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With less than three weeks to go for the local football season to start, big-spending Dhaka Mohammedan Sporting Club have yet to begin their planned conditioning camp in Mymensingh.
   Mohammedan splashed millions this season to sign as many as 14 players that included a dozen from the current batch of national squad hoping to bring all three trophies home including the elusive B League.
   They also reappointed their Super Cup winning coach Maruful Haque, who wished to take his charges to Mymensingh for a rigorous training camp from August 24. Maruf had held a similar camp in Comilla last season and was clearly motivated with the outcome.
   But Maruf had to remain content with practising in Dhaka as the club management has yet to mobilise the funds required for the conditioning camp in Mymensingh, said the insiders.
   It was, however, learnt that only Tk 2 lakh would be needed for the two-week training in Mymensingh, but for reasons unknown to players and coach, the money could not be arranged.
   Mohammedan’s football manager Amirul Islam Babu, however, denied the reports and said it was rather for a lack of proper accommodation facilities that they have deferred the conditioning camp.
   Babu said they needed at least 12 rooms with air conditioning facilities for 24 to 25 persons at the Mymensingh Circuit House, where the club had planned to stay. But there are only eight rooms available at the Circuit House.
   MA Salam, chairman of club’s football committee, however, has a different explanation. ‘We could not start the camp as scheduled as our general secretary was busy with his seriously sick mother. It also delayed the process of signing a few other players,’ said
   Mohammedan, who have yet to win the all-coveted B League, the country’s lone professional league introduced two season ago, are also unable to sign their back-up players for lack of fund, insiders claimed.
   Mohammedan initially trained at the BNS and then used the tiny ground at the club premise. The authority was looking to use the BUET ground but that too became uncertain now.
   It was learnt that the BUET authority refused to give them an entry into ground unless they pay the rent in advance. The university authority reportedly played the hard ball as Mohammedan did not pay the last season’s arrear rent.

Real Madrid fans are tingling with excitement at the prospect of seeing Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and company strut their stuff as their new-look ‘Galactico’ team host Deportivo La Coruna today in the curtain-raiser to the 2009/10 Spanish league season.
   It has been an unforgettable summer with Real splashing around 250 million euros to build a star-studded team and there are likely to be a number of debutants against Depor with Ronaldo, Kaka, Xabi Alonso, Karim Benzema, Raul Albiol all expected to start.
   French striker Benzema has been firing in the goals in pre-season while Ronaldo has been installed as chief free-kick taker as he was at Manchester United.
   It will also be Manuel Pellegrini’s first competitive game in charge of Real and everyone will expect the former Villarreal coach to have Real playing attractive winning football.
   ‘We have to play a game of two or three touches to play attractive football,’ explained Pellegrini. ‘We have to take it a game at a time but a club of Madrid’s stature has to aspire to win all the competitions.’
   Pellegrini will be without centre-back Pepe who is suspended for the first four matches as his ten-match ban for stamping is carried over into the new season.
   Depor will hope to gatecrash the first outing of the Galacticos and Real should be wary as they lost the opening fixture of last season 2-1 against Depor at their Riazor Stadium.
   Due to European Super Cup commitments treble winners Barcelona begin their title defence on Monday at home to Sporting Gijon.
   Sporting were beaten 6-1 and 3-1 last season so it looks a good game for Barcelona’s 69 million euro club record signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic to make an impact.
   Striker Ibrahimovic has to convince Barca fans that he is a worthy replacement for the departed Samuel Eto’o and shrug off his reputation as someone who often flatters to deceive.
   ‘Ibrahimovic has been adapting to our style of play and I am happy with him,’ said Barca coach Pep Guardiola. ‘He is so tall that sometimes he doesn’t seem so dynamic but he has proven it in the past and will do in the future.’
   Last season Barca lost their opening game 1-0 to promoted Numancia before clicking into gear as they won a league, Kings Cup and Champions League treble.
   The big game of the opening weekend is on Sunday when Valencia host Sevilla in a duel between two teams aiming for a top four finish.
   Valencia had a disastrous finish to last season missing out on the Champions League but managed to hang onto Spanish internationals David Villa and David Silva amid strong interest from Europe’s top clubs.
   ‘We are one of the best teams in the league going forward but conceded too many goals last season,’ said Villa.
   Sevilla, third last season, should test Valencia’s suspect backline with striker Alvaro Negredo giving them more firepower following a 15 million euro move from Real Madrid.
   Atletico Madrid go into the new season with wind in their sails after defeating Panathinaikos 5-2 on aggregate in their Champions League qualifier.
   Atletico travel to Malaga on Sunday as they start their bid for a first piece of silverware since 1996.
   Atletico have been quiet in the transfer market with promising Spanish goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo, 20, the only big name arrival from Valladolid.
   Villarreal begin a new era after losing coach Pellegrini to Real and his replacement Ernesto Valverde makes his bow on Sunday at Osasuna.
   Pellegrini achieved a lot in his five seasons at Villarreal so Valverde has big shoes to fill and he will hope record 12 million euro Brazilian signing Nilmar delivers the goods.
   Elsewhere Japan midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura is poised to make his debut for Espanyol in Sunday’s match at Athletic Bilbao.
   Nakamura, 31, has arrived on a free transfer from Celtic and Espanyol fans can look forward to some spectacular free-kicks from the dead-ball specialist.

Skipper Kumar Sangakkara hit a second successive half-century as Sri Lanka seized control of the final cricket Test against New Zealand here on Friday.
   The hosts, who led by 182 runs in the first innings, were 157-2 in their second knock when heavy rain ended play 12.4 overs early on the third day at the Sinhalese Sports Club.
   Sangakkara followed his 50 in the first innings with a fluent unbeaten 64, having shared an unbroken third-wicket stand of 68 with former captain Mahela Jayawardene (23 not out).
   Sri Lanka will resume on the fourth day with an overall lead of 339 runs with eight wickets in hand, looking for quick runs before giving their bowlers enough time to dismiss New Zealand a second time.
   Sri Lanka won the first Test in Galle by 202 runs last week and a 2-0 sweep of the series will make them number two in the official Test rankings behind South Africa.
   Sangakkara’s men currently share the second spot with India.
   Openers Tillakaratne Dilshan and Tharanga Paranavitana gave Sri Lanka a flying start with a stand of 56 runs.
   Dilshan, hero of the first Test win with knocks of 92 and 123 not out, made 33 before holing out in the deep off Jeetan Patel.
   Paranavitana fell in the penultimate over before tea, caught down the leg-side by wicket-keeper Brendon McCullum off Daniel Vettori for 34.
   Sangakkara hit seven fours and a six despite a defensive leg-side field set by Vettori to contain the runs.
   Earlier, Sri Lanka spinners Muttiah Muralitharan and Rangana Herath shared six wickets as New Zealand were bowled out for 234 in their first innings in reply to Sri Lanka’s 416.
   Off-spinner Muralitharan, the world’s most successful bowler, finished with three for 71 runs to take his record tally to 780 wickets.
   Left-arm spinner Herath chipped in with three for 70, while seamer Thilan Thushara claimed two for 37.
   New Zealand added 24 runs to their overnight score of 159-5 when the overnight pair of Ross Taylor and McCullum were dismissed in successive overs.
   McCullum, who made 18, edged Muralitharan to the slip region where Mahela Jayawardene picked up his 150th Test catch.
   Taylor, who survived at least three close appeals for leg-before during his knock of 81, was finally removed by Herath to a catch by wicket-keeper Prasanna Jayawardene.
   Vettori and Jacob Oram added 43 for the eighth wicket to save their team from the follow-on when off-spinner Dilshan, replacing Muralitharan, struck with the fourth delivery.
   Vettori, on 23, played tentatively forward and the ball went off the bat and pad to forward short-leg, where Chamara Kapugedera took the low catch at the second attempt.
   Oram went soon after for 24 when he top-edged an ambitions reverse sweep off Herath for Kapugedera to take his second catch in the innings.
   Muralitharan ended the innings by trapping Iain O’Brien leg-before for four.

