Mesut Ozil Must Be Back

Former Chelsea and Bayern Munich midfielder Michael Ballack has insisted Mesut Ozil will have to leave Arsenal if he wants to win 'major titles'. Ballack has claimed he will have a greater chance of adding to his medal collection if he joins German giants - and Arsenal's last 16 Champions League opponents - Bayern Munich. Ozil has less than 18 months left on his Arsenal contract and has so far failed to sign a new extension to his current deal at the Emirates.

Anil Gurung to lead Nepal football in SAFF Championship

Anil Gurung, the skipper of Manang Marsyangdi Club, celebrates goal against Far Western Football Club during their Red Bull National League match at ANFA Complex in Lalitpur in this undated file photo. Photo: Udipt Singh Chhetry/ THT File

KATHMANDU:

Anil Gurung will lead the Nepali national football team in the upcoming SAFF Championship, the All Nepal Football Association said.

Organising a press conference in the Capital today, the team coach Patrick Aussems made the announcement.
Aussems, however, did not name Gurung as the “captain”, but said he would “lead the team.”

He suggested that defender Biraj Maharjan or mid-fielder Rohit Chand could play as the captain if Gurung remained off the ground.

The regional championship is scheduled to begin on December 23 in Trivandrum of India.

Nepali football team had faced the leadership crisis after its captain Sagar Thapa and his deputy Sandip Rai among five were suspended by the ANFA after police filed a subversion case against them for their alleged involvement in match-fixing at various national and international games over last few years. The Asian Football Confederation also banned them for life after the accusation.

Likewise, Aussems also announced the final Nepali squad for the tournament.

Goalkeepers:

Kiran Chemjong, Bikesh Kuthu, Amrit Chaudhary.

Defenders:
Ranjit Dhimal, Rabin Shrestha, Jitendra Karki, Ananta Tamang, Aditya Chaudhary, Biraj Maharjan

Midfielders:
Rohit Chand, Heman Gurung, Bikram Lama, Bishal Rai, Yogesh Gurung

Forwards:
Anjan Bista, Nawayug Shrestha, Anil Gurung, Bimal Gharti Magar, Jagjeet Shrestha, Navin Lama

Juve go fourth with Fiorentina win, Roma hold Napoli

Juventus’ Mario Mandzukic (left) in action against Borja Valero of Fiorentina against Fiorentina at the Juventus stadium in Turin, Italy on December 13, 2015.

Juventus surged back into the Serie A title race with a 3-1 home win over Fiorentina on Sunday, while Napoli and AS Roma played out a 0-0 stalemate and 10-man AC Milan were held 1-1 by bottom club Hellas Verona.

Mario Mandzukic and Paulo Dybala struck second-half goals to add further impetus to Juve’s title challenge after a poor start to the season.

Second-placed Fiore’s Josip Ilicic had given the visitors the lead with a penalty during a breathless opening, but Juventus were level minutes later when Juan Cuadrado equalised against his former club.

Juve’s sixth successive league win helped them go fourth on 30 points, six behind league leaders Inter Milan, while Fiorentina stay four points off the top.
Roma, who have now gone four league games without a win, had goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny to thank for keeping them in the contest against Napoli but they still dropped to fifth place a point behind Juventus.

Napoli are level on 32 points with Fiore.
Valter Birsa scored the only goal of the game as Chievo beat Atalanta, who had Nicolo Cherubin and Jasmin Kurtic sent off, while Empoli beat struggling Carpi 3-0 to go ninth.

JUVE RESPOND

Fiore took the lead in the third minute in Turin when Ilicic converted from the spot after Juve’s Giorgio Chiellini was adjudged to have brought down Federico Bernardeschi, although the hosts accused the winger of diving.

Juventus responded almost immediately, equalising in the sixth minute when Cuadrado met Patrice Evra’s cross with a looping header, before Mandzukic scored in the 80th after Fiorentina keeper Ciprian Tatarunsanu failed to hold Paulo Dybala’s effort.

Dybala added a third in the second minute of stoppage time when Cuadrado pressured Davide Astori into an error before playing in the Argentine forward, who slotted home past Tatarunsanu.

“As we were so far behind, it is important to close (the gap) even more before the (winter) break,” Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri told Sky Sport Italia.

“At this moment, the team are playing relatively well, although we have to improve technically and make fewer mistakes.”

Roma were booed off the pitch in midweek after an insipid 0-0 Champions League draw against BATE Borisov despite qualifying for the last 16.

On-loan Chelsea forward Mohamed Salah returned to the starting lineup for the first time since early November against Napoli, and gave them a dynamism that was missing in his absence.

Napoli, however, steadily took control of the contest and had their chances to win, with Marek Hamsik forcing Szczesny into an outstanding double save at the death.

‘OBVIOUS SUPREMACY’

“If this was a boxing match, Roma’s corner would have thrown in the towel,” Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri told Mediaset Premium. “We didn’t make the most of our obvious supremacy during the match.”

