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The 11th SA Games, the biggest sports carnival in South Asia, ended in a spectacular fashion with a grand closing ceremony at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Tuesday.
   General Abdul Mubeen, the Chief of Army Staff and president of the Bangladesh Olympic Association, formally declared the Games, participated by eight countries, closed after a brief speech.
   ‘We have congregated here to bid bye to the torch after 12 days of sports extravaganza. It was not only a mega sports event, but it turned out to be a big gathering of South Asian people,’ said Mubeen.
   Mubeen thanked all the participants, members of the Armed Forces, Ansar & VDP, media, sponsors and all other stakeholders who worked together to make this event a success.
   Suresh Kalmadi and Randhir Singh, respectively the president and the secretary general of the Indian Olympic Association, received the flag of the South Asian Olympic Council from Mubeen.
   The torch was extinguished and was also handed over to India, who will host the next event in 2012 with the host city and dates yet to be decided.
   The closing ceremony began with a march-past where Pakistan and Afghanistan had no
   representatives as they
   had left Dhaka earlier. Noted local singers Kanakchapa, SI Tutul and Rafiqul Alam sang the farewell song moving across the ground on a mobile caravan.
   The three hours and five minutes long closing ceremony highlighted the local culture and heritage with the participation of the members of Ansar and military band and hundreds of students and tribal people.
   Lakkhi Tera, a London-based Bangladeshi fusion band, performed their original track for about half-an-hour before the members of indigenous groups also sang songs and performed tribal dance.
   President of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh Zillur Rahman, the chief guest of the closing ceremony, joined on stage and delivered a goodwill message.
   The musical show Shashwata Bangladesh began with Nazrul song
   Azi Srishti Sukher
   Ullashe and Tegore’s Aamra Sobai Raja and Dijendarlal Roy’s Dhono Dhanne Pushpe Bhara. The students brilliantly performed the songs donning colorful attires.
   A pall of gloom descended on the BNS when the performers bade farewell to the Games’ mascot Kutumb (Magpie Robin) with a melancholy song. The closing ceremony concluded with the aquatic and laser show and fireworks which went on concurrently for about 40 minutes.
   The displays that were first seen in the opening ceremony had left the spectators spellbound. About 36 technicians from France, Belgium, Germany, Singapore and Malaysia were behind the spectacular shows which also portrayed the local heritage with the dance performance of Shiblee Mohammad and Shamim Ara Nipa.
   India finished the Games atop with 90 golds and Pakistan and Bangladesh were distant second and third with 19 and 18 gold medals respectively. Sri Lanka won 16 gold medals, followed by Nepal (eight) and Afghanistan (seven). Bhutan and Maldives failed to win any gold.

Bangla-desh’s female athletes may have been outperformed by their male team-mates in the end, but their success has contributed to a large extent to the hosts’ outstanding results in the just-concluded SA Games.
   Bangladesh claimed as many as 18 gold medals that took them to third place in the medals table, a position that they enjoyed only once in the past and that too 24 years ago. Bangladesh has doubled the tally from nine that they won in the first SA Games at home in 1985 Former athletes and officials said it would not have been possible if the girls did not rise to the occasion.
   In the past the Bangladeshi girls had never won a gold medal in the regional meet apart from shooting and it was reflected in the medals tally as the hosts had won a maximum of 11 golds previously.
   This time the expectation was also not very high from the female athletes. In the Bangladesh contingent, against 231 male athletes the number of female athletes was less than half –101.
   But proportionately the female athletes had the higher success rate. While Bangladesh’s males won 10 gold medals, the females have won eight gold medals. The picture could have gone to girls’ favour had the boys not won four gold medals on the penultimate day.
   The Bangladeshi girls, mostly from the low-income group of the society, flexed their muscles in the events where power is required to excel which prompted the officials to call the hosts’ success ‘womanpower’.
   Sharmin Akhter Ratna, Syeda Sadia Sultana and Tripti Datta carried on the tradition of female shooters winning both the individual and team gold medals in women’s 10-metre Air Rifle.
   Sharmin Farzana Rumi and Shammi Akhter opened a new horizon winning two gold medals in taekwondo while Eti Islam gave the Chinese martial art wushu a new identity in Bangladesh winning a gold.
   Karate is not an unknown sport in Bangladesh as many used to learn this Japanese martial art for self defence. But the game had no international credential in Bangladesh until the SA Games.
   Jaw-U-Prue Marma, Usain Marma, Munni Khanam and Marium Khatun took the game to a new height in Bangladeshi winning as many as three gold medals.
   Even in the events like athletics and swimming that produced no gold for Bangladesh, the girls have proved that they were the best bet for the hosts. Sumita Rani won two silvers from hurdle and relay race while Mahfuza Khatun won two silvers from the pool. Both Sumita and Mahfuza lamented with a little help from Lady Luck they also could have made their mark in the event.
   ‘It’s not an unexpected result at all. The social pattern has been changed over the past few decades and everyone is now equally caring their girls like the boys and it has just been reflected in the result sheets,’ said Rachida Afzalunnesa, a former national handball player and a Dhaka University blue.
   ‘Hardly there is any difference between a boy and a girl now in a family. Like boys, the girls also have the confidence to shine in any sector. This is one of the reasons that we are seeing now more girls are coming to sports,’ she added.
   Zobaira Rahman Linu, a former table tennis champion, said the girls have got success because they are sincere.
   ‘Girls are always sincere in their jobs. And also they tend to work hard. We have seen this in the past few months in different training camps. Our girls knew what they need to do and they did that with utmost sincerity,’ said Linu.
   Qamrunnahar Dana, a former general secretary of the Bangladesh Women’s Sports Federation and a former national badminton champion, also sees a hard work behind the success of the Bangladeshi girls.
   ‘We were always hopeful about them. They worked hard in training and have dedicated themselves to sports. They also received support from their families which was crucial,’ she said.

