Naeem Islam, Bangladesh’s latest batting hope, is finally ready to make his Test debut, four years after he first made headlines with a match-winning half-century in the plate final of ICC Under-19 World Cup against Australia in 2004.
   Eight of his teammates from that game have already played for Bangladesh while three (Aftab Ahmed, Nazimuddin and Dhiman Ghosh) have even pulled the curtains on their national team careers by joining the breakaway Indian Cricket League, but Naeem holds no grudges for being left in the wings for so long.
   ‘It was my childhood dream to play Test cricket for Bangladesh and I am very close to fulfilling that dream. If I get a chance to play in this series, I will try my best to contribute to the team,’ said the player from Rajshahi on Wednesday.
   ‘I may be new to international cricket, but that does not make me nervous at all. In the past, I have faced a number of international sides in tour matches, so I am confident of doing well,’ says Naeem, who made an impressive one-day debut in the recently concluded three-match series.
   Unlike his teammates in that Under-19 group, Naeem’s progression up to the national has gone through a process, which many experts believe should be the case for all players.
   After playing in the U-19 World Cup in 2004, he had a long stint at the National Cricket Academy and then proved his mettle in first-class cricket playing for Rajshahi. He was also a aregular in the Bangladesh A team for some time before being called into the national team.
   ‘He is here to stay. I am happy that the selectors did not hurry his promotion to the national team and called him into the team at the right time. He is not of prodigious talent, but is a mature player who is now prepared for the challenge of international cricket,’ says former national captain Khaled Mashud sabout Naeem the day he made his one-day debut in Dhaka. Masud would know, being Naeem’s skipper in the Rajshahi team.
   Naeem recently led a GP-BCB Academy side to a series victory in Sri Lanka against their academy side. Captaining the side in the emerald islands, Naeem scored four half-centuries on his way to accumulating 304 runs in the series with an average of 43.42.
   Many have linked his inclusion to the national team with the mass exodus of players to the renegade Indian Cricket League, but the selectors have confirmed on several occasions that Naeem had been knocking on the doors of the national team for some time now and was being seriously considered anyway.
   Naeem’s all-round performances in the one-day series that saw him shining in all three departments suggest that the selectors were right to bring him into the side. He not only batted well on the only occasion that he got the chance, his inclusion also gave the team an added bowling option, which proved to be very useful in the series, particularly in the third game.
   Naeem says he is ready to take on the challenge of bowling in Tests as well if his captain asks him to do so. ‘Normally, I can bowl 15-20 overs in innings in the longer-version, and I am ready to bowl if needed.’

Sheikh Russell clawed back to the top of the points table with a 1-0 victory over Arambagh in the lone match of the Citycell B League at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Wednesday.
   Right-back Aminul scored the splendid match winner in the 15th minute of the match to put his team on the top with 11 points from five matches. Arambagh remained on their previous four from the same number of outings.
   The match presented contrasting pictures, with Sheikh Russell dominating the first half but Arambagh took the possession in the second half but severely felt the lack of a seasoned scorer.
   Sheikh Russell charged with their three Moroccan booters, defender Bourdif Mohammed, midfielder Yighir Mohammed and forward Twati Youness cornered their opponents with an attacking brand of football from the kick-off. And they were celebrating their first strike in the 15th minute.
   Aminul struck a thunderbolt from 30 yards after a midfielder melee that curved in the air to beat Arambagh keeper Mitul Hossain in the air. However, the goal did not cut off the attacking intentions of Sheikh Russell and they continued their attacking approach.
   Midfielder, Monowar saw his grounder well taken by a diving Mitul in the 27th minute, as veteran, Alfaz was looking at the heaven when he found his placing shot hit the foot of an off balance Mitul in the 37th minute.
   Twati Youness, the lanky Moroccan forward failed to found the net twice in the 56th and 58th minutes. On the first ccasion, his head sailed over the cross piece and on the second went direct to Mitul.
   Arambagh hit back with a series of attacks and Nigerian defender Mustafa Kaba’s head off an Anwar cross in the 70th minute missed the target by a few inches with Russell keeper Biplob standing hapless in the far post. Substitute midfielder, Tutul’s angling shot off a minus of Nigerian forward Jerry Weah from the right flank was taken by a diving Biplob in the 74th minute.
   Alfaz finished the day with another miss three minutes away from the final whistle. Fed by Tanveer from the left flank, his grounder lacked the firepower to beat Mitul who managed to put a foot in the line of the ball to send it to safety.

The International Cricket Council said Wednesday it had decided to reschedule the Champions Trophy tournament in Pakistan, postponed this year amid security concerns, to next September.
   The ICC said in a statement the tournament would go ahead between September 24 and October 5, 2009, with the matches being played in just one city in Pakistan, rather than the two mooted for this year.
   The tournament, which will include one reserve day, will therefore be five days shorter than the originally scheduled event.
   The Board said it had considered available options following the original postponement and had decided that the final week of September and opening week of October fitted the bill with the shortened timeframe allowing for a single city.
   The ICC Board said it will make a final decision on the location following India’s tour to Pakistan early next year in order to facilitate preparations by teams, broadcasters, commercial partners ‘and other stakeholders’.
   The Board added that a full schedule including match locations ‘will be announced in due course’.
   ICC President David Morgan said: ‘We are delighted to have slotted the ICC Champions Trophy into the FTP (future tours programme) in 2009 thus maintaining the primacy of ICC events, and we now look forward to staging an outstanding, memorable event next September/October.
   ‘The ICC Champions Trophy is part of a host of great ICC tournaments taking place next year, including the ICC Women’s World Cup, the ICC World Cup Qualifier and the ICC World Twenty20 for both men and women.
   ‘All these events during the ICC Centenary year will showcase cricket in the best possible light and will help to ensure that our great game remains a strong sport growing stronger.’
   ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat added: ‘I’m hugely encouraged by the spirit of togetherness and teamwork shown by our members in ensuring we have found a place for the ICC Champions Trophy in next year’s calendar.
   ‘The tournament, with its new format of the top eight teams playing in a short, sharp event, is vitally important for the world game,’ said Lorgat, adding that Sri Lanka remained the stand-by venue should the security review in February 2009 be negative.
   This year’s championships were postponed after South Africa pulled out, amid doubts over the participation of Australia, England and New Zealand.
   But even the postponed Champions Trophy appeared in danger when both India and Australia objected to October 2009 dates as it clashed with Australia’s seven-one-day international tour of the sub-continent.
   And as per ICC’s agreement with the various sponsors, they have to hold a postponed tournament within one year of the original dates.
   The new dates were finally worked out to the satisfaction of all boards involved, but the tournament had to be reduced to 12 days.
   ‘Given how packed the cricket calendar is, rescheduling dates is always a difficult task,’ said Morgan.
   Morgan also confirmed that the 2010 Champions Trophy will be held as scheduled in the West Indies.
   Lorgat denied there were any moves within the ICC to change the format of the Champions Trophy, or to make it a quadrennial tournament.
   ‘There has been some speculation about a change in format, but that’s not true. We believe the current format is doing well, and reducing it to 12 days should work out well.’

