South Africa’s cricket coach Mickey Arthur was facing the axe Thursday over accusations he abused the country’s top cricket official in a row over the number of black players to tour Bangladesh, a report said.
   According to The Star newspaper, Cricket South Africa president Norman Arendse has laid formal charges against Arthur, accusing him of being ‘abusive and disrespectful’ and ‘cocking a snoop at his employers’ policy of (racial) transformation’.
   The charges are to be dealt with by CSA chief executive Gerald Majola who is likely to set up a disciplinary committee hearing, the report added.
   Arendse was quoted as saying that Arthur’s position had become ‘untenable’ after he told the president, who is not a selector, not to interfere in selection matters.
   ‘The more I was asking questions about transformation, the more (Arthur) said they did not have a transformation policy,’ said Arendse.
   ‘If a coach says, ‘There’s no transformation policy’ (among selectors), if he says ‘Sorry, I’m not prepared to implement Cricket South Africa’s policies’, then his position is untenable.’
   While the board does not have official racial quotas, most squad selections reflect an unofficial target that half must be players of colour. However it is understood that the provisional squad to tour Bangladesh dropped short of that target, with veteran opener Herschelle Gibbs left out after a string of low Test scores.
   The upcoming fast bowler Monde Zondeki was also ommitted from a tour seen by some observers as a perfect opportunity to cut his teeth. Rows over the lack of black players also played a large part in the departure of Springbok coach Jake White who announced he was quitting only weeks after South Africa won the rugby World Cup last year.
   While fast bowler Makhaya Ntini and Ashwell Prince are both regulars in the Test team, Gibbs was one of only three black players in the starting line-up in the Proteas’ last ODI on Sunday against the West Indies.

England again outclassed New Zealand when Paul Collingwood and Owais Shah reversed a batting slump to engineer a 50-run win in their Twenty20 match here Thursday.
   England posted 193 for eight and a demoralised New Zealand could only manage 143 for eight in reply.
   The win wrapped up the festival section of the tour for England 2-0, giving them a psychological edge as they head into a series of five one-day matches starting on Saturday followed by three Tests next month.
   But the second Twenty20 victory was not as clinical as the first encounter when England fielded the same team and most batsmen contributed to their 32-run victory on Tuesday.
   This time New Zealand were able to force an England top order slump before Collingwood and Shah regained the ascendancy.
   After a rollicking start by Luke Wright and Phil Mustard, who clouted 65 in 5.5 overs, the next 15 deliveries saw England lose four wickets for 11 runs to be 76 for four.
   Teenaged paceman Tim Southee, 19, who is being blooded by New Zealand as a talent of the future, claimed the prized scalps of Mustard (40) and Kevin Pietersen (three).
   Chris Martin bowled Wright for 30 and Ian Bell was run out for one going for a quick single on a misfield.
   But if New Zealand thought they had England on the ropes they were quickly corrected as Shah and Collingwood put on 102 in 62 balls for the fifth wicket.
   Captain Collingwood had five fours and three sixes in his 54 off 28 deliveries while Shah faced 35 balls for 47 including four fours and two sixes.
   Both fell in consecutive balls from Paul Hitchcock—Shah caught at deep long off and Collingwood at deep long on, bringing in the powerful Dmitri Mascarenhas who avoided the hat-trick with a six.
   Collingwood rated the England performance better than in the first match because of the way they recovered.
   ‘We lost four quick wickets in the middle but we got the momentum back and that was important and the boys carried it on through the innings and that was a massive total,’ he said.
   ‘There’s so many positives that have come out of it and hopefully we can take that kind of form into the one-day series. We’ve got five very important games coming up and we can take a lot of confidence from these two wins.’
   A dejected New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum said his side needed to be more accurate all round to be competitive.
   ‘To be on the receiving end of another hiding was very disappointing,’ he said.
   ‘After we pulled back the initial onslaught I thought we were setting ourselves up for a 150-160 chase but two experienced guys put together a very, very good partnership which sent them to a score which was well beyond our reach.’
   New Zealand started their chase for 194 to win with a Jesse Ryder boundary off the first ball but lost their way soon after.
   Halfway through the innings they were four wickets down and well behind on the run rate with only 72 on the board.
   Without Jacob Oram, who brought some respectability to New Zealand’s first match performance, the home side had little chance of a late run fest.
   Jamie How top scored with 31, Kyle Mills was not out 30 and Ross Taylor made 21 but no one appeared at ease against a tight bowling attack.
   Ryan Sidebottom was again miserly with two for 19 off his four overs while Mascarenhas finished with two for 25 and Graeme Swann two for 30.

Sri Lanka are hoping the rain will clear for long enough to allow today’s World Cup final rematch against Australia to go ahead, captain Mahela Jayawardene said here Thursday.
   The Australians, led by a brilliant 149 by Adam Gilchrist, thrashed the Sri Lankans in the World Cup final last April, and today’s game at the Sydney Cricket Ground will be their first one-day clash since that match.
   But the forecast of more wet weather hangs over the day-night match.
   The first two games in the triangular one-day series, which also includes India, were both washed out, and more rain is expected today, particularly late in the day and into the evening.
   The Sri Lankans have won four of their last five one-day internationals here and captain Mahela Jayawardene said they were desperate for the match to go ahead.
   ‘All the guys have been waiting for this opportunity,’ he said.
   ‘It’s always a challenge for us to play Australia and to challenge ourselves as well to see where we are.
   ‘We always enjoy coming to Australia and playing cricket.
   ‘Within yourself you just find that extra bit of effort to try to beat these guys.’
   Jayawardene said it had been a frustrating start to the series, and admitted the forecast of further rain was less than ideal for his side.
   The SCG traditionally favours spinners, but a wet surface is more likely to douse the skills of veteran Muttiah Muralitharan.
   ‘It (rain) has always been hurtful for us if you have spinners, slow bowlers,’ Jaywardene said.
   ‘You can’t control the weather. We just need to see if we can get a game in.
   ‘Most of all we just need to kick-start this tournament.’
   Jayawardene said fast bowler Lasith Malinga would be a handful for the Australians, and also praised the form of youngster Ishara Amerasinghe.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting hopes to nurse his injured back through the triangular one-day series against India and Sri Lanka, he said here Thursday.
   Ponting hurt his back in the fourth Test against India in Adelaide and then missed the Twenty20 international against the Indians.
   He returned for the series opening clash with India in Brisbane last Sunday, making a duck before rain washed out the match.
   Ponting said it was a recurrence of an ongoing problem and although he declared himself certain to play in Friday’s day-night clash with Sri Lanka at the SCG, he admitted the injury was a concern.
   ‘My back has been better, I must admit,’ he said, adding he had been in the nets ‘to get a bit more confidence in my movements and try to iron out a bit of the stiffness in there that I have got.
   ‘It’s just something that I have to get on top of. It has happened probably three times in the last couple of seasons, I have basically been immobile.
   ‘I’ve got a bit of strength work I could probably do and little things I could look at doing differently over the next few months.
   ‘We’ve been pretty cautious with it over the past few days.
   ‘I’ll be right to get through the rest of this series.’
   Ponting said he hoped the injury would not need surgery.
   Australia will have veteran Matthew Hayden back for today’s match, and his return will boost not only their batting, but also their struggling slips cordon.
   ‘The sooner we can get Matty back into the side and give us a bit more structure back around our slips cordon the better, and he’ll come back in tomorrow,’ Ponting said. Seamer Stuart Clark is also available after missing the Brisbane game for personal reasons.
   One real problem for Sri Lanka and Australia could be out of their hands—bad weather looks likely to again affect Friday’s game.
   The first two matches of the series were both washed out and Sydney has been lashed by wild weather in recent days.
   The forecast was for more rain today, particularly in the evening.

