The ICC has reduced the number of reviews available to a team from three unsuccessful reviews per innings to two during the Test series between England and West Indies in February.
   Earlier, each team was allowed three unsuccessful reviews per innings and the reduction was based on feedback from players and match officials. If the modification works successfully in the Caribbean, it will also be trialled in the Tests between Australia and South Africa later in February. Once the two series are finished, the review system will be appraised, and the merits of using or discarding it will be debated by the ICC’s cricket committee in May.
   Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, said the review system had received positive feedback but it had to be trialled further before it was introduced on a permanent basis.
   ‘That is why we have made this refinement to it,’ Lorgat said. ‘It has become clear during the trial so far that three unsuccessful reviews per innings are too many as there is potential for frivolous or unnecessary reviews to be made by one side or the other. We are testing different playing conditions so that we can find the best one and give the trial every chance of succeeding. We listen to feedback and we have been hearing that two is a preferred option.’
   After the review system was used during West Indies’ tour of New Zealand, the two captains, Daniel Vettori and Chris Gayle, expressed concern over its usage. Vettori said it would dilute the on-field umpire’s authority if it was constantly used for marginal calls, and Gayle felt it was the standing umpires’ job to make decisions.
   The system has caused debate and controversy since it was first tried on the domestic circuit in England in 2007, and it received mixed reactions on its international debut in the Tests between Sri Lanka and India earlier this year.
   However the ICC decided to extend trials to three other Test series. After Australia’s tour of South Africa, seven teams - Sri Lanka, India, New Zealand, West Indies, England, South Africa and Australia - would have been exposed to the new umpiring system.

Roger Federer powered past Andy Roddick and into the Australian Open final on Thursday as Serena Williams set up a tantalising clash with Dinara Safina for the world number one ranking.
   The Swiss second seed was at his awesome best to crush his old rival 6-2, 7-5, 7-5 and clock his 16th career victory over the American, who admits Federer has been the bane of his tennis life. The resounding win puts Federer into his 18th Grand Slam final, just one behind the record held by Ivan Lendl. He has won 13 of them and is now searching for a 14th to equal Pete Sampras’s all-time mark.
   ‘I thought that I played really solid out there. I thought the level was high throughout the match,’ said the Swiss, who had the tetchy Roddick at his mercy in the first set before he fought back to make a match of it.
   Federer will meet either world number one Rafael Nadal or Fernando Verdasco in the decider with the two Spaniards playing their semi-final today.
   ‘People sort of forgot about him leading up to the Australian Open,’ he said of Nadal. ‘But he’s showing why he’s the best player in the world. I would love to play him in the final, that’s for sure.’
   Despite another loss to his arch-rival, Roddick said he hoped to use the good form he has shown here as a springboard for the year.
   ‘Hopefully I can build on this a bit. If I keep it going I should have a better year than the last couple,’ he said.
   Like Federer, the second seeded Williams is gunning for a fourth Australian Open title and she too is peaking at the right time as she ended Elena Dementieva’s 15-match winning streak 6-3, 6-4. With the roof of the Rod Laver Arena closed as temperatures soared to a sweltering 44.3 C (111.7 F), she threw off the service problems that have dogged her throughout the tournament for a convincing victory.
   Third-seeded Safina lost her only Grand Slam final at last year’s French Open but looks capable of making the breakthrough after battling past fellow Russian and seventh seed Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 7-6 (7/4).
   Adding spice to Saturday’s showdown is the chance to claim the world’s top ranking, with the winner dethroning Jelena Jankovic who crashed out in the fourth round.
   The odds were against Williams with Dementieva on a hot win streak this year, but the American blasted 10 aces as the Russian’s service game fell apart.
   ‘It means a lot, I have to go one more and obviously I want to win,’ said Williams, 28. ‘I’m excited that I’m playing really consistent, you know, consistently at least making it to the finals of Grand Slams. So that’s exciting, too.’
   Williams has not been at her best during the tournament and has admitted she was rusty, which made Thursday’s win all the more pleasing.
   ‘I definitely served better. I moved better and I was definitely more consistent and I kept my cool,’ she said.
   It was heartbreaking for Dementieva, who was eliminated in a Grand Slam semi-final for the third straight time as her elusive maiden Major title again slipped from her grasp.
   Meanwhile, a focused Safina was too steady for Zvonareva as she powered to the straight-sets win, giving herself the chance to emulate older brother Marat by winning the Open.
   ‘It’s great that I can follow in his footsteps. He was my idol — he still is my idol — and the fact that I’m doing as well as him is amazing,’ she said. The chance to claim the number one ranking is another major motivator for the 22-year-old from Moscow.
   ‘Since I was growing up my dream was to be the number one in the world,’ added Safina, whose form has fluctuated throughout the tournament.
   But she was all business as she took to the court against Zvonareva, taking advantage of a nervous start from her fellow Russian and never looking back.

Kevin Pietersen could become the IPL’s highest-paid cricketer when he goes on sale at the auction on February 6 with a base price of $1.3 million, according to a newspaper report. Chennai Super Kings’ Mahendra Singh Dhoni is currently the league’s most expensive player: he was bought for $1.5 million after having a base price of $400,000.
   Daily Telegraph reported that, apart from Pietersen, Andrew Flintoff has been valued at $900,000, while the base price for other England players, though it is yet to be decided, is unlikely to be higher than $250,000.
   England’s centrally-contracted players will be available for only 21 days of the 2009 IPL season and will be paid on a pro-rata basis.
   Dominic Cork, Sajid Mahmood, Ed Joyce, Darren Gough, Rob Key and James Foster were some of the other players who were added to the auction list sent to the franchise owners, the report said.
   Related reports claimed that Michael Clarke, the Australia vice-captain, will be listed for the auction at a base price of $1 million. However, the Australian newspaper reported that Clarke was yet to decide on his participation in the IPL.
   Senior IPL officials, however, refused to confirm the figures that have been reported and said that the final list of players, including their base prices, was still being finalised.
   ‘It would be premature to talk figures now as we are still in the final stages of negotiations with various players,’ an IPL official told Cricinfo. The official said that a clear picture would emerge in a day or two.
   The IPL has fixed $2 million as the maximum amount a franchise can spend at the auction.

