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A special committee of the Bangladesh Cricket Board in a meeting on Tuesday has relaxed the terms and conditions for the national selectors to facilitate them signing the new contract.
   The tenure of the Rafiqul Alam-led selection committee had expired in August and the BCB has offered them a contract extension upto June 2010. But the selectors have not signed the new contract yet saying that they have some disagreements over few terms and conditions.
   The selectors were also not happy about their remuneration and other facilities.
   The main objection was however the duration of the new contract and provision of mandatory daily attendance in office. The selectors also demanded a pay hike, festival allowances and insurance coverage.
   The special committee meeting, chaired by BCB director Enayet Hossain Siraj, relaxed the provision of day to day attendance in office and has instead said that the selectors should report regularly at their designated office.
   'The national selectors will report to their designated office at the BCB regularly and their area of work would be based on the domestic and international calendar. An exclusive office for the national selectors has been recommended,' said the BCB in a statement.
   The BCB also clarified its position about the duration of the contract and said they have been offered the contract upto June not with any intention to monitor their performance ahead of the World Cup 2011 but for some administrative benefits.
   'By June 2010 we will have a structure ready for all contractual appointment, so we are offering everyone an extension upto that period. It has no relation with the performance of the selectors,' BCB director Jalal Yunus, a member of the special committee, said.
   He said that the BCB agreed with their demand of salary hike and decided that there will be a 15 per cent increase from the existing salary and allowance package. The special committee also recommended medical insurance facility for the selectors.
   However, they will not get any festival allowances as demanded.
   The special committee also entrusted selector Naimur Rahman to monitor and overview the selection of Under-14 and Under-16 teams. Other selector Akram Khan was given the responsibility of Under-18 and Under-21 teams.
   Chief selector Rafiqul Alam refused to make any comment over the revised terms and conditions and said he will give his observation after a meeting with cricket operations committee chairman Siraj today.

Kalabagan KC notched up their sixth win in seven matches thrashing BKSP by massive 175 runs at the Fatullah stadium while at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Victoria SC beat Old DOHS by three wickets in the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League on Tuesday.
   The match between CCS and Khelaghar SKS scheduled to take place at the BKSP was abandoned due to rain and will now be held today at the SBNS.
   
   Kalabagan v BKSP
   Kalabagan batted first and scored 276-9 in stipulated 50 overs with opener Golam Mabud scoring highest 66 off 99 balls that included seven boundaries. Pakistani recruit Mohammad Zahid contributed 60 off 68 balls hammering seven fours and a six.
   Ariful Haque (49), Roqibul Hassan (34) and opener Nazmus Sadat (26) were the other notable scorers.
   For BKSP, Riaz Mahmud bagged three wickets for 50 runs while Mubarat Islam and Tanvir Haider took two wickets each.
   In reply, BKSP were bundled out for paltry 101 runs with 18.2 overs remaining.
   Atiqur Rahman scored highest 34 runs while Liton Kumar added 22 runs.
   Shahadat Hossain bagged three for 30 while Rockybul Hasan, Enamul Haque Jr and Nazmus Sadat chipped in with two wickets apiece giving away 10, 19 and one runs respectively.
   
   Victoria v Old DOHS
   In a curtailed 41-over match, Old DOHS batted first and were all out for 74 runs in 32.2 overs with Taibur Rahman and opener Fazle Rabbi scoring 24 and 20 runs respectively.
   Abul Bashar and Arslan Mir took three wickets each for 10 and 25 runs respectively.
   Despite a small target Victoria struggled in their reply and lost seven wickets before reaching 77 in 29.4 overs. Arslan Mir scored highest 21. Dollar Mahmud and Rubel Hossain claimed two wickets apiece giving away 15 and 26 runs respectively.