Manchester United held an emotional memorial Wednesday for 23 people, including eight of its players, killed when the team’s plane crashed in Munich 50 years ago as they returned from a match.
   The service, at the English Premier League champions’ Old Trafford ground, included a minute’s silence at 3:04 pm (1504 GMT) — the exact time of the tragedy which devastated a generation of young stars.
   Club captain Gary Neville lit candles in holders engraved with the names of all who died as an audience of players past and present, including Ryan Giggs and Sir Bobby Charlton, who was in the crash, looked on with bowed heads.
   Outside, hundreds of fans gathered by the ground’s memorial to the disaster, which features a clock frozen at the time it happened, to hold a minute’s silence for the side dubbed the ‘Busby Babes’ after then-manager Sir Matt Busby.
   They had laid a sea of floral tributes and also sang team songs in remembrance.
   The youthful side was returning from a European Cup match against Red Star Belgrade and their British European Airways plane had stopped to refuel when the smash happened after a failed take-off.
   While the focus of events was in north-west England, a smaller commemoration was also taking place in southern Germany at the site of the old Munich airport where the charter plane crashed on take-off in blizzard conditions.
   In Trudering, where a plaque similar to one at Old Trafford lists the dead, an English-speaking Roman Catholic priest oversaw a ceremony organised by the Independent Manchester United Supporters Association.
   Charlton suffered a punctured lung but recovered and went on to win the 1966 World Cup with England, although the loss of so many team-mates still haunts him.
   ‘There was never an instinct to try to put Munich out of mind. Munich was just too big, too overpowering, to permit that kind of reaction,’ he wrote in his autobiography, ‘My Manchester United Years’.
   ‘It was something that you knew, right from the start, you had to learn to live with.’
   He was recently invited by manager Sir Alex Ferguson to give a presentation to the club’s current crop of young stars, including Cristiano Ronaldo, on what happened that fateful night.
   Wednesday’s events were among a series designed to mark the event—and Busby’s successful efforts to rebuild his shattered side, laying the foundations for the superclub of the modern age.
   The club is unveiling a free, permanent exhibition of the 1958 side in the South Stand tunnel at Old Trafford, which will now be renamed the Munich Tunnel.
   A minute’s silence was held before England’s friendly match with Switzerland at Wembley Stadium in London.
   And on Saturday, Manchester United will wear a one-off 1950s-style kit free from sponsorship and numbered 1 to 11 as well as black armbands for their league derby against arch rivals Manchester City. Their opponents also plan to wear a special kit.
   Busby’s side were back-to-back English champions and well-positioned to make it a hat-trick, with some commentators suggesting they were on course to become the club’s best-ever team.

Veteran Bangladesh spinner Mohammad Rafique will retire from international cricket after an upcoming home series against South Africa, selectors announced here on Thursday.
   The left-arm spinner, ignored for a recent tour of New Zealand, was recalled for a two-Test series beginning in Mirpur on February 22. The tourists will also play three one-day internationals.
   ‘Rafique is our most experienced spinner. We have recalled him because our chances of winning the series depend on him,’ Bangladesh’s chief selector Rafiqul Alam said. He added Rafique had already informed the selectors he would retire after the South Africa series.
   The 37-year-old, one of the four specialist spinners in the squad, had told reporters earlier he would quit all forms of the game after the series during which he aims to complete 100 Test wickets.
   Rafique, who played his last Test in July 2007 against Sri Lanka, has so far grabbed 94 wickets in 31 matches. He has also claimed 125 wickets in as many one-day internationals.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board has ordered Nizamuddin Chowdhury, the deputy general manager of the board, to carry out the job of the Chief Executive Officer after failing to find the right person for the post.
   Nizam will attend the ICC chief executive officers’ meeting scheduled to be held on February 16 in Kuala Lumpur. At an executive committee meeting held on Wednesday the BCB decided to reduce the ticket prices for the upcoming Bangladesh-South Africa series.
   The meeting also decided to re-interview the six short-listed candidates for the CEO post that fell vacant after the departure of the board’s CEO Mahhmudur Rahman. The four-member committee – comprising Fahim Munaim, Gazi Ashraf Lipu, Shafiqur Rahman Munna and Mirza Salman Ispahani – will interview the candidates within a few days.
   The BCB decided to advertise again for the Bangladesh team manager’s post as the response was poor according to the committee. The tickets for the upcoming home series against South Africa was fixed at Tk 30 each for the Tests and Tk 70 for the ODIs.
   The Board having realised the necessity of an own ground decided to buy four acres of land in or on the outskirts of Dhaka city to construct a stadium there.
   The executive committee meeting also thanked the outgoing CEO Mahmudur Rahman for his services to the board during his tenure.

The 3rd National Archery Championship, organised by Bangladesh Archery Federation, began on Thursday at the Outer Stadium in the city.
   Bangladesh Archery Federation president Maj Gen Mohammad Sadik Hasan Rumi formally inaugurated the three-day meet as chief guest. A total of 98 archers from 43 teams, including district, club and university teams from across the country, are taking part in two events - ‘Ricurve Bow’ and ‘Bamboo Bow’.

Grand Master Abdullah Al Rakib (Rating-2506) earned 3.5 points, Fide Master Sk Nasir Ahmed (Rating 2379) earned 3 points and International Master Enamul Hossain Rajib (Rating-2522) earned 2.5 points after end of the fifth round of the International Chess Festival of Moscow Open on Wednesday.
   In the fifth round Rakib drew with GM Vladimir Potkin (Rating-2609) of Russia. Nasir won against GM Evgeni Vasiukov (Rating-2509) of Russia and Rajib lost against Emilis Peleckis (Rating-2364) of Lithuania.

Arambagh deservedly booked their place in the final of the Protiti Pharma Victory Day Club Cup Football Tournament after defeating Badda Jagarani 2-0 in the first semi-final at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Thursday.
   After a barren first half, forward Liton broke the deadlock in the 79th minute when he placed the ball into the top corner of the net off a cross from Ugandan Iddi Badmabuze.
   Arambagh, the B league outfit, scored their second goal in the second minute of the added time through Iddi. Dominick Kubaye, another Ugandan, chested a Monu cross from the right flank to Iddi, whose left-footed cracker gave Badda custodian no chance.
   Arambagh will play the final on Sunday against the winners of the second semi-final between Abahani and Mohammedan to be held today.

The 14th Eastern Housing inter-club shooting competition began at the Rajshahi Police Lines Shooting Range on Thursday.
   A total of 350 shooters from 45 clubs are taking part in the competition.
   Former adviser of the caretaker government Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury, who is also former president of Bangladesh Shooting Federation, inaugurated the three-day competition which is being organised by the Rajshahi Rifles Club under the supervision of the federation.
   Mahbub Mohsin, Rajshahi Metropolitan police commissioner who is also the president of Rifles Club, and deputy commissioner of Rajshahi Khallilur Rahman were also present during the opening ceremony.