India skipper Anil Kumble on Wednesday lashed out at the media for making ‘uncharitable comments’ on his form and fitness during the drawn opening Test against Australia.
   The veteran leg-spinner conceded 160 runs in 51 wicketless overs, bowling only eight overs in the second innings because of a sore shoulder. It was his worst-ever performance in 131 Tests.
   ‘Over the past few days, given all the media attention I have received before and during the match, with some uncharitable comments on my fitness and retirement and performance as a player and captain, it does seem like I’m back in Australia again,’ Kumble wrote in his column in the Hindu newspaper.
   ‘That time saw me unfortunately having to split my time between playing cricket and handling a host of unnecessary off-the-field issues, instead of being able to concentrate on playing the game and handling my team.
   ‘I didn’t really expect to have to go through this all over again on my home turf.’
   Kumble was referring to an ill-tempered series in Australia earlier this year that the hosts won 2-1 amid deteriorating relations between the two sides.
   India, unhappy with umpiring decisions in the second Test in Sydney, almost abandoned the tour when all-rounder Andrew Symonds levelled racial abuse charges against spinner Harbhajan Singh.
   ‘Also, there’s been high praise for the way Australia played (in the first Test),’ said Kumble, the world’s third-highest wicket-taker with 616 scalps.
   ‘Well, good for the Aussies, but I have a point to make here: In all the talk of aggressive, champion sides, it might make sense for someone to ask why 83 overs on a fifth-day pitch wasn’t enough time to finish the job.’
   Australia grabbed just four wickets in 73 overs on the last day of the opening Test in Bangalore on Monday before play was called off due to bad light with 10 overs remaining.
   India finished at 177-4 chasing a 299-run target.
   ‘It’s perhaps easy to say one must ignore the media but for any normal person that’s a difficult ask, given the media’s overwhelming presence in cricket,’ said Kumble.
   ‘I would really appreciate if certain people realise that cricket is not spoken, it’s played and we, the Indian team, are out there to play it.’
   The Indian skipper said he was optimistic he would regaining fitness for the second Test, which starts in Mohali on Friday.
   ‘I am hopeful the shoulder injury I picked up during the match should be fine by the second Test and that it will be business as usual thereafter,’ said Kumble, who turns 38 on Friday.
   ‘I can’t promise things I have no control over, but the one thing that I can guarantee is that I won’t give up the fight. We won’t.
   ‘The belief that I have in my team, and the belief that the team has in me is what matters the most. When I decide to make a final bow, I’ll go on my own terms.’
   Speculation over the careers of five senior players, including Kumble, mounted after India’s 2-1 defeat in a Test series in Sri Lanka in August. The others were Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Venkatsai Laxman.
   Ganguly, 36, has already announced he will retire after the ongoing series.

Sachin Tendulkar will resume his quest to become the world’s most prolific batsman when India take on Australia in the second Test starting here Friday.
   Tendulkar needs just 15 runs to overtake West Indian Brian Lara’s Test match tally of 11,953 runs and establish a fourth world record in his illustrious career.
   The 35-year-old is already the world’s top-scorer in one-day internationals (16,361) and has the most centuries in Test matches (39) and one-dayers (42).
   The master batsman came close to surpassing Lara’s milestone in the second innings of the drawn first Test in Bangalore where his gritty 49 helped steer the hosts to a draw.
   Australian paceman Brett Lee said his team had planned well for Tendulkar ahead of the series.
   ‘Sachin is world-class player,’ Lee told reporters here.
   ‘We had a plan in place for him in the first Test. It worked in the first innings but in the second he got a start and played very well.
   ‘He has a lot of experience and can hang in there if the situation so demands. That is why I love the challenge of bowling to the Little Master.’
   The other senior batsmen in the Indian side, including Venkatsai Laxman, Rahul Dravid and the retiring Sourav Ganguly, also hit valuable innings to rescue India from defeat.
   However, skipper Anil Kumble left many questions hanging over his form and fitness with the 37-year-old veteran leg-spinner going wicketless for only the third time in his Test career, the first time ever in front of a home crowd.
   The captain also dropped two catches off his own bowling to cap a miserable outing.
   Kumble will assess his fitness before deciding on his availability for Mohali, where the wicket is known for being lively and may tempt India to use an extra fast bowler at his or Harbhajan Singh’s expense.
   Singh took just one wicket in Bangalore but hit a handy 54.
   Australian captain Ricky Ponting’s spin options include specialist Cameron White, who claimed Tendulkar as his maiden Test scalp in Bangalore.
   Part-time spinner Michael Clarke contained the Indian batsmen and took two wickets despite the track providing little assistance to the slow bowlers. Off-spinner Jason Krejza is also available, although he failed to shine in a warm-up game in Hyderabad before the first Test.
   The action off the field has heated up ahead of the Test, with Indian paceman Zaheer Khan doubting Australia’s bowling ability and Ponting retorting by saying only his team played aggressive cricket throughout.
   Lee echoed his captain’s views.
   ‘We are proud of the way we played. We could have taken more wickets on the last day but that was not to be.
   ‘We have come to win matches and hopefully we will turn things around and win the match here as well as the series.
   ‘There are a lot of things India can say—that they had a mental win—but in hindsight we are very happy with the way we played.
   ‘It’s only been one match, so the guys who have not had a chance to fire have three more games to get going.’
   The Mohali Test will be followed by matches in Delhi and Nagpur.

Left-arm spinner Sakib al Hasan has become the top ranked one-day bowler for Bangladesh following his impressive performance in the just concluded series against New Zealand.
   Sakib, who claimed five wickets in the series, overtook his spin bowling partner Abdur Razzak in the latest ranking that was released on Wednesday. He jumped 14 places to be ranked 25th, three places ahead of Razzak.
   Sakib is six places up than the spearhead pace bowler Mashrafee bin Murtaza, who is ranked 31st. Mashrafee jumped 11 places in the latest rankings. Fellow pacer Syed Rasel is languishing at 35th place.
   The match-winning performance in the series has made New Zealand’s Jacob Oram the number one all-rounder in the ranking. He overtook England’s Andrew Flintoff. Oram also moved into the top 10 at the bowling chart thanks to his performance in the series.

New Zealand’s in-form all-rounder Jacob Oram told how he is relishing his team’s tour of Australia next month.
   New Zealand are due to meet their international neighbour in two Tests, five one-dayers and a Twenty20 match.
   Tours to India and Australia ‘are the toughest and define what you are in cricket,’ Oram said after being declared man-of-the-series in his team’s 2-1 win over Bangladesh here on Tuesday.
   ‘It is always an inspiration to do well against Australia,’ said Oram, who said New Zealand would take the momentum gained on their current tour of Bangladesh to the tougher challenge Down Under.
   New Zealand recovered well after suffering their first one-day defeat against Bangladesh on Thursday, winning the next two games to take a series in which Oram is credited with playing a big part.
   The tall 30-year-old from Central District hit a fighting 57 in his team’s lowest one-day total against Bangladesh — 201-9 in the opening match in Dhaka on Thursday. Bangladesh won by seven wickets.
   Oram then scored a match-winning unbeaten 75 and took 2-23 to inspire New Zealand to a series-levelling 75-run win in the second match—also in Dhaka—on Saturday.
   The big-hitting left-hander flopped with the bat in the third match, making just three but made amends by taking two crucial wickets in his incisive first bowling spell. He finished with 2-16 off eight overs.
   Oram said the first match defeat was a wake-up call for New Zealand.
   ‘I don’t think it was unexpected because we always knew Bangladesh have been good in their conditions but we did not panic,’ said Oram who disagreed not whitewashing Bangladesh was a big disappointment.
   Had the Black Caps won 3-0 they would have improved to second from four in the world rankings.
   ‘It would have been nice but we are not going to lose sleep on not being number two. In fact I don’t know who is number two at the moment,’ said Oram of the ODI rankings topped by Australia and followed by South Africa.
   England are third followed by New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the West Indies, Bangladesh and Ireland.

