April 2011 ~ Info

Puyol, Milito make Barcelona squad for third clash

Madrid: Barcelona defenders Carles Puyol and Gabriel Milito have recovered from injuries to be included in the squad to play Real Madrid in a Champions League semi-final first leg, the Spanish league leaders said on Monday.

Spain international Puyol missed the King's Cup final defeat to Real last week and Saturday's league victory over Osasuna with a muscle strain but returns for the third "Clasico" in the space of 12 days.

Argentine centre-back Milito, who tweaked a muscle in the Cup final, also recovered but Brazilian fullback Maxwell missed out due to a groin problem.

Options in defence
The return of the experienced pair gives coach Pep Guardiola options in defence where he has already lost Eric Abidal and Adriano Correia to injury.

With striker Bojan Krkic also sidelined, Guardiola called up youth team players Thiago Alcantara, Sergi Roberto and Martin Montoya to the squad.

Barca visit the Bernabeu on Wednesday and the second leg is at the Nou Camp on May 3.

Source: http://gulfnews.com

Manchester City proving their worth

By Jaydip Sengupta

Dubai - Former Manchester United midfielder Lee Sharpe believes Abu Dhabi-owned Manchester City are destined for glory after their defeat of the Red Devils in the FA Cup recently.

Speaking to XPRESS during his visit to Abu Dhabi in his role as guest commentator on AD Sports, Sharpe said: "Manchester City are definitely learning to live with the top teams now, and I'd expect them to make a top four Champions League spot this year.

"If you look at the talent they've got in the side, there's no reason why they won't continue to challenge the top premier league teams every season. You don't spend all the money they've spent without expecting silverware to follow.

More attacking

"I think the manager, [Roberto] Mancini needs to be a little bolder going forward into next season. As is the Italian way, he seems a little too obsessed with defence and with not losing, and not brave enough to go out and play to win games. They're a team capable of playing a better type of football.

"It wouldn't hurt to aim a bit higher either. It's been a wide open league again this year and Manchester City are more than capable of contending for the top couple of spots and not just for a Champions League place. The more they win, the more the mind-set at the club will change and they will start to believe that they can challenge for the league title."

Talking of his former club who are very much in the running for a double, Sharpe said: "I know that the guys will have been really disappointed with the result in the FA cup semi-final. It's a blow, definitely, but I think it would just have made them more determined than before to do succeed in the other cups."

Asked to comment on Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish's view that the Reds are the best club in England going by their European record, Sharpe said: "I love Kenny, he's a great guy. Liverpool are a fantastic club with a great set of supporters but the fact remains that they have been poor over the last few seasons. I think instead of looking at what you achieved 20 years ago as a club, what's more relevant is what's happened in the last few seasons. He's doing a great job at Liverpool this season though. They've turned around their season amazingly and I'd expect him to build on that for next season," he said.

Source: http://gulfnews.com

Former Indonesian soccer team coach passes away

Dutch soccer legend and former Indonesian squad coach Wiel Coerver passed away in his hometown of Kerkrade on Friday morning.

He died at the age of 86, goal.com reported Friday.

Coerver managed the red-and-white squad from 1975-1976.

Under his coaching, Indonesia reached the finals of the qualifying leg for the 1976 Olympics Games in Montreal, Canada. However, failed to qualify for Montreal after being edged out by North Korea in a dramatic penalty shootout.

Coerver was famed for developing his players’ ball skills and implementing combined group attacks, aptly named the Coerver method, combining dribbling, passing skills, “one-on-one moves”, speed, and “lethal finishing”.

He also enjoyed a memorable club coaching career, winning several Dutch titles. His crowning achievement was winning the UEFA Cup with Feyenoord in 1974.

Coerver picked up the prestigious Oeuvre Award in 2008 for his contribution to the game.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com

Kediri questions FIFA, calls for appeal for Army chief

The Kediri branch of the Indonesian Soccer Association (PSSI) has asked the world’s governing soccer body, FIFA, to explain why Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Toisutta cannot be nominated in the ongoing race for the PSSI chairmanship post for the 2011-2015 period.

George had so far topped the list of candidates registering for the race, with support from 14 PSSI members, while business tycoon Arifin Panigoro, who initiated a rival soccer league, is second in line with 13 votes.

FIFA has rejected the nominations of both George and Arifin.

PSSI Kediri office chief Barnadi said FIFA was not being transparent with the reasons behind its decisions to ban George from the chairmanship race.

“Arifin maybe guilty of creating the LPI [rival soccer league], but what has Toisutta done?" Barnadi said Friday in the East Java town of Kediri, as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.

He added that the FIFA decision could still be challenged if Indonesian soccer clubs and the PSSI united in their stance and called for other members of the PSSI to launch an appeal to FIFA.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com

Madrid - Barcelona have decided to appeal UEFA's proposal to ban Andres Iniesta for one Champions League match for deliberately collecting a yellow card.

The Spain midfielder was cautioned in the first leg of Barca's quarter-final against Shakhtar Donetsk, which the Spanish club won 5-1, for not retreating the required distance at a freekick, meaning he missed the return game in Ukraine.

UEFA officials at the match alleged Iniesta provoked the card so he could serve the standard one-match ban in the second leg and would have a clean slate for the semi-finals.

Barcelona face La Liga rivals Real Madrid in the last four of Europe's premier club competition with the first leg away at the Bernabeu on April 27.

"FC Barcelona believe that the arguments outlined in their appeal, based on the good faith of the player and the disproportionate nature of the proposed sanction will be sufficient to rebut these allegations," the club said on their website (www.fcbarcelona.cat). "The UEFA disciplinary committee will make a decision on the case on Wednesday," they added. Reuters

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com

Mourinho Set to Haunt Barca in Semi-Finals Again

Madrid. Jose Mourinho is ready to haunt Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals again on Wednesday, this time with Real Madrid.

Knocking Barca out of Europe's elite club competition after winning the King's Cup final against them last week could signal the start of a power-shift in Spanish football away from Catalunya and back to Madrid.

The Portuguese coach has always managed to rile Barca, where he spent some of his formative years as an assistant to Bobby Robson in the 1990s, and guided Inter Milan to victory against them in the semis last year on the way to Champions League glory.

Mourinho also crossed swords with Barca three times during his spell at Chelsea, twice bettering them over a 'two-match series'.
His ability to ruffle the Catalan team's feathers knows no end and he has outwitted them so far in the unprecedented 'four-match series' between the world's two richest clubs.

A 1-1 league draw, when Real came back to level with 10 men on April 16, was followed by last Wednesday's 1-0 extra-time victory in the King's Cup final, Mourinho's first trophy as coach of the Madrid side.

The league title is all but wrapped up for Barcelona but the tantalizing prospect of a 10th European Cup triumph lies ahead for Real, and a third for Mourinho all with different teams.

Barca defender Gerard Pique refused to be drawn on the hot topics of debate after the first two 'Clasicos' such as the quality of the refereeing, the length of the grass at the Bernabeu and Real's aggressive, 'negative' approach.

"The grass is long but I'm not going to cry about it," the Spanish World Cup winner told daily El Pais of the pitch at Wednesday's Bernabeu venue.

"It's normal for them to take particular care over their defence and that they try to stop our passing game. Mourinho will use everything available to him.

Powerful Team
"At the end of the day they are a powerful team with very good forwards," added Pique.

Breaking coach Pep Guardiola's record of five consecutive 'Clasico' wins, including a 5-0 demolition of Mourinho's team at the Nou Camp in November, and then winning the King's Cup has dented Barca's aura of invincibility.

Real have proved they can match their rivals with ultra-aggressive tactics that have not been to everyone's liking, with the Madrid club having had a player sent off in the last three meetings between the sides.

The two clubs are the competition's top scorers with 24 goals each but the previous two 'Clasicos' have been tense tussles with few sights of goal.

Madrid have packed the centre of the pitch with three holding players led by centre-back turned midfield-enforcer Pepe, ruthlessly denying Barca's playmakers time and space while looking to break quickly.

