AUCKLAND:   Wales bring form, confidence and a fearless attitude to the first rugby World Cup semi-final against France at Eden Park on Saturday. A generation of Welsh players struggled in the shadow of the team who ruled Europe in the 1970s and as recently as last November the national team were assailed on all sides when they drew 16-16 with Fiji. This year, Fiji, who eliminated Wales from the 2007 World Cup, were drawn in Wales’ group again along with defending champions South Africa and Samoa, who upset Wales in the 1991 World Cup and again eight years later. Pessimists feared the Welsh could even fail to advance from the group stages. However, instead of faltering under the pressure they have flourished. They lost by a point to South Africa in a match they should have won and then swept Samoa and Fiji aside to set up a quarter-final against Ireland. Last weekend’s 22-10 victory over Ireland, who defeated Australia in the pool stages, revealed a team hitting their peak with a tough forward pack setting a platform for a backline combining brute strength with old-fashioned Welsh subtlety and invention. One major plus for Wales has been the belated return

LONDON:  Liverpool want a larger share of the overseas TV rights money currently negotiated collectively by the Premier League on behalf of the clubs and have raised the prospect of negotiating their own deal, British media reported on Wednesday. Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre was quoted in The Guardian saying the break-up of the established broadcasting deal for English top flight clubs is “a debate that has to happen” with the Anfield club favouring the Spanish model. The 1.4 billion pounds international rights deal covering the 2010-13 period is shared equally between all the Premier League clubs. In Spain, Barcelona and Real Madrid negotiate their own individual TV contracts. The Guardian said Ayre believes the Premier League’s four biggest global draws — Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal — deserve an increased share of overseas TV revenue from 2013 to match their global popularity. “Personally I think the game-changer is going out and recognising our brand globally,” said Ayre. “Maybe the path will be individual TV rights like they do in Spain. There are so many things moving in that particular area. “What is absolutely certain is that, with the greatest of respect to our colleagues in the Premier League,

PARIS: Enticed to the Middle East by bumper contracts and the intrigue of new frontiers, Zico and Frank Rijkaard head a list of elite coaches whose reputations are on the line in Asia’s 2014 World Cup qualifiers. Iraq coach Zico and his Saudi Arabia counterpart Rijkaard (picture, below) reflect the changing sporting landscape of a region thrust into the global spotlight by Qatar’s sensational victory in the race to host the 2022 World Cup. The prospect of a first ever World Cup in the region has fired local imaginations, and high-profile coaches with European experience have been among the most notable beneficiaries. Zico and Rijkaard are both tied to lucrative salaries, while former Real Madrid coach Carlos Queiroz’s contract at the helm of the Iran national team is worth around US$2 million a year. Neither Zico, Rijkaard nor Queiroz has ever coached in the region before and all inherited teams bruised by disappointment at the Asian Cup, where Iran and Iraq fell in the last eight and the Saudis limped out in the group phase. The opening two matchdays in round three of the labyrinthine Asian qualifying tournament served to confirm the region’s competitiveness, with Australia and Jordan the only

WELLINGTON:   Hosts New Zealand and twice champions Australia set up their third World Cup semi-final on Sunday after the All Blacks defeated Argentina 33-10 and Australia scraped an 11-9 win over defending champions South Africa. Battle will resume at Auckland’s Eden Park next weekend where Wales will play France on Saturday followed by the All Blacks versus the Wallabies a day later. A final on October 23 between the remaining two teams from each hemisphere was guaranteed once Ireland upset twice champions Australia in the pool stages to ensure a quarter-final against Wales. New Zealand, seeking their first World Cup since the inaugural 1987 tournament, lost to the Wallabies in the 1991 and 2003 semi-finals. They will, though, be boosted by the knowledge that no side has won the Webb Ellis trophy after losing in the group stages. “Positive sides did well (in the quarter-finals) and that’s fantastic for the game,” Australia coach Robbie Deans said. “In the next couple of weeks, I have no doubt will be some of the best World Cup rugby we’ve ever seen because the bar just keeps going up in terms of the capability of all the sides.” Argentina, who finished third at the

