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Sheikh Russell KC lost their first point in the Citycell Bangladesh League when they drew 2-2 with Arambagh Krira Sangha at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Friday.
   In an ill-tempered match Sheikh Russell officials tried to assault the referee after he had disallowed a Sheikh Russell goal in the stoppage time.
   In the other match of the day, Chittagong Mohammedan SC defeated Rahmatganj 2-0 thanks to a brace from Towhidul Islam at the Chittagong MA Aziz Stadium.
   Sheikh Russell started in an attacking mood but Arambagh settled down to hit back and they took the lead duly but their joy was short-lived as Sheikh Russell scored the equaliser just a minute later and then went 2-1 up with a second half strike. But Arambagh managed to restore parity. Later Sheikh Russell piled the pressure on their opponents with Arambagh taking a defensive approach.
   Sheikh Russell midfielder Abdullah Parvez got the first chance in the 15th minute when forward Rony’s cut-back rolled to him but his curlng effort was punched by Arambagh keeper Mitul Hasan for a corner.
   Arambagh’s Ugandan midfielder Dominic Kabouye shot straight at Russell goalie Himel in the 25th minute from the edge of the box.
   Arambagh went ahead in the 37th minute after Dominic lobbed the ball to Nicodemus from the midfield and the Kenyan forward hit the top of the net with a fierce left-footer.
   However, their joy evaporated in less than a minute as Samir Omari after receiving a long ball curved in a neat cross for Rony who headed it at the fart post to restore parity.
   Sheikh Russell were unfortunate in the 47th minute when Moroccan midfielder Samir Omari’s powerful strike rebounded off the inner edge of the crosspiece. However, Moroccan forward Moro Mohammed put Russell ahead in the 56th minute with a precise header from a Mobarak cross from the right edge of the box.
   Arambagh pushed forward and Nigerian forward Subair Mohammed Omobolaji toe-poked an Alfaz cross past Russell keeper Himel in the 63rdminute.
   In the stoppage time of the second half Samir Omari scored a goal but referee Tayeb overruled it responding to call for a foul by the linesman. The scenario turned violent for a couple of minutes as the Russell officials tried to assault the referee but the match was finished duly.
   Russell earned seven points from three matches while Arambagh are on five points.

Khelaghar SKS demanded full points of their match against Kalabagan KC citing anomaly in the result procedure at a press conference on Friday.
   In a rain-affected match at the Fatullah stadium on Thursday, Kalabagan were declared winners against Khelaghar by three wickets. Khelaghar had posted 218 for six in 50 overs. But when Kalabagan were on 203 runs in 47 overs, in reply, a sudden rain forced the game to be stopped and the third umpire awarded the match to Kalabagan.
   Khelaghar officials claimed that after waiting for about 30 minutes the third umpire, influenced by the Kalabagan official’s plea of bad light, finally called off the match and awarded it to them. They said even the Kalabagan batsmen did not complain about bad light, but the match officials listened to the Kalabagan officials and took the unfair decision. The officials of Khelaghar also alleged that the match officials did not disclose the cause of their decision but suddenly enforced it on them.
   They demanded the full points of the match saying that they would have won if the match had been completed. And the also demanded a proper probe into the incident. They also threatened that if their demands were not met they might refrain from playing further.
   The chairman of the club’s cricket committee, Md Bellal Hossain, vice-chairman Imran Hossain, officials Hasibul Huda Khan, Robin and skipper Paltu were present at the press briefing.
   CCDM secretary Iqbal Yusuf Chowdhury said, ‘We will decide it at the CCDM meeting, but we can’t disclose the date because CCDM president GM Hasan Chowdhury Tamim’s mother passed away two days ago, we will resolve the matter soon,’ said Iqbal.

Dav Whatmore has been confirmed as the new coach of Kolkata Knight Riders, filling in the vacancy left by the sacking of John Buchanan after IPL 2009. His appointment was part of a team management overhaul: the franchise also recalled Sourav Ganguly as captain, named Wasim Akram as their mentor, signed on Vijay Dahiya, the former India wicketkeeper and Delhi coach, to assist Whatmore, while retaining Andrew Leipus as physiotherapist and Adrian Le Roux as physical trainer.
   Ganguly said in a press release issued by the team management today that he was keen to bring a turnaround in Kolkata’s fortune after a nightmarish 2009 season, in which they finished last. ‘I am excited at the prospect of working with Dav and the entire team closely in addition to playing at our home ground once again,’ he said. Ganguly would be responsible for all cricket-related decisions for the next season.
   Speaking to Cricinfo, Whatmore said his main objective as coach would be to ensure that his players gel as a unit and start thinking positively after two bad IPL seasons - in which Kolkata finished sixth and eighth - and, to that end, he would bank on Ganguly’s wealth of knowledge and Akram’s exceptional game-reading skills to turn the team around.
   He also said he was confident his experience in the region - he coached the 1996 World Cup-winning Sri Lankan team and later, Bangladesh - would help him develop a ‘decent relationship’ with Ganguly, who has had a controversial history with foreign coaches including Greg Chappell for the Indian team and Buchanan. ‘I have a fair idea and a fair understanding of the importance of Sourav in Kolkata and it’s about getting the best out of him as it is with everyone else.’
   Significantly, Whatmore said he would not employ the multi-captaincy theory that was mooted by Buchanan and sparked a debate in world cricket before Ganguly was replaced by Brendon McCullum as team captain for the previous season.
   Whatmore, however, declined to elaborate on what he felt had been going wrong with the team over the last two years - apart from poor batting, there were reports of a rift between players and the team management - but said he would bank on his experience with the National Cricket Academy, of which he was director for the last two years, to spot new talent and act as a bridge between them and the team’s top international players.
   Asked where Kolkata would reach in the next IPL starting in March, he said: ‘Sometimes, I think it’s good to have a goal like that, but other times I feel you don’t want to limit yourself too much either. But as you saw, in IPL-2, the two teams that finished last and second-last respectively in the first edition ended up being the finalists (Deccan Chargers and Royal Challengers Bangalore). So perhaps, hope is the right word to use now. But I would like to know that hope will become a different word as we go along. That can happen.’