The last day of the 11th edition of the SA Games was marred by controversy over the shorter distance of the marathon race on Tuesday. Nepal’s Rajendra Parsad Bhandari completed the race in 1 hour 59 minutes, seven minutes less than the existing world record.
   Sri Lankan Ajith Bandara Adhikari won the silver medal while India’s Ram Singh grabbed the bronze.
   The world record of marathon is 2 hours 6 minutes while the Asian record stands at 2 hours 16 minutes. The stunning timing stirred the games arena with Sri Lanka lodging a protest with a fee of $100. After a re-measurement it was found that the total distance was around 35 kilometres, seven kilometre less than the genuine length of 42km and 195m.
   The technical committee sat to review the situation but did not disclose the decision regarding the protest.
   Rajendra, the 25-year-old soldier of the Nepalese army, finished first in the race which started
   from Bangbandhu Stadium and terminated at the Sena Kunja, Dhaka Cantonment.
   Rajendra, who won two gold medals in 5000km and 3000km races in the
   2006 SA Games in Colombo but was banned for two years following a positive dope test, was making a comeback in the international arena after three years.

Bangla-desh sports arena celebrated the success story of the 11th SA Games with the officials and the organizers vowing to continue the success. Bangladesh grabbed 18 gold medals, the highest haul in the 26-year history of the Games, to finish third in the regional meet. Back in 1985 Bangladesh had won nine golds in Dhaka to finish third.
   However amid the carnivals, the failures of Mizanur Rahman and Rasiul Karim, the two ace taekwondo players, and archers Milon and Sajjad were also the main talking points. Swimming and athletics failed to provide any gold medals signalling the demise of swimmers Rubel Rana, Jewel Ahmed, Dolly Akhter and Sobura Khatun. Thanks to Shahjahan Ali Rony, who came out from the hospital bed to win the silver of the 50m freestyle. He was suffering from jaundice. Mahfuza Khatun grabbed two silvers in the 50 and 100m breaststroke to show her potential. Though the federation officials said the swimmers have improved their timing but it fell short against the improvement of their other competitors.
   The demand for new faces in athletics was also raised as the old ones – Nazmunnahar Beauty, Shamsunnahar Chumki and Masudul Karim – after their year-long preparations did not live up to the expectation. Only Sumita Rani, who missed the gold in the 100m hurdles in a photo-finish, came close to the expectation.
   Hamidul Islam provided the country the first taste of gold winning the 77kg event of weightlifting, initiating the gold hunt
   Bangladesh football team grabbed the gold with a 4-0 thrashing of Afghanistan to provide the much-needed success in football. Cricket, included for the first time in the Games, also gave Bangladesh a gold. The format was T20 and Bangladesh won the final by six runs against Sri Lanka.
   Golf proved to be a gold winning discipline for the hosts as Bangladesh’s Dulal Hossain won the individual gold and the team gold was also grabbed by Jamal Hossain Mollah, Md Dulal Hossain, Md Shakhawat Hossain Sohel, Md Zakiruzzaman, who formed host team.
   Jewel Ahmed Jony and Abdur Rahim won their bouts in lightweight and light welterweight to present the hosts with two gold medals from boxing in less than half-an-hour on the penultimate day of the meet.
   Karate, a relatively unpopular game in the country, stunned the SA Games arena winning four gold medals for the hosts. The men’s team comprising Hasan Khan Sun, Hossain Khan Moon and Syed Nuruzzaman won the team kata gold while under-45kg kumite gold was won by Marium Khatun Bipasha. Women’s kata (individual) gold was picked up by Jaw-U-Prue Marma. Later U-Prue Marma teamed with Munni Khanam and U-Sainu Marma to win the team kata gold.
   Shooting, the traditional gold providing discipline of Bangladesh, fetched three gold medals this time. Sharmin Akhter Ratna won the women’s 10m Air Rifle individual event and later teamed with Syeda Sadia Sultana and Tripti Dutta to bag the team gold. Asif Hossain Khan, Abdulla-hel-Baki and Shovon Chowdhury won the gold in team event of men’s 10m Air Rifle.
   Taekwondo also made the country proud with the gold of -46kg women’s event with Sharmin Farzana Rumi arriving as the winner while Shammi Akhter won the title of the U-49kg women’s event.
   Wushu, the Chinese martial art, arrived as another success story as nanquan (all round event) was won by Misbah Uddin while the –52 kg category gold was picked up by Eti Islam.