Pakistan Friday said that it hoped to get 18 million dollars in compensation for losing its share of World Cup 2011 matches over security fears.
   The International Cricket Council Thursday announced the World Cup matches dispute with Pakistan was resolved after its President David Morgan and Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ijaz Butt met in Dubai.
   Butt said Pakistan expects to get 18 million dollars in all.
   “Apart from our hosting rights fee of 10.5 million dollars, we expect to get some additional amount in compensation which, after calculation, will come to 18 million dollars,” Butt told a press conference on his return from Dubai.
   In April this year, the ICC was forced to relocate Pakistan’s share of 14 matches because of security fears after attacks in its eastern city of Lahore on the Sri Lankan team on March 3.
   The attacks injured seven players and their assistant coach and killed eight people.
   The PCB served a legal notice on the ICC, saying the relocation was unjust, but after Thursday’s agreement they have withdrawn the legal case.
   The Central Organising Committee of the World Cup 2011 last month awarded eight of Pakistan’s matches to India, four to Sri Lanka and two to Bangladesh.
   Besides World Cup matches, the Champions trophy 2008 was also moved out to South Africa after several teams refused to tour Pakistan over security fears.
   Butt said the solution was the best possible under the circumstances.
   “We feel that this was the best possible solution and we will get additional amount and would not be forced to beg around for money to keep our cricket on track,” said Butt, whose organisation is strapped for cash with no international cricket at home.
   Pakistan incurred financial losses to the tune of 30 million dollars after India refused to send its team to Pakistan for a series in January-February this year.
   India’s refusal came in the wake of last year’s attacks on its commercial hub Mumbai, which New Delhi blamed on militants based in Pakistan.
   Butt accused India of vetoing Pakistan’s request of hosting its World Cup matches on neutral venues, notably in the United Arab Emirates where Pakistan have recently played after teams refused to tour.
   “Morgan and incoming ICC President Sharad Pawar had no problems in Pakistan hosting their matches at neutral venues, but the Indian Board refused to accept that,” he said.
   “England hosted some of the matches in Ireland and Scotland during the 1999 World Cup and when the World Cup was held in South Africa in 2003 some of the matches were held in Zimbabwe and Kenya. It could have happened again.”

England’s Ashes celebrations almost came to an embarrassing end when they narrowly avoided defeat against Ireland, claiming a three-run victory under the Duckworth/Lewis method in Thursday’s one-day international in Belfast.
   Just five days after regaining the famous urn with a 197-run victory over Australia in the final Test at the Oval, England seemed to be suffering a hangover from their champagne celebrations. They spluttered to 203-9, with Oval hero Jonathan Trott and Ravi Bopara both dismissed without scoring, and only just managed to hold on as Ireland chased a revised total of 116 in 20 overs after a long rain delay.
   Only debutant batsman Joe Denly and Luke Wright impressed after England elected to bat in overcast conditions.
   Opener Denly struck 67, while Wright’s 36 injected the innings with impetus after England slipped to 135 for six.
   An underwhelming start included Trott, whose brilliant hundred on Test debut set up the Oval victory, being trapped lbw by one which nipped back from Australian-raised Trent Johnston.
   Bopara, whose wretched time against the Australians led to his omission for the decisive, final Test, also went without scoring to Johnston, after edging a drive to second slip.
   Johnston’s opening spell of 6-2-7-2 caused the problems for England and was a perfect way for him to celebrate his 100th appearance for his adopted nation.
   Matt Prior, captain Paul Collingwood and Owais Shah all perished to skied catches attempting big shots and when Denly was pinned leg before, attempting to swivel the returning Johnston to the leg-side, England were 135 for six.
   Twice he cleared the ropes in a rapid 36, which dominated a stand of 42 with Adil Rashid.
   Only a brilliant catch by John Mooney, flinging himself full length on the run from long-off, halted the 26-ball assault.
   Persistent rain stopped the Irish beginning their pursuit for three hours but they finally started with a revised target to aim for.
   Ireland’s chase was propelled along by teenager Paul Stirling’s positive intent.
   Stirling, an 18-year-old on Middlesex’s books, hit four fours and a six in an attacking 30 which left them needing marginally over four runs per over for the final dozen overs.
   But the hosts seemed to have blown their chance when they subsided from 64-2 to 89-7.
   With nine required from the final two deliveries, Johnston lofted to long-on and England 12th man Eoin Morgan, on for Graeme Swann, prevented it clearing the rope by patting the ball back into play.
   Johnston and Kyle McCallan, Ireland’s final pair, ran two but the quick thinking by Morgan prevented a famous victory for his compatriots.
   Johnston hit the final ball for four but England held on for a narrow victory.

Kevin Pietersen is the only player from almost the past two decades to make it into the all-time England XI chosen by Cricinfo, with Ian Botham the next most-recent star to make the cut.
   Pietersen’s selection, by a panel of renowned cricket writers, journalists and commentators, confirms the impact he has had on the game since he made his Test debut in 2005, but there are no places for anyone else who contributed to England’s Ashes victories in 2005 and 2009.
   The opening positions are taken by Jack Hobbs and Len Hutton, two of the true legends of the game, and they are followed by Walter Hammond at No. 3 and Ken Barrington at No. 4. Pietersen, who is still in the early part of his career but is already recognised as a match-changing batsman, only just made it to final XI, beating off strong competition from Denis Compton, who captured the hearts and the minds of English fans in the post-war years.
   Andrew Flintoff and Tony Greig both made it to the shortlist for allrounders, but Botham won that contest hands down. ‘A proven century-maker, unlike Andrew Flintoff, and capable of bowling either fast like Harold Larwood, or outswing like Fred Trueman,’ Scyld Berry, the editor of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, wrote about Botham. ‘Hammond at first slip and Botham at second would make a formidable cordon beside Alan Knott.’
   Knott was the unanimous choice as the wicketkeeper. Sydney Barnes and Harold Larwood won the premier fast bowler’s positions by an overwhelming majority, but it was a closer contest for Fred Trueman who had stiff competition from Frank Tyson. Bob Willis was the only modern fast bowler who came close to selection.
   The sole spinner’s position went to Derek Underwood, who beat Jim Laker by a single vote.
   Last month Cricinfo produced a definitive all-time great Australia team, which didn’t include any members of the current Australian line-up. Over the coming year, the website will turn its eye to all of the top Test-playing nations and round off the deliberations with an all-time World XI.
   Cricinfo also asked readers to select their all-time XIs and the only two differences were that David Gower was voted into the middle order ahead of Barrington and Laker took the spin position from Underwood.
   The nominees
   Openers
   Jack Hobbs, Len Hutton, Herbert Sutcliffe, Mike Brearley, Geoff Boycott, Graham Gooch, Mike Atherton, Michael Vaughan
   Middle order
   Wally Hammond, Ken Barrington, Kevin Pietersen, Colin Cowdrey, Peter May, David Gower, Stanley Jackson, Frank Woolley, Ted Dexter, Denis Compton
   All-rounders
   Ian Botham, Tony Greig, Andrew Flintoff
   Wicketkeepers
   Alan Knott, Bob Taylor, Les Ames, Jack Russell, Alec Stewart
   Fast bowlers
   Sydney Barnes, Harold Larwood, Fred Trueman, Bob Willis, Alec Bedser, Frank Tyson, John Snow, Darren Gough, Brian Statham
   Spinners
   Hedley Verity, Wilfred Rhodes, Jim Laker, Derek Underwood