Daren Powell believes West Indies have the firepower to overcome England 3-0 in their Test series in the Caribbean.
   The West Indies fast bowler made the prediction a week before the first Test at Sabina Park in his native Jamaica, and is looking forward to playing a big role.
   ‘I am definitely looking for a 3-0 series win over England in the Test series, and we are going to beat them also in the one-day series,’ Powell confidently told the Jamaica Observer newspaper.
   ‘(England) made some comments about us after our last tour of England, following our success in the one-day series that they could not wait to return to the Caribbean.
   ‘I am fit and ready to go, and I know that my teammates are anxious to prove that we are good enough to beat them.’
   But Powell is fortunate to have been selected.
   He has taken 79 wickets at 46.22 runs apiece in 32 Tests, and a number of on-field incidents during the recent series in New Zealand have not helped his cause.
   ‘I have more confidence in what I do now,’ he said. ‘It is up to me to go back to the nets and sharpen up for the challenges ahead. I want to improve my game even further and get more wickets. He added: ‘I would like to see the West Indies continue to improve their form coming off the tour of New Zealand and stay as focussed as we were as a team.
   ‘Unity was responsible for the team’s success in New Zealand. The guys are working better as a unit and fully understand their roles.’
   England have won their last four Test series against West Indies and 13 of their last 17 Tests against the hosts.

Andrew Symonds has been fined $4000 for calling Brendon McCullum a ‘lump of s...’ during a radio interview following a hearing in Melbourne on Thursday.
   Symonds pleaded guilty to a charge of ‘detrimental public comment’ after being reported by Cricket Australia on Tuesday.
   Gordon Lewis, the code of conduct senior commissioner, issued the fine - which is less than a match fee for a one-day international - following the hearing at Cricket Australia’s offices.
   Symonds had previously apologised to McCullum for the incident, which occurred last Friday during an interview with the comedians Roy and HG.
   ‘Whilst the comments were intended to be light-hearted, I acknowledge that they were careless and as such I accept the fine that I have received today,’ Symonds told AAP.
   ‘I am pleased that the commissioner determined the penalty based on the full 14-minute interview, and not just the one comment that received extensive coverage.
   ‘I want to again apologise to Brendon McCullum for my comments and thank him for his understanding.
   ‘I want to reinforce that I remain committed to Cricket Australia and Queensland Cricket, and I look forward to putting this matter behind me so that I can focus on my cricket.’
   Symonds was talking about McCullum’s signing to play for New South Wales in the domestic Twenty20 final when he said: ‘They’re trying to use him [McCullum] as the out because he’s a Kiwi.
   ‘Yep, we love to hate them, but he’s the lump of s..., sorry, lump of cow dirt, that people are thinking of.’ Symonds had been drinking before the interview but made his grade comeback the following day.
   The decision leaves Symonds free to continue his recovery from knee surgery and he will play for Queensland in today’s Sheffield Shield match against Western Australia at the Gabba. There were some calls for Symonds to have his national contract cancelled, but he remains available for the tour to South Africa, with the squad being named next week.
   The hearing came after Symonds was involved in an altercation with a man at a Brisbane pub on his return to the Test team in November, which followed his suspension for going fishing in Darwin instead of attending a team meeting.
   Symonds has been undergoing counselling since the incident in the Northern Territory and his psychologist has supported his international comeback.

National wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim finally has got a club when BKSP released him on Thursday to join Partex Sporting Club. Mushfique was without a club after he had rejected all offers made to him during the transfer time. The top clubs were unable to take him for the pool restriction, so most of the offers came from low-budget teams. He played for BKSP last year, but the academy side this time formed the team with only its current batch of students leaving no place for Mushfique.

The zonal of rounds of the Citycell National Women’s Football Championship kicks off at three venues across the country today.
   Hosts Dinajpur take on Naogaon in the Teesta zone at Dinajpur stadium, Jamalpur play Rajbari in the opening match of the Brahmaputra zone at Jamalpur Stadium and Rangamati meet Comilla at the Rangamati Stadium in the inaugural match of the Kaptai zone.
   Bangabandhu National Stadium is the fourth venue of the tournament where Dhaka will play against Barisal on February 3.
   A total of 25 teams split into for groups are participating in the tournament. The matches will be of 60 minutes’ duration as per the bye-laws. The top two teams from each group will advance to the eight-team final round, to be played in Dhaka in the third week of February.
   All the 25 teams will get Tk 10,000 each as participation money while the four zonal hosts will be given an additional Tk 10,000 each to run the games and Tk 5,000 to meet the local
    transportation costs. The budget for the championship has been estimated at Tk 24 lakh.
   ‘We are obligated to spend a significant part of the money we receive as grants from the FIFA and the AFC on women’s football. The AFC wants to see real development in the women’s sector and we have just started the journey, we have plans to widen the horizon,’ said the chairman of the BFF women’s football committee, Sirajul Islam Bacchu, at a press conference at the BFF House on Thursday. Women’s football committee vice-chairman Mahfuza Akhter Kiron was also present.

The Brazilian coach of Bangladesh national football team, Dido, was happy with the groupings of the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers and has already started picking the players for a residential camp.
   Bangladesh have been placed in Group A with Myanmar, Cambodia and either Macau or Mongolia. The Group A qualifying matches will be held in Dhaka in April. Bangladesh had hosted qualifying round of the inaugural edition of the AFC Challenge Cup in 2006 and they had failed to go through to the final round in 2007.
   Shafiqul Islam Manik, the assistant to Dido, said they have already started to pick the players for the national camp. ‘Dido is watching every game of the B League and we are selecting the players, he was happy with the grouping and hopes to reach the finals,’ said Manik on Thursday.
   Meanwhile, the B League champions of 2006 Dhaka Abahani have been grouped with Ashgabat of Turkmenistan and Sri Lankan Army team for the AFC President’s Cup scheduled to be held in April or May.

