Hayden and McGrath urge Sydney to think pink at the 3rd test aganist RSA

01 January, 2009

Matt Hayden and Glenn McGrath have called on Sydney cricket fans to pick up a pink bandana and wear pink as 3 Mobile and Cricket Cares support the McGrath Foundation at the 3 Mobile Test starting 3 January at the SCG.

Speaking after facing up in a pink helmet to his old teammate McGrath in the SCG nets Hayden called on cricket fans in Sydney to support the McGrath Foundation:

“I’ve had a long-standing idea to turn the crowd pink to raise awareness of breast cancer so I hope all fans coming along on Day 1 can join in,” Hayden said.

“Along with others, 3 Mobile staff have kindly volunteered their services to distribute pink McGrath Foundation bandanas around the ground and spectators can pick a bandana up when they make a gold coin donation with the 3 Mobile volunteers located at entry points throughout the ground.”

“So wear the bandana proudly along with your best pink clothing on Day 1 and make it a memorable day for the McGrath Foundation.”

Chairman of the McGrath Foundation, champion fast bowler Glenn McGrath, echoed Hayden’s thoughts:

“We’ve already had fantastic support from 3 Mobile and Cricket Cares in making the match as pink as possible, whether its stumps, grass signage or player shirts. The next part is involving cricket fans heading to the ground,” McGrath said.

“I’ll be picking up my bandana from the 3 Mobile volunteers and wearing my best pink shirt and tie for the day, and I hope all cricket fans can do the same, support the McGrath Foundation and enjoy a great match.”

20,000 pink bandanas will be distributed by 3 Mobile volunteers at the SCG on Day 1 in exchange for a gold coin donation to the McGrath Foundation, while all fans are encouraged to wear some pink and donate their loose change.

Fans watching on television around the world can also own their piece of history from the match. Each Australian player will sign his unique pink shirt after Day 1 and donate it to the McGrath Foundation, with every person donating to the McGrath Foundation at www.mcgrathfoundation.com.au going into the draw to win one of the shirts, thanks to adidas and 3 Mobile.

*In a world first 3 Mobile have turned the Test stumps pink, while the stumps will also feature the McGrath Foundation’s logo. 3 Mobile’s cricket portal will also turn pink for the duration of the Test.

*The McGrath Foundation is a major partner of Cricket Cares, while also being a major charity partner of 3 Mobile.

*Funds raised by the McGrath Foundation go towards funding breast cancer nurses around Australia and raising awareness of breast cancer amongst all Australians.

thanks:cricketaustralia

Wenger furious over referee visit :

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger hit out at Aston Villa after their assistant boss John Robertson visited the referee at half-time in the sides' 2-2 draw.

Villa boss Martin O'Neill said Robertson asked official Lee Mason about a first-half decision.

Wenger said: "I know how it works here. At half-time the referee gets stick and then in the second half every little 50-50 decision goes the other way.

"I waited at half-time to see what happened and I was not disappointed."

He added: "That's what happened. It's not only here."

Asked if he was implying that someone from Villa influenced the referee, Wenger added: "I have nothing to explain more than that."

O'Neill said: "John I think spoke to the referee. I think John asked him to explain a decision that Gabby Agbonlahor didn't get, that was all. Simple as that.

"He only asked him to explain the decision and the referee chose not to give an answer."

The Villa boss also calmed talk of his side's Premier League progress after they came from two goals down to hold Arsenal.

"We were magnificent right from the first w-- end of the embedded player component -->

"We're making a bit of progress but talk of top fours and championships hasn't emanated from this club.

"The ability in the side augurs well for us but we have to keep the major players fit, and that's all those lads who played today."

Zat Knight scored in injury time to earn Villa a point from the 2-2 draw, despite Arsenal looking comfortable when they went two goals up, five minutes into the second half.

"The first goal they scored knocked us back, it took almost everything out of us, certainly just before half-time," said O'Neill.

"They've gone and scored a second, and could have had a third.

"But we're never finished, we battled on, got back into the game and the equalising goal at the last - we certainly deserved at least that."

And O'Neill praised defender Knight, making his first Premier League appearance of the season, for his clinical finish in stoppage time.

"He's had to wait a little while - we've got some outstanding centre-backs keeping him out of the side - and that was a big goal, he took it like a centre forward," he45328737_wenger512.jpg" />

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Late equaliser 'frustrating' - Wenger

Wenger was frustrated by his team's inability to hold on to their lead, despite weathering a first-half storm when Villa looked far more likely to score.

"In the first half Villa created good chances and we were lucky, but in the second half we were never in trouble," bemoaned the Gunners manager.

"It's frustrating because I feel we tried very hard. It was an average football game but with a little bit more composure we could have scored five goals today.

"The spirit was fantastic. Spirit is needed but not sufficient."