Gagunashvili Merab of Georgia joined India’s Dibyendu Barua and compatriot Mchedlishvili Mikheil at the top of the points table in the 9th United Insurance & United Leasing Grandmasters Chess Tournament after the end of ninth round on Friday.
   The trio earned 6.5 points each with another three players remaining hot on their heels with 6 points each. They include Bangladesh’s Reefat Bin Sattar who defeated his compatriot Enamul Hossain Rajib in this round.
   Gagunashvili beat Indian Bitan Bannerjee to join the table-toppers and was helped by Dibyendu and Mchedlishvili, who both drew their respective ninth-round matches. GM Igor Rausis of Czech Republic and GM Khusnutdinov Rustam of Kazakhstan remained in the second position with Reefat.
   The 10th and final round will be held today

Pakistan captain Younis Khan was today forced to skip a pre-scheduled media discussion session in the city after being bitten by honeybees outside his home. The freak accident took place early this morning when the cricketer was taking his car out of the garage as the honeybees attacked him leaving his face swollen in just a few minutes.
   ‘My face is swollen. So I can’t speak freely. Because of this incident I also reached late for a local match which I had to miss today,’ Younis said later.
   Younis did, however, manage to show up for an Iftar (fast breaking) party at the Karachi Press Club which was arranged in his honour.
   ‘I should be okay in a couple of days. I don’t think this incident will have any effect on my preparation for the coming Champions Trophy,’ he said.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal could meet in a US Open singles final, but defending champion Serena Williams and her sister Venus Williams cannot, according to the US Open draws revealed Thursday.
   The draws had Federer and Spanish star Nadal on opposite sides of the bracket, something not assured for the first time since 2005 in Slams where both men played because Britain’s Andy Murray is ranked second.
   Swiss world number one Federer seeks an unprecedented sixth US Open title in a row after winning a record 15th career Slam title last month at Wimbledon.
   ‘I’m still motivated,’ Federer said. ‘I’m still excited about playing.’
   Nadal, who is fighting off a knee injury, is in the same half of the draw as Murray for the year’s final Grand Slam event which starts Monday. Nadal and Federer had been 1-2 in the rankings for the past four years until this month.
   Serena Williams is ranked second to Russia’s Dinara Safina even though the US star has 11 Grand Slam titles to none for Safina. Williams has won three of the past four Slams but could face her sister in an emotional Open semi-final.
   ‘Obviously I’m going to have a tough tournament coming up,’ Serena Williams said. ‘Venus and I are going to play the doubles. So I’m going to do the best I can do and just try to relax when I’m out there.’
   American Devin Britton, the US college champion, will be the first foe for Federer on the Flushing Meadows hardcourts.
   Serbian Novak Djokovic and American Andy Roddick, who could meet in a quarter-final, are in Federer’s half of the draw.
   Roddick pushed Federer to 16-14 in the fifth set of last month’s Wimbledon final before falling as the Swiss star claimed his record-setting 15th career Grand Slam title.
   ‘I think he believes again he can win big tournaments,’ Federer said. ‘He was so close at Wimbledon. It has changed him. I think he has improved as a player in the past year or two. I also see him going deep into the tournament again at the Open.’
   On the opposite side of the bracket, Murray and Nadal could meet in the semi-finals. Murray could face Argentina’s Juan Martin Del Potro in the quarter-finals.
   Murray opens against Ernests Gulbis of Latvia and could face big-serving Ivo Karlovic in the third round.
   Nadal, coming back from a knee injury, is set to open against France’s Richard Gasquet.
   On the women’s side, Serena Williams opens with compatriot Alexa Glatch and could meet Austria’s Sybille Bammer in the third round. Her top-seeded rival in the bracket quarter is Russian No. 7 Vera Zvonareva.
   Venus Williams could meet Belgian former world number one Kim Clijsters in the fourth round of the same half of the bracket and might have to get past eighth seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus to reach a potential semi-final sibling showdown.
   Clijsters, in only the third event of her comeback after two years off to start a family, opens against Viktoriya Kutuzova of Ukraine.
   Safina’s half of the bracket is filled with fellow Russians. Sixth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova and potential third-round opponents Maria Sharapova and Elena Dementieva also figure in the top seed’s half of the draw.

Jamie Cox, the on-duty selector at The Oval, has taken responsibility for Australia not playing Nathan Hauritz on a dry and dusty pitch that gave significant assistance to spinners. The captain and coach, Ricky Ponting and Tim Nielsen, have already conceded Hauritz should have played but Cox said it was ultimately his call that led to a four-man pace attack being chosen.
   ‘The raw emotion of the past few days has dissipated,’ Cox told the Australian after arriving home to Adelaide. ‘People for some reason think that we really don’t care about the fact that we lost - that it’s all okay for us and we just move onto the next one. If the team loses then we are scrutinised and deservedly so.
   ‘The only way we can get selections right is if the team wins. We all understand that. We’re not shying away from the fact that we made an error at the end. Of course we should have played a spinner. Ultimately it’s my call. That’s why you don’t feel all that good about it when it turns out badly.’
   Cox said he realised half an hour into the Test that he had misjudged the surface, which turned out to be slow and brought eight wickets for England’s off-spinner Graeme Swann. Instead of choosing Hauritz, Australia selected Stuart Clark as a fourth fast man but he had almost no impact, although Australia’s lacklustre first-innings batting was the real turning point. It led to a hefty deficit from which Australia could not recover, and their 197-run defeat meant a 2-1 series win for England.
   The Oval was not the only venue at which Cox had a major decision to make. He said the axing of the promising but out-of-form Phillip Hughes at Edgbaston was a particularly hard call.

Sir Alex Ferguson insists Arsenal will be one of Manchester United’s main rivals for honours this season as the great rivals prepare to resume battle at Old Trafford on Saturday.
   United delivered a crushing blow to Arsenal in last season’s Champions League semi-final, cruising through 4-1 on aggregate after beating Arsene Wenger’s men 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium.
   Ferguson admits that was United’s best performance of the season but despite the fact Arsenal have sold Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure to Manchester City during the close-season, the Scot remains convinced the north London club look stronger this year.
   He doesn’t believe the result of Saturday’s game will decide the title, but fully expects Arsenal to be in the mix when the honours are given out in May.
   Ferguson has also hailed Wenger’s ability to regenerate teams at the Emirates and believes he is one of the best manager’s in the world at knowing when the time is right to sell players.
   Arsenal have made a brighter start to the new campaign than United, winning both league matches, while Ferguson’s men suffered a shock loss at newly-promoted Burnley.
   Ferguson said: ‘Games against Arsenal are always enjoyable and very interesting. At the start of the season there have been some highlights for Arsenal already,
   ‘Their 6-1 win at Everton was an amazing result. I’ve never known Everton concede that many goals at home before. I can’t remember that happening before.
   ‘It’s been a good start for them. We’ve got a game on our hands. We’ve got to get our form right and make sure it is consistent. We’ve lost one game already and can’t afford to lose another.’
   Relations between United and Arsenal have thawed in recent years, mostly due to the fact that Arsenal have been unable to sustain a genuine challenge for the title, but Ferguson believes the rivalry remains as strong as ever. Ferguson, who is without long-term injury victims Rio Ferdinand, Owen Hargreaves and Edwin van der Sar, added: ‘Over the years Manchester United versus Arsenal games were the feature of the Premier League, there’s no doubt about that.
   ‘It was the number one game. Some of them were very, very feisty. But the characters of the teams have changed. There is no (Roy) Keane or (Patrick) Vieira, both volatile characters and dominant players. ‘I think the personalities of the teams have changed. It will be no less competitive though, just a different type of game. ‘There are 35 games left so you can’t say it will mean a lot (in terms of the outcome of the title). But we dropped points against the top four teams last season and that’s an area I want to see us address.
   ‘I couldn’t understand people writing Arsenal off. I think it was a media thing. I can’t see it. They have respect and the one thing Arsene has done well is he’s always sold a player at the right time. He knows when it’s the right time for a player to leave.
   ‘But I don’t think the level of their ability has changed one bit.’

