Ballack: England one of the favourites

Germany captain Michael Ballack considers England to be “one of the favourites” to win next summer’s World Cup in South Africa.
The Chelsea midfielder believes Fabio Capello could lead England to a first major title since 1966, and admits his own nation is lagging a bit behind.
“They have a great team and many players with exceptional individual class,” he told the Rheinische Post newspaper.
“With Fabio Capello, they now have a manager who has brought stability. That is important and the team feels that.
“They have got to be able to win games even when they are not playing at the highest level and that is what Italian managers are good at, particularly Capello.
“England are oozing self-confidence and I can sense that here. They are one of the favourites.”
Other favourites, according to Ballack, are Brazil, Italy and France – but not necessarily Germany.
“At a World Cup, everything has got to work, and then even more – you need luck,” he added.
“There are certainly teams who are better than us at the moment.”
That may well include his club Chelsea, who he feels have a better chance of winning the Champions League this season than Germany do of triumphing in South Africa.
“Of course that (the Champions League) is the title that one wants to win, especially when you have a squad like ours,” he said.
“But if you also have a chance to win the league, then that is once again a big aim.
“At a certain stage of the season, you reach the point where the strain is very high and then you have to decide which competition you want to focus on in particular.
“We have such a good squad and class that we can compete in both competitions.”
And Ballack believes that even if it were not to work out for the Blues this season, he would still have more chances to succeed, even though his contract expires in the summer.
“We will sit down together and talk soon,” he added. “But I am not under any pressure.
“Both parties know what they have in each other.”

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Captain Ballack urges Germany to raise their game

Berlin – Germany captain Michael Ballack on Thursday urged the Euro 2008 finalists to raise their game for Saturday’s World Cup qualifier against Liechtenstein to banish the memories of their recent defeats.

The 32-year-old Chelsea star is demanding a raised effort in Leipzig from his side who have lost their last two home games: a 2-1 defeat to England last November and a 1-0 defeat to Norway in February.

Germany have not suffered back-to-back home defeats since 1956 and Ballack says only a convincing win over Liechenstein, ranked 151st in the world, will suffice.

"We simply have to play better and put in a better performance," Ballack told sports magazine Kicker.

"And it will happen."

Germany are top of their qualifying group and are unbeaten with three wins and a draw to give them a four-point lead over their main group rivals Russia.

But the Germans travel to Moscow in October for the tie which could decide the group and Ballack says it is crucial Germany win both their next two games against Liechtenstein and then Wales in Cardiff on April 1.

"Even if we don’t win these games by much, the result is very important," said Ballack.

"We must win these games and stay on course to be group leaders in the autumn when we travel to Moscow.

"We have laid the foundations for some important games which, figuratively speaking, will decide the life or death of who reaches the World Cup.

"As captain, that is something I am trying to point out."

And Ballack says he has no worries about whether Germany will reach next year’s World Cup which takes place in South Africa from June 11 to July 11.

"We will qualify for the World Cup," insisted Ballack.

"We will get through the qualifying group, even if things get a bit tight.

"After that, we will meet the big teams and we will have to play at a higher level against the type of teams like Spain, who we lost to at the Euro.

"Everybody must have an eye on the bigger picture, that is important."

Germany’s defeat to Norway in February shocked the national media and the squad can ill-afford another upset against minnows Liechtenstein.

"We can play good football, but in addition we have to have discipline and order," said Ballack who will win his 91st cap on Saturday.

"It is part of our mentality and if we don’t have it then we struggle, even against the likes of Norway."

Having sparked a media spat with coach Joachim Loew last autumn by accusing him of not showing senior players enough respect and loyalty, Ballack says he has not changed his leadership style, but is more flexible.

"My leadership style is the same as it always was and I haven’t changed it," he said.

"I have developed it, but not changed it.

"I am always open to new ideas, but you can’t always be right."

And Ballack says certain differences of opinion are healthy in a team environment.

"There must be some tensions in a team, which you can’t always wipe away or smooth over.

