Personal bodyguards will shadow Australia’s cricketers during next month’s Pakistan tour as part of planned stringent security usually reserved for visiting heads of state, reports said Friday.
   The Pakistan Cricket Board has proposed the measures following Australian concerns over security that has left a question mark over the future of the tour, in a nation which has suffered a string of bombings and other violence.
   Bodyguards will be assigned to each Australian player, bomb-detection dogs used and roads closed to all traffic nearby as the visiting team travels to and from grounds, The Sydney Morning Herald said.
   ‘If a player is travelling in a lift, there will be security with him. If he goes to eat somewhere, he will have protection. There will be man-to-man security,’ a senior PCB official told the newspaper.
   ‘All roads will be closed to traffic every time the team travels to and from the ground. When they are entering their team bus, it will be checked by bomb-disposal units. There will be sniffer dogs, too.’
   However Cricket Australia still has concerns about the tour, and contacted PCB officials on Thursday about security at venues in Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Faisalabad, the newspaper said.
   CA chairman Creagh O’Connor will also write to his Pakistani counterpart, Nasim Ashraf, to further outline his worries, the newspaper said.
   The pair along with other cricket officials from the two nations met in Dubai this week over the tour, with an option of playing the series in Australia discussed.
   O’Connor is believed to have told Ashraf that March-April would not be an ideal time to play in Australia due to wet weather and a clash with popular football codes.
   The senior PCB official told the Herald that the level of security afforded the Australian players would be the equivalent of that of visiting heads of state, and there should be no fears for their safety.
   ‘CA have got issues with the venues,’ the official said. ‘We will wait to see Creagh O’Connor’s letter. They don’t have an issue with the cricketing side of things, it comes to the safety and security of their players.
   ‘Once your (pre-tour security assessors) are out here, we can sit down and discuss whatever needs to be discussed and any issues they have.
   ‘What the indication is from them is there is too short a time, and they won’t be able to come for a pre-tour visit.’
   CA spokesman Peter Young confirmed that the option of hosting the Pakistanis was raised by Ashraf in Dubai, although the chairman wanted to swap the tours so Australia would visit the subcontinent nation at the end of next year.
   Young said the Australian team had commitments to be in Australia at that time and could not travel.
   ‘We are familiar with all four cities (in Pakistan), and they all have got the appropriate facilities for playing cricket,’ Young said.
   ‘What we need to get a clear understanding of is what safety and security measures will be in place.
   ‘We are still working through the process and we will not put our players and officials in any position where their safety is at risk.’
   The PCB official said there was no possibility of playing the series at a neutral venue.

A 15-member Bangladesh Under-19 squad, led by Suhrawardy Shuvo, leaves for Malaysia tonight to participate in the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup that begins on February 17.
   On the eve of its departure, team sponsors AB Bank Limited wished the Junior Tigers success at a function held at the Sheraton Hotel in the city, AB Bank president and managing director Kaiser A Chowdhury, deputy managing director Niaz Habib, BCB member Col (retd) MA Latif Khan and CEO Mahmudur Rahman, team manager GS Hasan Chowdhury and captain Shuvo along with the other players and officials were present.
   ‘We will definitely try to bring the World Cup home,’ Shuvo said. ‘We don’t know much about our group opponents like Ireland and Bermuda, but England is definitely a good team. He however said anything could happen in the competition. He mentioned that before the last World Cup, Bangladesh beat England in six preparation matches, but lost to them in the World Cup. Shuvo said they are very confident of playing good cricket, especially as their spinners are playing a vital role in winning matches.
   ‘We have been playing together for the last three months and this helped us to overcome our batting problems.’
   He said that after the group stage, Pakistan, India, Australia, England and South Africa could be their toughest opponents. Prior to the group matches, they will play two practice matches on February 11 and 13. The team’s build-up for the showcase event has been good. They clinched the one-day series against West Indies 2-1 and whitewashed Nepal 3-0. Before that they became runners-up in the triangular series conceding defeat to India in the final, which also involved hosts South Africa.
   Squad
   Suhrawardy Shuvo (captain), Dollar Mahmud, Rubel Hossain, Syed Gulam Kibriya, Rony Talukder, Mahmudul Hasan Limon (vice-captain), Nasir Hossain Nasir, KM Shakil, Mohammad Nadimuddin Mintu, Mithun Ali, Saikat Ali, Amit Majumder, Ashiqul Islam, Shuvashish Roy and Ashraful Hossain. Officials: GS Hasan Chowdhury (team manager), ESM Ashfaq ul Islam (operations manager), Nazmul Abedin Fahim (head coach), Minhajul Abedin Nannu (assistant coach), Emdadul Huq (fielding coach), Tusher Kanti Howlader (fitness trainer), Azmal Ahmed Mithu (physio) and Mohammad Salahuddin (computer analyst).
   
   Fixtures
   Group D
   Bangladesh, Bermuda, England and Ireland
   Date Match Venue
   Feb 18 Bangladesh v Bermuda Bayuemas Oval, KL
   Feb 20 Bangladesh v Ireland Bayuemas Oval, KL
   Feb 22 Bangladesh v England Royal Selangor Club, KL

Australia (253/6) beat Sri Lanka (125) by 128 runs
   Australian bowler Nathan Bracken starred as his side thrashed Sri Lanka by 128 runs in a World Cup final rerun in the tri-series competition here Friday.
   The home side made 253 for six after winning the toss and electing to bat and the Sri Lankans were never in the hunt after losing two early wickets, making a paltry 125.
   It was the first time the sides had met in a one-day international since Australia’s win in last year’s World Cup final and although Kumar Sangakkara offered some brief hope in the run chase with a sparkling 42 from 41 balls, once he fell the tourists collapsed dramatically.
   Sangakkara was in peak form, taking 16 runs off one Brett Lee over, but was trapped LBW by a delivery that jagged back off the pitch and into his pads from impressive swing bowler Nathan Bracken.
   The Sri Lankans were then 74 for four and when Chamara Silva (7) and Chamara Kapugedera (0) went quickly, they had lost three wickets for 10 runs in just 14 balls and never recovered.
   Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene admitted his top order batsmen simply didn’t do enough.
   ‘We lost too many wickets up front and we are very disappointed with the performance,’ he said.
   ‘We haven’t been very consistent with our one-day form and we’ve been talking about it quite a bit.
   ‘We thought we were getting back into it, but today was a very disappointing day.
   ‘Against these guys you have to play A-grade cricket.’
   Australian captain Ricky Ponting said he always felt confident after his team’s innings.
   ‘I thought 250 batting first on that wicket was a pretty good total and our batsmen adapted really well,’ he said.
   ‘Michael Clarke played a really sensible knock, not taking too many risks and making sure he was there at the end.
   ‘I knew our bowlers would be able to take the pace off the ball and use the seam on the ball and Nathan Bracken did a great job of doing that.’
   On a slow pitch that suited his clever changes of pace, Bracken was the destroyer, claiming five wickets in 8.3 overs for career-best figures.
   He removed opener Upul Tharanga (10) in his first spell and returned to claim the wickets of Sangakkara, kapugedera and Tillakaratne Dilshan (14) in quick succession as Sri Lanka slumped to 93 for seven.
   Bracken later dismissed Muttiah Muralitharan to end the Sri Lankan innings and claim just his second five-wicket haul in one-day internationals.
   Sri Lanka’s woes were summed up by the dismissal of tailender Lasith Malinga, who was run out in bizarre fashion for two.
   Malinga slid his bat into the apparent safety of the crease at the non-striker’s end as Andrew Symonds’ throw at the stumps came in, but then dropped his bat and had both feet in the air when the ball hit the stumps.
   The decision went to the third umpire and he was duly given out.
   Earlier, half-centuries to Michael Clarke and Adam Gilchrist had provided the foundation for the Australian total.
   Clarke held the innings together with an unbeaten 77, including a towering six off Muralitharan, while Gilchrist was more cautious than usual in making 61, with opener Matthew Hayden chipping in with a brisk 42 at the top of the order in his first game back from a hamstring strain.
   Australia had looked set for an even bigger score when the openers put on 65 in quick time, but Chaminda Vaas stemmed the flow of runs with 2-34 from 10 overs.
   Muralitharan was forced from the field late in the Australian innings after being hit in the face by the ball in the field.
   It was the first of three matches in the series to produce a result, with the first two games both washed out, and the win propelled Australia to the top of the table, with India second and Sri Lanka third.