The Port-city Cricket League, scheduled to be held in Sharjah next year, has sold gate money rights to an expatriate businessman for a whopping price of Tk one core, officials said on Tuesday.
   AZM Nasir Uddin, the chairman of the PCL organising committee, handed over the rights to Johurul Islam, the owner of UAE-based business firm Sabuz Enterprise, after an agreement on Tuesday.
   PCL organising committee vice-chairman Ali Abbas said they will spend the money as rent for Sharjah stadium, which hosts the Twnety20 league, comprising of eight teams, in March-April.
   'We needed to the money immediately to pay the rent, which is roughly $120,000. Johurul, who hails from Chittagong, will pay the rent on behalf of us,' Abbas said.
   'In return he will take the gate money deducting 10 per cent tax. We hope this will be a profitable venture for him as there is a big Chittagonian community in UAE,' Abbas added.
   It is mentionable that the PCL authority has already signed a deal worth more than Tk one crore with private television channel ATN Bangla to broadcast the matches live from the UAE.
   The first edition of the competition held in Chittagong earlier this year was also a success.

Tillakaratne Dilshan smashed his fifth century of the year as Sri Lanka made a spirited reply in the first Test against India here on Tuesday.
   Dilshan hit 112, his 10th Test hundred, as Sri Lanka cruised to 275-3 by stumps on the second day in reply to India’s first innings total of 426.
   The right-hander put on 74 for the first wicket with Tharanga Paranavitana (35) and 115 for the second with skipper Kumar Sangakkara, who made 31.
   Former captain Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera built on the good start by adding 81 for the unbroken fourth wicket before stumps were drawn for the day.
   Jayawardene was unbeaten on 36 and Samaraweera was on 45 with Sri Lanka 151 runs behind India with seven wickets in hand.
   Dilshan, who passed a late fitness test on a sprained ankle to play the match, revelled in excellent batting conditions at the Motera stadium to hit 12 fluent boundaries.
   The 33-year-old opener has scored 961 runs in nine Tests this year at an average of 73.92. His 162 against Bangladesh in January was the best of his five centuries in 2009.
   Dilshan said Sri Lanka had put themselves in a good position to force a result over the last three days.
   ‘If we can build on what we have at present and take a lead of around 150, India will be under pressure to save the match because the wicket will start to take turn,’ he said.
   ‘I am happy to contribute every time I go in to bat. Opening the batting gives me time to build my innings, but I am not happy the way I got out today.’
   Sri Lanka, who were comfortably placed at 189-1 soon after tea, lost Dilshan and Sangakkara in successive overs from Indian pace spearhead Zaheer Khan, to slip to 194-3.
   The left-arm seamer had Dilshan top-edging an intended pull to Rahul Dravid at gully, before Sangakkara hooked Zaheer to fine-leg, where Sachin Tendulkar took a well-judged catch.
   India, who earlier resumed at Monday’s score of 385-6, lost their last four wickets for 41 runs and were all out soon after the first drinks break.
   Dravid, whose unbeaten 177 on the first day helped India recover from a disastrous 32-4, failed to add to his overnight score when he was bowled by Chanaka Welegedara in the morning’s third over.
   Zaheer brought up India’s 400 by slashing two consecutive deliveries from Dammika Prasad over the slips to the third man fence.
   Prasad responded with a full toss at Zaheer’s midriff that sent the batsman sprawling to the ground. The bowler immediately apologised to Zaheer, indicating the ball had slipped from his sweaty hand.
   Harbhajan Singh made 22 with the help of two boundaries when he was bowled while attempting a reverse sweep off the prolific Muttiah Muralitharan.
   Muralitharan, the world’s most successful Test bowler, had last man Ishant Sharma stumped four balls later to finish with three wickets in the innings and take his overall tally to 786.
   Welegedara, playing only his second Test, returned with the wickets of India’s first four batsmen—Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Tendulkar and Dravid—against his name.