Sami Khedira's injury means Lassana Diarra will probably replace him in midfield while Mourinho may opt to play without a recognised number nine again as he did in the King's Cup final. At the back Ricardo Carvalho is suspended but Real's defensive problems are not as acute as Barca's.

The absence of Eric Abidal, Adriano Correia and Maxwell mean the returning Carles Puyol could be asked to fill in at left back while midfielder Javier Mascherano could play in defence again.

Any change in Barca's standard 4-3-3 formation would probably be read as an acknowledgement that Real have worked out the way to play against Guardiola's three magicians -- Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi.

Probable teams: Real Madrid: 1-Iker Casillas, 17-Alvaro Arbeloa, 4-Sergio Ramos, 18-Raul Albiol, 12-Marcelo; 10-Lassana Diarra, 3-Pepe, 14-Xabi Alonso; 22-Angel Di Maria, 9-Cristiano Ronaldo, 23-Mesut Ozil Barcelona: 1-Victor Valdes; 2-Dani Alves, 14-Javier Mascherano, 3-Gerard Pique, 5-Carles Puyol; 8-Andres Iniesta, 16-Sergio Busquets, 6-Xavi; 17-Pedro, 10-Lionel Messi, 7-David Villa. Reuters

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com

By Tom Williams

Sir Alex Ferguson admitted on Monday that Manchester United's push for Champions League glory is fired by a desire to make ground on their more decorated European rivals.

United tackle Schalke here on Tuesday in the first leg of their semi-final, as they bid to reach what would be their third final in the space of four years.

The three-time champions are seasoned operators on the European stage and have yet to lose in this season's competition, but Ferguson says they still have ground to make up in the silverware stakes.

"The present group has enough experience in Europe now. I think it's where we should be," said the United coach at his pre-match press conference.

"My expectation has always been high in regard to the European scene. You do get envious of other clubs' records in Europe and we're trying to get to parity with those clubs: Real Madrid, AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Ajax, Liverpool...

"We need to progress quickly to get to that level again."

United, eliminated at the quarter-final stage by Bayern last season, will be appearing in the semi-finals of Europe's premier cup tournament for the 12th time, while Schalke are novices at this stage of the competition.

Ferguson's side are therefore strong favourites to reach the Wembley decider on May 28, but the Scot says past experience suggests they are in for a bumpy ride.

"You always get apprehensive at this stage of the competition," he said.

"We've had the same situation over the years, when we played Juventus (in 1998-99). There was apprehension in the first game at home (1-1) but we released that in the second leg (3-2).

"It was the same with Barcelona (in 2007-08). We got the result we wanted at home (a 1-0 win after a 0-0 draw in the away leg) but the last few minutes were agony.

"You run the full gamut of emotion in Champions League semi-finals, because it's never easy."

Despite their relative lack of experience, Schalke go into the game on the back of an astonishing 7-3 aggregate demolition of holders Inter Milan in the quarter-finals and Ferguson was fulsome in his praise of their exploits.

"They never looked like losing the game," he said.

"That's quite a credit to them in terms of their experience against Inter Milan. Never at any stage did I think they'd lose."

United are currently six points clear at the top of the Premier League after a 1-0 defeat of Everton last Saturday and Ferguson said the team had been buoyed by the returns from injury of several key players.

"What's important is the freshness that has come back into the team in recent weeks," he said.

"(Antonio) Valencia, (Rio) Ferdinand, Anderson, Park (Ji-Sung)... It sometimes happens that way. Big competitions come along and you find all your players are fit. It gives you a selection problem, but you're glad to have them."

Striker Dimitar Berbatov did not make the trip to Germany due to a groin strain and Darren Fletcher is not yet fully fit after a virus, but right-back Rafael has returned from a knee problem to give Ferguson a near full squad.

In Berbatobv's absence, Wayne Rooney is likely to continue his fruitful partnership with Javier Hernandez, whose 83rd-minute header brought victory against Everton.

"Good players create their own platform in terms of the importance of their performances," said Ferguson.

"Wayne knows performance will always be what he's judged on. There's so much expectation on the boy. But he's stepped up to the mark for that; no-one else has done it (for him)."

Tuesday's game at Veltins Arena will see Rooney return to the scene of his sending off for England against Portugal at the 2006 World Cup, but Ferguson said it would not affect him.

"You have to put bad moments behind you and try to do better. It's a normal thing for any footballer. I wasn't aware it was in Gelsenkirchen. I actually didn't see that game." AFP

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com

Rossi ‘happy’ after GP12 test

Valentino Rossi is feeling upbeat after getting his first taste of the new Ducati GP12 at Jerez on Friday - the bike he will ride in 2012. The Italian described the new machine as ‘a lot of fun’ after completing 50 laps of the circuit, and went on to state that the engine is an improvement over the powerplant used in his current contender.

"I’m happy," Rossi commented. "I like the GP12. In my opinion, it’s more enjoyable, more fun to ride. It was the first time we had it on the track, so we had some work to do, but the engine is nicer. It’s a lot of fun, and you can do some nice slides.

"It’s the bike we’ll ride next year, so it was very important, and also very nice to be among the first to take it on the track."

Source: http://www.gpupdate.net

Bautista aiming to return at Estoril

Álvaro Bautista has set his sights on making a racing return at Estoril in May, as the Spaniard continues to recover from a broken left femur which was sustained during the season-opening event in Qatar. American rider John Hopkins took the place of Bautista for the Rizla Suzuki squad at Jerez, but the 26-year-old is eager to get back on his bike for Round 3 of the championship.

"We've been looking at the X-rays they took of me this afternoon with Dr. Villamor and it appears that the bone is forming well and there's less risk of it not healing well," Bautista told the official MotoGP website.

"We've passed the first stage, and that means I should be able to start to push on little by little and start getting stronger in the leg, because I have lost a lot of strength and with less fear I can start to move the bone and regain full feeling. That'll mean I can start exercising with a little resistance and start to speed up the recuperation process to be as quick as possible."

"It's still not 100% certain, but the only thing on my mind is returning and my aim is to do that in Estoril although it'll be a decision for the medical team. They've told me that if I continue at this pace there is a good chance, but there is still a lot of hard work ahead if I want to get back to a suitable physical condition for MotoGP."

Source: http://www.gpupdate.net

Williams plans raft of updates for Turkey

Williams will be taking a selection of new car parts to the Turkish Grand Prix next month. The ex Champion team has statistically suffered its worst start to a Formula 1 season since joining the sport in the late 1970s, although Sam Michael is confident that lap times can now be lowered for Rubens Barrichello and Pastor Maldonado.

“We had a number of new parts in China,” explained the Australian Technical Director. “The most visible one was the new exhaust system on Rubens’ car during practice.

“We saw some quite positive signs during the traction phase, but unfortunately we had some reliability issues with parts of the floor burning and subsequently causing degradation of aero performance. We’re redesigning some parts and intend to reintroduce an upgraded version of this exhaust system at the Barcelona Grand Prix.

“We are introducing a modified floor, new front wing, new rear wing and new brake ducts to both cars for Istanbul. We expect this to give us a few tenths to help our drivers get into the top ten.”

Source: http://www.gpupdate.net

Button happy with qualifying improvement

Prior to the start of the 2011 season, Jenson Button set himself the personal goal of improving in qualifying – having struggled in this area last year and been involved in a selection of racing incidents as an indirect consequence. So far this season, the McLaren driver has enjoyed two fourth-best qualifying positions and a front row grid spot in Shanghai last weekend.

“On a personal level, I've also been really pleased with my qualifying pace,” said the Frome man. “Before the season, I said it was one of my aims to improve that and I've been pretty satisfied with how things have worked out over the first three races.

“Apart from Mark (Webber)'s race in China, I think we’ve seen that it's difficult to make up ground if you're not right at the front because you're really at the mercy of a lot of other cars and their strategies; so getting qually right is crucial and we seem to be heading in the right direction.”