Bangladesh start their Merdeka Cup Football mission against top ranked Mozambique at 6:45 pm (BST) at the Shah Alam Stadium in Kuala Lumpur today.
   Mozambique ranked 103 in the world is the highest ranked team of the tournament and the other teams of Group B are Myanmar and Vietnam both ranked higher than Bangladesh.
   Group A comprises of Sierra Leone, Nepal, Afghanistan and hosts Malaysia.
   Bangladesh will play Myanmar on Saturday and Vietnam on Monday in their remaining group matches at the same venue.
   Bangladesh practiced in the venue on Tuesday evening and had a rain-disrupted practice session on Wednesday also. All the players are fully fit.
   Bangladesh Manager Badal Roy and coach Shafiqul Islam Manik watched the practice session of Mozambique Under-23 team on Wednesday and dubbed them as young team raring to go.
   In the last year’s Merdeka Cup, Bangladesh lost all their three matches against Singapore, Indonesia and Zimbabwe.
   Meanwhile the tournament kicked-off on Wednesday with hosts Malaysia taking on Nepal in the opening match.

A 12-member Bangladesh contingent will fly to Bali, Indonesia today to participate in the first-ever Asian Beach Games. The nine-day games will start on Saturday.
   Chef de Mission of Bangladesh contingent and General Secretary of Bangladesh Kabaddi Federation M Nazrul Islam flew to Bali on Tuesday. Bangladesh will compete in Beach Volleyball (men’s and women’s) and Beach Kabaddi.
   The Men’s Beach Kabaddi team comprises of Ziaur Myanmar and Vietnam both ranked higher than Bangladesh.
   Group A comprises of Sierra Leone, Nepal, Afghanistan and hosts Malaysia.
   Bangladesh will play Myanmar on Saturday and Vietnam on Monday in their remaining group matches at the same venue.
   Bangladesh practiced in the venue on Tuesday evening and had a rain-disrupted practice session on Wednesday also. All the players are fully fit.
   Bangladesh Manager Badal Roy and coach Shafiqul Islam Manik watched the practice session of Mozambique Under-23 team on Wednesday and dubbed them as young team raring to go.
   In the last year’s Merdeka Cup, Bangladesh lost all their three matches against Singapore, Indonesia and Zimbabwe.
   Meanwhile the tournament kicked-off on Wednesday with hosts Malaysia taking on Nepal in the opening match.

Rafael Nadal thrilled a sold-out home crowd with a comeback performance to win his 78th match of the season as he began the chase for a second title at the Madrid Masters on Tuesday.
   The top-seeded world number one who claimed his only trophy in the capital in 2005, rallied past upcoming Latvian Ernests Gulbis 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 riding a late break in the final set to victory.
   Nadal, holder of eight titles this season including Paris, Wimbledon and the Olympics, has stalled in the quarter-final at the last two Madrid editions.
   He was playing for the first time since leading Spain into the Davis Cup final against Argentina three weeks ago.
   The Spanish hero failed to convert on his first match point against the 20-year-old Gulbis, but reached the third round on his second opportunity.
   ‘It was a very tough match and and important one to win,’ said the relieved Nadal. ‘Gulbis is young with a great future ahead of him. ‘He fought back well in the second set, winning the important games. I pulled out my best game when I had to.
   ‘It was tough to attack him, and this was my first match in a few weeks to I have things to improve.’
   Nadal will play on Thursday against French 15th seed Richard Gasquet, a winner over Mardy Fish 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 6-3.
   Scot Andy Murray stormed to the third round as good fortune ran out for Italian lucky loser Simone Bolelli 6-0, 2-1 retired.
   The Italian, who earned a place in the draw when Marat Safin withdrew with injury, threw in the towel after 47 minutes after treatment on an upper arm and shoulder.
   ‘I was really happy with how I served and moved,’ said Murray, who next faces Croatian Marin Cilic, who put out 13th-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 6-2, 6-3.
   ‘There was a lot for me to take advantage of. He stopped for a shoulder problem, but he seemed to be hitting his serve fine to me.’
   Cilic, 20 and Murray, a year older, have never played on the ATP Tour though they met in Davis Cup two years ago and as juniors in Paris, standing 1-1.
   ‘He’s playing well on these courts,’ said Murray. ‘He’s done well in big matches this year. It will be a tough match, I’ll have to play very well to win. He’s a danger here with the ball flying at altitude.’
   American James Blake maintained his dismal, winless record in Madrid with the frustrated 11th seed crashing out to on-form Frenchman Gilles Simon 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.
   Simon, winner of two titles since July, pounced on 46 unforced errors to hand Blake his fifth loss in the Spanish capital and put the American in grave danger of dropping in the race for the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai.
   The 16th-ranked Simon is riding a wave of form after winning Indianapolis and Bucharest in recent months.
   Blake’s potential for a spot in China is endangered if Swiss Stan Wawrinka can do well this week while standing tenth in the points race one spot behind the fading Blake.
   In first-round matches, Germany’s Philip Kohlschreiber stopped Spanish hero Carlos Moya 6-2, 6-2 while Marcel Granollers of Spain beat Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-4, 6-4.
   Weekend Vienna finalist Gael Monfils continued his indoor success as he beat Italian wild card Fabio Fognini 6-2, 6-4. Stockholm semi-finalist Jarkko Nieminen reversed a run of three losses against Mikhail Youzhny, ousting the Russian 7-5, 3-6, 6-2.

Like a couple of bickering school children, India say Australia were too defensive in the first Test and the visitors believe the home team didn’t try to win from an enticing situation. As the teams battle for any advantage following the Bangalore draw, Brett Lee is in no doubt over who will enter Friday’s second match in Mohali in the more confident mood.
   Lee said before practice on Wednesday that the way India batted on the final day, chasing 299 in 83 overs, was revealing of their outlook and insisted Australia were the only ones trying for victory. ‘It appeared they didn’t want to go after the total and were happy to have a draw,’ Lee said. ‘It shows we’re playing in the right style of cricket that the Aussies want to play.
   ‘There are a lot of things India can say - that they had a mental win - but we were very happy with the way we played. We can take a lot of positives from the way we played.’
   After the match, Zaheer Khan said he had never seen an Australian team that was so defensive, citing their restrictive field settings and slow batting in the second innings. Lee maintained his team was the most aggressive. ‘The way we look at it is they didn’t take our 20 wickets either,’ he said. ‘So I’m not worried about that.’
   Australia’s bowlers planned a meeting on Wednesday to discuss ways to improve their tactics and how to stay focused against the tailenders. The 80-run partnership between Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer in the first innings turned India’s total from a wonky 232 for 7 into a useful 360 and was the point where Australia’s dominant position slipped.
   ‘As a whole bowling group we probably weren’t patient enough [against the tail],’ he said. ‘The wicket wasn’t capable of getting the ball above shoulder height, so the whole scare tactic, the intimidation, wasn’t playing a cause because the wicket was so dead.
   ‘We have to make sure we have better plans. Sometimes the tail wags, it wagged when we were batting as well.’
   Australia have a concern over Stuart Clark’s right elbow and he will not bowl until Thursday. The injury prevented him from throwing over-arm in the first Test and if he is ruled unfit, the left-arm fast bowler Doug Bollinger, who toured West Indies earlier in the year, and Victoria’s Peter Siddle will be considered for a debut.
   Lee recovered well from delivering 37 overs in Bangalore and was not concerned that he and Clark combined for only three wickets in the game. ‘I was really happy with the way the ball came out, I couldn’t have asked for anything else,’ he said. ‘It would’ve been nice to look up at the scoreboard and see a three or four-for, but that’s cricket.