"Things aren’t always full of sunshine, there has to be friction at times as well."

Written by: AFP

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Russia and Qatar Selections Challenge the Past and Future of Global Game

By Rob Hughes

The World Cup in Russia in 2018 will be spread across by far the biggest country in Europe. Then, four years later, the tournament in Qatar, an oil-rich land of only 1.7 million people, will be the most compact ever.

The selection of the two countries on Thursday by FIFA, football’s world governing body, surprised the audience of politicians, royalty and even a few football players in Zurich. It was the first time FIFA had chosen the hosts for two World Cups together.

In its choices, FIFA challenged the history of the game and perceptions of the future.

In both countries, there is no existing football structure to mount the world’s biggest sporting event, which demands stadiums and extensive public works for 32 countries to play 64 matches.

And the vote opened up the field to the former superpower of Eastern Europe and to a rising financial power in the Middle East.

The winning bids were backed by gargantuan budgets.

Anyone has known for two years that Russia and especially Qatar were spending huge resources from their oil and gas riches to win the monthlong football extravaganza.

The sheikdom based its bid on a vision of building nine stadiums, air-conditioned by power from the heat of a desert sun.

Many nations bid against them.

England, the motherland of association football, and the combined bids of Spain-Portugal and the Netherlands-Belgium all sought the 2018 Cup.

The United States, Japan, South Korea and another fresh ground for football, Australia, bid for the 2022 event.

Russia’s and Qatar’s ability to outspend them all in the bidding stakes was not necessarily tainted by corruption allegations against FIFA’s executive committee.

Quite possibly the source of those allegations — the British media — cost England votes because its bid, one of the most appealing in terms of organization and infrastructure, did not survive the first round of voting.

One of the first actions prompted by the announcement of the decision was that a plane was scrambled to take Prime Minister Vladimir Putin of Russia from Moscow to Zurich.

Described as the captain of Russia’s bid team, Putin unexpectedly boycotted the end of the bidding process on Wednesday and Thursday, sending a deputy instead.

But, he said, should Russia win, he would be in Zurich by the quickest possible route.

It was, it turned out, a clever move. Putin was able to denounce others, notably the English, whose prime minister, David Cameron, lobbied hard in Zurich, for “pressurizing” FIFA.

He was able to distance himself from what he called the smear tactics of the allegations against FIFA’s committee.

And he was able to send a capable first deputy prime minister, Igor Shuvalov, who had an advantage Putin lacks.

He could speak, in excellent English, to the committee at the 11th-hour presentation to FIFA.

“Russia has had many tragic days, and a history more tragic than any other in the last century,” Shuvalov told the committee.

“But for 20 years now we are building a new country, and we can achieve that better and quicker with your help.”

The new Russia that was under construction, Shuvalov said, will overcome its vast territorial distances by offering free transportation to ticket holders.

And Russia will not require separate visas for fans who arrive with a ticket for the games.

No one quite knows whether the final day presentations achieved votes. The perception is that the 22 FIFA members’ minds were already made up.

The combined bid of Spain and Portugal was reported to have had a mutual support pact with Qatar. It had guaranteed support from the committee’s Latin Americans.

And in a late play for votes, Spaniard Angel Villa Llona, a vice president on FIFA’s executive committee, addressed his fellow members on Thursday with a swipe at the British media.

“FIFA is a clean institution,” Villa Llona said. “You are all honest, hardworking people.”

But his passion did not move sufficient votes and the Spanish-Portuguese presentation was criticized as too long and dull.

David Beckham’s emotional plea on behalf of England failed to sway the decision makers as well.

But maybe Sheika Mozah bint Nasser al-Missned, the second of the emir of Qatar’s three wives, did manage to move the committee on Wednesday.

“I would like to ask you a question,” she began. “When ...” and paused. “When do you think is the right time for the World Cup to come to our region?”

Qatar had many strands to its bid. Its proposal to build the most compact tournament ever, to construct futuristic stadiums, its pledge for a carbon neutral event all pushed boundaries.