Australian paceman Brett Lee said Tuesday he was keen to return to the Test team but was weighing his options after being sidelined for much of the summer by recurrent injuries.
   The latest injury, sustained Sunday during a one-day match in Sydney, forced the 33-year-old to withdraw from this week’s Sheffield Shield match between New South Wales and Tasmania and will keep him out of action for six weeks.
   ‘I need to get away from the game, get this (elbow) right and then I’ll make a call on my future,’ he told a press conference in Sydney.
   Sunday’s injury is a flare up of one sustained during a one day match against India in September, and follows repeated surgeries on his ankle, and elbow surgery in 2001.
   Lee said he had not considered retiring from the Test cricket.
   ‘At this point I’m comfortable with the fact that I’m not going to be playing Test cricket for a period of time, but on the positive side I want to get my elbow right.
   ‘I’m getting a second and third opinion over the next 24 to 48 hours to find out exactly what the problem is and then I’ll reassess after that.’
   Lee, who has not played a Test match since December 2008, said he still wanted to play the longer form of the game but admitted the sport was hard on his body.
   ‘I play very hard, I play very fair but when you try to bowl 155 (kilometres per hour) for over 16, 17 years there’s a lot of wear and tear on the body,’ he said.
   ‘I always give it my best, always give 100 per cent, always try my hardest and that’s the reason and the way I play my game.’
   Lee, who has played 76 Tests and claimed 310 wickets at 30.81, said if it happened that he did not play cricket again for Australia, he could ‘walk away knowing I’ve given it my best’.
   ‘I still want to play cricket for Australia, definitely,’ he said earlier Tuesday.
   ‘The love is definitely still there, I’ve still got that burning ambition and desire to keep actually doing things for Australia.’

Sir David Gerald Richards, the all-important chairman of the English Premier League, has agreed to visit Bangladesh in early next year, revealed the Bangladesh Football Federation president Kazi Salahuddin on Tuesday.
   The news came as a major boost for Bangladesh as Richards, a revered football personality in UK, has promised for an all out support for Bangladesh football and sustainable relationship between the BFF and EPL.
   Sir David Gerald Richards is the former chairman of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club and was knighted in June 2006 in recognition for his services to sports. Salahuddin described his meeting with Sir Richards as a great moment.
   ‘He [Sir Richards] has agreed to visit Dhaka when I met him at Doha during the England-Brazil match. He expressed his desire to create a relationship between the Premiership and the Bangladesh League,’ Salahuddin said.
   ‘He asked me to follow the structures of the Premiership when I sought his suggestions to improve the standard of Bangladesh League,’ Salahuddin said.
   ‘He was keen to visit Bangladesh in January, but at that time we may have to stop the league for SA Games. So, I requested him to visit in February or March,’ the BFF boss added.
   Salahuddin said that Sir Richards has agreed to help Bangladesh to get a well-reputed coach from England.
   ‘I said the person should be a mid level coach but qualified and popular in this part of the world. I know that it would be a huge task to pay the coach and his staffs which would not be less than $50,000 per month,’ he said.
   Salahuddin said he will visit England in January next to find out sponsors for the coach adding that he will also approach the local conglomerates for help.

Ace shooter Asif Hossain Khan was excluded from the 10-member Bangladesh contingent of the Asian Air Gun Championship scheduled to be held in Doha, the capital of Qatar from December 16.
   Asif scored 687.1 points in the recently concluded National Air Gun Championships and secured only third position. The shooting federation decided the shooters with less than 690 points will not be eligible for a call up and duly axed Asif, the Commonwealth Games Gold medallist.
   The ten-member team include Sadia Sultana, Tripti Dutta, Mahmudul Hasan, Abdulla-hel-Baki, Antora Islam, Synthia Naznin Tumpa, Armin Asha, Nadimul Islam, Sharmin Akhter Ratna and Sharmin Akhter.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has insisted he will leave Anfield if striker Fernando Torres is sold without his consent.
   The Merseysiders’ debts have led to speculation about what American co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett would do if a big-money offer came in for the Premier League club’s star forward.
   But Benitez told Tuesday’s edition of The Times that his fellow Spaniard wasn’t going anywhere.
   ‘I’m confident it will never happen,’ he said. ‘If it did, I’d resign.’
   Liverpool’s financial position means they cannot currently match the spending of fellow ‘Big Four’ sides such as Manchester United and Chelsea.
   ‘When we have spent big, normally it’s been very good business,’ Benitez said. ‘Torres, (Javier) Mascherano, (Pepe) Reina, (Xabi) Alonso.
   ‘(Robbie) Keane is a good player but we had to sell him because he was not playing at the level we knew he could play.
   ‘Ryan (Babel) was signed for the future and we are waiting for his improvement. He has to be more consistent.
   ‘With the fringe players, we needed to take a gamble on Bosmans and one, two million-pound players.
   ‘Some of these players have not been good enough for us.
   ‘It is a risk you have to accept when there is not too much money about.’
   Liverpool are currently seventh in the Premier League table, having lost five games already this season, leading many pundits to predict their challenge for a first English title since 1990 has already evaporated.
   And there are concerns the five-times European champions might struggle to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
   ‘People are worried,’ Benitez said. ‘But the team will improve.
   ‘When we have key players on the pitch we are as good as anyone. We have proved this in the past.’