South Africa thumped India by an innings and six runs despite a fighting century by Sachin Tendulkar on the fourth day of the first Test on Tuesday to go 1-0 up in the two-match series.
   Fast bowler Dale Steyn (3-57) and left-arm spinner Paul Harris (3-76) shared six wickets to bowl out India for 319 in their follow-on at the Vidarbha Cricket Association stadium in Nagpur.
   Harris picked the key wickets of Tendulkar (100) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who suffered his first Test defeat as captain since taking charge in 2008.
   It was India’s third defeat by an innings margin at home since 2000, all of those coming against South Africa.
   The South Africans now need to just draw the second and final Test beginning in Kolkata on February 14 to reclaim their top ranking from India.
   The emphatic win was set up by Hashim Amla (253) and Jacques Kallis (173) who helped South Africa post an imposing 558-6 declared before Steyn picked a career-best 7-51 to bowl out India for 233 in their first knock.
   Steyn finished with a haul of 10 wickets for 108 runs while Amla was named man of the match.
   ‘It has been an outstanding performance from the guys,’ said South African skipper Graeme Smith. ‘To win in India, you need lots of discipline and the guys have showed it.
   ‘There were a few special individual performances but overall it was a good team-effort. It is nice to have someone like Steyn. To run in like that and bowl as he did was amazing.
   ‘Harris also bowled well, he is not a fancied cricketer but he knows his role and has come back well.’
   India’s lone resistance in the second innings came from Tendulkar, who smashed 13 fours in his 179-ball knock on the way to his 46th Test century.
   Tendulkar, who hit two successive centuries during India’s 2-0 away Test win against Bangladesh, defied the South African attack for close to four and a half hours before being dismissed in a bizarre fashion.
   Tendulkar tried to sweep Harris but the ball bounced off his body, hit the elbow and fell on to the stumps. He watched the ball in disbelief before trudging back to the pavilion.
   The batting ace shared 72 runs for the third wicket with Murali Vijay (32) and another 70 runs with Dhoni, who was caught at silly point after staying for 144 minutes at the wicket.
   ‘We were completely outplayed,’ said Dhoni. ‘Kallis and Amla batted brilliantly. Steyn, the way he bowled, he was the best I have seen of him in the last two years.
   ‘In India on a track like this, you hardly see such good conventional swing bowling. We are on the backfoot now as they cannot lose the series from here. But we will try to fight back in Kolkata.’
   Resuming at 66-2 after being made to follow on, the hosts lost overnight batsman Vijay inside the first hour of play.
   Debutant Subramaniam Badrinath (six) edged Parnell to Mark Boucher, who returned to keep wickets after missing the final session on Monday with a back strain.
   After the dismissal of Dhoni for 25 in the post-lunch session, Harbhajan Singh hit a run-a-ball 39 with six fours and a six to provide some cheer to Indian fans before curtains were drawn on the innings.

Australia cruised to another comfortable one-day international win over a West Indies side looking increasingly out of their depth.
   The hosts now lead 2-0 following an eight-wicket win in Adelaide with three matches remaining.
   Set a paltry 171 for victory, Australia cantered to victory in the 27th over with captain Ricky Ponting (57 not out off 55 balls) and his deputy Michael Clarke (27 not out off 28) leading the side home.
   A belligerent 53 off 50 balls from opener Shane Watson ensured the run chase was going to be staged in cruise control while Shaun Marsh was the other early contributor with 27, while Doug Bollinger was named man of the match for his four wickets earlier in the day.
   Australia got off to a bright opening. Marsh pulled a Kemar Roach delivery for six in the third over. The home side raced to 50 before Marsh chopped a Dwayne Smith ball on to his off stump.
   The dismissal should have lifted Windies spirits but a tactical blunder by Chris Gayle saw the Australians continue their dominance. Gayle called for the bowling powerplay and watched on as Australia smashed 42 runs off overs 11-15 - Watson’s second six through the on-side the best of several highlights in this purple patch.
   The end of the powerplay then signalled the demise of Watson who was caught behind pushing forward to a Roach delivery.
   Ponting was joined by Clarke and the experienced duo took their time against Nikita Miller and Roach, but they then went for the killer blow by calling for the batting powerplay in the 20th over - Ponting smashing some lusty hits off both pace and spin.
   Earlier the tourists won the toss, elected to bat and slumped to 77 for six before some lower-order resistance helped them reach their modest tally.
   Smith top scored with 43 off 63 balls and was the last man out - brilliantly caught by Mike Hussey in the outfield off Clint McKay - while Kieron Pollard (32 off 39) and Denesh Ramdin (30 off 42) got starts but could not hang around long enough.

Foot-ball greats Pele and Franz Becken-bauer have both backed African sides to prosper at this summer’s World Cup in South Africa, when the tournament visits the continent for the very first time.
   Pele, a World Cup winner with Brazil in 1958, 1962 and 1970, famously predicted that an African team would win the tournament before the year 2000.
   His prediction proved wide of the mark but he expects the continent’s leading lights to fare well on home soil.
   ‘It’s difficult to say what will happen this year, but maybe we will see a surprise,’ he told the FIFA website.
   ‘The African teams have tough groups but if they qualify for the knockout stage, there’ll certainly be a surprise.’
   Beckenbauer captained hosts West Germany to the trophy in 1974 and he echoed Pele’s optimistic assessment of the African sides’ chances.
   ‘I’m confident that an African team can reach the semi-finals,’ Beckenbauer said. ‘Ghana are strong, Ivory Coast are strong and the South Africans have home advantage.’
   Ivory Coast landed themselves in arguably the toughest group of all the African teams and must compete with pre-tournament favourites Brazil, Portugal and North Korea for a place in the knockout phase.
   Ghana were drawn alongside Germany, Serbia and Australia in a tight Group D, while Cameroon will face the Netherlands, Denmark and Japan in Group E.
   Roger Milla captured the hearts of football fans worldwide with his exploits for Cameroon at the 1990 World Cup in Italy and he views the decision to award this summer’s tournament to South Africa as a victory in itself.
   ‘In Africa, we are so happy to have received this World Cup—we could not believe we would get it,’ he said.
   ‘Every time I come to Zurich, I thank (FIFA) president (Sepp) Blatter for that.’
   Hosts South Africa meet Mexico in the tournament’s opening game in Johannesburg on June 11 and Mexican great Hugo Sanchez anticipates a memorable occasion.
   ‘I’m very happy for Africa,’ said the former Real Madrid star.
   ‘To have South Africa hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup is not only very good for football, but also for the whole African continent.’
   Nigeria and Algeria are the other African sides to have qualified for the quadrennial showpiece.
   Algeria face England, USA and Slovenia in Group C, while Nigeria will meet Greece, South Korea and Diego Maradona’s Argentina in Group B.

