dramas over the years. That is why they call it experience,’ said Ferguson.
   ‘I have knocked on that door hundreds of times and so have some of the players. On some occasions we have enjoyed fantastic ends to the season, on other occasions you get the taste of disappointment.
   ‘The important thing is
   how you cope with the experience. The battle is not won yet but at the moment we are very relaxed.’

Poland have improved beyond recognition during the last two years and are ready to give Germany a tough time in their Euro 2008 opener in June, coach Leo Beenhakker said on Friday.
   The much-travelled and widely-respected Dutchman, who became Poland’s first foreign coach when he took charge in 2006, was perceived as the team’s last hope after years of disappointment and has managed to turn things around.
   ‘After two years there is a total difference,’ he told Reuters in an interview. ‘You can imagine the whole atmosphere was very negative, players had lost confidence.
   ‘Now it’s another world. We have a mentally strong team, people believe in it…the players are fantastic and I have a lot of confidence in them. I hope to surprise many people in Europe.’
   Poland, who will be making their debut appearance in the finals, have been drawn alongside Germany, joint hosts Austria and Croatia in Group B.
   Beenhakker’s side kick-off their campaign against former world champions Germany in Klagenfurt on June 8 and he is looking forward to it.
   ‘If we played Germany 10 times, they would probably win six times. But four times there would be the possibility of a draw or a surprise (victory),’ said the Dutchman. Beenhakker said the mental strength and morale of his players would be his main focus in the countdown to the tournament which comes at a time when Poland’s domestic league has been shaken by a series of corruption scandals.
   A match-fixing probe is expected to involve as many as 30 clubs, leading to demotion to lower divisions for several teams.
   ‘It will not be easy (to shield the players) but we will manage it,’ said Beenhakker. ‘It’s a very weird and dirty situation.
   ‘The job of the coach is more people-management than football-management.’
   He said the squad would be boosted by the addition of Brazilian-born Legia Warsaw player Roger Guerreiro, who has recently received Polish citizenship. ‘I am very happy with this. Every coach is looking for players with different skills and Roger can bring something extra to the team,’ Beenhakker said.
   ‘I expect a lot from him. He can help us a lot.
   ‘I’ve said before that we have a very strong team, it is mentally very strong. It is not an easy team to beat.’

The future of South Africa coach Carlos Alberto Parreira will be decided on Monday, the national football association said.
   A weekend report in a Brazilian newspaper quoted his wife saying the World Cup-winning coach would resign because he wanted to help her recover from major surgery and be with his family.
   Parreira took over the national team of the 2010 World Cup hosts 15 months ago, charged with building a squad capable of at least reaching the knockout phase of the quadrennial tournament.
   South Africa were slow to transform under Parreira, losing a number of friendlies and being eliminated in the first round of the 2008 African Nations Cup in Ghana without winning a match. But the Brazilian was hailed after a 3-0 friendly triumph over Paraguay near Pretoria last month with the 1996 African champions giving their best performance for several years.