Inzamam-ul-Haq, the former Pakistan captain, believes the current team will perform better with a more experienced captain or coach at the helm. Pakistan have failed to win a Test - they have played six - under the pairing of Shoaib Malik and Geoff Lawson, and besides reaching the final of the ICC World Twenty20 in 2007, their only significant limited-overs win was in the Kitply Cup, which involved India and Bangladesh.
   ‘You shouldn’t blame anybody for the bad result - neither the coach nor the captain,’ Inzamam told DNA. ‘The thing is that they are both inexperienced. The board should see that if the captain is new, the coach should be an experienced one or the other way round. Shoaib Malik and Geoff Lawson are both new to the system. Lawson hasn’t coached at the bigger stage before this while Malik was made the captain without any prior experience.’
   While expressing his confidence in the team, Inzamam felt the weak leadership in the PCB was also hurting the team’s chances. ‘I don’t think Pakistan are a bad outfit,’ he said. ‘They are a balanced outfit but they are, at the moment, not being guided properly by the administration. At the moment there is no strong management in Pakistan cricket and that, I think, is important.
   ‘They [the players] are all of same age-group and they can make a superb side in the near future. It needs some planning and efficient management from the Pakistan Cricket Board.’
   Inzamam said an experienced player should be made captain. ‘They should diminish the communication gap between the players and the board and they should give the captain’s mantle to someone who is senior and experienced. If they religiously do these things, they will get the desired result.’
   Pakistan recently lost the T20 Canada final against Sri Lanka. They haven’t played a Test this year and have only hosted two five-ODI series against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh besides the Asia Cup in June-July. Security concerns resulted in the postponement of Australia’s visit and the Champions Trophy.

The bell has yet to toll for English cricket as a whole - but a village side were left-red faced after their church eleven lost to German rivals, prompting an apology to locals in the parish magazine.
   St. Symporians Cricket, from the southern town of Worthing, slid to defeat against a visiting side from their twin town of Munchberg who limited them to just 36 runs despite having little grasp of the rules.
   The Germans had earlier managed 81 all out.
   The parish magazine apology read: ‘In affectionate remembrance of St Symphorians Cricket.
   ‘Deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowing friends and acquaintances, RIP. NB - the bails were cremated and the ashes taken to Germany.’
   Match organiser Michael Winter said: ‘At first it seemed like the match would never start, with the rules repeated several times by different people in different languages.
   ‘Munchberg won the toss and elected to bat first - although they didn’t know why. Once the match started it didn’t look pretty with wayward bowling, dodgy fielding and inept batting.’
   The hosts’ batting was especially dismal.
   ‘It started badly,’ Winter admitted.
   ‘Most were out for a duck and those who did score didn’t stay in much longer.
   ‘The Germans eventually realised they had won and cheered. Later that evening they were awarded the ashes.’
   A rematch is scheduled for next year in Germany.

England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Giles Clarke says England could in future host Test matches between Asian countries as part of its commitment to supporting the five-day game.
   Clarke told the November edition of The Wisden Cricketer magazine that matches such as Pakistan versus Sri Lanka, which he
   said ‘would be unlikely to attract big crowds in either of the participating countries’, could draw big crowds at English venues.
   ‘Indeed, it might be said that Pakistan might get a better crowd in Leeds than in Karachi,’ Clarke said.
   ‘It’s something we are considering, how we play these types of games and where we can play them.
   ‘I like the idea of providing the opportunity with our fabulous grounds and our huge ethnic minority populations who are keen to see their own heroes. And it may be in the interests of cricket; that’s the most important thing for me.’

Panesar will prepare for England’s brief Test series in India in December by playing club cricket in Sri Lanka. He had hoped to be able to play in the Ranji Trophy but he was unable to overcome the rules on overseas players.
   ‘He wants to learn there through experience,’ Peter Moores, England’s coach, told the Daily Telegraph. ‘He’s been before and he knows there are tough conditions. He hopes to learn a lot and prepare himself for the Tests in India.’ ECB performance director David Parsons, who has worked closely with Panesar, told the Guardian: ‘The idea to go to Sri Lanka was made jointly by Monty, Peter and myself.

Australia and South Korea took maximum points to reinforce their credentials in the race to the World Cup finals but Asian powerhouses Japan struggled to a 1-1 draw with Uzbekistan Wednesday.
   The Socceroos scored a clinical 4-0 win over Qatar in Brisbane with a brace by Blackburn Rovers star Brett Emerton and goals from Everton’s Tim Cahill and another by Josh Kennedy.
   It puts Pim Verbeek’s men on top of Group A with six points from two games, following their earlier win against Uzbekistan in Tashkent.
   Qatar have four points from three games. Japan also have four points but have played one match less. Bahrain, with one point, didn’t play Wednesday.
   In Group B, South Korea, who made the semi-finals on home turf in 2002, eased past winless United Arab Emirates 4-1 in Seoul with a double from Lee Keun-Ho and goals by Manchester United’s Park Ji-Sung and Kwak Tae-Hwi.
   They are now level with Saudi Arabia and North Korea on four points from two games, with their northern neighbours playing Iran in Tehran later Wednesday.
   The Saudis had a night off.
   Australia, looking for back-to-back trips to the 2010 World Cup finals after reaching the knockout round in Germany two years ago, were good value for their victory.
   The result never looked in doubt after Cahill pounced with a rapier finish in the ninth minute.
   A long ball from Luke Wilkshire was helped on by David Carney and Kennedy to leave the Everton poacher unmarked on the left to drill home for his 14th goal in 29 internationals.
   Cahill was in the action again eight minutes later when he was impeded by Abdulla Koni and was awarded a penalty.
   Emerton converted and he wrapped it up with his second goal, finishing off lead-up play from strikers Scott McDonald and Kennedy in the 59th minute.
   Kennedy capped a fine match when he headed home a deep cross with 14 minutes left.
   ‘I’m not going to start running around with a bottle of champagne and celebrating yet, but it’s six points from two games and five goals with none conceded,’ coach Verbeek said.
   Japan should have done better against Uzbekistan, who had lost their previous two qualifying games. The home side rode their luck in Saitama, coming from a goal down to salvage the draw. Striker Keiji Tamada scored the crucial equaliser after a prolonged bout of Uzbek pressure.
   Celtic midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura lofted the ball into the box where striker Yoshito Okubo got a touch before Tamada stabbed it in from close range in the 40th minute.
   Uzbekistan were the better side early on and deservedly took the lead through Maksim Shatskikh in the 28th minute.
   ‘Uzbekistan were desperate after losing two games earlier and they were aggressive,’ said Japan coach Takeshi Okada.
   ‘I was very disappointed because we needed a win, but my players did very well to score a goal.’
   In Seoul, South Korea overwhelmed the United Arab Emirates in a dominant performance. Korea struck first in the 19th minute when Lee Keun-Ho slammed the ball past goalkeeper Majed Nasser.
   Shortly after, Lee Young-Pyo, who plays for Borussia Dortmund, crossed for Park, and when Bashir Saeed fluffed his clearance, Korean skipper Park pounced on the loose ball.
   Al Hammadi cut the lead in the 71st minute before Lee Keun-Ho put the match out of reach with 10 minutes left. Kwak added another as the clock ticked down.
   ‘The players found holes in the UAE defence and took advantage,’ said South Korean coach Huh Jung-Moo.
   ‘But we’ve just cleared one obstacle. We’ll be prepared for the away match at Saudi Arabia next month.’