FIFA on Tuesday gave Iraq a 72 hour ultimatum to reinstate its national football association or risk suspension from international football.
   World football’s governing body said in a statement that it had learnt that ‘the Iraqi Olympic Committee announced the dissolution of the governing board of the IFA (Iraqi Football Association).’
   ‘If the decision to dissolute IFA is not cancelled within 72 hours (starting 16 November), and if the IFA Headquarters are not returned to the IFA within the same deadline, FIFA will have no choice but to refer the issue to the FIFA Emergency Committee in order to decide on a possible IFA suspension,’ it added.
   FIFA’s threat, however, was met with disdain in Baghdad.
   ‘The Iraq Olympic Committee will not change its decision, regardless of the consequences,’ said Samir Mussawi, a member of the committee.
   Football is incredibly popular in Iraq and its importance was boosted by the national side’s victory in the 2007 Asian Nations Cup, a triumph that prompted wrangles and government involvement over who controlled the sport’s affairs.
   FIFA has expressed growing concern in recent weeks about possible political interference in the sport in Iraq.

Allan Donald, the former South African fast bowler, has expressed concern over South Africa’s ability to seriously trouble England’s batsmen.
   As the series shifts to a five-match one-day series ahead of the bigger picture, Donald has offered an insight into the home team’s mindset by saying that coach Mickey Arthur’s bullish words hide worries.
   After the second Twenty20 in Centurion, which South Africa won by 84 runs, Arthur termed England as ‘predictable’ and called ‘criminal’ the manner in which Adil Rashid was bowled for one solitary over that went for 25 runs.
   Donald’s comments, however, have indicated that the South African management was actually concerned about their bowlers.
   ‘The one massive thing for us - and this is a worry for Mickey Arthur - is the South Africa bowling attack.
   ‘Mickey is really concerned they won’t take 20 wickets,’ he said.
   ‘It is the back-up bowlers he is worried about, there is too much of the same [type of bowling] and that is a concern. ‘There are concerns in the South African team. You can see that [Graeme] Smith is worried and that Arthur is concerned about his bowling attack.
   ‘They are not where they should be confidence-wise and the vibes I’m picking up are that they are a concerned side.

Ukraine star Andrei Shevchenko has warned his teammates to be prepared for a tough battle against Greece in today’s World Cup play-off second leg in Donetsk.
   The two countries are all square after Saturday’s first leg in Athens ended goalless.
   ‘We and Greece have a 50-50 chance to reach next year’s finals,’ Shevchenko said.
   ‘In Athens we played very good in defence and, I believe, we could repeat such a performance in Donetsk.
   ‘At home Greece were playing in a physically powerful style...but it was a fair play style opposition without roughing.
   ‘We expect the Greeks will continue playing that style in Donetsk and are ready for it.’
   Ukraine’s press celebrated Monday the first leg draw, claiming it a successful start for the overall triumph.
   ‘In Athens we achieved a result that seriously raises our hopes for the final success,’ the Voice of Ukraine daily suggested.
   ‘We gained a draw in Athens. In Donetsk we need nothing less than a victory!’ voiced another paper, Segodnya.
   But coach Alexei Mikhailichenko played down expectations, saying that the battle was far from over.
   ‘It’s too early to celebrate. Nothing is decided yet,’ Mikhailichenko said.
   ‘Of course the home turf gives us some virtual advantage. But in modern football there’s no substantial difference between home and away grounds.
   ‘I think that the rivals still have equal chances for the final success. And the clash in Donetsk will be the real final, the deciding match.’
   In Wednesday’s match Ukraine should field a full-strength squad with one exception. Poltava defender Grigory Yarmash has caught a cold and returned to his club side with a fever.
   Dynamo Kiev midfielder Taras Mykhalik, who has injured his right knee and was substituted in the match at Athens, remains uncertain for the return showdown, Ukraine’s team doctor said.