Exiled Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky launched legal action Friday claiming two billion pounds (2.54 billion euros, four billion dollars) from fellow oligarch Roman Abramovich, in a row over share sales.
   Berezovsky, 62, is suing the 41-year-old owner of Chelsea football club over claims he was forced to sell shares in Russian oil company Sibneft, aluminium giant Rusal and TV channel ORT at bargain prices after being intimidated.
   Abramovich’s lawyer, speaking at the High Court in London, said the claims were unfounded. ‘These are very large claims running into billions of dollars,’ Andrew Popplewell told judge David Mackie.
   ‘But the arguability of the claims depends wholly on oral conversations which are not documented.’
   The two Russians, once business partners, are among the world’s richest individuals, although Abramovich’s reported fortune of more than 10 billion pounds dwarfs Berezovsky’s 500 million pounds.
   Popplewell said the allegations included the claim that Berezovsky was intimidated into selling the shares for below market value ‘by threats made by Mr Abramovich’.
   ‘It is these slender oral allegations of intimidation and threats on which the whole of this claim hinges,’ he said, adding: ‘All these claims are for the most part pleaded in the most vague and unparticularised way.’
   ‘They have been pursued in a dilatory fashion and advanced in a constantly changing and contradictory way which simply smacks of desperation.’
   Berezovsky has lived in Britain since 2000 after falling out with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Theo Walcott is ready to confront Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger over his lack of first-team opportunities.
   The 19-year-old forward has been used mainly as an impact substitute since joining the Gunners for £12million in January 2006.
   He spoke to Wenger earlier this season about what he needed to do to figure more prominently.
   Walcott insists he has done everything asked of him and is frustrated his hard work has not paid off.
   ‘I had a word with the manager in October,’ Walcott said in the Daily Telegraph.
   ‘I basically said ‘what do I have to do to start a game?’ He said, ‘you’ve got to be a bit more aggressive’. Not kicking people.
   ‘But running at players, doing defensive duties and tucking into midfield when we haven’t got the ball.
   ‘Of late, I’ve been doing all those things, but I still haven’t had a run in the starting line-up.
   ‘Hopefully this weekend I will, and if not I’ll knock on the door again and say, ‘now what do I have to do?’
   He added: ‘I have
   been working hard the last couple of months. I deserve a couple of games on the trot I think.’
   Walcott is also ready to challenge his boss over the position he plays.
   The former Southampton star sees himself as a striker but Wenger has used him almost exclusively on the right wing.
   ‘I’ve been playing out wide all season, but when I’ve played up front I’ve done really well,’ Walcott said.
   ‘He sees me as a striker, which is nice, so hopefully I’ll play a bit more up front next year.
   ‘We’ll see.’

