Defending champions Dhaka Abahani moved atop of the points table of the Citycell B league with a 3-0 victory over Khulna Abahani at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Friday.
   With the joint leaders of the third round Sheikh Russell and Brothers Union drawing their respective matches Abahani made no mistake to register a win against their Khulna counterparts.
   Nigerian midfielder Emeka scored the first in the 23rd minute, Mamun doubled the margin in the 61st and Emily scored the third from a penalty in the 76th minute. Abahani has nine points from four matches.
   Sheikh Russell playing their away match in Chittagong played a goal less draw against Chittagong Abahani at the MA Aziz stadium.
   Brothers Union staged a brilliant comeback to pull off a 2-2 draw against Arambagh KS after trailing 0-2 in the first half. A spirited display saw Arambagh go 2-0 up as Brothers Union were cornered with a series of attacks. Arambagh dominated the scene with their overseas recruits Nicodemus and Mustafa Kaba leading from the front in the offence and defence.
   Arambagh’s left-back Nayan was in superb form and his 20-yarder in the 30th minute went direct to Brothers goalkeeper Shakil.
   The Gopibagh outfit launched a counter-attack on 32 minutes but Nigerian forward Michael Oniya’s header off a Shakil Ahmed cross hit the Arambagh crosspiece.
   Nayan was celebrating in the 37th minute as he curved a beautiful lob from the edge of the box into the net. Brothers, shocked by the incident, took time to settle and Arambagh scored the second in the first minute of the two-minute injury time of the first half.
   Nicodemus floated a neat cross from the left and defender Imdadul Huq Monu sent the ball into the net with a diving header that gave Shakil no time to react.
   Some pep talk from coach Wasim Iqbal rejuvenated Brothers Union in the second half and the orange outfit came out of their shell. Arambagh were forced to stay back as Wasim inserted attacking duo of Abdullah Parvez and Zahid Hossain. Brothers Union reduced the margin in the 75th minute when Abdullah Parvez’s curving corner was tapped in by defender Amit Khan Shuvro.
   Brothers continued to attack and their endeavor paid off in the first minute of the injury time when substitute forward Monju headed in a cross from Zahid from the left.
   Brothers Union have eight points from four outings while Arambagh have four from three matches.

Left-arm spinner Nabil Samad took eight wickets for 61 runs for Sylhet but the hosts Khulna hit back to reduce Sylhet to 42 for six in the first innings on the opening day of the Ispahani Mirzapore Tea National Cricket at the Khulna stadium on Friday.
   In the other match of the day, Barisal were 186 for seven against Rajshahi at the Rajshahi stadium. The first day’s play between Dhaka and Chittagong at the Narayanganj Osmani Stadium was called off due to a wet ground.
   Khulna opted to bat first and were all out for 178 runs with Nabil Samad running riot grabbing eight wickets. Khulna had a fair start with Najmus Sadat scoring 43 and skipper Tushar Imran adding 48. Khulna lost their last seven wickets for 29 runs to be bundled out well below 200-run mark. But Sylhet had very little to laugh at the end of the day as pacer Ziaur Rahman ripped through the upper order with a three-wicket haul for nine runs. Abul Hasan Raju’s 17 and Md Mithun’s 13 failed to lift Sylhet.
   Rajshahi opted to bowl first against Barisal and managed to capture seven wickets in the allotted ninety overs of the day.
   Imran Ahmed scored 53 not out and number nine Sajedul Karim was with him on 43 in Barisal’s 186-7. Pacer Alamgir Kabir grabbed six wickets for 53 runs.

Australia (430) lead India (68/0) by 362 runs at stumps, day 2
   India made a spirited reply to Australia’s 430 in the first Test here on Friday, reaching 68 without loss in their first innings by the close of the second day’s play.
   Openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir negotiated a tricky 18.1 overs before heavy rain brought an early end to the day’s play that was marked by a solid century from the ever-reliable Michael Hussey.
   The consistent left-hander shored up Australia’s first innings with a gritty 146 before he was last man out soon after tea.
   Sehwag began in his typical aggressive style, smashing seven boundaries against the four-man Australian pace attack on the way to 43 not out. His Delhi teammate Gambhir was unbeaten on 20.
   India will resume on Saturday looking to build a sizeable total of their own on a wicket that is still batsman-friendly but could keep low later in the match.
   Hussey, who averages an astonishing 70.60 in 26 matches after making his Test debut three years ago aged 30, has already scored nine hundreds and as many half-centuries in his remarkable career.
   Entering the fray just before tea on the first day, Hussey batted for seven hours, hitting 15 boundaries and a six to frustrate India’s hopes of terminating the innings early.
   Hussey said the team’s total had given the tourists a chance to put the Indians under pressure.
   ‘I think it will definitely be harder to bat on as the Test match wears on,’ the 33-year-old said.
   ‘It is already very dry and there are a lot of cracks in it. One can never really feel ‘in’ on it.
   ‘You feel there is just enough variable bounce there to keep all the bowlers interested, particularly our fast bowlers.’
   Indian left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan, who bowled Hussey, finished with five for 91, while new-ball partner Ishant Sharma had figures of four for 77.
   There was no joy, however, for the spinners. Indian captain Anil Kumble had unflattering figures of 0-129 from 43 overs while Harbhajan Singh went for 1-103 from 41.
   Australia, who resumed on their overnight score of 254-4, lost all-rounder Shane Watson in the third over of the day, bowled off-stump by a sharp inswinger from Sharma.
   Wicketkeeper Brad Haddin put on 91 for the sixth wicket with Hussey, contributing 33.
   Sharma removed Haddin and debutant Cameron White in the space of three overs after lunch but Brett Lee (27) helped Hussey along by adding 59 for the eighth wicket.
   Sharma had Haddin and White caught in the cover region off deliveries that came off the barren pitch slowly, an indication that batting may become difficult as the Test progresses.
   Hussey, who was on 49 when Watson was out, took charge with three boundaries off Zaheer, two of them exquisite cover drives and the third a ferocious pull to square-leg.
   Zaheer claimed the last three Australian wickets in the space of 14 runs after tea, shattering the stumps of Lee, Mitchell Johnson and finally Hussey.
   Australian skipper Ricky Ponting Thursday notched his 36th career Test century, just three behind record holder Sachin Tendulkar’s tally of 39.
   The visitors were helped along towards their big total by shabby Indian fielding, highlighted by retiring former captain Sourav Ganguly letting the ball pass through his legs at mid-off.
   Ganguly, 36, said on Tuesday he will retire from international cricket after the four-Test series ends.

The Sri Lanka Cricketers’ Association and sports minister Gamini Lokuge have finalised a proposal that could bring in $70 million for Sri Lanka Cricket over the next 10 years but will seriously undermine Sri Lanka’s Test tour of England. The proposal, which will be presented to the BCCI, will require the full participation of SLC within the IPL and its sister tournament, the Champions League, for the next decade.
   The proposed deal follows the recent decision by Lokuge that the Sri Lankan players contracted to the IPL will be released from the tour of England following the cancellation of Zimbabwe’s tour to England.
   SLC officials admitted it would be impossible to hold the the two-Test series in England. ‘The series is definitely off since it has not yet been ratified by the ECB and still remains subject to its approval. So, there is absolutely no chance they are now going to sanction the series against a virtual Sri Lanka A side,’ a board official said.
   However, the officials offered the ECB a three-match ODI series after May 25 and were also considering an invitation to play in a Stanford 20/20 tournament prior to the World Twenty20 in June.
   ‘We have a signed contract with SLC in which we agree to play two Tests and three ODIs’ an ECB spokesman told Cricinfo. ‘We have had no other contact from SLC.’
   The SLCA had discussed the England tour issue directly with IPL chairman Lalit Modi in Mumbai two weeks ago, during which Modi unveiled his plans for Sri Lanka, conditional upon SLC pledging full support for the IPL and the Champions League, the only exception being Sri Lanka’s tour to England in 2011.
   The financial commitment will include an annual payment of between US$3-4 million for participating in the Champions League starting from 2009. India will also try to replay the cancelled 2006 tri-series featuring Sri Lanka and South Africa at some stage next year. An additional tri-series, worth an estimated $18 million, has been pledged for 2010 as well.