Source: http://www.gpupdate.net

Massa eager to fight at a higher level

The Brazilian produced an impressive display at the Chinese Grand Prix and found himself in second place for long periods. However, the decision to use a two-stop strategy backfired and he slipped down the pack in the final few laps to finish sixth - one spot ahead of team-mate Fernando Alonso.

Despite Massa's solid showing in Shanghai, Ferrari have been unable to match the pace the Red Bull and McLaren in the first three races of the season.

The 29-year-old admits the team need to improve in qualifying if they are to challenge the pacesetters.

"The result should have been a bit better than my eventual sixth place, but I was very happy with how it went and I hope I can continue to fight at a higher level for the coming races," he wrote on the official Ferrari website.

"For sure, we need to qualify better so we can start further forward on the grid which helps in the race, even with the talk of grid position being less important this year.

"In China actually my grid position, sixth, was not too bad and then I gained one place immediately after the start which moved me up to fifth. Most importantly though, if you look at the pace of the car, it was good enough to allow us to fight with the leaders."

Lewis Hamilton claimed victory in China to end Sebastian Vettel's perfect start to the season and Massa was happy to see a new face on the top step of the podium.

"In Shanghai, it was good for the sport of Formula 1 that Lewis won the race, so we don't have the same car winning every time," he said.

"However, we must not forget that Sebastian still finished second which is a very good result, which still keeps him in a good position for the championship. We have three weeks now during which everyone at Ferrari has to push hard to try and arrive at the next race, or more specifically the next qualifying, in a stronger position, so we can continue to take the fight to these guys.

"After Shanghai, we must also consider Mercedes as being part of the fight for the top places. They definitely have a quicker car than us for qualifying, but it's not yet a match for Red Bull. But it is also true that the Red Bulls suffer more than most in a performance drop off from qualifying to the race, so this could see Mercedes continuing to be very competitive now in the races."

Source: http://www.planetf1.com

Grosjean not giving up on F1

Grosjean first entered F1 in 2009 when he was signed by Renault as Nelson Piquet Jr's replacement. However, the Frenchman, who was never really given the opportunity to prove himself, was dropped at the end of the year in favour of Vitaly Petrov.

But, at the start of this season, under new ownership and management, Grosjean was handed a way back into F1 when Lotus Renault signed him as one of the test drivers.

And the 25-year-old is hoping that now that he's back on the radar, he can work his way into a F1 race-seat.

"Clearly, the idea is to get to Formula 1 next year," he told GPUpdate.

"If not, it's going to be difficult, so the goal is to get there in 2012 as a race driver; if it's not the case, we'll see what's going on.

"Being the third driver, I can get some information and I can be in the paddock with the engineers. It's very good to be third driver because you're always with the team, which is great for my knowledge and knowing everybody around a little bit."

One thing, though, that would boost his chances is if he was given the opportunity to drive the car in Friday practices.

"That would be fantastic. I'll take it for sure, if it's the case at the end of the GP2 season - because we're going to finish in September, so it's quite a long time until the next test."

Source: http://www.planetf1.com

Kubica: Moving in the right direction

Kubica has spent the last two-and-a-half months at the Pietra Ligure hospital in Italy following an horrific accident whilst competing in the Ronde di Andora rally on February 6.

The Pole was forced to undergo four separate surgical procedures after sustaining multiple fractures to an arm and leg, as well as a severed right hand.

After being taken off the critical list, Renault driver Kubica has since been undergoing extensive rehabilitation, and is now at last approaching a position where he can continue away from hospital.

A further programme will follow under the supervision of Dr Riccardo Ceccarelli, who runs the Italian sports clinic 'Formula Medicine' and is a consultant with Renault.

"I am starting to feel a lot better now," said Kubica.

"My recovery is moving in the right direction. My strength and weight are increasing day on day and as a result I will leave the hospital very soon.

"I don't have a precise date as yet, but I hope to be able to leave within the next 10 days."

Of primary concern has long been the condition of Kubica's right hand, the mobility of which he has admitted "is limited."

However, he added: "This is pretty normal in this kind of situation because the connected arm muscles are still very weak due to the long period of immobility.

"Things are definitely improving day by day.

"As soon as I leave hospital, I'll head to my home in Monaco for a short period of rest.

"Then I'll move to Dr Ceccarelli's facilities where I will start a deep rehabilitation program and a preliminary soft training programme.

"The two programmes will gradually cross over based on the speed of my recovery."

Despite his situation, Kubica has been following the season so far, with Renault making a strong start with podium finishes for Vitaly Petrov and replacement Nick Heidfeld in Australia and Malaysia respectively.

Asked if he had stayed in touch with the team, Kubica said: "Yes, of course.

"Especially since the season started, I've been liaising with my engineers on what's been going on over race weekends.

"They are sending me the race reports so I can remain up to date and fully informed, as if I were there at the tracks.

"(Team principal) Eric Boullier is also in constant contact, keeping up to date with my general condition.

"I've also watched the races, and there is no doubt it's been a strong start to the season.

"The potential of the car, which I already noticed in the February Valencia test, seems to be confirmed.

"As usual, it's now important the development continues to produce consistent updates for maintaining this level of performance.

"The guys did a great job with this car and I'm sure they'll continue to improve.

"From my side, I'll try to use my difficult experience to come back as strong as I possibly can."

Source: http://www.planetf1.com

Getting a Buzz Out of ‘Boring’ Golf

By Chris Lehourites

London - PowerPlay is a golf game fit for a Formula One fan.

Hoping to change the face of a sport often considered to be staid and boring, organizers of the PowerPlay Golf series are looking to bring in new fans by offering a faster pace and more excitement with two pins per green and only nine holes in a round.

“Stand by for something very special,” Scottish golfer Colin Montgomerie said on Wednesday in a statement. “Golf around the world is about to discover a new dimension.”

Montgomerie will be joined by US Open champion Graeme McDowell in a 12-player field that includes former major winners Gary Player, John Daly and Ian Woosnam in a PowerPlay tournament in May at Celtic Manor in Wales.

In PowerPlay golf, players can score different point totals depending on which of the two cups they go for on each green. The game is scored using a nine-hole “variation on golf’s Stableford points scoring system,” PowerPlay Golf said on its Web site.

Each player will get a limited amount of opportunities to putt to the black flag, which would be placed in a more difficult part of the green. If a player makes a birdie into that hole, more points are awarded.

On the final hole, all players can go for the black flag, where organizers said a “birdie wins points galore, and possibly the tournament … but failure to make par spells disaster.”

Player, a nine-time major winner, described the game’s appeal by thinking back to his days at the Masters, a tournament he won three times.

“You are standing in the middle of the 18th fairway at Augusta National tied for the lead. What do you do?” Player said. “Risk versus reward — one of the toughest decisions a champion has to make.”

The event at Celtic Manor on May 30 is the inaugural tournament in a three-event series, and the list of participants is likely to draw fans of the traditional game.

The field also includes Paul Casey, Ian Poulter, Paula Creamer and Helen Alfredsson.

The game is meant to “increase golf’s appeal to a wider sporting TV audience,” PowerPlay Golf said. The winner of the first tournament at Celtic Manor will receive 100,000 pounds ($163,000).

PowerPlay Golf has likened itself to Twenty20 cricket. The traditional sport of cricket is played over five days, while a one-day version lasts about eight hours. With the introduction of Twenty20 cricket in 2003, the game was reduced to about four hours.

“Creating a three-hour risk-and-reward shootout live for TV is a great idea,” McDowell said, “and I am sure we will all be going full-on to win.”

Associated Press

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com

Hype Machine for Southeast Asian Games Ready to Go Into Overdrive

The promotional campaign for the Southeast Asian Games can now go full blast, after organizers said on Monday that they had secured state funds for that purpose.

The Indonesia SEA Games Organizing Committee (Inasoc) said it would begin ramping up publicity for the Nov. 11-20 event in line with the 200-day countdown to the Games, which starts next Monday.