SUZUKA:  Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel roared into the record books as Formula One’s youngest double world champion on Sunday after finishing third in a Japanese Grand Prix won by McLaren rival Jenson Button. The boyish 24-year-old German, who had started from pole position for the 12th time this season, had needed only a point at Suzuka to clinch his second successive crown with four races to spare. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, the previous youngest double world champion when he won for Renault aged 25 in 2006, was a close second to Button on a beautiful sunlit afternoon at the Honda-owned circuit. “Thank you so much, every single one,” said Vettel, his voice trembling with emotion as he choked back the tears behind his visor, over the team radio after being told he was the 2011 world champion. “We took nothing for granted and we did it.” There was to be no trademark raised digit as race winner but he was number one again anyway, only the ninth driver to take back-to-back championships and on the podium for the 14th time in 15 races this year. Vettel, congratulated by both Button and Alonso afterwards, now has 324 points to Button’s 210 and

SUZUKA  Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel snatched pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix in a thrilling qualifying session Saturday as he closed on a historic second consecutive world title. The German, winner of the last two races at Suzuka, scorched round the challenging lay-out to take his 12th pole of the season with a time of 1min 30.466secs, edging Briton Jenson Button of McLaren by just 0.009sec. The 24-year-old Vettel needs to finish just 10th or better in Japan to become the youngest Formula One driver to win back-to-back world titles. He can also clinch the championship if Button doesn’t win Sunday’s race. The pole was the 27th of Vettel’s career, and kept Red Bull’s perfect 2011 qualifying record intact with a 15th pole for the team in as many races this season. He was ecstatic to bounce back after a difficult start to the weekend, where he crashed in the final minute of the opening practice session on Friday. “Yesterday I went off in practice and damaged the car, and I didn’t have the afternoon to prepare the car for today,” Vettel said. “We sat down after the practice session this morning and tried to put everything together, and

WELLINGTON:  Wales advanced to the semi-final of the Rugby World Cup with a gripping 22-10 victory over Ireland here on Saturday thanks to a steely defence and superiority at the breakdown. It is the first time the Welsh, for whom captain Sam Warburton excelled in the loose and centre Jamie Roberts stood out as a midfield battering ram, have made the last four since the inaugural World Cup in 1987. The result continues Ireland’s history of having never advanced beyond the quarter-final stage, which they have reached on no fewer than four occasions. Wales scored three tries through Shane Williams, Mike Phillips and Jonathan Davies, Rhys Priestland hitting two conversions and Leigh Halfpenny bagging a long-range penalty. Keith Earls scored Ireland’s sole try, Ronan O’Gara claiming a penalty and conversion as Wales dominated the breakdown and nullified the Irish attack with an aggressive rush defence. Wales, knocked out of the last World Cup in France four years ago at the group stage, got off to a flying start when veteran wing Williams showed all his predatory skill to score his 56th try in his 84th match for his country. Charges from Roberts and Dan Lydiate set the Welsh up, a

MANCHESTER: England booked a place at the Euro 2012 finals on Friday while former champions France are among several teams who face nail-biting matches next week to determine their fate. Seven of the 16 teams for the tournament, are now known including co-hosts Poland and Ukraine, with five automatic berths are up for grabs in Tuesday’s final round of games. Fabio Capello’s Group G leaders England were the only side to book a spot on Friday with a 2-2 draw in Montenegro although Russia are virtually there after snatching a 1-0 win in Slovakia. The Russians need only a point against rank outsiders Andorra on Tuesday to win Group B. Three groups will go down to the wire with France hosting Bosnia next week in a winner-takes-all match in Paris after both won their penultimate Group D games, while Portugal and Denmark will meet in similar circumstances in Group H. The battle for supremacy in Group F will also be determined on Tuesday after Greece beat Croatia 2-0 to leapfrog their rivals into top spot. The fifth remaining automatic berth will go to the best runner-up with the other second-placed teams entering a two-legged playoff for the tournament’s remaining four