“At this moment Inter are in first place, but they have had luck on their side,” Roma playmaker Miralem Pjanic told Sky Sport Italia. “We’ve got all the time in the world to close the gap.”
AC Milan coach Sinisa Mihajlovic was left fuming at the referee as they drew 1-1 at home to bottom club Hellas Verona.

Carlos Bacca opened the scoring in the 52nd minute, but Luca Toni equalised from the spot in the 57th after Nigel de Jong brought down Leandro Greco and was sent off for preventing a clear scoring opportunity.

“The fans are right to complain and I am sorry for them and the club,” Mihajlovic said to Mediaset.

“You’ve never seen me talk about referees, but you can’t fail to mention some things, because for the last two games we’ve been seriously hurt.”
Milan are in seventh on 25 points, while Verona stay rooted to the foot of the table with seven points.

Cech has completely changed Arsenal’s back four: Walcott

Arsenal’s Petr Cech applauds fans after the Swansea City v Arsenal game.

The close-season signing of Petr Cech from Chelsea has raised Arsenal’s defending to a new level, according to England striker Theo Walcott.

The Czech Republic goalkeeper equalled David James’ Premier League record of 169 clean sheets when the Gunners beat Aston Villa 2-0 on Sunday to climb to the top of the table.

Arsenal boast the second meanest defence this season, conceding 13 goals, and Cech’s clean sheet against Villa, which came in his 349th Premier League game, was his seventh of the campaign.

“He’s changed us completely in that back four. He’s a talker, he believes in us all,” Walcott told the club’s website (www.arsenal.com).

“That’s why he wanted to join us and having that presence behind you is always nice. He’s very commanding, he’s a leader in the dressing room as well.

“From when we signed him, we all knew how good he was (after) what he achieved at Chelsea,” added Walcott.

Cech won the Premier League title four times at Stamford Bridge and was also instrumental in their 2012 Champions League final victory over Bayern Munich.

Arsenal’s next Premier League game is against second-placed Manchester City on Dec. 21.

(Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru; Editing by Tony Jimenez)

‘Happy’ Costa to see out Chelsea contract, says Mourinho

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho with Diego Costa as he is substituted in the match between Chelsea and FC Porto at UEFA Champions League Group Stage.

Striker Diego Costa is happy at Chelsea and will see out the remaining three years on his contract, manager Jose Mourinho has said.

Costa, who scored 20 times for the Premier League Champions last term, has struggled for goals this campaign, scoring four in 19 games in all competitions for the club.

He recently apologised for throwing a training bib in the direction of his manager after being left on the bench as an unused substitute against Tottenham Hotspur on Nov. 29.

Speaking to a Spanish radio station last week, Costa left the door open on a possible return to his former club Atletico Madrid, but Mourinho moved to quash speculation that the 27-year-old was set for a premature exit from Stamford Bridge.

“He is happy here, he likes to be here,” the Portuguese told reporters ahead of Monday’s Premier League clash against third-placed Leicester City.

“He has I think three more years on his contract. I see him staying at Chelsea for three more years, no problem.
“He said that in football, you never know.

“Atletico is a great club, Madrid is a great city, La Liga is a very good league so why should a player who is 27 years old not think that in football it is possible to be back?

“I don’t see that as a problem.”

Chelsea, who are 16th in the table and a point above the relegation zone, will be looking to make amends for their shock 1-0 home defeat by Bournemouth on Dec. 5 when they line up against Leicester at the King Power Stadium.

US investigates broadcasters in widening FIFA case

NEW YORK :

A sports marketing company that was described in a sweeping indictment this month as retaining contracts because of the “support” of corrupt soccer officials has longstanding ties to the US entertainment company 21st Century Fox, according to securities filings and other government documents.

The description of T&T Sports Marketing Ltd in the indictment signals that US prosecutors have intensified their focus on media companies and what they might have known about any bribes, people familiar with the matter said.

When prosecutors announced their corruption investigation of world soccer’s governing body FIFA in May, they spoke in court papers about “an array of broadcasters and advertisers” but otherwise did not specifically address their role.

21st Century Fox listed T&T as a subsidiary last year in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Its investment in the company stretches back to 2002, government documents from the United States and Argentina showed.
Fox had no operational control of T&T, a Fox spokeswoman said. She declined to comment further.

Fox was not named in the indictment and was not accused of any wrongdoing. T&T was also not accused of any wrongdoing.

T&T, which is registered in the Cayman Islands, does not have a listed telephone number and it was unclear if it has employees of its own.

A spokeswoman for the US Attorney’s Office in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, where the cases against top soccer officials and entities were brought, declined to comment. A spokeswoman for the FBI also declined to comment.

The Dec. 3 indictment said three executives “affiliated” with T&T bribed at least 15 high-level soccer officials to support the company’s exclusive worldwide broadcasting rights for events such as the Copa Libertadores, a major South American club tournament. The three executives were at the time with Argentine sports marketing firm Torneos y Competencias, the indictment said.