Gary Neville knows the Barclays Premier League champions will come from the top four as usual - but the Manchester United skipper hopes it is not Liverpool.
   It is 1995 since anyone except United, Chelsea or Arsenal last won the title - Blackburn pipped United - and you have to go back another five years for the last of Liverpool’s 18 successes, when Kenny Dalglish was still manager.
   Since then, United have finished top on 10 occasions, reversing the old order under Sir Alex Ferguson and moving to within a single championship of Liverpool’s record mark.
   But hope is growing in the red half of Merseyside the run will be brought to an end in May.
   With Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard spearheading the Anfield challenge, Rafa Benitez’s side are in the slip-stream of early-season pacesetters Chelsea.
   But Neville addressed the prospect of a Liverpool title win in typically forthright manner.
   ‘I hope not,’ said the England defender. ‘But we don’t know do we? They have started well and had some good results. They beat us, which was disappointing for us, but will obviously give them confidence.
   ‘It will be Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and ourselves. We know the champions will be one of those four. It is a case of who puts the most consistent run together.’
   United are currently six points adrift in mid-table. However, such statistics do not take into account their game in hand against Fulham, postponed at the end of August due to the European Super Cup encounter with Zenit St Petersburg.
   In addition, United have also been to Liverpool and Chelsea, gaining a creditable draw at Stamford Bridge after being beaten at Anfield.
   Neville is not too concerned. In fact, the two points he feels have to be made up were lost against Newcastle at Old Trafford on the opening day of the season.
   ‘We will be three points behind if we win our game in hand, so we are still in contention,’ he said. ‘We are probably not quite where we would like to be. But the most disappointing result was Newcastle at home.
   ‘You can always lose to Liverpool away in the league even if you never accept it and it is always disappointing.
   ‘We are two points behind because of that result against Newcastle. But it is a long season and we still have time to make it up.’
   Although he played against Chelsea, Neville missed the wins over Aalborg and Middlesbrough with a groin injury.
   Young Brazilian Rafael Da Silva came in and did an excellent job in the Champions League tie before Wes Brown returned and helped keep a clean sheet against Boro, emphasising the strength of Ferguson’s squad.
   So, although they have a dozen players on international duty this week, United have the likes of Ryan Giggs, Owen Hargreaves and Michael Carrick fresh, plus Neville if he is fit, for Saturday evening’s clash with West Brom.
   ‘The squad is strong in terms of depth,’ said Neville. ‘But as we have seen, we need the numbers.
   ‘Over the last couple of years the manager has built up a young, strong squad. It has a little bit of experience as well, so we are really happy with it.’

The late change in venue for Liverpool’s Champions League tie against Atletico Madrid is not fair on the English club’s fans, according to manager Rafael Benitez.
   The Reds were due to face Atletico at their Vicente Calderon stadium next Wednesday, but the Spanish club have been ordered to play at least 300 kilometres away from the capital as a result of crowd trouble during the match with Marseille on October 1.
   Atletico have until midday on Friday to appeal against their punishment, which also included a 150,000 euros fine after Marseille’s players were racially abused during the Group D clash.
   UEFA have expressed sympathy for the Liverpool supporters caught up in the turmoil, but communications director William Gaillard has insisted there was ‘no alternative’ to the stadium ban.
   Benitez, however, is adamant the ruling from European football’s governing body has come too late.
   ‘We know about the loyalty of our fans and we know about the incredible lengths they go to support us,’ the Spaniard told www.liverpoolfc.tv.
   ‘They have an incredible passion for the club, which means they follow us all over Europe at great expense to themselves, and we always appreciate that.
   ‘That is why we are so worried by this ruling. We can understand why UEFA feel they have to act - but in this case maybe this time it has come too late.
   ‘To change the venue of the game at such a late stage would cause massive problems to our fans, and that is not fair.’
   Liverpool striker Fernando Torres, meanwhile, has spoken of his disappointment after hearing his much-anticipated return to play a match at Atletico Madrid may be scuppered.
   ‘After so much time waiting, it is the worst and most unexpected news that I could have heard,’ said the 24-year-old, who joined Liverpool from Atletico last year.
   ‘I’m eager to go back. I don’t know if it is definitive; I hope that a solution can be found.

After winning Roland Garros and taking over the number one ranking, things turned sour for Serbian pin-up Ana Ivanovic.
   A natural let-down from the high of winning her first Grand Slam title was followed by a painful right thumb injury that forced her to miss the Beijing Olympics, and she has struggled to make any impact at all in recent months.
   Now she says she is fully fit, ready to rescue as much as she can from this season, and prepare herself for what she believes will be a challenging 2009.
   ‘I just expect to enjoy every moment now, because it’s been a quite frustrating two or three months for me,’ she said on Tuesday at the Zurich Open, where she is seeded two behind fellow Serb Jelena Jankovic.
   ‘Now I just want to have fun out there and enjoy competing. I know I can still play well and even win tournaments. I just want to try to get the best I can out of the last weeks of this season and then finally have a good holiday and start preparing and practising hard again for next season.’
   Her momentum was halted after she pulled out of Eastbourne and went into Wimbledon under-prepared. Then, after losing in the third round to 133-ranked Jie Zheng of China, injury took its toll.
   Since Wimbledon she has played just five tournaments, winning only three matches.
   ‘I was just a little bit flat after Paris and at Wimbledon I wasn’t feeling 100 per cent to compete at that high level,’ Ivanovic admitted. ‘I wasn’t too much worried about it and felt I needed a holiday to relax a little bit, to re-charge my batteries again, but then I got injured.
   ‘The problem was that no-one knew what was actually wrong. I did so many tests and MRIs and no-one could pick up anything, and then after the Olympics they realised it was two cysts with water there which was causing inflammation and the inflammation couldn’t come down at all.
   Obviously that was frustrating because I felt like I wasted a month.’ With this year almost behind her Ivanovic is now trying to set goals for next, but an extensive Sony Ericsson WTA Tour reorganisation means she is not sure what to expect.
   Although prize money will be increased by 40 percent, the Tour is largely dictating where the players must compete. ‘We don’t have much choice,’ said Ivanovic.
   ‘It’s already pretty much already decided for us what we have to play. They’re trying to make an easier schedule for us but I believe it’s going to be even tougher.
   ‘There are a few parts in the season where it’s going to be really hard, lots of tournaments in a row that you have to play. There are a lot of changes and we have to wait and see how it’s going to go.
   ‘I think it’s good that tournaments will have guaranteed players and week after week have top players competing against each other. I think that’s good for women’s tennis. But on us individually it’s tough to say what impact it’s going to have on us.
   ‘For example, there are going to have some new nine-day events, and if you play the week before I think it’s going to be very hard. They’re also talking about taking away byes at some events.’
   Before that, Ivanovic has some exams to take. Tennis has not been the only thing on her mind, although she has found her injury problems a distraction to her other commitment.
   ‘I’m studying economics and when I have time off in November I want to do more exams. But honestly, the last couple of months I’ve been so focused on my tennis and trying to get better I didn’t have time to study my books. Even if I had them with me I didn’t want to see them.’