AUCKLAND:  As the English and French assemble their heavy artillery for Saturday’s rugby World Cup quarter-final, a common thrum of tension resonates in both camps with the stakes ratcheted as high as can be. As well as a place in the last four, the winners of the Eden Park battle will be afforded redemption for lukewarm group stage performances. The losers, however, can expect a torrid examination back home. So while both camps erect the siege barricades, claiming to be only concerned about themselves and not their opponents, there is no doubt both know precisely what to expect from their old enemy, and what needs to be done. “In the past France has traditionally needed this kind of electro-shock to give its best,” French coach Marc Lievremont told reporters on Friday. “We need to prove a point. We have had a good week … concentration and commitment has been bigger (in training) than in previous matches, that’s for sure. “Now we need to prove, on the pitch, that we have had a good week. We have to prove that we can play very well on the pitch, for the French support and for ourselves.” England appear to have struck an

SUZUKA:  Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel is almost certain to be crowned Formula One’s youngest double world champion in Japan this weekend, even if he suffers his worst result of the year. In fact, such is the 24-year-old German’s advantage that he could probably stay in bed on race day and still win the title. Vettel, the man who has won nine of 14 races and not finished lower than fourth in any grand prix since last October, needs just a single point to be sure of his second successive crown. He will not need even that if McLaren’s Jenson Button fails to win. The Japanese circuit is a track almost tailor-made for the Red Bull’s characteristics and one where Vettel has triumphed from pole position for the past two years. “Suzuka is one of my favourite tracks, it really couldn’t have been built any better,” said the German, who arrives in Japan on a roll after winning the last three races in Belgium, Italy and Singapore. “The 130R is legendary. It’s great fun to drive straight through this left-hand bend. I’m not the only one who loves this track and our car normally loves it too.” The only man who

PUNE: Blackburn Rovers manager Steve Kean has refused to quit despite growing calls from disgruntled fans for his dismissal and said he had a “special relationship” with the club’s Indian owners. Rovers, who were bought last year by Indian poultry firm Venky’s, are languishing one place off the bottom of the English Premier League after losing five of their opening seven matches. “I am not walking away,” Kean told reporters last night as his struggling team prepared for an exhibition match against local side Pune FC tomorrow, the first English Premier League side to play on Indian soil. The 4-0 defeat at home to Manchester City on Saturday prompted angry Rovers fans to demand the sacking of Kean, who replaced Sam Allardyce soon after Venky’s bought the club. Kean said the India trip would help his team regroup. “I am very confident that we will be climbing the table and be in a very strong position at the end of the season,” he said. Kean, whose troubled spell at Rovers is his first stint as a manager, said he had met the club’s owners after arriving in Pune on Wednesday. “Venky’s, as a family, have shown great support to me

AUCKLAND: , October 6, 2011 (AFP) – Jonny Wilkinson has said his status as England’s record points scorer won’t mean he’ll have the first crack at goalkicking duties instead of Toby Flood during Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final against France. Wilkinson is England’s highest points scorer with 1,177, but he has been below par in this tournament, with just nine successes from 20 goal attempts, whereas Flood, recalled for the France match, has nailed 10 of his 13 efforts. England manager Martin Johnson has paired fly-halves Wilkinson and Flood at Nos 10 and 12 respectively among four team changes in a bid to claim a third straight World Cup semi-final appearance. Wilkinson, who was the drop-goal hero of England’s 2003 World Cup final win over Australia in Sydney, said he was “hugely reassured” to have the 26-year-old Flood, who started his professional career as his understudy when the pair were at Newcastle, playing outside him against the unpredictable French. “The thing about having Toby there is hugely reassuring. It’s more so that there is always going to be someone making decisions,” Wilkinson said Thursday of the now Leicester playmaker. “If I’m at the bottom of a ruck there’s going to be

PUNE: Blackburn Rovers will hope for some respite from their domestic woes when they become the first English Premier League side to play in India this week. Rovers, owned by Indian poultry firm Venky’s, will take on local side Pune FC in an exhibition match in the western city of Pune on Friday and lead a series of coaching sessions with local youngsters. The match at the Balewadi Sports Complex was originally scheduled to be played in July, but was postponed following a bomb blast in Mumbai, 100km (60 miles) from Pune. Rovers, who narrowly avoided relegation last year, are currently languishing second-last in the Premiership after losing five of their opening seven matches. The 4-0 defeat at home to Manchester City on Saturday prompted angry Rovers fans to demand the dismissal of manager Steve Kean, who replaced Sam Allardyce soon after Venky’s bought the club last year. Rovers will be without at least nine regulars for the India trip, including Martin Olsson and Radosav Petrovic, who are on international duties this week for the Euro 2012 qualifiers and under-21 friendlies. But Pune FC coach Derrick Perreira said the game against an top flight English team would be a good