David Hussey smashed his first one-day international century as Australia began life without the Ashes by scoring 345 all out in Friday’s one-day international against Scotland in Edinburgh.
   Hussey bludgeoned the Scotland attack for 111 from just 83 balls as the Australians played for the first time since losing the Ashes to England in the final Test at the Oval on Sunday.
   A 114-run stand between Hussey and Adam Voges, who scored 72, came in 83 balls and paved the way for Australia’s total, their biggest in a one-day game on British soil, after Shane Watson’s 68 at the top of the order set the tone.
   A late flurry of Australia wickets saw the tourists bowled out from the final ball of the 50 overs, with Gordon Goudie bowling debutant Dirk Nannes - who played for Holland at the World Twenty20 in June - to finish with figures of five for 73.
   The match is Australia’s warm-up for the forthcoming Twenty20 matches and seven one-day internationals against England.
   Scotland had begun the game well when Dewald Nel removed David Warner for a duck in the first over, the opener feathering a catch through to wicketkeeper Marc Petrie.
   The tourists also lost stand-in captain Michael Clarke for 16 when he misjudged a Goudie slower ball and was bowled attempting a swipe to leg.
   But despite the early wickets Watson was content to play his shots and raced to his half-century from just 30 balls.
   He took 16 from Richie Berrington’s first over, but departed soon after when he flicked Nel to Ryan Watson at deep square leg.
   Reckless strokeplay was all that was threatening to keep Australia’s score under 300, with Cameron White needlessly skying a catch to Goudie at deep mid-off when he had reached 19.
   That brought Hussey and Voges together with the score on 143 for four after 24 overs.
   Voges was happy to play second fiddle, adding just 29 in their century stand, although Hussey rode his luck when Gordon Drummond athletically held a catch only to jump over the mid-on boundary in doing so.
   Hussey did depart next over when Neil McCullum held on inches in front of the ropes to end an innings that included 10 fours and five sixes.
   Voges took up where Hussey left off, thrashing four sixes to reach 60, as Haq’s miserable day worsened when he dropped a simple return chance.
   Drummond eventually removed Voges caught in the deep before Australia’s second debutant of the day, Tim Paine, continued the run fest with an unbeaten 29.
   The tourists might have then expected to post a score of over 350, but the late hitting never materialised as Goudie claimed the final four wickets for 22 runs.

Hanover goalkeeper Robert Enke is set to win the battle to be his country’s number one keeper in next summer’s World Cup finals in South Africa, former shot-stopper Andreas Koepke said Friday.
   ‘Robert is ahead, he has been playing very well and if all proceeds normally he will be between the sticks against Russia,’ Koepke, Germany’s goalkeeping coach, told Bild newspaper.
   Germany play Russia in an October 10 qualifier which should determine which of the two countries tops Group Four.
   ‘Up to now, in the three (league) matches he has played he has only conceded two goals with Hanover and he has been very solid in the matches he has played for the national side,’ added Koepke.
   Enke, 32, has won eight caps to date and faces competition from Rene Adler (Leverkusen), Manuel Neuer (Schalke O4) and Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen). Wiese is predicted to be the man who misses out when coach Joachim Loew finally announces his squad.
   Enke was number two to former Arsenal veteran Jens Lehmann at Euro-2008. He began his career at Borussia Moenchengladbach in 1996 and then had three years with Benfica in Portugal.
   Thereafter he lost his way somewhat after Barcelona signed him up in 2002 only to loan him out to Fenerbahce of Turkey, then Spain’s Tenerife.
   Despite interest from other German sides he elected to join Hanover in 2004 to relaunch his career back in the Bundesliga.

England batsman Kevin Pietersen played a chef to cook seekh kebabs for 25 Indian cricket fans who had one-in-a-lifetime opportunity to dine with the player. The 25 fortunates were winners of ‘The Whyte and Mackay 13th man activation’ contest, organised during the second edition of Indian Premier League in South Africa by Scottish alcoholic beverage producer Whyte and Mackay.
   The fans met Pietersen, who is skipper of IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore, last Friday at the Cinnamon Club, one of the award-winning Indian restaurants here. ‘The cricket fans from India spent nearly four hours with Kevin Pietersen, who enjoyed the meal with them.
   Before the dinner, Pietersen took the fans to the kitchen where he showed his culinary by making the spicy dish,’ head chef of Cinnamon Club Hari Nagarajan told PTI today. Besides the kebab, chicken tikka, kheer and gulab jamun were also in the menu, Nagarajan revealed.

Andriy Shevchenko has been told he can leave Chelsea after a dismal spell at the Premier League club.
    ‘I spoke with Shevchenko. He would like to play with continuity here for me but it is difficult for me to give him the possibility to play a lot of matches and he will take the right decision for him,’ Ancelotti said.
   ‘He will take the decision. We have told him he can go. Sheva didn’t have the possibility to play consistently, so he has taken the decision to go.’
   Meanwhile Ancelotti, speaking at a press-conference on Friday, also rubbished reports that the Blues had made a 57 million pounds bid for Bayern Munich midfielder Franck Ribery. ‘No that is not true,’ the Italian said when asked about a possible offer for Ribery.

Euro-pean champions Barcelona drew Inter Milan, moneybags Real Madrid pulled AC Milan while Manchester United will take on German surprise package Wolfsburg after the Champions League group stage draw was made here on Thursday.
   This season sees nine former champions go into action in the 32-team format split into eight groups of four while the quartets of teams from England and Spain will battle for an historic 13th triumph, both countries having polished off a round dozen to date.
   Group A pits four-time champions Bayern Munich against two-time holders Juventus, French champions Bordeaux and Maccabi Haifa of Israel.
   In Group B, Manchester United, European champions in 1968, 1999 and 2007 and beaten finalists last year, will go up against German champions Wolfsburg, Turkey’s Besiktas and CSKA Moscow.
   ‘These are difficult ties, especially the trips to Russia and Turkey,’ said United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
   ‘CSKA have developed strongly in the last few years and games in Turkey are always difficult.’
   Former United star Cristiano Ronaldo’s nine-time winners and summer mega-spenders, Real Madrid, will have to joust with seven-time champions AC Milan in Group C, meaning an early return to San Siro for Brazilian Kaka.
   Marseille, the only French side ever to lift the trophy, and outsiders FC Zurich of Switzerland complete the group.
   Chelsea, the 2008 finalists and bidding for a first crown under former AC Milan handler Carlo Ancelotti are seeded in Group D where they meet two-time champions Porto, Atletico Madrid and Cypriots APOEL Nicosia.
   ‘We are always looking to go one step further in Europe,’ said Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon. ‘There is not too much travel and we managed to avoid one of the bigger teams. We’ve played Porto twice in Europe and we know them better than most.’
   Liverpool, who humiliated Real last season, will play in Group E along with French side Lyon, who have never been past the quarters, Fiorentina of Italy and Debrecen of Hungary.
   ‘In the Champions League there will always be difficult games and tough teams to play against,’ said Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez.
   ‘Lyon might not have won the league last season but before that they won it many years in a row, so we know they have lots of good players who can play good football.
   ‘Fiorentina are an historic club and we have experience of Hungarian football because of our relationship with MTK (Liverpool have signed a number of youth team players from the Budapest team), so if Debrecen have won their league then we know it means it’s because they’re a good side.
   Holders Barcelona will play in Group F along with Italian champions Inter, who won the last of their two European crowns in 1965 and are coached by former Barca assistant and ex-Chelsea handler Jose Mourinho.
   Those encounters also mean a swift return to the Nou Camp for Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o, who twice lifted the Cup with the Catalan club.
   Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who went the other way, will likewise get to renew old acquaintances back at the San Siro.
   Barcelona’s vice-chairman Rafael Yuste told Radio Marca he looked forward to seeing Eto’o again.
   ‘Eto’o is a great player, always motivated no matter who he is up against.’
   But he added: ‘We are the team to beat, the holders,’ and vowed Barca would go all out to become the first team to retain the Champions League.
   Inter star Javier Zanetti said: ‘It’s a tough group, they will all be difficult games. We’ve drawn Barcelona and it will be nice to see Ibra (Zlatan Ibrahimovic) again.
   ‘There’s going to be a lot sweat but we’re in top shape and we can do well.’
   Dynamo Kiev and Russian champions Kazan complete the group.
   Seville of Spain will compete in Group G alongside Glasgow Rangers, Germany’s VfB Stuttgart, and Romanian champions Unirea Urziceni.
   Arsenal were drawn in Group H alongside AZ Alkmaar of the Netherlands, Greek side Olympiakos and Belgium’s Standard Liege, whom the Gunners thrashed 7-0 away 16 years ago in the old Cup Winners Cup.
   Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis noted his side’s rivals are all their country’s respective champions.
   ‘They are three good leagues and there is a reason why they are in the competition. People might see it as a free pass for us but we don’t see it that way at all. It will be very tough.
   ‘It is good to have relatively short travel times, that’s something that Arsene (Wenger) thinks about a lot.’
   