England go into their one-day cricket series against New Zealand starting today on a high here after victories in two Twenty20 matches left New Zealand’s confidence in tatters.
   There has been a huge swing in form for both sides since New Zealand thrashed England by six wickets with nine overs to spare in their World Cup pool match 11 months ago.
   It was performances such as that which underscored New Zealand’s world third ranking, but both sides have since gone through a period of rebuilding and there is little doubt the new look English unit appears much stronger.
   In the Twenty20 matches—in which England won the first by 32 runs and the second by 50 — the tourists produced superior batting and tighter bowling while exposing New Zealand’s all-round inadequacies.
   To add to New Zealand’s woes their one bright hope, teenager Tim Southee, has been pulled out of the one-day squad with the selectors wanting him to go to Malaysia instead for the under-19 World Cup tournament.
   Injured captain Daniel Vettori and all-rounder Jacob Oram are likely to return, though neither are fully fit.
   Vettori missed the Twenty20 thrashings because of an ankle injury and the joint is still swollen, but he is anxious to be back in the side.
   ‘They (England) played well and out-performed us in all three facets of the game and we’ve got to find a way to match them and the 50-over game is something we’ve done quite well at over the years,’ Vettori said.
   ‘I want to be out there leading the team, I’ll push myself towards playing. I don’t like missing these games, I want to be out there trying to contribute.’
   Oram, who pulled a hamstring in the first Twenty20 game, may return only as a batsman as his power hitting is a vital weapon in the New Zealand armoury.
   A final decision on whether the pair play will be made on Saturday morning just hours before the first one-day international is to start.
   Meanwhile, the English side were denied a training opportunity Friday after a hijacking drama at Christchurch Airport delayed their arrival in the capital.
   But their confidence levels are so high it was of little concern to captain Paul Collingwood.
   ‘The boys are in a confident mood and our bowling is pleasing us more and more every day—the way we’re defending totals and the way we’re hitting the pitch,’ he said.
   ‘There are so many positives it’s untrue. The guys are really getting to know their roles in the side.’
   However, Collingwood said he was still taking nothing for granted as his side seeks to improve on their lowly seventh-ranking on the one-day ladder.
   ‘They (New Zealand) are still a dangerous side,’ he said.
   ‘I don’t think we’ve demoralised them but we can take a lot of positives out of our performances and hopefully we’re starting to dent a few confidences in their side.’

The 17-member Bangladesh cricket team begins its practice camp at the Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium this morning ahead of the home series against South Africa.
   On the first day the Tigers are likely to have light training and fielding exercises.
   South Africa will arrive in Bangladesh on February 14 to play two Tests and three ODIs.
   Meanwhile, the BCB also announced a 14-member squad for the three-day warm-up match against the tourists at the Fatullah Stadium beginning on February 17. The first Test begins at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on February 22. The Chittagong Divisional Stadium will stage the second Test from February 29 to March 4. The first one-day international will also be held at the same venue on March 9. Both teams will play remaining ODIs on March 12 and 14 in Dhaka.
   Warm-up squad: Junaed Siddiqui, Shahriar Nafees, Nazimuddin, Rajin Saleh, Shakib Al Hasan, Aftab Ahmed, Mushfiqur Rahim, Enamul Haque Jr, Sajedul Islam, Talha Jubaer, Farhad Reza, Syed Rasel, Roqibul Hassan and Habibul Bashar.

The trophy awarding ceremony of the Dhaka Metropolis Cricket Leagues (Premier Division, First Division, Second Division, Third Division and Third Division Qualifying) from 2000 to 2007 will be held at the Hotel Sheraton this evening.
   Bangladesh Cricket Board president Maj Gen. Sina Ibn Jamali will be the chief guest at the function. After no trophies were awarded to the champions and runners-up teams from 2000-2007, the present Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis has taken the initiative to hand over the trophies to the clubs that finished first and second in Dhaka Metropolis Cricket Leagues.

Chapainawabganj DSA crushed Joypurhat DSA 36-2 in the opening match of the Exim Bank 18th National Men’s Handball Competition at the Jamalpur Stadium on Friday.
   The winners led the first half 19-2. In the day’s other matches, Natore DSA outclassed Joypurhat DSA 21-6 goals after leading the first half 12-2 while Gaibandha DSA beat hosts Jamalpur DSA 11-9 after trailing 2-5 in the first half.
   Earlier, Jamalpur Police Super Aminul Islam inaugurated the competition as chief guest. Bangladesh Handball Federation vice-president and Jamalpur Poursava chairman Advocate Shah Mohammad Wares Ali Mamun was present as special guest.

A total of 17 players won their respective matches on the second day of the Islami Bank 28th National Badminton Cham-pionship at the Paltan Ground wooden floor gymnasium on the Friday.
   Parash, Enayet, Saif, Hannan, Tushar, Goutam, Osmani, Raju, Shohag, Shahabuddin, Mamun, Rana, Zahed, Sajjad, Khaled and Enam won their matches in the men’s singles while Elina defeated Rozina in the lone match of the women’s singles.

Former world number one golfer Ernie Els, who is here to play Indian Masters, confessed he is a huge fan of batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar.
   ‘He is an un believable player, one of greatest players ever. I love watching him. Els, who has three majors in his kitty, said.
   ‘Your (One-day) captain Mr Dhoni is also a good striker of the ball. I also like Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid,’ he added.
   ‘You have a good (Test) captain in Anil Kumble as well,’ the South African, also referred as ‘The Big Easy’ for his imposing physical stature (1.90m) along with his fluid, seemingly effortless swing, said.
   Cricket was among the games the Els excelled in during his childhood before golf lured him away. But despite his busy globe-trotting schedule, the world number four seems quite abreast with the recent developments in the world of cricket and believes India is undoubtedly the second best team, after Australia.
   Asked about his memory of playing cricket in his childhood, Els said, ‘I was an all-rounder and bowled medium pace.’
   Cricket’s loss, however, turned out to be golf’s gain with Els rising to the world number one ranking, although just for a while.

Ranjan Ram of Bangladesh and Taipe’s Lee moved into the boys’ doubles semi-finals of the GrameenPhone International Under-18 Junior Tennis Championship when they defeated Indonesia’s Markati and Malaysia’s Los Santos 6-4, 6-3 at the Zafar Imam Tennis Complex on Friday.
   In the boys’ singles, top seed I-Ta Chen of Taipei defeated No 10 Korea’s Ho-Min Kang 6-2, 6-2 in the quarter-finals. He will face No 6 Ben McLachlan of New Zealand in the semi-finals.
   McLachlan booked his place after ousting Malaysian fourth seed Los Santos 6-4, 6-2.
   But there no luck for his brother Riki, the No 3, who suffered a shock 0-6, 7-6 , 6-1 defeat at the hands of unseeded Yi Chen Li of China.
   Li will next face Canadian Kelsey Stevenson in the last four. Stevenson, seeded 12, eliminated Korea’s Kwon 7-5, 6-3.
   In the girls’ singles, England’s Lisa Whybourn, the No 9, sent top-ranked Poojashree Venkatesh tumbling with a 6-1, 6-2 defeat to advance to the semi-finals. Her opponent will be fourth-seeded Slovak Petra Jorova who earned a walk-over against Russian No 5 Anna Morgina.
   The other semi-final will be between No 2 Jawairiah Noordin of Malaysia and No 8 Zi Yang of China.

The Premier League confirmed that teams will be able to name seven substitutes in matches next season.
   Currently, only five substitutes can be named by Premier League teams - with three of them able to be used.
   The current rule, which has existed for 12 years, means the League falls into line with major European leagues, UEFA and international tournaments.
   The proposal was Tottenham’s – and the club are delighted the rule amendment was approved by the league at a meeting of their chairmen.
   Spurs chairman Daniel Levy told his club’s official website, ‘We have promoted and lobbied for this rule change for some time and we are absolutely delighted our proposal was supported by member clubs.
   ‘It’s important there is a level playing field across all competitions. We constantly refer to ourselves as the most attractive footballing league in the world, but in order to both maintain that label and improve our competitive edge, it is important to give our managers and coaches greater choice on the substitutes bench, enabling them to be more creative tactically.
   ‘That was the objective behind us bringing this proposal to the table. ‘Additionally, it should also mean that younger players from the academy can be given an opportunity to break into the first team.’