With the one-dayers against Bangladesh in the bag, New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori has set his sights on the tougher assignment of hosting Australia for a full series staring February 26. Australia are due to arrive in New Zealand in a fortnight to compete for two Tests, five ODIs and a couple Twenty20s and Vettori wished his players would take the momentum of a series win and raise it for their trans-Tasman rivals.
   ‘There’s a series win and we need to finish that off,’ he said ahead of the final match against Bangladesh. ‘There are high expectations from ourselves, as well as everyone else around, to make sure our performances are of a particular standard. So far we’ve been able to meet those.
   ‘If we want to compete against Australia it is an area of our game we have to make sure is almost perfect otherwise it is very difficult to stop very good teams. We are bowling well with the new ball but we need a lot of improvement in our batting, and our fielding.’
   New Zealand blooded two debutants against Bangladesh, the Wellington fast bowler Andy McKay and the Central Districts opening batsman Peter Ingram, and both have done well so far. Having already praised McKay for his speed and accuracy in the second ODI in Napier, Vettori said getting more out of the pair - aged 31 and 29 respectively - in the years ahead.
   ‘Hopefully we can see another four or five years of them. They’ve got potential to have pretty sound international careers with a bit of longevity. Once you get to that age where you really understand your game it makes it easier taking the step up.’
   Along with fellow selectors Mark Greatbatch - also the team’s coach - and Glenn Turner, Vettori also said he had a fair idea of what New Zealand wish to achieve during the ICC World Twenty20 in the Caribbean next month. ‘We’ve got a squad of 20 in our heads and it’s tough to whittle that down to 15, particularly when guys come off injuries. But the more players can put their hand up and question us that has to be good.’

National coach Joachim Low ended his stand-off with the German Football Federation on Tuesday as both parties agreed to plough all their efforts into Germany’s 2010 World Cup campaign.
   ‘We have agreed upon a clear strategy right up to the World Cup,’ Low said during a televised press conference from the DFB’s base in Frankfurt.
   ‘We agree that our mutual interest is tied to the build-up to the World Cup over the coming weeks and months and we will prepare the team so that it can enjoy a good tournament.’
   Low confirmed, however, that an extension to his contract, which expires in July this year, will not be discussed until after the World Cup (June 11-July 11).
   He added: ‘We have a very high responsibility, and not just vis-a-vis the DFB for this World Cup, but because we are representing Germany in a competition overseas and behind us there are millions of supporters who want and who of course expect the team to play a good tournament.’
   DFB president Theo Zwanziger also confirmed that no contract negotiations would take place before the World Cup, but reiterated his faith in Low.
   ‘The team needs this coach,’ Zwanziger said. ‘We want success and I say it here and now, such success at the World Cup is only possible with this coach.’
   The DFB suspended negotiations over a two-year extension to Low’s contract, citing wage demands made by Low and the team’s general manager, Oliver Bierhoff.
   Low had been expected to agree to stay on until the 2012 European Championship and on Sunday he declared himself ‘very angry’ with the DFB’s decision to publicise details of their negotiations.
   Bayern Munich president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge had earlier urged the DFB to find a solution with Low.
   The Bayern chief also criticised Bierhoff for having reportedly demanded the right to veto the appointment of Low’s successor.
   ‘That was not acceptable (but) I think he’s prepared to take a step back,’ said Rummenigge, who added that the DFB had made a ‘serious mistake—the biggest mistake possible—by publicising the contents of the contract’.
   Low took over as Germany’s national coach in 2006 after two years as an assistant to Jurgen Klinsmann.
   Under Low’s guidance, in 45 games Germany have recorded 31 victories, eight draws and six defeats.
   At this summer’s World Cup, Germany have been drawn in Group D with Australia, Ghana and Serbia.
   They will enter the competition as one of the favourites, but Low must resolve problems that include the lack of an obvious first-choice goalkeeper and the poor form of strikers Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski.