WELLINGTON:  The International Rugby Board (IRB) set themselves on a collision course with New Zealand over their threat to boycott the 2015 World Cup Tuesday as off-field controversies overshadowed preparations for the quarter-finals. On a day when Samoan centre Eliota Sapulo Fuimaona was banned from all rugby, Italy hooker Leonardo Ghiraldini suspended for 15 weeks and England centre Manu Tuilagi fined, France were first to name their side for this weekend’s matches. But all of this was overshadowed when the IRB ratcheted up the public relations battle with the New Zealand Rugby Union, telling them they could live without the All Blacks, should they carry out their threat to snub the 2015 tournament. Last week, NZRU chief executive Steve Tew said they lost NZ$13.2 million (6.4 million pounds) in revenue this year because of the World Cup and unless the world governing body changed its commercial model, it would consider not playing in England in four years’ time. “Does the World Cup need the All Blacks? It would be good for the All Blacks to be there,” IRB chief executive Mike Miller told local radio Tuesday. “Everyone is replaceable.” The All Blacks team, however, said they felt any World Cup

AUCKLAND: England’s off-field distractions continued at the rugby World Cup on Tuesday when centre Manu Tuilagi was fined for wearing a gumshield showing a sponsor’s logo – a week after his brother Alesana was fined for the same offence. An England spokesman said that Manu Tuilagi had also been fined NZ$10,000 ($7,590) by the International Rugby Board (IRB) for the “genuine error” of wearing a gumshield with the brand visible during the match against Georgia in Dunedin. The 20-year-old powerhouse, who has made a great impact for England after making his debut in the August warm-ups, said he and older brother Alesana, who plays for Samoa, wore the same brand. “Mine is the England one from the under-18s,” he told reporters at the team’s hotel. I wore it against Argentina (in England’s first game) but they didn’t know. “I coloured it in with marker pen for the Romania game.” Fans annoyed at what they considered the harsh penalty for Alesana raised thousands of dollars towards his fine with a televised “sausage sizzle” in Auckland. “That was awesome,” said Manu, who is unlikely to get such local support since deciding to switch his allegiance to England, where he plays for Leicester.

AUCKLAND:  Samoa centre Eliota Sapolu Fuimaono has been suspended from all rugby after he failed to appear at a judicial hearing in Auckland Tuesday after he criticised Welsh referee Nigel Owens on social networking website Twitter. Sapolu Fuimaono had labelled Owens “biased’ and a “racist” after his side’s 13-5 World Cup Pool D loss to South Africa on Friday and was ordered to appear at a hearing Tuesday. The IRB said the hearing was adjourned by judicial officer Jeff Blackett when Sapolu Fuimaono failed to appear. “The judicial officer determined that due to the players failure to attend the hearing he would adjourn the case to an appropriate time when he would face the charges against him,” the tournament organisers said in a statement. “Pending the holding of such hearing he ordered that Sapolu Fuimaono be provisionally suspended from all participation in the game of rugby union.” The Samoan had previously apologised and escaped punishment for an earlier outburst on the social media site in which he compared the scheduling of Samoa’s World Cup matches to the holocaust. Organisers said he had been issued with a formal warning for that initial outburst. The Samoan Rugby Union Tuesday accepted a charge