The zonal round of the EXIM Bank 18th National Handball Competition, organised by Bangladesh Handball Federation, begins today in Jamalpur Stadium.
   Police Super of Jamalpur Aminul Islam will inaugurate the Group A match in the morning. Handball Federation vice-president and chairman of Jamalpur Pourasava Adv Shah M Wares Ali Mamun will be the special guest on the occasion.
   Eight teams — Jamalpur, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Chapainawabganj, Natore, Panchagarh, Joypurhat and Gaibandha DSAs — have been included in Group A of the championship.
   The six-team zonal matches in Chittagong will begin on February 18 while the 11-team zonal matches in Jessore will begin on Feb 28.
   Twenty-five district teams, split into three groups, are taking part in the national meet, sponsored by EXIM Bank Ltd.
   The 12-team final round with eight zonal champions, hosts Dhaka and the three Services teams — holders Bangladesh Rifles, Bangladesh Police and Bangladesh Ansar — will be held in Dhaka in the second week of March.

Fourth seed Los Santos of Malaysia, Rikki and Ben McLachlan of New Zealand and Chinese qualifier Li reached the quarter-finals from the boys’ singles of the GrameenPhone U-18 International Junior Tennis Championship at the Zafar Imam Tennis Complex on Thursday.
   Los Santos defeated Tapei’s Lo 6-3, 7-6, sixth seed Ben McLachlan defeated Taipei’s Lin 7-6, 6-2, brother Rikki, the third seed, defeated Loic Docourau of France 6-2, 6-3, Li defeated Korea’s Kim 7-6, 4-6, 6-1 while No 7 India’s Ronak Manuja lost to No 12 Canada’s Kelsey Stevenson 6-4, 7-6.
   Meanwhile, top-ranked Venkatesh of India, second seeded Noordin of Malaysia, No 5 Morgina of Russia and seventh seeded Nederland’s Vlaar all advanced to quarter-finals from the girls’ singles.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting said here Thursday it would be ‘unfair’ if interference from Cricket Australia prevented players from participating in the inaugural Twenty20 Indian Premier League.
   The Board of Control for Cricket in India has said Australian players risked losing their lucrative IPL contracts because Cricket Australia was seeking global protection for its own sponsors.
   The six-week IPL is slated to start in April and clashes with Australia’s scheduled tour of troubled Pakistan, which is still in doubt.
   Indian cricket chief Lalit Modi said the tournament would go ahead with or without the Australians.
   Ponting said the Australian Cricketers’ Association, which represents the players, would take a dim view of any moves by Cricket Australia that might jeopardise their participation.
   ‘There are already some globally-protected sponsors of Cricket Australia, there are a couple of them,’ he said.
   ‘I don’t think Cricket Australia would be able to make any of their other sponsors global sponsors.
   ‘If they tried to do that I’m sure the players’ association would have something to say about it.
   ‘It would be a little bit unfair if that was the case.’
   Ponting pointed out that retiring wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist was the only current Australian international likely to be able to play if the tour of Pakistan went ahead.
   Although there is an agreement that international players have to be retired for two years before playing IPL, Gilchrist is expected to be granted an exemption by CA.
   Ponting said Cricket Australia should have no issue with the IPL contracts, comparing the competition to playing county cricket during the Australian off season.
   ‘It’s a domestic competition, as county cricket is,’ Ponting said.
   ‘There’s never been any worry about Cricket Australia releasing guys to go and play county cricket.
   ‘That’s the reason Cricket Australia backed it all in the first place, because it was a domestic tournament and it wouldn’t be actually taking Australian players away from their domestic competitions or the Australian team.’

Cities like Hong Kong, Dubai and New York could be playing host to English Premier League matches by 2010 under radical plans put to the top flight’s 20 clubs here on Thursday.
   Under the plan, which club chairmen agreed to explore, each team would play an extra match each season at an overseas venue with the results counting towards the final league table.
   The move would mean each club playing 39 matches over the season with a draw deciding which teams would face each other in the ten matches per season to be held outside of England.
   According to the BBC, the ten extra games would be allocated to five different overseas venues, with the two matches at each venue hosted on the same weekend.
   The league’s chief executive, Richard Scudamore, was due to confirm details of the proposals later on Thursday, but it is unlikely any decision will be made before the league’s annual summer meeting in June.
   The proposal will inevitably be highly controversial because of the possibility of imbalances in the matches that teams are drawn to play in their overseas games.
   For example, Manchester United could be drawn to face a struggling club like Derby while a title-chasing rival could be given a much tougher assignment against, say, a club like Everton.
   One way to mitigate that would be to have a system of seeding to ensure that the clubs at the top of the table all face opposition in the bottom half—but that would reduce the attractiveness of the matches for cities bidding to host them.
   For the league, the overseas matches would be an opportunity to consolidate the huge popularity of English football around the globe, potentially boosting club revenues by increasing the value of broadcasting/new media rights and attracting new sponsors from the markets concerned.
   The sale of overseas broadcasting rights is the fastest-growing source of revenue for the Premier League. Booming demand from armchair fans in Asia and the Middle East increased their value for the 2007/08, 2008/09 and 2009/10 seasons to 625 million pounds, double their level under the league’s previous deal.
   British and Irish television rights will be worth 1.7 billion pounds over the same period but Scudamore warned earlier this year that the days of double-digit percentage rises in the fees paid by domestic broadcasters were numbered. Malcolm Clarke, the head of the Football Supporters Federation, predicted there would be a backlash from domestic fans against the proposals.
   ‘I’m fairly confident in predicting that the overwhelming majority of football supporters will be totally opposed,’ Clarke told the BBC.

Former Australian Test paceman Michael Kasprowicz Thursday said he will retire from cricket later this month.
   Kasprowicz, who turns 36 on Sunday, said he felt it was time to quit and give Queensland’s younger pacemen a chance to finish out the domestic season.
   Kasprowicz made his first class debut as a 17-year-old in 1989-90.
   He played 38 Tests for Australia, the last in South Africa in April 2006, and captured 113 wickets at 32.88 with a best of 7-36.
   He also played 43 one day internationals (67 wickets at 24.98) and two Twenty20 internationals (five wickets at 11.40).
   He will finish as Queensland’s leading wicket-taker in the Sheffield Shield with 437.

Bagerhat DSA emerged champions and Munshiganj DSA finished runners-up in the Inter-District Women’s Athletics
   competition that concluded on Thursday at the Dhan- mondi Women’s Sports Complex.
   Bagerhat DSA clinched the top slot among 27 teams securing 15 points while Munshiganj DSA finished second with 13 points.
   Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Prof M Tamim was the chief guest at the closing function of the two-day meet and distributed prizes among the winners.
   Nazmun Nahar of Bagerhat DSA emerged as individual champion in the meet securing 11 points while Fouzia Akhter of Munshiganj and Mina Begum of Kurigram jointly finished individual runner-up securing 10 points.
   A total of 123 athletes from 27 district teams took part in the meet.

The annual sports competition of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology will be held at the university play ground today.
   Nine halls including the lone girls’ hall will be participating in the meet.
   Professor Dr AMM Safiullah, the VC of BUET, will inaugurate the meet as the chief guest.

Comilla district team emerged champions in the 37th Winter Sports Competition here on Thursday. Hosts Comilla clinched the top slot securing 108 points while Brahmanbaria district team finished runners-up with 79 points.
   Deputy Commissioner of Comilla M Manjurur Rahman was the chief guest at the day’s closing function and distributed the prizes. Deputy Director of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Directorate Hosne Ara
   Begum was present as special guest.
   Earlier, in the morning, Comilla Education Board chairman M Latifur Rahman inaugurated the daylong meet, organised by Sub-Regional School and Madrasah Sports Association.
   School and madrasah students from Comilla, Chandpur, Brahmanbaria and Laxmipur took part in the competition.