Two of the batsmen the SCG crowd was desperate to see put in unusual performances as they faced off for one of the last times. The left-handed gunfight between Adam Gilchrist and Sanath Jayasuriya did not explode as the conditions were not ideal for the flashy strokeplay that has been a feature of the stunning openers’ careers.
   Jayasuriya’s only chance of returning to Sydney as a player is if Sri Lanka make the final and he was unable to find another jewel at a ground he adores in front of people who feel the same way about him. This time he was easily out-pointed by Gilchrist, who scored a 61 which was subdued by his exceptional standards.
   The previous time Jayasuriya toured here, having been re-instated to the team immediately after arriving late to the tour, he lashed a brutal 114, his third hundred in a row at the stadium. His 7 tonight included one striking boundary, a flay to third man off Brett Lee after he had joined Gilchrist in struggling to start in the usual tempo.
   Heavy rain forced the pitch to spend days undercover in the lead-up to the game and one of the results was slow and sometimes very low bounce. Something extra special was required for free scoring, which was achieved only by Matthew Hayden and Kumar Sangakkara in Australia’s 128-run win, and the surface upset the rhythm of the two top-of-the-order belters.
   Facing Lee a ball after hitting his boundary, Jayasuriya was not sure whether he wanted to leave outside off stump, but the bat drifted towards the ball, found the bottom edge and cannoned on to the stumps. A younger version of Jayasuriya would not have had the interference between mind and body, but he is 38 and the ticking grows louder by the tour.
   Gilchrist, 36, heard the retirement noise during the India Test series and his cross-country farewell is taking on the itinerary of a rock band. He is desperate to give his fans some final memories to lock away, but the conditions were not conducive to blasting entertainment and he was cautious for most of the innings.
   When Hayden was 33, Gilchrist was 4, but things soon looked like changing when he pulled a fierce six in front of square off Lasith Malinga’s speed and crunched boundaries through and over cover off Ishara Amerasinghe. However, a couple of legside miscues that narrowly avoided fielders showed the difficulty in gauging the bounce and the sensible option was taken.
   Often Gilchrist half-centuries have come before the 15-over mark, but his 54th fifty arrived in the 27th over from 67 balls. It is a measure of the way Gilchrist has altered expectations that it felt like he was crawling. Until Jayasuriya gained confidence as a one-day opener in the 1990s that rate of scoring was considered healthy. Both men rejected such thoughts and sprinted at a speed that was breathtaking and bowler breaking.
   Gilchrist was trying to lift his pace when he tried to sweep Chamara Kapugedera, who is significantly faster than medium, and missed. The ball was going on to the stumps until it hit Gilchrist’s pad and Tony Hill, the umpire, almost pointed at him to signal the dismissal.
   He headed for the dressing room to more moving applause, having taken 81 balls to register three fours and the six. A similar reception came when Jayasuriya trod back through the members’ area, ending one of the final head-to-head battles of a couple of game-changing swashbucklers.

Wayne Rooney insists David Bentley has become England’s new Goldenballs.
   Blackburn midfielder Bentley starred in David Beckham’s old No 7 shirt at Wembley on Wednesday — proving boss Fabio Capello was right to drop the ageing Becks after all.
   Manchester United striker Rooney told The Sun: ‘I think David Bentley did really well. He is like a young David Beckham — the vision and the confidence he has is brilliant.
   ‘You see the way Becks has played over the years, he has been fantastic for England.
   ‘I am sure he still can be but if you see Bentley, he is always looking for options. The way he plays with vision, his crossing and always finding players is brilliant.
   ‘He provided the perfect delivery, created a few chances and, as a striker, that’s all you can ask for.’
   Becks, 32, is stranded on 99 England caps but will be lucky to get a look-in under his former Real Madrid boss Capello with Bentley, 23, playing so well on the right. Rooney, on the other hand, was left isolated and frustrated up front alone against Switzerland and has now only managed 14 goals for his 41 caps.
   Yet the Old Trafford hitman, 22, insists he has no problems with Capello’s 4-5-1 formation — and all that matters is the Three Lions winning. Rooney said: ‘I enjoy playing up there. I’ve done it a few times for United this season, so have no problem with that.
   ‘I had a few chances, so I can’t complain. Sometimes you want to get a bit more involved in the game but the main thing we’ve worked on this week, and the manager’s tried to get across to all the players, is it’s all about the team.
   ‘If that means me staying up the pitch and not getting involved as much as I want, that’s no problem. The most important thing was the win.
   ‘We know we can play better but we only had three days with the new manager and there is a long time to go before the first World Cup qualifiers.’
   Only Steven Gerrard, Gareth Barry and Joe Cole survived from the starting XI that lost to Croatia to end England’s hopes of qualifying for Euro 2008.
   Rooney added: ‘It is always exciting when a new manager comes in. You want to show him you can play. You want to compete, you want to keep your place.
   ‘It was a different team to what we have seen over the last couple of years and I think the people he has picked will fit in pretty well.
   ‘Jermaine Jenas did well and capped it off with his goal but everyone worked their socks off.’

Defending champions Egypt have reached their second successive African Nations Cup final by playing a stylish, passing game in a tournament where most other teams have favoured raw physical power.
   The Egyptians trounced hot favourites Ivory Coast 4-1 in Thursday’s semi-final, a rematch of the 2006 final, which they won on penalties after a goalless draw.
   On that occasion, Egypt’s fifth Nations Cup title was largely attributed to the advantage of playing on home soil in a tournament marred by controversial refereeing.
   This time, their slick football has been one of the highlights of the tournament and there is little argument that they deserve their place in Sunday’s final against Cameroon.
   Eleven of the 16 coaches who began the Nations Cup are European and their influence has been clear with most teams playing a fast and furious game.
   The Ghana-Cameroon semi-final played earlier on Thursday in Accra was fairly typical as the midfield was often bypassed and the tackles flew in.
   In contrast, Egypt bore more resemblance to a South American side, stroking the ball around in midfield and patiently trying to work an opening. At one stage they strung more than 40 passes together.
   Midfielders Hosni Abd Rabou and Ahmed Hassan were always looking to open up the Ivorian defence with cleverly weighted passes rather than simply hoofing upfield for the forwards to chase.
   ‘All the Egyptian players like South American football, we like Argentina, we like Brazil, we like this style of football,’ assistant coach Shawky Gharib told Reuters.
   ‘But the most important thing is that we play with our minds. First of all, we think about what we are going to do on the pitch,’ said Gharib, who routinely acts as spokesman for senior coach Hassan Shehata.
   Clinical efficiency in attack is another Egyptian attribute and the team have averaged just under three goals a game for the tournament.
   Egypt remain something of an enigma with nearly all their players still plying their trade at home.
   Only one of the players who started on Thursday is based abroad, yet they still managed to upstage an Ivorian team replete with well known players from the English and French leagues.
   On Sunday, they will find themselves in a similar situation when they take on a powerful Cameroon side headed by Barcelona’s Samuel Eto’o.
   Egypt have already outfoxed Cameroon in the group
   stage, winning 4-2 and are confident of repeating their feat. ‘Now, we will win the final,’ said Gharib.

Mickey Arthur, South Africa’s coach, has filed a counter-charge against board president Norman Arendse after a heated exchange between the two and in response to disciplinary charges filed against him with regard to a selection dispute over the squad for the tour to Bangladesh.
   ‘Yes, there is animosity between us,’ Arthur told Supersport. ‘I told him he was power-crazy and egotistical but I never swore at him.
   ‘I’ve taken him on about this team. The transformation policy that Arendse wants to be applied does not exist. He is out of bounds. I told him he was not a selector and should keep his nose out of team selections. I can say now that he regularly sends back teams,’ Arthur said, while not elaborating when such incidents took place.
   ‘Unfortunately I felt I had no choice but to do likewise [file a counter-charge],’ Arthur told Reuters. ‘The president accused me of all sorts of things apart from failing, or even refusing to implement CSA’s (Cricket South Africa’s) transformation policies. That is simply untrue.’
   Arthur’s comments come in the wake of his argument with Arendse in a second teleconference on Thursday to sort out the team’s selection. Arendse, in the first discussion on Tuesday, reportedly refused to approve the squad chosen by the six-man selection committee, of which Arthur is a member, as it contained less than seven coloured players.
   ‘What’s his problem? We have a good, established team and with the exception of one match we have fielded four black players in every Test this season,’ said Arthur. ‘I don’t know where he gets the idea that there should be seven black players in the touring team.’
   Arendse alleged that Arthur had behaved in a ‘disrespectful’ and ‘abusive’ manner in the meeting, and had laid disciplinary charges against him and indicated that CSA policy about team selection was not followed. ‘If a coach says, ‘There’s no transformation policy’ [among selectors], if he says, ‘Sorry, I’m not prepared to implement CSA’s policies’, then his position is untenable.’
   Arthur, however, had a different take on it. ‘The president’s implication would appear to be that I prefer to select white players over black players, which is deeply insulting and hurtful,’ he said. ‘[Coloured players like] Hashim Amla, Charl Langeveldt and JP Duminy have all established themselves in the national squad in my time as coach while Ashwell Prince became the country’s first black captain.’
   Arthur also said he had received an ‘insulting’ email from Arendse, over which he had obtained legal advice.
   Meanwhile, CSA chief executive Gerard Mujola said he would try and defuse the dispute between the two. ‘It is within my powers to try and broker a peace deal between the two men and that is what I hope to achieve, but it depends on whether they want that to happen, whether they are prepared to talk,’ Majola told Reuters. ‘We have never had two officials charging each other with disciplinary breaches; I’m not sure how we would handle that.’

