Rescued Chile miners invited to Manchester United match

London - English Premier League football giants Manchester United have invited the 33 Chilean miners who survived weeks trapped underground to attend one of their matches, one of the team`s sponsors said.

The invitation was conveyed to Chilean President Sebastian Pinera in a weekend meeting in London with the club`s manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, and Rafael Guilisasti, vice chairman of sponsor Vina Concha y Toro.

The miners were invited to attend a Premier League match at the team`s Old Trafford ground next year, said Vina Concha y Toro on Sunday in a statement.

Ferguson also presented Pinera with a signed team shirt from the club during the meeting.

"The courage, bravery and resilience of the miners and the rescue teams was inspirational. It is a privilege to be able to extend an invitation to Old Trafford," Ferguson was quoted as saying in the statement.

Pinera arrived in London on Saturday and will also head to Paris and Berlin during the visit, following last week`s dramatic rescue of the miners who were trapped for 69 days in a mine in the Atacama region of chile.

On Monday, he will meet Prime Minister David Cameron in Downing Street and Queen Elizabeth II in Buckingham Palace. (U.KR-BPY/H-AK/P003)

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McLaren extend Vodafone deal

McLaren, who first teamed up with Vodafone back in 2007, confirmed the extended deal on Thursday which will see Vodafone remain as their official title sponsor while also becoming McLaren's total communications partner.

"Vodafone is without doubt the best title partner that we at McLaren have ever had," said McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh.

"Why do I say that? Well, the word 'partner' says it all. Vodafone is our partner in a very genuine sense of that word - a very real contributor to an ever-evolving series of high-tech innovations on our cars and within our operating systems."

"That's why I know I speak on behalf of all at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes when I say how delighted I am that our two companies have agreed not only to renew our partnership but also to relaunch it.

"As a result, we'll tirelessly develop our technological collaborations, at the same time as engaging Vodafone's customers in some truly innovative ways.

"I like to think that Vodafone McLaren Mercedes is the most inclusive team in the world's most exclusive sport - and, with that ethos in mind, we'll be unveiling some very exciting Vodafone McLaren Mercedes marketing initiatives in the near future."

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Bernie: I knew Korea could get it done

The Korea International Circuit was only granted a safety licence nine days ago, and cosmetic touches are today still being applied ahead of Sunday's inaugural Korean Grand Prix.

The Korean army have been drafted in to help with the completion of the erection of a number of grandstands that on Sunday will house a crowd between 90,000 and 100,000.

Ecclestone, though, always believed the organisers would deliver, and he is delighted with the end product.

"Considering what it was and what they've had to do, and this event has not been easy to do, I think they've done a good job," said Ecclestone.

"It's all there. If they hadn't have had their bad weather then it would have been done a long time ago.

"But I wasn't worried because I had some information they would get it done, and they've got it done.

"It would have been bad for Korea if it hadn't have happened, so they have made sure it happened.

"When you look at these facilities, and you look at some of the places we go to, and have been in the past, you can see what it took to build Formula One to what it is today."

One of the areas sorely lacking is accommodation with a number of less-than-salubrious motels being employed to house teams, media and fans.

That prompted an apology from Chung Yung-cho, the CEO of organisers Korea Auto Valley Operations.

"For the last couple of months we have worked hard, day and night," said Chung.

"If you are not 100 per cent satisfied please accept my apologies. I will do better for next year.

"We will prepare more hotels and facilities. I can guarantee we will work harder and you will have better."

As mentioned by Ecclestone, the weather wreaked havoc on plans as the circuit should have been completed by the end of July, in line with FIA regulations.

It is why, 24 hours ahead of Friday's opening practice sessions, there remain teething problems.

Up until late last night, a number of teams had no electricity in the garages.

Park Joon-yung, governor of the Jeollanam-do province, said: "We are finishing the cleaning of the circuit, and the infrastructure will be done by the end of the day.

"We were planning to finish this project in late July, however due to bad weather it delayed us.

"In April and throughout the whole of July we had a massive amount of rain, which is unusual for Korean weather, so that led to the delays in construction.

"Thankfully the weather was helpful in September and this month and we were able to work day and night to finish the construction."

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Alonso: My best F1 season ever

The revelation comes as a major surprise when you consider Alonso's title-winning exploits with Renault in 2005 and 2006.

But his remarks clearly underline his depth of feeling with Ferrari after joining the Scuderia at the start of the year.

"For me personally it's been a great 2010 Championship driving for a new team," said the 29-year-old Spaniard.

"From day one there has been great integration with Ferrari. I've felt very comfortable.

"It has been the best year of my career so far, a great experience and I'm very happy."

The crowning glory for Alonso would be to become Champion for a third time, but he concedes even if that failed to happen it would not take the gloss off his year.

"In terms of happiness, motivation, driving, the team itself, it's my best season," said Alonso, ahead of Sunday's Korean Grand Prix in which he trails leader Mark Webber by 14 points.

"It would be nice to become Champion this year, but if we cannot do it, I will still have great memories of 2010.

"But with three races remaining we will do our best to arrive to a position in (the final race in) Abu Dhabi still in the fight.

"We've made some good steps forward in the last five to six races, so it should be an exciting last few races, hopefully making the most of every weekend."