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Biography:cristano ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo arrived in Manchester amid a media storm. Manchester United had managed to sign the player without the Press suspecting anything. As the Stock Market was told that the player had been signed, hundreds of journalists flooded up to Manchester to get a proper look at one of Manchester United`s youngest signings.
Ronaldo was born on the 5th February 1985, on the small island of Madeira, which is owned by the Portuguese. Named after Ronald Reagan, due to his father`s respect for the man, few would have gambled that this child would make it to the very top of the Football tree, especially with Madeira mainly being used for farm-land. He has one brother and two sisters, and it is family whom he deems most important in his life at the moment.
It was on the dusty back-streets of this small island that Ronaldo learnt his first few tricks, and it was also on this Island that he was first scouted. By the age of twelve Ronaldo had established himself as the best player on the Island, able to use his ball skills and pace to get past full-grown defenders for Andorinha.

Having been recognised as a serious talent, all that was left was for the big Portuguese clubs to scrap it out for his signature. Though Porto and Boavista came in for him, he could only ever play for Sporting the club he supported as a boy.

He progressed slowly through the youth ranks, although all those who worked with him were impressed with the talent that he had for his age, as well as his maturity.
At the tender age of 17, Ronaldo was thrown in at the deep end with his first game against Moreirense. Two goals on his first appearance not only gave him his dream debut, but also endeared him to the fans, who soon learnt to chant for the ball to be passed to him. A goal against title-rivals Boavista also saw him rise to the top of the "Fan`s Favourites" list.
His skills were watched closely by all of the big clubs in Europe, including Liverpool and Juventus, in the U-17 European Championships. His dazzling skills put England U-17s out, and everyone who watched felt they had seen something special.

At the end of his first season at Sporting he was linked to Liverpool. Though he claimed he was extremely happy at Sporting, he was also flattered by the interest of such a big club, who used to do well in the Premier League.

Sporting finished top in the league, and Ronaldo was hailed as the future of the club, alongside Quaresma, another Portuguese Starlet.
As it was, both moved away, with the money on the table to much for the Portuguese club to turn down. Best-friend Quaresma ended up at Barcelona, whilst Ronaldo came to the bright red of Manchester.
The deal saw Ronald become the most expensive teenage signing in Britain, with Manchester United paying £12.24million over two seasons, in two equal payments. Those who had not seen him play baulked at the price such a lot of money for someone unproven!

Those who had seen the Man Utd vs. Sporting friendly just three days before, however, knew that this player was special. Playing for Sporting, Ronaldo had taken the game to the reds, and was the main reason that Manchester United lost 3-1. After the game, all the United players could talk about was how well Ronaldo had played, and they begged Sir Alex to buy him. Sir Alex had been following him for months, but decided that the time was right not least because other clubs were getting increasingly closer to buying him.

An so, on 12th August 2003, Cristiano Ronaldo held up the famous Red shirt, with his favourite number 7 (it is hero Figo`s number) for all the press to see.
A new star had been born.

His first performance for the club was against Bolton. He entered the fray with an hour gone, with United 1 0 up. A standing ovation from the fans at old Trafford did nothing to settle his nerves, but he rewarded the fans for their trust. A man-of-the-match performance followed, and Ronaldo became legend. He had a hand in two of the goals, won an unconverted penalty, and mesmerised the Bolton defence.
The next day the media proclaimed him one of the best players ever for United, comparing him with Red-Legend George Best. Much had been seen, but much is still to come.

Full Name	Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro not christina and christiano
Date of Birth	5th of February 1985 (Monday)
Place of Birth	Funchal (Madeira island, Portugal)
Nationality	Portuguese
Marital Status	Single
Current Girlfriend	none
Height	1.84m
Weight	78.00kg
City of Birth	Madeira
Zodiac Sign	Aquarius
Chinese Zodiac Sign	Ox
Favourite Colour	White
Childhood Nickname	Kluivert (from Patrick Kluivert)
Childhood Team	Sport Lisboa e Benfica
Childhood Hero	Maradona
Current Heroes	Luis Figo and Thierry Henry
Person you`d most like to meet	Mike Tyson
Favourite Moviestar	Jean Claude Vandamme
Favourite Movies	"The Sixth Sense" and "The Rock"
Favourite Actress	Angelina Jolie
Favourite Charlie`s Angel	Drew Barrymore
Favourite Music	Dance Music
Favourite meal	"Bacalhau a Braz" (a Portuguese cod fish, made with potatoes and scrambled eggs)
Drink	"Santal" (Regional fruit drink)
Hobbies	Going for walks, going to the cinema, listening to music and sometimes just spending time alone.
Girlfriend Status	No girlfriend

AROUND THE WORLD 2008:SOCCER

AROUND THE WORLD 2008



Well it's that time of year when everyone likes to get a little bit retrospective and have a good wistful look back at what has gone on before. I'm sure all of you at this point will be sick and tired of reading reviews of the year, ‘best of' lists, moments that we all remember from 2008 etc. but sorry to disappoint all of you...that's exactly what I am going to be doing here I'm afraid.

European football seasons don't run on an annual basis in terms of the calendar year, with a certain degree of ‘overlapping' going on. Typically the seasons here run September to May, but the end of a year still offers us a useful time to take stock and remember what another incredible year 2008 has been in the world of football. After all, looking back at this point we are able to cast our eyes over those sides that were victorious in the European campaigns of the spring and those who got it badly wrong. We can see just who took the Champions League and Copa Libertadores crowns. Hell, just a couple of days ago we saw the new ‘Club World Champions' crowned.