All-rounder Shahid Afridi, buoyed by a run of good form, said Friday he hoped his new attitude to batting and bowling would help Pakistan to defend its World Twenty20 title and win the World Cup in 2011.
   ‘I am becoming more and more responsible with my batting,’ Afridi told AFP. ‘I want to help my team win the World Twenty20 again next year and then the bigger prize of the World Cup in two years’ time.’
   The 29-year-old hit a punishing 51-ball 70 — his first one-day half-century in 33 matches—and took two for 46 to help Pakistan beat New Zealand in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday in the first match of their current one-day series.
   Often criticised for not using his explosive potential, Afridi is fast disproving that notion by taking a more responsible approach to his batting.
   He hit back-to-back half-centuries in the semi-final and final of the World Twenty20 held in England in June, when Pakistan beat Sri Lanka in the final.
   He was then rewarded with the captaincy of Pakistan’s Twenty20 side after Younus Khan decided to quit the shortest form of the game.
   To keep Pakistan winning in the Twenty20 and one-day matches, Afridi said he had decided to forgo five-day cricket.
   ‘I am not playing Test cricket simply because I want to be more focused on one-day and Twenty20 cricket,’ he said.
   He said he had already sets his sights on defending the World Twenty20 title in the West Indies in April.
   ‘Being the captain I have to plan for the World Twenty20 because I want to win it once again—for my team, for my country and for my people, who are by our wins,’ Afridi said.
   He said the loss of international cricket matches in Pakistan made it imperative ‘that we keep winning and motivate the youth to take up the game, to keep the interest alive in our country.’
   Pakistan’s lost its right to host international teams after the Sri Lankan team bus was attacked in Lahore in March. Seven Sri Lankan players and their assistant coach were injured, besides eight people killed.
   The attack also forced the International Cricket Council to strip Pakistan of its share of 2011 World Cup matches, as teams refused to tour the country over security fears.
   ‘If we win then the youth will continue to follow us and that’s a great responsibility on us players,’ said Afridi, who will lead Pakistan in two Twenty20 matches against New Zealand in Dubai on November 12 and 13.
   New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori praised Afridi as one of cricket’s most exciting players.
   ‘He is explosive in batting and has taken spin bowling to another level,’ Vettori said.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting on Friday lauded Indian master Sachin Tendulkar even as the injury-plagued world champions celebrated a brilliant one-day win.
   The second-string Aussies, depleted by injuries to nine players, warded off Tendulkar’s magical 175 off 141 balls to snatch a thrilling three-run win here on Thursday night.
   Tendulkar, faced with Australia’s daunting total of 350-4, smashed 19 boundaries and four sixes in his 45th one-day century to bring India agonisingly close to an unexpected win.
   Ponting, delighted at how his young team responded to the challenge to take a 3-2 lead in the seven-match series, praised Tendulkar’s effort as ‘one of the great one-day innings’ he had seen.
   ‘When you get 175 in a one-day game, it’s not very often you don’t win,’ the Australian captain said.
   ‘He’s played a lot of good innings against Australia over the years, but you don’t see something like this every day.
   ‘It was a terrific innings, especially when he lost a few wickets around him early. He hit almost every ball in the middle of the bat.
   ‘His team needed him to play that way and he was outstanding, it was one of the great one-day innings that I’ve seen.’
   Tendulkar, 36, the world’s leading batsman in both Test and one-day cricket, agreed it was one of his better innings, but was disappointed India fell short at the end.
   ‘I would say it was one of my better ones, but we should have won,’ said Tendulkar.
   ‘I was striking the ball pretty well. That we were chasing 351 meant there was constant pressure on us to keep the run-rate up. We managed to do that and took the game quite close.’
   Australia, depleted from the start of the tour due to injuries to one-day regulars Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Callum Ferguson and Nathan Bracken, have seen five more players return home with various niggles.
   With Brett Lee, Peter Siddle, James Hopes and Bracken missing and Mitchell Johnson rested for the game, Australia fielded a virtual second-string bowling attack—and still won.
   The tourists zoomed to the massive total after a first-wicket stand of 145 between Shaun Marsh, who hit a career-best 112, and Shane Watson (93) in excellent batting conditions.
   ‘After everything that’s happened over the last couple of weeks, for us to keep finding ways to win games says a lot about the team, a lot about the players and the way we go about it,’ a beaming Ponting said.
   ‘I actually asked the guys for a little bit extra in this game, asked them to be really brave and to play the best form of cricket they possibly could and just back themselves at every opportunity.
   ‘It was a great day for us. I can tell you that the guys were as excited as we have been for any win that we’ve had.’
   The final two matches in the riveting series will be played in Guwahati on Sunday and Mumbai on Wednesday.

