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The Bangladesh contingent has landed in England to start their World Twenty20 mission and it has been a pleasant arrival. The Tigers are the first among the top 10 teams to kick off their preparation for the tournament on English soil. The West Indies are of course currently on tour in England and are involved in the ODI series against the hosts which followed the Tests but Bangladesh’s purpose of coming in nine days before the launching of the tournament proper is solely T20 preparation oriented.
   The journey from Dhaka took 16 hours including a two and a half hour’s transit in Dubai. On the way aircraft crew and fellow passengers flooded the team with good wishes. There were no delays or other hassles and the arrival formalities at the Heathrow were over in a flash. It actually took more time for the squad to sign autographs from the immigration officers than the process itself. Allama Siddiki, Acting High Commissioner of Bangladesh to the UK, High Commission staff and about 20 representatives of the formidable Bangladeshi community here welcomed the team at the Heathrow. In the absence of captain Mohammad Ashraful and his deputy Masrafee bin Murtaza, who are due to fly in on Sunday, the focus was on world’s number one ranked all-rounder Sakib al Hasan who was interviewed by local Bangladeshi channels Bangla TV and Channel S Left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak also responded to queries regarding his remodeled action and how he plans to redeem himself in England.
   It was just past 8:00pm local time (2:00am Bangladesh Standard Time) when the team arrived London but there was day light still. The weather has been around a refreshing 20 degrees lately and the sun sets around 9:00pm. With England being six hours behind Bangladesh time the Tigers have a bit of adjusting to do over the next couple of days.
   There is a very definite feel-good factor about England in the team.
   ‘This is a lovely country. Look at all the green around and everything is so neat. Even the sheep on the valleys look unreal, as if this was a postcard,’ said left-arm pacer Syed Rasel, who has played club cricket in Croydon and has toured twice with the A Team. ‘Playing cricket here is also a pleasure and things are very orderly,’ added Rasel.
   ‘I remember that we were the first team to land in the West Indies for the 2007 World Cup and it is the same here. I like the look of the team. It is now the responsibility of the guys who had been in that World Cup to spread the vibe and revive the spirit that saw us beat India and South Africa. We have India here too and it would be so good to repeat the Trinidad performance,’ said Sakib.
    The team hotel, the Oxford Belfry is a Tudor style mansion set in the countryside of Oxfordshire and took about 45 minutes to reach from the airport. It is just beside the M40 motorway and is located far from the hustle and bustle of city life.
   Today the day starts with a team meeting. Training is scheduled for the afternoon at the Wormsley Cricket Ground where two practice games will be held on May 26 (against New Zealand) and 29 (against Scotland). In-between, Bangladesh travel to neighboring Kent on May 28 for a match with the Netherlands. These three games are outside the official practice-match schedule for the tournament and have been mutually arranged by the Bangladesh Cricket Board and England Cricket Board.

In a latest twist to the Bangabandhu National Stadium saga, the Bangladesh Cricket Board has decided to seek permission from the government to host few matches of the World Cup 2011 at the coveted venue.
   The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the BCB’s Board of Directors held at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. The meeting also decided to appeal to the International Cricket Council to sanction Bangladesh three match venues instead of two so that it can also include Chittagong.
   ‘We have unanimously decided to request the government to allow us to host World Cup matches at the BNS. This was the demand of the Dhaka-based clubs and we agreed,’ said Jalal Yunus, the chairman of BCB’s media committee.
   ‘Cricket organisers in Chittagong demanded some matches in their city and we have respect for them too. We will now request the ICC to increase our match venues from two to three,’ he added.
   Bangladesh have been allotted eight matches of the World Cup and the government had earlier decided to use SBNS and Fatullah Stadium for purpose. Chittagong and Khulna Divisional Stadiums had been earmarked as alternative venues while the BNS was kept exclusively for the opening ceremony.
   The BCB official said they have prepared a $10 million budget for the opening ceremony on February 18 and decided to forward it to the Central Organising Committee of the tournament.
   The teams will start arriving from February 11 for the opening ceremony and from that point the activities of the event will also begin formally. It will last from 32 to 35 days until Bangladesh hosts its last quarter-final match.
   The BCB has decided to form the Local Organising Committee very soon and also decided to advertise for the post of Hosts’ Event Director. It will also advertise for five managerial posts – Cricket Operations, Finance, Commercial, Logistics and Media.
   A Board director will head the LOC, but Jalal said it will also have a national organising committee headed by a chief patron. Vice-president Ahmed Sazzadul Alam has been entrusted to form the committee.

Bangladesh Football Federation sought the allotment of Sylhet BKSP from the government to turn it into a full-fledged football academy. BFF president Kazi Salahuddin made the demand to the state minister for youth and sports, Ahad Ali Sarker, at his National Sports Council office on Sunday.
   A BFF delegation, led by Salahuddin, called on the NSC chairman and explained the necessity of the government’s active support for the development of the game in the country.
   Salahuddin was realistic about his demand. ‘We sought the Sylhet BKSP for two reasons, the first one is that it has been left unused for a long time and only half completed, the second is Sylhet’s environment is good for the budding footballers and I have received a good response from the local people in this regard, if the BFF gets it for at least 10 years we will spend Tk 4 crore on the academy,’ said Salahuddin.
   The problems of the District Football Associations were discussed at the meeting. The federation urged the minister to wipe out the distance between the DFAs and the DSAs, and allocate of funds for the DFAs to run their activities.
   The BFF also explained the football calendar to the minister and sought his assistance to fulfil the programmes.
   The federation requested the state minister to help get Tk. 25 crore from the finance ministry for the federation’s development fund.
   BFF vice-presidents Badal Roy and Monjur Hossain Malu, general secretary Al Musabbir Sadi, executive committee members Anwarul Huq Helal and Golam Rabbani Helal were the members of the BFF delegation.