Didier Drogba sent Chelsea back to the top of the Premier League by shooting down Arsenal and the Ivory Coast hitman is determined they will still be there after today’s trip to Everton.
   Drogba scored both his side’s goals in Sunday’s 2-0 win over Arsenal at Stamford Bridge.
   That gave Carlo Ancelotti’s side a two-point advantage over Manchester United, who travel to Aston Villa on the same night.
   A point at Goodison Park is no disgrace for any side but Drogba knows it will not be good enough to remain at the summit if United win at Villa Park.
   He said: ‘There is always pressure, that’s part of the game, and that’s why we get excited about big matches like this.
   ‘We are top of the league again and Manchester United are going to have to fight all the way to the title.
   ‘Now we have to go to Everton and win there if we want to stay top of the League and win this race against Manchester United.’
   The Everton supporters are likely to barrack Chelsea captain John Terry in the wake of the allegations about his private life that saw him stripped of the England captain’s armband last week.
   Terry was given a hero’s reception by the Chelsea fans during the win over Arsenal but, provided he recovers from a dead leg in time, he will be stepping into a much more hostile environment on Wednesday evening.
   Drogba, though, has no doubts about his team-mate’s ability to cope.
   ‘No matter what’s happening outside of football, on the pitch he is a great player and he is doing everything he can,’ Drogba said. ‘He is our captain, a great captain, and we owe him.’
   Michael Ballack, meanwhile, has underlined the extent to which Drogba’s return from the African Nations Cup has boosted confidence in the Chelsea camp.
   ‘In big games like the one against Arsenal, he is there and that is why he is a big player,’ the Germany captain said.
   ‘Didier has unbelievable physical strength, but he has great technique, is a great free-kick taker and has the nose of a striker. He has a lot of qualities and not a lot of players are like this.
   ‘But we have a lot of big characters and this is why we have a good team.
   ‘It is really great to play in a team like this. Everybody fights for everybody - there is a good spirit and experience in the team.
   ‘We have played for a few years together and have a lot of personal qualities in the players.
   ‘Even if you don’t play a fantastic game yourself, we have players who can decide games by one action.’
   Leighton Baines believes Everton can use the disappointment of a weekend derby loss to Liverpool to get a result against the league leaders.
   The left-back is confident this can be achieved even without influential duo Marouane Fellaini and Steven Pienaar, who are injured and suspended respectively, especially as playmaker Mikel Arteta is available again.
   He said: ‘We are very strong at home and feel confident we can beat anyone at Goodison. There have been a few games against Chelsea when we’ve played well and should have beaten them.

Shane Warne said he wished he was ‘20 years younger’ as he helped unveil plans for a new global Twenty20 alliance.
   India’s Rajasthan Royals, where Warne is both captain and coach, are the driving forced behind a scheme to create a worldwide Twenty20 brand.
   The other teams involved include English county Hampshire, a team Warne once captained, South Africa’s Cape Cobras and West Indies’ Trinidad and Tobago.
   Talks are also in progress to bring on board Victoria, Australia’s domestic Twenty20 champions and the side where leg-spin great Warne initially made his name as a professional cricketer.
   All of the teams taking part will now carry the ‘Royals’ suffix in their domestic Twenty20 competitions and play each other in a series of matches, with the first edition planned for England in July.
   Organisers hope to stage a second ‘Royals Twenty20’ in either Australia or South Africa in December, with a third edition pencilled in for either Jaipur or the Middle East in early 2011.
   It is envisaged players from each member of the ‘Royals family’ could be shared between the teams in an exchange system.
   That could offer the chance of year-round cricket for those yet to reach full international standard and allow talented youngsters to gain experience of different conditions.
   There are also proposals for teams from New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to join the Royals 2020 once the event was established.
   ‘I’m so excited by this,’ said Warne.

Ronaldinho’s hopes of a Brazil recall received a sizeable blow on Tuesday when he was left out of Dunga’s squad for the team’s final friendly prior to the World Cup against Ireland on March 2.
   The friendly match in London is the squad’s last outing before they travel to South Africa for the tournament and Ronaldinho’s omission suggests Dunga has been unmoved by the winger’s recent return to form with AC Milan.
   Robinho, who joined former club Santos on a six-month loan deal from Manchester City last month, has been included in the squad. Five-time champions Brazil were drawn alongside Portugal, Ivory Coast and North Korea in World Cup Group G.
   They begin their campaign against North Korea in Johannesburg on June 15.
   Squad
   Goalkeepers: Julio Cesar (Inter Milan, ITA), Doni (Roma, ITA); Defenders: Maicon (Inter Milan), Daniel Alves (Barcelona, ESP), Juan (Roma), Lucio (Inter Milan), Luisao (Benfica, POR), Thiago Silva (AC Milan, ITA), Gilberto (Cruzeiro), Michel Bastos (Lyon, FRA); Midfielders: Gilberto Silva (Panathinaikos, GRE), Josue (Wolfsburg, GER), Felipe Melo (Juventus, ITA), Lucas (Liverpool, ENG), Kaka (Real Madrid, ESP), Ramires (Benfica), Elano (Galatasaray, TUR), Julio Baptista (Roma), Kleberson (Flamengo); Forwards: Robinho (Santos), Adriano (Flamengo), Nilmar (Villarreal, ESP), Luis Fabiano (Sevilla, ESP).