Andre Agassi has pleaded for compassion from critics over his taking of crystal methamphetamine, saying he ‘needed help’ to fight depression in 1997.
   CBS released excerpts from Agassi’s interview in the ‘60 Minutes’ programme Thursday with the entire story to be aired Sunday night regarding his admission of taking methamphetamine in an upcoming memoir as well as other aspects of his life and career.
   Agassi became emotional when interviewer Katie Couric read him the words of Martina Navratilova, who compared Agassi to Roger Clemens, a star baseball pitcher who has denied wrongdoing despite links to performance-enhancing drugs.
   ‘It’s what you don’t want to hear,’ Agassi said. ‘I would hope with that would come some compassion that maybe this person doesn’t need condemnation. Maybe this person could stand a little help.
   ‘Because that was at a time in my life when I needed help. I had a problem, and there might be many other athletes out there that test positive for recreational drugs that have a problem. So I would ask for some compassion.’
   The former world number one’s new book, ‘Open’, will be published next week.
   Agassi said he is uncertain how the revelations will impact how he is regarded or whether he belongs in the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
   ‘I don’t know what the ramifications are,’ Agassi said. ‘I had way more to lose by telling this story in its full transparency than I had to gain.
   ‘The price that that comes with is the cost that I’ve assumed and I’m OK because the part that I worry and think more about is who this may help.’
   Agassi, now married to retired tennis star Steffi Graf, admits in the book that he hated tennis for much of his career despite his skill, having been forced into the sport at an early age, but eventually developed a love for it.
   ‘I was tortured by it. Hated it. Took ownership of it. Started to have a relationship with it. Started to embrace it. Started to extract from it and grew to love everything it had to give me, which was the relationships in my life, the people, the fans,’ Agassi said.
   ‘It was a gift. I go out with my wife now and I hit balls and I can enjoy it.’

Bangladesh crashed to their third consecutive defeat in the AFC U-19 Group E qualifiers, losing 3-0 tot hosts Thailand at the Royal Army Stadium in Bangkok on Friday. With the defeat Bangladesh’s chance of qualifying for the final round has also evaporated.
   Thailand took the lead in the very first minute through Thai defender Apisit Khamwang, who headed in a free-kick. Bangladesh goalkeeper Sohel Alam saved his team from conceding the second in the 35th minute and the first half finished with the hosts leading by a solitary goal.
   Thai midfielder Yooyen Sarach increased the margin in the 70th minute and he sealed the three-goal victory with another strike in the dying minutes of the match.Bangladesh had lost 5-0 to South Korea, 0-1 to Vietnam in their earlier matches.

BFF president Kazi Salahuddin said on Friday that he hoped to stage a top class SAFF Championship in December in Dhaka. The new SAFF president said this after a meeting with Alberto Colaco, general secretary of SAFF, at the BFF office.
   Colaco flew in from India on Thursday evening to discuss about the preparation of the SAFF Championship, to be held in Dhaka from December 4 to 13.
   Salahuddin said he discussed all the aspects of the tournament as well as the activities of the SAFF. ‘We are confident that we can change the image of SAFF with a lot of activities and not remaining idle like the previous committee, the new committee has already started its activities and it will be done in accordance with the AFC procedures,’ said Salahuddin.
   ‘We have undertaken a number of schemes and after finalising them we will disclose it within the next two weeks, we also are prepared to host a spectacular SAFF Championship,’ said Salahuddin.

Opener Brendon McCullum returned to form with a brilliant hundred to guide New Zealand to an imposing 303-8 in the second day-night international against Pakistan at Abu Dhabi Stadium here on Friday.
   The 27-year-old right-handed batsman scored 131 for his second one-day hundred and added 126 for the second wicket with Martin Guptill (62) after New Zealand won the toss and decided to bat in a must-win match.
   New Zealand, who lost the first match by 138 runs to trail 1-0 in the three-match series, had McCullum to thank for repairing the innings after Aaron Redmond (six) fell in the sixth over, caught off paceman Mohammad Aamir.
   Stripped of vice-captaincy to allow him to concentrate on batting form last month, McCullum steadied the innings, driving and cutting with authority during his 129-ball knock. He hit 14 boundaries and three sixes.
   Guptill, declared New Zealand’s best one-day player last month, also matched his partner shot for shot, hitting five boundaries and two sixes during his 70-ball knock before holing out to paceman Abdul Razzaq.
   Leg-spinner Shahid Afridi, man-of-the-match in Pakistan’s 138-run win in the first match, dismissed Ross Taylor without scoring before Scot Styris (nine) was run out as Pakistan hit back to reduce their rivals to 160-4.
   McCullum and Daniel Vettori (30) added 44 for the fifth wicket before Razzaq returned for his second spell to have the New Zealand captain caught behind off a miscued hit.
   McCullum, whose previous hundred (166) was made against Ireland at Aberdeen last year, reached his three-figure mark off 108 deliveries. He was finally dismissed in the 47th over, bowled off an inside edge by paceman Umar Gul.
   He also added 56 for the seventh wicket with Oram who made 33 not out.
   Pakistan brought back Shoaib Malik after resting him in the first match, while New Zealand included fit-again Kyle Mills and Neil Broom.