Controversial pacer Shoaib Akhtar is addicted to pain killing injections and it is one of the reasons why he has been taken out of Pakistan’s squad for the Twenty20 World Championships next month, media reports claimed here on Sunday.
   Quoting sources in the team, ‘The News’ reported that that a skin infection is not the only reason why Shoaib has been taken out of the squad.
   The report claimed that the 33-year-old is addicted to pain-killing injections and was down with fever during the best part of the one-day series against Australia in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
   ‘He was down with a temperature of 101 most of the time during the team’s stay in the UAE. His
   problem is chronic,’ the report quoted a source as saying.
   The report added that Shoaib relies heavily on pain-killers, some of which are illegal in several countries including the UAE where the fast bowler was part of the national team in the recent series.
   ‘Shoaib was so desperate for a particular pain-killing injection during the tour that he almost begged a local doctor for it. The doctor, however, told him that he would risk being thrown out of the UAE if he administrated the injection,’ the report said.
   The report said that in spite of the severe restrictions in the UAE hospital, Shoaib got seven pain-killing injections in Dubai and Abu Dhabi during the series.
   Shoaib was left out of the World Cup squad on the advice of the PCB medical board which examined him last week and concluded that he needed at least 10 to 12 days rest before a re-examination in the first week of June.

Bangla-desh captain Moham-mad Ashraful and his deputy Mashrafee bin Murtaza are focusing on five practice matches in England ahead of the ICC Twenty20 World Cup scheduled for June 5 to 21.
   Ashraful and Mashrafee, who arrived Dhaka from South Africa on Friday and Saturday respectively, left for England on Sunday, a day after the departure of their team-mates.
   Despite having spent an idle time in the Indian Premier League in South Africa, both players think the lack of IPL matches will not affect them much and they are concentrating on five warm-up matches before facing India (June 6) and Ireland (June 8) in the main battle.
   ‘True, I haven’t had enough matches in the IPL for the Mumbai Indians, but I think it will not affect me because I was practising hard in South Africa,’ Ashraful told reporters at Zia International Airport.
   ‘We are getting five warm-up matches in England to be prepared and I think it will make up for our lack of match practice,’ said the Bangladesh captain.
   Pace spearhead Mashrafee also believes he and his captain will benefit through the five warm-up matches and that they will be quite ready to face defending champions India and Ireland.
   ‘I don’t think the lack of practice matches in the IPL will trouble us or hamper the team’s combination as we have known each other for a long time. Besides, the five warm-up matches are equally important for us as well as the team,’ said Mashrafee.
   Bangladesh will play their first warm-up matches against New Zealand (May 26), Netherlands (May 28) and Scotland (May 29) at Wormsley.
   They will then play official warm-up matches against Australia (June 1) and Sri Lanka (June 2) in Nottingham before going into the main battle.
   Bangladesh have set their sights on the Super Eights and aiming to
   upset India in the first match and then rout Ireland, who upset Bangladesh in the 2007 ICC World Cup.
   ‘If we win both group matches against India
   and Ireland, we may
   have a hope of qualifying for the semi-finals by winning two out of three Super Eight matches,’
   said Ashraful adding
   that in a Twenty20 match any side could do anything.
   However, Mashrafee was a bit realistic saying: ‘At the moment, India are a very strong side with their all players involved in the IPL.
   It is not impossible to beat them, but we all need to put up much more than hundred percent and we can beat them on the given day.

Defen-ding champion Ana Ivanovic was made to sweat before reaching the French Open second round on Sunday with a gruelling 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 win over Italy’s Sara Errani as Roland Garros temperatures hit a sweltering 30 degrees.
   Ivanovic, who skipped the Madrid Open because of a knee injury, had the problem area taped when she walked onto a sun-drenched Philippe Chatrier Court, but it didn’t hinder her in the early exchanges as she edged to a 3-1 advantage.
   The 44th-ranked Italian then stormed back to lead 5-4, but once she had squandered an opportunity to serve for the first set in the 10th game, her fight steadily melted away.
   ‘I knew I had to work hard for every point, but I kept my composure even when I was making mistakes,’ said Ivanovic, the eighth seed.
   ‘My knee wasn’t a problem. I feel fine. I had some good practice sessions after taking the Madrid tournament off. It only takes a few days to get back into shape.’
   The 21-year-old Serbian will play either Thai veteran Tamarine Tanasugarn or Camille Pin of France for a place in the third round.
   Meanwhile, Lleyton Hewitt and Marat Safin, both former world number ones and with two Grand Slam titles each, began their campaigns with victories.
   Hewitt survived a world record 55-ace barrage from giant Croatian Ivo Karlovic to claim a 6-7 (1/7), 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/4), 6-4, 6-3 win which lasted almost four hours and left his opponent needing treatment for dehydration.
   It was the fifth time in his career that the 28-year-old Australian, twice a quarter-finalist in Paris, had come back from a two-set deficit.
   Karlovic’s ace-count was a world record, beating the previous best of 51 set by Joachim Johansson at Wimbledon in 2005, a match the Swedish player also lost.
   Hewitt, now ranked 50 and who underwent hip surgery in August last year, will face Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan for a place in the third round where four-time champion Rafael Nadal is a likely opponent.
   Safin, a semi-finalist in 2002 and playing his 11th and last French Open before retiring, eased past French wildcard Alexandre Sidorenko 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
   China’s Li Na, the women’s 25th seed, earlier had the honour of becoming the first player to reach the second round thanks to a 6-4, 6-2 win over Poland’s Marta Domachowska.
   The 26-year-old Li now meets Switzerland’s Timea Bacsinszky.
   Li was quickly joined in the next round by promising Russian 17-year-old Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the 27th seed, who eased past Romania’s Ioana Raluca Olaru 6-3, 6-2.
   Eighteen-year-old Russian qualifier Vitalia Diatchenko, the world 151, reduced Mathilde Johansson, one of a record 19 Frenchwomen in the draw, to a tearful wreck after a three-hour 2-6, 6-2, 10-8 win.
   Johansson wasted eight match points, four of which were squandered on double faults.
   ‘At the moment, I just feel like running away. But we all make mistakes,’ said the 23-year-old.
   Diatchenko, making her Grand Slam debut, will face either world number one Dinara Safina or Britain’s Anne Keothavong for a place in the third round.