Giovanni Trapattoni’s defiance that the Republic of Ireland can qualify for the 2010 World Cup is being matched by Raymond Domenech’s eagerness for his France side to go out and show their ‘superiority’ in today’s winner-takes-all playoff clash.
   The smile on France manager Domenech’s face after his side’s victory at Dublin’s Croke Park, where Nicolas Anelka’s deflected shot proved enough for a 1-0 win, was one of belief, as much as relief last Saturday.
   But while the statistics may be against the men from the Emerald Isle, Trapattoni believes his team can exploit French defensive ‘weaknesses’ and qualify for the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.
   Other, less tangible, factors should be considered ahead of the sides’ crunch encounter at the Stade de France on Wednesday.
   And whether the Irish legendary fighting spirit - in the wake of alleged derogatory comments by France midfielder Lassana Diarra that almost led to a post-match punch-up - is something they should count on remains to be seen.
   Trapattoni remains optimistic, and appears confident the Irish will be instilled with the confidence that they can overcome their first leg setback.
   ‘When the French team concede goals, it’s usually after dead ball situations,’ said the Italian.
   ‘It’s our biggest chance. We have to rely on our strong points and try to exploit France’s weak points.
   ‘We have to think about the positive situations and not the result because
   in the end, football can come down to a deflection, the crossbar, the referee - there are many situations which can change the result.’
   Trapattoni, who for many is known as the king of catenaccio - a highly defensive strategy often employed in the Italian game - might be among the first to admit that, in comparison, France are a class above his side, on paper at least.
   But it is in such situations Ireland, who arguably have nothing to lose but everything to win, could dig deeper against a side that has often been guilty of under-performing against ‘smaller’ teams.
   While Chelsea striker Anelka questioned how they would approach the match tactically, Domenech - set to stick with his cherished 4-3-2-1 formation - is unequivocal.
   ‘We have to go out there and play to win. For us
   the match is still 0-0,’ he said.
   ‘Our strong point is being able to score goals. We mustn’t get it into our heads that they (Ireland) are going to come here and cause us problems.
   ‘We have to wrap up this match. Playing to win is far better.’
   As Trapattoni prepares to count on a fully fit squad, Domenech has had to reshuffle following injuries to midfielder Jeremy Toulalan and central defender Eric Abidal.
   However it may not be the French team’s physical condition that lets them down.
   In the past ‘Les Bleus’ have often under-performed at the Stade de France.
   Domenech’s head could roll if Ireland cause an upset, and he has pleaded with both his team and the fans to perform on the night.
   ‘I hope the players are like me, impatient. Impatient to play this match, impatient to go out and show we’re a better team, and impatient to qualify,’ he said.
   ‘We want this match to come as quickly as possible,’ he added, calling on the fans to get behind France.
   ‘We need them from the first minute to the last. We’re not qualified yet, and we don’t know what’s going to happen.’
   Ireland’s poor away results in official competition, last winning against a team of the top rank - Turkey in the Euro ‘92 qualifiers, do not stand them in good stead.
   And Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given was not under-estimating the task that lies ahead when he said: ‘Qualifying for the World Cup in Paris would be the most historic achievement ever for Irish football.’
   But with a first appearance at the World Cup since they made it to the second round in South Korea and Japan in
   2002 at stake for Trap and his men, anything could happen.