The sale of tickets for the final one-dayer and the first Test between Bangladesh and New Zealand at the Chittagong Divisional Stadium will begin on Sunday.
   The BCB officials at a press conference on Friday said tickets will be available at all the branches of the Arab Bangladesh. The prices of the one-dayer tickets have been fixed at Tk 100, Tk 200 and Tk 300 each for gallery, special and club house ticket.
   Imroz Ahmed, the vice chairman of the BCB, said they have fixed the daily ticket prices for the Test at Tk 50, Tk 100 and Tk 150 each for the gallery, special and club house enclosure.
   The ODI will be held on Oct 14 and the Test will start on Oct 17.
   The chairman of the venue committee, Mohammed Muniruzzaman, also the commissioner of the Chittagong Metropolitan Police, said 900 security personnel, including the members of police, RAB and BDR, would be deployed to maintain law and order during the series.

Bangladesh have been placed in Group B with top-seeded Mozambique for the upcoming Merdeka Cup starting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on October 15. Bangladesh will face the world’s 103-ranked team in their opening match on October 16.
   The other Group B teams are Myanmar and Vietnam. Bangladesh meet Myanmar on Oct 18 before playing their last group match against Vietnam on Oct 20.
   Group A contains Sierra Leone, Malaysia, Nepal and Afghanistan.
   Bangladesh Football Federation will announce the final squad for Merdeka Cup today.

England’s Paul Collingwood on Thursday laughed off Australian spin legend Shane Warne’s prediction of another Ashes whitewash when the old rivals lock horns again in 2009.
   Collingwood helped England win back the Ashes in 2005 before being part of the team who slumped to an embarrassing 5-0 defeat Down Under in the 2006-07 series.
   Now Warne insists Ricky Ponting’s side will cruise to a similar mauling next summer - a belief that Collingwood does not share.
   ‘It’s the normal ‘verbals’ that seem to go on nowadays,’ he told Sky Sports. ‘We know where we need to be as a team. We believe we’re certainly pulling in the right direction.
   ‘If we can get everybody fit and raring to go and playing well, when the Ashes come around we’re going to be a very, very hard team to beat.’
   With Kevin Pietersen now captaining the side, after Michael Vaughan stood down from the job, England are in the early stages of a new era.
   If Pietersen can maintain his magnificent batting form, and the rest of the team respond to their new leader, England could have a prosperous winter.
   With tours of India and West Indies ahead, Collingwood believes England can go into both series with plenty of optimism - particularly after they beat South Africa in the final Test of the summer and then crushed the Proteas in the one-day series.
   ‘When we’re on song we can beat anybody,’ he said, ‘It’s just getting that consistency. ‘It was a great end to the season; it gave everybody a buzz.
   ‘It was a big lift there and if you’ve got the likes of Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff fit and the way they are, we’re going to be a very hard team to beat.’

Bangladesh Hockey Federation on Friday called up 19 players for the Nehru Cup Hockey Tournament, to be held in New Delhi from November 14. Apart from the 19, the federation will also hold an open trial for players who are interested to join the national camp.
   The BHF has asked the new players to report to coach Mahbub Harun on October 16 and the trials will continue for another two days. The 19 selected players have been instructed to report to coach Harun at 2:30pm on October 18.
   The selected players are: Mahbubullah Chowdhury Shakil, Mehrab Hossain, Mamunur Rahman Chayan, Md Issa Miah, Asaduzzaman Chandan, Moshiur Rahman Biplob, Ferdous Goldar, Shahidullah Titu, Musa Miah, Khandoker Hasan Ahmed, Sheikh Md Nannu, Maksud Alam Habul, Jahidul Islam Rajon, Rasel Mahmud Jimmy, Rimon Kumar Ghosh, Krishna Kumar, Zahid binTalib Shuvo, Tapash Barman and Md Iqbal Nadir.

As the ICL gears up for its second season, Subhash Chandra, chairman of the Essel group, which owns the league, has said he is confident of the conflict with the sport’s global administrators being sorted out ‘within two years.’
   ‘I met David Morgan, the ICC president, on October 7,’ Chandra said on Thursday. ‘I don’t promise you anything, please don’t have any hopes...It took Kerry Packer two years to resolve the resolution [with the Australian board]. I am confident our issue will be resolved within two years.’
   The meeting, which took place in London, was in response to a request from ICL officials who are seeking official sanction from the ICC. Morgan is expected to report on the meeting to the ICC Board, which meets in Dubai on October 14 and 15.
   Chandra also had cause to cheer closer home, revealing that three sponsorships contracts out of four worth $8 million that had been cancelled were revived after a meeting with Sharad Pawar, the former Indian board president. Chandra met Pawar, currently the ICC’s president-elect. ‘I spoke to Pawar, my friend of the last 25 years, last Friday. I was very categorical that such attacks had to stop henceforth. Out of the four [sponsorship] contracts three have been revived after the meeting.’
   He said he had conveyed to Pawar his disappointment over what he called the ‘unethical’ tactics used against the ICL and those associated with it. ‘I asked him, ‘Is it good for you? Is it ethical? Does it fit you that a 21-year old boy from a college in Mumbai is picked up physically by the joint secretary of the Mumbai Cricket Association and pulled out of the ground?’’
   Chandra and Tony Greig, a member of the ICL executive board, also had cautionary words for the league’s players on the ‘possibilities of corruption’ during the second season. ‘You have seen lots of press that Twenty20 cricket has possibilities for corruption,’ Greig said at a pre-tournament meeting with players and officials on Thursday. ‘So please be very careful. There will be people who will approach you. It happened last time; it will happen again. We will dig ourselves into a hole if it happens.’
   ‘People who didn’t want the ICL to succeed ICL would say, ‘What ICL? It’s not going to succeed,’’ Chandra said. ‘They said, ‘Match fixing happens there’.’

Michael Hussey must be the most calculating batsman in the game. When he goes out he carries a protractor in his mind along with an unbending desire. He thinks in degrees for runs and has proved the method works all over the world.
   In Hussey’s autobiography he reveals he writes lots of lists. At the crease his duties are on a sheet in his brain.
   Anil Kumble is bowling mostly googlies. There’s an eight-metre gap between cover and mid-off. If he pitches up, hit it through 78 degrees Full face, don’t try to smash it
   So Hussey was prepared when Kumble skipped in and delivered a fuller ball around off stump. He took a big step, checked his drive and stroked it with such superb timing that he pierced fielders who could almost touch each other. The boundary moved him to 82. While most of his team-mates had to wrestle for their returns, Hussey had the ability to glide.
   One of the few times his precision left him was when Ishant Sharma forced an inside-edge that went for four and raised his ninth century in 26 Tests. It is an incredible record built on the adding-machine properties made famous by Bradman. Hussey now averages 70.60, sitting high above Graeme Pollock and near the feet of The Don.
   His driving on the off side was exact throughout, but he was not content waiting for the opportunities to play a big shot. With India unable to force the wickets that were expected initially on a pitch offering more uneven bounce, he toyed with them by varying his speed like an all-stops train. Accelerate with a four, slow for a well-placed single, stop, let out a deep breath, start again.
   After drinks in the second session Harbhajan Singh was operating, very briefly, without a man on the boundary in front of square leg, trying to force Hussey into a mistake. Only Hussey doesn’t take unnecessary risks. When he decides to do something he has already considered the dangers and deemed them too small. If his mind was a guide for race-horse punters none of them would be in debt.
   With the off side packed, he stepped back to the first vaguely short offering and pulled a boundary in front of square. Later in the over he slog-swept a six to long-on and quickly judged it time to slow down. His constant contributions eased the demands on his partners. He must be a fabulous man to bat with; solid and dependable yet always ticking things over.
   After the valuable stand of 91 with Brad Haddin ended he conducted a fruitful partnership of 59 with Brett Lee. One of the concerns for Australia heading into the series was that the lower order would collapse in the unfamiliar conditions and the handy runs usually expected of them would evaporate.
   Hussey was able to delay the fall until Zaheer Khan lined up Lee and Mitchell Johnson in a couple of overs after tea before focusing on the main man. Hussey knew time was running out when Lee departed, so he altered his thinking and embraced more unconventional means. A reverse-sweep was successful but soon he was facing the suddenly nasty swing of Khan. An inside-edge toppled his middle stump and, last man out, he scurried off with 146.
   It was an ugly end but it was not a stain on a consummate performance. Ponting is undoubtedly the best batsman in the team, but Hussey will be his greatest ally during this series. Nothing flusters or hurries him. Not the heat, or the noise, or the bowling.
   Only the sight of no more batsmen in the dressing room could force him into a lethal error. In such a taxing and distracting environment he is Australia’s most valuable player.