Looking back at 2008 also means that we have the European Championships from Switzerland and Austria to fondly reminisce about as well as the Olympic Games (football's input here of course) and the African Cup of Nations.

So plenty to talk about and recall I'm sure you will agree. So sit back, pull up a chair, and pour yourself a favourite beverage for a look back at the good, the bad and the ugly from the world of football in 2008...



Around the World in 2008

So what did happen then? Well (deep breath)... at the top of the leagues of Europe we were pretty much ‘Rockin' All Over The World' given that everything nicely confirmed the status quo. Manchester United, Lyon, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Porto and PSV Eindhoven were all *surprisingly* crowned champions of their respective nations as competitiveness in football continued to drop out of the sport.

In England, Chelsea pushed United all the way but these two were leagues ahead of everyone else and pretty much everywhere you'd be hard pressed to find any sort of ‘Cinderella story' going on. In the Champions League (unsurprisingly) money talked again as the Premier League continued to dominate. Moscow saw the historic first ever all English Champions League final as Manchester United once again, just squeezed past Chelsea by the width of Edwin Van Der Saar's left hand post.

United were however, worthy winners of the competition as well as their domestic league, doing so with some wonderfully inventive and creative attacking play. That Ronaldo boy wasn't bad either. Over 40 goals in all competitions saw everyone's favourite winker pick up the Balon d'Or, as Europe's best player to go with those other couple of trinkets he picked up.

Internationally speaking, Ronaldo didn't quite live up to his reputation however as the highly fancied Portugal crashed out of Euro 2008, learning, like we all have to at some point in our lives, ‘not to count out the Germans'. Euro 2008 saw the international game regain some of its lost lustre with a series of captivating games, far removed from the stifling defensive tactics of recent tournaments. Russia, Turkey and Holland all impressed at various stages but it was Spain who were the worthy winners, defeating not just 15 of the other teams but also 50 years worth of being serial choke artists.

Argentina retained their Olympic gold medal with victory in Beijing, once again inspired by the awesome Leo Messi. Both these sides achieving success augers well for those of us who like to enjoy football as a spectacle and not come out of a game with a sore neck from too much staring into the sky. At senior level however, Argentina, like Brazil were struggling in qualification for South Africa in 2010 with both these nations questioning if their style of play was exactly what it needed to be. Argentina it was argued play ‘too much nice football that doesn't go anywhere'. Do they need to start lumping it a bit more? Brazil now play like Norway. I would hope that people don't want to see this anymore. Spain's success this summer should hopefully show both that football can be both beautiful AND effective.

In Africa, Egypt continued their dominance of the Africa Cup of Nations by bringing home their 5th title (a record). The competition continues to receive a negative press in Europe because of it taking place at the beginning of the year, but all these managers who like to complain, mentioning no names...alright Sam Allardyce, that it takes away their players do know this when they sign them. Regardless of the usual amount of Euro-snobbery, the tournament once again provided some fantastic football with a record 99 goals being scored. Hosted by Ghana, the atmosphere was always vibrant and we saw the making of a star in Amir Zaki, now banging them in, a few thousand miles away in sunny Wigan.

Those who have shown individually in the past 12 months then...Ronaldo (obviously) but at the back Ferdinand and Vidic were just as important for the European Champions. Spain's collective midfield, which proved the old adage that good things do come in small packages – with Xavi, Iniesta, Silva and Fabregas all showing great quality whilst naturalised Brazilian Marcos Senna of Villarreal had an absolute monster of a tournament.

Other men to impress; Iker Casillas (Spain & Real Madrid), Maicon (Brazil & Inter Milan), Sergio Aguero (Argentina & Atletico Madrid) and Franck Ribery (France & Bayern Munich).

The Class of 2008 Awards

I guess no self-respecting review of the year is fully complete however with some awards, so let's try and give that a bash shall we? Bear in mind I am no more an expert than any of you out there reading this (unless you're a deluded Tottenham fan who *actually* believes you support a ‘top 4' club) so I expect much disagreement and consternation. The big prizes out there are voted for by national team managers, respected sports journalists or rather more frighteningly; ‘democratic polls' of fans. These are based on complex scoring systems and allocations of points but the following awards will have none of that effort or criteria I'm afraid. Nope, they'll just be my opinion, and some reasoning of why I made the choice. Agree? Disagree? Comments at the bottom if you please.

So with that rather blustery and longwinded introduction out the way, let's get down to business shall we?

Player of 2008

Cristia...wait, wait...yes we all know that he's been the best player in the world for most of 2008 (well the first half anyway) but I'm going to go with a man who is a fellow union member. The goalkeeping union that is. As someone who plays in that unique position, whereby a mistake pretty much guarantees a goal being scored, I can fully appreciate the fact that they are often overlooked. A world class goalkeeper is hard to come by and can be so vital in games where two top teams are pretty much evenly matched.

So, with that in mind, my 2008 player of the year...Iker Casillas. The man has been awesome for a long, long time now. This was a guy who was thrust into the Real Madrid first team when he was just 18 years of age and he's never looked back. Last season for Madrid he was sensational. Absolutely top class, papering over a lot of the cracks that we are seeing now. Indeed as this season his meticulous standards have dropped a bit, Real have gone into a complete funk, showing just how well he was performing last time out. He was also excellent for Spain in the summer, helping them to be victorious at Euro 2008 where he was calm and measured throughout. His performance last week in the Classico against Barca showed how good he is.
An amazing player who has had an amazing year.