One of the three executives, Alejandro Burzaco, the former chairman of Torneos, was indicted for the bribery scheme in the United States in May and pleaded guilty last month. The two others were described in the indictment as co-conspirators but not named. Torneos, a part-owner of T&T with Fox, was not charged.

The 15 soccer officials have been charged, and two of them pleaded guilty last month.

The indictment does not explain how T&T benefited from retaining the broadcasting contracts. T&T is not a broadcaster itself, but by obtaining broadcasting rights, it could resell them to major broadcasters.

21st Century Fox, which is led by media baron Rupert Murdoch, ended up with the rights to broadcast the Copa Libertadores and other tournaments.
The avalanche of corruption allegations prompted FIFA President Sepp Blatter to say he would resign, only days after being re-elected to a fifth term. Batter has not been charged with a crime, and denies any wrongdoing.
Prosecutors have charged 41 people and entities in a probe of soccer corruption spanning the globe. Soccer bosses from throughout the Americas are among the defendants in a case that prosecutors said involves $200 million in bribes and kickback schemes tied to marketing of major tournaments and matches.
The schemes deprived soccer federations of the full value of broadcasting and marketing rights and had powerful anti-competitive effects, prosecutors said.

POTENTIAL LIABILITY

Media companies could potentially be criminally liable if they benefited from bribery and their employees had knowledge of it or were willfully blind to it, legal experts said. Emails, text messages and other documents, as well as interviews with cooperating witnesses, are typically used to assess what if anything employees knew and when.

Mere ownership in a subsidiary or affiliate involved in bribery would not be enough, however, for prosecutors to charge a major media company. There would need to be evidence the company knew or was willfully blind.

According to the indictment, T&T was owned in part by Argentina’s Torneos and in part by “a group of investors that included an affiliate of a major broadcasting company headquartered in the United States whose identity is known to the grand jury.” The description does not go beyond that.
Today, only two companies own shares in T&T. A Fox affiliate owns 75 percent and Torneos owns 25 percent, according to Torneos.

Fox’s relationship with T&T dates back to 2002, when the company joined forces with Liberty Media Corp and a subsidiary of private equity firm Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst to form a venture called Fox Pan American Sports. As part of the deal, Hicks transferred its 50 percent stake in T&T to the new venture, according to government documents from Argentina. Fox completed its takeover of Fox Pan American Sports in late 2011, according to US securities filings.

A Liberty Media spokeswoman did not respond to questions about the deal. Hicks is defunct.

Satellite-TV company DirecTV also has an interest in T&T, according to a securities filing in February. It owns 40 percent of Torneos, which in turn owns 25 percent of T&T’s shares. DirecTV said in August that its $147 million investment in Torneos could be hurt by the ongoing FIFA investigations.
DirecTV is a unit of AT&T Inc, which declined to comment on the case. Torneos also declined to comment.
Fox has chosen the law firm Williams & Connolly to conduct an internal review related to the soccer investigation, people familiar with the matter said. The scope of the review could not be determined. Brendan Sullivan, a partner at the firm who represented Murdoch’s News Corp in the British phone-hacking scandal, could not be reached for comment.

Barca let two-goal lead slip in draw with Deportivo

FC Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Bayer Leverkusen’s Kevin Kampl and Wendell in action during UEFA Champions League game at Leverkusen on Wednesday, December 9, 2015.

BARCELONA:

Leaders Barcelona threw a two-goal lead away as late strikes from Lucas Perez and Alex Bergantinos gave Deportivo La Coruna a 2-2 draw in La Liga on Saturday.

A Lionel Messi free kick and a bullet strike from Ivan Rakitic put Barca in control but they eased up in the closing stages and the visitors took advantage.
Messi curled the ball into the top corner of the net from 25 metres to break the resistance of a well-organised Deportivo team after 39 minutes.

Rakitic then fired home from a similar distance in the 62nd minute before in-form Lucas pulled a goal back after 77 and Bergantinos equalised four minutes from time.

It was the second successive draw in the league for Barca who have 35 points from 15 games. Surprise packages Deportivo are sixth on 23.

Second-placed Atletico Madrid, on 32 points, host Athletic Bilbao on Sunday when Real Madrid, third with 30, have a tough match at Villarreal.

“It is difficult to explain,” Barca midfielder Andres Iniesta told reporters. “We lost control when we needed to keep it and made it easy for the opposition at 2-0.

“These things happen and we will analyse it and try and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

EXQUISITE CHIP

An exquisite chip from Iago Aspas gave fourth-placed Celta Vigo a 1-0 victory over Espanyol.

The former Liverpool forward skipped past Alvaro Gonzalez and lofted the ball over keeper Pau Lopez from 25 metres after 43 minutes.