As speculation about his return refusing to die down, legendary Australian spinner Shane Warne made it clear on Friday that he quit international cricket on his own terms and had no inclination at the moment to make a comeback.
   Warne said his change of mind was possible only in case of unusual circumstances requiring his presence in the team.
   ‘I played with a certain passion. I showed passion. I was an exciting player, I was an entertainer. I went out on my own terms. There was a bit of class about how I went out. I didn’t stick around for the money,’ Warne said.
   ‘I’ve got no inclination (to return). I’m very happily retired. Got no interest in going back to play cricket for Australia. None whatsoever. But I have learned in my life never to say never,’ he was quoted as saying by ‘Courier Mail’.
   The rumour about his return was floated when Warne successfully led Rajasthan Royals team in the Indian Premier League while Australia were struggling with their spin options in the absence of Stuart McGill.
   Warne also spoke about the identity crisis he faces each time he fills his departure card at an airport.
   ‘I ask myself ‘what am I?’ I don’t know what to say. So I end up putting businessman,’ said Warne, who travels a lot because of poker.
   ‘Sometimes I put ex-sportsman. But businessman seems to fit most of the time.’
   Warne insisted he had not changed as a person despite achieving so much in his life.
   ‘There’s not much I haven’t experienced in my life. There’s not much I haven’t been through. I haven’t changed one bit as a person. But I’m smarter, I do things a bit smarter.

The 20-million-dollar Stanford 20/20, the world’s richest cricket match which had been in danger because of a bitter row over commercial rights, will go ahead as planned, organisers said on Thursday.
   The match, between the Stanford Supertars and England, had been thrown into doubt after a High Court hearing had backed objections made by West Indies Cricket Board sponsors Digicel.
   The telecommunications company argued that the WICB had entered an agreement with Stanford that ‘wholly compromises the exclusive rights granted to Digicel as principal sponsors of West Indies cricket’.
   That legal decision meant that either the match would have to be called off or that the Stanford Superstars side would be weakened by the withdrawal of most of the leading West Indian players.
   But the match, the highlight of the week-long Stanford Super Series, will now take place as scheduled on November 1 after talks between the two sides proved successful.
   Sir Allen Stanford, the man behind the cricket revolution in the Caribbean, said: ‘I am pleased with both parties’ solution-oriented approach and most importantly that this matter has been finally resolved.
   ‘We look forward to welcoming fans from around the world to the Stanford Cricket Ground to enjoy a fantastic week of cricket.’
   Reports in the Caribbean media earlier Thursday claimed a ‘commercial agreement’ had been reached after a trans-Atlantic telephone conversation between Stanford and Digicel’s Irish boss Denis O’Brien.
   ‘Digicel is delighted to confirm that negotiations have been successful and that arrangements have been put in place to allow for the Series to continue for at least the next three years,’ said a statement.
   ‘As such, the match scheduled between the West Indies and England on November 1 will now proceed.
   ‘Digicel has at all times supported the Stanford initiative and from the outset sought a negotiated compromise with the relevant parties.’
   England all-rounder Paul Collingwood said he was looking forward to the match.
   ‘It’s going to be interesting, it’s going to be certainly a good spectacle,’ said Collingwood.
   ‘I’m sure there will be a lot of pressure on the day.’
   The row over the match began when the WICB originally agreed to make all their players available to play for Texan billionaire Stanford’s select side.
   But Digicel went to the High Court in a bid to establish that, as the contracted official sponsor of the WICB until 2012, it enjoyed commercial rights associated with a game that was, in effect, a West Indies XI v England.
   The High Court upheld that argument and ruled that the Board would be in breach of its contract with Digicel if it sanctioned the match without granting commercial rights to its sponsor.

Mohamed Bin Hammam, president of the Asian Football Confederation, has warned FIFA president Sepp Blatter that he could lose touch with the modern game if he stays in the job for too long.
   Blatter has been in charge of the global game’s governing body for 10 years and shows no sign of relinquishing his grip on the sport’s most powerful position.
   But Bin Hammam, a FIFA Executive Member since 1996, believes any president will inevitably stop being a force for modernisation after a long period in power.
   While he has no complaints about Blatter’s reign, Bin Hammam is keen to bring in a worldwide term limit that can curtail each presidential spell after a set number of years to make sure the top jobs are always filled by leaders with fresh ideas.
   ‘I want to see a term limit for the presidents of all of the confederations, FIFA included,’ Bin Hammam told reporters in London.
   ‘The more you stay, the longer you are in power, whether you like it or not and no matter who you are, the less evolution there can be. You create statutes to save you.
   ‘In Asia we are trying to bring in statutes that are transparent. There are some that you feel are meant to suit one person.
   ‘Some confederations have inherited these statutes, so if the international governing body will insist on a limititation related to the presidencies of the national associations and FIFA, I think that will be a great help.
   ‘Blatter has proposed that some years back and it was rejected by the executive committee.’
   Bin Hamman’s reputation as a moderniser has seen him mentioned as a potential successor to Blatter. The 60-year-old helped create the Asian Champions League and oversaw Australia’s move to the AFC, but he played down his own ambitions.
   ‘It is too early to talk about that yet,’ he said. ‘We have a very active president, he is very healthy and I am one of those conservatives who would like to see stability within the football family. We just do not want people to create chaos.
   ‘He has a mandate until 2011, so there is no need to talk about it.’
   Bin Hammam could be overseeing a World Cup in 2018 if Australia’s bid is successful. Qatar have also been linked with a bid but he insisted a single candidate would be preferrable.
   ‘Qatar’s bid is only speculation, so far I have only seen one serious bidder, which is Australia,’ he said.
   ‘They came forward and said we want to host the World Cup in 2018 and I am defintely very much in support of them and for the World Cup to take place in Asia again after 2002.
   ‘We have seen the positive impact of the World Cup when it was orgainised in Asia in terms of reviving the interests of the people, especially those who are involved in governing the football.

That two of the batting greats — Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar — share a good relationship was further reiterated when the West Indian decided to send his good wishes to the Indian maestro through the media. Tendulkar is just 77 runs short of going past Lara’s Test record-tally of 11,953.
   News that Lara was in town trickled in from Thursday afternoon. However, it took some time to confirm where he was staying and why he was in town. The fact that Tendulkar could break his record over the course of the next few days made it imperative to get in touch with the great West Indian. By afternoon it was known that Lara was meeting the media.
   ‘I wish Sachin all the very best. I hope he breaks my record during the Bangalore Test itself. I hope he continues scoring runs like he has done all throughout his career. I feel very proud to be in the same league as Sunil Gavaskar, Allan Border and Sachin Tendulkar. We all have to appreciate what Sachin has done. He is one of the greatest players to have graced the game,’ he said.
   The former West Indian skipper believes that Australian skipper Ricky Ponting is the only player who can give some serious competition to the Indian batting maestro. ‘Ricky is a very special player. I remember when he had come for a Test series to West Indies under Steve Waugh, he was not in the Playing XI. From then on he has grown from strength to strength and has become one of the greatest players in modern-day cricket. I think he is a class player, who may take away the record from Sachin in the future,’ he added.
   Lara also praised Sourav Ganguly who is playing his last Test series. ‘Sourav has been a great servant of Indian cricket. He has written a new chapter in Indian cricket with his leadership skills, especially overseas.’
   The 39-year-old also had a word of advice for the BCCI and the senior players. ‘You don’t want your five top players to go out at the same time. It should be a gradual process otherwise it would be similar to what happened to the West Indies in the early 90’s when they lost Viv Richards, Gordon Greenidge, Malcolm Marshall. India should be very careful of who goes first and when he goes.’