Patrick Vieira has failed to impress France coach Raymond Domenech, who left the Inter Milan midfielder out of his squad for two World Cup qualifying playoff matches against the Republic of Ireland.
   Aly Cissokho was the only surprise among a 24-man squad named by Domenech Thursday, the Lyon defender being given the chance to win his first cap only three years after moving out of the amateur divisions.
   France face the Republic in Dublin on November 14 and then host the return leg at the Stade de France in Paris four days later, the aggregate winner gaining entry to the World Cup finals in South Africa.
   Given Vieira’s improved performances for Inter, Domenech had been half-expected to give the defensive midfielder a chance to feature for ‘Les Bleus’ for the first time since a friendly defeat to Nigeria on June 2.
   However Domenech, who is believed to be reluctant to break up the defensive midfield pairing of Lassana Diarra and Jeremy Toulalan highlighted Vieira’s lack of regular first team action.
   The pressure is now on Vieira, who said Sunday that his aim was to ‘go to the World Cup’, to convince Inter coach Jose Mourinho that he deserves more playing time at the Italian club.
   ‘I want him to play on a regular basis, so that he can bring his potential and his experience to the World Cup,’ said Domenech of Vieira, whose family hail from the west African country of Senegal. Domenech admitted it ‘had not been an easy decision’ to leave Vieira out of the squad, which he said ‘have to get tough’ if they are to overcome the challenge that lies ahead.
   France and the Republic met in the 2006 World Cup qualifying stages sharing a 0-0 draw in Paris, while in Ireland Thierry Henry scored to give France the win.
   Reminded of their two-leg battle three years ago, Domenech said: ‘We know the Irish, they’re all top notch players. ‘When we played against them in 2006 there was as much of a buzz around the match as there was on the pitch. They’re solid opponents, and they want to go to the World Cup.’
   Coming into the team in place of injured defender Gael Clichy, Cissokho’s football dream continues.
   Playing in France’s amateur fifth division three years ago he moved to Vitoria Setubal in Portugal, was picked up by FC Porto and now plays at French giants Lyon, who secured qualification to the Champions League knockout phase on Wednesday with a 1-1 home draw against Liverpool.
   Cissokho was delighted with the call-up, but admits he is not getting carried away. ‘Even though I’m only 22 and I’ve got the chance to go to the World Cup, I’m just taking it in my stride,’ said Cissokho, whose family, like that of Vieira, comes from Senegal.
   ‘You have to keep your feet on the ground, change nothing and don’t forget where you’ve come from.
   ‘But it’s nice to think that I could be playing alongside the likes of Theirry Henry.’
   Squad
   Goalkeepers: Cedric Carrasso (Bordeaux), Hugo Lloris (Lyon), Steve Mandanda (Marseille); Defenders: Eric Abidal (Barcelona/ESP), Aly Cissokho (Lyon), Julien Escude (Sevilla/ESP), Patrice Evra (Manchester United/ENG), Rod Fanni (Rennes), William Gallas (Arsenal/ENG), Bacary Sagna (Arsenal/ENG), Sebastien Squillaci (Sevilla/ESP); Midfielders: Abou Diaby (Arsenal/ENG), Alou Diarra (Bordeaux), Lassana Diarra (Real Madrid/ESP), Florent Malouda (Chelsea/ENG), Yoann Gourcuff (Bordeaux), Moussa Sissoko (Toulouse), Jeremy Toulalan (Lyon); Strikers: Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea/ENG), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid/ESP), Andre-Pierre Gignac (Toulouse), Sidney Govou (Lyon), Thierry Henry (Barcelona/ESP), Loic Remy (Nice).

Mohammad Asif, the Pakistan fast bowler, who is hoping to play his first Test in more than two years later this month has vowed to make up for lost time due to several drug-related controversies. Asif, 26, has been named in Pakistan’s squad for the three-Test series against New Zealand, which starts November 24.
   ‘I have not played in New Zealand but have heard a lot about the pitches and conditions there and hopefully if I can get a chance I will make an impact,’ Asif said. ‘The key is to focus on just cricket and try to make up for lost time.’
   He has already made his limited-overs comeback during the ICC Champions Trophy after a year-long suspension for testing positive for the banned substance nandrolone. He showed off his ability in his first game on return by grabbing two wickets as Pakistan nearly scripted a sensational turnaround against Australia.
   Originally named in the one-day side and Twenty20s to take on New Zealand in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, he was left out since he is banned from entering the UAE after being stopped with a small quantity of opium at Dubai airport last year (criminal charges were not pressed).
   Asif is tuning up for his Test return by playing Pakistan’s domestic first-class tournament, the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, where he has taken 23 wickets in five matches. ‘The good thing is that I have been playing regularly in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy matches,’ he said. ‘That has helped me find my rhythm and form and get my confidence back. There is nothing better for a bowler then to bowl in the longer version of the game.’

Australian cricket bosses want to cut the number of international fixtures to ease the heavy workload for players, reports said Friday.
   Five players have been forced to return home with injuries from Australia’s ongoing seven-match one-day series in India amid criticisms of an over-congested international calendar.
   Australia’s programme this year included 40 one-day games, 13 Tests and the World Twenty20 Championship and the strain is showing on the players.
   The Australian newspaper said 31 cricketers had represented Australia in the one-day team this calendar year and by the end of the Indian series that number could have risen to 35, with only 25 players listed on central playing contracts.
   Cricket Australia chairman Jack Clarke said there was a push to reduce the amount of cricket in the International Cricket Council’s next Future Tours Programme, which comes into effect when the present arrangement ends after 2012.
   ‘It is not fixed yet as to what’s going to happen, that’s been one of the hold-ups in releasing the FTP, the ICC events,’ Clarke told The Australian.
   ‘The type of events and the regularity is one of the things.
   ‘I suspect the game can’t support an ICC tournament every year,’ he said.
   ‘So hopefully less will be more, and I’d be surprised if there’s an ICC event every year, going forward in 2013-2020,’ he added.
   The newspaper said the ‘increasingly irrelevant’ ICC Champions Trophy seems to be the weakest link and may be scrubbed from the schedule or be moved to a four-year rotation, instead of the current two.