Amol Roy of NTC and Ayami of BKSP won double crown in the Runner Group Tennis at the National Tennis Complex on Thursday.
   Ayami, the Japanese tennis player of BKSP, upset top seed Sathi Sarker 7-6, 7-6 to win the title of the women’s singles. Top seed Amol Roy of National Tennis Complex beat Dipu Lal of Nordic Club by 6-2, 6-0 while Amol Roy again shared the doubles title with his compatriot Ranjan Ram beating Pritol Mondal and Tajmul Islam pair of NTC by 6-1, 6-2.
   Earlier Ayami partnering with Sadia, lifted the women’s doubles crown outplaying Sathi Sarker and Sarda pair by straight 6-0, 6-0.
   Hafizur Rahman Khan, Chairman Runner Group of Companies, distributed the prizes as the chief guest. President of Bangladesh Tennis Federation AMM Nasiruddin and general secretary Sanaul Haque were also present.

Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya, who on Wednesday became the oldest batsman to smash a one-day century, said he would be happier if his effort had helped his team win the match against India.
   The tourists gained a 1-0 lead in the five-match series with a six-wicket win in the opening one-dayer here, despite Jayasuriya’s 107.
   ‘I am disappointed we did not win the match even after scoring a hundred. We have four games to go and need to compete well against them,’ said Jayasuriya, who was named man of the match for his superb 114-ball knock.
   The Sri Lankan opener’s 28th hundred came at the age of 39 years and 212 days, beating the previous oldest century-maker, Englishman Geoff Boycott at 39 years and 51 days (v Australia at Sydney in 1979).
   ‘I don’t really worry about records. It would have been nice had we won the match. You cannot think of records and play cricket, it is difficult,’ said Jayasuriya.
   ‘I am getting older, but if I can put runs on the board that is fine for me.’
   The Sri Lankan also became the second batsman after India’s Sachin Tendulkar to complete 13,000 runs in one-day internationals.
   ‘I always want to play and perform for my country. You don’t always get the opportunity, but when you are playing well you need to get more runs on board. That has always been my goal.’
   When asked whether he would play the next World Cup, to be held in the sub-continent in 2011, Jayasuriya said: ‘I don’t know. Let’s see how it goes.’

Moham-mad Mithun slammed the seventh hat-trick of the Citycell B League to guide Chittagong Abahani to a facile 5-0 victory over Khulna Abahani at the MA Aziz Stadium in Chittagong on Thursday.
   Mithun struck in the 21st, 49th and 85th minutes while his strike partner Rony netted two goals in the 28th and 72nd minutes.
   Chittagong Abahani have 20 points from 18 matches, while Khulna Abahani remained at the bottom of the league table with four points from 17 outings.

Taking a cue from legendary sportsmen Lance Armstrong and Roger Federer’s remarkable comebacks, Ricky Ponting said a bit of experience for the youngsters together with the return of senior players can bring back Australian cricket team’s aura of invincibility.
   He termed the last few months as a ‘difficult’ phase for Australian cricket during which they lost the Test series against India and both the Test and one-day series against South Africa at home.
   ‘With a new generation coming through, and some of our more experienced guys returning from injury, I firmly believe that Australia can regain its aura. A little more experience from the young blokes and a few more senior players returning to the team, such as vice-captain Michael Clarke, can be the difference between success and failure in big matches,’ he said. ‘It has certainly been a difficult few months, losing a Test series in India and then against South Africa at home. But as I look around the sporting world there are all sorts of encouraging signs for the future which give me heart that we will soon be consistently back on the winners’ list again,’ he added.
   Ponting said Armstrong and Federer’s comeback are some sporting analogies that apply to the Australian cricket team which has been badly hit by a string of retirements and a spate of injuries to key players. ‘While we were in Adelaide, Lance Armstrong was racing in the Tour Down Under as his comeback event after three years in retirement. No one can argue that the 37-year-old is one of the greatest sportsmen who has ever lived,’ he said.
   ‘As a multiple winner of the Tour de France his achievements have been phenomenal. His comeback was huge news and the Tour Down Under was unofficially labelled the ‘Tour de Lance’, such was the publicity and expectation of his return to road racing,’ Ponting wrote in his coloumn for the Australian.
   ‘It is the same with Roger Federer. He had a difficult 2008 battling glandular fever and losing his No 1 ranking. After losing the semi-final of the Australian Open and the final at the French Open and Wimbledon there was speculation that he was past his best and on the slide. However, he came back later in the year to win the US Open,’ he added.
   Claiming to be a die-hard football fan, Ponting cited examples of some Australian football teams which down-slided due to rapid transition of players, the same situation encountered by his side at present.
   ‘I am a great Australian football fan and I have seen similar situations with AFL clubs. The Brisbane Lions won three premierships in a row and played in four successive grand finals just a few years ago before a rapid transition of players saw them slide down the ladder. They are now building for the future and rising up the ladder again,’ he said.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter said on Wednesday that world soccer’s governing body would allow 2014 World Cup hosts Brazil to stage the tournament in 12 cities rather than 10.
   FIFA had initially wanted the tournament to be staged in 10 cities as it believed having fewer venues would make the logistics easier.
   But after a meeting with Sao Paulo state governer Jose Serra, Blatter said FIFA would allow 12 cities.
   ‘This country is not a country, it’s a sub-continent, five-times world champions, and we are going to divide the Cup in 12 different cities,’ he told reporters.
   Seventeen Brazilian cities have put themselves forward as candidates and a FIFA committee will begin a whirlwind one-week tour of them on Friday.
   The candidates are Porto Alegre, Florianopolis, Curitiba, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Goiania, Campo Grande, Cuiaba, Rio Branco, Manaus, Belem, Salvador, Recife, Natal, Fortaleza and Sao Paulo.
   Brazil was the only candidate to stage the 2014 World Cup, however there are concerns about the country’s suitability as hosts because of transport and infrastructure problems and a soaring crime rate.
   Serra said that he believed the opening match would be held in Sao Paulo while the final would be in Rio de Janeiro.
   ‘I’m virtually certain that this will happen,’ he said.