Manchester United’s slow start to the season is nothing to worry about and the signing of Dimitar Berbatov has given them extra attacking options, their Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar said.
   The Premier League champions are eighth in the table after a sluggish first few weeks but two league wins in a row have put them six points behind leaders Chelsea and Liverpool with a game in hand.
   ‘Berbatov will add some qualities that we did not have so far,’ Van der Sar told Reuters in an interview. ‘Mostly we played with (Carlos) Tevez and (Wayne) Rooney up front but with Berbatov we have more possibilities.
   ‘He is a tall player who can also be reached through the air.’
   The Bulgarian international joined United from Tottenham Hotspur this season for 30.75 million pounds ($53 million). He scored his first two goals for the club in a 3-0 victory over AaB Aalborg in the Champions League on Sept. 30.
   Van der Sar, who turns 38 at the end of this month and who is in his 19th professional season, was unconcerned by United’s mediocre beginning to the Premier League campaign. ‘Last season we also made a poor start but at the end of the season everything seemed ok,’ he said, referring to their 10th Premier League title and victory in the Champions League final.
   ‘In the last two matches against Aalborg and Blackburn we improved and showed form, although the injury to Paul Scholes is a blow.’
   Van der Sar, capped 128 times, retired from international soccer after the Euro 2008 quarter-final defeat by Russia but he will make a brief return to the Netherlands squad this week for their World Cup qualifying matches against Iceland and Norway.
   When his successor, Ajax Amsterdam keeper Maarten Stekelenburg, was ruled out with a shoulder injury and second choice Henk Timmer was struggling with a groin problem, Van der Sar decided to help the Dutch team out.
   ‘I asked Alex Ferguson for his opinion and he told me if they ask you and you are fit, it is still your country and for me it is no problem if you join them,’ said Van der Sar.
   ‘But it does not feel like a comeback as hardly anything has changed and I missed only one qualifying match against Macedonia (a 2-1 win).
   ‘The reason I came back is not to have a more pleasant farewell but only to try to win both matches and keep the team on track to qualify.
   ‘It is almost impossible to orchestrate the farewell you desire, that is something only a few people manage to do.’

Emile Heskey is back in demand for England after a long spell in the shadows but the Wigan forward insists he never felt like he had gone out of fashion.
   Heskey was the unsung hero of England’s stunning 4-1 victory over Croatia in last month’s crucial World Cup qualifier in Zagreb.
   The former Liverpool star linked impressively with Wayne Rooney and gave Croatia’s defenders a torrid time with his combination of power and poise in his first start for coach Fabio Capello.
   It was just like old times for Heskey, who formed an equally impressive little and large partnership with Michael Owen during Sven Goran Eriksson’s reign.
   Heskey was eventually disgarded by Eriksson as a combination of poor form and Rooney’s emergence took its toll. But, with Capello showing little faith in Owen, there is a vacancy for a foil to Rooney and Heskey grabbed his chance with both hands against the Croatians.
   ‘I don’t know if I went out of fashion but it’s nice to be wanted,’ he said. ‘Obviously the game against Croatia was tailor made for me because I like to put myself about and they had some pretty big centre halves. So it was nice. It was physical but I don’t mind that.
   ‘Not having played for about four years it’s just nice to be back. When I first came back it was strange because there were so many young players. I thought I was young myself but when you come into this squad, you feel a little bit old!’
   The 30-year-old, who could miss today’s qualifier against Kazakhstan with a back injury, has been a revitalised figure since joining Wigan from Birmingham in 2006 and is benefitting from taking a more laidback approach to the game.
   ‘I’m a bit more relaxed when it comes to football,’ he said. ‘When you’re younger, you’re really tense when you’re going into game and you get really nervous.
   ‘I can see it in some of the lads when they go out on the pitch. For me, it’s not like it’s another game but you prepare differently and you focus your mind a lot better.’
   Heskey’s physical presence and selfless nature allowed Rooney to thrive in his favoured role, just behind a targetman, against Croatia. It is a role Heskey is happy to fulfil if it brings the best out of Rooney.
   ‘You never know until you actually play with someone what the partnership’s going to be like. Wayne’s a fantastic player - he’s shown that over the years - but you never know how it’s going to work out,’ Heskey said.
   ‘It’s only when you start playing with them that you get a little understanding, knowing where he’s going to run and where you need to be, and you kind of build your game around your partner.

Ten years ago, Hull City were propping up the entire English football league with 91 other teams separating them from the summit of the top flight.
   Incredibly, a decade later, the unfashionable team from the humble northern coastal town, are third in the Premier League, with only Chelsea and Liverpool above them. But it was a different story on October 9, 1998.
   Then Hull were beaten 2-1 at home by Cardiff, a loss which left them a point adrift at the bottom of the old Third Division. Within weeks they had fallen nine points behind and relegation to the Conference was on the cards.
   ‘It was pretty grim most of the time,’ former defender Ben Morley told the Press Association. ‘I think we were getting 4,000 at Boothferry Park (the club’s old stadium).
   ‘To have said we would be third in the Premier League 10 years from now would have been ludicrous.’
   Then manager Mark Hateley, the former England striker, was replaced by journeyman midfielder Warren Joyce who began engineering a dramatic turnaround in the fortunes of the embattled club.
   They survived the drop that year but went close to folding in 2001 when they were locked out of Boothferry Park by former owner David Lloyd.
   A boardroom takeover headed by Adam Pearson eventually eased their financial plight and the kickstart the club needed was delivered with the move to the council-owned KC Stadium in December 2002.
   Three promotions followed and, with 25,000 sell-outs, the future is certainly looking bright.
   ‘It is absolutely fantastic and they way things are going at the moment, they should make the most of it!’ said Terry Dolan, who managed the club from 1991-97.
   ‘One of the main differences is the new stadium, when they moved there things changed. The club is having the success now, and at least we kept the club going in those days.’

Dilip Vengsarkar, the BCCI’s former chairman of selectors, has said he will respond to Sourav Ganguly’s criticism of his selection committee at the end of India’s series against Australia and give him ‘more than what he asked for’.
   ‘I won’t answer him now as this is not the right time because India are in the middle of a Test series [against Australia] and it might affect the focus of the team,’ Vengsarkar told PTI.
   Ganguly had criticised the selectors saying if the new selection committee had been in place three years ago, today his situation would be different. ‘If there is a gun to your head all the time, how long can you bear this?’ Ganguly told a Bengali daily. ‘I was tired of being humiliated again and again. I don’t want to play cricket at the mercy of others.’
   Ganguly was dropped from the Indian squad in 2006 for the home series against England and the tour of West Indies but made his comeback during Vengsarkar’s tenure that December on the South Africa tour. Ganguly said what hurt him more than being overlooked for India was the exclusion from the Irani Cup last month.

English Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore said on Thursday the structure of the game is sustainable despite the global financial crisis.
   ‘People need to be realistic. We are entering interesting financial times. But football is very sustainable. Club names are very sustainable, they don’t disappear. Revenues are very sustainable,’ he told Sky Sports News.
   ‘We are not complacent, I am not saying we won’t at some time feel the wind of the consumer crunch, but generally we are not in such a bad condition.’
   FA Chairman David Triesman said on Tuesday English soccer had amassed debts of about three billion pounds ($5.19 billion) and a top club could fold in the current financial climate.
   But Scudamore has moved to calm fears that a leading club could go bankrupt and put the debt situation into perspective.
   ‘Debt is neither good or bad, it is inevitable,’ he said. ‘It depends on the value of the asset the debt is against, and some of our clubs are hugely valuable assets, certainly the biggest clubs.

Germany coach Joachim Low admits Russia’s attacking style will test his team’s leaky defence when the two big names in Group Four square off in Dortmund today in their World Cup qualifier.
   Group leaders Germany enjoyed a strong start on the path to South Africa 2010 when they hammered minnows Liechtenstein 6-0, but days later their fragile defence creaked in the 3-3 draw with Finland in Helsinki.
   With the likes of rising star Andrei Arshavin in Russia’s ranks, Low expects any lapse in concentration to be severely punished by the Russians who are just behind them in the group after beating Wales last month.
   ‘There are often only a few moments between them winning the ball and completing an attack,’ Low said.
   ‘They have a balanced and disciplined team and their approach has become much more structured and organised.
   ‘If we make too many mistakes, we will be punished without mercy.’
   With Low’s midfield generals Michael Ballack and Torsten Frings both back from injury, the German coach described the pairs influence as ‘enormous’ and will help stem Russia’s attack.
   ‘I feel good,’ said Frings, back after a broken nose. ‘I hope that I can give the team some security with my return.
   ‘I want to prove again they can rely on me and I want to show I am still a good player in my position.’
   And Chelsea midfielder Ballack has brushed off his foot injury to retake his place at the team’s helm as captain.
   In contrast, Russia coach Guus Hiddink has injury problems with striker Roman Pavlyuchenko, defender Denis Kolodin and midfielder Dmitry Torbinsky all ruled out.
   Pavlyuchenko has been Russia’s key striker for the past 12 months, scoring both goals in a 2-1 win over England in a crucial Euro 2008 qualifier last October and netting three goals at Euro 2008 during Russia’s run to the semi-finals.
   Germany will be at full-strength with strikers Lukas Podolski and Miroslav Klose playing in front of a midfield expected to contain Bastian Schweinsteiger, Frings, Ballack and Thomas Hitzelsperger.
   But having been the surprise package of Euro 2008, the Russian team will present the Germans with few new surprises as Low has had them watched extensively.
   And Arshavin is no longer the surprise package he was and seems destined to leave UEFA Cup holders Zenit St Petersburg a big European club as both Tottenham Hotspur and Barcelona have expressed an interest.
   ‘I know my future doesn’t lie in Russia, I am not 20 anymore and I want a new challenge,’ said the 27-year-old.