Celta’s Pablo Hernandez was dismissed for a second yellow card after the break but they still went close to scoring with Aspas and Theo Bongonda hitting the woodwork.

Substitute Kevin Gameiro grabbed a double in the final 15 minutes to give Sevilla a 2-0 win over Sporting Gijon.
The game turned following a disputed 74th-minute foul on Fernando Llorente by Luis Hernandez, who was also given a second yellow card, and Gameiro slotted home the penalty.

The Frenchman then headed home a Yevhen Konoplyanka cross after 80 minutes to seal the win.

Two goals by Adalberto Penaranda handed Granada a 2-1 victory at Levante, who replied through Simao Mate, while an injury-time effort from substitute Willian Jose saw Las Palmas beat Real Betis 1-0.

The injured Neymar was missing from Barca’s ruthless attacking trio and the door was opened for youngster Sandro Ramirez.

Barca were up against a tactically strong Deportivo, who have one defeat in 12 matches, and their game plan was not to sit too deep but have players ready up front to take advantage of counter-attacks.

Luis Suarez missed a golden chance early on, firing just wide after being set up by a Sandro header and generally Barca had plenty of the ball without finding much space.

Lucas had a shot blocked from close range at the other end before a piece of Messi brilliance gave the hosts the lead.

Barca continued to probe but it took another special effort from Rakitic to breach Deportivo’s defence again.
The Catalan side appeared on course for victory but they lost composure at the back as they allowed Lucas in for his 11th league goal of the season.

Bergantinos was then given space to strike the ball past Barca keeper Claudio Bravo late on.

Bayern beat Ingolstadt, secure winter break top spot

Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski celebrates scoring the first goal during Bundesliga on December 12, 2015.

BERLIN:

Bayern Munich made sure they will go into the Bundesliga winter break in top spot after beating promoted Ingolstadt 2-0 on Saturday to bounce back from their first league loss.

Second-half goals from Robert Lewandowski and Philipp Lahm lifted Bayern, who lost to Borussia Moenchengladbach last week, on to 43 points, eight ahead of Borussia Dortmund, who play Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday, with one more matchday left before the one-month break.

Bayer Leverkusen scored four times in 13 minutes in an explosive second half with Javier Hernandez netting a hat-trick, to crush Borussia Moenchengladbach 5-0 and snap their 10-game unbeaten run under coach Andre Schubert.

Spain meet Czechs as Euros shape up without Platini

Euro 2016 draw at Palais des Congres in Paris, France on December 12, 2015.

ZURICH:

Spain will begin their bid for an unprecedented third successive European Championship title against Czech Republic while hosts France will open the 2016 tournament against Romania after the draw was made on Saturday.

Delegates were met by tight security at the Palais des Congress but one man notable by his absence was UEFA president Michel Platini, architect of the biggest-ever expanded 24-team finals that will run from June 10 to July 10.

Instead of taking centre stage, the leader of European football’s ruling organisation was banned under the terms of his provisional 90-day FIFA suspension that forbid him from any involvement in the sport, pending investigations into his financial arrangements with world football’s governing body.

Swiss Sepp Blatter, who usually attends these gala events in his position as FIFA president, was another notable absentee, banned under the same terms as Platini while scandal-ridden FIFA probes his financial dealings with the Frenchman.

UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino, who has declared his candidacy for FIFA presidency in February’s election, conducted the draw.

Infantino made no reference to FIFA matters but he did talk about the attacks on the French capital by Islamic State on November 13 that killed 130 people.

“We are in Paris, a city that only a few weeks ago witnessed tragic events. I wish to express my solidarity to the French people…our thoughts are with the victims,” he told around 1,500 delegates.

FIRST TEAM

The first team drawn out were hosts France, designated position A1 to ensure they played in the opening match at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis where one of the November 13 attacks took place.

France, who won Euro 1984 and the 1998 World Cup on home soil, kick off against Romania on June 10 before meeting Albania in Marseille five days later and Switzerland in Lille on June 19.

Les Bleus coach Didier Deschamps told reporters: “We don’t know the Romanian team that well even though they performed very well during the qualification stage with the best defence and just two goals scored against them.

“It is the most important match for us. We have to be careful and not be over-confident.”

Spain, who were also drawn in the same section as Croatia and Turkey, open up against Group D opponents Czech Republic in Toulouse on June 13.
Vicente del Bosque, the coach of Spain, said: “We’ve drawn two teams who played in the same group as the Netherlands and eliminated them, Turkey and Czech Republic.

“Then we have to face Croatia who are very strong and who are among the strongest teams at this tournament. They have excellent players.”

THREE TITLES

World Cup winners Germany, who landed the last of their three European Championship titles in 1996, start against Ukraine in Lille on June 12 before facing Poland and Northern Ireland in Paris.

Germany coach Joachim Loew said: “Poland are a great side but Ukraine and Northern Ireland can be difficult to play against too with their counter attacks and strong defending. We are the favourites and want to win the group.”