Arsenal banished some of the gloom hanging over Emirates Stadium with a comfortable 2-0 victory over visitors Reading in the English Premier League on Saturday.
   First-half goals from Ivory Coast striker Emmanuel Adebayor and Brazil midfielder Gilberto provided some welcome relief for manager Arsene Wenger at the end of a nightmarish fortnight which has dashed his ambitions in both the title race and the Champions League. The Frenchman will not be entirely appeased by the sight of his side putting Reading to the sword.
   Indeed, the slick football which left the visitors dazed and confused for long spells of a hideously one-sided game simply served as a reminder of what might have been this season.
   Even so, Arsenal deserve credit for not allowing their campaign to amble to a conclusion. Wenger had demanded a show of strength from his charges in the final weeks and that is precisely what he enjoyed at an unseasonably chilly Emirates.
   Even so, the north London side could hardly have asked for more obliging opponents than Reading. Royals manager Steve Coppell had suggested, after another damaging defeat to fellow strugglers Fulham last week, that he considered this game something of a write-off.
   However, with time running out for the Berkshire club in their scramble to avoid relegation, his decision to drop his foremost attacking talents - including the winger Stephen Hunt and striker Kevin Doyle - was akin to hoisting the white flag.
   Confronted by visitors devoid of pace or punch, Arsenal enjoyed an utterly trouble-free match.
   The tone was set early on when Spain midfielder Cesc Fabregas and Adebayor both missed chances - the first a shot from 12 yards, the second an unmarked header.
   Only a magnificent diving save from Royals goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann prevented Robin van Persie’s 20th-minute free-kick skipping into the bottom corner.
   Yet this was not one of those occasions when Arsenal were likely to pay for their profligacy. Reading were utterly toothless and their hopes of returning to Berkshire with even a point were all but snuffed out when they fell behind in the 30th minute.
   It was a goal which encapsulated all that is good about Arsenal: after Theo Walcott had danced down the right wing, he laid the ball off to Kolo Toure, who curled a delightful pass onto the thigh of Adebayor.
   A quicksilver bodyswerve took the striker beyond defender Ibrahima Sonko and his finish into the bottom corner was unerring. But if that goal belonged in Arsenal’s already bulging scrap-book, their second, eight minutes later, was just plain scrappy.
   Gilberto, enjoying a rare run in midfield due to the absence of the injured Mathieu Flamini, shot from 20 yards more in hope than expectation. His effort looked harmless until Andre Bikey deflected the ball past the startled Hahnemann. Arsenal were able to spend much of the second half in second gear.
   Netherlands striker van Persie almost inflicted more damage on Reading’s goal difference with a sublime free-kick which clattered the crossbar and the left-hand post before bouncing the wrong side of the goal-line. Walcott also saw a curling shot clip the woodwork while Fabregas’ low drive was cleared off the line by Michael Duberry as Reading struggled to hold back the red tide.
   Ultimately, however, Wenger will have been grateful to finish the game with 11 men after Alexander Hleb slapped Reading captain Graeme Murty in the face.
   Referee Peter Walton missed the incident, although it served as yet another reminder of how much this young Arsenal side have to learn.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, having seen his season dramatically unravel, is already making plans for the next campaign but insisted he is not in the market for Spanish hitman David Villa.
   The highly-rated Valencia striker, expected to form a devastating partnership with Liverpool’s Fernando Torres at Euro 2008 this summer, has spoken of his admiration for the Gunners.
   But Wenger says he is more concerned with keeping the current squad together and feels it is his defence rather than his attack that would be a priority if he is to bolster.
   ‘That’s my first target, to keep the team together,’ said the Frenchman. ‘We want to continue to respect our wages structure because I feel that is very important.’
   Wenger, in response to Villa’s comments, added, ‘He made a big compliment to the team.
   ‘We have many requests from players who want to join. But I feel up front I need to give time to (Theo) Walcott and (Nicklas) Bendtner because they have made big improvement for me this season.
   ‘Theo is coming on so I need to give them a chance or they will not come out.’
   Wenger also has to consider Mathieu Flamini’s future and William Gallas’ captaincy.
   Flamini, the France midfielder, has been given until the end of the month to decide whether to sign a contract or leave on a free transfer in the summer.
   Wenger wants the 24-year-old in his midfield next season but whether he gives Gallas the armband again is another matter after the skipper’s leadership came under scrutiny during Arsenal’s recent collapse.
   Gallas, 30, was not in his own half when Birmingham scored a last-gasp penalty at St Andrews in February, then he reacted to the 2-2 draw by lashing out at an advertising board.
   He has also been outspoken about Walcott and was recently highlighted by pundits for a lack of communication with his team-mates.
   When he conceded a penalty against Manchester United last Sunday and Cristiano Ronaldo scored, Arsenal’s hopes of silverware evaporated.
   When asked whether Gallas would be captain next season, Wenger replied, ‘I cannot answer that question at the moment. I want to analyse the season after the season. At the moment he will be my captain until the end of the season.
   ‘I believe he has learned a lot this year and I can only say that his commitment and desire to do well was exceptional.
   ‘I made that decision and I have to stand up for that decision, I have to protect the team and the individuals as well at the moment.
   ‘They get criticised and maybe we deserve critics at the moment but overall the team has made good progress this year.’
   Given his performances this season, Flamini could be an option as skipper if he agrees to a new deal.
   ‘We are getting close to yes or no,’ Wenger said. ‘He says he wants to stay and I believe him. But as long as he has not signed, for me he is free to sign where he wants.’

Liverpool coach Rafael Benitez has reiterated his desire to concentrate on footballing matters rather than boardroom battles to ensure a successful run-in to the season.
   He refused to discuss the ongoing ownership battle or any meetings he may have had with his bosses. The Liverpool chief made his position clear ahead of Saturday’s Premier League trip to struggling Fulham and with the Champions League semi-final against Chelsea on the horizon.
   Benitez had cast grave doubts about his long-term future at the club in the row over exactly who attended meetings before Christmas with Jurgen Klinsmann when the manager’s job was discussed.
   Benitez demanded answers from co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, plus chief executive Rick Parry.
   And a day after Hicks and Gillett again squared up to each other in a very public breakdown of their partnership, Benitez now seems much happier with his position. Benitez said, ‘At this moment I have two years of my contract still to go, I am really pleased and really happy here. And I want to stay. And I want to stay for a long time.’
   Asked if he had spoken to Hicks, Gillett or Parry, Benitez said, ‘I do not need to talk to them, I need to talk with my staff and my players.
   ‘We have been training and all I want to talk about is the games against Fulham, and then Chelsea. We will be preparing for the games properly.’
   But he also seemed relaxed about potential summer transfer funds, despite the club being unsure of who will be at the helm by then. He said, ‘As far as transfer money is concerned, I cannot be sure. But we will try to do our best, the scouting staff and I know what to do and we are progressing and working on things.
   ‘The scouts are doing a fantastic job and we are trying to progress with the targets we have.’
   On the ongoing crisis, all Benitez would say was: ‘I want to win against Fulham, I know everyone is asking and talking about other things, but I am a professional and I want to concentrate on football.
   ‘We need these three points to be as close to fourth place as quickly as possible.
   ‘Things (around the club) have not been a distraction for the players. We have confidence in ourselves and we are playing well.
   ‘That shows the strength of our squad, the quality and the character of the players.
   ‘I feel that the players are showing they are good professionals. They are focused, they are concentrating on games. That is the key to our success now.’