Russia’s midfield star Andrei Arshavin said Friday his team would be happy to take a point from Group Four rivals Germany when the pair meet in their World Cup qualifier today.
   The 27-year-old Zenit St Petersburg star was one of Russia’s most eye-catching performers during Euro 2008 where his side reached the semi-final by playing attractive attacking football.
   ‘It would be a good result if we could take a point away with us,’ said Arshavin.
   Groups leaders Germany will be at full strength Saturday with captain Michael Ballack and midfielder Torsten Frings back from injury playing behind strikers Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski.
   ‘The most dangerous part of the German team is their attack,’ said the attacking midfielder.
   ‘And a team in which Michael Ballack plays is already dangerous.’
   Dortmund’s 80,000-seater Signal Iduna Park stadium is an intimidating venue for visiting teams, but Arshavin insists his attack-minded side have no fear.
   ‘To play in such a stadium is extremely difficult for visiting teams, but in our team there are people who don’t fear anything,’ said the Russian.
   Russia coach Guus Hiddink has a few injury worries with striker Roman Pavlyuchenko, defender Denis Kolodin and midfielder Dmitry Torbinsky all ruled out.
   With Germany goalkeeper Robert Enke injured, the Russians will be up against debutant Rene Adler from Bayer Leverkusen.
   And the 61-year-old Dutchman agrees with his midfielder a point would be a good result for Russia.
   ‘To come to Germany and get a point from a stadium like the one we see in Dortmund would be an absolute top result,’ said Hiddink, whose side beat Wales 2-1 in Moscow last month.
   ‘We have analysed the Germans in detail.
   ‘We know that they rarely lose their concentration and will score goals right up until the last seconds.
   ‘A Germany team will never give up.’

Italy’s preparations for their World Cup qualifiers against Bulgaria and Montenegro have been disrupted by injuries to key players, but coach Marcello Lippi remains confident that they can build on their opening wins.
   Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has been ruled out for a month with a back problem, whilst his Juventus teammate, midfielder Mauro Camoranesi needs 20 days to recover from a tear in his right thigh.
   As such Lippi will continue the team’s evolution that he began when retaking the reigns in July and has no fears over filling the gap left by Camoranesi, with either Udinese winger Simone Pepe or Villarreal’s ex-Manchester United forward Giuseppe Rossi likely to benefit.
   Lippi said: ‘Rossi is ready to play. He is quick, clever and complete. He can play as the main and support striker, out wide, in the middle and has experience from his time at Manchester United.’
   ‘Pepe hugs the line, gives us space, covers, attacks, scores goals and is an alternative to Camoranesi. I wanted to call him up in September.’
   Palermo goalkeeper Marco Amelia is set to win his fifth cap in place of the injured Buffon, having been at the other end of the pitch when Buffon injured his back last Sunday and he realises that with Buffon in front of him, the chance to add to his appearances doesn’t come very often.
   He told the Italian FA website (www.figc.it): ‘I know my role with Italy. With Buffon in front of me I have to stay calm, train well and make sure I’m ready when the chance comes and make the most of the opportunity.’
   One player who will be expected to take on greater responsibility with so many new faces is central midfielder Danielle De Rossi, who is expected to line up alongside AC Milan’s Gennaro Gattuso in a fearsome midfield pairing.
   The Roma player scored both goals in the victory over Georgia and said that fellow east Europeans Bulgaria, who they face in Sofia on Saturday, and Montenegro, who are the visitors in Lecce next Wednesday, cannot be underestimated either.
   ‘Montenegro and Bulgaria have important players in the biggest leagues in Europe. But this time it is not enough to just win, but we need to play with a better style of play than in the last two games,’ said De Rossi.
   Italy have a maximum six points from their opening two games while Bulgaria have one point from one match.

Brazilian forward Ronaldo has not ruled out a future partnership with Robinho at Manchester City but admits his first aim is to return to full fitness.
   The three-time FIFA World Player of the Year is poised to take a full part in Monday’s training session with Flamengo having recovered from a career-threatening knee injury sooner than expected.
   Ronaldo sustained the injury eight months ago while playing for AC Milan and since becoming a free agent in the summer, he can be picked up for no transfer fee.
   Paris St Germain are reportedly keen to acquire his services but City are understood to be no longer interested since the arrival of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan at Eastlands.
   ‘Paris is a city that I love and they have a great project to win the league title,’ admitted Ronaldo in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.
   ‘However, at (Manchester) City I have Robinho, who is a great friend of mine.
   ‘But we will see, in the past few days we have spoken.
   ‘For the time being, my only aim is to return to playing, the rest will follow.’
   The 32-year-old also has an option to remain at Flamengo.
   ‘There’s a great bond between Flamengo and me,’ said Ronaldo. ‘It’s the team I love.
   ‘It’s true that they would want me to stay. But this will remain a great dream because at this time I have no intention of making a decision.’
   The former Barcelona and Real Madrid star hopes that the worst is over and he can now focus on doing what he loves best.
   ‘I am training hard and I am really looking forward to playing again,’ he said.
   ‘I’ve started to train with the ball and practising with some team-mates.
   ‘I don’t have much strength in my muscles yet but the knee doesn’t give me any pain, which is the most important thing.
   ‘One thing is clear, if I didn’t have a profound love for football, I would not be here making all these sacrifices.’

Luka Modric’s incisive attacking midfield play was a feature for Croatia at last summer’s Euro finals until a quarter-final loss to Turkey - but a summer move to Tottenham has seen him lose his way.
   With Croatia having lost at home to England to dent their World Cup qualifying hopes, Modric is at a crossroads and said his compatriots have to dig deep today against Ukraine.
   Of the Turkish defeat he says: ‘It’s a match none of us will easily forget but we have to push it to the back of our minds.’
   Modric could easily have ended the game a national hero as he set up a goal for Ivan Klasnic a minute before the end of extra-time - only for the Turks to fight back in the dying seconds.
   And to add insult to injury, Modric missed his spotkick in the ensuing shootout.
   Slaven Bilic’s ‘little genius’, who wears the number 14 shirt in honour of his hero Johan Cruyff, then had to endure last month’s 4-1 home thumping by England, a result which makes three points a must for the Ukraine match.
   ‘In time it will be easier to talk about it - but we have to leave this painful business behind us during the qualifiers for the World Cup,’ insists Modric.
   He and his teammates were shaken by Croatia’s first loss at the Maksimir stadium in Zagreb to an England team buoyed by Theo Walcott’s sparkling hat-trick.
   And now they will hope that Modric, the sole Croatian chosen in the FIFA team of the tournament at the Euros, can begin reproducing the form of last summer and escape the trough into which he has fallen at White Hart Lane.
   ‘I am sure that qualifying for the World Cup would erase all the bad memories of the evening against the Turks and once we get there I hope to show the kind of form I did at the Euro,’ says the slightly-built dynamo.
   Modric is candid about his form at Tottenham, who are rock bottom of the English Premiership after taking just two points from seven matches.
   ‘I am not satisfied with my game at Tottenham. I have to do better and I can do better. The problem has been a knee problem - it’s been causing me pain,’ he explains.
   Aware that a crisis of confidence for Modric could sap team morale generally coach Bilic recently came over to London to check on his star.
   ‘I am worried about the results at Tottenham, where some of our key players are playing - defender Vedran Corluka and in particular Luka Modric,’ Bilic admitted.
   Modric arrived with a glowing reputation for a transfer fee of 21 million euros, a record for a Croatian.