The country is hosting the Games for the first time since 1997, but there has been little hype about the region’s biggest multisport event coming to town.

In Jakarta, the only sign promoting the Games can be found at the Bung Karno Sports Complex where a medium-sized billboard has been put up.

Tubagus Ade Lukman, head of the Inasoc marketing department, said all that was about to change. The kickoff of the 200-day countdown will be marked at the Jakabaring Sports Complex in Palembang, South Sumatra, and at Teater Tanah Airku in Jakarta.

“We’ll schedule the release of publicity materials to keep the hype up, then make sure it peaks when the Games begin,” said Ade, who declined to reveal the budget allocated by the government.

He said the committee would concentrate its promotional activities at airports, office buildings and commercial centers.

Several companies that are sponsors of the Games will work with Inasoc on the marketing efforts, he said.

According to Ade, flag carrier Garuda Indonesia has agreed to use in-flight media to promote the Games. The airline will also begin selling Games merchandise during flights.

Electronics company Panasonic Gobel Indonesia and Indofood Sukses Makmur, Indonesia’s biggest instant-noodle maker, are also expected to be involved in promoting the Games.

Panasonic reportedly signed a Rp 100 billion ($11.5 million) sponsorship deal with Inasoc, while Indofood is scheduled to sign a memorandum of agreement with organizers this week.

“One thing is sure, there will be more sponsors coming,” said Ginung Pratidina, Inasoc deputy secretary general.

He said they were also waiting for state-owned firms to come through on a promise of support.

During a meeting with the Coordinating Ministry for People’s Welfare last week, the State Enterprises Ministry pledged its support for the Games.

“We’re just waiting for word from these companies. Hopefully, they can deliver,” Ginung said. (Ami Afriatni)

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com

Technical Specifications

Honda CBX 250 TWister (2001)

Engine Engine type Bore x Stroke Displacement Valves Compression ratio Max Power Max Torque Fuel system Transmission Final drive Clutch Ignition type Starting system Lubrication Exhaust Spark plug Battery Gear ratios	Oil cooled, single cylinder, 4-stroke, DOHC 73.0 x 59.5 mm 249cc 4 valves per cylinder 9.3:1 24 hp (17.9 kW) @ 8000 rpm 24 Nm (17.7 ft. lbs) @ 6000 rpm Carburetors 6-speed Chain Transistorized with electronic advance Electric starter Wet sump
Dimensions Frame type Castor Overall length Overall width Overall height Wheelbase Seat height Ground clearance Dry weight Fuel capacity Colors Suspension (front) Suspension (rear) Tyre (front) Tyre (rear) Brake (front) Brake (rear)	2031 mm (80 inches) 746 mm (29.4 inches) 1057 mm (41.6 inches) 1369 mm (53.9 inches) 782 mm (30.8 inches) 162 mm (6.4 inches) 135 kg 16.5 litres Telescopic, coil spring, oil damped Swinging arm, coil spring, oil damped, spring pre-load 100/80-R17 130/70-R17 Single disc 276 mm with 4-piston calipers Drum 130 mm

Picture: http://minasgerais.inetgiant.com.br/AdDetails/CBX-250CC-TWISTER/2873274

Specifications
Asus Transformer TF101

Network	2G 3G
Size	Dimensions Weight Display	271 x 171 x 13 mm (10.67 x 6.73 x 0.51 in) 680 gram LED-backlit IPS LCD, capacitive touchscreen 1280 x 800 pixels (~149 ppi pixel density)
Memory	Phonebook Call records Internal Card slot	16/32 GB, 1 GB RAM microSD, up to 32 GB
Data	GPRS EDGE 3G WLAN Bluetooth Infrared port USB	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n v2.1 with A2DP, EDR v2.0
Features	OS CPU Messaging Ringtones Browser Radio GPS Games Camera Video Colors Java	Android OS, v3.0 (Honeycomb), v3.2, upgradable to v4.0 (ICS) Dual-core 1 GHz Cortex-A9; Nvidia Tegra 2 T20 Email, Push Email, IM Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones HTML, Adobe Flash Yes Yes 5 MP, 2592 х 1944 pixels, autofocus Yes Black via Java MIDP emulator - ASUS Waveshare UI - Multitouch - Scratch-resistant glass (protection) - Geo-tagging - Loudspeaker with stereo speakers - 3.5mm jack - SRS audio - Accelerometer, gyro, compass (sensors) - mini HDMI port - MP3/MP4 player - Polaris Office 3.0 editor - Organizer - Predictive text input - Calendar - Alarm
Battery	Stand-by Talk time	Non-removable Li-Po battery (24.4 Wh) Up to Up to 9 h 30 min (multimedia)

Image: http://www.gsmarena.com/asus_transformer_tf101-pictures-3936.php

Govt to consider advice to stop financing football clubs

Jakarta - Finance Minister Agus Martowardojo said here on Tuesday the government would consider the advice of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to stop the use of state budget funds to finance professional football clubs in the regions.

"If the KPK has indeed made the recommendation in writing, then we will study it. We are the state so we cannot just stop the financial aid abruptly but will consider the KPK`s advice," Minister Martowardoyo said.

He added his ministry had not received any official letter from the KPK on the request to stop disbursement of regional state budget funds for financing professional football in the regions.

Martowardoyo said that Ministry of Finance has been allocating budgets related to sports development through the Indonesian National Sports Committee (KONI) as the holding organization for all branches of sports.

KONI subsequently will channel the funds downwards to the respective sports organizations. Therefore, the government will talk first with KONI on the matter, the finance minister said.

The KPK has previously advised the government to halt the use of state budgets at the regional levels for financing professional football organizations under the All-Indonesia Football Association (PSSI) starting 2012.

"Based on a result of KPK study, we advise the Home Affairs Minister to stop the use of regional budgets for professional football clubs," said KPK deputy chairman M. Jasin to the press last week.

Jasin added that the advice on halting the use of regional budgets based on the indications that there had been breaching of the regulation on the utilization of the funds allocated to professional football clubs.

In addition, there have also been findings on conflict of interests on the use of the regional budgets for financing professional football clubs as there are many head of the regions having double positions as also the chiefs of football clubs.(*)

Source: http://www.antaranews.com

Some 70 pct of tickets for title fight of Chris John sold out

Semarang, C Java - Seventy percent of the tickets for the title fight between Chris John, WBA Super Champions and his contender Daud "Cino" Yordan in Kemayoran, Jakarta, on April 17, 2011, have already sold out.

Head of the Media and Promotion of the fight Fathan Rangkuti said here Monday that 70 pct of the VIP tickets each priced Rp 3 million had been sold out.

He said the organizers had issued 640 VIP tickets.

And 69 percent of the seats at the stand which carried a price of Rp200 thousand each, he said, and been sold out.

He said the organizers had issued 2,800 tickets for the stand.

He also said that the two fighters have already arrived in Jakarta. (*)

Source: http://www.antaranews.com

Chris John, Daud Jordan vow a tough fight

As the fight between the World Boxing Association featherweight super champion Chris “the Dragon” John and young talent Daud Jordan approaches, both boxers promise a great fight in Jakarta this week.

Their match is slated for April 17 at the Jakarta International Expo in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.

Chris, who will defend his title since 2008, said, “[Daud] is a fighter who has a combination of good techniques and speed.”

When asked on whether he plans to floor Jordan, he quipped, “We'll see”.

Meanwhile, Daud's coach-cum-manager, Damianus, said Daud was now concentrating on perfecting his footwork and lowering his weight.

Damianus admitted that beating Chris would be tough for Daud.

“Daud should put his best out to beat Chris,” said Damianus as quoted by tempointeraktif.com on Wednesday.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com

PSSI meets with sports ministry

The Indonesian Soccer Association's (PSSI) normalization committee visited the Youth and Sports Affairs Ministry office on Wednesday to establish coordination with the ministry.