Gazipur Deputy Commissioner Gold Cup Football Tournament-2008 began at the Shaheed Barkat Stadium in the district on Thursday. Additional divisional commissioner Md Emdadul Haque inaugurated the tournament as chief guest.
   Sponsored by Keya Cosmetics Ltd, president of Gazipur district sports association and also the deputy commissioner of Gazipur Sayed Mizanur Rahman spoke on the occasion. Sixteen teams from different districts around the country are taking part in the tournament.
   On the first day, Mauchak Ekadash beat Mansur Sporting Club by 2-1 goals. Golap and Saiful scored one goal each for the winners while Ismail scored for Mansur SC.

Both the matches of the Metropolis Senior Division Football League ended in draw at the Bir Shreshtha Shaheed Sepoy Mohammad Mostafa Stadium in Kamalapur on Thursday.
   Victoria SC played a 1-1 draw with Youngmen’s Club Fakirerpool in the day’s first match. Towhidul Alam Sabuj scored for Youngmen’s Club in the 37th minute while Arafat netted the equaliser for Victoria SC in the 70th minute.
   In the day’s other match, Dhaka Wanderers Club split points with lowly City Club in a goal-less affair. Despite the day’s draw, Victoria SC retained the second slot in the table securing 15 points from seven matches, three points adrift of Jatrabari KC, who dominate the league with 18 points, also playing seven matches.
   The metropolis soccer league resumed on Thursday after a three-day recess for non-availability of playground.

National Kabaddi team beat Prisons Directorate team by 79-29 points with five creditable ‘lona’ in a preparatory match ahead of the 2nd Indo-Bangladesh Bangla Games at the Outer Stadium Kabaddi Court on Thursday. The winners led the first half 34-10.
   National Kabaddi team faces Bangladesh Rifles on Friday at 3:30pm at the same venue.

Fide Master Minhazuddin Ahmed Sagar retained his title when he became unbeaten champion in the 29th National Junior Chess Championship that ended on Thursday. Sagar earned maximum 9 points. He was followed one point behind by Shamima Akter Liza while Rezaul Islam Babu finished third with 7.5 points.

A total of 22 players won their first round matches of the Islami Bank 28th National Badminton Championship at the Paltan Wooden Floor Gymnasium on Thursday. Parash, Enayet, Hannan, Lalchand, Gani, Jahid, Shyamal, Saif, Mokter, Mashrafi, Nazrul, Liton, Salahuddin, Shahjahan, Momen, Arif, Jewel, Kachi, Ashiqur, Osmani, Raju and Maun were the winners of the first day of the meet.

A second-half strike by Robinho gave Brazil a 1-0 win over Ireland in a friendly on Wednesday.
   The Real Madrid striker broke the deadlock in the 67th minute when he slammed the ball into the back of the net after receiving a pass from Diego who had linked up with Luis Fabiano.
   Before Robinho opened the scoring a number of chances went begging for both sides who were missing key players through injury, with Brazil coach Dunga doing without world player of the year Kaka and the youthful Pato.
   Winger Andy Reid and defender Joey O’Brien were absent for Ireland, who are still without a permanent manager, but winger Damien Duff played in his first international for nearly a year following a foot injury.
   Duff and captain Robbie Keane both had chances they failed to convert.
   Brazil went on the attack early in the game with Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given fending off a strike in the seventh minute by Diego. Given also kept out a
   shot by Fabiano who tried to make the most of a pass from Robinho.
   Ireland caretaker manager Don Givens said that while it was disappointing to lose at Croke Park his team had put in a decent performance, especially given their depleted lineup.
   ‘The quality of the opposition was very, very high,’ Givens told reporters. ‘I thought we contained them for long periods. We were very compact, disciplined.’
   Brazil used the match to try out younger players in what was seen as an opportunity to lay the foundations for the team that will compete at this year’s Beijing Olympics and both Lucas and Rafael Sobis were given a run out in the last few minutes.
   The match took place against the backdrop of increasing criticism of the Irish FA for taking so long to find a manager to replace Steve Staunton whose contract was terminated in October after the team failed to qualify for Euro 2008.
   Irish media reported this week that there was growing frustration among players over the issue.
   Givens, who heads a three-man panel set up to find a new coach, told the FAI board on Sunday that an appointment was ‘imminent’.
   Former England boss Terry Venables and Red Bull Salzburg’s former Italy manager Giovanni Trapattoni are reported to be the main contenders for the post.
   Givens, though, declined to make any further comment on the issue after the game.

If Fabio Capello is England’s new headmaster then David Bentley shows signs of becoming the Italian’s star pupil after an eye-catching display in his side’s 2-1 win against Switzerland.
   Capello’s decision to lay down a series of strict rules and regulations ahead of his first match in charge of England brought comparisons with a teacher trying to keep his rowdy class under control.
   After getting off to a winning start in Wednesday’s friendly at Wembley, Capello will believe his authoritarian stance should pay dividends in the long term.
   But he will take particular satisfaction from the influential efforts of Blackburn winger Bentley.
   When Capello opted to leave David Beckham out of the squad, it opened the way for Bentley to deliver on the promise he has shown for the last 18 months at Ewood Park.
   The former Arsenal player has a Beckham-esque ability to produce pin-point crosses and, unlike the LA Galaxy star, he can beat a man and play a killer pass as well.
   Those traits were all on display against the Swiss and if Beckham was watching in California it must have made for uncomfortable viewing.
   This was the first glimpse of a prodigious talent who, along with the likes of Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor, is capable of replacing England’s tarnished golden generation.
   It was all the more remarkable considering Bentley was making his first England start but the 23-year-old insisted he always knew his time would come.
   ‘You wait until it’s your time in football. It’s not easy getting into this team when you have players playing at such a high level week in and week out,’ he said.
   ‘You have to keep knocking on the door. Luckily enough I’ve got my opportunity. I know I have to keep improving as a player and have a good run in the team.
   ‘It’s a new start for me, it’s a new manager and we are going in a new direction.
   ‘I’m enjoying playing the football he wants. When we get the ball he wants us to pass it and that suits me down to the ground.’
   Bentley had no qualms about staking his claim for the place of one of English football’s iconic figures.
   ‘I admire David Beckham. I grew up watching him. He’s a legend in English football,’ Bentley said. ‘I’m just at the start of my England career. I have to work hard to get to the level he’s at and hopefully further.
   ‘You are always compared to another player. The more games I play in and the bigger those games are then I will become my own man.’
   Bentley made an impact on his team-mates as well, with Wayne Rooney likening him to Beckham in his younger, more dynamic days.
   ‘David Bentley did really well. He’s like a young David Beckham. His vision and confidence is brilliant,’ Rooney said.
   ‘You see the way Becks has played over the years. He’s been a fantastic player and I’m sure he still will be.
   ‘With Bentley, he’s always looking for players in behind and his crossing was brilliant.’