Coach Louis van Gaal has admitted a few sleepless nights ahead of Bayern Munich’s Bundesliga clash with Schalke 04 today in the wake of their Champions League defeat at home to Bordeaux.
   The French left Munich’s Allianz Arena on Tuesday with three points and a place in the knock-out phases, while Bayern are virtually out of the competition and need to raise their heads for Schalke’s visit.
   Van Gaal gave his players Thursday off training to help them focus on closing the four-point gap behind Bundesliga leaders Leverkusen with his side sixth in the table.
   ‘Did you sleep well? Because I didn’t,’ van Gaal gruffly asked the assembled media ahead of the Schalke match.
   ‘I cancelled training on Thursday so the players could freshen up mentally and turn their attention to Schalke.
   ‘It’s another important game and it’s another one we have to win.
   ‘My emotional reaction would be to raise my voice after the Bordeaux defeat, but that’s not appropriate for an analysis.’
   Despite his side failing to score against Bordeaux, van Gaal is buoyed by the return of Dutch winger Arjen Robben, who looked dangerous against the French but is still lacking match fitness after a month off with a knee injury.
   ‘It’s still a tough situation for me,’ said Robben.
   ‘I’m still not fully fit. I need more training and more time.’
   The attacker twisted a knee in the early October Champions League meeting with Juventus and had a small operation, but just over four weeks later, he was able to manage a full 45 minutes against Bordeaux.
   ‘We need to be cautious with him,’ admitted van Gaal, with Robben expected to face Schalke.
   Fourth-placed Schalke will not be an easy game for Bayern as the Royal Blues have made a habit of coming from behind to seal late draws against title rivals Hamburg and Leverkusen in the last two weeks.
   With just four points separating the top six teams, league leaders Leverkusen will be looking to cement their position with a win at home to Eintracht Frankfurt on Friday night.
   Leverkusen have drawn their last three Bundesliga games and still top of the table: Bayer have conceded the fewest goals (eight), kept the most clean sheets (six) and been most successful in restricting shots on their own goal (22).
   Second-placed Werder Bremen, who beat Austria Vienna 2-0 in the Europa League Cup, are at home to mid-table Borussia Dortmund and third-placed Hamburg, who drew 0-0 with Celtic in the Europa League, are also in action on Sunday at Hanover.

New coach Carlos Alberto Parreira said Friday that turning around the struggling national team of 2010 World Cup hosts South Africa would be his lasting legacy.
   ‘I am here because of the privilege and honour of leading the host nation to the World Cup. This will go to my records, its priceless and I am looking forward to this,’ he told a packed media conference here.
   Parreira ended his first spell as a moderately successful coach of South Africa in mid-2008 to be with his ill wife in Rio de Janeiro and was reappointed two weeks ago.
   The 66-year-old Brazilian who has also coached Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia at the World Cup will hand over Bafana Bafana (The Boys) to a local coach after the June 11 to July 11 tournament.
   Addressing South Africa-based media for the first time since his reappointment, Parreira spelt out his plan to turn around a national team ranked 85 in the world last month by FIFA.
   ‘If I thought that this team will not have a chance to go to the next round or do well in the World Cup, why would I come here to expose myself? No way,’ he stressed.
   He said his first task would be to rebuild confidence among players demoralised by a string of losses since finishing fourth in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, and get them fit.
   ‘The best way to built up lost confidence is to get a winning mentality and to do that we have to start winning games.
   ‘We have two friendly matches this month against Japan and Jamaica that are crucial to start the process of getting our confidence back.’
   Parreira said he believed three months was enough to prepare the squad ahead of the first World Cup to be staged in Africa.
   He said he would take Bafana to Brazil for a one-month training camp in March and they would play at least 10 friendly matches there.
   ‘The camp in Brazil will do wonders for the players’ confidence and they will learn a lot by playing against top Brazilian sides while we are in camp,’ he said.

International sport’s top court on Friday suspended a transfer ban imposed on Chelsea while it rules on a dispute over the signing of French youngster Gael Kakuta.
   ‘The Court of Arbitration for Sport has granted the request for a stay filed by Chelsea Football Club Ltd and Gael Kakuta in relation to the decision taken by the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber on 27 August 2009,’ the Lausanne-based court said in a statement.
   The English Premier League side had asked for a suspension in a bid to sign new players during the January transfer window.
   The arbitrators normally take about four months to rule on cases from the moment they were lodged, in Chelsea and Kakuta’s case on October 22.
   That would potentially leave the London side free to take part in the next transfer window between January 1 and 31, 2010.
   The ban on signing any new players until January 2011 was imposed by world football’s governing body FIFA in August, when its Dispute Resolution Chamber concluded the Blues had induced Kakuta to break his contract with his first club, Lens.