“We are coordinating with the ministry [on several issues]. There are things we want to talk about and things that would need facilitating for our work,” said PSSI's acting secretary general Joko Driyono.

Joko, who also serves as the deputy chief of the normalization committee, added that he hoped the meeting would help avoid misunderstandings between the committee and the ministry.

Also present at the meeting were the normalization committee chief Agum Gumelar and two committee members, Siti Nurjanah and Dityo Pramono.

The normalization committee was assigned by world soccer governing body FIFA to oversee the election of new leadership in the PSSI. (awd)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com

Associate Product Manager Job in Nairobi Kenya - KickStart International

KickStart International is an award-winning non-profit social enterprise with a mission to help millions of people in developing countries escape from poverty and to “kickstart” sustainable economic growth.

KickStart develops simple money-making tools and markets them to poor, entrepreneurial persons who use them to start profitable new businesses, increase their family wealth and boost local economic growth. (www.KickStart.org).

The organization is recruiting for a qualified, enthusiastic Associate Product Manager to help us research, design, launch, and monitor several new product launch initiatives. The Associate Product Manager will be based in Nairobi with occasional travel within Kenya.

Responsibilities

The Associate Product Manager will directly report to the Product Manager – Services and support the design and implementation of several new products and services.

Activities for the Associate will include, but not necessarily be limited to:

Mobile Layaway Service

Monitoring and administering the registration of KickStart customers who are paying for their pumps through M-PESA

Analyzing participation and generating reports by Product, Dealer, Sales Rep, Territory, etc.

Farmer-to-Farmer Referral Service

Helping to design the levels of recognition and rewards, marketing collateral, operations, tracking system, etc.

Monitoring and analyzing the successes and challenges of the initial pilot

New Services

Conducting field research to assess the market potential for new services, such as “Facebook for Farmers,” dealer incentive programs, brokers/middlemen as mobile dealers, etc.

General Product Management

Building a KickStart customer segmentation and customer fact sheet based on analysis of our Hot Prospects database, Voice of the Farmer surveys, and Impact Monitoring data

Supporting the product management team and senior management team in ad hoc customer surveys and financial modeling

Driving the development and production of instructional videos for dealers and end-customers on how to install 2 of our newest irrigation pumps set to launch this year

Qualifications

Undergraduate degree with a strong academic record required. MBA preferred.

Minimum 3 years of work experience, preferably in product development or product marketing.

Strong computer skills including Microsoft Office, especially in Excel.

Strong research, analytical, and financial modeling skills.

Ability to think strategically about complex issues and develop thoughtful recommendations and action plans.

Results/performance oriented – proven “self-starter”.

Excellent interpersonal and communications skills – a complete team player.

Exceptional planning, organizational, and leadership capabilities.

Ability to work in a dynamic and unstructured environment.

Technical background, especially experience with mobile technology, highly preferred.

Fluency in English and Kiswahili required.

How to apply

If you believe you have what it takes to handle this opportunity, kindly email your one page Application Letter, together with your CV (maximum of 3 pages), with the position in the subject line of your email to HR@kickstart.org by April 30, 2011.

Source: http://kenyanjobs.blogspot.com

Accounts Assistant Job Vacancy in Nairobi Kenya

Position: Accounts Assistant

Location: Nairobi

Our client, a leading supplier in hospitality solution is seeking to recruit an Accounts Assistant.

The position calls for an effective and professional accounts controller who is keen on detail and dynamic.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Processing of payroll - Compute the statutory returns (NSSF,NHIF, PAYE), and ensure that payroll is approved.

Payment & transfer of salaries.

Prepare and issue pay slips to all members of staff.

Ensure company's debt portfolio is kept at the agreed acceptable levels.

Set and monitor credit limits.

Where required, initiate proceedings to ensure outstanding debts are bought to a satisfactory conclusion.

To manage the outstanding sales balances falling due and contact customers before the balances become overdue to confirm payments.

Assist in establishing and enforcement of the company’s credit policies.

Qualifications and experience:

CPA Part 2/ACCA Level 2

1 year work experience as a credit controller

Be able to work under minimum supervision

Possess a good understanding of Oracle, Word and Excel.

Excellent communication skills are essential.

Good skills in Quick books and Pastel.

To apply, send your CV only to recruit@flexi-personnel.com on or before Friday 29th march 2011.

Clearly indicate the position applied for and your minimum salary expectation on the subject line.

Source: http://kenyanjobs.blogspot.com

PSI Database Consultant Job in Nairobi Kenya

PSI is a leading global health organization seeking a consultant in Nairobi – to develop and modify Access databases for the ACTwatch Research Project.

Position Description:

To ensure that reliable databases are available for double data entry of questionnaire results. Databases will be developed in Access, contain a back-end of tables that need to be linked and a user interface designed for data entry clerks with limited skills.

These consultant services will be required at different periods over the next year and payment will be against deliverables.

Qualifications:

Minimum 2 years database development & management experience.

Demonstrated experience in developing Access databases employed for data entry of research questionnaires.

Proven skills in managing large datasets (e.g. DHS, censuses).

Experience in training and supervising data entry clerks.

Bachelors Degree in IT and/or Computer Science.

Knowledge of PDA programming an added advantage.

The successful candidate has excellent organizational skills; is a good communicator able to work within in a team; demonstrates attention to detail and is willing to travel outside of Kenya.

Interested applicants should submit letter of interest, CV and daily rates to: jobs@actwatch.info by April 25th, 2011.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Source: http://kenyanjobs.blogspot.com

Stoner Scores Second Straight Pole

Jerez -Repsol Honda rider Casey Stoner took his second pole of the 2011 MotoGP season in as many rounds, topping an eventful qualifying session for the Gran Premio bwin de Espa?a on Saturday afternoon. He will be joined on the front row by his team-mate Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) and Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing). The Australian set the fastest time of the weekend with a 1’38.757 which was just 0.158s ahead of his team-mate, who had set the early pace in the morning practice. Stoner had a moment towards the very end of the session where he ran on at Turn 1, but he held top spot on the timesheet regardless of the minor mishap. The session was run in slightly cooler conditions compared to Friday with the wind that had played a large role on day one picking up slightly towards the end of the hour. Lorenzo was leading the session for the most part, but was unable to match the pace of the Repsol Hondas in front of him, with a deficit of 0.161s behind Stoner’s pole lap and just three-thousandths off his fellow Spaniard’s time. Ben Spies (Yamaha Factory Racing) will head the second row of the grid in fourth place, despite crashing at turn one in the last five minutes of the session. Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini Team) will start in fifth place and continued to set times to place him as third fastest Honda, with Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) completing the second row in sixth. Randy de Puniet (Pramac Racing) crashed at Turn 5 in the final ten minutes of qualifying but finished as the top Ducati rider in seventh position, 1.135s behind the pole position lap. Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), who scored a rostrum finish here in 2007, will start in eighth position after a fall in the dying moments of qualifying which he accepted with a bow to the crowd. His team-mate at Monster Yamaha Tech 3, Cal Crutchlow, was one place behind in ninth in his first qualifying session at the Andalucian circuit. There was a high speed crash for Hiroshi Aoyama (San Carlo Honda Gresini) when he went off in the Ilex CrivillI corner early on, but the Japanese rider was able to remount his RC212V and took the final spot in the top ten.

Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) did not have the best of starts to his one-hour qualifying session after a nasty tumble into Turn 8 when he lost the front and finished up in the gravel. The Italian was able to make it back to the pits to jump on his spare bike and finished outside the top ten in 12th place Stefan Bradl followed up his first career pole - taken in Round 1 at Qatar - with a second in the Moto2 category as he topped the intermediate category session. The German, who won the opening round a fortnight ago, posted a best lap of 1’42.706 to finish 0.282s ahead of Yuki Takahashi (Gresini Racing), the only other rider under 1’43" in the session. Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Paddock Moto2) will complete the front row, with Marc Marquez heading up row two on his Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol machine which he crashed towards the end of the session. Bradley Smith (Tech 3 Racing) and Alex de Angelis (JiR Moto2) took impressive second-row positions. Completing the top ten in the QP session were Michele Pirro (Gresini Racing), Aleix Espargara (Pons HP 40), Claudio Corti (Italtrans STR) and Juli?n Sim?n (Mapfre Aspar). Sandro Cortese secured pole for the 125 category with a fine late lap of 1’47.399 to beat Championship favourite and early standings leader Nico Terol (Bankia Aspar) to top spot in qualifying by 0.209s. The Intact Racing Team Germany rider and his Spanish rival will be joined by H?ctor Faubel (Bankia Aspar) on the front row. Avant-AirAsia-Ajo pair Efren Vazquez and Johann Zarco, along with Luis Salom (RW Racing) took second-row positions, with Jonas Folger (Red Bull Ajo Motorsport), Miguel Oliveira (Andalucia Banca Civica) and Danny Kent (Red Bull Ajo Motorsport) all on the third row. Alberto Moncayo (Andalucia Banca Civica) timed in tenth fastest, with Sergio Gadea (PEV-Blusens-SMX-Paris Hilton) 11th. (QNA)

Source: http://www.qnaol.net

Dani Pedrosa: 10 years of grand prix racing

Repsol has released the following picture and list of career highlights to celebrate triple world champion Dani Pedrosa's ten-year anniversary in motorcycle grand prix racing.

A 15-year-old Pedrosa made his debut in the 125cc World Championship on April 8, 2001...

Dani Pedrosa - Career Highlights:
2001 - 125cc:
• Debut at 15 in Suzuka, Japan.
• First podium when he was 15 years and 359 days old (Valencia Grand Prix).
• 8th in the World Championship with 100 points.

2002 - 125cc:
• First victory (Netherlands GP).
• 9 podiums.
• 3rd in the World Championship with 243 points.

2003 - 125cc:
• World Champion with 223 points.
• 5 wins and 1 second place.

2004 - 250cc:
• World Champion with 317 points.
• Won on his class debut in South Africa despite missing part of the pre-season due to injury.
• 7 wins, 5 second places and 1 third.
• Youngest Spanish rider to win a 250cc title (19 years and 18 days)

2005 - 250cc:
• World Champion with 309 points.
• 8 wins and 3 second places.
• Youngest Spanish rider to achieve 15 wins in 250cc.
• Youngest Spanish rider to win two consecutive 250cc titles.

2006 - MotoGP:
• Second on his MotoGP debut, at Jerez.
• First win in the Chinese GP.
• Youngest Spanish rider to win a MotoGP race (20 years and 227 days).
• Youngest rider to win a race in all three classes.
• 5th in the Championship and Rookie of the Year with 215 points.

2007 - MotoGP:
• 50th podium at the Qatar GP.
• 100th race at the French GP.
• 2nd in the Championship with 242 points.

2008 - MotoGP:
• 3rd in the Championship with 249 points.
• 2 wins, 5 second places and 4 thirds.

2009 - MotoGP:
• With his Laguna Seca victory he becomes the first Spaniard ever to win on American soil.
• 3rd in the Championship with 234 points.

2010 - MotoGP:
• 2nd in the Championship with 245 points.
• 4 wins.
• Win, Fastest Lap and Pole position at the Italian GP.

2011 - MotoGP:
• Second on his MotoGP debut, at Jerez.

Dani Pedrosa - career stats:

10 years in world championship racing.
164 races.
3 world championships.
35 victories.
35 pole positions.
42 fastest laps.
90 podiums.
12 wins in MotoGP.
2 x Runner up in MotoGP World Championship.

Source: http://www.crash.net

Doohan: You get ten years at the top

Former five-time 500cc world champion Mick Doohan has warned that the clock is ticking for Valentino Rossi and what would be a record-equalling eighth premier-class title.

Rossi won his seventh 500cc/MotoGP title in 2009, but his final season at Yamaha was blighted by shoulder and leg injuries and he could do nothing to prevent team-mate Jorge Lorenzo cruising to the title.

After a high-profile winter switch to Ducati, Rossi was just seventh in his first race for the Italian factory in Qatar.

The 32-year-old then recovered to fifth after crashing - and bringing down championship leader Casey Stoner - in the recent wet Jerez race.

All of which means Rossi already trails Lorenzo by 25 points in the standings, exactly one race win.

"I think it's going to be tough for [Rossi] - he's no spring chicken in motor racing terms,” Doohan told Reuters.

"I think in any sport, you've only really got a decade to totally immerse yourself in the top of a sport. He's in his 12th season [of 500cc/MotoGP] so it doesn't get any easier, especially after you've had that success.

"So I'm not saying that his career's over, but it's not a downhill ride any more, I think he's at the bottom of the slope."

Prior to the Jerez incident, Ducati's 2007 world champion Stoner had enjoyed a near-perfect start to his factory Honda career - winning from pole at round one and on pole again for round two.

"[Stoner's] platform with the Honda this year is as good as he's going to get really," said Doohan, himself a former Repsol Honda rider.

"Honda lost their way a little bit, and that's probably why they lost Rossi in the first place, and now they've decided to go back racing properly.”

Doohan won five consecutive 500cc titles for Honda from 1994-1998, but was forced to retire due to injuries sustained at Jerez in 1999.

Giacomo Agostini holds the all-time record for premier-class titles, with eight.

Source: http://www.crash.net

Dani Pedrosa begins full recovery

Dani Pedrosa has entered the second stage of his recovery in his race to be fit in time for the third round of the 2011 MotoGP World Championship in Portugal.

The Spaniard underwent an operation to relieve the compression in the left subclavian artery last week, a legacy of the shoulder injury he sustained in an accident at the 2010 Japanese Grand Prix.

Revisiting doctors at the Teknon Medical Centre, they confirmed the wound is healing well and, with no infection, they expect to remove the stitches next week.

There has been no formal confirmation that Pedrosa will be fit in time for the third round at Estoril, though he is undergoing rehabilitation with a first stage of passive exercises of the left shoulder with the help of a physiotherapist.

The Repsol Honda rider is currently classified second in the overall standings after finishing third and second in the opening two rounds.

Source: http://www.crash.net

Gulf Indian defeat Delhi Private to enter girls' event semi-finals

Dubai - Girls have been showing off their cricketing skills as part of the Max Talent Cricket Academy inter-school tournaments.

The competition has reached the semi-final stage with Gulf Indian High School (GIHS) beating Delhi Private School (DPS), Sharjah, by 22 runs to become the first team to be among the last four.

DPS elected to field but GIHS girls produced a good batting display led by Mahim and Mussrat, who put on 25 for the second wicket.

Another good partnership from Pritam and Harpinder helped the team post 88 for 7 in the allotted 15 overs.

In reply, DPS could not deal with the bowling of GIHS's Mahima, who picked up four wickets for 17 runs backed by Mussrat with two for 13.

Competition growing

Only Arun Dhati, who hit 18 runs from 17 balls, made any headway as DPS fell short of the target by 22 runs, bowled out for 66.

The organisers are delighted with this year's fifth edition of the competition, which has grown from eight to 11 teams since last season's tournament.

In the second quarter-final, last year's runners up Dubai Modern High School beat Cambridge International School by nine wickets with seven overs to spare.

Winning the toss, skipper Rashi Dalmiya invited Cambridge to bat and herself picked up three wickets for nine runs. Cambridge was restricted to 71 for 5 in 15 overs.

Dubai Modern's left-handed opener Bonafilea hit 30 runs in 20 balls including two sixes and three fours.

Her opening partner Asma hit 18 runs and before she was joined by player-of-the-match Dalmiya to put on another 57 for the win.

Source: http://gulfnews.com

Barca wary of Shakhtar slip up ahead of 'clasico'

Madrid - Pep Guardiola today faces a delicate balancing act away to Shakhtar Donetsk, making sure to guard against unpleasant surprises while a double-header against Real Madrid looms on the horizon.