Team of the Year

Now Manchester United deserve all the credit in the world for the 2008 they had. Premier League Champions as well as Champions League winners in an era when many of the top sides have found it difficult to combine success domestically with that on the European stage as well. Mention I think also should go to the team beaten by United in the final of the Club World Cup, LDU Quito who outlasted their more heralded rivals from Brazil and Argentina to become the first Ecuadorian side to win the Copa Libertadores in the competition's 49 year history.

Full marks to Hull City and Hoffenheim as well for taking their respective top flights by storm and refusing to yield to the accepted wisdom that newly promoted sides need to ‘know their place' and bow down, play nice and let the biggest sides roll them over. Hull have confounded all the critics by going out and *gasp* attacking the biggest sides while Hoffenheim, from a village of just a few thousand in Germany are almost reinventing the whole make up of German football in the way a club is run and the style in which the team plays.

With all that being said however, when I thought about it, there was only one choice when it came to team of the year, and that my friends is Spain. Many, many years in the making, Spain's triumph reminded me of why I do love being a football fan. All of the terrible overhyped nonsense that you have to usually put up with as Sky try to sell to you that Bolton vs. Wigan is the pinnacle of world football made watching Spain this summer all the more sweeter. Indeed the whole tournament was fantastic, with great attacking football replacing the dull sterile systems of play which now seem to dominate all too often.



Allow me to be somewhat indulgent and quote myself from the summer; 'The style in which Spain have played, and also the way in which Russia, Holland, Croatia, Turkey and in fact the Germans against Portugal has shown that possession of the football and close and intricate passing can still thrive in a modern game where pace and power are now seen as the only way to play. The majestic way in which Spain kept hold of the ball and worked their openings or the fantastic adventure shown by the Russians, and the speed of the Dutch on the counter attack meant that goals truly were ‘earned', teams were able to find success in trying to score through open play rather than simply play the percentages and hope for a chance from a set piece or a hoof into the box.

Bottom line, Euro 2008 saw a reverse of what has become a prevailing trend in both international and club football. Attack became the best form of defence and those sides who believed in their abilities and who tried to win games instead of waiting for their opponents to lose them were generally rewarded. Indeed those countries that sat back like France, Romania, Sweden and Greece were sent packing early while those, with Spain as the vanguard, that came to be adventurous, prospered.'

'Joe Kinnear Memorial award' for the thing that made me want to shout and scream in 2008

Time to sound like a broken record I'm afraid, given that I wrote an entire piece on this back when it happened but I feel it's an issue that needs publicising and one of the true times that football made me very, very angry this year. Coming in top of the things that got my goat – the theft of John Bostock by Tottenham Hotspur. This (for once) is not a dig at Tottenham, they were just playing the system at how it's been designed - it's more the implications behind the move.

To keep it brief, and to not make my blood boil as I type this, John Bostock was a 15 year old central midfield player, who had been raised and developed by the excellent and well respected Crystal Palace academy. Due to the lack of any backbone on the behalf of the footballing authorities to stand up to the ‘big' clubs of this world, Tottenham were able to snatch away one of the most highly regarded young talents in the country for a miserly sum, described at the time by Palace chairman Simon Jordan as a ‘bag of crisps.'



Yes I'm biased, yes I'm a Palace fan, but I'd like to think that supporters of all clubs can relate to this, and I like to think that supporters of all teams who can get over their petty tribal views and see the bigger picture would also get annoyed at a system whereby a club can put all the time and effort not to mention resources into academies, producing home grown talent only to see them stolen away for nothing. It's not just ‘small' clubs getting it in the neck, just ask Barcelona who have regularly seen clubs *coughArsenalcough*come in and steal away their top young talents.

The bottom line, if this system continues then there will no longer be any incentive for clubs to produce their own young talents and then where will the stars of tomorrow come from?

The Jamie Redknapp award for ‘crack punditry in the face of overwhelming ignorance'

Goes to ‘good ol' Richard Keys. Sky Sports Champions League coverage is usually a goldmine for crack punditry, and so it was that everyone's favourite ‘Didier Drogba loving' TV anchor came out with the classic piece of analysis that Alessandro Del Piero must have been copying Cristiano Ronaldo all these years for his free kick technique. Yes Richard, I'm sure he has.



Oh yeah, and let's make mention to Phil Thompson for this stunning piece of pre season punditry; "I've already said it on Sky Sports News but I do think this could be the year that someone breaks that top four. I've been very impressed with Spurs and I know that pre-season doesn't mean everything but Ramos' side has really started to take shape. He probably would have liked to have kept Robbie Keane but Darren Bent looks sharp. He seems to have shaken off what was possibly a bit of a star struck feeling, and with the speculation surrounding Berbatov, has started to enjoy taking on more responsibility.

They've got a good balance and a good system with Modric, who's a fine player and Dos Santos on the left. I think Ramos has actually prepared for Berbatov's departure - we've seen him change tactics in pre-season and play 4-5-1, and it's looked very fluent. I think Arsenal's injuries and departures could mean they're the ones to fall out of the top four."