LONDON:  Former champions Colin Jackson and Daley Thompson hit out at drug cheats , saying they had wrecked some sports and ruined the reputation of athletics. “I don’t have any sympathy when it comes to cheats,” Jackson, twice world 110m hurdles champion, said at an anti-doping conference. Jackson and Thompson, twice Olympic decathlon champion, said athletes who took drugs to enhance their performance should face life-long bans from competition. “I would always say that a ban is never long enough,” Jackson said, adding that he felt “a sense of hatred” towards athletes who cheated. The Welshman said the actions of competitors such as British sprinter Dwain Chambers had “cast a massive shadow” over the achievements of clean athletes. In 2003, Chambers was given a two-year athletics ban and a lifetime Olympic ban for using tetrahydrogestrinone, or THG, a banned anabolic steroid. Chambers made a comeback to the sport and won gold over 60m at the European and world indoor championships in 2009 and 2010 respectively, though he remains barred from the Olympics. Thompson said life-long bans were the only way to send a strong message to cheats. “We need to take strong action,” he said. “And if occasionally an innocent

LONDON: Mohamed Bin Hammam has failed in his bid to be reinstated as head of Asian soccer by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said on Monday. The 62-year-old Qatari is serving a lifetime ban from soccer after being accused by FIFA of bribery during his failed bid to become the world governing body’s president in May. As the most senior AFC member, China’s Zhang Jilong assumed the roles of acting head and FIFA executive committee member after the ban. Mohamed was attempting to overturn that decision and be reinstated to both roles in the interim ahead of his CAS hearing into the FIFA ban and the AFC decision. Mohamed had ran against FIFA president Sepp Blatter but withdrew from the race on May 29 after being accused of handing $40,000 bribes in brown envelopes as a sweetener to Caribbean soccer officials to secure their vote. Blatter was re-elected unopposed for a fourth term three days later. Mohamed, who was re-elected unopposed for a third and final term as AFC head in January, has continually said he was innocent and is taking his case to CAS after having his appeal against the decision rejected

LONDON:   Just seven games into the Premier League season, Arsene Wenger all but conceded an Arsenal title challenge after a 2-1 defeat at north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur Sunday. A fourth defeat was compounded by a serious injury to France right back Bacary Sagna and Wenger was in a gloomy mood when asked about Arsenal’s chances of competing at the top. “At the moment we have to set ourselves a realistic target to get in touch with those teams who are fighting to stay in the Champions League,” Wenger told reporters. “To say we will win the league is not realistic. We are 12 points behind Manchester United and Manchester City so it is not realistic today to say that we will win the league. “We have to fight to come back into a much better position.” Sagna fell awkwardly under challenge from Benoit Assou-Ekotto in the second half and after leaving the field on a stretcher he was diagnosed with a fractured fibula, according to the French Football Federation. “The France team doctor, Fabrice Bryand, was informed by his Arsenal colleague of an unstable fracture to Bacary Sagna’s right fibula,” the FFF statement said. Since Wenger took charge of

AUCKLAND:  As the better part of 300 battered athletes picked over the scars earned in three weeks of blood, sweat, and yes, even a few tears, the seventh rugby World Cup had a very familiar look to it on Monday morning. For all the talk of the rise of the ‘minnows’, the thrills of a couple of major upsets and more than 50 hours of sometimes dramatic action in 40 pool matches, the top eight seeds duly took up their places in the quarter-finals. Ireland’s magnificent deconstruction of Australia at Eden Park, the first shock of the tournament, may not have stopped the Wallabies from progressing but it did have a major impact on how the tournament will play out. By usurping the Tri-Nations champions from their anticipated position as pool winners, the Irish helped ensure that hosts New Zealand, defending champions South Africa, Australia and Argentina were all in the same half of the draw. With England, France, Wales and Ireland battling it out on the other side, the final is guaranteed to be a clash between the northern and southern hemispheres — the lines along which the sport has so often been divided philosophically. Although none of the

AUCKLAND:  More than one million fans have paid to watch the pool matches at the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, tournament organisers said Monday.
The official attendance stands at 1.07 million after the pool phase of the tournament was completed o…