Michael Ballack insists that home advantage in the return leg at Stamford Bridge could be decisive in their bid to overcome Liverpool and reach the final of the Champions League.
   Chelsea meet Liverpool in the last four of the competition for the third time in four years with the first leg at Anfield on Tuesday night. But Germany midfielder Ballack, who lost out in the final when he was with Bayer Leverkusen, is determined to get there once more.
   In Chelsea’s previous two semi-finals against Liverpool the second leg was held at Anfield but now Ballack believes fate is on their side.
   ‘It is very exciting to be in the semi-final again and we’re looking forward to these games.
   ‘They knocked us out twice before and now we want to change that. We have the second leg at home this time which makes it a little bit different from last year and could tip things in our favour.
   ‘Liverpool are a strong team and they are very focused on the Champions League. It wouldn’t surprise me if they rested players before the game like they did last year. But we hope it will be our year this time.’
   Ballack is still haunted by losing one final and is desperate to get to another final before his career ends.
   He added: ‘I think about that every year. It is six years since we were in the final. I’ve played in the Champions league every season since then and every year I always think that I want to be in the final again and that I want to win the competition.
   ‘This year is no different, especially when you get closer and into the semis. That was one of the reasons I came to Chelsea.’
   Ballack also believes that Chelsea’s incredible home record can help them to succeed. They have not been beaten in the league since February 2004 and have gone almost 70 games unbeaten in any competition.
   He added: ‘We have this record and we have shown before how it helps us. We know we are very strong at home but it is not as easy as everyone thinks.
   ‘Fenerbahce were a dangerous team with a lot of good players so we knew it would not be an easy game.
   ‘But it doesn’t matter who we play against, we want to win and want to be in the final of the Champions League.’