   Group stage draw
   Group A
   Bayern Munich (GER)
   Juventus (ITA)
   Bordeaux (FRA)
   Maccabi Haifa (ISR)
   Group B
   Manchester United (ENG)
   CSKA Moscow (RUS)
   Besiktas (TUR)
   VfL Wolfsburg (GER)
   Group C
   AC Milan (ITA)
   Real Madrid (ESP)
   Marseille (FRA)
   Zurich (SUI)
   Group D
   Chelsea (ENG)
   Porto (POR)
   Atletico Madrid (ESP)
   APOEL (CYP)
   Group E
   Liverpool (ENG)
   Lyon (FRA)
   Fiorentina (ITA)
   Debrecen (HUN)
   Group F
   Barcelona (ESP)
   Inter Milan (ITA)
   Dynamo Kiev (UKR)
   Rubin Kazan (RUS)
   Group G
   Sevilla (ESP)
   Rangers (SCO)
   VfB Stuttgart (GER)
   Unirea Urziceni (ROM)
   Group H
   Arsenal (ENG)
   AZ Alkmaar (NED)
   Olympiakos (GRE)
   Standard Liege (BEL)

Arsenal’s stars have warned Manchester United that today’s showdown at Old Trafford will prove that the Gunners are serious contenders for the Premier League title.
   The close-season departures of Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure to Manchester City were seen as a sign that Arsenal were no longer a force to be reckoned with.
   But Arsene Wenger’s young team have confounded the critics who wrote them off by making a blistering start to the season.
   A stunning 6-1 victory at Everton on the opening weekend set the tone and since then Celtic have been brushed aside in the Champions League play-off, while Portsmouth were thrashed 4-1 in the league.
   Those impressive results have raised expectations that Arsenal can end their four-year trophy drought, but United represent the acid test of the north London side’s title credentials.
   It is a challenge that holds no fears for Wenger’s men and midfielder Alexandre Song said: ‘If we play like we played against Celtic, then we know nobody can beat us.
   ‘This is a really important game and when you play against Man Utd it’s never easy. It’s a big game and we just have to keep on improving.’
   Thomas Vermaelen, the Belgian defender who has made a significant contribution to Arsenal’s winning start, added: ‘It’s the biggest game so far this season and it will be a good test for us. Everyone looks forward to playing these kind of games.’
   While Arsenal have hit the ground running, United have made an erratic start, winning against Birmingham and Wigan but suffering a shock defeat at newly-promoted Burnley.
   That victory at Wigan included a first United strike for Michael Owen and his team-mate Rio Ferdinand expects a flood of goals from the former Liverpool forward.
   ‘He has been hammered yet he has not even played a full 90 minutes,’ Ferdinand said.
   ‘I think that goal on Saturday will catapult him towards scoring a few more.’
   Elsewhere, Liverpool desperately need a positive performance and, more importantly, a victory at Bolton after losing two of their first three matches.
   Monday’s home defeat against Aston Villa equalled the total number of losses suffered by Liverpool in their entire league campaign last season and Bolton boss Gary Megson expects to face fired-up opponents.
   ‘They’ll be right at it because they’ve publicly come out and said that it’s a game they must win and that they can’t afford to lose another game all season if they are going to win the Premier League,’ Megson said.
   Chelsea will aim to end Burnley’s fairytale start in today’s early game.
   The Clarets upset United then defeated Everton at Turf Moor last week and will travel to Stamford Bridge in the belief they can claim another famous scalp.
   Table-topping Tottenham host Birmingham as they try to build on their best start to a season for 49 years.
   Harry Redknapp’s team have won their first three league matches and their manager believes a top-four finish is not out of the question.
   ‘It could be open this year,’ Redknapp said. ‘Manchester City will certainly be pushing to be a top-four team, and there’s no reason we can’t push. We’ve got good players.
   ‘There’s no reason why we can’t be up there having a go at it. We only lost one home game last season since I came here – to Everton – including all the cup games.’
   Meanwhile, England defender Joleon Lescott could make his Manchester City debut at Portsmouth on Sunday after finally completing his protracted 24 million pounds switch from Everton.
   
   Fixtures
   (1400GMT unless stated):
   Saturday
   Blackburn v West Ham
   Bolton v Liverpool
   Chelsea v Burnley (1145GMT)
   Man Utd v Arsenal (1615GMT)
   Stoke v Sunderland
   Tottenham v Birmingham
   Wolverhampton v Hull
   
   Sunday
   Aston Villa v Fulham (1500GMT)
   Everton v Wigan
   Portsmouth v Man City (1230GMT)