Arsene Wenger has brushed aside a broadside from Michael Ballack over his grudging praise for Chelsea in the wake of their win over Arsenal at the weekend.
   Chelsea midfielder Ballack has accused the Arsenal boss of making excuses for his side being outplayed when he reacted to the 2-0 defeat by caustically observing: 'We didn't get a demonstration of football but they were highly efficient.'
   Wenger claimed Tuesday that comment had been taken out of context but refused to back away from his suggestion that Arsenal had been the better side at Stamford Bridge.
   'I would just like to say that I was full of compliments and praise for Chelsea after the game and I find it completely unfair from the press that you take one word of my press conference to turn it in a kind of probe every time,' the Frenchman said.
   Wenger argued that similar misrepresentation had resulted in his recent spat with Villa manager Martin O'Neill, who was infuriated by the Arsenal manager's characterisation of his side's style as 'long ball' following last month's goalless draw between the two clubs.
   Addressing Ballack's argument that Arsenal had lost the tactical battle at Stamford Bridge, Wenger commented: 'I am long enough in England to know that the team who wins can say what they want. They are right.
   'It is my job to take a distance from that and analyse the game in a calm way with a cool head and to analyse what is right.
   'I have to live with all the conclusions that Chelsea are a much better side, but I believe what I believe.'
   Despite Wenger's defiance, Ballack's comments will undoubtedly have touched a raw nerve with many Gunners supporters, who are growing increasingly frustrated that the wonderful football on offer at the Emirates has not yielded a trophy since the 2005 FA Cup.
   'We knew the way Arsenal play,' Germany's captain said. 'It is always the same style. If you play tactics like we did, you can beat them.
   'This season and the season before they showed they weren't able to win the league.
   'He (Wenger) always says things like this when he loses to find an excuse-but football is not possession of the ball and playing a nice pass, football is about winning games and that is what Manchester United showed when they played them and what we did.
   'Football is a mixture of winning games and good football physically, but also technically. We have a good mix in the team as we have shown this season and you can't do more. We are in first position and that counts.'
   Back-to-back defeats by Manchester United and Chelsea have left Arsenal nine points off the pace in the title race ahead of Wednesday's meeting with Liverpool, who are unbeaten in their last seven league matches, at the Emirates.
   The recent setbacks have focused attention on Arsenal's lack of physical presence throughout the side, particularly in attack, where the absence of the injured Robin van Persie has been felt acutely at times.
   Wenger's critics believe he could have addressed that problem in the transfer market but the Frenchman continues to believe he can deliver success his way.
   'There is only one way to play football - that is to win games and be efficient,' he said. 'The best way to win the games is the way which is most adapted to the qualities of your players and the philosophy of your club. That is what we try to be faithful to.
   'You have to accept that when you lose games, the way you play is always questioned - what becomes a fantastic quality when you win, becomes a fantastic mistake when you lose. It is like that.
   'We still have to believe in the way we do things, in the way we play and to show that strength.'
   Fit-again Denmark forward Nicklas Bendtner is in line to start against Liverpool after coming off the bench against Chelsea.

Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher is confident his side's rediscovered meanness can help them close the gap on faltering Arsenal.
   Tonight's fixture at the Emirates Stadium sees the team in third place in the Premier League table host the team in fourth.
   Arsenal had been top just a few weeks ago but back-to-back defeats by Manchester United and then Chelsea have seen them fall behind the top two and most pundits have now written off their title chances.
   Liverpool are coming up strongly behind them and a season that was being labelled 'in crisis' a few weeks ago is now looking much healthier for Rafa Benitez and co.
   The clean sheet in the 1-0 Merseyside derby victory Everton at the weekend was their fourth straight shut-out and Benitez's men have now taken 17 points from a possible 21 in their last seven league outings.
   Carragher said: 'Over the last four or five years defensively we've been as good as probably any team in the world.
   'You have to look at the overall record and defensively we've had a fantastic record under Rafa Benitez and we're showing that again now.
   'At the start of the season we had a lot of people in and out and maybe we were playing a little bit different with two offensive full-backs.
   'We're just getting back to our normal selves and hopefully we can keep that going. If you keep clean sheets you're going to win games because you only need to score one goal.'
   Liverpool had been out of the top four since October and now they were back striker Dirk Kuyt is keen to stay there.
   The Dutchman, who scored the winner against Everton, said: 'Out of the last seven matches we have taken 17 points and have kept six clean sheets, so you can see from those results that we are playing better and our confidence is up.
   'Now we have to keep going and make sure we are ready for the next game at Arsenal. We have to show that we really are back to our best form.'
   Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard said the weekend derby win would ensure his squad travel south in confident mood.
   'Everybody is still on a high and now we have got to take that high into the Arsenal game,' the England midfielder said. 'It's a tough one, Arsenal away always is, but we have used beating Everton as a platform in the past and we've got to do it again.
   'We want to extend our run and go on to better things as we can't afford any slip-ups. We showed fantastic togetherness against Everton, we fought for each other and it's performances like this that will get you there.'
   The Arsenal players can probably understand how their Liverpool counterparts were feeling earlier in the season when rivals were prospering as they stumbled both at home and abroad.
   The Gunners know they will remain in third place whatever the result however and defender Gael Clichy insists they have not given up hope of overhauling United and Chelsea before the end of the season.
   Chelsea had also beaten Arsenal comfortably in November to establish an 11-point advantage but though only Wenger appeared to think that gap could be closed, the Gunners went on to do exactly that.
   Clichy said: 'We don't have to look for a long run - we have to think game after game and it starts with Liverpool. We have to think one game at a time but the less we lose, the better it will be.
   'It is not going to be easy but it is not finished. We were 11 points behind and came back so we have to hope they drop points and make sure we don't drop any. Let's work on it, next we play against a good side in Liverpool. It is going to be difficult but we have to do it because if we want to be the best we have to compete.'
   Liverpool will be without Greece defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos, who starts a three-match ban for his sending-off against Everton.