Sachin Tendulkar has stressed the need for adequate rest for Indian players ahead of the World Twenty20 in June, particularly so for the openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, who failed to fire in the IPL. Tendulkar was by and large satisfied with the way Indian players performed in the IPL but pointed out that Sehwag and Gambhir had not been consistent. The pair only managed two half-century partnerships in nine innings together, and struggled with their form. Both batsmen were among the top ten run-getters last season, but Gambhir finished with a disappointing average of 22 from 15 games this year, and Sehwag with 19.38 from 11.
   ‘I think individually the boys are doing well,’ Tendulkar said upon arrival in India. ‘Look at Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, MS (Dhoni)... In the bowling department, Zaheer was doing well before he got injured and RP Singh has come up in leaps and bounds.
   ‘Only our opening combination of Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag hasn’t fired,’ Tendulkar said. ‘I think the key would be how soon they can shed the fatigue factor. They have been playing back to back for a long time now and it would be difficult to keep up the tempo.’
   The World Twenty20 is scheduled to begin on June 5 and India face Bangladesh in their first league game the next day. Asked if the IPL served as an ideal preparation for the tournament, Tendulkar said: ‘… It is. You are playing the same format and you are playing against the best bowlers and also not in home conditions. So, I think this is a good preparation except that the players should take adequate rest between the IPL and the ICC World Twenty20.’
   Tendulkar was also sure he didn’t intend to represent India in the Twenty20 format. ‘I never thought that I would play the ICC World Twenty20. MS Dhoni and his Twenty20 team have done wonderfully well and I just hope they continue to do so. I have no plans to play T20 for India,’ he said.
   Tendulkar led an unsuccessful campaign as captain of Mumbai Indians, losing eight out of 14 games, and failing to make it to the semi-finals. ‘We blew hot and cold,’ he said about his team’s performance. ‘There were times when we could have done better than we did. I think it is a batsman’s format and in our case it was the batsmen who let us down.’

Bangladesh Olympic Association gave Bangladesh Fencing Association a provisional affiliation for two years at its executive committee meeting at the BOA office on Sunday.
   The BOA told the association that it has to expand its activities to at least 30 districts to get the permanent affiliation.
   The meeting, chaired by BOA president General Moeen U Ahmed, finalised the 12 sub-committees of the SA Games and decided to send a letter to the NSC urging to enhance the facilities of the athletes in the camp.
   The meeting revealed that two physios have been appointed to take care of the athletes round the clock. The BOA office will be shifted to its own building at the end of the July.

London Tigers, a semi-professional football club of west London, expressed their desire to make some contribution for the development of Bangladesh football especially at the youth level.
   Mesbah Ahmed, the chief executive of London Tigers, expressed the interest while visiting Dhaka Abahani club on Sunday. Mesbah came to Dhaka recently on a one-week tour leading a British Muslim delegation.
   The delegation was impressed with the rich history of Abahani and the atmosphere at the club, particularly its big ground. They also exchanged views on how the youths can be attracted to sports.
   Mesbah has some plans – opening the door for British-born Bangladeshis to play in Bangladesh football and supporting the youth development.
   ‘We have many good quality players, they are eager to play in Bangladesh and get involved with the country, the other part is to support the youth development, if Abahani come up with a plan then we may come forward to support it,’ said Mesbah.
   Abahani director Kazi Nabil Ahmed briefed the delegation on behalf of his club. Delegation members Rabina Khan, Mohammd Bilal Abdullah, Konnie Huq, Tasmin Lucia Khan and Abdul Qayyum Khalique were also present.

Selectors have made six changes to the Bangladesh ‘A’ team when they named a 15-member squad for the two four-day matches against the visiting Maharashtra Cricket Association on Sunday.
   Imrul Kayes, Imran Ahmed, Nazmul Hossain, Mahbubul Alam, Enamul Haque Jr, and Sajedul Islam have been drafted in at the expense of Arafat Sunny, Tareq Aziz, Nazmul Hossain Milon. Mohammad Sharifullah, Nazmus Sadat and Ziaur Rahman.
   The two teams are currently playing a one-day series, which is locked at 1-1 after the first two matches.
   The two four-day matches will be held from May 28 to 31 and June 3 to 6 respectively at the Shaheed Chandu Stadium in Bogra and Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium at Mirpur.
   Squad: Mehrab Hossain Jr (captain), Sohrawardhi Shuvo (vice-captain), Imrul Kayes, Nafees Iqbal, Imran Ahmed, Hannan Sarker, Foysal Hossain, Rajin Saleh, Mahbubul Alam, Nazmul Hossain, Dollar Mahmud, Enamul Haque Jr, Sajedul Islam, Sahagir Hossain and Talha Jubair

The National Team Management Committee decided to start the national camp from next month to make fully fit national and U-23 teams for the upcoming challenges ahead.
   At a meeting held at the BFF House all the NTMC members thought that the footballers lacked the expected level of fitness and need at least three months’ conditioning for gaining the level. To provide fully fit players for the SA Games and the AFC Challenge Cup the national team needs conditioning camp and fitness training.
   However, the number of footballers for the camp was not finalised and national coach Dido was asked to pick the players.