LONDON: Jenson Button will arrive at Suzuka next weekend determined to prove that he and McLaren have what it takes to make life as difficult as possible for champions-elect Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull at the Japanese Grand Prix. Although the 24-year-old German needs just one point – finishing 10th will be enough whatever Button does – the 31-year-old Briton is targeting a victory and a strong end to the season to make a point ahead of 2012. On paper, given their relative strengths and weaknesses, the Suzuka circuit should favour the Red Bull team of Vettel and Australian Mark Webber. But Button aims to prove that McLaren are better than most people think. He said: “In the last few races, I think we’ve shown that we have extremely good pace and that we’ve been the team most able to take the fight to Red Bull. We can do it again in Japan. “I know that on paper, I think it’s a circuit that will suit the Red Bulls, particularly in the high-speed sweeps that make up the first sector of the track, but I certainly don’t think people should under-estimate our package. “We showed at Spa that we have

NEW DELHI:  Field hockey’s world governing body has warned India it could miss the London Olympics even if it qualifies due to an ongoing tussle over who runs the sport in the country. The International Hockey Federation (FIH) said it was not in favour of a settlement brokered by the Indian sports ministry that would see rival bodies Hockey India (HI) and the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) jointly run the game. In a letter to the sports ministry, FIH president Leandro Negre said his federation only recognised Hockey India as the governing body for the sport which had exclusive authority to enter national teams in international events. The FIH wants the government of India to “advise HI and IHF not to proceed with the implementation of their broad arrangement,” Negre wrote in the letter dated September 27, a copy of which is with AFP. The FIH also wants the Indian government to settle the money owed to it for organising the World Cup in New Delhi in March last year. “If the above is achieved… there will be no more concerns about the participation of Indian hockey team in FIH-sanctioned competitions such as London 2012 Olympic Games,” Negre wrote. The

LONDON:   The recording of the 205 national anthems for next year’s London Olympics has finally been wrapped up although the conflict in Libya struck a discordant note. The contract for the anthems to be used at medal and welcoming ceremonies was awarded in April to the London Philharmonic Orchestra which has spent 50 recording hours since then in the Abbey Road Studios made famous by The Beatles. The orchestra had only 12 minutes to sight read and record each piece which must be between a minute and 90 seconds long. The anthems were recorded in alphabetical order, starting with Afghanistan in May and ending with Zimbabwe on Sunday, to reduce the risk of a nation being accidentally overlooked. Libya’s was recorded months ago. “I’ll be perfectly happy not to hear another anthem for a long time,” composer and conductor Philip Sheppard told the Independent website (www.independent.co.uk). Upheaval in the Arab world could see him and the orchestra back in the recording studio before the Games, however, with Libya’s anthem already replaced by the country’s National Transitional Council (NTC). “The majority of anthems are about the country but Libya’s was associated directly with (deposed leader Muammar) Gaddafi,” said Sheppard. “It doesn’t

LONDON:  Haile Gebrselassie’s asthma, which brought a premature end to his Berlin Marathon, is unlikely to hamper his efforts to crown his glittering career with gold at London 2012, the athlete said on Thursday. The four-times world and twice Olympic 10,000m champion was forced to retire from Sunday’s race after 35 kms, suffering from exercise-induced asthma. The seasonal condition has prevented him from running London’s annual springtime road race since 2007, but the 38-year-old Ethiopian is not expecting it to flare up at next year’s showpiece event later in the season. “It shouldn’t have happened in Berlin,” Gebrselassie told Reuters in an interview in London’s Hyde Park. “Previously it was true that I could not run the London Marathon because of the pollen but I don’t understand what happened on Sunday. “It is nice here in London in July and August. I have been here on many an occasions for Grands Prix and at that time of the year it is perfect. I am not worried about that.” The men’s marathon at the London Olympics is scheduled for August 12. Gebrselassie, whose four-year reign as marathon world record holder was ended by Kenyan Patrick Makau in Berlin, still needs to

NEW DELHI: Field hockey’s world governing body has warned India it could miss the London Olympics even if it qualifies due to an ongoing tussle over who runs the sport in the country. The International Hockey Federation (FIH) said it was not in favour of a settlement brokered by the Indian sports ministry that would see rival bodies Hockey India (HI) and the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) jointly run the game. In a letter to the sports ministry, FIH president Leandro Negre said his federation only recognised Hockey India as the governing body for the sport which had exclusive authority to enter national teams in international events. The FIH wants the government of India to “advise HI and IHF not to proceed with the implementation of their broad arrangement,” Negre wrote in the letter dated Sept 27, a copy of which is with AFP. The FIH also wants the Indian government to settle the money owed to it for organising the World Cup in New Delhi in March last year. “If the above is achieved… there will be no more concerns about the participation of Indian hockey team in FIH-sanctioned competitions such as London 2012 Olympic Games,” Negre wrote. The