David James plans to emulate legendary Italy goalkeeper Dino Zoff by defying the ravages of time and playing for England at the 2010 World Cup – as long as he can cope with Fabio Capello’s mind games.
   Capello gave James his first England start for nearly three years in Wednesday’s 2-1 friendly win over Switzerland at Wembley.
   The Portsmouth keeper did well enough to start dreaming of re-establishing himself as England’s first choice goalkeeper all the way through to the World Cup in South Africa.
   James will be almost 40 by the time the final comes around in July 2010, but he sees no reason why he shouldn’t still be part of Capello’s team. After all Zoff was 40 when he captained Italy to World Cup victory in 1982.
   Coming to terms with Capello’s deliberate ploy of keeping his players guessing over the team line-up until just before kick-off is the only concern for James.
   He admitted he was completely in the dark over his chances of beating Scott Carson and Chris Kirkland to the number one jersey until Capello revealed all with a flourish
   just before they left for the stadium.
   ‘No one knew what the side was until 10 minutes before we left on the bus,’ James said.
   ‘It was like (English game show) Deal or No Deal. He had a sheet down and lifted it up to show another sheet with the team on. Everyone was looking to see if their name was on it.
   ‘We genuinely didn’t know who would play. We were sitting around saying “you’re going to play and you’re going to play”. I spoke to Gareth Barry at one point and he had no idea.
   ‘I didn’t want to commit myself to thinking I would play because I didn’t want the disappointment.
   ‘That causes a little bit of apprehension but at the same time it keeps everyone focused.’
   It would be especially appropriate if James could follow in Zoff’s footsteps now England have an Italian coach. The former Liverpool player admits he is motivated by the challenge.
   ‘Zoff is a legend. I remember seeing him play,’ James said. ‘I want to be the number one at the World Cup but it’s one step at a time.
   ‘I’m contracted to Portsmouth through to the World Cup and if I’m playing first team football in the Premier League I put myself in a position when I could be playing for England.
   ‘The only thing that is going to stop me is better goalkeepers.’
   While James was relishing his return to the limelight, Shaun Wright-Phillips has quietly become one of England’s main goal threats.
   The Chelsea winger had only been on for five minutes when he scored the winner with virtually his first touch. It was his third goal for England this season, taking his overall international total to four, and he has set his sights on overtaking his dad, former Arsenal striker Ian Wright, who scored nine times for England.
   Wright-Phillips said, ‘Hopefully I’ll get more. I’m just trying to catch up with my dad. He thinks I can’t do it so I’ve got something to prove.’

Miroslav Klose netted his 37th international goal as Germany sealed a 3-0 friendly win over Austria in Vienna on Wednesday after a lacklustre first-half from the guests.
   Klose is now up to joint seventh in Germany’s all-time list of goal-scorers on his 73rd appearance for his country, but the guests only came to life after a poor first-half which had coach Joachim Low scowling on the sidelines.
   The normally super cool Low showed his frustration after a poor first 45 minutes with only midfielder Torsten Frings and defender Christoph Metzelder missing from his first-choice side.
   Goals by midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger, Klose and subsititute Mario Gomez saved Low’s blushes, but he admitted there was little excuse for such a poor first half display at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium.
   ‘The victory was positive, but we can’t be content with the first-half,’ said Low.
   ‘We just did not play football in the first 45 minutes, neither in attack nor defence.
   ‘There too little commitment and our play was not dynamic.
   ‘It is hard to find an explanation why we were so poor.’
   The sides will next meet on June 16 in Vienna in Group B of Euro 2008 and Austria have nothing to fear having pushed Germany hard in the opening half and squandered a number of clear chances.
   A spectacular mistake by goalkeeper Jens Lehmann in the opening quarter came close to putting Austria into the lead as they squandered an open goal.
   After months of debate in Germany as to whether Lehmann should remain as first-choice goalkeeper even though he is on the bench at Arsenal, the 38-year-old nearly decided the issue with a huge blunder.
   Having left his penalty area on 22 minutes he was wrong-footed after attempting a challenge on Austria’s Roland Linz.
   The striker was left with a free shot on goal and only some good defending by Werder Bremen’s Per Mertsacker saved Lehmann.
   Germany allowed their hosts to attack at will and when midfielder Andreas Ivanschitz spotted Christian Fuchs in acres of space on the left, Fuchs fired in a shot which Lehmann saved with his foot on 29 minutes.
   Things improved after the break when Stuttgart’s Hitzelsperger controlled a loose clearance in front of goal and drove home his shot from 30 yards out past the despairing goalkeeper Alexander Manninger.
   His 53rd minute goal did little to calm Low’s nerves as Austria hit right back as Lehmann was forced to parry a shot from Martin Harnik and with Linz following up he was forced into a full-stretch save as the Austrian fired wide.
   Germany’s player of the year Gomez was brought into the action on 55 minutes, as was striker Lukas Podolski, voted the best young player at the 2006 World Cup, as Low continued his midfield experiment with the 22-year-old.
   After more than 10 months away from the German team, captain Michael Ballack showed his persistent ankle injury was a thing of the past as he out flanked the home defence and turned the ball in for Miroslav Klose to make it 2-0.
   And Gomez headed the third German goal on 80 minutes with a header to put the result beyond doubt.

AC Milan’s world player of the year Kaka said Thursday he hopes to represent Brazil at the Olympic Games in Beijing in August.
   Kaka has won almost every club and individual honour there is in football except one title, that of Olympic champion.
   Indeed, it is the only title Brazil have yet to win despite being crowned world champions a record five times.
   Speaking at a World Food Programme ‘Fill the Cup’ campaign, Kaka admitted he would like to be selected as one of the three players over 23 years of age permitted in each squad in China.
   ‘I would like to (play) but I will leave it up to the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation) and Milan to decide,’ he said.
   Kaka is currently injured having hurt his knee in the crucial 1-0 victory at Fiorentina on Sunday.
   Coach Carlo Ancelotti has already ruled him out of this weekend’s trip to Siena but Kaka said he could miss more than just that one match.
   ‘I hope to come back as quickly as possible but I don’t yet know how much time I need to recover. ‘Today I feel better, it’s sure I won’t be fit for Sunday and I don’t think so for Wednesday (against Livrono) either. We’ll see how I am.’
   The same knee has given Kaka problems for the last couple of years. ‘This knee has given me trouble for some time. We had been managing it quite well but after a while I couldn’t train or play well and I knew it was time to take a break,’ added Kaka.

Players absent from the African Footballer of the Year ceremony were ruled out of contention for the award, said the Confederation of African Football.
   ‘The executive committee of CAF at its meeting held in Accra on Feb 1 decided that henceforth any player who is absent at its award ceremony will not be taken into consideration in its placements of best African footballer of the year,’ said CAF in a statement.
   ‘This decision was communicated to all those concerned on February 1 with particular reference to the award ceremony scheduled for the same day in Lome, Togo.’
   The statement came one day after CAF chief communications director Suleiman Habuba denied telling Didier Drogba and Frederic Kanoute they had to attend the ceremony to have a chance of winning.
   ‘CAF has never called Didier Drogba or Frederic Kanoute to tell them if they did not attend the ceremony they would not get the award,’ Habuba told Reuters on Tuesday. Mali and Sevilla striker Kanoute, who attended the ceremony, won the award last Friday. Ivory Coast forward Drogba opted not to go to Togo.
   Drogba said a CAF official had warned him the award would go to Kanoute if the Ivorian did not travel to Lome.
   The Chelsea player, who won the award last year, told the French sports daily L’Equipe he had received a call from a ‘prominent CAF official telling me if I did not come to the ceremony the rules would be changed and the award would be given to the second-placed player, meaning Kanoute.

Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo ‘feels well’ in England – but still harbours ambitions of playing in Spain.
   In an exclusive interview with Portuguese broadcaster TVI, the Portugal international revealed that Spain is really in his mind.
   He said, ‘I would like to play in Spain one day. I also would like to play in Portugal [again] and Italy, but much more in Spain.’
   Despite his dream, Ronaldo admitted he would stay in England for ‘10 or 20 more years,’ adding, ‘I feel well in England.’
   The 23-year-old said, ‘Many players are talented, but if that talent is not developed they will never go anywhere. ‘I keep improving everything I have. Four years ago I was not the player I am now. I improved and I better understand the team-game concept.
   ‘I think I still can improve. My learning process has not finished yet.’
   Ronaldo has scored 27 goals with United this season and he wants more – but admitted that there is a limit. He explained, ‘Last season I scored 23 goals and some people doubted that I could do it again.
   ‘This season I have just scored more, and things are going fast.
   ‘I aim to score more and shine even more, helping the national team and my club – but to score 50 goals is a bit hard.’
   Ronaldo lost out to brilliant Brazilian Kaka in the race to become European and World player of the year for 2007.
   But he says he wouldn’t be surprised to see that change this year. ‘I don’t need to demonstrate that I am the No.1 in the world,’ added Ronaldo.
   ‘Over the nine months of the season the work you do will show who really is the best. If I am named the best in the world, it won’t be a surprise to me.
   ‘I’m 23 now and I never believed I would find myself in such a privileged position in the world of football, playing at the highest level for a club of United’s standing.’

Cameroon coach Otto Pfister was locked out of the ground ahead of an African Nations Cup training session on Wednesday, prompting an angry exchange with local police.
   Police ordered groundstaff not to let Pfister in ahead of his team’s training session at the Ohene Djan stadium for Thursday’s semi-final against hosts Ghana.
   The German coach, who has a long history of working in Africa, demanded to be allowed access from the stands but as groundstaff unlocked a gate police objected.
    The 70-year-old Pfister then swore at the police, who swore back while bemused media looked on.
   Pfister eventually went through the gate after a member of the Cameroon delegation forced it open.
   Pfister then criticised the condition of the pitch, which has drawn widespread
   complaints since the opening game of the tournament on Jan 20.
   Last week, Pfister launched a stinging attack on Nations Cup organisers, complaining about a delayed flight, lost luggage, dirty hotel rooms and a shortened training session.
   He also said organisers had not allowed his team to train in peace and quiet since they arrived in Ghana.
   ‘This is a total disaster. I don’t know if this is the Nations Cup or a tournament for children,’ he said.

After more than 10 months away from the Germany team, Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack showed he has shaken off the ankle injury which blighted his 2007 as he captained his side to a 3-0 win in Vienna.
   Ballack, 31, had to rally his side into action after a lacklustre first 45 minutes as former Aston Villa midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger broke the deadlock with a well taken shot on 53 minutes.
   And ten minutes later, Ballack latched onto a Hitzlsperger pass to out flank the home defence and cross for Bayern Munich striker Miroslav Klose to bag his 37th international goal before super sub Mario Gomez grabbed a late header.
   ‘It was good to be back,’ Ballack told German television channel ARD after the final whistle.
   ‘We made a few mistakes and there were a few things to work on, but it was good to come here and get the win.’
   In total Ballack was side-lined for eight months having damaged his ankle playing for Chelsea in the Premier League match with Newcastle United on April 22.
   In Vienna Ballack was back to his bustling best and picked up a yellow card after a scuffle with the Austrian defence on 78 minutes before he was substituted for Bayer Leverkusen’s Simon Rolfes on 87 minutes.
   ‘We are overjoyed to have Michael back to full health and returned to our team after a very long break’, said Germany coach Joachim Low as his side, ranked fifth in the world, according to FIFA, saw off their hosts 85 places below them.
   ‘He showed why he is an important part of our plans for Euro 2008.’

Joe Cole believes England can only get stronger as Fabio Capello’s grip on the squad tightens over the coming months.
   ‘It was nice to get a win under our belts at Wembley after the last game, and it was the perfect result really,’ said Cole.
   ‘We did not win three, four or five nil, with everyone getting too excited. It is something to build on and there were some good performances.’
   Cole said Capello had been effective in communicating his ideas to the players over the course of their time together.
   ‘We took everything on board and are all happy with the work we have put in over the three days and got the job done,’ he addded. ‘Any manager coming in wants to get his ideas across, they have worked hard and so have we. We are trying to get the right idea and the right way of playing.
   ‘He speaks great English, obviously he has given his reasons for not speaking (in English) to the media. But we all understood our jobs and can only get stronger from here.’

Gonzalo Higuain scored two goals to lead Argentina to a 5-0 rout of Guatemala in an exhibition game at the Memorial Coliseum on Wednesday night.
   Ezequiel Lavezzi, Jonatan Maidana and Marco Ruben each added a goal in the first meeting between the teams.
   Boca Juniors midfielder Juan Roman Riquelme, who played in the 2006 World Cup, set up Argentina’s first two goals after goalkeeper Oscar Ustari kept Guatemala from taking an early lead. Ustari went to his right to catch Gustavo Cabrera’s 13-yard header off Rigoberto Gomez’s 24-yard free kick in the eighth minute.
   Argentina scored in the 15th minute. Riquelme passed to Real Madrid’s Higuain, who faced tight marking from defender Pablo Melgar but converted from 11 yards. Lavezzi scored in the 34th minute. After taking Riquelme’s pass, Lavezzi sent a 10-yard shot from the left flank that ricocheted off the netting inside the right post.
   Higuain scored his second goal in the 71st minute. Lavezzi eluded Cabrera along the end line and passed to Higuain, who spun to avoid Melgar’s attempted tackle and scored from 5 yards.
   Maidana converted a 17-yard shot in the 84th minute and Ruben scored on a 14-yard shot in the 89th minute. Argentina played without Atletico Madrid forward Sergio Aguero and Real Madrid midfielder Mauro Zarate, who are injured.

Fabio Capello oversaw a winning start to his tenure as England manager on Wednesday with a 2-1 victory over Switzerland while his Italian compatriots scored an impressive friendly success over Portugal which augurs well for the Azzurri’s chances at Euro 2008.
   Despite England’s abject failure to qualify for the European Championships in June their first game under Capello was always going to merit more than a Wembley sideshow and a healthy crowd was warmed by fine goals from Jermaine Jenas and Shaun Wright-Phillips.
   In between times, however, the deficiencies of the Steve McClaren era were apparent at the back as Eren Dediyok stole in to notch a fine Swiss consolation.
   From the team that started England’s last match, a 3-2 Wembley defeat by Croatia Steve McClaren a place at Euro 2008 and his job, only Steven Gerrard, Gareth Barry and Joe Cole survived with off-form Newcastle striker Michael Owen dropped.
   David Bentley shone in the space vacated by David Beckham on the right of midfield while veteran keeper David James returned just six months short of his 38th birthday and was in no way at fault for Dedijok’s goal.
   But England will have to kick their heels in June as the cream of the European game heads for Austria and Switzerland where Italy will be on short odds to add the trophy to their World Cup triumph of 2006 after swatting Portugal 3-1 in Zurich.
   Bayern Munich forward Luca Toni opened the scoring in first-half injury-time and AC Milan midfielder Andrea Pirlo doubled the advantage six minutes after the break with a bobbling shot from distance.
   Ricardo Quaresma pulled a goal back with less than a quarter of an hour to play but two minutes later Udinese forward Fabio Quagliarella sealed the victory against a Portuguese side whose defending bordered on the chaotic.
   ‘That was a great performance, we’ve shown once again that we’re a great team,’ beamed Italy coach Roberto Donadoni.
   Germany, gunning for their fourth European title this summer, were similarly untroubled as they muscled past Austria 3-0 in Vienna with goals from Miroslav Klose, his 37th for his country, Thomas Hitzlsperger and subsititute Mario Gomez.
   German coach Joachim Low was nevertheless not happy with a first-half performance which consisted of cruising at the Ernst Happel Stadium.
   ‘We just did not play football in the first 45 minutes, neither in attack nor defence,’ said Low. The two neighbours face off again on June 16 in Vienna in Group B.
   Also in hot form were Holland, who handed Croatia their biggest home loss since independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, 3-0 in Split.
   The Dutch dictated the game from the start despite lacking such luminaries as Ruud Van Nistelrooy and won with goals from John Heitinga, Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Vennegor of Hesselink.
   In the Euro 2008 finals Croatia will have to do much better with the Germans in their path.
   France also have room for improvement after a 1-0 loss to Spain in Malaga.
   Joan Capdevila netted from close range with 11 minutes left of an encounter between two former European champions currently rebuilding.
   Raymond Domenech’s French line-up included three stalwarts of the 1998 World Cup win in the shape of Patrick Vieira, Lilian Thuram and Thierry Henry but it is the new kids on the block such as Lyon star striker Karim Benzema who have caught the eye in recent months.
   Benzema saw a header come off the bar late on to see Spain hold on. Awaiting Spain in the summer are holders Greece, Russia and Sweden, while France play Italy, Holland and Romania in a tough group.
   Also Wednesday, Greece came from behind to see off Finland 2-1 in Athens while in Istanbul, Turkey and Sweden parted 0-0.
   Israel beat Romania by the only goal, Slovenia bowed 2-1 at home to Denmark and Poland scored an impressive 2-0 win away to the Czech Republic.
   In Dublin, meanwhile, a Robinho strike was enough to give Brazil victory against the Republic of Ireland.