Pakistani off-spinner Saeed Ajmal received a boost ahead of next month’s World Twenty20 when a biomechanic expert cleared his bowling action, officials said Sunday.
   ‘We have received a report from biomechanic expert Bruce Elliott in which Ajmal’s action while bowling a contentious delivery has been cleared,’ Pakistan Cricket Board director of operations Zakir Khan told AFP.
   The 33-year-old spinner’s action while bowling ‘doosra’ (a ball that turns away from a right-hander, as opposed to a conventional off-spinner which turns towards him) — was reported by the umpires during the second one-day international against Australia in Dubai last month.
   He was, however, allowed to continue bowling till an assessment of his action by Elliott, the International Cricket Council’s appointed biomechanist, was completed.
   Khan said Elliott had sent his report to the PCB as well as to the ICC.
   Ajmal was named in Pakistan’s 15-man squad for the World Twenty20 starting in England from June 5.
   Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam had backed Ajmal’s bowling action and had criticised what he called inconsistency in the ICC’s process of dealing with bowlers with illegal action.
   The ICC in a statement later confirmed the bowling action of Ajmal had been found to be legal in an independent test and said the player can, therefore, continue to bowl in international cricket.
   ‘During a comprehensive analysis it was revealed that the amount of elbow extension in Saeed Ajmal’s bowling action for all deliveries was within the 15-degree level of tolerance permitted in the ICC regulations,’ it said.It warned though that whenever ‘Ajmal bowls in a match in the future, his action will be under the scrutiny of the match officials.’
   The ICC general manager of cricket, David Richardson, said no bowler is ever cleared and can come under scrutiny at any time.
   ‘Ajmal can continue to bowl in international cricket on the basis he uses an action consistent to that used in the latest independent analysis of his action.
   ‘However, it is important to emphasise that no bowler is ever ‘cleared’ as it is impossible to predict how a player might deliver the ball in the future.’
   South African off-spinner Johan Botha was also reported for ‘doosra’ last month, but his delivery was ruled illegal by the ICC and he was warned against bowling that particular delivery in international cricket.

England pace bowler James Anderson has warned Australia that he is only just beginning to fulfil his potential ahead of the Ashes series later this year.
   Anderson has taken 22 first-class wickets already this season in just three matches, including nine in a man-of-the-match display in the second Test victory over the West Indies last week.
   That impressive form has seen the Lancashire star tipped by experts, including former England coach Duncan Fletcher, as the man capable of helping England regain the Ashes when the Test series starts in July.
   The 26-year-old has a chance to fine-tune his game for the titanic clashes with Australia when the second match of the one-day series against the West Indies takes place at Bristol on Sunday.
   ‘I don’t think anyone has seen the best of Jimmy Anderson yet,’ Anderson said.
   ‘I think I’ve still got improving to do - and I hope I can do that, whether it’s through the Ashes series or beyond that.
   ‘I hope I’ll be in similar form. It’s not that long away, and if I can have a good series here and the Twenty20 World Cup, then it’s time to start thinking about the Ashes.’
   Anderson’s status as England’s attacking spearhead represents quite a contrast to earlier this year when he was left out of the first Test against the West Indies in the Caribbean.
   England derailed the Australians in 2005 by creating detailed plans tailored to each individual batsman and Anderson will be integral to their effort this time with his ability to swing the ball whether new or old.
   ‘I’ve got my own expectations,’ Anderson said. ‘I know what I can achieve in the Ashes; I know how big a part I can play and how important I am to this group of lads here; I’ll just be hoping to meet my expectations.

Shane Watson has relied on four Australian greats to help lift him on to his first Ashes tour. Watson, who has struggled regularly with injuries, has looked to Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Steve Waugh and Greg Chappell to put him on the right track after numerous setbacks.
   ‘I’ve been very lucky to have those guys around me,’ Watson said in the Sunday Mail. ‘I’m very blessed to have had some of the greats of world cricket to communicate with and support me because those guys have gone through different scenarios in their career and came out the other end to be on top of the cricket world.’
   He said the hints and advice had helped with his frame of mind. ‘I’m very close to Glenn McGrath, I’ve had quite a number of chats to him about the direction I want to go and what I want to do,’ he said. ‘Glenn has been amazing for me. It’s just his strength of character. He’s just such a positive person and that’s rubbed off.’
   Waugh also provided a boost during a discussion with Watson on mental strength. ‘He’s talked to me about the power of the mind and what you can achieve when you set your mind on things,’ he said.
   At the Centre of Excellence Greg Chappell stepped up to alter Watson’s technique and Warne has chipped in with his thoughts on the allrounder’s bowling.

Croatia’s Ivo Karlovic set a new world record off 55 aces in a match on Sunday, but still slumped to a five-set defeat to Lleyton Hewitt in the first round of the French Open.
   The 2.08m giant beat the previous best of 51 aces set by Joachim Johansson in the first round of Wimbledon in 2005, a match the Swede lost.
   Hewitt came back from a two-set deficit to beat Karlovic winning 6-7 (1/7), 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/4), 6-4, 6-3.

Laxmi Narayan Cotton Mills School of Naryanganj will face Netrokona High School in the opening match of the final round of Citycell National School Football Championship at 4:00 pm at the Bangabandhu National Stadium today.
   A total of 18 teams are participating in the final round.
   Minister for education Nurul Islam Nahid will inaugurate the final round as the chief guest.