Bangladesh amateur golfer Mohammad Jamal Hossain Mollah was the solo leader on the second day of the City Bank-Dhaka Bank Bangladesh Open Golf Tournament at the Kurmitola Golf Club on Thursday.
   Jamal with five under 67 on Thursday consolidated on his first round score of 68 as his overall score moved to nine under 135.
   Shamim Khan, the round one leader, kept up the momentum on day two with 69 to be placed second at the halfway stage. Shamim is one stroke behind the leader at eight under 136. Indore’s Aditya Singh came up with a hole-in-one on the 16th hole on Thursday.

Liver-pool’s bid for a first English title since 1990 suffered a significant setback on Wednesday as Rafael Benitez’s side were held to a 1-1 draw at Wigan.
   A late penalty equaliser from Egyptian striker Mido earned Wigan a deserved point and enabled Chelsea, 2-0 winners over Middlesbrough, to reclaim second place from Liverpool, courtesy of their superior goal difference.
   Both clubs, however, will be acutely aware that the title is now Manchester United’s to lose with the champions, who thrashed West Brom 5-0 on Tuesday, two points clear of both their nearest rivals with a game in hand.
   Arsenal’s chances of a return to the Champions League next season suffered another blow as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Everton.
   It could have been worse for the Gunners but for Robin van Persie’s stoppage time equaliser, which cancelled out Tim Cahill’s opener for Everton.
   The draw nevertheless left Arsenal five points adrift of Aston Villa, the side currently occupying the fourth and final qualifying spot for Europe’s elite competition.
   ‘A point is never enough because you always play for three but it was a difficult game and I maintain that Everton are as big a threat for us as Aston Villa,’ insisted Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger.
   Yossi Benayoun put Liverpool ahead at Wigan four minutes before half-time. Wigan dominated after the break but Liverpool looked like they would hold out before Jason Koumas went down under an unnecessary challenge from Lucas Leiva.
   Mido, signed on loan from Middlesbrough until the end of the season, stepped up and smashed the spot-kick past Jose Reina.
   ‘We had control of the game and we didn’t kill it,’ Benitez complained. ‘When you are top of the table you know that every single game is really important so when you lose two points you have to be disappointed,
   ‘But we have an important game on Sunday (against Chelsea) and if we play like we played in the first half we can beat anyone.’
   A double from Salomon Kalou gave Chelsea their win over Middlesbrough and set up what the Blues’ assistant manager, Ray Wilkins, billed as a ‘massive game’ at Liverpool on Sunday.
   ‘Over the past couple of years, we’ve had some fantastic games with them,’ Wilkins added. ‘I’m sure this will be the same.’
   Blackburn came from two goals down to rescue a point against local rivals Bolton with Benni McCarthy making amends for a missed penalty by notching the equaliser.
   Matt Taylor and Kevin Davies had put Bolton 2-0 ahead at the break. Stephen Warnock pulled a goal back in the 66th-minute and McCarthy ultimately rescued a point despite having a penalty saved by Bolton goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen.
   Brazilian forward Robinho put off-field worries to one side to set up Shaun Wright-Phillips for Manchester City’s opening goal in a 2-1 win over Newcastle.
   Questioned by police on Tuesday over an alleged sexual assault, Robinho was named in the starting line-up and rewarded the faith of manager Mark Hughes with the pass that cued up Wright-Phillips to score after 17 minutes.
   Newcastle’s cause was not helped by the loss of Michael Owen, who limped off midway through the first half, and Craig Bellamy, making his debut for City against one of his former clubs, made sure of the three points with a left-foot drive 13 minutes from time.
   Andy Carroll pulled a goal back for Newcastle but they never looked like salvaging a point.
   West Ham extended their unbeaten run to seven matches by beating Hull 2-0 with goals either side of half-time from David Di Michele and Carlton Cole.