India’s wealthiest man Mukesh Ambani denied Tuesday a British newspaper report that he was in a race to take over Liverpool football club.
   But another Indian businessman reportedly in the running for the Merseyside club appeared more circumspect.
   The Times of London reported that Ambani, the world’s seventh-richest man, was one of two tycoons from the subcontinent competing to purchase a stake in Liverpool.
   The paper said Ambani’s Reliance Industries and Sahara Group chairman Subrata Roy had each tendered similar bids to pay off Liverpool’s 237 million pound (370 million dollar) debts in return for a 51 per cent stake in the club.
   ‘There is no truth to the report. We deny it completely,’ Reliance spokeswoman Sudeep Purkayastha told AFP.
   Ambani is worth 19.5 billion dollars from his investment in Reliance Industries, a petrochemicals giant, according to Forbes business magazine.
   In 2008, Ambani created the Mumbai Indians, one of the eight teams in cricket’s Indian Premier League.
   The newspaper said Roy’s interest in Liverpool appeared ‘more serious’. His Sahara conglomerate said it could neither confirm nor deny that a bid was in the offing.
   ‘We are presently not in a position to comment,’ Sahara spokesman Abhijit Sarkar told AFP.
   Sahara has been linked with ownership of one of the next IPL franchises, possibly to be based in the northern Indian city of Lucknow, where the group is headquartered.
   Sahara was linked with shirt sponsorship of Manchester United last February, but the deal fell through.
   The Times said Liverpool chief executive Christian Purslow had denied knowledge of either bid, but reported that approaches began as early as November and that some preliminary talks had taken place.
   Pressure has been mounting on Liverpool’s feuding owners, US businessmen Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr, to cut a deal to sell the Anfield club.
   The Times quoted an unnamed source as saying that Liverpool’s banker, the state-backed Royal Bank of Scotland, is stipulating that the pair must pay off 100 million pounds of debt and inject tens of millions of pounds into the club.
   The paper identified a number of other potential bidders, including a Saudi Arabian consortium and a US-based buyer, who is prepared to pay the 100 million pounds in exchange for 40 per cent of the club.
   But it quoted a source close to Hicks and Gillett as saying the duo would reject any bid that left them with less than 50 per cent of the club’s shares, unless it involved either of them selling out entirely.

AC Milan midfielder David Beckham has promised he will not celebrate if he scores against former club Manchester United in next week's Champions League last-16 clash.
   United face Milan in the Champions League at the San Siro next Tuesday, with the return leg on March 10 at Old Trafford. And after 394 appearances for Sir Alex Ferguson's side, the England midfielder believes it would be inappropriate behaviour should he find the net for the Rossoneri.
   It is the first time Beckham has faced his former club and he remains grateful to the fans who backed him after he was sent off against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup.
   'Sometimes emotion can get the better of you when you score but I do not think I would celebrate,' Beckham told Inside United magazine. 'I respect the supporters and the club. The relationship I have with the fans is still important to me.
   'I went through some difficult times but they never stopped supporting me. I would not have got through everything without them. To me they are the best fans in the world and the support they gave me week in, week out was incredible. Nothing will ever better that.'
   Beckham started his career at United after moving up from London to sign schoolboy forms with the club and made his league debut in 1995, going on to play for eight more years at Old Trafford before moving to Real Madrid.
   A high-profile transfer to LA Galaxy followed and the former England captain is currently on loan at Milan in a bid to retain his form and fitness and earn a place in Fabio Capello's World Cup squad. But Beckham admitted that after playing for three of the world's biggest teams, it is his first club who remain his first love.
   'I always wish I was part of Manchester United, it is just in me. Even though I am not there any more, I am still a huge fan. Coming to terms with not being a United player was certainly the toughest thing I've ever had to deal with. When you are a Manchester United player and a Manchester United fan you never want to play for any other club.
   'I always want them to do well and be successful because the club still means so much to me. I've still got season tickets and I will always keep them because I love to watch every game where possible. I would love to take my sons one day. United will always be such a special place to me, so we will just have to see what the future holds.
   'United was the club I always wanted to play for and I loved every minute of my time there. The first few years [after leaving] were hard and there were a lot of things I missed. When I was at Real Madrid it just never felt right to come back to Old Trafford.
   'The thought of playing against United always gave me that sick feeling because I missed the club so much. But when the draw was made this time it felt as though it was the right time to go back. I felt really emotional. It will also be extremely emotional for myself and my family on the night.
   'I met so many amazing people during my time there, on and off the pitch, that I am looking forward to seeing everyone again. It is the biggest club in the world and it is one you always want to be a part of.'