Patrice Evra admits he has been scared by Sir Alex Ferguson in the past but is relishing the chance to carry out a key role for the Manchester United manager in Wednesday’s Champions League final.
   The France left-back will again be tasked with nullifying Barcelona dangerman Lionel Messi at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico.
   It was a job he managed faultlessly as United progressed past the Spanish champions in last year’s semi-final.
   Evra, 28, insists there is no special preparation for facing the Argentina winger, but feels that facing the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney in training is the right preparation.
   ‘Messi is a great player. I might stop him 10 times, but if on the 11th he goes past me and scores, people will say I have played badly against him,’ Evra said.
   ‘I need to concentrate for all the game and win every challenge. Last year the boss told me I could win the game for United. I was very proud about that.
   ‘The boss trusts you but he likes to say things that will give you confidence. I don’t want to disappoint him or my team-mates.’
   Evra has become one of the best left-backs in the world since joining from Monaco in January 2006 and Ferguson has no doubt that the Frenchman is the man to cancel Messi out.
   The United manager said: ‘When we played them last year we had to depend on the form of Patrice Evra and we’re going to depend on that again.
   ‘Patrice is a fantastic footballer, so quick. You need that against Messi because he’s so quick himself.’
   United players maintain that Ferguson has mellowed in recent times, even though his angry outbursts of previous years prompted stories about what has become known as the ‘hairdryer treatment’.
   But Evra has revealed that the United manager is still capable of frightening behaviour in the changing room.
   The former Monaco man first experienced Ferguson’s temper after United lost 2-1 at Arsenal in January 2007.
   ‘I have seen “the hairdryer”, not at me but at the whole team,’ Evra said.
   ‘I remember we lost at Arsenal two years ago, when Thierry Henry scored in the last second, we came into the dressing room.
   ‘I thought he was going to die. He was red. Oh my God. Just remembering it makes me scared. He was unbelievable.
   ‘People told me about the hairdryer but I had never seen it. When I did, it was very impressive.
   ‘The manager comes everywhere, on the training ground and in the dressing room. He likes to be everywhere with the players. He is like the grandfather.
   ‘He protects everyone and wants them all to respect the Manchester United shirt.
   ‘He is a lovely guy when you do the things he wants. He likes it when people respect the Manchester United shirt.
   ‘Then you can be a good friend of the boss. But you need to work very hard every day to make sure you don’t disappoint him.’
   Evra is also amazed at Ferguson’s ability to keep a large squad happy and content, and he thinks the atmosphere created by his manager makes for better team spirit than he has encountered elsewhere.
   ‘There will never be another coach like him,’ he said.
   ‘A manager can manage 24 international players. I play for France. Sometimes when you don’t play you are not happy. With France before the game (the players who don’t play) are just sad and don’t say “Come on guys, you need to win”.
   ‘With Manchester United, when someone doesn’t play – maybe a legend like Ryan Giggs – they still say “Come on lads, we want you to win”.
   ‘They say it with their heart, not because they want to show they are a good team-mate. This is the difference.
   ‘Ferguson makes sure the team is the star, not only one player. That is his secret.’
   Evra believes Thierry Henry will be fit for Wednesday’s game and he feels that the former Arsenal man should not be underestimated.
   ‘Thierry is an unbelievable player,’ he said. ‘During his first year at Barcelona a lot of people said he was gone, that he was finished.
   ‘But this year he has scored a lot of goals. He has played on the left-hand side. For me, he is still the big player he was when he was at Arsenal.
   ‘Yes, everybody speaks about Messi but you also have to look at Henry and Andres Iniesta.’

Cristiano Ronaldo has reaffirmed his intention to stay at Manchester United.
   Fresh speculation linked the winger to Real Madrid earlier this week, although the Spanish giants have ‘categorically denied’ media reports they have a pre-contract agreement to sign United’s Portuguese international star.
   And the 24-year-old maintains he sees his future with the Barclays Premier League champions, who aim to retain their Champions League trophy on Wednesday when they take on Barcelona in the Champions League final in Rome.
   Ronaldo explained: ‘Manchester United is my home. My heart is here. This is where I want to play.
   ‘The boss (Sir Alex Ferguson) believes in this team and so do I. Ever since I joined United he has been like a second father to me.
   ‘This is my home now. I think even when I say my heart is here people are going to speak up and make things up. But this is where I want to play.
   ‘We are part of an era that can go down in history for the way we are playing and for the trophies we are winning.
   ‘The boss believes in this team and so do I. And this is where I want to be. Manchester United is now my house.’
   Ronaldo was keen to praise Ferguson for enabling him to blossom at Old Trafford.
   He continued in the News of the World: ‘He is two different people and they have both helped me become who I am today.
   ‘Firstly he is probably the most knowledgeable football coach in the world. I learn from him every day.
   ‘No matter how good I become, I know he is a man who will always be able to teach me that little bit more.
   ‘I don’t get tired of learning from him because I know every bit of advice he gives me will make me a better player.
   ‘The second person he is, is a father to me. Ever since I joined Manchester United, he has been like a second father to me.
   ‘I don’t just respect him, I have the affection for him a child has for his father.
   ‘When he gives me advice that is non-football, I listen because it will make me a better person.’

Barcelona might have suffered a shock 1-0 home loss to Osasuna before lifting the league trophy but coach Pep Guardiola has now targeted Champions League victory to round off the club’s stunning season.
   A Walter Pandiani goal late Saturday gave Osasuna a 1-0 win against a Barca side made up largely of reserves with Guardiola resting players ahead of the Champions League final on Wednesday against Manchester United.
   It was a disappointing night for Barca youngster Marc Muniesa who was dismissed for a crude challenge and Guardiola himself was sent off minutes later for protesting.
   Speaking on the pitch to the crowd after lifting the trophy, Guardiola said: ‘We will not let you down on Wednesday. Thank you for your support but now we must go and sleep to prepare ourselves.
   ‘I wanted to coach these players and now I congratulate them on winning two trophies but the biggest is still to come and we cannot fail. I would like everyone to congratulate them because they deserve it.’
   Despite the win for Osasuna it was not enough to see them move out of the bottom three.
   ‘Once again it was an example of how we play better against the stronger teams because we go out more concentrated,’ said Osasuna coach Jose Antonio Camacho.
   ‘I said beforehand that if we win here then our future would be down to us and that has been the case, now we have a week to prepare for our last game against Real Madrid who will also be playing for pride and will want to win.’
   A 90th-minute strike from Diego Perotti gave Sevilla a 1-0 win over Deportivo la Coruna which assures the Andalucian side of Champions League football next season.
   Sevilla had plenty of possession but struggled to break down a resolute Depor defence that was though until the final minute when Perotti appeared in the box to convert an Adriano cross from the right-wing.
   A hat-trick from Diego Forlan has consolidated Atletico Madrid’s position in the top four while the Uruguayan has over-taken Samuel Eto’o as the top scorer in the Primera Division with 31 goals.
   Athletic Bilbao, who are already safe from relegation, went behind to a Raul Garcia volley from outside the area but the cup finalists drew level midway through the second half with Xabi Etxeita scoring.
   Forlan emphatically gave Atletico the win though with two fine goals before he completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot.
   ‘We still have nothing assured, it is difficult to predict what will happen in football but this has certainly been a big step forward for us,’ said the Atletico coach Abel Resino, who also had words of praise for Forlan.
   ‘He is ambitious and as well as working hard, he makes the difference for the team. It appeared as though he was not participating in the game and then scored two good goals followed by a penalty.’
   Villarreal have leapfrogged Valencia with a resounding 3-1 win over their local rivals and remain with an outside chance of a place in the Champions League, while Valencia can now hope for nothing more than UEFA Cup football next season.
   A brace from Joseba Llorente gave Villarreal a commanding lead and then while David Villa did pull a goal back before half time, Ruben Cani assured the home side of victory mid-way through the second half.
   Valencia coach Unai Emery accepted that while his team has been in the top four for most of this season, at the crucial moment they have struggled.
   ‘Now the reality is that we are up against Deportivo for a place in the UEFA Cup and we will have to win the game against Athletic Bilbao next weekend,’ he said.
   ‘It is unfortunate situation because after about 30 matches we have been in a Champions League place and now we find ourselves fighting for a place in the UEFA Cup.’
   At the other end of the table, both Recreativo Huelva and Numancia have been relegated.
   Real Betis go into their final match of the season looking nervously over their shoulders after their 1-1 draw with Malaga leaves them one point off the drop zone.
   A goal from Brazilian Edu appeared to be enough to give Betis the win before Albert Luque struck ten minutes from the end with a powerful shot from outside the area.

AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti on Saturday denied that he is in contract talks with Chelsea over a possible move to the Londoners next season, but admitted that he would like to go.
   The 49-year-old coach also revealed that not only is he learning English but that he has met with Blues owner Roman Abramovich too.
   Ancelotti is widely expected to leave Milan at the end of the season with the Gazzetta dello Sport even claiming he was 90 per cent sure of joining Chelsea.
   But while the coach himself denied being in talks, he did not rule out a move to the English Premier League at some point.
   ‘For me everything is very clear with the club,’ he said. ‘When the season is over we’ll find the right solution.
   ‘I haven’t had any discussion with (Milan president Silvio) Berlusconi but I don’t think he’s annoyed that I spoke with Abramovich.
   ‘Right now I’m not involved in contract talks with Chelsea, we will have (talks) after the season and if there is a solution to be found we’ll find it.
   ‘Right now I have a contract (with Milan for another year) and I value that. But I’m ready for anything.
   ‘I like to coach, it’s a passion rather than work and of course if you asked me if I would like to coach Chelsea, I’d say yes.’
   However, Ancelotti then added somewhat confusingly that he was sure he’d stay with Milan.
   ‘If I had to express myself in terms of a percentage, I’d say 100 per cent I’ll stay at Milan next season as well.
   ‘There has been a great feeling between myself and the team over the last eight years and here we’re still talking, especially with the club.
   ‘If that wasn’t the case, a coach wouldn’t survive for so long in Italy.’

Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho moved on Saturday to refute speculation that he will quit the Italian champions to join Real Madrid in the summer.
   Madrid have made a move for Mourinho and he worried some Inter fans by saying that he was not 100 percent sure he would stay in Milan.
   However, speaking ahead of Sunday’s trip to Cagliari in Sardinia, Mourinho suggested the only doubts to his tenure were a matter of phraseology.
   ‘I’m an honest person, I’ve always been, and as I’m sincere I wanted to keep my president (Massimo Moratti) in the loop about the (Real) offer,’ he said.
   ‘He found out only from me, not from the press nor anyone else and if I had truly wanted to leave I wouldn’t have said anything, I would have gone and that’s it.
   ‘If in the past I said I would stay here 100 per cent, maybe I would have made a mistake because in life there are few certainties.
   ‘And fortunately I said that 99.9 per cent I will stay here and not 99 percent because then there would have been even more room for speculation.
   ‘I am slightly tempted, I won’t hide that, but that’s in the hands of destiny, we’re not made of steel.
   ‘I’ve already turned down Real once before in my career and a coach is different to a player, the trains can keep on passing, even over 30 years.
   ‘But I don’t want to talk about this speculation any more. I want to thank all those at Inter who wanted me.
   ‘I have a contract, I’m very happy about what we’ve achieved and what the club is building for the future.
   ‘If I wasn’t happy I would have said 50 per cent or even less or I’d have said nothing at all.’