Bosnia-Herce-govina coach Miroslav Blazevic pledged on Monday his team would attack Portugal like ‘hungry wolves’ in a bid to reach their first World Cup finals, after losing 0-1 in the play-off first leg.
   ‘In the next few days I will have to create such an atmosphere among the players so they attack the Portuguese like hungry wolves,’ Blazevic said in an interview with the Dnevni Avaz daily published on its Internet site.
   ‘In Zenica we will go for victory,’ Blazevic said ahead of the play-off second leg to be played in the central Bosnian town on Wednesday.
   ‘We will make such an atmosphere ... and I want that from the first minute we make pressure in which they will not be able to realize what is going on.’
   The 74-year-old, who led Croatia to third place in the 1998 finals, lamented over the defeat in Lisbon.
   ‘We were playing as equals with one of the best teams in the world and we regret this narrow defeat.’
   Saturday’s match could have been a black night for the star-studded Portuguese side who
   were saved by the woodwork on three occasions, including twice in the last minute.
   Portugal were missing Cristiano Ronaldo, who is recovering from an ankle injury.
   ‘After that match I am getting more and more convinced that we could qualify for the World Cup finals,’ Blazevic stressed.
   He said Portugal had a ‘few players of good quality, who individually can decide matches.’
   ‘They are rapid, strong and go forward without any excuses.
   ‘Defence is their weak point and we should try to use it in the return game,’ Blazevic concluded.
   As if to echo that Portuguese players insisted on Monday they would go all out to score which would all but ensure they progress to South Africa next year.
   ‘When it is necessary to defend, we have to it well, but we will attack when the possibility arises,’ said Chelsea’s veteran defender Ricardo Carvalho, who was a member of the side that reached the 2006 World Cup semi-finals.
   ‘We are not going to play defensively, because if we score, that will complicate things for them.’
   His defensive partner Pepe agreed with Carvalho.
   ‘We will have to really go for it to score a goal as early as possible,’ said the Brazilian-born Real Madrid defender.
   ‘If we score a goal, they will have to score three.’
   Carvalho, though, admitted that their policy of attack would be thrown out the window if they fail to score a goal entering the final stages.
   ‘Of course if we are at 0-0 in the 80th minute, we will know the priority will be to defend without conceding a goal.’

Coach Guus Hiddink is optimistic Russia will make it to the 2010 World Cup despite play-off rivals Slovenia grabbing an away goal in Saturday’s first leg in Moscow.
   Ahead of today’s second leg in Maribor Hiddink said there was no cause for panic.
   ‘Of course, I was disappointed with the result,’ the Dutchman said.
   ‘We were leading 2-0 and had plenty of chances to increase our advantage.
   ‘But I thing there’s no need to go from one extreme to another. We did not lose the first match we won it! And there’s no room for panic.
   ‘I know that a very tough battle is waiting for us in Slovenia but we gave another proof that we can upset any opposing team regardless of how many goals they allowed in their qualifying group or how dangerous in general they are.’
   Russia’s press praised the country’s national squad for their 2-1 first leg win but stressed that such a slim advantage ahead of the return leg match leaves open the fear of missing next year’s finals.
   ‘Diniyar, we need the third!’ claimed the front page of the country’s oldest sports daily, Soviet Sport, referring to Everton midfielder Diniyar Bilyaletdinov’s double on Saturday.
   ‘It was not enough!’ voiced the front page of a daily tabloid Tvoi Den.
   Russia goalkeeper Igor Akinfeyev said he was seriously upset with the outcome of the match in Moscow but nevertheless believed Russia could clinch a positive result in Slovenia.
   ‘It was a good match, which we were keeping under control almost up to the end,’ he said.
   ‘But in the last minutes we lost concentration allowing Slovenia to reduce the arrears. And we have nobody to blame for it except ourselves.
   ‘In the match at Maribor we will need to keep ourselves concentrated throughout the match. This will be the key to success.’
   In Wednesday’s match Russia should field a full-strength line-up with only minor possible changes.
   ‘I was not planning any serious changes as none of our players were injured on Saturday,’ Hiddink told the press. ‘We are going to Slovenia in a brave mood.’