Wesley Sneiijder could make his Inter Milan debut this weekend in the Milan derby against fierce rivals AC Milan.
   Sneijder has completed a 15-million-euro switch from Real Madrid and will go straight into the first team reckoning as the champions look to bounce back from their opening home draw against Serie A new-boys Bari.
   The 25-year-old Dutchman insists he is not taking a step down in his career despite being practically forced out of Madrid by the Real hierarchy.
   ‘I don’t feel like it’s a defeat leaving Madrid as Inter are one of the biggest clubs in the world and have been champions of Italy for the last four years,’ he told a Dutch newspaper.
   ‘It will be a pleasure to work with (coach Jose) Mourinho. As for the derby, it’s the boss who will decide but I’m ready to start playing right away, I have no fitness problems.’
   Mourinho signed Sneijder specifically to play the former Ajax man at the tip of his midfield diamond formation, behind front pair Samuel Eto’o and Diego Milito.
   ‘If he manages to come through all the tests he could be an option and then obviously he’ll be in the squad,’ said Mourinho.
   Although this match comes early in the season it is still being seen as the first potential title-decider but also, more importantly, a test of just how good Milan really are following a turbulent summer in which they lost eight of 11 pre-season matches and failed to replace the Real Madrid-bound Kaka with a player even approaching his ability.
   Even so, Mourinho expects his team’s cross-town rivals to be fired up for the clash.
   ‘I’m convinced that Milan are desperate to play this match, the stadium will be full and it will be a great advert for the whole of Europe,’ he added.
   Inter have been involved in some mind-games leading up to the match, in which Milan are the nominal hosts at the San Siro, a ground shared by the two teams.
   Marco Materazzi claimed Milan are the favourites because they lead Inter in the table having won their opening match, 2-1 at Siena.
   He may have been joking but Milan forward Marco Borriello believes a victory for his team would open up a morale-boosting gap on their rivals.
   ‘It’s early days but to have a five point lead would be very important,’ he said.
   ‘That would be a useful advantage so we can go in to other matches feeling calm and it’s a possibility that might not happen again in this championship.
   ‘Even so, they are the favourites but beating Mourinho is an extra motivation.’ The other big match of the weekend sees Juventus travel to AS Roma in a match that could say a lot about either side’s title chances.
   Juve were wasteful in their opening day 1-0 home success against Chievo while Roma fell to a 3-2 defeat at Genoa.
   The capital-based side need to bounce back quickly to avoid losing touch with the top sides while a repeat of last season’s 4-1 victory at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico would assert Juve’s scudetto credentials.
   ‘To win at Roma would really be a show of force capable of stamping our authority on the championship, even if we are only at the beginning,’ said Juve centre-back Giorgio Chiellini.
   
   Fixtures
   Saturday
   AC Milan v Inter Milan, Bari v Bologna
   
   Sunday
   Atalanta v Genoa, Cagliari v Siena, Chievo v Lazio, Fiorentina v Palermo, Napoli v Livorno, Parma v Catania, AS Roma v Juventus, Sampdoria v Udinese

After three years without a real playmaker, Real Madrid can now count on the services of Brazilian star Kaka, who has already proved he is a match for the last great player to take the role – Zinedine Zidane.
   The 2007 World Footballer of the Year will not have to shoulder all the responsibility of leading the midfield this season, as Real chairman Florentino Perez – never one to do anything by halves – has also signed Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso.
   But the 27-year-old, signed from AC Milan in June for 65 million euros, already seems to be the ideal successor to the French legend Zidane.
   ‘Kaka is an ace. If he has achieved anything at all throughout his career it has been to give a touch of brilliance to all the teams he has played for,’ Real coach Manuel Pellegrini said on the eve of the Spanish league season.
   Ricardo Izecson Dos Santos Leite, which is Kaka’s full name, has already repaid the club’s faith in him, having staged stunning performances when Real crushed Borussia Dortmund 5-0 and Rosenborg 4-0 in pre-season matches.
   He is now one of the pillars on which Pellegrini hopes to build a Real team that can defeat arch-rivals Barcelona, who last year won a unique treble of European Champions League, Spanish League and Spanish Cup trophies.
   He ‘changes speed, changes the game,’ for Real, said Pellegrini, who seems ready to opt for a 4-2-2-2 formation in which the Brazilian will be alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, with Lassana Diarra and Xabi Alonso behind them and Raul and Karim Benzema up front.
   Real fans have also taken him to heart, as much for his demonstrative attitude and love of the game as for his skills on the field.
   This is in contrast to Cristiano Ronaldo, who has had a disappointing pre-season after moving from Manchester United for 94 million euros.
   ‘We have taken a qualitative leap. Kaka is a player who brings a lot of money and he brings something that Florentino Perez likes – a value that is at the same time sporting and strategic,’ said the club’s director general, Jorge Valdano.
   Presenting his new prize signing to fans last month, Perez praised Kaka as ‘one of the best players in the world’, for his ‘impeccable behaviour’ and as ‘one of the icons of our time.’
   But one question remains – How long can Cristiano Ronaldo put up with being in his shadow?

Barce-lona’s Lionel Messi was chosen the best player of the 2008-09 Champions League on Thursday.
   The Argentina forward was voted the UEFA club player of the year by coaches of the 15 other teams who reached the knockout rounds of the tournament.
   ‘It is an enormous joy to be able to receive such an important award as this,’ Messi said. ‘And it’s also a pleasure to be able to thank all the people who voted for me and who decided I should get this award.’
   Messi scored nine times in Barcelona’s march to the title, including a 70th-minute header in the final to seal a 2-0 win against Manchester United.
   At the draw ceremony for this season’s competition, Messi was voted best forward and team-mate Xavi Hernandez was chosen best midfielder.
   Manchester United’s Edwin van der Sar was picked as best goalkeeper and John Terry of Chelsea as best defender.
   UEFA president Michel Platini presented a special award to Paolo Maldini, who won five European Cups with AC Milan during a playing career that spanned more than 20 years until he retired at the end of last season.
   Messi succeeded Cristiano Ronaldo, the world player of the year, in winning the UEFA award, and became the second Argentine winner after Fernando Redondo in Real Madrid’s Champions League-winning season of 2000.

Real Madrid are set to re-launch their bid to sign Bayern Munich’s French star Franck Ribery, Spanish sports newspapers said Friday.
   They said the transfer of Real’s Dutch striker Arjen Robben to the German side has opened the door for the big-spending Spanish club to resume its move for the France international midfielder.
   Sports daily Marca said Robben’s transfer to Bayern for a reported fee of 25 million euros has eased relations between the two clubs that were soured over Ribery.
   And AS sports daily said Real chairman Florentino Perez plans to talk about a deal for Ribery with his Bayern counterpart Karl-Heinz Rummenigge later on Friday.
   Real failed to sign the 26-year-old this summer in the face of stiff opposition from Bayern.
   And the Spanish giants then said earlier this month that their mega pre-season spending spree was complete with the capture of Xabi Alonso from Liverpool.
   AS claimed that Bayern are ready to let Ribery go in the summer of 2010 for around 20 million euros.
   But it said Perez will offer a higher price than that – and include its out-of-favour Dutch midfielder Rafael van der Vaart – to lure Ribery to the Spanish capital before the end of this summer’s transfer window on August 31.
   Perez has already splashed out over 250 million euros on the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema and Alonso as he seeks to make the nine-time European champions a formidable force again.

The head of European football, Michel Platini, has promised to introduce tough regulations by the 2012-2013 season that would force UEFA’s clubs to spend only within their means.
   Some of Europe’s top clubs, including nine-times European champions Real Madrid, have accumulated huge debts during their respective campaigns for success on the field.
   Real had an estimated debt of 500 million pounds (816m dollars) up to the end of the 2007-08 season, with financial experts estimating the Spanish giants will soon have a debt of around 800 million (1,306m dollars) following their summer spending spree.
   Platini is a strong advocate of clubs reining in their finances and the UEFA president believes it is time to stop clubs’ finances from spiralling out of control.
   Launching his ‘financial fair play’ campaign on Thursday the Frenchman claimed he has been asked by, and won the backing of, club owners such as Chelsea’s Roman Abramovich, players, leagues and national associations.
   It would also mean the end of mega-rich owners, such as Manchester City’s Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan, making huge gifts of cash to their clubs.
   In a BBC website report Platini said: ‘We have everyone on board with this, the owners, the players, the leagues, the national associations.
   ‘If a club can get loans from a bank to buy players and is able to pay back bank loans then it is not a problem. But if a club gets a lot of money or subsidies from a big backer and is still in deficit in two years then it is a problem and we don’t want that.’
   Platini said an independent panel would be created to determine whether clubs had broken the rules.
   Those deemed to have infringed the rules could face expulsion from the lucrative Champions League competition.
   ‘The panel will refer any matter to the disciplinary committee and sanctions will be taken from a reminder to a fine to expulsion from the Champions League,’ he said.
   Top English club Chelsea reported losses of 65.7 million pounds (107m dollars) up to June last year while Red Football, the parent company of Manchester United, registered losses of 21 million pounds (34m dollars) last year and has a total debt of 575 million (938m dollars).
   Platini added: ‘It’s mainly the owners that asked us to do something – Roman Abramovich, (AC Milan’s) Silvio Berlusconi, (Inter Milan’s) Massimo Moratti. They do not want to fork out from their pockets any more.
   ‘I have told Mr Abramovich about this and he said nothing against it.’