Now to defend Phil Thompson (much as I am loath to) the fact that Arsenal could drop out of the top four places might not be a bad shout as we enter 2009. However, his assessment of Spurs is very, very funny with the benefit of glorious hindsight.

Hypocrite of the year

Football is full of hypocrites. In fact, I don't think that any other industry in the world suffers more from ‘the pot calling the kettle black'. With that in mind, it's actually, when you think about it a pretty impressive feat to beat out all competition and romp home with this award. So step forward Sir Alex Ferguson and his impassioned criticism of ‘Francoist' Real Madrid for their underhand tactics in the transfer market and their pursuit of Cristiano Ronaldo. What's that old adage about glass houses and stones? Well it seems that Old Trafford might just be the world biggest green house. Let's see the evidence shall we? (Many thanks to the Observer Newspaper for their sterling work at collating these)

Fergie: still got it

Real Madrid's record on tapping-up players is 'obscene', says Fergie. 'Their end game was always Ronaldo. What makes it obscene is that Madrid, General Franco's club, had a history of being able to get whoever and whatever they wanted before democracy came to Spain.'

Among the other top football figures who've attacked player tapping in the last few years:

Harry van Raaij , PSV, 2000: 'Who does Ferguson think he is to make this approach to Ruud? He's crossed the line of decency.'

Bob Murray, Sunderland, 2003: 'United's treatment of this club over Bellion is shabby, despicable, disrespectful and arrogant. They've broken every rule in the book.'

Mohamed Fayed, Fulham, 2004: 'I'm fed up with Sir Alex constantly trying to disrupt my club and unsettle my players'.

Harry van Raaij , PSV, 2004: 'Luring Robben in this way is Ferguson's style of doing business. We've seen it before with Jaap and Ruud. A leopard never changes its spots.'

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Bayern, 2006: 'Manchester must stop trying to tempt Owen Hargreaves or we will turn to Fifa.'

Jean-Michel Aulas, Lyon, 2008: 'When Ferguson talks publicly about signing Benzema, how is that not destabilisation?'

Daniel Levy, Tottenham, 2008: 'Ferguson's action over Berbatov is one of the worst offences by any manager in the Premier League ever. It's disgraceful: a blatant example of sheer arrogance...'

I think the case for the prosecution rests your honour



Phew, and with that special bumper, festive, end of year edition, let's wrap things up with a final thought...

With a continuing disparity between rich and poor and the world's economic climate likely to impact heavily on football and every facet of life in 2009, there appears many a storm cloud on the horizon. However, let's never lose track of the fact that on the pitch we saw some terrific football played in 2008 and the emergence of some wonderful players. Bottom line, football is the greatest sport in the world so continue to show your support for it in the year to come.

Rooney fires United to Club World Cup glory

United became the first British winners of the FIFA tournament following Liverpool's failure in 2005 when they were ambushed by Brazil's Sao Paulo.

The European champions overcame a moment of madness from Nemanja Vidic, who was sent off four minutes into the second half in Yokohama for elbowing LDU striker Claudio Bieler in the face.

"The sending off made it difficult for us," United manager Alex Ferguson told reporters. "Half-an-hour to go is a long road with 10 men but Wayne scored a magnificent goal.

"In 30 years you'll look back and see Manchester United's name on the trophy -- although I won't be around to enjoy it."

Vidic's red card is a major blow to Ferguson as he will miss United's next European Champions League game, away to Inter Milan in February in the first leg of the last 16.

"It's a soft sending-off but he swung an elbow," said Ferguson. "When you do that in front of the referee you've got no chance. He gave the referee no option."

Vidic's ban could be extended to three matches should the incident be deemed violent conduct.

"It depends how FIFA interpret it and how UEFA act in terms of the information," added Ferguson. "Vidic is disappointed but the referee was correct to produce the red card."

BEST TEAM

The Serbian defender's dismissal sparked Ferguson's side into life and Rooney fired the winner with a clinical right-foot shot after a magical flick from Cristiano Ronaldo.

"We're the best team in the world," said Rooney, who was named player of the tournament after scoring twice in United's 5-3 semi-final win over Japan's Gamba Osaka.

"If we hadn't won it would have been difficult going back home. We would probably have been on a downer and it would have had a knock-on effect.

"Now we can go back with lots of confidence. It's been a childhood dream. I just looked at my phone and I had a message saying 'Congratulations -- you're a world champion'.

"To score the winning goal is a great feeling."

Ronaldo, the victim of persistent rough treatment from Libertadores Cup holders LDU, was a constant threat as United dominated a match watched by almost 69,000 fans.

Rooney, Park Ji-sung and Carlos Tevez, who angrily grabbed his tracksuit top and kicked the bench when Ferguson sacrificed him after Vidic's red card, all went close.

United still had to survive late LDU pressure, with goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar forced into an excellent fingertip save from Alejandro Manso's fierce drive in the 89th minute.

"Unbelievable!" said United captain Rio Ferdinand. "We're elated. It's been a hard trip but winning softens any feelings of tiredness."