The Spanish Football Federation decided Friday against calling a strike to protest a government plan to end the so-called ‘Beckham law’ under which foreign footballers receive tax breaks.
   ‘The meeting decided not to take any measure to create pressure and to set up a negotiating commission to launch an urgent and effective dialogue with the relevant public authorities,’ it said in a statement after an extraordinary general assembly.
   The federation said the board would hold another general assembly on November 19.
   Spain’s ruling Socialist Party said on Tuesday it had reached an agreement with three smaller parties in parliament to remove the law, which has been credited with drawing top players to La Liga.
   The federation had warned on Wednesday that it may call a 24-hour strike over the move.
   The law, introduced in 2005 as a means to lure foreign executives to Spain, allows foreign players who earn more than 600,000 euros (885,000 dollars) a year to reduce their tax rate to 24 percent instead of the 43 percent applied to Spaniards in the same income bracket.
   It became known as the ‘Beckham law’ because it was back-dated to July 1, 2003, the day after David Beckham moved to Real Madrid from Manchester United.
   The new law will not apply to recent big-name signings like that of Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo by Real Madrid or Sweden’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic by Barcelona because it will not be applied retroactively and will only relate to contracts signed from January 1, 2010.
   The tax break has come under renewed attack at a time when Spain is facing its worst recession in over 50 years which has caused the unemployment rate to soar to almost 18 percent, the highest in the European Union.

Fulham compromised their hopes of advancing in the Europa League on Thursday when Roma came from behind to win 2-1 in Italy, the English Premiership side ending the Group E contest with nine men, while Everton slumped 2-0 at home to Benfica.
   Diomansy Kamara shocked the Stadio Olimpico by netting a spot-kick on 19 minutes after Marco Andreolli brought him down but everything went downhill for the visitors thereafter as substitute Erik Nevland was dismissed within three minutes of coming on for a heavy challenge on Daniele De Rossi.
   Former Liverpool man John Arne Riise then levelled after 69 minutes with a deflected effort and Stefano Okaka headed the clincher a quarter of an hour from the end before defender Paul Konchesky fouled Rodrigo Taddei to leave Fulham two men down.
   The loss means Roy Hodgson’s side, who had held the Romans on their own turf, suffered their first reverse in the group and they now stand third, two points behind Roma with two games remaining.
   At Goodison Park, Everton were outclassed for the second time by Benfica, the Portuguese winning with strikes from Javier Saviola after good work by highly-rated Angel di Maria, then an acrobatic volley from Oscar Cardozo to leave the Portuguese three points clear at the top of Group I.
   The win meant a happy return to Merseyside for Benfica legend Eusebio, who scored six of his nine goals at Goodison in the 1966 World Cup, including two in a win over Brazil and four more in the memorable 5-3 success over North Korea.
   ‘Today for me, for my family, it’s a good day, for Benfica to play here. This stadium for me is the best stadium in my playing life,’ Eusebio told Channel Five television before the game.
   The top two teams from each group will join the third-placed sides from the eight Champions League groups in the last 32.
   Shakhtar Donetsk, who won the final UEFA Cup competition last season before the competition morphed into the Europa League, are through after they made it four wins in four games, beating French side Toulouse 2-0 in Group J.
   Werder Bremen of Germany are through after seeing off Austria Vienna 2-0 in Group L.
   French veteran Robert Pires was twice on target for Villarreal in Group G group in a 4-1 home romp over Lazio to join the Italians on six points.
   Celtic’s hopes of advancing hang by a thread after they could only manage a goalless draw in Hamburg, to whom they had lost at home in Group C.
   Celtic, just one win now in 25 European away ties, prop up the group with Thursday’s point only their second to date after striker Scott McDonald missed two good chances to secure maximum points at the Nordbank Arena.
   The Germans lie second in the group on seven points with Israeli outfit Hapoel Tel Aviv out in front after the latter moved onto nine points following a 3-0 romp at Rapid Vienna.
   Elsewhere, Ajax are as good as through after they won 2-0 away to nine-man Dinamo Zagreb with Marko Pantelic and Demy de Zeeuw on target.
   Dinamo had Leandro Cufre and Adrian Calello dismissed in a match played behind closed doors owing to recent crowd trouble.
   Anderlecht are also looking set fair for the next phase after a 3-1 home success over Romania’s Timisoara left them and their Dutch rivals six points clear.
   In Group B, veteran Hernan Crespo was on target as Genoa edged out Lille 3-2 while Valencia, twice Champions League finalists, let slip a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at Slavia Prague.
   Lille are still a point ahead of Valencia and Genoa.
   Turkish side Galalatasary are through from Group F after Aussie striker and former Leeds and Liverpool forward Harry Kewell netted the opener in a 3-0 win at Dinamo Bucharest.

Real Madrid captain Raul Gonzalez accepts that he is likely to find himself on the bench for the derby clash with local rivals Atletico Madrid on Sunday.
   The Bernabeu icon has been a regular in the first team since he made his debut at 17 and the power he yields in the dressing room means that it is a bold move for the coach Manuel Pellegrini.
   Having missed the last two matches, though, against Getafe and AC Milan, Raul agrees it would be logical for him not to be in the starting line-up.
   ‘In the last two games the team has played well and I suppose he will stay with the same players. I don’t know if I will play or not but I consider myself capable of performing at the level of any player in the world,’ said Raul who has become a nemesis for Atletico, scoring eleven goals in total against them.
   ‘These are always difficult games, above all in the Calderon. Atletico have improved a lot recently, against Chelsea they deserved to win and their confidence will now be much higher.’
   Leaders Barcelona will be looking to rediscover their incisive football after two draws against Osasuna and Rubin Kazan in which they only managed to score one goal.
   But they play a Mallorca side that hopes to spring a surprise.
   ‘We have to play well defensively, make sure the game doesn’t open up at the start and if we take our chances then we can get something from the match,’ said coach Gregorio Manzano.
   Sevilla have the difficult task of taking on a rejuvenated Villarreal side although they are likely to have Frederic Kanoute and Adriano available after fitness scares.
   Following a woeful start to the season under Ernesto Valverde, Villarreal have moved up the table with back-to-back wins in the league.
   Valencia must recover their morale when they take on Zaragoza after letting a two-goal lead slip in the Europa League against Slavia Prague and returned to the Mestalla with only a draw.
   Deportivo la Coruna striker Riki Sanchez faces his previous club Getafe in good form but he will be only too aware of the danger posed from Getafe by another Real Madrid youth product Roberto Soldado.