Arsene Wenger on Friday became the first major club manager to express his support for the Premier League’s plan to stage competitive matches in cities around the world.
   ‘My first instinct is not be against the initiative,’ the Arsenal manager said. ‘You have to accept that the Premier League is not just ruling day by day—people are thinking how we can improve the game.
   ‘It is only one idea. It will only work if people respect the games; the quality of organisation, the competitive aspect of the games and the fairness of the game have to be respected.
   ‘To promote the league and keep it the best in the world is a good idea. These priorities have to be considered and if they are, why not?’
   Wenger played down concerns among British-based fan groups, who have argued that foreign matches will further disrupt the link between clubs and the communities they are rooted in, saying the concerns of overseas-based fans had to be considered as well. ‘Ninety percent of people who love the Premier League have no access to the games,’ Wenger said.
   ‘Friendlies will not keep people interested in the game. It is not respecting people who love the game to say you can watch it on television but not live.
   ‘I don’t want to be against it just because it is a new idea.’

Sri Lanka’s legendary former cricket captain Arjuna Ranatunga, who recently took over the running of the island’s troubled governing body in the sport, Friday announced a major revamp of the administration.
   The outspoken Ranatunga, who won the World Cup in 1996, had been critical of those who had run Sri Lanka Cricket, previously frequently accusing them of mismanagement.
   Ranatunga took over the reins of the SLC after being appointed by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse early last month.
   ‘I do not want to delve too much into what has happened in the past. I am keen to put things right through action,’ Ranatunga, 44, told reporters here. He said former players will have a key role in his administration and he had already secured the services of at least three. Aravinda de Silva, the former star batsman, along with Sidath Wettimuny and Guy de Alwis sit beside Ranatunga in the newly expanded interim committee of the SLC.
   ‘For the first time at SLC, we are now talking cricket as former cricketers are now showing an interest,’ Ranatunga said. Formerly it was largely businessmen who had control.
   He said Somachandra de Silva, a star Test leg spinner in Sri Lanka’s early years, had compiled a report to revive the game at junior levels. The SLC would look at the report with a view to improving the game at grassroots and to generate more interest among young players in the provinces.
   Ranatunga previously said the SLC had no money left and was banking on financial support from India to stay afloat.
   And prior to taking over he warned that there was a lack of fresh blood coming into the game in Sri Lanka and the country was in danger of being overtaken even by lowly Bangladesh.
   On the pitch Friday there was little to cheer however, the Sri Lankans thrashed by 128 runs in a tri-series game against Australia in Sydney.

Australia midfielder Tim Cahill has voiced delight at the prospect of playing a Premier league match for Everton in Sydney.
   Cahill, who knows all about long-haul journeys to matches having just returned from international duty, described the league’s plans for an international round of matches as ‘awesome.’
   ‘The prospect of playing for Everton in Sydney is just fantastic,’ he told his club’s website.
   ‘The Australian people love Premier League football and I am sure a club as big as Everton would attract a massive following.’
   Asked about the fatiguing impact of the travelling involved, Cahill replied: ‘That wouldn’t bother me!’
   ‘Recovery period afterwards? That wouldn’t worry me either if it meant playing for Everton in Sydney.
   ‘Just the very thought of playing for us in a packed stadium in Australia really excites me.’

Cricket Australia has taken strong exception to Geoffrey Boycott’s claim Shaun Tait showed a ‘lack of character’ for going on an indefinite break from the game. Boycott said Tait, who withdrew due to physical and emotional exhaustion after the India Test series, should have shown more commitment and desire to work through the problems.
   A Cricket Australia spokesman said Tait had outlined the seriousness of his situation when he stepped down last month. ‘It is disappointing that any former international cricketer would treat these issues so lightly,’ the spokesman said, ‘given the particular columnist’s stated view in 2006, and considering that he detailed his own similar experiences and referred to how he coped with his own situation.’
   Boycott wrote a column after Marcus Trescothick returned to England before the 2006-07 Ashes with a stress-related problem and sympathised with the batsman. ‘I know what Trescothick is going through at the moment because for three years I opted out of playing for England [in the 1970s],’ Boycott wrote. ‘I was being split between Yorkshire and England and, in the end, it all got too much for me.
   ‘When you are suffering from stress, you just want to run away. You can’t face the pressure any more and you need to escape. It is not like a broken leg or a bloody nose. There are no external symptoms and nobody can see your suffering. It is a silent illness.’
   There is currently no timescale for Tait’s return and the spokesman said his recovery would not be rushed. Australia’s players have talked of their efforts to keep Tait’s spirits up by maintaining regular phone contact and they plan to take him under their wings when he regains his fitness.

GM Abdullah Al Rakib (Rating-2506) earned 3.5 points, IM Enamul Hossain Rajib (Rating-2522) and Fide Master Sk Nasir Ahmed (Rating-2379) earned 3 points each after the sixth round of the International Chess Festival of Moscow Open on Thursday.
   In this round Rakib lost against GM Arkandij Naiditsch (Rating-2638) of Germany, Rajib drew with IM Ruslan Soltanici (Rating-2379) of Macedonia and Nasir lost against IM Anton Demchenko (Rating-2491) of Russia.

Twenty-one players won their first round matches in the preliminary phase of the Aromatic Gold 29th National Chess Championship, sponsored by Marico Bangladesh Limited that began on Friday.
   The players earning one point include Shamima Akter Liza, Nazrana Kahan Eva, Zakia Sulatan, Masuda Begum, Shamiha Sharmin Shimmi, Arifa Khatun Moni, Mimi Arjuman, Hamida Rahman and Rokshana Titli.
   Forty-two women and girls from Dhaka and other six districts are participating in the event.
   Eight players will qualify for the final phase.

The Ivory Coast received a roasting from the national press over what was termed their ‘humiliating’ 4-1 semi-final defeat to Egypt.
   The Ivorians turned up in Ghana billed as pre-tournament favourites but Didier Drogba and company were taken apart by Egypt in a repeat of the 2006 final.
   ‘Humiliation’ was how Soir Info described Thursday’s demolition, the paper labelling the match ‘the final before the final between the best team on the continent (Ivory Coast) and the most successful (Egypt)’.
   ‘The Elephants drowned in the Nile’ was the headline used by both the Fraternite Matin and Le Jour Plus.
   ‘4-1. Incredible! The Elephants’ defeat to the Pharoahs is one of the black pages of Ivorian football,’ said Le Jour Plus.
   ‘The Elephants broke their tusks against (Essam) El Hadary, a world class keeper,’ added the paper who reckoned the Egyptian stopper was the man of the match.
   ‘Elephants, what a debacle’ was the reaction from Supersport for whom ‘our attack, the team’s strong point, was silenced by Essam El Hadary.’
   ‘The Ivory Coast’s dream is broken,’ reflected Notre Voie who regretted that there was no no chance of avenging the 2006 penalty defeat in Cairo.
   L’Intelligent adopted a measured line, telling its readers: ‘At every level we have to assume and get back to work.’
   It added: ‘Certainly it’s a shame but life continues.’

Nigeria striker Aiyegbeni Yakubu is set to be axed by Everton from their side to face Reading on Saturday and is facing a hefty fine after returning two days late from African Nations Cup duty.
   Yakubu’s international team-mate Joseph Yobo arrived back on Merseyside on Wednesday but the striker only made it to the club’s training complex on Friday morning, five days after Nigeria were beaten in the quarter-finals by Ghana.