Argentine striker Carlos Tevez scored his first Manchester City goal on Thursday as the big-spending Premier League side defeated Crystal Palace 2-0 in the second round of the English League Cup.
   Defender Joleon Lescott also made his City debut after his move from Everton, but City struggled to impose themselves on Championship side Palace in the first half.
   Shaun Wright-Phillips settled City’s nerves with the opening goal on 50 minutes before Tevez struck 20 minutes later to seal City’s passage into the third round of the competition they last won in 1976 – their last major trophy.
   City boss Mark Hughes backed Tevez, who scored 34 times for rivals Manchester United in two seasons, to keep adding to his tally.
   ‘That was important for him,’ said Hughes. ‘I hoped he would get opportunities tonight and he was able to get off the mark. His energy and enthusiasm for the game shone through.
   ‘The more he plays for us, the better he will become. We’ve got Emmanuel Adebayor and Carlos off the mark now so we are delighted.’
   Hughes also praised Lescott who was handed a surprise debut alongside new captain Kolo Toure.
   ‘He did fine,’ added Hughes of his 22-million-pound signing.
   ‘He only had 24 hours and one training session with us. But we got clearance for him to play and it was important to get him in the team as soon as possible.’

Struggling Bayern Munich know only a decent performance against defending champions VfL Wolfsburg today will ease their mounting woes, admits captain Philipp Lahm.
   Having drawn their first two league games, Bayern were humiliated last weekend when promoted minnows Mainz stunned them with a 2-1 defeat which left Germany striker Mario Gomez admitting they were ‘taught a lesson’.
   Wolfsburg also suffered their first league defeat last Sunday when they were beaten at home by Hamburg and they will be hoping to repeat April’s 5-1 win over Munich at the Volkswagen Arena which led to the sacking of Bayern coach Jurgen Klinsmann.
   The defending champions are fourth in the German league, while Bayern are down to 14th after their slump and badly need some points.
   Against Mainz last Saturday, substitutes Ivica Olic and Thomas Mueller were two of the Bayern players to impress and stand-in captain Philipp Lahm says the whole team must improve.
   ‘We knew it could be a bumpy start to the season – and it has been,’ said Germany defender Philipp Lahm, who is standing in for the injured Mark van Bommel.
   ‘Over the next few weeks, everyone will see us playing a lot better again.’
   And Bayern fans need to see some evidence of that while French midfielder Franck Ribery and World Cup winner Luca Toni both trained hard this week.
   Ribery is expected to get some game time against Wolfsburg who have no injury worries and strikers Edin Dzeko and Grafite will be looking to terrorise Bayern’s defence as they did last time.
   Dutch forward Arjen Robbens could even feature in the game if Bayern complete his signing from Spanish giants Real Madrid on Friday as expected.
   Leaders Bayer Leverkusen will be looking for another three points against Bochum having hammered Freiburg 5-0 last weekend after Swiss internationals Tranquillo Barnetta and Erin Derdiyok both scored two goals.
   After their 4-2 win over defending champions Wolfsburg last Sunday, Hamburg host Cologne on Sunday with Germany striker Lukas Podolski looking to get the guests’ first win of the season.
   Third-placed Schalke, who revealed they are 136.6 million euros in debt on Thursday, take on Freiburg at Gelsenkirchen’s Veltins Arena on Saturday with the guests licking their wounds from their hammering by Leverkusen.
   Fifth-placed Mainz, buoyed by their success over Bayern, take on Borussia Moenchengladbach on Friday.

European football’s ruling body UEFA have charged Arsenal striker Eduardo with diving to win a penalty against Celtic in their midweek clash at the Emirates.
   The Brazil-born Croatian could now be handed a UEFA two-match suspension that will rule him out of the Gunners’ first two Champions League group games.
   Following complaints by Celtic and Scottish football bosses UEFA decided to study video evidence of the incident, which saw Eduardo falling theatrically to the ground despite no evidence of contact being made with Celtic ‘keeper Artur Boruc.
   UEFA subsequently opened disciplinary proceedings against the Croatia international for ‘deceiving the referee’.
   A statement on Friday said: ‘Having studied video evidence of the incident in question, the UEFA disciplinary inspector decided to charge the player concerned. The UEFA control and disciplinary body will examine the case on September 1.’
   It means Eduardo could now be sanctioned in accordance with Article 10, paragraph 1c of the UEFA disciplinary regulations (misconduct of players) which states: ‘Players may be suspended for two competition matches, or for a specified period, for acting with the obvious intent to cause any match official to make an incorrect decision or supporting his error of judgment and thereby causing him to make an incorrect decision.’
   If banned he would miss Arsenal’s away trip to Standard Liege on September 16 and the home match with Olympiakos on September 29.
   UEFA’s decision drew a furious response from Gunners boss Arsene Wenger, who accused the governing body of conducting a witch-hunt against Eduardo.
   ‘I find it a complete disgrace and unacceptable. We won’t accept the way we have been treated in this case for two reasons,’ Wenger said.
   ‘I believe that you can debate whether it was a penalty or not. For me it’s a witch-hunt that we see and not an objective judgement of a case.
   ‘This charge implies there was intent and a desire to cheat the referee. Having watched the pictures again there was nothing conclusive.
   ‘It singles out a player in Europe to be a cheat and that is not acceptable. UEFA has taken action that is not defendable.’
   The Frenchman believes Eduardo took evasive action when Boruc came out to save because he was worried about the career-threatening broken leg
   he sustained two seasons ago.
   And Wenger claimed UEFA would have difficulty proving the 26-year-old intended to deceive the referee.
   He said: ‘We will defend our player as far as we can because he is not being treated fairly.
   ‘It’s funny in football because you can break the legs of players and it doesn’t make a debate for anybody. But this case has been all over the world and Eduardo has been treated like he’s killed someone.
   ‘I’m the first to say that it doesn’t look like a penalty but it’s another thing to say that he went down with intent. I wish good luck in proving that having seen the pictures again.
   ‘Having seen his leg after that tackle I don’t blame him for getting out of the way of the goalkeeper.
   ‘They’ve opened the door to every single decision made by a referee can now on be challenged. They’ve opened a very dangerous door there.’