To be fair to the journalist responsible for the question, Wayne Rooney’s ginger beard does make him look like a Quaker Founding Father. Either that or Malcolm Glazer’s sixth and youngest son.
   But Rooney was still left stunned this week when he was asked if he had become something of a father figure to 19-year-old Theo Walcott.
   ‘I’m only 22,’ he said, incredulous at such a suggestion.
   Rooney certainly does appear older than his passport would have us think and the 46 caps he has so far amassed make him one of the more experienced members of Fabio Capello’s England squad.
   But he very much remains the kid with a head full of dreams. From winning the World Cup to being recognised as the finest footballer on the planet.
   For England’s most gifted player, individual accolades have not been as forthcoming as he perhaps would have liked.
   Colleagues at club as well as international level have enjoyed such recognition - Frank Lampard and David Beckham have finished second at FIFA’s World Player of the Year gala - but Rooney has had to be content with a place on the longer shortlists.
   ‘Hopefully, I can get there one day,’ said Rooney. ‘Players like Ronaldo and Messi deserve to be up there for the way they’ve played. But if I keep working and progressing I’d like to think I could get among them eventually.
   ‘The team is the key for me, though, and playing for England as often and as long as I can. I was speaking about it with a few lads a couple of days ago. About how disappointed I am that I don’t have a lot more caps.
   ‘I’ve missed games through suspension and injury, and of course there were no Euros for us. If all had gone well I could have more than 60 by now.’
   It would help if he could deliver as consistently at international level as he has done for Manchester United. Suggesting his efforts against Croatia last month amounted to his first decent performance for England since Euro 2004 is about as well received as the father-figure line.
   But he does acknowledge that, while he was outstanding in Zagreb, his form has been indifferent in previous internationals. He knows because he actually makes a point of studying every game in which he has played.
   ‘As players, I think we have all been disappointed with ourselves,’ he said. ‘We didn’t play well in the Euro qualifiers and the previous games.
   ‘At the start of the season I could have played better, but I’ve watched all the games back on video. There were still times when I did play well, but because I haven’t scored I’ve been criticised. As a forward you expect that. But because I scored, and because of the way I played, that second 45 minutes against Croatia was probably my best performance for England. As a team, too, that’s the best 45 minutes we’ve played since I’ve been involved with England.’
   His own game, he explains, has changed. At Everton he survived on instinct alone, and it was playing with that instinct, with that raw power, talent and aggression, that made such an impact during Euro 2004.
   But at Manchester United he has developed into someone he regards as a better player and against Croatia he took the opportunity to demonstrate as much.
   ‘I did well at Euro 2004, scored a few goals, but I’ve improved since then,’ he said.
   ‘When I first started at Everton we didn’t have so much possession of the ball, so when you got it you just had to try and do something quick.
   ‘At United, though, we get a lot more possession. It gives you time to think. You think about where you’re going to run, where you’re going to play the ball. It’s not just on instinct.
   ‘At United we keep possession by moving the ball quickly, especially against teams that just want to defend. With England we’re looking to do that as well.’
   Rooney says he benefits from the extra dimension Walcott has introduced to England and he is keen to develop a relationship that could prosper even more if Capello does deploy them in a three-man attack with Emile Heskey against Kazakhstan today.
   ‘Theo has made a big impact,’ said Rooney. ‘He’s probably the quickest player I’ve ever seen and he’s brought something different to the side.
   ‘Against Andorra in the first half he was brilliant, creating chances for us, and against Croatia he was outstanding. He deserved his three goals. We’d seen what he could do in training but he was finally given the chance to play on the big stage and he produced for us.’
   Walcott’s arrival, and the standard of that performance against Croatia, does leave Rooney so much more positive about England’s future. The Zagreb match, to him, is not so much the pinnacle but the beginning.
   ‘We can play even better than that,’ he said. ‘Hopefully, in the up and coming games. ‘I really believe we can and if you look at the players we have I don’t see why we shouldn’t. Especially now we’ve got our confidence back.’
   Not to mention their best form.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter on Friday said he was confident that South Africa would be able to meet its commitments associated with staging the 2010 World Cup.
   ‘Be confident in Africa and in Africans - I know they are capable of doing that which they are called to do,’ Blatter said on a visit to Belgrade.
   ‘Things are on schedule, four stadiums are currently under construction and everything will be ready for the Confederations Cup which will be held next year in South Africa,’ Blatter said.

Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor has shunned Togo ahead of a crucial 2010 World Cup-African Nations Cup qualifier against Swaziland here today.
   The best-known Togolese footballer blames organisational chaos for refusing to play in a Group 11 clash the 2006 World Cup qualifiers must win to have a chance of reaching the final qualifying phase next year.
   ‘I told football officials in Togo they must change the way they organise trips if they want me to play for the national team again,’ Adebayor told a London newspaper.
   ‘I’m not retiring for good as I love my country, but I had to wait at an airport for 14 hours when we played in Swaziland. It is abnormal and I won’t let it happen again.
   ‘We get to the airport early in the morning and then stay there until it’s dark. After sleeping on the benches we fly through the night and get to our destination early on the day of the match.’
   This will be the second consecutive match Adebayor misses after refusing to fly to Zambia from Togo last month when the national football federation president could not accompany the ‘Sparrowhawks’ owing to a funeral.
   ‘Last month we were preparing to play our third qualifier and I had not seen the president of the federation once so I told other officials the ‘big boss’ must come with us to Zambia.
   ‘If we win it had to be together and if we lose we lose together. If the plane carrying us to Lusaka crashes, we all die together,’ said Adebayor, whose goals were pivotal to the shock qualification of Togo for the last World Cup.
   ‘But the president still would not come, sending his deputy instead, so I preferred to come back to London to play for Arsenal, who showed they needed me.’
   Togo have been beset by problems as they attempt to defy the critics again and reach the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the first time the competition will be staged on the continent.
   France-based coach Henri Stambouli quit ahead of the loss in Zambia just four months after declaring his appointment was ‘a big day, a seminal moment for Togolese football.’
   But after a narrow triumph over Zambia here was followed by a shock away loss to Swaziland, the former coach of Guinea and Mali lamented the lack of support from Togolese football officials.

Chelsea on Friday began proceedings in England’s High Court aimed at recovering 16 million pounds they paid for John Mikel Obi.
   The Nigerian midfielder joined Chelsea in June 2006 with the London club paying four million pounds to Norwegian club FC Lyn Oslo and a further 12 million to Manchester United, who had a prior agreement to sign the player.
   Chelsea are claiming all of the money back from Lyn and their former chief executive Morgan Andersen as they now believe that the player was not under contract to the Norwegian club at the time.
   The claim is based on details that emerged in a recent court case which resulted in Andersen being convicted for fraud.
   A Chelsea statement said: ‘At the time of the transfer, Chelsea, Lyn and Manchester United agreed that the fees paid would be in final settlement of the transfer, any claims related to it and that no further action or comment regarding the transfer would be made.