An in-form Didier Drogba is capable of ruffling the feathers of even the most confident defences.
   So it will be with some trepidation that Manchester United, whose back four has been looking decidedly shaky of late, pitch up for Sunday’s Premier League summit meeting with a Chelsea side whose confident start to the season has been underpinned by Drogba’s return to his battering-ram best.
   The Ivorian’s late double in the Champions League win over Atletico Madrid in Spain took his tally for the season to 12 in all competitions and team-mate Florent Malouda has never seen the striker looking more driven.
   ‘Didier is really happy and enjoying his form at the moment,’ Malouda said.
   ‘He always believed in himself, even in the second division in France he was dreaming about it and preparing himself. Even at this level he is working harder and harder.’
   United have not won at Stamford Bridge since April 2002 and the manner in which Sir Alex Ferguson’s side capitulated at Liverpool last month and then conceded three goals to CSKA Moscow at Old Trafford on Tuesday will not have encouraged fans to believe that particular seven-year itch is about to be scratched.
   Chelsea have won all nine of their domestic and European fixtures at home this season, scoring 25 goals in the process while conceding only one.
   But Ferguson is counting on the chastening impact of the defeat at Liverpool to act as a galvanising force for his players.
   ‘It’s always a hard game at Chelsea, but we’ll deal with it better than we did at Anfield, I’m sure of that,’ the Scot predicted.
   With Rio Ferdinand unlikely to be involved because of the latest recurrence of a troubling a calf injury, Ferguson will be relieved to have Serbian centre-back Nemanja Vidic available again.
   Dimitar Berbatov and Ryan Giggs, who also missed the 3-3 draw with CSKA, are also on track to return from injury while Wayne Rooney, who started on the bench in midweek, will return to the starting line-up looking for a goal to celebrate the birth of his baby boy, Kai Wayne.
   With either one or both of the top two destined to drop points on Sunday, Arsenal will seek to close the gap on them by taking maximum points from Saturday evening’s trip to Wolves.
   ‘If we want to challenge for the title this is the kind of game we have to win,’ acknowledged Robin van Persie, whose form has been every bit as significant for the Gunners this season as Drogba’s has for Chelsea.
   Manchester City, whose early season momentum has been stalled by a run of four draws, will welcome back Emmanuel Adebayor for the visit of Burnley to Eastlands, much to the relief of manager Mark Hughes.
   ‘You always want players that can produce moments of magic when the team is not dominating proceedings as you would like,’ Hughes said.
   ‘Those type of players have the ability to change the game in your favour. Ade has that capability and having the option of him this weekend will be a bonus for us.’

Juan Sebastian Veron attempted to distance himself on Thursday from the conflict at the heart of the Argentina team between coach Diego Maradona and technical director Carlos Bilardo.
   Maradona was annoyed with Bilardo during the 2010 World Cup qualifiers over the alleged interference of the technical director in team affairs.
   ‘For me it’s not easy to be in the middle of an internal (conflict) between Diego and Bilardo because they are two people I care for,’ the 34-year-old Veron told reporters at the presentation of the shirt Argentina will wear at the World Cup finals in South Africa.
   ‘But it’s not a problem because I’ve always managed to keep on the fringe…they are two men who resolve their issues in their own way, as they see fit, and I don’t get involved.’
   Maradona handed Veron a key midfield role in the qualifiers which Argentina struggled to get through, needing to beat Peru and Uruguay in their final matches to avoid missing the finals for the first time since 1970.
   The coach did not appear entirely happy, however, after Argentina’s 1-0 win in Uruguay when Veron spoke of mistakes and the need not to ‘sweep them under the carpet’ in the euphoria of qualification.
   Veron repeated his concerns on Thursday, but also appeared to back the inexperienced Maradona.
   ‘I think and hope there will be modifications because I know the self-criticism is there. Obviously we hope changes are made…for the good of everyone.
   ‘There are cases of coaches with no experience in which things went very well for us (at Estudiantes), as happened with (Diego) Simeone or (Alejandro) Sabella.
   ‘You just have to give them time.’
   Former Argentina midfielder Simeone coached Veron’s Estudiantes to the league title in 2006. Former national assistant coach Sabella took charge of the team this year and steered them to their fourth South American crown in July.
   Bilardo played alongside Veron’s father Juan Ramon in the Estudiantes side that won three successive Libertadores Cups from 1968 to 1970.