Manches-ter City and Brazil national coach Dunga threw their support behind Robinho on Wednesday after he was arrested and bailed over allegations of rape in a British nightclub.
   Robinho, 25, Britain’s most expensive player, was questioned by police on Tuesday after an allegation of serious sexual assault in a nightclub in Leeds, northern England. He denies any wrongdoing.
   Manchester City said the Brazil international had its ‘full support’ and club manager Mark Hughes praised his ‘excellent’ performance in the team’s 2-1 victory against Newcastle late Wednesday.
   In Rio de Janeiro, Dunga said the player had called him and denied all wrongdoing, adding: ‘I have no reason to doubt the word of Robinho.’
   He said he had always been able to rely on the star and insisted Robinho would be called to the Brazil squad which is due to face world champions Italy in a friendly international in London on February 10.
   In a statement, Manchester City—which signed Robinho from Spanish giants Real Madrid in September for 32.5 million pounds (34.8 million euros, 46.2 million dollars) — gave its full support to the striker.
   ‘The club have been liaising with and assisting both the player in question and the authorities in relation to the West Yorkshire Police investigation,’ the club said.
   ‘Both parties have been given the full support of the football club. No charges of any nature have been brought against the player and no further statement will be made whilst the investigation is continuing.’
   Robinho’s spokesman said the player ‘strenuously denies’ the allegations.
   ‘We can confirm that Robinho met the police today (Tuesday), as pre-arranged and as part of a criminal investigation,’ spokesman Chris Nathaniel said in a statement on Robinho’s official website.
   ‘He strenuously denies any allegation of wrongdoing or criminality and is happy to cooperate with the police if further required.’
   West Yorkshire Police confirmed a man was arrested on Tuesday, questioned over an alleged incident on January 14 and released on bail pending further inquiries.
   Robinho returned to training on Wednesday and joined the line-up against Newcastle, where he teed up Shaun Wright-Phillips for City’s opener.
   Hughes praised his performance, saying: ‘I spoke to Robbie in the morning and he was very focused, looking ahead to the game and preparing as normal.
   ‘After the conversation I had with him I had no qualms about putting him in because mentally he was in the right place and focused on the job in hand.
   ‘He created the first goal with an intelligent ball and I thought his overall play was excellent.’
   The Sun newspaper reported a teenage university student had alleged she was raped by Robinho in the VIP area of The Space nightclub in Leeds, northern England.
   The report said Robinho, who is married and has a son, had gone to the nightclub for a night out with his teammates.
   Earlier this month Robinho walked out of the team’s warm weather training camp in Tenerife and headed for Brazil, citing an ‘important family matter’, thought to be his 25th birthday.
   He returned to Manchester on Sunday and held a meeting with Hughes the following day. Hughes said Robinho would be fined for leaving the training camp without permission.
   Robinho, whose full name is Robson de Souza, joined City following its takeover by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan of Abu Dhabi. Before then, Chelsea had been the frontrunners to sign him.
   Reports say Robinho is unsettled at Manchester City and was disappointed by the failure of the club’s audacious attempt to sign his Brazil teammate Kaka from AC Milan.
   A reputation for partying has pursued Robinho throughout his career.
   While at Real Madrid in 2007, he fell out with then club manager Fabio Capello after he was late returning from international duty having been seen in a nightclub the night before.

Soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo had to have a heart operation to save his career, his mother revealed on Monday.
   Doctors diagnosed a racing heart when the Manchester United ace was just 15.
   It was feared the Portuguese winger – now 23 and World Footballer of the Year – might have to give up playing. But he was whipped into hospital for delicate laser surgery which cured the problem.
   And mum Dolores Aveiro joked on Wednesday after revealing the secret to The Sun: ‘It seems the treatment allowed him to run even faster!’
   Ronaldo was a promising young player with Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon when the problem emerged.
   Dolores, who lives on the island of Madeira, explained: ‘His heart raced a lot when he wasn’t running.
   ‘The people in charge at Sporting alerted me and I went to Portugal where I had to sign some papers and authorise him being treated in hospital.’
   Ronaldo underwent rigorous medical examinations and it was decided to operate to solve his irregular heart beat.
   Dolores said: ‘They used a sort of laser to cauterise the source of the problem. He was operated on in the morning and came out at the end of the afternoon.
   ‘Before we knew exactly what he had, I was worried because there was the possibility of him giving up playing football.
   ‘But the treatment went well and after some days he was back at training again.
   ‘Cristiano wasn’t very worried – he didn’t take the situation very seriously – but I got a big fright.’
   Over the years several top players have been victims in heart tragedies.
   Former Manchester City star Marc-Vivien Foe died while playing for Cameroon in 2003.
   Sevilla’s Antonio Puerta and Benfica’s Miklos Feher also suffered fatal heart attacks on the pitch, and French veteran Lilian Thuram retired last year because of a heart problem.
   Dolores also told how Ronaldo has formed a very close bond with his former brother-in-law Ze Perreira.
   Perreira, who used to be married to his pop singer sister Katia, is his best friend and lives with him in Alderley Edge, Cheshire.
   Dolores said: ‘He’s Cristiano’s right-hand man. He is and always will be part of the family, despite no longer being together with my daughter. He’s a very important person for us.’
   Ronaldo and former coffee shop worker Ze grew up together playing in the streets of Madeira, and have remained inseparable ever since.
   They play table tennis together and Ze does the cooking at Ronaldo’s home.
   Ronaldo once said: ‘I don’t like being alone. My friend Ze has been living with me for years.
   ‘He knows who I am, what I like and what I don’t like, what annoys me and what pleases me.’

Diego Milito equalised three minutes from time to deny David Beckham a winning goal as AC Milan were held to a 1-1 draw by Genoa at the San Siro on Wednesday.
   Just three days after scoring his first goal for Milan, in the 4-1 win at Bologna, former England skipper Beckham netted his second from a free-kick but it wasn’t enough to guide the Italian giants to victory.
   The goal, however, will have done little to calm the developing Beckham drama in Milan where both club and player have admitted they wish to extend his proposed two-month loan stay in the Italian financial capital.
   Milan coach Ancelotti was understandably disappointed after the game and gave short shrift to a question about Beckham staying.
   ‘We haven’t managed to win a match in which we played really well and which we deserved to win,’ he said.
   ‘I’m disappointed that we’ve tripped up because the team was on the right path but the championship goes on.’
   When Beckham, under contract with LA Galaxy in the US, lined up wide on the left of the area just after the half hour it seemed more likely that a cross was coming. But the former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder stunned Genoa’s Brazilian goalkeeper Rubinho by shooting into the top corner at the near post.
   However, Serie A joint top-scorer Milito poked home from close range late on to dampen the party atmosphere in the San Siro.
   It means that third-placed Milan fell to eight points behind leaders Inter Milan as the champions won 2-0 at Catania in Sicily despite playing for an hour with 10 men.
   Coach Jose Mourinho sat out a one-match ban in the stands but star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic said the team were not affected.
   Inter were off to a stunning start when Dejan Stankovic gave them the lead after just five minutes.
   Julio Cruz escaped down the right, turned inside his marker and crossed with his left foot as the Serbian stormed into the box to glance home a header.
   Catania thought they had equalised on 13 minutes when Michele Paolucci fired a loose ball past Julio Cesar but Japanese forward Takayuki Morimoto was harshly penalised for a high foot on Argentine centre-back Nicolas Burdisso who had stooped to almost waist height to meet a cross with his head.
   Catania then had a let off as Ibrahimovic, earlier booked for a dive in the box, crashed a shot against the bar.
   However, any hard feelings Catania may have had for Paolucci’s disallowed strike were eased as Ghana midfielder Muntari Sulley was shown a straight red card for a foul on Giacomo Tedesco on 31 minutes.
   Tedesco’s foot got caught under Sulley’s leg as he slid in for what looked to be no more than a booking but the referee stunned the Inter players by pulling out the red card. The same post that had saved Catania in the first half came to Inter’s rescue on the hour as Guiseppe Mascara’s cross deflected off Burdisso’s head and left Julio Cesar helpless.
   But 20 minutes from time Ibrahimovic settled the affair for the champions as he beat the offside trap, latched onto Stankovic’s long ball forward, chipped the stranded goalkeeper Albano Bizarri and collected the ball before slotting home.
   Inter’s lead now stands at six points after Juventus lost 2-1 at Udinese, who won for the first time in 12 matches.
   Fabio Quagliarella gave Udinese the lead on 20 minutes after a lightning break involving Antonio Di Natale and Kwadwo Assamoah.