Franco Baldini has watched 19 games in a month since joining Fabio Capello’s backroom staff as general manager.
   And the Italian’s damning verdict on English football makes for painful reading.
   Not enough skill, not enough thought and not enough technique.
   And bugger-all time to put things right.
   Which is why Capello and his coaching team will ignore the fears of the Premier League bosses when the squad reassembles next month.
   A number of leading managers are already privately concerned that Capello put their players through double training sessions ahead of the Switzerland game.
   And, unlike Sven Goran Eriksson and Steve McClaren, no allowance was made for the players from the top four teams in terms of the amount of time they spent on the pitch on Wednesday night.
   Under previous regimes, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool stars could usually rely on an early substitution during friendly internationals.
   But Capello will not be entering into any such cosy arrangements and is already planning more overtime for the players ahead of the trip to Paris on March 26.
   Baldini told The Sun: ‘We need more technical skill and the only way to obtain this is through practice, practice, practice.
   ‘Unfortunately, we only have the players for a few days every couple of months.
   ‘So on this occasion we made four training sessions and maybe some managers here will not approve of that. But we have to try to do that at all the times we are able to work with the squad.’
   To make matters worse for twitchy Premier League bosses, Capello is even planning to send fitness coach Massimo Neri around the country to check on the clubs’ private training arrangements.
   Baldini revealed: ‘We have already planned many meetings for Massimo to speak with the fitness coaches at other clubs so he can understand how the players usually train.
   ‘Massimo is very experienced and has a great knowledge about the physiology of footballers.
   ‘He will try to advise the players on the best ways to train, even when they’re not with England.
   ‘And, while he won’t interfere with what they’re doing at their clubs, sometimes his methods can complement what the players are used to doing.
   ‘It’s very important to understand exactly what condition the players are in for games, so during our training sessions he can see how fit they are and recognise whether the players can all perform at their best.’
   Baldini is placing such an emphasis on these training sessions that he even claims they are more important than the friendly games which the FA are lining up ahead of the first World Cup qualifying match in September.
   He said: ‘Whether we are enjoying the job is not important at the moment.
   ‘All that matters is to arrive at the start of World Cup qualification in better shape. The standard of skill will need to be better.
   ‘What is most important at this time is the training, not the match.
   ‘Of course the match and the result is significant because there are 90,000 people in the stadium and that is exciting for everyone.
   ‘But at the moment, it’s more important that we have the chance to train. In England, teams play a very different style to Serie A or La Liga. In Spain, in particular, teams prefer to pass the ball much more.
   ‘But over here, players try to be more effective and after three or four passes they look for a more direct ball.
   ‘I knew many of the England players before coming over here, but watching a game on TV is completely different to watching it live.
   ‘You can’t understand everything about a player when you can only see a small part of the action.
   ‘Now we have been able to get a much more complete view of them.’
   Off the pitch, too, Baldini has been monitoring the players closely and watching how they react to Capello’s strict new disciplinary code.
   He has even taken to reading all the newspapers — which can only be bad news for those players who have been making the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
   He explained: ‘I read many newspapers to try to understand the culture in this country. We are sure we can build something with England but we know there are things that we need to improve.
   ‘Many times we think about why some players are so important for their club — not just domestically but also in Europe — but are less effective for England. We have to try to work out why that is.
   ‘Maybe with their clubs, they play with less pressure than with England. Pressure can be a good thing, but it can also have a negative effect.
   ‘It is not a question of desire. We know they want to play and perform.
   ‘So this week has been very important for us because we have been able to see things from close up.
   ‘People are talking about a new regime, but the rules we have introduced are normal.
   ‘If you are at the dining table with the rest of the players, of course it is best to switch off your mobile phone.
   ‘I don’t see anything special about the ideas we introduced. It’s normal to help the players stay together.’

The Premier League’s plan to play matches overseas has achieved the rare distinction of uniting the popular and heavyweight press, with almost universal condemnation in Britain’s newspapers on Friday.
   ‘For Sale, our national game,’ said the Mirror, adding ‘outrage at greedy plan’.
   ‘Football’s sold its soul,’ said the Express, ‘Global warning’ (The Sun), ‘They’re killing our game,’ (Mail) The Independent weighed in with ‘Chase for cash threatens to rob game of founding principle,’ while The Times said ‘Fans furious at Premier League plans for world domination.’
   In a comment piece the Daily Telegraph said that the plan was a bargaining chip to be used by the Premier League in discussions with the FA over giving players more time off from league games before internationals. Every paper carried reaction from managers and former players, most condemning the idea for its logistical problems as well as an example of the game moving ever further from its traditional fan base.
   ‘It’s bad enough with international friendlies, let alone going overseas,’ Wigan Athletic boss Steve Bruce said.
   Meanwhile, Premier League’s plan to take matches to foreign venues has been given a cool reception on home soil.
   As supporters’ groups voiced their fury over what they see as a purely money-making move, several top flight managers suggested that the plan for ten games a season to be staged outside England were unworkable.
   Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate asked, ‘Is it April 1? I find it highly unlikely it would happen. I wouldn’t think it would be a realistic proposition.’
   His counterpart at Wigan, Steve Bruce, also predicted opposition from his peers, although he is personally not totally opposed to what he regards as an inevitable development.
   ‘There will be a few irate people,’ Bruce said. ‘Can you imagine going to Fergie (Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson) and telling him “by the way, you’re not playing at home this week, you are playing in Japan”? I’d like to see it!
   Bruce added, ‘It is not something you would relish but it’s interesting. I’ve been fortunate enough to be in the Middle East and the affection for the Premier League is unbelievable.’
   Football Supporters’ Federation chairman Malcolm Clarke labelled the proposals ‘ludicrous’ and disrespectful to the traditions of the English game.
   ‘The FSF has no doubt whatsoever the vast majority of supporters are against this, and believe it would drag the Premier League into the realms of farce,’ Clarke said.
   ‘When this ludicrous idea was first mooted in October last year, we ran a poll on our website and of the huge majority of supporters who took the trouble to vote, 80 per cent were in complete opposition to this then and I’m sure they still are now.’
   The forces driving the Premier League towards global expansion however were reflected in comments by Birmingham co-owner David Gold, who described the proposals as ‘amazingly exciting’.
   Gold said, ‘It’s one game and gives the opportunity, particularly to smaller clubs, to take your brand and take it global and I find that very exciting.’
   Meanwhile, Alexei Lalas, the general manager of David Beckham’s employer Los Angeles Galaxy, said the plans were exciting. ‘I look on this as an opportunity for our fans to get first-hand experience of what the level is in England,’ Lalas told Sky Sports News.
   ‘I see it as a great way to pit our level against what is perceived as the greatest league in the world.
   ‘America is recognised as an emerging market, but the competition wasn’t there so to see teams in meaningful games is great for the spectators.’

Veteran German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann faces another crisis of confidence just three months before Euro 2008 kicks off after the Arsenal man’s latest clanger.
   A spectacular mistake by Lehmann in the opening quarter against Austria in Vienna on Wednesday came close to handing the hosts the lead before Germany ran out 3-0 winners after a lacklustre first 45 minutes.
   After months of debate in the German press as to whether Lehmann should remain as first-choice goalkeeper having spent most of the season on Arsenal’s bench, the 38-year-old almost decided the issue for good with a huge blunder.
   Having lost his place at the start of the season following a string of errors for the Gunners before injury struck, Lehmann left himself badly exposed against Austria.
   He left his penalty area on 22 minutes and was wrong-footed after attempting a challenge on Austria’s Roland Linz.
   The striker sprinted clear with an open goal at his mercy and only some good defending by Werder Bremen’s Per Mertsacker spared Lehmann’s blushes.
   In his defence, Lehmann recovered to pull off several good saves to keep the Austrian attack at bay, but the German can ill-afford such big mistakes again with the media spotlight focused on him.
   In the tabloid Bild, 67 per cent of readers say Lehmann should remain as Germany’s goalkeeper for Euro 2008, but only 33 per cent believe Germany can match the 2006 World Cup success where their side finished third.
   The problem for Germany, however, is that number two keeper Timo Hildebrand is in a similar position to Lehmann in that he can’t break into the Valencia first team.
   Lehmann was back in the Arsenal side last weekend in the 3-1 win over Manchester City after injury to Manuel Almunia, but Germany coach Joachim Low insists Lehmann will remain his first choice.
   ‘I would not go back on my decision about Jens, because he has already proved he has the necessary levels of concentration and is confident, even if he had not played for several weeks,’ said the coach.
   ‘But he did make mistakes in Vienna and was not safe in some situations.’
   Lehmann has his fair share of critics in Germany, not least Bayern Munich captain Oliver Kahn.
   Kahn – whose relations with the Arsenal man cooled after Lehmann took his place at the World Cup – claimed in January that going into Euro 2008 without much playing time at first team level was dangerous.
   ‘At this level of the sport, to go into a tournament like a European championships without playing regularly is dangerous,’ said Kahn.
   It remains to be seen how long Almunia’s thumb injury keeps him out of the Arsenal side and whether he returns for Monday’s visit of Blackburn Rovers, relegating Lehmann to the bench.
   But one thing is for sure, he needs to make sure he keeps his mistakes to a minimum if he wants to line up for Germany against Poland in Klagenfurt, Austria, on June 8 when their Euro 2008 campaign begins.