Rejuvenated England, European kings Spain and Italy, the defending champions, hope their young guns can fire them closer to the 2010 World Cup finals today.
   But former champions Germany and France, whose qualifying campaigns have yet to hit top gear, will be looking to the tried and trusted to spark them closer to South Africa.
   England, under Fabio Capello, have enjoyed two wins from two games, the last of which was an impressive 4-1 win in Croatia which propelled the team to the top of Group Six and sent Arsenal teenager Theo Walcott’s reputation into orbit.
   The 19-year-old, who was selected by Capello’s predecessor Sven-Goran Eriksson for the 2006 finals, never got off the bench in Germany.
   But his hat-trick in Zagreb last month should make him a first choice in Saturday’s clash with minnows Kazakhstan at Wembley and against Belarus in Minsk four days later.
   ‘As a young player it’s difficult to come in front of the media or a room full of senior internationals and start holding court, but he can do it,’ said international team-mate Rio Ferdinand.
   Walcott is set to form a quicksilver partnership with Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney, still only 22, and who grabbed the other goal in Croatia although England will be without skipper John Terry who has back injury.
   Spain, whose enthralling dedication to attack carried them to the Euro 2008 title, will again be looking to the fleetfooted talents of 21-year-old Arsenal star Cesc Fabregas and Liverpool striker Fernando Torres, 24, for the goals against Group Five whipping boys Estonia.
   Spain have a maximum six points and have yet to concede a goal while the Baltic side have shipped 10 in their first two outings.
   But Spanish coach Vicente del Bosque has warned his team not to get too complacent.
   ‘Even when it comes to a national team that are European champions, staying static is not a good thing,’ said the former Real Madrid coach.
   Defending world champions Italy’s preparations for their qualifiers against Bulgaria and Montenegro have been disrupted by injuries to key players, but coach Marcello Lippi remains confident that they can build on their opening wins.
   Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has been ruled out with a back problem, whilst his Juventus team-mate, midfielder Mauro Camoranesi has a right thigh strain.
   But Lippi has no fears over filling the gap left by Camoranesi, with either Udinese winger Simone Pepe or Villarreal’s ex-Manchester United forward Giuseppe Rossi likely to benefit.
   Lippi said: ‘Rossi is ready to play. He is quick, clever and complete. He can play as the main and support striker, out wide, in the middle and has experience from his time at Manchester United.’
   ‘Pepe hugs the line, gives us space, covers, attacks, scores goals and is an alternative to Camoranesi.’
   Italy also have a maximum six points from two games.
   France, champions in 1998 and runners-up in 2006, travel to Romania lying in fourth place in Group Seven after losing to Austria in their opener before squeezing out a 2-1 win over Serbia.
   Defeat on Saturday could cost coach Raymond Domenech his job with the faltering World Cup campaign coming in the wake of their humiliating Euro 2008.
   He has been boosted by the return of captain Patrick Vieira, who was part of the squad but never played at Euro 2008 as he recovered from a left thigh injury, and Franck Ribery.
   Both players missed the first two qualifiers.
   Ribery is itching to rejoin the national cause, having watched the first couple of qualifiers as a frustrated armchair viewer after picking up an ankle problem against Italy at the European championships.
   He says there’s a big difference between this side and the one that made it all the way to the 2006 World Cup final.
   ‘At the World Cup we were in top form and full of confidence. Here, we’ve got a new group, and we’ve got ourselves in a difficult situation which we haven’t experienced before,’ said the Bayern Munich star.
   Germany top Group Four with four points from two games and face a tricky home clash against Russia, who defeated Wales in their only qualifier so far, in Dortmund.
   ‘If we make too many mistakes, we will be punished without mercy,’ admitted Germany coach Joachim Low whose side hammered minnows Liechtenstein 6-0 last time out just days after their fragile defence creaked in the 3-3 draw with Finland.
   Midfield generals Michael Ballack and Torsten Frings are both back from injury.
   In contrast, Russia coach Guus Hiddink has injury problems with striker Roman Pavlyuchenko, defender Denis Kolodin and midfielder Dmitry Torbinsky all ruled out.
   Pavlyuchenko has been Russia’s key striker for the past 12 months, scoring both goals in a 2-1 win over England in a crucial Euro 2008 qualifier last October and netting three goals at Euro 2008 during Russia’s run to the semi-finals.
   There are 24 qualifiers in Europe today.
   
   Fixtures
   Group One
   Denmark v Malta
   Hungary v Albania
   Sweden v Portugal
   Group Two
   Greece v Moldova
   Luxembourg v Israel
   Switzerland v Latvia
   Group Three
   Poland v Czech Republic
   San Marino v Slovakia
   Slovenia v Northern Ireland
   Group Four
   Finland v Azerbaijan
   Germany v Russia
   Wales v Liechtenstein
   Group Five
   Belgium v Armenia
   Estonia v Spain
   Turkey v Bosnia-Herzegovina
   Group Six
   England v Kazakhstan
   Ukraine v Croatia
   Group Seven
   Faroe Islands v Austria
   Romania v France
   Serbia v Lithuania
   Group Eight
   Bulgaria v Italy
   Georgia v Cyprus
   Group Nine
   Holland v Iceland
   Scotland v Norway

Fabio Capello on Friday warned England that their impressive win in Croatia last month will count for nothing if they fail to beat Kazakhstan’s mystery men at Wembley today.
   England go into their third World Cup qualifier under the Italian looking to build on the momentum generated by the stunning 4-1 victory in Zagreb.
   But they will have to do without two members of the team that secured that win, captain John Terry, who was ruled out on Friday with a back injury, and his Chelsea team-mate Joe Cole.
   ‘I was very happy with the performance against Croatia but it is only three points,’ Capello said. ‘We have to win tomorrow.’
   The Italian issued an appeal to the England fans who have booed their own players on their last three Wembley outings to show patience if the Kazakhs, about whom Capello admits he knows little, prove difficult to break down.
   ‘It is very important for the group, for the spirit and the confidence in the team that we win,’ he said. ‘I think tomorrow we will play with more confidence and I hope the crowd will help us.
   ‘I know the crowd hope we will win and play a nice game. There is a big expectation but it is normal for the England team.
   ‘It is possible we will not score very early and we have to be patient. I remember the old Wembley atmosphere and that helped the England players a lot.
   ‘I spoke with the players. We have to play with confidence, better than the last game we played here.
   ‘I said a lot of times we have a good team with very important players. It is important we won against Croatia and now we are better than when we last played at Wembley.
   ‘We are more confident, more compact, more of a team than we were before. I’m sure we will play well against Kazakhstan.’
   Fellow centreback Rio Ferdinand will stand in for Terry as captain with Joleon Lescott the favourite to partner the Manchester United man at the heart of the defence.
   ‘I know exactly who will play on Saturday. When I decide the squad I always think it is possible John Terry, Rio (Ferdinand) or another one can get injured,’ Capello said.
   The Italian might know his team but he offered few clues as to how he would alter his line-up. He is being tipped to field an attacking line-up with Emile Heskey, Wayne Rooney and Theo Walcott up front, ahead of a narrow midfield trio of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Gareth Barry.
   Gerrard missed the trip to Croatia through injury and may well have found himself on the bench had Joe Cole been fit.
   Instead, Capello will attempt to succeed where his predecessors failed by finding a midfield system that can accomodate both the Liverpool captain and Lampard, currently in the form of his life for Chelsea.
   ‘Gerrard is a very important player for Liverpool and for us,’ Capello said. ‘He is a fantastic player, he can score goals, make passes and assists and I am very happy he is back.
   ‘I tried something in training and I have 24 hours to decide the good position for the midfielders.’
   Kazakhstan’s squad have arrived in England in a state of flux following the dismissal of Dutch coach Arno Pijpers last month in the wake of a 3-0 away defeat in Croatia and a 3-1 loss at home to Ukraine in their opening qualifiers.
   Germany’s Berndt Stork, the under-21 coach brought in as interim boss of the senior team, has made sweeping changes to the squad with the result that Capello believes he will have only seen four of the starting XI that will appear at Wembley.
   ‘It is difficult. They have a lot of young players coming from the under 21s and I have not even seen one video of these players.’

Brazil and Argentina will seek to close in on top spot this weekend in Latin American World Cup qualifiers with the samba stars travelling to Venezuela while the ‘albiceleste’ host neighbouring Uruguay.
   The two giants, who between them have won seven World Cups, both stand four points behind surprise package Paraguay after eight matches but Brazil will expect to reduce the margin by claiming three points in San Cristobal on Sunday.
   Olympic champions Argentina will have, on paper at least, a harder task to make short work of a Uruguayan side which, while not comparing to the World Cup-winning vintages of 1930 and 1950, nonetheless stands only a point behind their hosts.
   A Uruguayan win would vault them to provisional second in the table and, having already dropped home points to the Paraguayans, Argentina – as well as, more alarmingly, to Ecuador – cannot take their visitors lightly as they seek to end a six-match run of draws.
   Coach Alfio Basile is, if local media reports are to be believed, set to play three up front – Carlos Tevez, Leo Messi and Sergio Aguero – but leave Juan Roman Riquelme benched.
   That is likely to be more a tactical choice than one of a personal nature – Boca Juniors star Riquelme was earlier this week described by Paraguayan club-mate Julio Cesar Caceres as being a ‘complicated person who is difficult to get on with.’
   The spat came with Boca having lost three of their last four matches.
   Former Manchester United defender Gabriel Heinze is set to feature alongside Nicolas Burdisso and Martin Demichelis despite an own goal against Paraguay, after which he was dropped.
   Liverpool’s midfield hardman Javier Mascherano will boss the engine room.
   Brazil, having seen Argentina hold them to a goalless draw on home soil last June and then suffered the same result at home to modest Bolivia, have blown hot and cold in their matches but have managed to stay in touch.
   Coach Dunga has to overcome injuries to Chelsea’s Alex and Julio Baptista of Roma – their replacements are Hamburg defender Silva and Porto Alegre winger Alex – but should benefit from the return of star midfielder Kaka, the 2007 European footballer of the Year.
   The AC Milan star’s last qualifier was against Uruguay, in November 2007 prior to a knee injury which required surgery.
   Porto Alegre’s Alex said he was delighted to have made the squad.
   ‘This is a childhood dream,’ the Brazilian Football Confederation quoted him as saying and explaining how his father predicted when he was just four that ‘one day you’ll play for Brazil.’
   On hearing of his call up he phoned and told his father, ‘Pop, you were right. I’ve got the call-up.’
   Only two of the Brazilians are home-based whereas five are playing in the English Premiership – midfielders Lucas of Liverpool, Anderson of Manchester Unite and Manchester City’s Elano and City strikers Jo and Robinho.
   Dunga has left out Kaka clubmate Ronaldinho, explaining that ‘Ronaldinho has not had enough time to improve with his new club. He is missing rhythm’.
   Dunga is expected to send out an attacking line-up with Kaka supporting Robinho and Inter Milan’s Adriano. Venezuela are in the bottom three and are five points off the fifth place which would mean a playoff against the fourth-placed team in the CONCACAF zone for a backdoor World Cup finals berth in South Africa.
   Paraguay’s quest to hold on to their top spot has been hit by injury to Blackburn striker Roque Santa Cruz, who misses today’s trip to Colombia with a pulled leg muscle suffered in Saturday’s 2-0 home defeat to Premiership champions Manchester United.
   Eduardo Lara will be out to make a winning start as coach of the Colombians having replaced sacked Jorge Luis Pinto, fired after losses to Uruguay and Chile.
   Colombia are presently sixth in the table after eight matches, three points adrift of the fourth and last automatic qualifying spot for the finals.
   In a bottom of the table encounter today, Bolivia will make Peru clamber up to high altitude at La Paz while Chile, level on points with Argentina and Brazil, will travel to an Ecuador side still in contention.
   