Edwin van der Sar believes that Manchester United have done well to stay in touch with Chelsea despite the injury problems that have dogged the season at Old Trafford.
   United go into their meeting with Aston Villa today two points off Carlo Ancelotti’s side, who are in action at Everton on the same evening.
   Sir Alex Ferguson’s options at the back have been limited throughout the campaign, with Dutch goalkeeper van der Sar and defenders Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, John O’Shea, Rafael and Gary Neville all enduring stints on the sidelines.
   Ferdinand is still suspended and O’Shea is likely to miss the rest of the campaign with a thigh problem.
   But even if Vidic does not return from a calf injury at Villa Park, United have finally been able to benefit from having increased options at the back.
   Key to that has been the return of van der Sar, who has missed months of the campaign as a result of his own finger and knee injuries and the ill-health of his wife, who suffered a brain haemorrhage in December.
   The 39-year-old has played a central role in United’s recent upturn in form and Ferguson’s side travel to Villa Park looking for a fifth straight Premier League win for just the second time this season.
   Van der Sar, whose current contract expires in the summer, said: ‘We’re right up there with Chelsea, just a couple of points behind so the last three months of the season are shaping up to be very interesting.
   ‘It’s all to play for. There are a lot of big games in a short period, with the Champions League also starting up again soon.
   ‘Luckily we have most of our players back. We’re still missing three or four but it’s better than the 11 or 12 that were missing earlier in the season and over Christmas.
   ‘It feels really good to be back. It’s been a stop-start season for me which has been frustrating.
   ‘It was disappointing because I’m not used to being out of action and not being able to play.
   ‘It feels great to be back in the swing of things and playing for United again.’
   Although Martin O’Neill’s side are chasing a place in the Champions League and won 1-0 at Old Trafford in December, United will be boosted by their impressive record at Villa Park.
   Ferguson’s team were held to a goalless draw there last season but are unbeaten there in the league since losing 3-1 on the opening day of the season in 1995.
   Villa, who will be without Stephen Warnock and Nigel Reo-Coker through injury, go into the game on the back of an eight-match unbeaten run and they have kept three consecutive clean sheets.
   O’Neill feels that former Manchester City defender Richard Dunne, who moved to Villa Park in the summer, has been crucial to his team’s performances.
   He said: ‘Maybe we were lucky to get him and maybe if Manchester City had really wanted him then he might have stayed, but I don’t know that.
   ‘All I do know is that whatever way it fell for us, luck was on our side and I’m just delighted to have him.
   ‘The art of defending isn’t dead. You look at Dunne in particular, he can read the game, he’s very brave and when he’s going to head it you just get out of the way.
   ‘We’ve got a group of players here at this minute who are going week in, week out and I could not fault the application and tenacity of the side.
   ‘I’ve had some very fine defenders in my time, both at Leicester and Celtic, fine players with the same mentality as these lads, who are prepared to be very brave when it’s demanded.’

Terry thanks fans for backing
   Chelsea's John Terry has thanked the club's fans for their support after allegations about his private life that cost him the England captaincy. England manager Fabio Capello took a matter of minutes on Friday to tell Terry his time as captain of the national side was at an end following the central defender's alleged affair with Vanessa Perroncel, the ex-girlfriend of former Chelsea team-mate Wayne Bridge. But the 29-year-old Terry remains the captain of Chelsea, where he has had the unstinting backing of manager Carlo Ancelotti, and the ongoing publicity over his private life appears to have had no adverse effect on his on-field performances. It was from Terry's flick-on that Didier Drogba scored the first of his two goals on Sunday at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea beat Arsenal 2-0 to regain top spot in the English Premier League. Terry, who has not so far commented publicly about his alleged infidelity, remains a hero to many Chelsea supporters and he told Chelsea TV, the club's in-house television station, after Sunday's victory: 'On a personal note I would like to thank every single fan. 'It's been an emotional day (Sunday) for myself and how the fans have been with me over the last two weeks has been quite incredible. 'I didn't expect that today and I would like to thank every single individual fan for the way they treated me. 'It was a great performance and, I mean it from my heart, I would like to thank everyone.'
   
   Gazza arrested twice in two days
   Former England star Paul Gascoigne has been arrested for the second time in two days, police confirmed Tuesday. The ex-midfielder was taken into custody along with another man by police called to the Blackwell Grange Hotel in Darlington, northeast England, on Monday night. Gascoigne was later released without charge after being questioned on suspicion of a public order offence. The 42-year-old was previously arrested at the weekend on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, police said on Monday. Gascoigne, who has struggled with alcoholism and depression, was arrested after officers were called to a disturbance at a takeaway restaurant in Leeming Bar, Yorkshire, northern England, on Sunday evening. As well as his drink-related problems, Gascoigne has admitted heavy use of cocaine and has undergone treatment for bulimia and obsessive compulsive disorder. He was sectioned three times under the Mental Health Act in 2008.
   
   Ferdinand scraps ban appeal
   Rio Ferdinand has withdrawn his appeal against the extra one-match suspension he received for a ‘frivolous’ challenge to a violent conduct charge brought against him by the Football Association. The Manchester United centre-back’s decision announced Tuesday means the newly-appointed England captain will serve a four, as opposed to three-game ban, for his challenge on Hull striker Craig Fagan at Old Trafford last month. Ferdinand will now complete his suspension by sitting out the champions’ Premier League match away to Aston Villa today and their game against Everton on February 20. Ferdinand’s initial challenge to the FA’s decision allowed him to play in United’s League Cup semi-final victory against Manchester City last month. But that appeal was widely interpreted as a means to get Ferdinand on the field for an important derby match rather than because of a genuine grievance with the ban, a view the FA endorsed when they deemed the appeal ‘frivolous’.
   — AFP

India name squad for second Test
Batsmen Suresh Raina and Dinesh Karthik were on Tuesday named in India’s squad for the crucial second and final Test against South Africa beginning in Kolkata on February 14.Paceman Shanthakumaran Sreesanth was also included in the 15-man squad announced in a press release issued by the Board of Control for Cricket in India. India lost the first Test in Nagpur by an innings and six runs on Tuesday to go down 1-0 in the series. The Indians will have to win the Kolkata Test if they are to retain their status as the number one side in the world. India’s squad for second Test: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Murali Vijay, Sachin Tendulkar, Venkatsai Laxman, Subramaniam Badrinath, Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra, Zaheer Khan, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Ishant Sharma, Pragyan Ojha, Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina.
   —AFP