SINGAPORE:  Tiger Woods will not be the star of the show when he joins the United States team for November’s Presidents Cup, three-time Masters champion and former world number one Nick Faldo said on Thursday. “Well everything has affected him, he’s had two seasons now with total up and down, very little golf,” Faldo told Reuters in an interview at the Singapore Island Country Club. “From his self-imprisonment and getting away from the first troubles, then to physical injuries and now the swing change, he’s bombarded himself over these last couple of years. “So I was quite surprised he got picked for the Presidents Cup; he’s only had six competitive rounds since the Masters and still obviously a lot’s going on, still struggling to find the swing.” Faldo, in Singapore representing the Augusta National event at the Asian Amateur Championships, where the winner will gain a place at next year’s Masters, said Woods was a surprise inclusion in the U.S. team given his lack of competitive rounds coupled with his well-publicized personal issues. The former world number one, who has failed to add to his 14 Major titles since his victory at the 2008 U.S. Open, has plummeted to 49th

LONDON: Carlos Tevez has been suspended by Manchester City for two weeks after Roberto Mancini made it clear to the club’s chairman, Khaldoon al-Mubarak, that the player has no way back following his apparent refusal to take part in their Champions League tie at Bayern Munich. A furious Mancini told Tevez to “go back to Argentina” during their dressing-room confrontation after the 2-0 defeat and the club’s owners in Abu Dhabi have backed the manager after he said the striker must never play for City again. “Manchester City can confirm that striker Carlos Tevez has been suspended until further notice for a maximum period of two weeks,” the club said in a statement. “The player’s suspension is pending a full review into his alleged conduct during Tuesday evening’s 2-0 defeat to Bayern Munich. The player will not be considered for selection or take part in training while the review is under way.” The club wanted to suspend Tevez for longer but were restricted by Premier League guidelines. The club’s lawyers are now scrutinising Tevez’s contract to determine what more action they can take and, specifically, whether he was guilty of gross misconduct by refusing to come on as a second-half

AUCKLAND: Ailing All Blacks legend Jonah Lomu’s family has requested an information blackout on his latest health scare and may have sold his story to a magazine, the hospital caring for him said Thursday. Lomu, who suffers from kidney problems, was admitted to Auckland Hospital last week suffering from an undisclosed illness. Since then, he has received emotional messages of support from New Zealand’s Rugby World Cup squad and Prime Minister John Key amid speculation about his health fuelled by the hospital’s refusal to release details of his condition. The Auckland District Health Board (ADHB), which runs the hospital, released a statement saying Lomu’s family had asked it to “not release any information whatsoever about Jonah’s care”. “We have respected their wishes at all times and continue to do so,” it said. “The same courtesy would be extended to any of our patients.” However, the health authority added: “ADHB has become aware of the possibility of an exclusive agreement with a magazine. ADHB has had no involvement in any agreement whatsoever.” It said it had acted in good faith to the many media enquiries it had received about Lomu’s wellbeing. Lomu, 36, is widely regarded as rugby union’s first global

DUNEDIN:  The International Rugby Board (IRB) said on Wednesday that it was already committed to addressing the financial concerns over the World Cup that have led to an unlikely threat from the All Blacks to boycott the 2015 tournament in England. While the All Blacks were concentrating on trying to win the competition for the first time in 24 years, the head of the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) Steve Tew claimed that they could boycott the 2015 event because the World Cup’s current rules mean they lose too much money. Tew said that competing at the current tournament would cost the NZRU more than NZ$13 million (6.6 million pounds) because IRB rules forced the curtailment of regular test schedules such as the Tri-Nations and November internationals in Europe, and prevented teams showcasing their regular sponsors. “It’s putting pressure on the balance sheet and frankly, in the current environment, we just can’t afford to run a World Cup-year loss, nor do we think it’s necessary,” Tew told New Zealand radio. Having earlier told reporters that the prospects of New Zealand competing in 2015 were “very slim,” he said there would be more discussions. “(Boycotting’s) obviously a last resort and our