Thursday’s efforts in the voting chamber, backed by renowned sporting Muslims like Zinedine Zidane, won the hearts and minds of the voters.

FIFA has bought a two-way ticket into the unknown. There may be good cause to challenge the secretive committee in charge of the world game.

But there is no doubt now about its willingness to buy into a future for the World Cup that until Thursday nobody foresaw.

The New York Times

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Liverpool Plans to Build Indonesian Football Academy

Jakarta - Indonesia could be in line for Southeast Asia’s first permanent football academy to develop youngsters’ talent under plans being considered by English Premier League Club Liverpool.

The club is eager to boost its presence in Asia through its youth wing, the Liverpool International Football Academy.

Should the plan take off, Indonesia will be the first country in Asia that the Liverpool Academy will call home, with the prospect of Indonesian students getting a direct line to try out to play in the Premier League.

The Anfield club has already sent its youth coaches twice this year to Jakarta.

After celebrated former Reds striker Ian Rush presided over one clinic in May, the club last Saturday launched eight days of activities to promote football education.

Two coaches are conducting football clinics with almost 200 children and making outreach visits to schools.

The British Chamber of Commerce in Jakarta has been responsible for setting up the links to the club, and executive director Chris Wren said now the academy’s frequent visits were hoped to open the door to bolder plans.

“There is a plan to establish a Liverpool Academy in Jakarta next year. Assuming this [visit] is successful and things go as planned, it could be under way as early as May,” said Wren, a Liverpool native who has worked closely with club officials.

BritCham began holding football activities several years ago as part of the corporate social responsibility programs of British companies in Indonesia.

A key initiative of the program, Giving Kids a Sporting Chance, was a youth league in Jonggol, West Java, in which 3,000 children now play.

In his visit in May, Rush was apparently so impressed that the second series of clinics was set up.

Liverpool Academy coaches Adam Flynn and Ben Parsonage are running the clinics at Jakarta’s Bung Karno sports complex.

Rush is due to fly in to assist in other initiatives later this week.

This visit is also being used as a detailed feasibility study for the permanent academy, Wren said.

“The dream is that what started as a community idea three years ago could end up in a Premier League star for Indonesia, someone who could represent the best of the country,” he said.

“What excited Ian Rush in May is that a third of Indonesia is under 18, and that there’s so much interest in football. There is too much emphasis on Jakarta, but some of the best talent can be found in the provinces, maybe in kids who now only have a can to kick around rather than a football.”

Wren hoped any academy — likely to be in Jakarta — would be Indonesian in style.

“I’d like to see an ordinary school with the national curriculum and focusing on football first then other sports,” he said. “It would have boarding facilities and be open to all religions.”

Liverpool officials were keen on holding a nationwide talent search, with exceptional players being granted scholarships.

Academy coaches would come from England and be accredited by the English Football Association.

Wren warned that the plans rested on corporate investors willing to fund the school. “We would need to find partners to invest, the kind prepared not to see any profit for the first few years,” he said.

“Football is a very expensive business, but I believe there would be no end of interest. The challenge will be finding partners who feel the passion of what it’s all about. If that challenge can be met, the rest of it will fall into place.” (Dominic Menor)

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Taufik Blasts Badminton Body Over Failure to Find Young Guns

Jakarta - Eight years after he won his first gold medal in the Asian Games, Taufik Hidayat is still Indonesia’s best hope for victory in the quadrennial meet.

And that doesn’t sit well with the country’s leading men’s singles shuttler.

Taufik, who topped the podium in the event during the 2002 and 2006 Games, is looking to complete a hat-trick of gold medal and he looked sharp in his first singles match in Guangzhou, routing Taiwan’s Hsieh Yu-hsing 21-16, 21-12 at Tianhe Gymnasium on Wednesday.

However, age is catching up with the 30-year-old former world and Olympic champion, who lamented the failure to find new talent.

“It’s a bit sad that at my age, the country is still depending a lot on me to win gold,” Taufik, currently ranked No. 3 in the world, said on Wednesday.