Wolfsburg won their maiden Bundesliga title on Saturday with a 5-1 victory over Werder Bremen as their strikers Grafite and Edin Dzeko set a new goal-scoring record for a German league partnership.
   Between them Bosnia’s Dzeko and Brazil’s Grafite have scored 54 goals this season to break the previous record set by Bayern Munich’s Gerd Muller and Uli Hoeness in the 1970s.
   ‘It’s completely mad to have won the championship and got the record,’ said Dzeko.
   ‘It’s a great feeling – we will celebrate all night long.’
   The victory means champions Wolfsburg finish the season two points clear to take their Champions League place for next season and give Wolfsburg coach Felix Magath his third Bundesliga title having won the German league twice with Bayern.
   Magath leaves to coach and manage Schalke 04 next season while defending champions Bayern finish the season second after beating Stuttgart.
   ‘I knew that we were good enough,’ said Magath.
   ‘We put in some good performances all season and we deserved to be champions.
   ‘Of course, it will be hard to leave now.’
   Wolfsburg took the lead at home to Bremen after just six minutes when Bosnian playmaker Zvjezdan Misimovic fired the hosts into the lead.
   And Grafite underlined his status as the league’s top-scorer when he slipped his marker Naldo to add a second after 15 minutes.
   The result was put beyond doubt after only 26 minutes when Grafite fired his shot off the boot of Bremen defender Sebastian Proedl and into the net.
   Werder’s Brazilian Diego made it 3-1 after 31 minutes, but Grafite struck for the 28th time this season when he headed home from Misimovic on 56 minutes to make it 4-1.
   And Dzeko hit their fifth goal on 74 minutes to set the new record with his 26th goal to bring the title to Wolfsburg.
   Bayern made sure of their Champions League place for next season when they beat title rivals Stuttgart 2-1 at Munich’s Allianz Arena.
   Before the game Bayern bid farewell to caretaker coach Jupp Heynckes, who will be replaced by Louis van Gaal on July 1, and Germany striker Lukas Podolski, who is returning to Cologne after three years in Munich.
   Munich went ahead after only 16 minutes when French midfielder Franck Ribery saw his shot deflect off the boot of Stuttgart’s Dutch defender Khalid Boulahrouz.
   Bayern extended their lead when captain Mark van Bommel hit their second on 60 minutes before Germany striker Mario Gomez pulled a goal back three minutes later.
   Despite losing to Bayern, Stuttgart can now qualify for the Champions League after they finished third.
   Hertha Berlin have to be content with a Europa League place after they slumped to a 4-0 defeat Karlsruhe who were relegated, but the win took them off the bottom of the table.
   Hamburg’s 3-2 win at Eintracht Frankfurt was sealed by an injury-time goal from Germany winger Piotr Trochowski which gives them fifth and a UEFA Cup place for next season.
   Dortmund finished sixth and miss out on a Europa League place for next season with their 1-1 draw at Borussia Moenchenglad-bach.
   Bielefeld are the other side relegated after their
   2-2 draw at home to Hanover.
   Energie Cottbus will find out next weekend if they have survived the dreaded drop after beating Leverkusen 3-0 to claim 16th place which means a play-off with the third-placed side in the second division.
   In the other results, Bochum drew 1-1 at Cologne and Hoffenheim won 3-2 at Schalke 04.

Ex-Stuttgart coach Armin Veh has been confirmed by newly-crowned Bundesliga champions Wolfsburg as their new trainer for next season to succeed Felix Magath.
   Wolfsburg chairman Hans-Dieter Poetsch confirmed Veh will take over for next season on German television channel ZDF on Saturday and an official announcement is expected on Monday.
   Veh, 48, was sacked by Stuttgart last November with his side struggling for form having led them to the 2007 Bundesliga title.
   Having steered Wolfsburg to their maiden Bundesliga title, Magath will take over as team manager and coach at Schalke 04 next season.

Twenty-four years of glorious San Siro service will come to an end on Sunday when AC Milan great Paolo Maldini finally bids farewell to his adoring home fans.
   Twenty-four years is how long Maldini has been pulling on the famous red and black shirt of Milan, during which time he has won an incredible number of trophies.
   Since making his debut in 1985, the 40-year-old has won the Champions League five times, the Italian title seven times and the Italian Cup, surprisingly, only once.
   His reign as captain and lynchpin for Milan has defied all odds in the modern game during an era when the pace and power of football has rendered long careers a rarity.
   And what has made Maldini’s career even more remarkable is that his own father Cesare was also a Milan stalwart during the 1950s and 1960s.
   His swansong on Sunday will end, for the time being at least, a magnificent and long family tradition with the club, the only one for which he has turned out since his professional debut as a 17-year-old.
   But he didn’t just bristle for Milan, he has also earned an Italian record 126 caps for his country, while setting another record in turning out more than 900 times for Milan.
   The only record to taint his otherwise unblemished career is the lack of success Italy enjoyed during his reign.
   Quite unlike his glittering—in terms of the trophies he won—club career, his international experience has been barren.
   He did at least play in both the World Cup and European Championship finals but Brazil denied him in 1994 and France did so again in 2000.
   And when Italy landed the World Cup in 2006, 24 years since their last victory, Maldini was already in international retirement.
   But his greatness and place in footballing history should not just be marked by victories.
   He has always been an example to all, in his manner of playing and in his off-field demeanour.
   For an Italian football star he has also been an exception for the lack of tantrums, fits and controversy following him around. That’s perhaps less surprising given that he played his whole career in defence, initially, and largely, as a left-back but also increasingly in recent years in the centre.
   In fact it was in the centre of the back-line that he gave perhaps his most accomplished and important performance of all, in the 1994 European Cup final.
   In that Milan were missing both their first choice centre-halves through suspension but Maldini filled in admirably and while the game is remembered mostly for Milan’s swashbuckling attacking display that swept them to a stunning 4-0 victory, it was on the foundation of a formidable defensive effort.
   Maldini kept the dream attacking line-up of Romario and Hristo Stoichkov quiet throughout the evening and Milan shocked the footballing world.
   But perhaps his greatest achievement was in fact the lack of animosity shown to him.
   Even Inter Milan’s fans, the most likely to hate Maldini, were moved to pay hommage to him during the last, and Maldini’s last ever, Milan derby.
   ‘That was a wonderful surprise. On a human level I think that was one of the most satisfying experiences I’ve ever had,’ he said of the incident.
   Maldini’s impact will possibly only be felt at its most once he has left and his team-mates will certainly sense his absence greatly.
   ‘The thing that has always impressed me about Paolo is that after every goal, no matter where he is on the pitch, he always runs over to celebrate with the scorer. Without fail, I think that’s great,’ said Brazilian Kaka.
   Sunday probably won’t be Maldini’s last game as unless he is booked or sent-off he will make his farewell at Fiorentina a week later.
   But Sunday will be the day when his own fans — 80,000 strong—will get the chance to say goodbye and thank you.
   Because Maldini is sure that he will never come back as a coach.
   ‘I’m going to have a
   long holiday, until September and then I don’t know but one thing is for sure, I’ll never be a coach,’ he said.