Uruguay fought back from 2-0 down at halftime to force a remarkable 2-2 draw in Bolivia at 3,600 metres above sea level in their World Cup qualifier on Tuesday.
   Uruguay, forced by injuries and suspensions to make seven changes to the team that lost 2-1 in Argentina on Saturday, trailed at the break to a double from forward Marcelo Martins.
   But the hosts ran out of steam in the second period as headed goals by Carlos Bueno in the 64th minute and substitute Sebastian Abreu in the 89th gave the Charruas an unlikely point.
   The draw left Uruguay fourth in the 10-team South American group with 13 points from 10 games, ahead of Chile on goal difference, while Bolivia stayed eighth with nine points.
   Abreu’s goal prevented Bolivia moving within two points of Chile, who have played only nine games, and one of Uruguay and Ecuador, with the latter also having a game in hand.
   Martins opened the scoring in the 15th minute with a low shot into the corner of the net from the edge of the area after collecting a poor headed clearance from Diego Lugano.

Ivory Coast captain Didier Drogba was shortlisted on Tuesday for this year’s African Footballer of the Year award despite saying he did not want to be associated with the prize.
   The Chelsea striker was named by the Confederation of African Football as one of five candidates for the 2008 award, along with club mate Michael Essien and Arsenal’s Togolese international Emmanuel Adebayor.
   Egypt striker Amr Zaki (Wigan Athletic) and Mohamed Aboutrika, who scored the winning goal for the Pharoahs in February’s African Nations Cup finals were also nominated.
   Drogba, the winner in 2006, had been expected to take it again in 2007 but it was given to Mali’s Frederic Kanoute instead when Drogba refused to travel to Togo for the award ceremony in February.
   Drogba said he had been told by CAF officials he would not get the award if he did not attend the gala. He did not attend the ceremony as it was held just two days before the Ivory Coast’s quarter-final match in the Nations Cup tournament against Guinea.
   ‘I have therefore decided not to be part of the vote for the next African Footballer of the Year award. I feel that the contest has lost its worth,’ Drogba said at the time.
   This year’s finalists were chosen by a panel of members of CAF’s media and technical committee. The national team coaches of Africa’s member countries will now vote for the winner.

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has received a letter from UEFA president Michel Platini following the sanctions imposed on Atletico Madrid by European football’s governing body, the government said Wednesday.
   ‘I can confirm that Mr. Zapatero has received a letter from Mr Platini,’ a government spokesman said.
   He said he was unaware of the contents of the letter, nor if Zapatero intended to respond by Thursday, as reported by radio Onca Cero.
   UEFA on Tuesday announced penalties against Atletico de Madrid for alleged crowd disturbances and racist insults by its supporters against Marseille players during a Champions League match on October 1.
   It said Atletico must play its next two European matches at a stadium at least 300 kilometres (200 miles) from Madrid.
   The club has slammed the sanctions as ‘completely unfair and disproportionate’ and said it would appeal the decision.
   Asked by journalists if he is with Atletico on the matter, Zapatero said: ‘Yes, with Atletico and the police, (Interior Minister Alfredo Perez) Rubalcaba will say something.’
   Rubalcaba on Tuesday also defended the actions of the police at the match.

A court on the Spanish island of Majorca announced Tuesday it has cleared the sale of a majority stake in Real Mallorca to British entrepreneur Paul Davidson.
   Davidson, a former plumber who is head of pipe-fitting business, will pay a reported 38 million euros (52 million dollars) to buy 91.24 per cent of the club from Vincente Grande, head of the debt-ridden Binipuntiro company.
   Davidson announced his interest in the club several months ago, and beat out competition from former Newcastle United chairman Freddy Shepard.
   Since Grande was declared insolvent, the commercial court had to approve the deal before it could go ahead.
   Real Mallorca, based in Palma, the capital of the Spanish Balearic island, are 11th in the Spanish first division.

Rio Ferdinand has described the ‘WAG’ culture that surrounded England in the days before Fabio Capello took charge as a ‘circus’ and admitted that it was central to the squad’s recent failures.
   In a remarkably frank interview ahead of a World Cup qualifier with Belarus here on Wednesday, the Manchester United defender savaged the celebrity bubble which peaked during the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany, where the wives and girlfriends of the England squad generated as many headlines as the players themselves.
   Underlining the fundamental changes that have been instituted by Capello, England’s stand-in captain also hit out at the Italian’s predecessor, Steve McClaren, and his apparent desire to be best mates with ‘Wazza’ (Wayne Rooney) and ‘Stevie G’ (Steven Gerrard).
   ‘In the past we became a bit of a circus, if I’m honest, in terms of the whole Wag situation,’ Ferdinand admitted.
   ‘It seems like there was a big show around the whole England squad. It was like watching theatre unfolding and football almost became a secondary element to the main event.
   ‘People were worrying more about what people were wearing and where they were going, rather than the England football team. That then transposed itself into the team.
   ‘This regime in contrast is very water-tight. It feels as if we’re going in the right direction.
   ‘I don’t want to speak too soon, but you can see we’re at the start of something and, hopefully, there’ll be bigger rewards than what we’ve had in the past. Everyone’s very focused and attuned to what we want to achieve.’
   Ferdinand’s comments amount to the breaking of a taboo. Until he spoke out, England’s players had unanimously maintained that the media circus surrounding the team at Germany 2006 and subsequently had played no part in their failure to live up to the high expectations vested in what was once termed a ‘golden generation’ of English players.
   ‘I didn’t realise it at the time,’ admitted Ferdinand. ‘You were caught up in the bubble - we were in the bubble ourselves.
   ‘I’m talking with hindsight. But being somewhere like Baden Baden (England’s base in Germany), walking around the town, there were paparazzi everywhere and we were in amongst the press as well - and our families were there too. When you step back and look back at that you think like it was a circus.’
   With England on track to reach the 2010 finals after missing out on Euro 2008 under McClaren, Ferdinand is confident there will be no mass influx of WAGS into South Africa in two years’ time.
   ‘I’m not going to tell the other players what you should or should not do. But, I just think that, as a squad, we were a bit too open in 2006, going out in and around Baden Baden, and probably had too much contact with families.
   ‘Some players may think they’d rather have that contact but I think you’re in a tournament - and you don’t get many tournaments in your career. To give yourself the best chance, you have to be focused.’
   With that in mind Ferdinand was delighted when iron-fisted Capello arrived as England manager and produced a list of rules as long as Peter Crouch’s right leg.
   ‘When the new manager arrived I just think that it was very much: ‘I’m the boss and this is what is happening.’ The lads appreciate that and have warmed to that because that’s what happens at their clubs.
   ‘This new regime is a very, very professional regime. It is very result-orientated. You see how he is on the training ground, in our meetings, that there’s a winning mentality there.
   ‘He has a new way of doing things. He isn’t shy of telling you what you’re doing wrong. That’s a big step in the right direction for this team, and that’s maybe what we’ve needed in the past. This squad is in a different frame of mind to the ones I’ve been in for a while. We’ve got a very business-like state of mind.’
   Central to that, according to Ferdinand, is the distance between the players and Capello.
   ‘Do you really know any managers?’ he asked. ‘I don’t know the real Fergie (Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson). When he comes to football, he’s probably a totally different person to when he’s at home with his wife and grandchildren,’ Ferdinand said.
   ‘That doesn’t matter. They’re not here to be buddies, talk about old times or be great friends. They’re here to win football matches.’