Rafa Benitez admitted Liverpool must improve quickly after they suffered another major setback in their pursuit of the Premier League title.
   Having started January on top of the table, Liverpool find themselves two points behind Manchester United, who have a game in hand and a far superior goal difference, following Wednesday’s 1-1 draw at Wigan.
   Liverpool were seven minutes away from drawing level with United as they held onto Yossi Benayoun’s first half goal, but Wigan’s Egyptian striker Mido scored a late penalty, leaving Benitez to conduct yet another inquest into his side’s failure to protect a lead.
   Throwing away two points at the JJB Stadium is the latest in a worrying sequence of results. Title rivals Chelsea visit Anfield on Sunday and Benitez knows his players will have to produce a much improved performance after they were forced to settle for a seventh draw in 10 league games.
   ‘When you are at the top you know every game is important,’ said a clearly frustrated Benitez.
   ‘It’s a very important game on Sunday for us. We know we have to improve.’
   Benitez appeared to be unhappy that his players were not offered more protection from the match officials during a scrappy and niggly contest.
   ‘The second half was a crazy game,’ he added. ‘It was just crazy.’
   The Spaniard refused to elaborate on his remarks but he did admit that his side’s failure to defend a lead was proving a real concern.
   Mido made no mistake from the penalty spot after Lucas Leiva needlessly fouled substitute Jason Koumas.
   Benitez once again started without striker Robbie Keane, fuelling speculation that the 20 million pounds signing from Tottenham could be on his way out of Anfield.
   Keane has played just seven of the last 180 minutes and there are strong suggestions his former club Tottenham could make a move to take him back to White Hart Lane before the transfer window closes next Monday.

Chelsea assistant manager Ray Wilkins defended Luiz Felipe Scolari after the Blues boss appeared to encourage referee Lee Probert to send off a Middlesbrough player at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
   Scolari and Boro assistant Malcolm Crosby were involved in heated exchanges moments before half-time when Crosby took exception to the Brazilian waving an imaginary card from the touchline after Mohamed Shawky handled the ball.
   Shawky had already been cautioned and Scolari’s actions were perceived to be an attempt to get the Egyptian midfielder dismissed.
   ‘It’s a very emotional game,’ said Wilkins after Chelsea’s 2-0 victory. ‘Passions do run high—they ran high on their bench, they ran high on ours.’
   Wilkins said he was all in favour of the Football Association’s recent ‘Respect’ campaign which is designed to reduce such behaviour by management and players.
   ‘I’m all for respect—but if the referee felt he needed to be sent to the stands then he would have done so.
   ‘(Assistant referee) Steve Bennett was on the side so he didn’t advise the referee to send him to the stands so they must have felt it was OK.’
   Boro boss Gareth Southgate played down the incident though he was puzzled at Scolari’s refusal to shake hands with him after the game.
   ‘There were words exchanged between my assistant and Scolari - he wanted to get one of our players booked and we weren’t happy with that,’ said Southgate.
   ‘He didn’t shake hands with me, which is a bit strange, but that’s his prerogative.’

Diego Maradona says he will not resign as the coach of Argentina’s national team if his former team-mate Oscar Ruggeri is not accepted as his assistant.
   ‘It cost me a lot to get here, so it’s one-time opportunity,’ said Maradona at a press conference in Venezuela’s capital on Tuesday.
   ‘I want to have Oscar Ruggeri at my side as a coach, but if that’s not possible, I’m not going to resign.’
   Argentine Football Association boss Julio Grondona has said he will not give in to Maradona’s push for Ruggeri as an assistant.
   Ruggeri was Maradona’s team-mate in Argentina’s triumph at the 1986 World Cup, and they also played together at the 1990 and 1994 World Cup finals.
   Asked if he thought 21-year-old Lionel Messi is better than he was at the same age, Maradona replied: ‘Hopefully he can do much more than I did because that way all Argentines win.’
   Messi’s strength on the ball, excellent balance and left-footed mastery of defenders have made for obvious parallels with Maradona, who has approved the comparison.
   He joked about Grondona’s comment that Messi is better.
   ‘When he’s with me, he tells me I’m better than Messi.
   ‘And when he’s with Messi, he tells him he’s the best,’ said Maradona, drawing laughter from journalists and adoring fans.
   Maradona said he hopes to meet with Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez during his visit to the country.