England, who won all 10 of their qualifiers, are the favourites in Group B. They take on neighbours Wales, who are taking part in their first major tournament finals since the 1958 World Cup, along with Russia and Slovakia.
It will be the 102nd meeting between England and Wales since they first clashed in 1879. England have won 66 times and Wales only 14.

Belgium, currently the best team in the world according to the FIFA rankings, are in a tough Group E along with Italy, Sweden and Ireland.

Iceland, playing in their first major tournament finals, face Portugal, Austria and Hungary in Group F.
The tournament, being staged in 10 cities, sees 16 teams advance from the group stage the top two in each section and the best four third-placed sides with the final in Paris on July 10.

Don Bosco beat St Xavier’s, claim title

Nepal Don Bosco School players with officials after winning the 20th Fr Moran Memorial Primary Level Inter-school Football Tournament at the St Xavier’s Godavari School grounds in Lalitpur on Friday.

Lalitpur, December 11

Nepal Don Bosco School of Lubhoo defeated St Xavier’s School of Jawalakhel 2-0 to win the title of the 20th Fr Moran Memorial Primary Level Inter-school Football Tournament here at the St Xavier’s Godavari School grounds on Friday.

Dil Raj Tamang scored a goal each in either half in the final of the tournament. Hosts St Xavier’s Godavari finished third with a 3-1 victory over Crescent English School of Godavari. Kunjan KC, Anish Budhathoki and Phiraj Maharjan scored for the hosts, while Sovakary Rokaya netted the consolation goal for Crescent.

Aashish Ghale of St Xavier’s Godavari was named the best player of the tournament, while Durga Bahadur Shrestha of Don Bosco and Kunsang Tamang of Crescent were named the best goalkeeper and defender respectively. Roshan Lama of Crescent was declared the promising player, while Sparsha Jung Pandey of St Xavier’s Jawalakhel won the highest scorer’s award and Fr Savio Rai of Don Bosco was named the best coach. Crescent was awarded with the Fair Play trophy.

Manoj Ghimire, President of Godavari Area Sports Development Committee and St Xavier’s Godavari School Principal Fr Jiju V Kevillil, SJ handed over the prizes to the winners.

Boxer Basnet moves Appellate Court !

Boxer Manohar Basnet of Lalitpur gestures during a press conference in Kathmandu on Tuesday.

Kathmandu, December 11

National champion boxer Manohar Basnet has filed a petition at the Patan Appellate Court seeking the opportunity to participate in the selection tournament of the upcoming 12th South Asian Games.

He has also requested the National Sports Council to make necessary arrangement for his participation. “I am tired of going here and there with the plea of getting a chance to participate in the selection tournament,” said Basnet. “As a player, I want to play and that is my right. But some officials at the Nepal Boxing Association are unnecessarily blocking my way,” he added.

The selection tournament for the regional games is slated for Saturday.
“I will keep fighting for my right to play and if needed I will stage hunger strike,” the four-time national champion said. “When I asked about the reason of not including me in the
selection tournament, I was handed over a letter of action barring me from taking part in all NBA activities for a year,” he said. “This is ridiculous, these people are not here to develop boxing,” Basnet added.

In a letter signed by NBA President Rajiv Shrestha, the association on October 29 decided to ban Basnet for a year for breaching disciplines and launching a campaign in social media. “After I was excluded from training camp, I had written some statements in facebook four years ago.

They asked me the clarification earlier this year only after I filed a protest at the NSC against the working ways of NBA that resulted in the postponement of the special general assembly of the association.

To take revenge on me, they issued the letter two days ago just to stop me from participating in the tournament,” he added. “I do not know the reason, but NBA President Shrestha is biased towards me,” said Basnet.

UEFA edging toward goal-line technology in Champions League !

UEFA President Michel Platini answers to media during a press conference after the UEFA Executive Committee Meeting, at the Headquarters, in Nyon, Switzerland on January 25, 2013. Michel Platini lost his appeal against a 90-day ban by FIFA on Friday December 11, 2015 , as Swiss federal prosecutors stepped up a criminal investigation of his $2 million payment from soccer’s scandal-hit governing body.

PARIS:

The Champions League and Europa League could have goal-line technology as soon as next season.

European football’s governing body discussed the technology at a meeting Friday of its Executive Committee. Notably absent in Paris was Michel Platini, the banned UEFA president who has been a vocal opponent of soccer technology in the past.

Meeting without him, UEFA’s Exco ruled that it will make a final decision on goal-line technology in January.
“It looks pretty positive,” said UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino.
There are practical issues to overcome. UEFA would still have to decide which system to use and many more stadiums would need equipping with their technology.

With the Exco’s blessing in January, goal-line technology could be used at the European Championships in France next June.

“If it is for the Euro this season, it will be for club competitions as from next season,” Infantino said. “Club competitions means Champions League and Europa League.”