Barca hold a comfortable 5-1 quarter-final, first-leg advantage that has them on the brink of the last four of the Champions League, but their coach is desperate to avoid any sense of relaxation among his players.

The Ukrainians caused Barca plenty of problems in the opening minutes at the Nou Camp last week when the pace of their forwards clearly unsettled the hosts' defence. "Although we are defending a good result it will be tremendously difficult," striker Pedro said.

"There are 90 minutes and anything can happen. They have a great team. We won't change our style. We'll go there to attack and to score goals."

Maintaining their winning momentum will be important because they face a potential La Liga title decider away to Real Madrid on Saturday. Guardiola described this clash as "a unique opportunity to strike a decisive blow," after his side came back to beat lowly Almeria 3-1 at home on Saturday.

They top the standings by eight points with seven games left to play.

Four days after the ‘clasico', they face Real Madrid again in the King's Cup final, and assuming Jose Mourinho's men suffer no slip ups on Wednesday, the Spanish giants are likely to meet again in the Champions League semis.

Source: http://gulfnews.com

United favourites but Chelsea not out yet

London - Fortress Old Trafford, Chelsea's flat form and a welter of statistics point to Manchester United advancing to the semi-finals of the Champions League today — yet one goal changes the whole tie.

United hold the whip hand following Wayne Rooney's goal in their 1-0 quarter-final first-leg win at Stamford Bridge and in most circumstances in the Champions League and for United, that would be that.

Alex Ferguson's team have lost one of their last 30 matches in the competition at Old Trafford and none in the last six years. They have progressed in all 16 European ties where they won the first leg away from home.

This season they have conceded only two goals in nine Champions League games while in the Premier League they have won 15 and drawn one of their home games. Since the Champions league began only two sides have recovered from a first-leg home defeat to win a knockout tie — Ajax Amsterdam against Panathinaikos in 1996 and Inter Milan against Bayern Munich last month.

Yet the particular nature of this all-English tie means that such statistics are undermined in a game between two teams who know each other so well.

Although Chelsea have won only one of five away games in all-English Champions League ties, they won at Old Trafford in the Premier League a year ago and know that they need only one goal today to swing the advantage their way.

Hanging in there
Only two of the teams' last 12 competitive games have been decided by more than one goal so both sides know the Londoners are still very much in the tie.

"Of course Chelsea can do to us at Old Trafford what we've done there," said Ferguson. "We've only got a one-goal lead and we have to be very careful and give a top performance.

"It will be a tough game. The tie is not done." Ferguson had the luxury of making eight changes from the first leg for Saturday's Premier League game against Fulham and those on duty came through unscathed after a straightforward 2-0 win.

Antonio Valencia was on the scoresheet as he continues his rapid rehabilitation from a broken ankle to offer the manager plenty of attacking options after he decided to start with Nani on the bench at Stamford Bridge.

United looked sharper all over the pitch in that game but Chelsea could still easily have come away with a draw.

Playing on Tuesday

Manchester United v Chelsea

Misses next match if booked: John Obi Mikel, Ramires, Fernando Torres, Yuri Zhirkov (all Chelsea)

Shakhtar Donetsk v Barcelona

Suspended: Razvan Rat (Shakhtar Donetsk); Andres Iniesta (Barcelona)

Misses next match if booked: Oleksiy Gai, Luiz Adriano, Dmytro Chygrynskiy, Henrik Mkhitaryan, Darijo Srna, Yaroslav Rakitskiy (All Shakhtar Donetsk)

Playing on Wednesday

Schalke 04 v Inter Milan

Suspended: Cristian Chivu (Inter Milan); Jefferson Farfan (Schalke 04)

Misses next match if booked: Thiago Motta (Inter Milan); Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Manuel Jurado (Schalke 04)

Tottenham Hotspur v Real Madrid

Suspended: Pepe (Real Madrid); Peter Crouch (Tottenham Hotspur)

Misses next match if booked: Raul Albiol, Cristiano Ronaldo, Angel Di Maria, Sergio Ramos, Ricardo Carvalho (all Real Madrid)

Source: http://gulfnews.com

Jazeman Ready For First Round 2011 British F3 International Series In Monza

Sepang - Petronas-backed young Malaysian driver, Jazeman Jaafar is eager to be back on track for the first round of the 2011 Cooper Tires British F3 International Series championship to be held at Monza, Italy next week.

Jazeman concluded his pre-season testing for the new season last week with a final two-day at Snetterton circuit in Norfolk, England.

In his second season in the series, the 19-year-old, who is racing for the Carlin Dallara-Volkswagen team, raced comfortably to finish in the top 10 throughout the official test and completed his preparations for the first round of the championship in Italy.

"My goal is always to win races. There will be tough competitions and I don't underestimate how tough it will be, but I have the commitment, passion and determination to succeed.

"As a racing driver my aim is to reach the pinnacle of my sport, which is, of course Formula 1, and if I am to do that I have to prove that I have the skill and the talent needed and British F3 is the right training ground for this," he told Bernama in recent interview.

Jazeman, who is based in UK, was here to watch the 2011 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix last week as a guest of Petronas and Mercedes GP Petronas F1 Team.

The Kuala Lumpur lad already had experience standing on the British F3 podium, following a strong rookie season in the junior championship last year.

Source: http://www.bernama.com

Classyx Pack is a collection of five different portable classic games. Klopodrom is a game in which you eat the very fast food. Driving is unusual car driving game with obstacles. Sponge is a hard to play ball game against the computer. Suma is a collect and avoid game. Flo is a game in which you catch the squares.

Note: Classyx pack is compressed with UPX which causes some antivirus programs to generate a false-positive. If you have any of issues please read Info/FAQ on author´s site.

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Download (77.8KB)

Sharapova reaches Miami Masters final

Miami - Maria Sharapova fought back from one set down to reach the women's final at the WTA and ATP Masters hardcourt tournament on Thursday.

Third seed Roger Federer eased into the the men's semifinals thanks to French opponent Gilles Simon's retirement due to a stiff neck.

Sharapova, seeded 16th, overcame her slow start by winning 11 straight games en route to a 3-6, 6-0, 6-2 semifinal victory over Germany's Andrea Petkovic.

Sharapova will be seeking her first title since May 2010, and her first in Miami, playing against the winner of Thursday night's semifinal between third-seeded Russian Vera Zvonareva and 2009 Miami champion Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in Saturday's final.

Federer won 12 of the 15 points against Simon, who talked with a trainer during a changeover before conceding the match and shaking hands with Federer.

"He told me he woke up this morning with a stiff neck and couldn't move," Federer said. "It's obviously disappointing when it happens in front of an audience. You get booed off the court -- that's rough. It's not the way you want to move on, but look, I'll take those because they happen quite rarely."

Federer next faces either top-seeded Spaniard Rafael Nadal or seventh-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych.

Federer beat Nadal for the title here in 2005, the last time they played each other in the United States.

Sharapova, who finished runner-up here in 2005 and 2006, missed the tournament from 2008-2010 because of injuries.

Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com

Kenya's Olympic champion Jelimo makes a comeback

Nairobi - Olympic 800m champion Pamela Jelimo returned to competitive running on Friday but bit the dust as she came out second in the shorter 200m sprint at the second round of the Athletics Kenya track and field competition staged in Narok.

Her attempt to gauge her endurance over the 1,500m race ended prematurely as she was forced out with a lap to spare.

Over 1,500 elite athletes turned up for the event, which AK Public Relations Officer Peter Angwenyi said depicted the rich history and talent the country boost of.

Jelimo's performance in the 200m sprint was a proof she is on return to her former form and that she only need time and more races to get to her peak.

She held on tightly to finish second in 26.7, which is not bad for a two lap racer seeking to test her speed. She was beaten by her Kenya Police teammate Edna Kwamboka in 26.2 while Zipporah Nyasiguta from Kisii was third in 27.1.