   Fixtures
   Saturday
   Bolivia v Peru
   Argentina v Uruguay
   Colombia v Paraguay
   Sunday
   Venezuela v Brazil
   Ecuador v Chile

For a team that has had precious little to laugh about recently this week’s night out at a popular Parisian comedy club will have come as welcome relief to Raymond Domenech’s France team.
   After France’s dismal Euro 2008 campaign when they returned home with one goal and one point, it looked as if Domenech’s time as coach was up.
   Yet rather than wielding the axe his French Football Federation employers elected to put the 56-year-old on probation and shake-up the national team’s management structure.
   Results since then have been mixed.
   France got their 2010 World Cup campaign off to an embarrassing start with a 3-1 loss to Austria, ranked 105th in the world, in Vienna.
   Then followed a 2-1 home win against Serbia to hand Domenech a much needed lifeline, and he’ll be looking for a repeat performance from his men on Saturday against a side that held the former world champions to a goalless draw at Euro 2008.
   Vultures are hovering over the head of the embattled Les Bleus manager whose fate is the ‘plat du jour’ when the FFF meet in Paris next Wednesday.
   The general opinion is that only a win against Romania will suffice if Domenech is to survive as France coach.
   France go into the game on three points in Group 7, one off the foot of the table which is topped by Lithuania on six points.
   Domenech has received a timely double boost with the return of captain Patrick Vieira, who was part of the squad but never played at Euro 2008 as he recovered from a left thigh injury, and Franck Ribery.
   Both players missed the first two qualifiers.
   Vieira’s return has been accompagnied by a controversial claim in a French newspaper that he had been prepared to accelerate his healing process at the Euro by taking a substance called Actovegin.
   This is a medication based on veal’s blood available in Germany, but not France.
   Vieira denied the report, telling Thursday’s L’Equipe: ‘I was annoyed (when I read the report)... I don’t want to put my health in danger.’
   Ribery is itching to rejoin the national cause, having watched the first couple of qualifiers as a frustrated armchair viewer after picking up an ankle problem against Italy at the European championships.
   He says there’s a big difference between this side and the one that made it all the way to the 2006 World Cup final.
   ‘At the World Cup we were in top form and full of confidence. Here, we’ve got a new group, and we’ve got ourselves in a difficult situation which we haven’t experienced before.’
   Ribery had advice to his less experienced colleagues like Karim Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa.
   ‘Some of them will perhaps be afraid of the pressure from the media or from fans. But we have to dare, to try things, dribble and shoot at goal. We’ve got good players.’
   One that won’t be joining Ribery and co in Romania is defender William Gallas, who is out with a strained right thigh. Lyon’s Jean-Alain Boumsong will act as the Arsenal star’s replacement.
   Rennes striker Jimmy Briand is on standby in case Ben Arfa or Nicolas Anelka are forced to pull out.
   Romania, like France on three points, are due to field Fiorentina striker Adrian Mutu and captain Cristi Chivu.
   Local side CFR Cluj, who have caused a sensation in the Champions League by beating AS Roma and drawing with Chelsea, have one representative in midfielder Gabriel Muresan.

France’s lack of adventure contributed to their lacklustre start in the World Cup qualifying campaign, midfielder Franck Ribery said on Thursday.
   The inspirational player, who has been sidelined with an ankle injury since June, will be returning to international duty against Romania today. In his absence France started their qualifiers with a 3-1 defeat by Austria before beating Serbia 2-1.
   ‘What I felt during the last two matches is that we were afraid to try things,’ Ribery told reporters at the team’s base outside Paris. ‘We must take risks. We’re France, we’ve got good players. We must enjoy ourselves on the pitch.’
   Ribery, who said he felt fit enough to play 70 minutes, is expected to play on the right wing with Yoann Gourcuff taking over the playmaking duties for the Group Seven match in the Black Sea Port of Constanta.
   ‘He’s a player who reads the game well, who’s always in a good position and who feels at ease with the ball,’ Ribery said of Gourcuff. ‘He could be useful for me for one-two combinations and could find space for me.’
   The 25-year-old Ribery is aware that a bad result in Romania could cost coach Raymond Domenech his job but the Bayern Munich player did not want to get distracted by the speculations.

Five-times champions Brazil are capable of losing to any team right now, said striker Robinho ahead of Sunday’s World Cup qualifier in Venezuela.
   Brazil, winners of all 17 previous meetings against Venezuela, slumped to a shock 2-0 defeat against their South American rivals in Boston in June to spark a form slide that has left coach Dunga’s job in danger.
   Dunga’s side have won once in four outings since, beating Chile 3-0 last month and failing to score in the other three games.
   ‘A lot of people don’t treat Venezuela with respect because they don’t have much tradition but we know that nowadays Brazil can lose to any side,’ Robinho told reporters. ‘We have to work with humility and respect.
   ‘Each game is a different story, this match is a new chapter and Brazil will be prepared,’ added the Manchester City player.
   Full back Maicon said confidence sagged after the defeat by Venezuela.
   ‘It was a game in which nothing went right for us and it damaged morale because we had never lost to Venezuela,’ said Maicon.
   ‘But that was a friendly and this is a World Cup qualifier. They will attack us because they are confident and have the backing of the crowd but we hope to play a good game.’

Liverpool and Spain striker Fernando Torres admits it would be a dream come true for him to be awarded the 2008 Ballon d’Or.
   Torres is among the contenders to land the accolade, which is presented in December, after enjoying an impressive last 12 months.
   The former Atletico Madrid forward netted 33 goals in all competitions during his debut campaign on Merseyside last term.
   He then played a key role in Spain’s Euro 2008 glory, scoring the decisive strike in their triumph over Germany in the final.
   Torres faces stiff competition from the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi for the prize and concedes he never previously thought it realistic that he would be in the running to be named European Footballer of the Year.
   He told L’Equipe: ‘When I have watched the Ballon d’Or presentation on television I saw the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldinho and Kaka.
   ‘I told myself that trophy was for players from another galaxy. Now I am among the candidates, and I cannot believe it.
   ‘Winning the award would be like climbing to the top of Everest and touching the sky.’
   Torres also expressed his joy at playing for Liverpool, adding: ‘I am at ease in England. I wanted to play there so strongly, to discover the Premier League.
   ‘At Liverpool I have started a second life. It is great.’

Germany goalkeeper Robert Enke will be out for three months after having surgery for a broken hand on Friday and will miss the World Cup qualifiers against Russia and Wales.
   The 31-year-old, who succeeded Jens Lehmann as die Mannschaft’s goalkeeper after Euro 2008, broke the scaphoid bone in his left hand in training on Wednesday afternoon and had surgery to insert a screw on Friday.
   The Hanover shot-stopper will miss today’s Group Four game in Dortmund against Russia as well as the match with Wales in Borussia Moenchegladbach next Wednesday.
   It means either Werder Bremen’s Tim Wiese or Bayer Leverkusen’s Rene Adler will make their debut on Saturday.
   Enke will be replaced in the Hanover team by former Germany Under-21 goalkeeper Florian Fromlowitz.