In other business, the UEFA meeting also:
—Got an update on security planning for Euro 2016, in the wake of the Paris attacks that killed 130 people. Euro 2016 organizer Jacques Lambert promised all necessary lessons will be drawn from the Nov. 13 attacks. He revealed reinforced security for the 24-team draw in Paris on Saturday. Security will be “at the center” of the June 10-July 10 tournament, Infantino said.

—Approved a big bump in money for Euro 2016 teams. All 24 will get a minimum of 8 million euros ($8.8 million) each, plus prizes for wins. A group-stage win will earn 1 million euros ($1.1 million); a draw 500,000 ($550,000). Reaching the last 16 will earn 1.5 million, with an additional 2.5 million for reaching the quarterfinals and another 4 million for semifinalists.
Victory in the July 10 final will earn 8 million, with 5 million for the runners-up. So the champions could pocket a total of 27 million euros ($29.5 million) in all.

Players are shaping up, says coach Aussems

Nepal national team players take part in a training session as they prepare for the eighth SAFF Championship, at the ANFA Complex in Lalitpur.

Lalitpur, December 10

Nepal national football team coach Patrick Aussems said the footballers were shaping up for the eighth SAFF Championship slated for December 23 to January 3 in India.

The national team is hit by the suspension and injury to the host of senior players and the coach will have to heavily rely on inexperienced footballers for the regional championship to held in Trivandrum, Kerala. Nepal are in Group A along with hosts India and Sri Lanka.

The coach is more focused on team building and playing style of the players. Nepal used to play long air balls from midfield and wings in the past but Aussems is trying to change that and has been training the players to build the game with short passes. “Due to the height disadvantage, we cannot afford to play air balls. My philosophy is that we have to build our game from the ground with short passes,” said Aussems.

Aussems drafted in 39 players for the preliminary camp and he has trimmed the quad to 27. The team is already weakened with skipper Sagar Thapa and his deputy Sandip Rai suspended for match-fixing and forward Bharat Khawas and midfielder Shiva Shrestha ruled out of injury. But Aussems is excited with his youthful squad. “They are talented players and can score goals as well as create opportunities for others. They deserve to have a good tournament like SAFF Championship as we are looking to build a team for future,” he said.

Nepal have not scored a single goal in the last nine matches but Aussems was not concerned with that. “I have seen all those matches. We are ambitious but I don’t want to put pressure on the players to score goals. We are looking forward to have a competitive team,” he said. Aussems added, focusing on team building for future: “As we do not have any official tournament for the next two years after this championship, I want to see a real team for future.”
Aussems, who took over the national team in August, has been engaged in the SAFF Championship camp for the last six weeks. He is happy with the way players have been responding to his style of play. “We have played a couple of friendly matches with local ‘A’ division outfits and my boys have not been troubled until now,” said Aussems. “I wanted a tough team as an opponent to see the players toil hard so that I could correct them. I have asked the management to arrange a friendly match with strong team as we need to be well prepared to play against the likes of India and Sri Lanka in championship.”

The coach is also concerned with the playing surface. “We have been training on artificial turf and we need to play on grass in the championship. I have asked the management to arrange natural surface for training and also take the team to India a couple of days prior to the tournament,” he said.

Asked about the impact of off-field controversies in the team, Aussems said he had not experienced such scenario in his career. “I have asked the players to forget all the off-field activities and focus on training. I hope they have taken my words,” he added. Nepali football was shaken up in the last three months. It began with the disqualification of youth team from AFC U-16 Championship for fielding over-age player in qualifying, while five footballers were charged with subversion at Special Court for their involvement in match-fixing that resulted in life ban from the AFC. In between, the world football governing body handed a 10-year ban and fine of $21,000 to ANFA President Ganesh Thapa for corruption and series of misconduct.

Voges, Marsh drive Australia to 438-3 !

HOBART:

Adam Voges scored 174 and Shaun Marsh 139 in an unbroken partnership of 317 runs to give Australia a commanding 438 for three at the close of play on the opening day of the first test against West Indies in Hobart on Thursday.

The hosts are overwhelming favourites to win the three-match series and but for a slight wobble when they lost Steve Smith (10) and David Warner (64) before lunch, they simply dominated the tourists at Bellerive Oval..

West Indies had spoken of targeting what they perceived as a weakness in Australia’s middle order but thirty something Western Australians Voges and Marsh sent them straight back to the drawing board by batting through the last two sessions.

“I’ve batted with Vogesy a lot of times for WA and to have that partnership today was pretty special,” Marsh told ABC radio.

“I knew that if we just ground them down we could score some runs at the end of the day. Vogesy batted really well and got me going and I’m really happy that we both got hundreds.”

Van Gaal has no defence against critics after United flop

Manchester United manager Louis Van Gaal before the match at Volkswagen-Arena in Wolfsburg on Tuesday, December 8, 2015.

LONDON:

Manager Louis van Gaal says he cannot defend himself after coming in for fresh criticism following Manchester United’s early Champions League exit.