MUNICH: Argentine forward Carlos Tevez “is finished” as a Manchester City player after he refused to come on as a substitute during the 2-0 defeat by Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday, manager Roberto Mancini said. The 27-year-old, who joined City from rivals Manchester United two years ago, ignored Mancini’s instruction to warm up early in the second half. The matter will now have to be referred to City’s owner, Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi, but his largely unprecedented behaviour left Mancini fuming and vowing never to pick him again. Mancini, looking visibly shocked, told a news conference: “I am really disappointed because it is Carlos. “This can’t happen in a top club — to refuse to go in to help his team mates. What I said to Carlos is between me, him and the team. “But if we want to improve as a team Carlos can’t play with us. With me, he is finished.” There was some confusion at the time as to why Mancini brought on defensive midfielder Nigel de Jong instead of Tevez after 56 minutes with City trailing 2-0. Mancini explained that he told the Argentine to get warmed up

BERLIN:   World marathon record holders Haile Gebrselassie and Paula Radcliffe fight age and increasing susceptibility to injury as well as the clock and a host of younger opponents in Sunday’s Berlin marathon. Sunday’s race is the third time only that both the men’s and women’s world holders have started the same race. Gebrselassie and Radcliffe want to crown their careers with victory in next year’s London Olympics and by Sunday evening it should be easier to establish whether either or both can defy time and remain realistic contenders for Olympic gold in 2012. Gebrselassie will be 39 at the start of the London Games, a year older than Radcliffe. Although Carlos Lopes and Constantina Dita won the men’s and women’s Olympic titles respectively at the age of 38, recent form and performances do not encourage optimism about Gebrselassie and Radcliffe’s prospects on the streets of London. The Ethiopian dropped out of his first New York City marathon last November through injury and promptly announced his retirement, an uncharacteristically impulsive decision he eventually rescinded. Briton Radcliffe has not run a marathon since finishing fourth in New York two years ago, during which time she has given birth to a second child.

MANCHESTER:  Television has too much power over English soccer, Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson said on Monday. In a television interview with BBC North West Tonight, Ferguson said rights holders rather than clubs were in control of the fixtures list. “When you shake hands with the devil you have to pay the price,” he said. “Television is God at the moment. It’s king. “It shows itself quite clearly because when you see the fixture lists come out now, they can pick and choose whenever they want the top teams on television. “You get some ridiculous situations when you’re playing on Wednesday night in Europe and then at lunchtime the following Saturday. You ask any manager if they would pick that themselves and there’d be no chance.” Asked if television had too much power, he replied: “Oh, absolutely, yes.” English champions United regularly have their games shown on television and last season received 60.4 million pounds in Premier League broadcast revenue — the most of any of the top-flight clubs according to figures released by the league. Ferguson, however, said that it was not enough in view of the fact the league had sold the product to 200 countries. “When you

KUALA LUMPUR: Motivational expert Lawrence Chan Kum Peng is prepared to help Malaysia’s badminton ace Lee Chong Wei to toughen up mentally when facing crucial moments in matches. The professional training consultant said the national badminton player needed sessions on building mental toughness and he was willing to offer his services to help Chong Wei in this area. “He met me yesterday and I offered to help him in this aspect. It is now up to him,” said Chan, who is the founder and executive chairman of Personal Development Leadership (PDL) Management Corporation. Chan told Bernama today that it was vital for Malaysian sportsmen and sportswomen to possess mental toughness if they wanted to be world beaters. He is especially proud of the mental training he gave to former national players Cheah Soon Kit and Soo Beng Kiang, which helped them to clinch the vital point for Malaysia to win the Thomas Cup in 1992. Chan said Malaysian shuttlers still lacked the mental toughness when it came to very competitive matches although they possessed the necessary skills. “Most Malaysian sportsmen are mentally strong but still lack the winning edge or mental toughness when it comes to big matches.” For example,