Cameroon were rewarded for the strength of their bench when they overcame hosts Ghana 1-0 in the African Nations Cup semi-final.
   The Indomitable Lions held their nerve and a second-half goal by substitute Alain Nkong was enough to send them into Sunday’s final.
   Since their 4-2 opening defeat by Egypt, whom they will meet again in the final, Cameroon have made several changes and were the freshest team.
   ‘After the first defeat we made the changes we needed to get back in the tournament,’ Cameroon coach Otto Pfister told reporters.
   ‘Look at Stephane Mbia. He was bad in the first game, then he did not start the second but he scored two in the quarter-final against Tunisia.’
   The German, who was appointed last October, added, ‘I can bring great players into the game off the bench. There is not much difference in the standard between the players.
   ‘When other teams have injury problems, they usually complain about it. As far as I am concerned, it’s okay.’ Pfister, who hit out at the Ghana media, said it was impossible to win the Nations Cup with the same starting 11 throughout.
   ‘The Ghana press, they were too confident, saying “we will bring the Cup, we are the strongest”. But you have to play football before that,’ he said.
   ‘There is no such thing as a first-choice line-up. It’s Africa. With the weather, the players just cannot play on and on. They need to rest,’ added Pfister, who has 25 years’ experience in African football, coaching Zaire, Tunisia, Ghana, Egypt and Togo, whom he took to the 2006 World Cup finals.
   ‘We took the upper hand physically. I made a first change with Joel Epalle to put the pressure on and 15 minutes later, I sent Alain Nkong to finish the job.’
   Cameroon believe they are now ready to avenge their first-round defeat by Egypt.
   ‘Everybody had buried us but we are there, up and running,’ said Mbia. Fellow midfielder Achille Emana added, ‘We are the Lions, that’s one thing. But the other part of our nickname is “Indomitable”. This must not be forgotten.’

AC Milan should be able to call on fit-again strike pair Ronaldo and Filippo Inzaghi this weekend as they continue their charge up the Serie A table.
   The European champions host Siena on Sunday on the back of five wins in their last six matches, a run that has lifted them up to fifth in the table and just four points off fourth spot and Champions League qualification for next season.
   Milan got off to a disastrous start this season, failing to win any of their first seven home league matches and languishing in mid-table until the turn of the year.
   Their situation became so desperate that people started to speculate on the possibility that the Italian giants could miss out on qualifying for Europe’s premier club competition.
   But crucial 1-0 victories at Udinese and Fiorentina, as well as a run of 15 points from a possible 18, has left Milan’s situation looking a lot more promising.
   That good feeling was at risk of being derailed following last weekend’s victory in Florence when attacking Brazilian pair Pato and Kaka suffered injuries.
   With Italy forward Alberto Gilardino suspended for the Siena match, there was a serious risk that Milan would be left without a single attacking player.
   But the timely return of the World Cup’s record goal-scorer Ronaldo and European club competition’s record goal-scorer Inzaghi leaves Milan looking a lot healthier. Even so, playmaker Kaka is worried about the effect the constant changing of players could have on the team’s consistency.
   ‘In this team there’s a lot of player turn-over,’ he said. ‘Pato is out, Ronaldo is back and hopefully also Pippo.’
   Siena drubbed second-placed Roma 3-0 in their last outing, a result that dropped the capital-based club to eight points behind leaders Inter Milan.
   Roma host lowly Reggina today and although anything other than a win is unthinkable, such a result could even see Roma being dragged down into the clutch of teams that are battling it out for Champions League football next season.
   They are just four points ahead of Juventus, who have a four-point advantage on Fiorentina, after which there are four more points to Milan and Udinese.
   Certainly Milan are starting to reassess their aims following their recent form. ‘It might seem strange but the strength of our team is that when people ask if Milan will finish fourth, we’re not thinking about that but instead we’re thinking about catching Roma,’ said midfielder Cristian Brocchi.
   Third-placed Juventus take a run of three successive draws to Udinese on Sunday.
   Juve have been struggling to find the net recently and a defeat in the north-eastern city of Udine would see them dragged back into the mix with the three teams directly below them.
   Fiorentina don’t have an easy task either as they travel to Atalanta, who are seventh and only four points off Milan.
   Champions Inter also face a tricky trip as they head off to Sicily to tackle Catania.

Fernando Torres has been ruled out of Liverpool’s clash with Chelsea on Sunday after suffering a hamstring strain while playing for Spain in their friendly win over France in midweek.
   The Anfield side confirmed that the Spaniard is set be sidelined for 10 days after limping out of his country’s 1-0 win in the 23rd minute of the game in Malaga and a subsequent scan revealed the extent of the damage.
   Torres is also set to miss the FA Cup clash with Barnsley on February 16, but he should be fit in time to face Inter Milan in the Champions League on February 19.
   A statement from club spokesman Ian Cotton on the club’s official website, www.liverpoolfc.tv, said: ‘Fernando was examined by medical staff when he returned to Melwood. ‘A scan later confirmed their diagnosis that he suffered a hamstring tear in his right leg. Fernando is expected to be out for approximately 10 days.’
   Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez was furious with the injury to his top scorer. ‘This injury is at least one week. You cannot play on after an injury like this, it is a big risk. He will not play at Chelsea,’ he said
   ‘We have three big games in 10 days in three different competitions and we have lost our top goalscorer. It is difficult to be calm about it, this was another international friendly in a busy period for clubs at this time of the season.’
   He added: ‘It is crazy enough they go away and have different training systems, diets, new ideas. And they get injured.’ Benitez is also angry with Argentina, who insisted Javier Mascherano travelled to Los Angeles for a match on Wednesday.
   Benitez said: ‘Any friendly should be just that, you cannot play Guatemala in Los Angeles like Argentina have done, it is crazy. OK, so they won 5-0, but Javier will not be back with us until Friday.’

Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan believes Alan Shearer will manage the crisis-hit club one day but hopes it won’t be for a while.
   Shearer was linked with a coaching role at St James’s Park when Keegan returned for his second spell in charge although the former centre-forward’s other commitments, including his media work, have proved an obstacle.
   However, former England boss Keegan believes Shearer will one day take over the Tyneside hotseat.
   ‘The next time this job comes up - and I am hoping it is not going to be for at least three and a half years, obviously - Alan’s name is going to be top of the list,’ said Keegan.
   ‘What might make that even more likely to happen is if Alan comes a year down the lines and says, ‘look, my commitments are not as big now’ and he has done whatever badges he wants to do.
   ‘Alan is sensible. We sat down and he knew he couldn’t be number two - you cannot do all those things and be number two.
   ‘But one day, it will be there for him. If and when that job comes along, it would probably be not only his for the taking, but I think he would do very, very well at it because he understands the town, he understands the people, the people know what he is about and they would trust him with the club, and that would be right.
   ‘That could be two years down the line, three years down the line, who knows?
   ‘But it will come to him and he will be manager of Newcastle at some stage, I am absolutely certain of that - if he wants to be.’

Barcelona’s former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry is the player that Newcastle United manager Kevin Keegan would most like to sign, given the chance.
   ‘It would be nice to amaze people with the people we’re bringing in,’ Keegan was quoted as saying on Newcastle Radio by British media. ‘We certainly have an owner who could help find the money. If I could sign one player, you’d want to bring Thierry Henry back to England.’
   The France forward, who joined Barcelona last year for 24 million euros, was the Premier League’s top scorer in four of the five seasons from 2001-06 and helped Arsenal to league title and cup success in an eight-year spell in north London.

Japanese club FC Tokyo have not ruled out an audacious move for former European Footballer of the Year Pavel Nedved of the Czech Republic.
   ‘It’s not out of the question,’ FC Tokyo official Fumitoshi Wakabayashi told Reuters on Friday. ‘The club is always trying to improve and (Nedved) could be one option.’ The J-League club are lining up an offer for the Juventus midfielder in July in a deal worth around $10 million, Japan’s Nikkan Sports daily reported.
   ‘There is nothing concrete to say at this stage,’ Wakabayashi said. ‘But in truth I can’t say if there’s been contact made and at what level.’
   The 35-year-old Nedved won 91 caps for his country before retiring from international duty shortly after the 2006 World Cup. He was voted European player of the year in 2003.
   ‘It all depends how things develop from now,’ FC Tokyo chairman Yutaka Murabayashi was quoted as saying. ‘But we will do everything we can (to sign Nedved).’
   The Nikkan Sports said there had already been contact between the Japanese club and Nedved’s agent. Should he make the move, Nedved would follow a number of big-name players to join J-league clubs in the twilight of their careers, including former England striker Gary Lineker, Bulgaria’s Hristo Stoichkov and Brazil great Zico.
   FC Tokyo joined Japan’s professional J-League in 1999 but have never challenged for the first division title, fourth place in 2003 their best finish to date. They were 12th in 2007.