It is one day short of seven months since Jose Mourinho shocked the world of football by leaving Chelsea, fleeing from West London to Setubal, the Portuguese city where he was born and raised.
   By the standards of the Special One, the past months have been quiet. He has made few public appearances, instead spending time with his wife, children and two Yorkshire terriers. But now, the 45-year old says, the waiting is over. He is ready to return.
   Speaking exclusively to The London Times, Mourinho said he has enjoyed his time off. Sitting in his local coffee shop as Tami, his wife, collected food for the evening, he added, ‘I have lived for the first time for many years in my country, in my city, with my family.
   ‘I had time to do things that I don’t have when I’m working. But now it’s enough. I will be somewhere next season. I’ve not agreed anything but it’s a good time for me for many reasons. I will come back with the same motivation as always.’
   Away from London, away from the paparazzi who haunted his every move, Mourinho is a free man. No bodyguards or chaperones were in tow as he held court in the tiny cafe at the bottom of the exclusive avenue on which he lives, to the north of Setubal.
   His next managerial job has been the subject of fevered speculation, with Mourinho making a point of not visiting England, Italy or Spain for fear of being linked to clubs there.
   Despite insisting that he has not spoken to any club, he has turned down a number of deals, presumably through his agent, including international jobs, although he will not be specific. ‘I had some good options this month,’ he said. ‘Some good clubs and some good countries. But I decided to wait until the beginning of next season. That is right for me.’
   Close observers of Mourinho say he has spent the past few months living a relatively hermit-like existence. He has spent time in Senegal, doing charity work, and has taken the family on a skiing holiday to Andorra, as well as a trip to Brazil. But most of his time seems to be spent at home in Setubal. The port city is 40 kilometres south of Lisbon and sits on the northern bank of the Sado river estuary.
   While English footballers may build their rural retreats into mock Tudor mansions, as you would expect from one with Mourinho’s sense of style, he lives in an upmarket, but not pretentious, part of town.
   The family villa boasts a swimming pool and sun terrace, on which sits a small aviary, but there is no enormous iron gate or mile-long driveway. Its only extravagance is its hue. It is pink. Very pink. There are 30 or so similar properties on the strip, heading north out of Setubal, all glazed in different pastel colours.
   Here, associates of Mourinho say, he spends hours watching football from around the world. He vowed not to set foot inside any other stadium than the local club, Vitoria Setubal, until he returned to management.
   The games he misses, he records. The games he cannot record, he has mailed to him. It is to here that he escaped when he walked out of Stamford Bridge and into a media maelstrom.
   In the face of the undimmed speculation of a somewhat turbulent relationship with Roman Abramovich, the Chelsea owner, he insisted, ‘When I say friends I include the board. I have no problems with Peter [Kenyon, the chief executive] or Roman. I always support my friends.’
   Those friends may not include Avram Grant, however, the first-team coach who this week sought to lay the blame for Chelsea playing second fiddle to Manchester United in the Barclays Premier League at the door of his predecessor.
   Mourinho’s face shrinks into an expressionless pall when asked about Grant’s comments on the team he inherited, and their league position. ‘I’m not interested in what he says,’ Mourinho said. ‘I don’t care what Avram Grant says. I’m not interested.’
   Soon after that Mrs Mourinho was gone, bags in hand. And so, too, was Jose.

Roger Federer battled changing weather, which went from sun to rain and back, before beating Portugal’s Frederico Gil 6-4, 6-1 to reach the Estoril Open semi-finals on Friday.
   A quarter-final twice interrupted by the unpredictable conditions sent the players off court for 35 minutes in the first set and another 25 in the third game of the second.
   Federer, working to lift his first title of the season as he begins the pre-French Open clay campaign working with Spanish coach Jose Higueras, was able to come out after the second interruption to finish the job.
   ‘Conditions were tough, you play in heavy conditions, the rain comes, you leave the court and come back and you change quite a bit,’ said the world number one, now 14-4 on the season.
   ‘There was a lot of wind as well. I didn’t know my opponent at all, I’d never seen him play. That made it tricky.
   ‘He played well for set and a half. Thank God I came back from the second rain delay and had the right game plan. I had to play a really good match today to win.’
   The top seed will now face Germany’s Denis Gremelmayr, who beat Czech Jiri Vanek 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, for a place in the final.
   Nikolay Davydenko stretched his spring win streak to ten matches as he joined Federer in the last four.
   The Russian second seed, who won the prestigious Miami Masters title this month, fought past Frenchman Marc Gicquel 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 on the heavy clay.
   Davydenko, who confessed that his mental strength is draining away after his run of form, will face Florent Serra of France, who beat Italy’s Flavio Cipolla 6-1, 6-1.
   Davydenko said he was so exhausted after losing the second set that he almost did not want to go on.
   ‘I just told myself that I should try and see if I could fight,’ said the world number four.
   In the women’s tournament, second-seeded Russian Maria Kirilenko moved into the semis with a convincing win over Italian Tathiana Garbin 6-0, 6-1 while Czech Iveta Benesova defeated French eighth seed Camille Pin 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.