Ferguson's side won the tournament's forerunner, a one-off match between the champions of Europe and South America, with a 1-0 win over Brazilian side Palmeiras in 1999.

happy for Spain:Chelsea's terry

LONDON, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Spain struck a joyous blow for the beautiful game as they finally shone on the international stage but the misery of Chelsea captain John Terry on a rainy May night in Moscow provided soccer's most vivid image of 2008.

As mega-bucks continue to pour into the bank balances of the world's top players despite a global recession, the sight of an inconsolable Terry in floods of tears after his miss in the Champions League final shootout against Manchester United spoke of a broken boyhood dream no amount of cash could fix.

It was a moment too that illustrated the thin dividing line between glory and failure that top sportsmen and women tread.

Terry, the club's inspirational leader, played in the match despite dislocating a shoulder the week before and seemed destined to lead Chelsea to the pinnacle of European club football for the first time.

After a 1-1 draw, Michael Ballack, Juliano Belletti, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole all scored for the Blues in the penalty shootout at the Luzhniki Stadium. Petr Cech saved from United's Cristiano Ronaldo and Terry stepped up for the fifth spot kick with destiny in his hands.

As he struck the ball, his standing foot slipped on the sodden turf and the ball angled away from United keeper Edwin van der Sar but skimmed the outside of the post.

Nicolas Anelka's subsequent miss that sealed United's victory was almost incidental as Terry's lonely, but very public, heartache filled television screens around the globe.

A few weeks later the focus was on a nation's joy rather than one man's grief as Spain proved popular and deserved winners of Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland.

Spain beat Germany 1-0 in the final with Fernando Torres scoring an exquisite goal that summed up his side's emphasis on fast, progressive, eye-catching football.

Incredibly for a country that has produced such wonderful players and dominant club sides over the years, it was their first major tournament triumph in 44 years.

Fittingly nine of Spain's players were named in UEFA's squad of the tournament, although few would have argued if all of them had made the list.

SEVENTH TITLE

While Euro 2008 ran like clockwork, the organisation of the African Cup of Nations in Ghana again threatened to turn the event into a sideshow and underline its reputation as the scourge of Europe's club coaches.

However, with 99 goals in 32 games, the quality of the football on show rivalled anything seen in other continental tournaments.

Egypt successfully defended the title, beating Cameroon 1-0 in the final to win the trophy for a record sixth time.

It was a good year for Egyptian football with Al Ahli also winning the African Champions League.

South America's continental club competition, the Libertadores, provided a shock winner when LDU beat Brazil's Fluminense on penalties to become the first Ecuadorean club to lift the trophy.

In the Asian Champions League, Japan's Gamba Osaka took the honours with an easy 5-0 aggregate victory over Australia's Adelaide United.

In Europe's top club leagues, Inter Milan, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Olympique Lyon all retained their titles.

Bayern Munich restored their place at the top of the Bundesliga as they wrapped up a 21st title to make up for missing the Champions League places the year before.

OUTSPOKEN MOURINHO

Manager Roberto Mancini's joy at winning the Serie A title for Inter was shortlived as he was sacked days later, having angered club owner Massimo Moratti who quickly replaced him with former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho.

Mourinho immediately began ruffling feathers in Italy where Catania chief executive Pietro Lo Monaco said the outspoken Portuguese risked having his "teeth smashed in".

Chelsea's billionaire owner Roman Abramovich wasted little time ditching Avram Grant after the London club ended the season without a trophy, luring Brazilian Luiz Felipe Scolari to Stamford Bridge in his place.

AC Milan had a miserable year, finishing fifth in Serie A, and they will hope the arrival in January of former England skipper David Beckham on loan from LA Galaxy will help them to overhaul Inter in 2009.

While Beckham, who clocked up his 100th England cap in March under new national coach Fabio Capello, shows no sign of fading away, Paolo Maldini, 40, will hang up his boots at the end of this season after 24 years at the San Siro.

Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo scored 42 goals for the club last season as they won the Champions League and Premier League and was named European footballer of the year.

Brazil's former world player of the year Ronaldo ruptured a knee tendon in February playing for AC Milan. He signed for Sao Paulo club Corinthians this month but the 32-year-old's glittering career appears to be running out of time.

Diego Maradona became coach of Argentina in November -- the latest chapter in an extraordinary up-and-down life story.

Former Celtic manager Tommy Burns died in May, while former Oceania Confederation president Charlie Dempsey, the man who abstained from voting when Germany were controversially awarded the 2006 World Cup over South Africa, died the following month.

thanks Reuters

Diego Armando Maradona today visited Mother house

Diego Armando Maradona today visited Mother house, the headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity, founded by the late Mother Teresa. Indian media reported that he lit a candle at her tomb, prayed and was warmly welcomed by the nuns carrying on Mother Teresa's work.

Almost 20,000 fans gathered outside Mother house to catch a glimpse of the Argentine football star, among them many children and teenagers.

"He spoke to the children and kissed them. He said it was a marvelous feeling, like a dream come true, to come to the Foundation and pay homage to Mother Teresa, Sister Lysa said.

The new coach of the Argentine football team is spending a few days in India where he inaugurated a children's football club and kept other commitments.

His visit is a vote of confidence and boost to Indian tourism coming after recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai, for which India is still seeking suspects from Pakistan. The attacks left a death toll of 163, including 23 foreigners and hundreds more injured.