United dropped into the Europa League after losing 3-2 at VfL Wolfsburg in their final Group B fixture on Tuesday and the manager was once again flayed by former players for his team’s limp performance.

“At the moment I cannot defend myself because we are out of the Champions League,” Van Gaal told a post-match news conference.

“Every word I say is wrong. But when you see the facts, we were further in the (League) Cup (than last season), qualified for the Champions League group, we have played all these matches and are still in a very good position in the league.

“We are better than last year. That’s my answer because I can only give facts. I’m also disappointed that we are out of the Champions League.”

Anthony Martial put United in front in Germany but centre back Naldo equalised and Wolfsburg took the lead before halftime through midfielder Vieirinha, who finished off a slick passing move with a tap in.

United clawed their way back thanks to Josuha Guilavogui’s late own goal but Naldo struck again to seal the win, while Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven beat CSKA Moscow 2-1 in the other group fixture to advance at the Premier League side’s expense.

“It was a crazy match,” Van Gaal said.
The manager’s woe was compounded by injuries to defenders Matteo Darmian (hamstring) and Chris Smalling (groin), which he said would likely rule them out of Saturday’s Premier.

Gladbach win will give City huge lift, says Sterling !

Raheem Sterling celebrates after scoring the third goal for Manchester City against Borussia Monchengladbach on Tuesday, December 8, 2015.

LONDON:

Manchester City’s comeback 4-2 win in Tuesday’s Champions League match against Borussia Monchengladbach will give them a huge lift ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash against Swansea City, winger Raheem Sterling has said.

Having won just one of their last four league games, third-placed City will immediately turn their attention to climbing up the table and Sterling is certain they can pick up the three points if they implement their brand of football.

“The results have not been going our way in the last few games and we were really trying to make it right,” Sterling told the club’s website (www.mcfc.co.uk).

“It’s (Tuesday’s win) a massive, massive lift obviously. The players that we got here we expect to win every game. Going into the game against Swansea, we know we can win the game and we just need to go out there and play our football.

“Not really concentrate what’s going on elsewhere in the league.”

Needing a win to have any chance of pipping Juventus to top spot in the Champions League, City trailed 2-1 at half-time after David Silva’s opener was cancelled out by goals from Julian Korb and Raffael.

Sterling, who grabbed the headlines after scoring twice in as many minutes in the second half, attributed their comeback to the half-time team talk given by midfielder Yaya Toure and the senior players in the squad.

“There was definitely a great connection in the changing room with the team talk from Yaya and the boys to dig deep if we needed to and that’s what happened today and it’s a credit to the spirit in the camp,” Sterling said.

“This is a team that’s going to score goals. We just got to, on the whole, be more solid and try to keep more teams at bay and I think we can to that and it’s just a matter of time.”

Monk sacked as Swansea City manager !

Swansea manager Garry Monk instructing players during Barclays Premier League against Liverpool at Anfield on November 29, 2015.

LONDON:

Garry Monk was sacked as Swansea City manager on Wednesday, the club said in a statement after a dreadful run which has seen the Welsh club plummet towards the Premier League relegation zone.

Former Swans defender Monk took over from Michael Laudrup in February 2014 and in his first full season in charge steered the club to an eighth-placed finish.

Swansea began this season impressively, drawing with champions Chelsea and beating Manchester United in August but have won only once in the league since.

They are just one point above the relegation zone.

NZ skipper McCullum stands by Cairns evidence !

Dunedin, December 9

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum broke his silence on Wednesday on the not guilty verdict in the Chris Cairns perjury trial, saying he stood by testimony he gave against his former teammate.

Cairns, who was last month cleared of match-fixing related perjury charges, has demanded McCullum explain why he chose to appear as a prosecution witness. Speaking for the first time since the verdict 10 days ago, McCullum said he was “very comfortable” with the evidence he gave and it was time to move on.

“For me, it wasn’t about whether someone was guilty or not guilty. My role was to go and give the evidence in the trial and I remained pretty unemotional about it, to be honest,” he said in Dunedin as he prepared to lead New Zealand into a Test series against Sri Lanka. “I don’t think my reputation has been on the line during the whole thing. I was one of a number of witnesses who gave evidence.”

While journalists wanted answers about the Cairns trial, McCullum wanted to talk about the first Test against Sri Lanka starting on Thursday. “People have their own opinions on what unfolded but I am comfortable with it and it’s time to focus on a bit of cricket now,” he said, adding that he would not be responding to Cairns’ “please explain” demand. In his evidence, McCullum said Cairns had approached him with a “business proposition” about match-fixing. But Cairns told the court the discussion in 2008 related to spread-betting and it was “completely wrong” to suggest spread-betting was equivalent to match-fixing.

Cairns, meanwhile, faces the prospect of a further court hearing with former Indian cricket administrator Lalit Modi considering a fraud charge against the former allrounder. But McCullum was non-committal about whether he would testify against Cairns again.