“The PBSI [Indonesian Badminton Association] should be ashamed that it’s still looking to me for more titles, when, in fact, it should be counting on younger shuttlers like Sony [Dwi Kuncoro] or Simon [Santoso].”

However, Taufik may have to wait some time before someone is ready to take up his mantle.

Sony, the other Indonesian in the Asian Games men’s singles draw, lost his opening match 21-13, 14-21, 21-17 to unseeded Chou Tien Chen of Taiwan.

“Sony’s loss was unexpected, but I still believe we can win a gold medal in badminton,” said Yacob Rusdianto, the manager of the national badminton team, without emphasizing which shuttler he thought would achieve the feat.

Taufik, seeded fourth in Guangzhou, can advance to the quarterfinals if he beats Dinuka Karunaratna of Sri Lanka in the second round.

If Taufik wins, he is likely to face China’s Lin Dan in the semifinals. Lin lost to Taufik in the final of the 2006 Games, but got a measure of revenge this week when he beat the Indonesian 21-13, 23-21 in the team event.

Taufik cautioned against high expectations.

“I’ll definitely fight as hard as I can, but I hope people won’t judge me harshly if I fail,” Taufik said. “[The loss to Lin] has taught me a lot, and I’ll do my best not to commit the same mistakes if I do meet him again.”

In other first round action, the unseeded Ahmad Tontowi and Liliyana Natsir earned a second-round berth in the mixed doubles after they defeated Koo Kien Keat and Woon Khe Wei of Malaysia 21-10, 21-9.

The Indonesian duo will next play No. 5 seeds Chen Hung Ling and Cheng Wen Hsing of Taiwan, who had a first round bye.

In the women’s singles, Adriyanti Firdasari was left to carry Indonesia’s medal hopes after Maria Febe Kusumastuti was ousted in the first round.

Adriyanti beat Thailand’s Salakjit Ponsana 21-18, 16-21, 21-15 to book a second round match against Wong Mew Choo of Malaysia, while Maria fell 21-16, 21-11 to Taiwan’s Pai Hsiao Ma.

Indonesia’s entries in the women’s doubles were eliminated.

Shendy Puspa Irawati and Nitya Krishinda Maheswari fell 21-10, 21-11 to China’s Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang, while Meiliana Jauhari and Greysia Polii lost 21-19, 21-18 to Taiwan’s Hsieh Pei Chen and Wang Pei Rong.

In the men’s doubles, Indonesia’s Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan, and Muhammad Ahsan and Alvent Yulianto Chandra, were playing second-round matches after press time. (Diah Lestari)

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Australia Superbike Test Yamaha Wrap Up

Yamaha World Superbike Team riders Eugene Laverty and Marco Melandri completed their three--day test at the Phillip Island circuit in Australia on Thursday.

The two new signings for the 2011 World Superbike season spent the three days testing out various parts including new Ohlins (TRVP25) front forks on both the 2010 and 2011 Yamaha racebike.

A large part of the test for both riders, particularly Melandri, included ongoing physical modifications to the YZF-R1 superbike to fit their riding style, adjusting foot pegs, handlebars and other geometry settings.

The Yamaha Superbike team enjoyed good weather, sunshine and a dry track for the first two days of the World Superbike test with rain only appearing in the last minutes of day two.

The third and final day saw more sunshine with rain only at lunchtime and towards the end of the day's sessions.

The 2011 superbike tested by the riders featured a revised weight balance, the new Ohlins forks, new engine performance parts and a different seat and fuel tank design. The bike also features standard fuel injectors and fuel pump in line with the 2011 racing regulations.

Laverty was clearly enjoying his third outing on the R1, having been impressively quick in the first two tests, he was again fast from the off, leaving Australia as the fastest rider of the test with a blistering 1'31.5 lap on soft race tires at the end of day three, over half a second faster than closest rider, 2010 World Superbike Champion Max Biaggi.

Laverty also spent some time on race simulation, putting in consistently fast race pace laps.