Ronaldo resumes training
   Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo resumed training on Monday, several weeks after suffering an ankle injury, and may be fit to play against FC Zurich in the Champions League next week. The world’s most expensive player has said he hopes to play against Racing Santander in the league this weekend. But Real does not want to risk him so soon, and he is expected to take the field again on November 25 against Zurich, before playing in the ‘clasico’ match at Barcelona four days later, the club said. The Portuguese winger was among a dozen or so players training on Monday, the others being absent due to international commitments.
   — AFP
   
   Beckham left off MLS all-star team
   David Beckham may have led the Los Angeles Galaxy to the MLS championship game but he was left off the league’s all-star squad on Monday. While Galaxy midfielder Landon Donovan and Swedish star Freddie Ljunberg made the squad there was no room for Beckham. Beckham’s Galaxy will face Real Salt Lake in the 2009 MLS Cup game in Seattle on Sunday. Donovan and Ljunberg were two of the five midfielders on the 11-man all-star team which also comprised one goalkeeper, three defenders and two forwards. Chivas USA’s Zach Thornton was picked as a goalkeeper while the defence featured Columbus Crew centre back Chad Marshall, Houston Dynamo’s Geoff Cameron and the Chicago Fire’s Wilman Conde. The league’s top two goal-scorers from the regular season, FC Dallas striker Jeff Cunningham and Colorado Rapids forward Conor Casey earned the forward honours.
   — AFP
   
   Terry hopes for Jan signings
   Chelsea captain John Terry expects boss Carlo Ancelotti to make the most of the January transfer window and bring in some new faces to bolster the Blues’ squad and consolidate their title ambitions. Chelsea have had a transfer ban suspended pending appeal so will be free to bring players in when the window opens again. And with the prospect of Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou, Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel heading to Angola for the African Nations Cup in January, Terry expects Ancelotti and owner Roman Abramovich to discuss some possible signings. ‘It’s good news about the transfer ban being suspended but we lose four good players to the African Nations Cup in January anyway,’ he told the Sun. ‘I’m sure the club and the manager are looking into that and having good talks with Roman. I wouldn’t be surprised if we do go out and buy because we don’t know what’s going to happen in the summer - or the following summer.’
   — Agencies
   
   C’Ron isn’t Becks
   Cristiano Ronaldo has proved no match for David Beckham off the pitch at Real Madrid. The Portugal star hit nine goals in seven games before getting injured last month. But shirt sales are down as much as 75 per cent compared to the height of the original Galactico era, led by Becks in 2003. The Spanish giants splashed a world record £80m to snatch Ronaldo from Manchester United but he has failed to spark the same merchandising sales frenzy as Beckham. Vendors in Spain blame the recession, with unemployment hitting 20 per cent while shirts cost up to £80. Retailer Isabel Botia, who runs an outlet in Madrid, said: ‘The year that Beckham came was amazing. We were sold out of team jerseys. ‘Now we always have shirts in reserve.’
   — Agencies

Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard is on course for a return to action against Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday after recovering from a groin injury.
   The England midfielder used the international break last weekend to further rest the injury and he now believes that he has put it behind him.
   ‘I felt very tired after the (Birmingham) game as I wasn’t really ready to return. I’d done very
   little training in the three weeks beforehand,’ Gerrard said.
   ‘It took me two or three days to recover from that game but I have spent the past week doing strengthening work.
   ‘I’m feeling a lot better now. I’m looking forward to the weekend. There’s no mental hurdle to cross.
   ‘I’ve had a problem in my groin that has taken a while to get over, but I’m just relieved the second injection seems to have done the trick.
   ‘It’s a case of so far so good and the aim now is to make sure I get a good week’s training under my belt so I’m ready for the game with City.’
   Gerrard is anxious to help Liverpool reignite their campaign.
   ‘Some of the lowest points in my career have come about when I have had to miss big games for Liverpool and England through injury,’ he told the club website.
   ‘It’s never easy when you have to sit out
   games against Manchester United or trips away from home in the Champions League.
   ‘If the lads are winning games and doing well, it makes the pain a bit easier so obviously the last couple of weeks have been extra frustrating.
   ‘But I’m feeling good now, a lot stronger than before and it’s just a question of getting my match sharpness back now. That is the most important thing.’