Cameroon dashed Ghana’s African Nations Cup title dreams with a 1-0 semi-final win on Thursday to set up a rematch with their opening round conquerors Egypt in Sunday’s final.
   Defending champions Egypt, seeking their sixth African crown, maintained their impressive run against expectations after struggling to qualify to crush competition favourites Ivory Coast 4-1.
   That lop-sided semi-final in Kumasi was a rematch of the 2006 final decided on penalties but this meeting two years on was a far more clear-cut affair.
   Ahmed Fathy started the rout with Amr Zaky extending the champions’ lead in the 62nd minute before Kader Keita reduced the tally for the Ivorians a minute later.
   Zaky restored Egypt’s two-goal cushion in the 67th minute with Mohamed Aboutrika completing the unscripted demolition in stoppage time.
   Egypt’s keeper Essam El Hadry, who produced a series of fine saves, said, ‘I’m the happiest man in the world.’
   ‘We are delighted with the performance and the result,’ added Egypt assistant coach Shawki Gharib.
   ‘This was a repeat of our 2006 final and on Sunday we will have another repeat against Cameroon, who we beat in our group.’
   The Ivorian coach Gerard Gili insisted the first-half loss of first-choice goalkeeper Boubacar Barry through injury did not adversely affect the fortunes of his team.
   ‘The exit of my goalkeeper was not the reason we lost, his absence only meant I lost a chance to make another substitution. We simply had an off day. We did not expect to lose by such a wide margin but the Egyptians played well and pulled it off.’
   The last back-to-back winners of the trophy were Cameroon who earlier gate-crashed Ghana’s party when substitute Alan Nkong, playing in only his second international, produced the only goal of a tense sometimes scrappy semi-final in Accra.
   The midfielder came on in the second half and minutes later fired past keeper Richard Kingson to keep Cameroon on course for a record-equalling fifth title.
   It left Ghana, unbeaten to this point, facing a reluctant trip to Kumasi for the inconsequential third place play-off rather than a tilt at capturing their first African crown in over two and a half decades.
   Cameroon coach Otto Pfister, who led Ghana to the final 16 years ago, has forged a reputation as an irascible straight-talking 70-year-old but the German was all sweetness and light after upsetting the hosts.
   ‘It’s one of the highlights of my career, but this is the life of a coach, you win and you lose,’ he said.
   ‘Getting through to the final isn’t important for me, it’s important to the president of Cameroon and his people.’
   Nkong, a midfielder with Atlente in Mexico, suggested Cameroon’s opening first round 4-2 defeat to Egypt spurred the Indomitable Lions to the final.
   ‘We were criticised so much after the first match. Every match has been a final for us since then,’ said the player who spent eight years in the international wilderness before his recall.
   Fellow midfielder Achille Emana emphasised Cameroon’s greater mental strength.
   ‘That was the main difference between the teams,’ he reflected.
   Ghana manager Claude Le Roy described the loss as ‘a huge, huge disappointment’.
   ‘I’ve been sad sometimes in my career but nothing like today,’ the Frenchman said.
   ‘We were set to play in the final and win it, now all we have to look forward to is the third-place play-off. I’m sorry for the fans.’
   Le Roy bemoaned a series of knocks the Ghana camp suffered in the run-up to the match.
   ‘This game was very difficult to prepare for. I had (captain) John Mensah out suspended, then yesterday Asamoah Gyan said he couldn’t play, then 15 minutes before kick-off Laryea Kingston gets injured.’
   Cameroon will face Egypt missing Reading defender Andre Bikey who was red-carded in the last minute for pushing over a medical officer tending his own team’s goalkeeper.
   A section of the Ghana fans pelted him with water bottles as he made his way back to the dressing room.

Nobody died but there was a distinct air of sorrow across Ghana on Friday as the nation woke up to the harsh reality that their African Nations Cup dream was at an end.
   Gone were the wild celebrations that had greeted the hosts’ quarter-final win over regional rivals Nigeria at the weekend, instead people were going about their business with their heads down and their hearts broken.
   ‘I’m sad today, everybody’s sad, I really believed we were going to lift the title,’ said Accra street trader Jojette Baako.
   ‘The party’s over for us, now instead of the final all that’s left is the match for bronze on Saturday,’ the mother of five added, wiping away a tear.
   The Black Stars crashed out to Cameroon in Thursday’s semi-final, Claude Le Roy’s side defeated by the mentally tough Indomitable Lions who now face Egypt in Sunday’s finale. The local press treated the 1-0 defeat as they would a national disaster.
   ‘The dream is over’ ran the headline in The Ghanaian Times, above a full-page photo of a distraught Michael Essien, the Chelsea midfielder who captained the Black Stars against Cameroon in place of suspended John Mensah.
   ‘Stars miss final, and players weep’ was how The Daily Graphic summed up the loss above an image of coach Claude Le Roy comforting Essien and Portsmouth midfielder Sulley Muntari.
   Recounting the moment when Ghana’s Cup run hit the buffers the paper wrote: ‘In the steamy semi-final against Cameroon substitute Alain Nkong ended Ghana’s fifth Nations Cup title dream with a 71st minute drive as the 40,000-capacity Ohene Djan stadium went dead and the players broke down in uncontrollable tears.’
   ‘One could hear a pin drop,’ it added. The Ghanaian Times laid the blame squarely at the door of Le Roy. Technical bankruptcy from the bench, rather than any convincing performance from Cameroon, was responsible for the failure of the Black Stars,’ the paper claimed.
   It criticised the Frenchman’s decision to keep Essien at the back as cover for the missing Mensah.
   ‘To compound a bad problem, Le Roy took away the lively Quincy Owusu-Abeyie and brought in veteran Baffour Gyan when the going got tough. Needless to say Gyan hardly had a look in.’
   The Times then took a swipe at the practice of African national sides to hire managers like Le Roy from overseas. ‘Foreign coaches are contracted at a king’s ransom to bring success.
   ‘But the history of Ghana’s participation in the Africa Cup of Nations tells a clear story that our local coaches have been more reliable than the coaches brought in at huge cost to the state.’
   The sombre mood was not shared by the pockets of Cameroon fans who have seen their side bounce back from an opening first round loss to Egypt to have a shot at a record-equalling fifth title.
   ‘I watched the game in a bar packed with Ghanaian fans, I was the only Cameroon supporter and had to be careful not to show too much emotion when Ngong scored,’ recounted film director Jean-Pierre Bekolo.

If their pre-season plans had materialised, Liverpool would have been travelling to Chelsea this weekend looking to stamp their authority on the battle for the Premier League trophy.
   Instead, Rafael Benitez’s men find themselves out of the title race and engaged in a cut-throat four-way battle to finish fourth in the table and secure the final qualifying spot for next season’s Champions League.
   So it was little surprise that Benitez was in the mood for grumbling this week and the Spaniard’s humour was not improved by learning that he will have to take his squad to Stamford Bridge without star striker Fernando Torres.
   Liverpool’s leading goal-scorer tweaked a hamstring in Spain’s friendly win over France in midweek and Benitez is not prepared to gamble on his most valuable asset aggravating the injury ahead of equally important FA Cup and Champions League matches later in the month.
   ‘It is a big blow. Fernando was scoring lots of goals and I will now have to think of a different partnership,’ Benitez said.
   The Liverpool boss may also have to reshuffle his midfield as his first-choice anchorman, Javier Mascherano, was only due back in England on Friday after a gruelling midweek trip to Los Angeles, where he played for Argentina in a friendly win over Guatemala.
   Chelsea will have John Obi Mikel available to them again after Nigeria’s quarter-final exit from the African Nations Cup.
   After dropping two points at Portsmouth last weekend, Avram Grant’s side have slipped to six points behinds leaders Arsenal and can ill-afford any more setbacks.
   Arsenal, who are sweating on the fitness of increasingly influential midfielder Matthieu Flamini, are not in action until Monday, when Blackburn Rovers visit the Emirates Stadium.
   By then, Manchester United could be back on top after what promises to be an emotional derby match on Sunday.
   The encounter will be the first match at Old Trafford since Wednesday’s 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster, in which eight United players and the former City goalkeeper Frank Swift, who was working as a reporter at the time, lost their lives.
   United’s status as strong favourites to retain their title took a dent when they were held to a 1-1 draw at revitalised Tottenham last weekend. But their manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, is confident that hiccup can be quickly forgotten.
   ‘Your confidence is based on what you see on the football field,’ Ferguson said. ‘Obviously the way the team is performing at the moment, and the squad we have got together, gives you that confidence.
   ‘These players have a great team spirit among them. They’re hungry players, they never give in as they demonstrated last Saturday at Tottenham. These are fantastic qualities to take into the second half of the season.’
   United will be looking for revenge over City having lost the first derby match of the season.