Overwhelmed and notably surprised by Indian adoration, Maradona also visited the Mohun Bagan Athletic Club, one of the oldest football clubs in Asia, where he offered advice to the players.

Diego arrived yesterday at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Airport in Calcuta, where he was received by an estimated 80,000 fans who reportedly lined to streets to see him from the airport to his hotel.

The visit of Argentina's most famous Number 10 generated a great deal of enthusiasm over foootball, a sport that usually occupies second place to cricket in India.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s new girlfriend Alyona Haynes

It was only a matter of time before the Portuguese man-o’-sex moved on to married women, and he has done exactly that with hayns. The 23-year-old Ukrainian is married 50-year-old millionaire John Haynes, who recently had the pleasure of discovering 49 text messages from Mr Ronaldo on her phone. The cuckolded chap clearly isnot impressed

“They looked like they had been written by a seven-year-old . . . it was dreadful English and they mentioned Portugal. They were very coyly written.

“There were things like ‘Do you miss me baby? I miss you’. I just assumed she was playing around with a waiter who had just arrived from Portugal. I had no idea it was him.”

Alyona, whose love for animals is said to rival her love for rich men, met Ronaldo in August and has been spotted out with him on at least eight dates.

(Wondering how a young Ukrainian ended up married to a 50-year-old businessman? Alyona is the face of a website that finds Russian brides for lonely British men)

Cristiano joined Arsenal before Manchester United.

London: Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed that he

had come very close to signing up with Arsenal before he joined Manchester United.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger met Ronaldo thrice to persuade him to join the north London team, but his efforts failed because Man U offered the footballer three times more the amount the former was offering.

I came within a whisker of doing it. Wenger is someone I respect a lot. He is very intelligent, the Sun quoted Ronaldo as saying.

Wenger did his best to woo Ronaldo over to his team and even gave the ace footie a Gunners shirt with his name on the back, but unfortunately for him he was only able to seduce Ronaldos mum, Maria Dolores.

Im disappointed that I seduced only Ronaldos mum! It was a question of the amount of transfer fee to Sporting Lisbon. Of course, hes proved to be a bargain, Wenger said.

The price in fact we discussed was much lower. It was divided by three. What killed the deal is that United came back from the US and played against Sporting Lisbon and Ronaldo was man of the match.

I had Ronaldo at the training ground, I showed him around and I gave him a shirt. It has got his name on the back.

I wanted him to be here but he went to Man United, he added.

According to Ronaldos agent Jorge Mendes, Arsenal and Manchester United were the only two teams that wanted the player on their side immediately.

That is what happened. Everyone wanted Cristiano Real Madrid, Juventus, Barcelona, Mendes said.

But only Arsenal and Manchester United attempted to take him from that season. The others wanted to leave him at Sporting at least a year, he added. (ANI)

Wisden backs up in Harry Potter

Bloomsbury, publishers of the J K Rowling books, has bought John Wisden, publishers of the cricketers' almanack that bears its name.

Wisden was bought by the late Sir Paul Getty in 1993 and, since the death of the billionaire philanthropist in 2003, has been owned by his son Mark.

Bloomsbury has been associated with the almanack for the last four years when it became Wisden's sales partner. Its publishing stable includes other distinguished almanacks, including Whitaker's and Who's Who produced by A&C Black, the Bloomsbury subsidiary.

Nigel Newton , Bloomsbury Publishing chief executive, described the purchase as a "landmark event" in the company's history. "It's an honour to be the new custodians of such an institution," said Mr Newton.

Founded by cricketer John Wisden, "the little wonder", in 1864, Wisden has a unique place in cricketing history and tradition. The annual publication with its mixture of statistics, trenchant opinion and carefully crafted features has become an indispensable part of the game.

Cricketing enthusiasts have spent thousands on rare editions. Wisden specialist Giles Lyon, of Sports Pages, has recorded £140,000 as the top price for a full set of the almancks.

The rarest, the 1875 edition, fetched £25,000 from a library in Philadelphia, which hosted England's first overseas 'test' match.

A fire at the Mortlake factory producing the almanack destroyed most of the 1875 print.

Two years ago the almanack had its biggest ever sale, topping the £50,000 mark. The 2009 edition is due out in April, edited by Scyld Berry, cricket correspondent of The Sunday Telegraph.

The Wisden sale marks the end of the Getty association with cricket publications. Mr Getty has already sold two others owned by his father.

Suns lose big in New Orleans without Nash, O'Neal

What do you get when you subtract your starting point guard and your starting center from an NBA lineup? It isn’t a difficult equation to figure out. You don’t need a calculator, and you don’t need to flip to the back of the book to find the answer.

For the Phoenix Suns, the answer was a 104-91 loss on the road to the New Orleans Hornets. It marks the first time since 2006-07 that the Suns have lost three games in a row in the regular season.

Steve Nash stayed in the team hotel with the flu, and Shaquille O’Neal sat out his third game of the season to rest because of a back-to-back. That left rookie Robin Lopez making his third start of his career at center, and Leandro Barbosa starting in place of Nash at point guard.