Following his one-day superbike test in Valencia last month this was Marco Melandri's first proper opportunity to work through some set up developments on his new Yamaha R1 racebike.

The Italian Yamaha rider improved steadily over the test days, making steps each day as the team continued to modify the physical set up of the bike to suit him.

Day three saw him record a 1'32.4 lap on race tyres. Melandri also took the opportunity in the rain to experience his bike on Pirelli wet tires. The team now have valuable data to take away to work over the winter to make further changes to suit the new riders in advance of the first test of 2011 next year.

Eugene Laverty (Yamaha World Superbike Team, 232 laps, Best Lap 1'31.5) says: "I'm pretty pleased with the test, it's a nice way to go into the winter break. In the three days we got a lot of laps done, the second day especially was big breakthrough."

"So far we've had two one day tests so the second day here was where we really made the bike mine. The race times on the 2011 machine weren't so far away from 2010 bike so we're developing in the right direction. The new Ohlins front fork is definitely an improvement. I'm still learning this bike so we are fine tuning it as we go."

Marco Melandri (Yamaha World Superbike Team, 216 laps, Best Lap 1'32.4) says: "It was a good test in the end, the three days were very intensive. It was quite challenging at first working on the 2011 Yamaha machine but during the second day we started to find a way and then third day we found a big improvement and found a good pace for the race."

"The rain meant we couldn't find a good lap time with a soft tire but for me that wasn't what was important here. The difference between a MotoGP bike and a superbike on this track are huge, the bike moves a lot more so the faster corners are very different but step by step it's getting better and better."

"The feeling is very good, I'm very happy. The track is a difficult track so we have done well and I think we can be very strong for the first race here next year."

Andrea Dosoli (Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager) "These were three very important days for us, after the shakedown of the new bike in Valencia here we had the chance to work on it in more detail."

"We have confirmed that the new bike is pretty good with high potential. We are pleased that it can keep consistent lap times during race simulation. For this we are quite happy as on this track in the past we have struggled."

"Eugene was very fast from the beginning in all three days and had a good feeling working on both bikes. Marco has been working hard, mainly on the 2011 bike. He has been working on rider position; there are still some areas we have to improve for him to be more comfortable on the bike."

"He was very consistent with race pace although he didn't have time to try a flying lap. After the first two days he struggled a bit with setup then today he found a good one that worked for him and was comfortable so the lap times improved. Overall the Yamaha test was very positive and we are confident we have a good base for the Philip Island race."

Final World Superbike Test Times, Phillip Island:
Eugene Laverty (Yamaha Sterilgarda) 01'31.5
Max Biaggi (Aprilia Alitalia) 01'32.1
Leon Camier (Aprilia Alitalia) 01'32.4
Marco Melandri (Yamaha Sterilgarda) 01'32.4

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Ferguson eyes key wins over Arsenal and Chelsea

Sir Alex Ferguson believes Manchester United can take a giant step towards regaining the Premier League title if they win this month's crunch clashes against Arsenal and Chelsea.

United moved two points clear at the top of the table last weekend after Chelsea's latest stumble at Newcastle dropped them to second place and Ferguson's side can extend that lead with victory over the champions and then Arsenal in the coming weeks.

The third placed Gunners, who are also two points behind United, visit Old Trafford on December 13, with United's trip to Stamford Bridge following six days later. And as Arsenal and Chelsea meet themselves on December 27, Ferguson accepts it is going to be a crucial period.

"You always want to win those games because they are really significant," Ferguson told Inside United.

"We have managed to claw ourselves into a position where we are two points ahead of Chelsea, so the game at Stamford Bridge and Arsenal's trip to Manchester will certainly be very important, there's no doubt about that.

"We saw that last season - some big decisions didn't go our way in the two matches against Chelsea and they ended up costing us important points."

A foul by Didier Drogba on Wes Brown was missed by the referee as John Terry scored the winner for Chelsea against United at Stamford Bridge last season, while a Drogba goal at Old Trafford later in the season was shown to be offside.

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