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Lotus sign gearbox and hydraulics supply deal with Red Bull

Written by David

The Lotus Racing F1 team announced today that they have signed a deal with Red Bull Technology for the supply of gearboxes and hydraulic systems from the 2011 season and beyond. The announcement marks the next critical building block in the process of stepping up the team’s challenge for honours in the FIA Formula One World Championship and is a major statement of intent about their future aspirations.

“The announcement that we have reached a multi-year agreement with Red Bull Technology for the supply of our gearboxes and hydraulics from 2011 is obviously a massive step forward for us, both in engineering terms, and as an expression of our ambitions for next year and for future Championships,” said Lotus Racing Chief Technical Officer, Mike Gascoyne. “The gearbox – hydraulics package obviously plays a critical role in the performance of the car, not just on track but in design and packaging terms, and this deal gives our design and aero teams a very exciting platform to work with. The removal of the double diffusers in 2011 will allow the whole grid to tighten up the rear bodywork and mechanical structures around the gearbox, and this supply deal will allow us to capitalise on that with our 2011 car. Exciting times lie ahead!”

“We are very pleased about Lotus Racing’s decision to use Red Bull Technology gearboxes and hydraulic systems from 2011,” said Red Bull Racing Team Principal, Christian Horner. “The fact that Red Bull Technology has been chosen to be a supplier to another team despite its short history demonstrates how much we have achieved since our first season. We very much look forward to working with Lotus Racing from 2011 onwards.”

“Din, Nasa, the whole team and I are absolutely delighted to be able to announce our gearbox and hydraulics partnership with Red Bull Technology,” added Lotus Racing Team Principal, Tony Fernandes. “It is a real statement of our intention to challenge for Formula One honours as soon as we can that we have reached this agreement and we are very excited about integrating the package into our 2011 car. I think people in and out of the sport are going to be following our progress even more closely now we have taken this incredibly important and ambitious step, and it makes next year even more exciting. The Lotus Racing dream grows bigger every day!”

source: Lotus Racing

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Rooney plunges United in crisis

What began as tabloid rumour became dramatic football fact this week when it was revealed Wayne Rooney wants to leave Manchester United.

Boss Sir Alex Ferguson was quick to dismiss claims it was due to a fall out between the two but whatever the reason it is a serious dent to United’s hopes of silverware this season.

In the Champions League last season Rooney virtually carried the Red Devils to the quarter finals, before an ankle injury suffered against Bayern Munich proved the beginning of the end for his and United’s campaign, as those who bet on Champions League games will no doubt remember.

This year the club made a shaky start – etching out a nervy goalless draw with Scottish Champions Rangers. A win in Valencia got them back on track, but the latest revelations regarding Rooney has hit their preparations for the home tie against Bursapor.

An ankle injury is set to keep the England striker out anyway, but if he does leave in January, how far can United realistically go? The Champions League predictions suggest they could struggle.

Since the departure of Ronaldo he is their main goal threat, with the frustratingly inconsistent Dimitatr Berbatov and inexperienced Javier Hernandez their only other options.

Saturday’s league draw with West Brom also highlighted United’s deficiencies at the back and you have to wonder whether they can even get out of their group, let alone reach the latter stages.

Fergie has overcome plenty of challenges in his illustrious career, but this one could be his toughest yet.

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Rooney’s Future In Doubt As Man Utd Drop More Points

Over the weekend many would have thought that the biggest news story surrounding Man Utd would be the 2-2 draw at home to West Brom on Saturday, which saw Man Utd again lose a two goal lead to get their fifth draw of the league season. However the biggest story of the weekend was the news than Wayne Rooney is refusing to sign a new contract with the club and could leave as early as January.

Wayne Rooney has been in the newspapers for all the wrong reasons over the past couple of months with his form appearing to suffer for it. His performances in Man Utd shirts have been a shadow of what we have come to expect. The club have left him out of important matches appearing to want to protect the player but it appears as if there has been more to it with rumours that Rooneys relationship with manager Sir Alex Ferguson has deteriorated, possibly beyond repair.

The stories surrounding Rooneys refusal to sign a new contract are varied with some stating that the club simple won’t meet his wage demands with others seeming to point directly to his relationship with his manager.

Unsurprisingly there will be a number of clubs interested in signing Rooney with Chelsea, Man City, Barcelona and Real Madrid all clubs linked with possible moves. Man City are thought to be the early favourites being able to meet the transfer fee and salary demands. Whether he will be seen in the new Man Utd shirt next season remains to be seen.

The speculation surrounding Rooney is the last thing Man Utd need. The club are not too far behind in the league at the moment but need to start wining games if they are to realistically compete for the title this season and with their top striker possibly looking towards the exit door it doesn’t exactly inspire the other players in the team who looked to Rooney last year to drive the team forward.

There are sure to be a number of developments over the coming weeks with this story but if it proves to be true, and Rooney is heading for the exit door, then this will intensify the need for Man Utd to invest considerably in their squad. Man Utd already look weak in some positions and depend on players that are coming to the end of their careers. These players need to be replaced with top quality players and if Rooney goes, potentially relatively cheaply, it will be near on impossible to replace everyone with players of a similar standard.

Written by Colin Hill, a sports writer who blogs about football shirts.

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