Japan’s football chief has raised the decibel level against vuvuzelas—long plastic trumpets used by South African supporters—at next year’s World Cup.
   The Blue Samurai were exposed to the ubiquitous horns when they battled to a 0-0 friendly draw against next year’s World Cup hosts in their first senior-level encounter, in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.
   ‘I’ve asked the South African Football Association to ban the noise,’ Japan Football Association president Motoaki Inukai told Japanese media before leaving Johannesburg on Monday. ‘We can’t even hear sounds from five metres (16 feet) away.’
   Inukai also said he would raise the problem when the world’s football governing body FIFA convenes for the World Cup draw in Cape Town on December 4.
   He wants to see the trumpets banned at games not involving the hosts South Africa, Japanese media reported.
   ‘I will bring it up,’ he said, adding: ‘I know there is a difficult aspect to it because of differences in the culture of football as a source of entertainment.’
   Inukai said he was told by his South African counterpart Kirsten Nematandani that local supporters had been asked to be restrained in their use of vuvuzelas, but that ‘when someone blows it everybody starts to blow it.’
   The trumpets baffled some foreign teams and broadcasters in South Africa during the Confederations Cup there last June with several non-African players and coaches calling for a ban.
   FIFA president Sepp Blatter, however, has given the vuvuzela his blessing, telling detractors that dance and music is important in Africa and that moaning about the instrument bordered on discrimination.
   Japanese players had mixed views.
   ‘We couldn’t hear each other when we were two metres away,’ Japan and Urawa Reds centre back Marcus Tulio Tanaka complained after the match.
   But Espanyol midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura said: ‘It was good for us to feel the atmosphere as a whole.’

Arsenal striker Robin Van Persie is set to try an unorthodox method of treatment in a desperate bid to speed up his recovery from an ankle injury.
   The Dutchman will have placenta rubbed into the damaged area by a Serbian housewife who successfully healed a former Feyenoord team-mate Danzo Lazovic.
   Van Persie was expected to fly out to Belgrade on Tuesday, with the backing of manager Arsene Wenger, to seek the services of Mariana Kovacevic - who has a reputation for drastically speeding up the recovery times of those she treats.
   Lazovic, now of PSV, visited the housewife last month after suffering a hamstring injury that was expected to rule him out for five weeks. But after having the placenta fluid rubbed into the affected area, the Serbian striker returned to action after just one week out.
   ‘She is vague about her methods but I know that she first massages you for a long time with placenta fluid,’ Van Persie said. ‘I am going to give it a try.

AFC approves new turf for Kamalapur stadium
The Bangladesh Football Federation will seek permission from the National Sports Council to install an artificial turf at the Kamalapur stadium. The BFF president Kazi Salahuddin on Tuesday said that the AFC has sanctioned a turf for the stadium and it is now upto the NSC to decide. ‘Upon my request, the AFC president Mohammed bin Hammam readily approved a turf for the Kamalapur stadium and I hope it will arrive within the next three months. But I need the approval from the NSC before taking the issue forward,’ said Salahuddin. Salahuddin also hoped to reach an amicable solution regarding the artificial turf at the ‘Arambagh Balu Math’ the installation process of which has been stalled amid protest by the local people.
   — New Age

Real, Barcelona in race for Fabregas
Real Madrid and European champions Barcelona will battle to sign Arsenal’s Spanish captain Cesc Fabregas at the end of the season, sports daily AS reported Tuesday. ‘Cesc Fabregas has become one of the main targets of Madrid and Barcelona to reinforce their squads next season,’ it said. Real recently joined the list of clubs interested in signing the 22-year-old international midfielder, who rose through the ranks of Barcelona before leaving to join Arsenal in 2004, the newspaper said without naming its source.
   — AFP