Arsene Wenger believes that Arsenal are on the verge of finally sealing a deal to sign Andrei Arshavn from Zenit St Petersburg.
   The Gunners’ pursuit of the Russia playmaker, who is valued at around 15 million pounds, has been one of the most protracted deals of the current transfer window.
   Arshavin’s Russian club have claimed that a fee has been agreed and although Wenger remains cautious, he admitted following the 1-1 draw at Everton on Wednesday that he is on the verge of making his first signing of the month.
   ‘I have been focused on the Everton game and didn’t pick up any phone-calls so nothing has happened,’ he said.
   ‘It is 90 per cent (finished) and I don’t know what happened today (Wednesday). In this kind of job sometimes the 10 per cent is more important than the 90 per cent because people can change their minds quickly.’
   Wenger could do with Arshavin as, following Aston Villa’s 1-0 win at Portsmouth and Arsenal’s point at Goodison Park - earned by Robin van Persie’s injury-time equaliser of Tim Cahill’s opening goal - the Gunners are struggling in the race for fourth place.
   And Wenger, whose team are five points behind Villa, stands by his claim that David Moyes’ Blues are as much of a competitor for their Champions League place as Martin O’Neill’s men.
   He added: ‘A point is never enough because you always play for three but it was a difficult game and I maintain that Everton are as big a threat for us as Aston Villa.
   ‘Everton are a good side and they will be a threat for a top four place.
   ‘We’re on a good run so it was very important not to lose once we were 1-0 down and to keep Everton at a distance. To keep our run going was vital.’ Wenger admits he is full of admiration for Australia midfielder Cahill, who has scored four goals in nine games.
   He said: ‘He’s a fantastic player. Tactically very good, very intelligent and if you look at all the defenders in the league, they’re all a head higher than he is but he always pops up with a header. ‘He has something that you can’t give to anybody. He knows where to be on a football pitch.’
   Moyes revealed that he has been thwarted in his attempts to bring two un-named loan targets to Goodison Park.
   The Blues have no money available to make new signings and Moyes has conceded that loan players were his only chance of adding to his squad this month.
   But he said: ‘We were in for two loan signings and they won’t come off.
   ‘They were the two we were after so unless something comes out of the blue.
   ‘They were the two we were interested in and they don’t look like they’re going to come off.’
   Moyes believes that his Everton side, who are now unbeaten in nine matches, can sustain a challenge for the top four.

David Beckham refused to be drawn on whether or not he will extend his two-month loan stay at AC Milan following his second goal in successive matches for the Italian giants.
   Beckham is on loan from LA Galaxy during the Major League Soccer off season and after just four matches in the red and black shirt of Milan he has made a big impact, scoring twice and starting all four games.
   Such is his impact that everyone wants to know if he is going to stay beyond March 9, when he is due to return to the US for the start of the new MLS season.
   Milan have said they want Becks to stay but that any decision is out of their hands, while the player admitted it was a ‘dream’ to be playing for Milan, without committing himself either way.
   ‘I’m delighted to have scored but the important things was to win,’ said a despondent Beckham following Milan’s 1-1 home draw against Genoa that has left them eight points behind leaders Inter Milan.
   Beckham scored with a stunning trademark free-kick on the half hour but was withdrawn with 20 minutes left due to a groin problem.
   He is a doubt for the weekend trip to Lazio but did at least put in an impressive performance under the watchful eye of England coach Fabio Capello, who was at the San Siro on Wednesday night.
   Beckham is hoping to earn a call up to Capello’s next England squad for a friendly against Spain in Seville on February 11.
   ‘Everyone knows how much I want to play for my country but right now I have to concentrate on my job at Milan,’ added Becks before body-swerving a question about his future.
   ‘Until March I want to enjoy myself as much as possible but it’s nice to feel wanted by a club like Milan.’
   Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti was understandably agitated that his team had let in an equaliser with just three minutes left on the clock against Genoa and seemed irritated by a question concerning the former England captain. ‘He is appreciated here and if he stays we’ll be happy but he has to resolve the problem with his club,’ he said.
   That may prove difficult as Galaxy are insisting that they want him back in Los Angeles for the start of their new season. He is after all only 18 months into a big-money five year contract.
   ‘David is under contract to the Galaxy and I had a good straight-forward conversation with him before he left and he loves it in LA,’ said Galaxy boss Tim Leiweke.
   ‘He wants a better Galaxy team. We are going to have a better Galaxy team and David has no interest in going.
   ‘We have a contract, we have a handshake, his kids go to school here, end of story. There is no story. He is going to return to the Galaxy.’
   Clearly Galaxy don’t want to give Beckham up without a fight and Lieke insists that the former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder is crucial to football in the country as well as to the club’s own success.
   ‘This is a world class impact player and it’s still a very good move for soccer here,’ he added.
   ‘And he is proving me right if you watch the goal he scored for Milan the other day.
   ‘I look at attendance, teams coming into the league, TV ratings. We wouldn’t do any of that without David.
   ‘We will not succeed here (at Galaxy) with Beckham until we win on the pitch, but we are going to be in a position to do that this season.’
   As much as they want him to stay, Milan are aware that their hands are tied if Galaxy don’t change their stance.
   ‘Everything depends on those who hold his contract,’ admitted Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani.