Jose Mourinho is backing former club Chelsea to exact their revenge on Liverpool in the Champions League having twice been dumped out of the semi-finals by the Merseysiders.
   Mourinho lost to Rafael Benitez’s side in the last four in 2005 and 2007 and despite his shock departure from Stamford Bridge in September the Portuguese still wants his ex-players to win – even though he admits it is too close to call.
   ‘I don’t know who will win,’ he said. ‘I think always between big teams the result is a question mark. I want Chelsea,’ Mourinho told The Times.
   ‘Mathematically it’s possible. I want them to win. Yes, for the fans, for the players, yes, for the friends I have in the club.
   ‘And when I say friends I include the board. I have no problems with Peter [Kenyon, the chief executive] or Roman [Abramovich, the owner]. I always support my friends.’
   Mourinho has been linked with a return to management with Inter Milan and he confirmed he would be back in employment come the summer.
   ‘I will be somewhere next season,’ he said. ‘I’ve not agreed anything but it’s a good time for me for many reasons.
   ‘I have no contact with clubs. They know where I am. They know the kind of clubs I want, the level of challenge I want. When the leagues finish that’s when they make decisions.
   ‘I had some good options this month. Some good clubs and some good countries.’

France football coach Raymond Domenech will stage his own personal protest over the Beijing Olympics by not watching any of the action on television.
   Domenech tells Saturday’s Le Monde newspaper that he opted for this ‘courageous act’ instead of a call to boycott.
   ‘I say to people, “If you are against the Games in China, then don’t watch them and switch off your television”,’ said Domenech.
   ‘It’s a courageous act. Instead of criticising others, you can do something yourself. Me, I will not watch them. The French say that they do not want the Games because it’s scandalous in terms of human rights in China. If you don’t want the Games, then during August switch off the TV!’

Alex Ferguson and Didier Drogba were at each other’s throats on Friday over who will win the Premier League title.
   Manchester United boss Ferguson dismissed Chelsea’s challenge insisting, ‘I’m not losing any sleep, we’re all relaxed.’
   But United face Blackburn on Saturday just two points clear at the top and Blues striker Drogba believes Fergie’s troops are ready to bottle it. United, who also have to go to Stamford Bridge next Saturday, dare not lose at Rovers on Saturday.
   Fergie told The Sun, ‘It’s a massive game but I’ve been dealing with massive games all my life.
   ‘This one will not be making me lose any sleep, that’s for sure. There has been a lot of drama over the years at this stage of the season and there has been a lot of drama this time too.
   ‘But I have knocked on that door 100 times and so have some of my players. We’re relaxed.’
   Yet Drogba rapped, ‘We can overturn the gap at the top of the Premier League. People thought we were dead and buried when Jose Mourinho left but we are through our most difficult period.
   ‘All the hard work we’ve put in has shown our pedigree as potential champions.’

Wayne Rooney would love Manchester United to win the Barclays Premier League at Chelsea next weekend.
   Should they claim three points at Blackburnon Saturday, United could travel to Stamford Bridge knowing victory would see them retain their title with two games to spare.
   That would be the stuff of nightmares for Chelsea fans but a dream scenario for Rooney.
   He said in the Daily Express, ‘If it was possible to win it at Blackburn, we’d take that but if we can win at Chelsea it would be great for everyone at the club, especially the fans.
   ‘Another benefit would be that we could then rest a few players in the last two games if we have got through to the final of the Champions League.’
   To reach that final, United must first overcome Barcelona and Rooney cannot wait for Wednesday’s semi-final first-leg trip to the Nou Camp.
   ‘Barcelona are one of the best teams in the world and I’m sure it will be a fantastic game between two entertaining teams,’ he said.
   ‘It is going to be one of the best semi-finals you could see, with some great attacking football. They have so many unbelievable players – (Thierry) Henry, Ronaldinho, (Lionel) Messi, Xavi, (Samuel) Eto’o – the list goes on.
   ‘Messi’s my favourite – for his age and the way he plays, he is brilliant.’
   However, Rooney believes even Argentina star Messi plays second fiddle to United team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo, who the striker hailed as greatest player to grace English football since the Premier League began.
   Rooney said, ‘He has not just been the best player of the last two seasons, he’s the best player the Premier League has ever seen – and that’s including Thierry Henry, Gianfranco Zola, Eric Cantona, Dennis Bergkamp and Alan Shearer.
   ‘Cristiano is rightly talked about as the best player in the world. I was surprised he didn’t get the world player award last season. He’s got to get it this time.’