The city of Wolfsburg partied hard into the early hours of Sunday morning after their football team captured their first ever Bundesliga title with a 5-1 win over Werder Bremen.
   Coach Felix Magath has led the Wolves to their first domestic honour and booked their Champions League berth while strikers Edin Dzeko and Grafite set a new record for a strike partnership of 54 goals in a season.
   After Saturday’s win over Bremen, the new champions made their way to Wolfsburg’s town hall in a convoy of open-top cars through a sea of green-and-white flags as over 100,000 fans cheered the team as they lifted the championship shield.
   ‘It’s absolutely stunning - a dream,’ said 23-year-old Bosnian striker Dzeko.
   ‘Two years ago, when I came to Germany, I never thought we could become German champions. We’re going to be celebrating for a very long time.’
   Having won his third Bundesliga crown as a coach, Magath will now leave to take over as coach at Schalke 04.
   ‘A dream has come true here,’ said Magath.
   ‘I didn’t believe that it was possible before the season began, but taking the whole campaign into account, you could certainly say that we are a deserved German champion.’
   Wolfsburg’s Lord-Mayor Rolf Schnellecke presented Magath’s team with
   medals before the shield was hoisted in front of jubilant fans.
   For the Lower Saxony city of Wolfsburg, the home of car manufacturers Volkswagen, the German title is a long-awaited reward after years of mediocrity.
   ‘There’s a buzz humming around the whole city,’ said Schnellecke.‘Wolfsburg deserved the title with their blend of attacking football.
   ‘Felix Magath has presented us with the greatest gift we could ever have imagined.
   ‘This title win will breed legends and generations after us will speak about this.’

Newly-crowned German champions Wolfsburg timed their title bid to perfection after taking over as league leaders in early April as coach Felix Magath led his side to their maiden Bundesliga title.
   Having only been founded in 1945 in the aftermath of World War II, this is Wolfsburg’s first time as champions and they will now lead Germany’s bid in the Champions League next season.
   After Bayern Munich led last season’s Bundesliga from start to finish, this term has been very different with three teams – Bayern, Stuttgart and Wolfsburg – all bidding for the title on the last day.
   The season got off to an unorthodox start when newly-promoted Hoffenheim bolted into an early lead and, despite their 5-2 hammering at Leverkusen in August, still held pole-position in the winter break.
   Having given ex-Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann his first job in coaching, defending champions Bayern began slowly, but draws on the first two days of the season gave no indication of the disaster to strike at the end of September.
   The defending champions were humiliated 5-2 in front of their own fans on September 20 at Munich’s Allianz Arena and were 5-0 down before midfielder Tim Borowski pulled back two late goals.
   The result sent shockwaves through German football and even though it was just his fifth game in charge, the furrow on Klinsmann’s brow grew deeper when his side stumbled to a 1-0 defeat at Hanover in their next game.
   Bayern’s slump attracted plenty of attention, especially when lowly Bochum scored two late goals at the Allianz Arena at the start of October, while Hoffenheim were picking up wins alongside leaders Hamburg.
   Wolfsburg raced into a 2-0 lead at Munich’s Allianz Arena on October 25, but Bayern hit back to claim a 4-2 win, while Hoffenheim took over as league leaders 24 hours later with a 3-0 win over Hamburg.
   By mid-December, Hoffenheim went into the winter break as league leaders but only by virtue of a superior goal difference from second-placed Bayern.
   Both sides faltered badly when the season resumed in January as Bayern lost three of their next four games while Hoffenheim crashed down the table after a disastrous 12 games without a win.
   In their absence, Hertha Berlin took over at the top for most of March, while Wolfsburg steadily climbed the table to take over the lead at the start of April.
   They underlined their status as new leaders with a 5-1 hammering of Bayern Munich on April 4 which ultimately proved to be the beginning of the end for Klinsmann whose side were humiliated 4-0 at Barcelona four days later in the Champions League.
   Klinsmann was sacked as Bayern boss on April 27 and by the start of May, Wolfsburg were three points clear of Munich after a 4-0 win at home to Hoffenheim, who were down to ninth in the table.
   But the leaders showed some nerves with shock defeats at Energie Cottbus and Stuttgart, but reasserted a two-point lead going into the final weekend before securing the title with a 5-1 win at home to Werder Bremen on Saturday.

German giants Bayern Munich ended the season in the rare position of runners-up to champions Wolfburg, but hot-shot strikers Edin Dzeko and Mario Gomez have already been ear-marked as possible recruits.
   Barely had the celebrations begun following Wolfsburg’s 5-1 win over Werder Bremen, which gave them their maiden Bundesliga title, before Bayern’s bosses were name-dropping potential targets after their 2-1 win over Stuttgart.
   ‘Mario Gomez is a player who is very interesting to us,’ said Bayern team manager Uli Hoeness after Stuttgart striker Gomez scored his 24th goal of the season in his side’s defeat at Munich’s Allianz Arena.
   And Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko has also attracted Bayern’s attention, having set a new record for a Bundesliga partnership with 54 goals alongside Brazilian Grafite.
   ‘We have already spoken to him,’ admitted Bayern president Franz Beckenbauer.
   Bosnian Dzeko, 23, has another two years on his contract, while Germany star Gomez, also 23, has another three years still to run on his Stuttgart contract.
   Bayern have already secured the services of Hamburg striker Ivica Olic, Zenit St Petersburg’s holding midfielder Anatoliy Tymoschuk and Borussia Moenchengladbach midfielder Alexander Baumjohann for next season.
   Both Olic and Baumjohann will arrive in Munich on free transfers, but now their Champions League status is secured for next season, Bayern may splash out again says Hoeness.
   ‘We’ll try and add a player or two to go with midfielder Franck Ribery,’ he said.
   ‘We need to agree the sums available for transfers with the supervisory board and strengthen the team, so there’s no repeat of this season, where we more or less couldn’t win the league on the second-to-last day of the season.’
   Dutch disciplinarian Louis van Gaal will take over as head coach on July 1, but this has not been the season the defending champions were hoping for as coach Jurgen Klinsmann was sacked on April 27 after just ten months in charge.