To say the Hornets were looking to capitalize on the Suns’ misfortune might be an understatement. New Orleans came out firing on all cylinders in the first quarter, outscoring Phoenix 35-21. Chris Paul scored 12 in the opening period, and finished the game with 24 points and 15 assists.

But credit does need to be given where it’s due, and you’ve got to hand it to the Suns for not rolling over and chalking the game up as a loss from the start.

Phoenix made a furious comeback in the second quarter, starting the period on a 14-2 run, and not allowing New Orleans to score a field goal until halfway through the quarter. They rallied to take a one-point lead for a moment, and found themselves down just 51-50 at the half.

The wheels came off again in the third quarter though, and the Hornets proved to be too much for the short-handed Suns to handle.

The third period posted another disparity, with New Orleans outscoring Phoenix by 12, and that was enough to lead the Hornets to their sixth straight win over the Suns dating back to last season’s four-game sweep.

For lack of other offensive options, Amare Stoudemire got his wish to be the featured scorer of the team, and had a game-high 26 points on 11 for 19 shooting.

Unfortunately, Stoudemire’s presence was only felt on the offensive side of the ball, as he pulled down just four rebounds in 40 minutes of action. Yes Mr. Evans (my high school math teacher), that’s one rebound every 10 minutes. He had more fouls (5) and more turnovers (6) than he did rebounds.

It wasn’t just Stoudemire that had trouble controlling the glass however, as the Hornets out-rebounded the Suns 45-30 in the game. New Orleans’ David West was the only player to reach double-digit rebounds as he pulled down 14 to go along with his 23 points.

For the second straight meeting, the Suns allowed three different Hornets to scored 20 points or more in the same game. Along with Paul and West, Peja Stojakovic made five three-pointers (5 for 9) on his way to 24 points. In their first meeting on October 30^th, Paul and Stojakovic were joined by Morris Peterson as the 20+ scorers (West had 18 points).

Grant Hill contributed the most complete game for Phoenix, scoring 17 points while dishing six assists and six rebounds. Barbosa had 19 points, and Matt Barnes, who came off the bench, was 5 for 11 from the field with 13 points and seven rebounds.

Robin Lopez was nearly invisible in his 20 minutes on the court. He scored just two points on his only shot attempt, didn’t manage a single rebound, and had four fouls, three of which were in the first half.

The Suns (11-8) will have O’Neal back in action tomorrow night, and hope to have Nash back as well to face the Dallas Mavericks (9-8) for the first time this season.

WI COACH: WI VS NZ will be tough series

New Zealand lost their Test series across the Trans-Tasman peninsula, when Australia swept them 2-0 yesterday.

"Teams come back from a series against Australia, when they're playing well and feel "thank goodness that's over", West Indies head coach John Dyson said.

"From our point of view, it's been great to watch them play against Australia. We'll get some useful tips from it.

"But, Any New Zealand side in New Zealand is a difficult proposition, so I expect they'll come home saying "let's get on with this series".

"They're playing in front of their home crowds on their home soil. They're very patriotic. They dig deep."

Intriguing series

Dyson noted New Zealand have slipped below the West Indies to eighth in the ICC Test Champion-ship, following their defeat to Australia and he believes it sets things up for an intriguing series.

"This is a contest between two teams, who are pretty closely placed on the ICC table," he said.

"Both teams talk about wanting to move up. To me, this is going to be a good indication, this series, of just where they both are."

West Indies start a three-day tour match against Auckland at Eden Park on Friday and Dyson expects it to be a proper first-class game - not one where teams use 12 or 13 players to have a practice workout.

But Dyson is concerned with the lack of international experience of some of his players and acknowledged that a single three-day warm-up game ahead of the Tests was not ideal.

"We haven't played a Test for a number of months (since June against Australia), but these days you've got to get used to playing just one tour match then a Test,Ó he said.

"We had a good practice in Christchurch that was good from the point of getting over jetlag. We'll get them out in the middle for a three-day game, then another week's practice for the Test.

"We're looking for some consistency and some good performances to justify the faith that has been placed in them."

The first Test begins in Dunedin on December 11 and the second Test follows the week after in Napier.

The tour continues with two Twenty20 Internationals against the Black Caps and concludes with five One-Day Internationals.

BCCI to decide on Champions League on 7 December

NEW DELHI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will be holding a meeting with the board members of Cricket Australia (CA) and Cricket South Africa (CSA) on 7 December to decide the fate of Champions League Twenty20.

BCCI VP Lalit Modi confirmed to Indiantelevision.com that the three boards are meeting on Sunday to decide on a suitable date.

The inaugural edition of Champions League Twenty20, which was scheduled to be played in Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai from 3 to 10 December, was postponed last week due to the terror attacks in Mumbai.

The new schedule has to be in sync with Future Tour Programmes (FTP) which is drafted with the approval of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

According to the present FTP, India was supposed to play against Pakistan in January, 2009. However looking at the prevailing conditions related to the Mumbai terror attack, India's tour of Pakistan might not turn into a reality.

In addition, the South Africa tour to Australia is scheduled to begin in the second week of December with a series of three Test matches, followed by two T20 matches and five one day matches.

If the three boards (BCCI, CA, CSA), along with ICC, are able to tighten the South Africa versus Australia series, then Champions League T20 could be played in January.