Cham-pions Inter Milan host AS Roma at the San Siro at the weekend while AC Milan travel to the capital to take on Lazio as the Serie A title race reaches a key stage.
   In the not so distant past these would have been two top-of-the-table clashes between teams fighting for the title.
   But that’s not the way things have been going this season. Inter are top and, despite a indifferent start, Milan are up and running and up to fourth.
   In Rome, however, this season has gone from bad to worse. Roma and Lazio sit 14th and 15th with just six wins between them in a combined 22 matches.
   Roma were expecting to get back to challenging for the scudetto after finishing a disappointing sixth in the last campaign following three runners-up finishes in a row. And cup holders Lazio would have been expecting to make a run at a top four finish.
   Instead, they are both in disarray. Luciano Spalletti quit as Roma boss after just two games and despite beginning his Roma career well with successive victories, Claudio Ranieri’s team lost three on the bounce before last weekend’s narrow 2-1 success against Bologna.
   A title challenge is out of the question—they have only half the points of Inter—and even a fight for a top four finish and Champions League football next season looks unlikely.
   Lazio look more likely to be involved in a relegation dog-fight, sitting currently only two points above the drop zone.
   And this weekend neither of them can even rely on their opponents being fatigued from their Champions League exertions as both Roma and Lazio played in the Europa League on Thursday and will have had less rest than the two Milan clubs.
   Roma’s task is the most daunting against a team already seven points clear at the top and who went to the head of a Champions League group containing holders Barcelona on Wednesday after a stunning late comeback to beat Dynamo Kiev 2-1.
   It was Inter’s first win in Europe in a year and according to Ghana midfielder Sulley Muntariit has been a big boost to their confidence, something Roma won’t be wanting to hear.

Real to defy Portugal request for Ronaldo
   Real Madrid have told Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz in no uncertain terms they will not make star striker Cristiano Ronaldo available for two crucial World Cup qualifying playoffs. Portugal face Bosnia over two legs on November 14 and 18 with the winner qualifying for the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa. Ronaldo initially injured his right ankle in Real’s 3-0 Champions League victory over Marseille at the end of September and aggravated the problem while playing for Portugal on October 10. On Thursday Real announced he would be out for another two weeks, effectively ruling him out of the playoffs. Queiroz, however, believes Ronaldo should be made available, with reports claiming he will ask to have Ronaldo examined by a federation doctor to assess his fitness. When that news reached Madrid, Real’s sporting director Jorge Valdano said: ‘A combination of doctors’ orders and common sense mean that Cristiano won’t be travelling to Portugal. Real coach Manuel Pellegrini added: ‘It’s impossible for Ronaldo to play with Portugal. ‘I feel sorry for the Portugal squad and for the player, but he hasn’t trained for a long time now and he is still in pain.’ Queiroz is reported as saying he will wait until after the weekend’s league matches before unveiling his squad for Bosnia. ‘From now until Sunday a lot of things can transpire, with Ronaldo as with other players,’ Queiroz is reported as saying in Correio da Manha. Portugal play Bosnia in Lisbon before travelling to Zenica four days later.
   — AFP
   
   Kuszczak blasts van der Sar
   Tomasz Kuszczak has hit out at Manchester United team-mate Edwin van der Sar for refusing to pass down advice despite his requests for help and hinted at his frustration after failing to displace the veteran Dutchman. Van der Sar is the undisputed No 1 goalkeeper at United while Kuszczak and Ben Foster jostle for position as the heir to the 39-year-old’s throne. Kuszczak, 27, is in his fourth season at Old Trafford and still has ‘big’ ambitions in the game despite being unable to win a regular place in Sir Alex Ferguson’s team. Kuszczak has sought out van der Sar for guidance and believes the incumbent’s advice could help him improve his game. But Kuszczak says he has been offered few tips. Poland international Kuszczak told the club’s television channel MUTV, according to the Times: ‘To be honest, I must say this and Edwin doesn’t like this too much for sure, but he doesn’t help me too much. I have told him a few times already to give me some more advice because he’s got more experience and got many more games under his belt. I say, “You have to give me something more” because I like to know what I do wrong and like to watch other people. Doing that I can take some good from the advice I get. But I don’t know, maybe Edwin doesn’t like me. You’ll have to ask him.’ Addressing his status as one of two goalkeepers looking to challenge van der Sar for his place, former West Brom number one Kuszczak admitted he misses the exhilaration which comes with playing first-team football. He said: ‘I’ve already waited three and a half years. I will wait longer but my ambition is so big and I want to have a nice feeling after games, be tired and go home and think, “Oh, you did a good job”.’
   — Agencies

Ronaldinho out
to make history
Milan ace Ronaldinho is relishing his almost convincing renaissance under new boss Leonardo and admits he is happy to be part of a family. ‘I always feel the same, even though a lot of things have happened over the past three years,’ he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. ‘I have not changed. I just have more experience. The difference is that I am now playing and I am lucky enough to play for a winning team. ‘It was difficult to sit on the bench. I am only happy when I am able to do what I love the most and that is playing football. ‘I am enjoying myself. I like this Milan. We can play attacking football with this kind of players. And we are friends, on top of being team-mates. It’s a family and Milanello feels like home,’ added the Brazilian star. Milan seem revitalised after a poor start to the season and ‘Dinho’ is confident that the club’s future is rosy and he is determined to have a starring role in it. ‘I want to be like [Paolo] Maldini,’ he said. ‘I want to play until I am 40 and maybe more. With Milan? Why not? ‘We are doing well now and have regained our self-confidence. Can we challenge Inter for the title? It’s difficult, but anything can happen. And if we do well this season, this team can make Milan’s history books.’
   — Agencies