The clash between Spanish side Villarreal and Italian giants Lazio will be one of the highlights of the Europa League group stage after the draw made here on Friday.
   Spanish clubs taking on Italians was a theme of the Champions League draw on Thursday night and it continued Friday with Villarreal meeting Lazio in a Group G which also includes Bulgaria’s Levski Sofia and Austrian outfit Salzburg.
   Another Spanish side Valencia were drawn in Group B with France’s Lille, Czech champions Slavia Prague and Italian side Genoa.
   Valencia have come back from the brink of bankruptcy last season and are among the favourites in a competition they won three times - 1962, 1963 and 2004.
   The last UEFA Cup winners FC Shakhtar Donetsk will, meanwhile, bid to become the first team to be crowned champions of the competition’s successor against FC Bruges of Belgium, Partizan Belgrade and French club Toulouse.
   Ukrainian outfit Shakhtar, who face Champions League winners Barcelona in the final of the European Super Cup later Friday, have been placed in Group J among 12 pools of four in the new competition.
   Last year’s beaten finalists Werder Bremen of Germany, will take on Austria Vienna, Athletic Bilbao and Nacional Madeira in Group L.
   Premier League side Everton, meanwhile, could face a potentially tricky tie against former European Cup winners Benfica in Group I.
   The Lisbon club won the European Cup in 1961 and 1962 and reached the final of the UEFA Cup in 1983. The two clubs will also face Greek side AEK Athens and BATE Borisov from Belarus.
   Scottish giants Celtic, who crashed out of the Champions League at the play-off stage after a 5-1 aggregate defeat to Arsenal, are up against Hamburg, Israeli side Hapoel Tel-Aviv and Rapid Vienna in Group C.
   The Greco-Turkish duel between Galatasaray and Panathinaikos in Group F should provide fireworks as should the tie between Benelux countries with former European giants Ajax of the Netherlands and Belgian side Anderlecht in Group A.
   English club Fulham travel to Italy to take on Roma and must also play Swiss side Basel and CSKA Sofia of Bulgaria in Group E.
   The first round of matches will be played on Thursday, September 17, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the last 32, where they will be joined by the eight third-placed teams from the Champions League group phase.

Tottenham’s out-of-favour French defender Pascal Chimbonda on Thursday signed a two-year deal with Premier League rivals Blackburn.
   The 30-year-old has been brought in as a direct replacement for left-back Stephen Warnock who has moved to Aston Villa.
   ‘We’ve got the deal done. We’ve got an experienced player who is desperate to play football again, having missed it at Spurs,’ said manager Sam Allardyce.
   ‘The experience of the player, the adaptability of the player in a number of positions and his past record means we will have a good player on our hands and will not miss Warnock too much.
   ‘We all know his favourite position is right-back. We are well covered there, but he can play centre-back and left-back.’
   The Frenchman is unlikely to play in his preferred position because Allardyce has already signed Lars Jacobsen and Michel Salgado this summer.

Bayern Munich announced on Friday they have completed the signing of Real Madrid winger Arjen Robben for an undisclosed fee.
   The 25-year-old Robben, one of several Dutch players being sold by the Spanish giants, signed a four-year deal with the Bundesliga club which has so far failed to make an impact in the league and currently lie 14th.
   Robben is set to train with Bayern on Friday afternoon and could face Bundesliga champions VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday, according to the German giants’ boss Uli Hoeness on Thursday.
   Reports said Bayern paid 25 million euros for Robben.
   With Cristiano Ronaldo blocking Robben’s path to the Real Madrid team, the Dutchman is expected to play a key role in helping Bayern get their stuttering season back on track.
   The Bavarian giants who are coached by Dutchman Louis Van Gaal have struggled to their worst Bundesliga start in 43 years having taken just two points from their first three games and were humbled 2-1 by minnows Mainz on Saturday.
   Robben’s arrival would complement Bayern playmaker Franck Ribery, who is still a target of Real according to latest reports, and give the German giants more options in attack.

Everton completed the signing of French defender Sylvain Distin from Portsmouth for an undisclosed fee on Friday.
   Distin agreed a three-year contract after passing a medical at Goodison Park.
   Toffees boss David Moyes moved for Distin as a replacement for England centre-back Joleon Lescott, who joined Manchester City for 24 million pounds (27.2 million euros) earlier this week.
   Former Paris St Germain and Manchester City defender Distin could make his Everton debut in Sunday’s home match against Wigan.
   ‘He’ll give me a centre half,’ Moyes said. ‘I needed one before Joleon left and he’ll give me a direct replacement for him. He’s a left-footed centre back, which I wanted.
   ‘He’s a bit older but more experienced and I look back at how well Davey Weir and Alan Stubbs did for us in their 30s, and I hope Sylvain can do the same.
   ‘We need someone to come in and keep us steady because we want to be competing be at the top end of the Premier League.’

Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas is on course to recover from a hamstring injury in time for today’s Premier League clash against Manchester United.
   Fabregas missed Arsenal’s midweek victory over Celtic in the Champions League after aggravating the problem against Portsmouth last weekend.
   But the Spain midfielder has now returned to training and Gunners boss Arsene Wenger believes the signs are positive that he will feature at Old Trafford as Arsenal look to maintain their 100 per cent start to the season.
   ‘He had a training session on Thursday that was quite positive,’ Wenger told the club’s official website. ‘He will have a definite test on Friday where we will decide if we include him in the squad or not.
   ‘I would say it is a real 50:50. On Wednesday I would have said it was 60:40 against but he looked positive on Thursday.’

West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola solved his striking problems by signing Italian forward Alessandro Diamanti from Livorno on Friday.
   The 26-year-old, who joins the Hammers for an undisclosed fee, has signed a five-year contract with the Premier League club.
   Diamanti told West Ham’s website: ‘I am very happy to be at West Ham United and to get the chance to play for Gianfranco Zola.’
   Zola has been keen to land a striker to partner Carlton Cole while Dean Ashton struggles to return from injury.
   England forward Cole is West Ham’s only fit senior striker at present.
   Diamanti added: ‘I chose West Ham because the club have the tradition of playing great football.
   ‘Also because the West Ham fans are really passionate and that is the way I am.’

Real Madrid announced Friday the transfer of Dutch international midfielder Wesley Sneijder to Inter Milan.
   ‘Real Madrid and Inter Milan have reached an agreement to transfer the player Wesley Sneijder to the Italian club,’ it said in a statement.
   It did not mention the transfer fee, but Spanish media said it was around 15 million euros.
   Sneijder joined Real from Ajax in the summer of 2007 on a five-year deal worth 27 million euros.
   But new Real chairman Florentino Perez is now seeking to recoup some of the more than 250 million euros he has splashed out on the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema and Xabi Alonso.
   Sneijder, 25, has said he is leaving against his will.
   ‘I have been badly treated, but I prefer not to talk about it,’ he said on Thursday.
   ‘What has happened is very bizarre. The coach (Manuel Pellegrini) said he was depending on me but there are people in the club who are not...I was very happy here, I can’t deny it. It is hard to leave...but that’s life. Now I’m happy.’

Real Madrid’s out-of-favour Dutchman Rafael van der Vaart has rejected a lucrative offer from Turkish champions Besiktas, and is insisting on a move to the English Premiership, a Spanish newspaper said Friday.
   The Marca sports daily said Besiktas is ready to pay the midfielder five million euros a season to play for the Istanbul outfit, which would make him one of the best-paid players in Europe.
   But sources close to the player said he had rejected the offer and will ‘only agree to leave Real Madrid for the (English) Premier League,’ Marca said. It did not indicate how much Besiktas has offered to pay Real.
   The big-spending Spanish club signed the 26-year-old from Bundesliga side Hamburg last year in a deal reportedly worth 13 million euros. But new Real chairman Florentino Perez is now seeking to recoup some of the more than 250 million euros he has splashed out on the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema and Xabi Alonso.
   And new coach Manuel Pellegrini has made it clear that Van der Vaart does not feature in his plans for the new season. Marca said Hamburg is among a number of German clubs interested in signing him. Another sports daily, AS, said Real plans to offer Van der Vaart to Bayern Munich as part of deal to get the German club’s French midfielder Franck Ribery.
   He would be the fourth Dutch player to leave Real in the close season, after the departures of Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. Two others, Royston Drenthe and Ruud van Nistelrooy, are expected to be the only Dutch survivors of the Perez-Pellegrini overhaul at Real.
   Van der Vaart’s wife, Sylvie, is a well-known model and television personality, and the Spanish press have compared the pair to David Beckham and his pop star wife Victoria, who became high-profile celebrities in Spain during the English player’s stint at Real.