Michael Owen is facing a two-month lay-off after the Newcastle striker’s injury jinx struck again during a 2-1 defeat at Manchester City.
   The 29-year-old former England star, playing only his 62nd game for Newcastle since arriving from Real Madrid in a 16-million-pound transfer in August 2005, limped out of Wednesday evening’s Premier League clash after nineteen minutes after landing awkwardly following a challenge with City debutant Nigel de Jong.
   Owen, out of contract at St James’ Park at the end of the season, left Eastlands on crutches and his injury was compounded by the loss in the second-half of Joey Barton with a foot injury.
   A scan on Thursday morning confirmed that Barton had broken the fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot. Newcastle estimated that he would be out of action for at least eight weeks.
   Newcastle manager Joe Kinnear, who was awaiting an update on the severity of Owen’s injury, admitted he could scarcely believe the extent of the club’s current misfortune.
   ‘We only have one fit striker in Andy Carroll. Obafemi Martins has been out for ten weeks and he has been sorely missed, while we thought Mark Viduka would be back a couple of weeks ago before he broke down again.’
   Kinnear went on to bemoan Newcastle’s financial plight.
   ‘The club owner, Mike Ashley, has lost two billion pounds of his fortune because of the credit crunch, so there is no money out there,’ he said.
   ‘I’d dearly love to spend millions and I would love to do so, but I can see why people bottled this job because it’s a tough job.’
   Owen’s injury blow, which shattered his hopes of an England recall for next month’s friendly in Spain, overshadowed a win for City that was secured by goals from Shaun Wright-Phillips and Craig Bellamy prior to Carroll’s late consolation.
   Robinho, playing for the first time since his arrest on Tuesday over an allegation of serious sexual assault, teed up Wright-Phillips’s opener and manager Mark Hughes praised the Brazilian for his performance.
   He said: ‘I spoke to Robbie in the morning and he was very focused, looking ahead to the game and preparing as normal.
   ‘After the conversation I had with him I had no qualms about putting him in because mentally he was in the right place and focused on the job in hand. He created the first goal with an intelligent ball and I thought his overall play was excellent.’
   Hughes, meanwhile, remains confident of securing the services of Newcastle goalkeeper Shay Given and Blackburn striker Roque Santa Cruz before Monday’s transfer deadline.
   He said: ‘Our understanding of the situation is that Blackburn are not prepared to release a striker before they get a striker in.
   ‘That’s where we are at at the moment, but we’re hoping that can be resolved. On occasions we lack a bit of a physical presence up front, so that’s why we are trying to address that.
   ‘I have also said for quite some time that we need an experienced keeper to complement the exceptionally talented keeper we have and the intention is still there to bring in an experienced keeper. Targets we have had for quite some time, we hope to conclude.’

Yossi Benayoun has insisted Liverpool can stop the rot that has eaten away at the club’s challenge for the Premier League trophy over the last month.
   Successive draws with Stoke, Everton and Wigan have handed the initiative in the title battle to on-form Manchester United, who now stand two points clear at the top with a game in hand.
   Liverpool, who entertain Chelsea on Sunday, have slipped to third place, behind the west Londoners on goal difference, and the demoralised body language of key players after the draw at Wigan on Wednesday evening suggests manager Rafael Benitez will struggle to revitalise his troops.
   But Israel international Benayoun insisted there were positives to take from the Wigan encounter, in which his first-half strike was cancelled out by Egyptian striker Mido’s late penalty on his Wigan debut.
   ‘We were leading 1-0 with just a few minutes to go, so of course we are disappointed but all we can do is keep working and try to turn things round.
   ‘(Including an FA Cup tie with Everton) We have drawn our last four games in a row so we have to try and play better and finish games off when we are winning 1-0.
   ‘We have big players and I am sure that we will turn things around because we have the quality to do so.’
   Despite a below-par display, Fernando Torres came agonisingly close to making the game safe for Liverpool when he headed against the post, and Benayoun said that was typical of the Reds’ luck of late.
   ‘Fernando’s header came back off the post and from one counter attack they got a penalty—this is football sometimes, if you don’t get the second goal your opponents can always score towards the end.’
   Benayoun acknowledged that Liverpool’s stuttering form had raised the stakes involved in Sunday’s clash with Chelsea.
   ‘It is a very important game for us now. We have to start winning if we want to have a chance of winning the league.’

A Mexican sports daily is seeking help for the national soccer team against the United States using voodoo dolls, despite losing support for the stunt from a US-based electronics chain.
   Radio Shack on Wednesday ordered its Mexican division not to distribute some 8,700 voodoo dolls wearing US soccer shirts.
   The dolls were promised in a promotion in the sports newspaper Record in exchange for printed cut-out dolls, Katia Santiago, at the Mexican Radio Shack’s publicity department, told AFP.
   Radio Shack argued ‘that a US company cannot support a situation that goes against the (national) team,’ Record said on its web site.
   Record, which is supporting Mexico in regional knockout matches ahead of the 2010 South Africa World Cup, said the promotion would still go ahead and that it would shortly inform its readers of new distribution points.
   ‘Imagine that it’s a player from the opposite team and put pins where you want to,’ the newspaper said, calling the dolls a ‘secret weapon.’
   Mexico has not beaten the United States since 2000.
   Mexico plays the United States on February 11 in Columbus, Ohio, in the CONCACAF qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup.
   Record said it plans to expand the promotion to include dolls representing the other CONCACAF finalists: Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador and Trinidad and Tobago.

Cheeky David Beckham admitted he is tickled by his team-mates’ good-luck ritual of patting his bottom when he scores.
   The Sun revealed on Wednesday superstitious AC Milan pals reckon it will continue the team’s unbeaten run since Becks arrived.
   Clarence Seedorf and Andrea Pirlo were seen playfully smacking his backside after he scored against Bologna.
   And Kaka did the same as Becks notched his second goal in a 1-1 draw against Genoa on Wednesday.
   Ex England captain Becks told The Sun: ‘We laughed and shared a joke about it among the squad.
   ‘I hadn’t even realised Clarence had touched my backside but I’ll be happy if he does it again – because it will mean I’ve scored another goal. ‘So he’s formally got my permission to touch it again.’

Portsmouth executive chairman Peter Storrie is still hopeful of landing Real Madrid forward Javier Saviola.
   Pompey have made no secret of their interest in the Argentine, who has struggled for regular first-team football at Santiago Bernabeu.
   Storrie remains hopeful of bringing the 27-year-old to Fratton Park, but the latest speculation claims Saviola is set to snub a move to Pompey.
   ‘Obviously it’s no secret we have been talking to the Madrid boy Saviola and that’s one we have been seriously looking at,’ Storrie told The News: ‘The problem is we need someone to come in that’s going to play in the team straight away.
   ‘He’s not played any football since November and you are talking about the Premier League, you need people that are regularly playing games and at the fitness level.