“It’s speculation. Again this is not the forum to be discussing that sort of thing.

We’ll see what happens down the line.”
McCullum suffered a form slump in Kiwis’ recent Test series against Australia but said that could not be attributed to the distraction of Cairns trial. “It’s certainly no excuse for any rough performances or the fact maybe I didn’t get as many runs as I’d like. That’s the game we play sometimes and I’m very much looking forward to the Sri Lankan Tests,” he said.

Whoever wins the toss is expected to bowl on a favourable wicket in the first Test and McCullum said the most pressing issue he faced was who would be New Zealand’s 12th man.

‘Dhawan’s bowling action faulty !

New Delhi, December 9

India’s Shikhar Dhawan has been reported for a suspect bowling action and will need to undergo tests within 14 days, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Wednesday.

Dhawan, 30, an opening batsman who rarely bowls, was reported after the fourth Test against South Africa in New Delhi on Monday when the defiant tourists were attempting to salvage a draw. As the South Africans stonewalled the Indian bowlers on the final day, frustrated skipper Virat Kohli brought on Dhawan who bowled just three overs for nine runs.

India eventually won the match by 337 runs and sealed the four-Test series 3-0. “Dhawan’s bowling action will now be scrutinised further under the ICC process relating to suspected illegal bowling actions,” the ICC said in a statement.

Dhawan, who bowls off-spins,
will be allowed to play on till the results of the tests are declared, the sport’s governing body said. Dhawan has made 1,308 runs in 19 Tests but has never taken a wicket from the nine overs he has bowled in those matches.

The ICC launched a crackdown against suspect actions in June last year, leading to several leading bowlers being reported.

Other bowlers who have been up hauled up include Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez, Bangladesh’s Sohag Gazi, New Zealand’s Kane Williamson, Sri Lanka’s Sachithra Senanayake and Tharindu Kaushal, and Zimbabwe’s Prosper Utseya and Malcolm Waller.

Defeat against Porto could spell the end for Mourinho !

LONDON: The heat in the Chelsea kitchen is rising once again and it could become too suffocating for Jose Mourinho to continue if his team go out of the Champions League this week.

The Londoners need only a home draw against Mourinho’s old club Porto on Wednesday to reach the knockout stages and, if recent Stamford Bridge displays are anything to go by, the fans face a jittery 90 minutes perched on the edges of their seats.

Remarkably, the Premier League champions have already lost 11 games in all competitions this season, including four at home, and it seems almost inconceivable that their outspoken manager could survive yet another defeat against Porto.

Mourinho has tried every trick in the book in a bid to cajole an improvement from his squad, even briefly leaving out talismen John Terry and Eden Hazard, without any lasting effect.

Midfield linchpin Nemanja Matic summed up the immediate task facing his team mates and the coaching staff.
“We are in a difficult moment and it is going to be hard to come back from this but we have to try to resolve this situation,” the Serbian international told Chelsea TV.

“I think we didn’t deserve to lose the game,” said Matic after Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat by fellow strugglers Bournemouth, “but when you don’t score a goal, you also don’t deserve to win”.

Chelsea had offered false hopes of a revival before the game against Bournemouth, registering three straight clean sheets with a 1-0 home victory against Norwich City, a 4-0 win at Maccabi Tel Aviv and a 0-0 draw at high-flying Tottenham Hotspur.

The main problem this season, though, has been a complete lack of firepower in attack.

OUT OF FAVOUR

Diego Costa is a shadow of the player who tormented defences 12 months ago and fellow striker Loic Remy seems to be totally out of favour with Mourinho.
Chelsea’s gamble to sign Radamel Falcao on loan from Monaco, following the Colombian’s poor season at Manchester United, has also backfired spectacularly.

The second-half performance against Bournemouth typified the London club’s glaring defiencies as scoring chance after scoring chance went begging.
A string of crosses were delivered into the heart of the penalty box but, more often than not, visiting keeper Artur Boruc was able to watch the ball sail harmlessly to safety because no Chelsea player was on hand in the danger zone.

Eight days ago the axed Costa tossed his bib angrily into the air when he realised he would not be brought on from the bench at Tottenham.
The brooding Spain striker had the perfect opportunity to prove a point to Mourinho after being called on as a halftime substitute against Bournemouth but, not for the first time this season, he turned out to be a peripheral figure.

“We are not scoring enough goals,” said Mourinho. “It’s difficult for us to score goals.
“Scoring goals is a lot about individuals. The creation is collective but the finishing is something very individual and at this moment we’re not having that.”

Mourinho said he believed he still had the support of the club’s owner, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich who gave the manager a public vote of confidence in October.

The Portuguese, though, questioned whether some of his players shared his determination to turn things around.
“I only know one way which is to work and give my maximum every day and if some players are not capable of that, giving the maximum day by day, match by match, the collective pays for that,” said Mourinho.