Two goals by Thierry Henry helped France sink Tunisia 3-1 in a friendly on Tuesday, a day before the French federation rules on coach Raymond Domenech’s fate.
   Tunisia forward Issam Jemaa twisted his way past defender Jean-Alain Boumsong to put the visitors ahead with a low angled shot 30 minutes into an entertaining game.
   France levelled 10 minutes later with a superb goal from Henry, who fired into the top corner from just outside the box after a one-two with playmaker Yoann Gourcuff.
   France’s record goalscorer Henry, wearing the captain’s armband in the absence of the injured Patrick Vieira, was on target again three minutes into the second half, tapping home from close range for his 48th goal in 107 internationals.
   Fellow striker Karim Benzema wrapped up the victory with a strike from the edge of the area after 58 minutes following fine work by fullback Rod Fanni, who celebrated his first cap with a stylish performance.
   ‘I saw enthusiasm and goals in a game played in the spirit we’re looking for,’ said Domenech. ‘There’s always something happening with us at the moment. There are imperfections, and then a reaction. That team never give up and that’s good.
   The France coach, under pressure since France’s group-stage exit from Euro 2008, will find out after a meeting on Wednesday whether he remains in charge.
   The abrasive 56-year-old has been expected to stay on since France fought back from two goals down for a 2-2 draw in Romania in a World Cup qualifier on Saturday.
   A convincing performance against Tunisia confirmed the impression although France, and notably Boumsong, again showed signs of nerves at the back.
   ‘I only about worry about what happens on the pitch and the only thing I feel like now is having a beer,’ Domenech said when asked about the verdict he faces.
   The match was played in a strange, almost surreal atmosphere on a mild, still autumn evening on the outskirts of Paris.
   The crowd was clearly in favour of the visitors with fans from France’s large Tunisian population packing the Stade de France.
   The French anthem was booed, as was Domenech’s name when it was announced by the speaker before the game, and the France players were jeered every time they had the ball.
   That did not stop them shining, although the first clear chance fell to Tunisia whose forward Fahid Ben Khalfallah struck an angled drive that flew over the bar after 16 minutes.
   France, however, dominated the midfield and threatened in the 29th minute when winger Franck Ribery just missed the top corner from the edge of the box.
   Tunisia went ahead seconds later but France soon equalised and controlled what was to be a lively game after that.

Spanish media voiced outrage Wednesday over penalties imposed by UEFA against Atletico de Madrid for alleged racist insults by its supporters against Marseille players during a Champions League match.
   ‘Unjustified,’ ‘disproportionate’ and ‘inexplicable’ were some of the terms used in the press and by football commentators to describe the two-match stadium ban imposed on Atletico.
   Marseille lodged an official complaint with European football’s ruling body after several of their players were targeted by Atletico fans during their match in Madrid on October 1.
   It alleged monkey chants were aimed at the French club’s players, while the Marseille team bus was attacked after the match.
   Atletico were also charged with ‘a lack of organisation’ at the match, which led to ‘crowd incidents.’
   UEFA said Atletico must play its next two European matches, the first of which will be against Liverpool on October 22, at a stadium at least 300 kilometres (200 miles) away from Madrid.
   Several Spanish newspapers released photo images from a video showing Marseille supporters throwing chairs at Spanish police, whom it said had reacted ‘correctly.’
   Some also alleged French UEFA president Michel Platini was behind the decision.
   ‘Platini has scored another goal against us,’ headlined the sports daily Marca, referring to a goal by the former French international in the final of Euro-1984 in Paris, a match which France won 2-1.
   It said Platini acted ‘with premeditation’ against Atletico, while El Pais and ABC alleged a ‘campaign’ against Spain following its recent sporting successes, such a winning Euro 2008
   El Pais alleged a ‘Anglo-French’ axis against Spanish sport and criticised this ‘unprecedented punishment in which UEFA for the first time has given itself the authority to judge the national police.’
   In a statement late Tuesday, the club slammed the sanctions as ‘completely unfair and disproporionate’ and said it would appeal the decison.
   ‘At no time were insults of racist or xenophobic character directed at any Olympique Marseille player, as supported by the video of the match and in the record given by the UEFA delegate himself.’
   It said the so-called monkey chants may in fact have been merely Atletico supporters shouting ‘Kun, Kun, Kun’ to encourage one of their players, Sergio ‘Kun’ Aguero.
   With regard to the crowd incidents, it said police had tried to remove a prohibited banner from Marseille supporters, who had reacted violently.
   Atletico have also been fined 150,000 euros and their coach, Javier Aguirre, has been banned for both matches with Liverpool for insulting a Marseille player.
   Atletico said the alleged incident involving Aguirre ‘did not take place at any time as is made quite clear in the report of the delegates designated to the match and from the fourth referee, who, at no time, mentioned such circumstances in his report.’
   Atletico have until October 17 to appeal the ban, which means they will also have to host PSV Eindhoven at a neutral ground on November 26.
   Atletico won the Marseille match 2-1. Liverpool and Atletico are joint leaders in Group D of the Champions League having both won their opening two matches.
   Liverpool, whose star striker Fernando Torres had been looking forward to returning to his old Atletico stamping ground, have also complained that UEFA’s decision to move the match will unfairly penalise their travelling fans.