In 1,500m women final, Jelimo had to drop out after her normal 800m in a race that was won by Helen Opili from the Armed Forces team.

Opili struck 4:30.1 to win, but had to contend with a late charge from 16 year-old Carolyne Chepkoech, the Africa cross country 6km champion, who was second in 4:35.5 while Nancy Gathure took the third position in 4:36.3.

Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com

Ze Roberto sets Bundesliga foreigner record

Berlin - After helping his team tying 0-0 away against Hoffenheim on Saturday night, Hamburg's Brazil midfielder set a new record in Bundesliga as the most capped foreign player.

Jose Robert da Silva Jr., commonly known as Ze Roberto, has played in 331 Bundesliga matches, renewing the 330-match record set by Bosnia international Sergej Barbarez who retired in 2008.

"Holding this record for me is like winning an Oscar," said Ze Roberto, who won 84 caps for Brazil and scored 6 goals.

The 37-year-old stepped on the stage of Bundesliga in the summer of 1998 and spent four seasons in Bayer Leverkusen before transferring to German giants Bayern Munich in 2002.

Ze Roberto spent six seasons in two spells in Bayern Munich, winning four league titles and four German Cup finals, before signing with his current club Hamburg in 2009.

Ze Roberto's contract in Hamburg will expire at the end of the season but the midfielder has already expressed his will to keep playing until he is 40.

Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com

Xavi thinks Cesc will arrive at Barca this summer

Barcelona midfielder Xavi is confident the Spanish giants will sign Cesc Fabregas from Arsenal this summer.

Barcelona have long been linked with a move for Fabregas but Arsenal have been determined to keep hold of the 23-year-old.

Xavi told Sport: “Yes, certainly. And it also has to be like this.

“Two years ago I said Cesc would end up playing for Barcelona and now I have it more clear than ever.

“He has also expressed publicly that he wants to come to Barcelona and when a player wants to move to some place he ends up going. It is clear that Cesc will come to Barcelona.”

Source: http://www.footballnewsblog.co.uk

Mourinho Factor Can Fire Real Madrid To Glory

With the new 2010-11 La Liga season about to start this coming weekend, most of the attention has been focused on Jose Mourinho, the new manager of Real Madrid. With the beginning of a brand new season comes the release of new 2010-11 soccer jerseys, including the new Real Madrid home shirt. Real Madrid have not lived up to their usual expectations in recent years and considering how much money they spent on players last summer, many would say that they have failed in their quest so far.

The appointment of Jose Mourinho as manager is quite a different prospect, however. Mourinho has been successful at every single club he has managed, including Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan. Those wearing the new Real Madrid shirt now have a real winner in their camp and no-one would bet against him making a massive difference to the team.

It’s no secret that Jose Mourinho wants to have full control over his team and that at Real Madrid, managers are not give this luxury. This season, however, it is believed that Mourinho will have full control over his team selections and signings, but only time will tell if this is true or not. He will want to ensure that each player wearing a Real Madrid shirt is a player he can trust in his squad.

There have been some changes to those wearing the new Real Madrid home jersey this coming season. Older and influential players such as Raul and Guti have left the club, which might actually work in Mourinho’s favour, as they would have had a lot of say in previous seasons with other managers; something The Special One may not have taken kindly to. Madrid have brought in four new players so far, including Mourinho’s old favourite at Porto and Chelsea, Ricardo Carvalho. Two of Germany’s young stars at the World Cup, Mesut Ozil and Sami Khedira, have signed and finally, Argentina’s Angel di Maria, has also joined.

This suggests that the manager wanted a bit more experience at the back, but also wanted to look to the future with his three other signings. When you consider these signings and the fact that the players who have left were no longer first team regulars, the Real Madrid squad has certainly improved. When you also consider that the club still has Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Xabi Alonso, Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema in the squad, there is no question that Real Madrid could in fact be a huge threat in both La Liga and in the Champions’ League this season. It would be harsh if Mourinho was not given time to improve the Madrid giants, but given his track record, will he even need much time?

Written by Danny Watson, a sports journalist who writes about football kits.

Source: http://www.footballnewsblog.co.uk

Two RI vehicles to participate in Shell Eco Marathon 2011

Yogyakarta - Gadjah Mada University (UGM)`s Semar Team is to enter two energy-efficient vehicles in the Shell Eco Marathon 2011 to be held at Malaysia`s Sepang Circuit on July 6-9 2011.

"The two energy efficient vehicles are the Semar Prototype and the Semar Urban," said Jayan Sentanuhady, adviser of Gadjah Mada University`s Semar Team, here Thursday.

The Semar Team was aiming to achieve maximum fuel efficiency and riding distance, Jayan said.

The engines of the energy efficient vehicles were designed for heat efficiency and maximal volume under certain balanced conditions, Jayan said.

"They are long stroke engines with high torque characteristics on the low rev to lower fuel consumption," Jayan, who is also a lecturer of Machine and Industry Engineering of Engineering Faculty of UGM, said.

According to Jayan, the Semar Prototype could cover 280 kilometers on one liter of gasoline.

The Semar Prototype was 2.8 meters long, 0.65 meters high, one meter wide and had a 1.6-meter long wheel base.

The chassis wa made of fiberglass with 2 millimeter thickness, while the engine was a 25 cc four-stroke single cylinder able to take the vehicle to its maximum velocity of 45 km per hour.

Meanwhile, the Semar Urban, which was designed as an energy efficient city car , was now still in a finishing process.

The Semar Urban used a 125 cc four-stroke engine, had double spark plugs which were ignited sequentially using an Electronic Control Unit, and consumed number 95 octane gasoline, Jayan said.

The Semar Urban`s dimensions were 2.3 meter long, 1.3 meter high, and 1.3 meter wide.

To compete in the upcoming competition, the Semar Prototype`s engine, which was 25 cc, would be replaced with a 115 cc engine to gain more power on an uphill road, Jayan said.

The rear swing arm, rear seats and steering paddock would be made separately, Jayan said, adding that the wheel house would be made outside the chassis to maximize its steering wheel turning angle until 45 degree.

With such transformation, Jayan hoped Semar Team could compete and perform well and win the competition. (Uu.KR-AES/HAJM/A014)

Source: http://www.antaranews.com

Can Shaolin temple save Chinese footbal?

Beijing - China`s celebrated Shaolin Temple is training young kungfu disciples to play football in the far-off hope of reversing the flagging fortunes of the national team, state media reported.

In a case of life imitates art the initiative will likely draw comparisons with hit 2001 Hong Kong comedy "Shaolin Soccer" about a group of washed-up monks from the temple who apply their superhuman moves on the soccer pitch.

The temple, in central China`s Henan province, which is famed for the acrobatic exploits of its warrior monks, opened a soccer training centre in October that has more than 40 martial arts students learning the "beautiful game," the official Xinhua news agency said late Thursday.

Shi Yanlu, head coach at the training base, said the discipline and ethos of kungfu can translate into effective football.

"Chinese football is in the doldrums, and when some elements of Shaolin kungfu, particularly its spirit, are integrated into soccer, we hope it will help improve the training level of football," he said in the report.

The legwork and physical coordination of kungfu could also help future Chinese footballers, he added.

China`s national football team is a laughing-stock at home and a source of anguish for fans frustrated by the inability of the world`s most populous country to succeed in the world`s most popular sport.

China failed to qualify for last year`s World Cup, has performed poorly in the Olympic Games and recently failed to reach the Asian Cup`s knockout stages.

China`s pro league also is reeling from a match-fixing, gambling and graft scandal that has resulted in the arrests of two former national football association heads and a number of lower-level officials.

The young recruits at the temple`s training centre -- all around 10 years old -- are being coached by Alphonse Tchami, a retired Cameroonian national footballer, the report said.

The temple plans to attract more recruits among the 2,000 disciples who train at Shaolin, it added. (U.C003/P003)

Source: http://www.antaranews.com

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