Samuel Eto’o has played a starring role at the African Nations Cup – and soon on the silver screen too as a feature film is being shot based around the Cameroon striker.
   The film’s designed to shed some light on the myth surrounding one of Africa’s most famous exports, as well as provide a message to African youth who dream of one day emulating his path to glory.
   Filming has been taking place during the African Nations Cup where Eto’o’s five goals have helped Cameroon to a place in Thursday’s semi-finals against Ghana.
   Director Jean-Pierre Bekolo told AFP on Wednesday that ‘Eto’o’ is a mix of fact and fiction, with the football legend himself playing the principal role just as he has done for Barcelona and the Indomitable Lions.
   ‘The film’s message is directed at those young talented African youth who want to be Samuel Eto’o,’ says the 43-year-old Bekolo.
   ‘It’s about their perception and idea of what it means to be successful, where they want to be and what they want to achieve. It’s about the destiny of African football and the return of the prodigal son.
   ‘It’s also about the player going back to interview important people in his life, people like Roger Milla.’
   The first scenes were shot last year when Eto’o and Pele met former South Africa president Nelson Mandela at his 89th birthday.
   ‘We’ve already got 15 hours of filming, most of his childhood is done, and it should be out in 2010.
   ‘We’ve been shooting here in Ghana, when Eto’o’s had time between games,’ reports Bekolo for whom this will be his fourth film.
   The Cameroon superstar’s five goals in the African Nations Cup have taken his personal tally in the competition to 16 – an all time record.
   He overtook the old mark of 14 set by Laurent Pokou of the Ivory Coast in Cameroon’s opening round win over Sudan last week.
   A fierce critic of racism, Eto’o helped the ‘Indomitable Lions’ win the symbol of African national team supremacy in 2000 and 2002 and this is his fifth appearance at the biennial tournament.
   The 26-year-old needs another five to overtake Mulamba Ndaye of the Democratic Republic of Congo,
   scorer of nine when his country lifted the 1974 Nations Cup in Cairo.
   And the supreme African football predator is also closing on the all-time Cameroon record of 33-goal Patrick Mboma, needing four to draw level with a star of the 2000 Nations Cup-winning team.
   Only time though will tell whether the film is able to include a scene where Eto’o lifts aloft Cameroon’s record-equalling fifth African Nations Cup trophy on Sunday.

David Beckham and Michael Owen have been warned that their superstar reputations will not be enough to earn them a return to centre-stage with England now that Fabio Capello is in charge.
   Having axed Beckham from his squad altogether, the Italian sent out another strong signal of his determination to do things his way by leaving Owen, England’s most reliable goal-scorer for the last decade, on the bench throughout his first match in charge, Wednesday night’s friendly against Switzerland.
   A competent performance and a 2-1 victory over the joint Euro 2008 hosts got Capello’s reign off to a positive start and he offered little in the way of reassurance for either of England’s two biggest stars.
   ‘I believe in order to play for England you need to be a great player but you need to be playing well as well,’ he said. ‘At first players have to have the right quality, then they have to be fit and in good form.’
   Asked specifically why he had not given Owen any game time, Capello replied, ‘I think about substitutions according to what happens on the pitch and what I see. I decide who to bring on and who to take off. If people perform as I want they will stay on the pitch, if they don’t they will come off. Players are all equal.’
   Capello was equally unmoved by the supporters who chanted Beckham’s name as England began the match hesitantly. ‘It doesn’t influence me at all,’ he said.
   ‘I’m happy for the supporters to chant David Beckham’s name. The things I do have nothing to do with personal feelings for players. Everything is born of reasoning.’
   Substitute Shaun Wright-Phillips ensured that the Capello era began with a win after a fine first-time strike by Swiss debutant Eren Derdiyok had cancelled out a first-half opener from Jermaine Jenas. ‘Winning is always good and it is important for the morale of the team,’ Capello said after a display in which his side steadily improved over the course of the 90 minutes.
   Capello said the hesitant start was understandable in the wake of England’s last outing, a 3-2 home defeat by Croatia which ensured they did not reach the finals of Euro 2008 and cost his predecessor, Steve McClaren, his job.
   ‘We probably still had at the back of our mind the failure to qualify for Euro 2008,’ Capello said.
   ‘Wembley always generates pressure on the players and they could not play as we wished at first. But then we generated many chances to score. We did not take many of them, partly because Switzerland had a very good goalkeeper, but one of the things I was pleased with was that we did not give them many chances.
   ‘From the bench I could not see perfectly what happened with their goal. But I have an idea of the mistakes we made but perhaps that was the only defensive mistake we made in the whole game.’
   Capello added, ‘Switzerland are a team that can create problems. We made sure they were not in a position to create many.’
   Switzerland’s coach Jakob Kuhn was happy with his own side’s display.
   ‘England fought hard and they certainly did not do us any favours – they had to redeem themselves in front of new coach and their supporters. We are not proud of being defeated but the way we matched the English was something I was pleased about.’
   The composition of Capello’s starting XI was unequivocal in its indictment of the shortcomings of the previous regime.
   From the team that started the defeat to Croatia, only Steven Gerrard, Gareth Barry and Joe Cole survived.
   David Bentley was handed Beckham’s old berth on the right of midfield and the Blackburn player responded with the evening’s outstanding performance.
   Tottenham’s Jermaine Jenas also made the most of his recall from the international wilderness, opening the scoring with a simple tap-in after being teed up by Joe Cole after a lovely piece of trickery carried the Chelsea midfielder around a bewildered Swiss right-back, Stephan Lichtsteiner.
   England did have one major first-half let-off when Mario Eggimann failed to connect properly at the back post after Hakan Yakin’s free-kick had been flicked on by Philippe Senderos.
   But with Bentley in impressive form, England were comfortably superior to their guests, who conjured up an equaliser completely against the run of play just before the hour mark.
   England needed just over three minutes to reassert themselves, Wright-Phillips tapping the ball into an empty net after Gerrard had surged through the inside-left channel.