Raymond Domenech will remain coach of the France team, according to the president of the French Football Federation, Jean-Pierre Escalettes, putting an end to recent speculation over his future after an indifferent start to the World Cup qualifying campaign.
   Escalettes revealed that 19 out 20 members of the FFF’s federal council had voted to keep Domenech on board.
   Domenech took over the reins of Les Bleus in 2004 and the 56-year-old, who had previously coached the youth side, led the French to the World Cup final in 2006, where they bowed out to Italy on penalties.
   However, a dreadful Euro 2008 campaign - the French failed to get out of the group stage - brought calls for his head and an inept loss to Austria at the start of the 2010 World Cup qualifiers only increased the pressure.
   The FFF had indicated Domenech’s men had to garner five points from the opening three qualifiers rather than the four they actually managed for him to quell the speculation.
   But Tuesday’s friendly win over Tunisia and, crucially, the express support of leading players such as Thierry Henry and Franck Ribery, has strengthened the incumbent’s hand and he will now continue in the post looking to improve on a record of 33 wins for eight defeats in 59 matches.
   A previous meeting of the FFF federal council in July after the Euro debacle had likewise given Domenech the benefit of the doubt in a show of hands rather than via the formal vote held Wednesday.
   Although they lost to Austria the French did beat Serbia and then showed battling qualities in coming from two goals down to draw last weekend in Romania.
   After Tuesday’s friendly win over Tunisia Domenech told TF1 television he was unperturbed about the meeting on his future.
   ‘It’s not my problem. My aim is to prepare the team to the best of my ability, and to construct a team which will go to the 2010 World Cup finals.
   With the FFF having extinguished the speculation France will now focus on their next Group Seven World Cup qualifier against Lithuania in March next year.
   Domenech, while he has fallen out with some players - striker David Trezeguet quit the national team after being left off the Euro squad - has retained the strong support of the rest of the team, despite criticism of his seemingly frosty public demeanour.
   He has, however, courted controversy with outbursts such as ‘fortunately the guillotine no longer exists - otherwise certain of you would take perverse pleasure in sending me to the scaffold,’ in allusion to his many media detractors constantly sharpening their literary knives at his expense.
   Escalettes noted in September that ‘there is still progress to be made regarding Raymond Domenech’s communication’ skills.
   Having retired from the national side former keeper Gregory Coupet suggested that a ‘dictatorship’ was in place with Domenech’s stentorian style.
   The coach responded: ‘I only know one dictatorship - and that’s the one based on results.’

Any football match in France before which the country’s national anthem is booed will now be ‘immediately stopped’, French Sports Minister Roselyne Bachelot said Wednesday after meeting with President Nicolas Sarkozy.
   The dramatic move followed the booing of ‘La Marseillaise’ during France’s 3-1 friendly win over Tunisia at the Stade de France in Paris on Tuesday.
   ‘Any match when our national anthem is whistled will be stopped immediately,’ Bachelot said after talks with Sarkozy and French Football Federation president Jean-Pierre Escalettes.
   ‘Government members will immediately leave the arena where our national anthem has been whistled.
   ‘When whistling of our antional anthem happens, all friendly games with the country concerned will be suspended for a period yet to be determined by the federation president.’
   ‘The president has committed himself to seeing that measures are taken,’ said Escalettes, who said the authorities had to think of the security implications if such behaviour were allowed to pass.
   He blamed ‘imbecilic’ fans for forcing the crackdown which he said left both him and the players scandalised and hurt.
   Sarkozy and fellow politicians reacted with shock and anger at the booing and whistling.
   Bernard Laporte, the ministerial secretary of state for sport, told Radio Monte Carlo he would suggest that France no longer play friendlies against North African countries following similar problems in recent years against Algeria and Morocco - like Tunisia, once former colonies of France.
   ‘Let’s stop the hypocrisy - let’s just stop doing these matches,’ said Laporte.
   ‘We cannot tolerate our Marseillaise being jeered.’
   Many of the 60,000 crowd on Tuesday were Tunisian - friendlies against North African sides traditionally attract widespread support from sizeable immigrant communities in and around the French capital.
   Some booed when the names of the French players were read out over the PA system before kickoff, reaching a crescendo for Hatem Ben Arfa, born in France to Tunisian parents and who opted to play for the country of his birth despite overtures from the Tunisian Federation.
   French Prime Minister François Fillon said the booing was ‘insulting for France and for the French players’ and that in the event of a repeat it would be necessary ‘to call off matches.’
   Jean-Marie Le Pen, leader of the French far-right National Front, said the jeering was proof of the failure of multiculturalism, insisting the ‘integration of foreign masses to our culture culture is a failure as it is a utopia’.
   Racism in football has regularly reared its head and earlier this week Spain’s Atletico Madrid were handed a two-match Champions League stadium ban for alleged racist insults by its supporters against Marseille players.
   But Le Pen charged that sporting authorities seeking to combat racism in stadiums were less interested when it came to ‘anti-French racism.’

Barcelona are planning to launch a bid to become co-owners of a US Major League Soccer franchise in partnership with Bolivian entrepreneur, Marcelo Claure.
   The giant Spanish club are expected to announce details of their plan to bring the MLS back to South Florida in Miami on Wednesday.
   ‘The idea is to set up an investee company involving FC Barcelona and a Bolivian entrepreneur living in Miami, Marcelo Claure, who is the chief of an investment group featuring Americans and citizens of different South American countries,’ the club revealed in a statement.
   ‘Claure is already the owner of FC Bolivar, with whom FC Barcelona already collaborate. The company’s sole aim right now is present an application for a franchise and promote it to the MLS’.
   At present the MLS is contested by 14 teams but expansion plans will see that figure grow to 16 with new franchises in Seattle and Philadelphia joining the league in 2009 and 2010 respectively.
   The league also plans to add two more sides for the 2011 season; the deadline for applications to fill those two berths closes on Wednesday.
   The MLS want new franchises to play at ‘soccer-specific’ - stadia specifically purpose built for the game - and Barcelona have said they have already held talks with Florida International University to that end.
   ‘The most likely solution will be Florida International University, with whom negotiations are already at a late stage as the potential club seeks to use the facility for at least the first two years of its existence,’ the club said. If successful in its bid Barcelona are expected to name to the Miami franchise after the Catalan club itself, and will view the MLS as an opportunity to expand the Barcelona brand into the United States.
   Miami, and the state of Florida, have been without MLS football since 2001 when the Miami Fusion and Tampa Bay Mutiny franchises lost their places when the league was reduced in size.
   The Fusion were founded in 1998 but failed to establish itself, with many citing the fact that the club’s stadium was based in the neighbouring city of Fort Lauderdale, a long journey for the urban Latin community the league had hoped to attract.

Former Spain international striker Diego Tristan signed for West Ham on Tuesday evening, the English top flight club said.
   The 32-year-old former Deportivo La Coruna and Real Mallorca player, who has won 15 caps for his country, had been out-of-contract after leaving Italian side Livorno where he scored just one goal in 20 appearances.
   Tristan put pen to paper with Scott Duxbury after the Hammers’ chief executive had flown to Rome to finalise negotiations with his representatives.
   West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola moved for the player following a two-week trial, with England international striker Dean Ashton sidelined following ankle surgery.
   Tristan told his new club’s official website, www.whufc.com: ‘I am really happy to be at West Ham. They are a big club and London is a great city.
   ‘I want to show the fans that I can score goals and help the team to go up the league. I am excited to be here.’
   On Zola, the player continued: ‘The manager has spent lots of time working with me. He has helped me a lot and I want to say thanks to him by scoring lots of goals and doing well for the club. I am very grateful to the manager for giving me the opportunity to play here.’

Kaka was immortalized in Maracana’s sidewalk of fame on Tuesday. The Brazil midfielder left his footprints in a section dedicated to the memory of the country’s top players. ‘Maracana has a great history,’ Kaka said. ‘As a football player, to be part of this memorial, to be part of Maracana, it is a great pride.’
   The AC Milan player’s name is next to former all-star Zico. Other stars who left their footprints in the sidewalk of fame include Pele, Romario, Zagallo, Dunga and Franz Beckenbauer.
   Maracana once was the world’s largest soccer stadium and accommodated more than 180,000 fans, but reforms have shrunk its capacity to about 70,000. It hosted the 1950 World Cup final, when Brazil was upset by Uruguay.