The English Premier League’s controversial plan to host matches abroad is both a response to globalisation and a deliberate attempt at cementing its worldwide dominance, its chief executive said.
   Richard Scudamore insisted the league enjoyed such huge global interest that it had to respond and act before another sport or rival football league such as those in Italy or Spain jumped in first.
   But whether the Premier League can make a credible package out of its idea remains to be seen.
   Scudamore admitted the proposal needed a lot of fleshing out. However, he insisted the league could not afford to stand still.
   ‘This is a huge strategic move, as big as we have made since the league started,’ he said.
   ‘We know what has made us strong. It starts with fan bases and the roots of the clubs. But sport has become a very globalised business.
   ‘We’ve done this because we are, by design, a global phenomenon. We cannot go on manifesting that interest by just being a broadcast proposition in some of those countries,’ he explained.
   But Scudamore admitted keeping the Premier League at the top of the pecking order was what forced the clubs to consider the radical step.
   ‘It’s a competitively defensive measure. If we don’t do it, somebody else will,’ he conceded.
   ‘We are the pre-eminent league in the world, playing in the world’s most popular sport. We are, therefore, in a great position to do this.’
   Starting in the 2010/2011 season, the plan would see all of the 20 Premier League clubs play an international round in January.
   The 10 matches would be played in five cities, each hosting one game on Saturday and another on Sunday. Clubs would have no mid-week fixtures before or after the international weekend.
   The league has no intention of going beyond a 39-game season and playing further matches abroad, and the fixture calendar would most probably rule out such an idea.
   The games would count towards the final Premier League table.
   The Premier League clubs will meet again in June after the end of the season, with a final decision on whether to proceed due by January 2009.
   No host cities have been identified, Scudamore stressed.
   However, the fact that top flight clubs now play extensive pre-season tours in the United States, Asia, the Gulf, South Africa and Australia indicates where the interest – and the money – lies.
   Scudamore suggested the plan could also boost domestic excitement, with fans in England being able to watch every top flight team over a weekend from Saturday morning to Sunday night.
   ‘We have been inundated in the last five years, and certainly in the last 18 months, with a whole host of proposals,’ Scudamore explained.
   ‘It reached a crescendo around the NFL (National Football League) coming to Wembley, sparking a whole debate about what the Premier League is going to do. All the proposals we have had looked a little contrived and one-off.’
   One of the problems facing the league is that of how the teams would be paired up.
   For example, there is no plan to prevent, say, a title-chasing team from playing a relegation favourite, while two championship rivals face each other.

Barcelona, who reignited their title hopes by cutting Real Madrid’s lead to six points last weekend, face a stern test today with a daunting trip to Sevilla.
   Sevilla have won eight of their 11 home matches this season, including a 2-0 win over Real, and Barca will have to be at their best as they bid to chop Real’s advantage even further with the champions facing Valladolid on Sunday.
   ‘Catching Real is possible but we have believed that all along,’ said Barcelona defender Gaby Milito.
   ‘We never for one moment doubted that it wasn’t possible. There is enough time to catch up but we shouldn’t think about it all the time.’
   Barca need to find a way of stopping Sevilla’s Brazilian striker Luis Fabiano who has scored 16 goals to top the scoring charts.
   Fabiano has warned Sevilla, who applied for the Intertoto Cup this week, that he could leave if they fail to qualify for Europe and the UEFA Cup holders need the points to improve their current position of seventh.
   There should be no lack of motivation for Sevilla who are also out to avenge their Kings Cup elimination by Barca last month.
   ‘We want to be up near the top and to do that you have to beat Barca,’ said Sevilla coach Manolo Jimenez.
   ‘We know have a real game on our hands but we need the points to be where we want to be.’
   Sevilla have been boosted by the news that Brazilian right-back Daniel Alves can play after having a suspension lifted following an appeal.
   Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard must decide on whether to bring Ronaldinho back into the starting line-up as he bids to solve a goal-scoring problem.
   ‘He needs to put in the work to become a great Barca player again,’ said Rijkaard. ‘When he gets back he is one of the best in the world.’
   Real’s surprise 2-0 defeat to Almeria last weekend has taken some wind out of their sails but coach Bernd Schuster is not overly concerned as long as his team heed the warning.
   ‘It is just a blip but we can not go to sleep,’ explained Schuster. ‘We have to use this to be more careful from now on.’
   Real host Valladolid and everything points to a home win with the league leaders collecting an incredible 53 points from the last 57 at home and not dropping a single point at the Santiago Bernabeu this season.

Frank Rijkaard believes that Ronaldinho is still the number one player at Barcelona and that Lionel Messi is still too young to be given that honour.
   The Dutch coach was
   reflecting on the ability of two of the superstars in his squad
   and weighed up the merits of both.
   While many believe that Messi will be the best and have compared him to compatriot Diego Maradona, Rijkaard thinks that he still has some way before that can be said.
   ‘He is a phenomenal talent but cannot yet be compared with Diego Maradona,’ the trainer said.
   ‘I hope that Messi can be as good as Maradona one day, but I believe that it is too soon to compare them particularly as Maradona has done everything.
   ‘He also started very young, but has now finished, while Messi is still you and has a long way to go.’
   On who he believes is still the most influential player at Barca, Rijkaard had no
   doubts and predicted that Ronaldinho would be back to his best.
   ‘Ronaldinho is still the number one,’ he continued.
   ‘It is not for nothing that when Ronaldinho comes on that Messi always looks for him.
   ‘When he recovers he will be one of the best again. He needs more minutes now to rediscover his rhythm.
   ‘I expect him to recover, but I cannot see the future and it all depends on many factors and on the player himself.
   ‘If he continues to work hard and give it his all then he can go where he wants.’

Sir Alex Ferguson has hit out at the English Premier League for going public with plans to hold competitive matches overseas before they had fully consulted managers and players.
   The Manchester United boss, arguably the most influential voice in the English game, refused to divulge whether he was for or against a plan which could result in United playing an extra match each season in venues as far afield as Bangkok, Beijing or Boston.
   But he made it clear he was furious that the initiative, approved in principle by Premier League club chairmen on Thursday, had been made public.
   ‘What disappoints me is that (Man Utd chief executive) David Gill phoned me yesterday and said ‘keep this quiet, we are going to discuss it.’ Then it is all over the papers this morning.
   ‘They can’t keep their mouths shut down there.’
   The Scot added: ‘If they are going to do these things they should have held discussions with managers and players before coming out with all this stuff and making an issue of it.
   ‘What happens is you come to me and players for our comments and that should not be the case. It should be discussed internally by the clubs before we come to the position we are in today.
   ‘Until I speak to David Gill and see more about it, there is nothing I can say about it.’
   If they go ahead, the overseas matches will not start until January 2011 and Ferguson light-heartedly suggested that he may have retired by then in any case.
   ‘I will not be here by that time I hope,’ he smiled. ‘I don’t fancy a flight to Bombay or Sumatra or wherever.’
   Ferguson was, however, pleased by one announcement to emerge from the Premier League on Thursday—the proposal to increase the number of substitutes allowed to sit on the bench to seven from the current five although, as per current regulations, only three will be allowed to be used.
   ‘I’m delighted with that,’ said Ferguson. ‘I have been saying for years that it should be 11, really.
   ‘Most clubs are carrying squads of 22 or 23 players, at least, so it helps us in the sense that you look at us last week and we went down to Tottenham Hotspur leaving fit players sitting in the stands. So, it helps us in that way though I still think it should be 11.’
   Ferguson was speaking at the end of an eventful week for the sport in England, which also featured Fabio Capello’s first game in charge of the national team, the 2-1 friendly victory over Switzerland at Wembley on Wednesday.
   ‘I watched most of the game,’ said Ferguson. ‘And I think in the first half there was a bit of nervousness about the team, which is natural with a new coach there.
   ‘I think the important thing was to get a result and, from what I can gather, they played much better in the second half. That’s a good start for Fabio, he won’t be disappointed with that.’