Spain snatched a 1-0 win over World Cup finalists France thanks to a late goal from left back Joan Capdevila in a Euro 2008 warm-up on Wednesday.
   France dominated for most of a tactical and conservative friendly, but the game burst into life when Capdevila put Spain in front snapping in a rebound from close range 10 minutes from time.
   Thierry Henry had two great chances to equalise but his first flew wide of the post and his second was blocked by the ever alert Spain keeper Iker Casillas.
   It was only the second time Spain have beaten France in their last 11 meetings, a victory that compensated for an otherwise unfortunate evening for the home side.
   Barcelona forward Bojan Krkic missed his chance to become Spain’s youngest cap when he suffered a recurrence of stomach problems shortly before kickoff, while striker Fernando Torres and defender Angel both went off injured.
   ‘It’s frustrating when you see our performance. We could at least not have lost,’ said France coach Raymond Domenech.
   ‘It’s a shame because we played the way I wanted, the way I expected us to do,’ he told reporters.
   ‘I’m pleased because we created some opportunities. I saw interesting things...It is more positive than negative.’
   France looked the better side in the first half, gaining the upper hand in midfield and carrying more of a threat up front.
   Striker Nicolas Anelka cracked a fierce shot just wide of the post in the opening minutes and then forced a great one-handed save from Casillas with another angled effort.
   Spain rarely threatened Gregory Coupet’s goal, their only real chance coming when midfielder Xavi lashed a curling free kick into the side netting on 13 minutes.
   Their attacking power was further diminished when Torres was forced off with what looked like a thigh strain midway through the half.
   France continued to dominate after the break but failed to take advantage and Capdevila gave Spain the lead when he stabbed home from two metres after midfielder Lassana Diarra had headed a fierce Andres Iniesta shot off the line.
   In a frantic final few minutes, France substitute Karim Benzema hit the bar with a powerful header and Henry sliced wide with his follow-up and then had an injury-time chance blocked by Casillas.
   ‘France are a very difficult side to play against and neither team had many chances,’ said Spain coach Luis Aragones. ‘After the goal we lost control of the ball and we were lucky not to concede one ourselves.’

Italy produced a typically efficient performance to beat Portugal 3-1 in a friendly international match in Zurich on Wednesday.
   Bayern Munich forward Luca Toni opened the scoring in first-half injury-time and AC Milan midfielder Andrea Pirlo doubled the advantage six minutes after the break with a bobbling shot from distance.
   Ricardo Quaresma pulled a goal back with less than a quarter of an hour to play but two minutes later Udinese forward Fabio Quagliarella sealed the victory.
   Although there was nothing resting on this result, pride was at stake for two of the favourites for the Euro 2008 title in June in Austria and Switzerland.
   And while Italy’s attacking play was at times sumptuous, they were greatly helped by shambolic defending from the nominal visitors. Even so, Italy coach Roberto Donadoni was left gushing at the end.
   ‘That was a great performance, we’ve shown once again that we’re a great team,’ he told Rai TV.
   ‘They’ve answered everyone in a big way. I can’t complain about anything, normally I’m demanding but if they respond like that then I can’t be anything but happy.’
   The result continued a remarkable domination for the Italians over their opponents, whom they have beaten 10 times in 11 encounters since 1976.
   Portugal’s Brazilian coach Luiz Filipe Scolari said it was game savy that made the difference.
   ‘Italian are a very experienced team and in the important moments they know what to do,’ he said.
   Portugal dominated possession in the first period but Italy proved the more clinical in creating chances and deservedly went in front on the stroke of half-time.
   They had already had a Pirlo strike disallowed for a non-existant handball by the Milan player on four minutes, while Udinese’s Antonio Di Natale missed the ball completely on 13 minutes with the goal at his mercy from a right-wing
   cross by Juventus’s Raffaele Palladino.
   Palladino set Di Natale up again but Real Betis goalkeeper Ricardo parried his snap shot and up the other end Portugal striker Ariza Makukula fired just wide from the edge of the box.
   Livorno goalkeeper Marco Amelia saved a wicked free-kick from Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo three minutes before the break before Portugal then wasted a two-on-one break.
   Quaresma overhit his pass to Ronaldo, pushing the Manchester United star too far wide and allowing the desperate Italy defenders to regroup and clear.
   Portugal were made to pay dearly within a minute when substitute full-back Fabio Grosso crossed from the left and both Ricardo and Chelsea’s Ricardo Carvalho failed to cut out the ball, allowing Toni to prod home at the back post.
   Just after the re-start Toni was twice denied in quick succession by Ricardo and Jose Bosingwa but from the resulting corner Pirlo took a swing from outside the box with a slight deflection coming off team-mate Fabio Cannavaro and causing the ball to bobble up and beat the unsighted Ricardo.
   Italy started to dominate and Ricardo tipped a Palladino volley on to the bar as the world champions threatened to run riot.
   Portugal finally started to look dangerous in the latter stages and Quaresma crashed home a low cross from the left by Manchester United winger Nani with 14 minutes to play.
   But almost immediately Portugal’s defence went missing at the other end and Quagliarella turned home a headed flick-on from Roma’s Simone Perrotta.

David Beckham has been voted the world’s sexiest football player, beating out a host of younger men for the title.
   The Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder, who is married to Spice Girls star Victoria, topped a poll by British female fans to find the sexiest player in the world, beating Barcelona and French striker Thierry Henry into second place.
   West Ham’s Swedish international and Calvin Klein model Freddie Ljungberg came third, while Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo was fourth.
   Simon Lassam, of www.thepeoplesclub.com which conducted the poll, said, ‘The survey results show the British public have an eye for who is hot on the soccer pitch and that it’s not just British Premiership players that are catching their eye.
   ‘They have picked a really multi-cultural mix, perhaps reflecting the amount of influence other countries have on our soccer these days. It shows David Beckham hasn’t lost his sex appeal. He’s loved for his looks, style and ball skills, despite having moved to Los Angeles.’
   David, 32, is not the only member of the Beckham family to be regarded as sexy. Victoria was recently named the world’s sexiest mother. The 33-year-old star – who has three sons, Brooklyn, eight, Romeo, five, and two-year-old Cruz, with David – was given the title by lingerie company Victoria’s Secret in their annual What is Sexy list.
   Peoplesclub.com’s world’s sexiest football stars:
   1 David Beckham (LA Galaxy, England)
   2 Thierry Henry (Barcelona, France)
   3 Freddie Ljungberg (West Ham Utd, Sweden)
   4 Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester Utd, Portugal)
   5 Fernando Torres (Liverpool, Spain)
   6 Paolo Maldini (AC Milan, Italy)
   7 Kaka (AC Milan, Brazil)
   8 Michael Owen (Newcastle Utd, England)
   9 Andriy Shevchenko (Chelsea, Ukraine)
   10 Frank Lampard (Chelsea, England)

Chelsea’s Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech will be obliged to wear his protective helmet for ‘many seasons to come,’ he said in an interview with the Czech daily Dnes on Wednesday.
   ‘The opinion of doctors is primordial. And as a result of that I certainly will not be able to take off my helmet for many seasons to come,’ Cech said.
   The 25-year-old goalkeeper was forced to wear the helmet following a horrific head injury during the Premier League match against Reading in October 2006. Cech suffered a fractured skull and underwent surgery following the clash with Reading striker Stephen Hunt.
   ‘As the bone in the skull has already been fractured, there is no guarantee that this could not happen again. No-one wants to allow the slightest risk,’ Cech added.
   ‘The helmet allows me to play. I have already got used to it, I am not aware of it during the game,’ he added.