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
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Barcelona to Appeal Iniesta's UEFA Suspension

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
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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
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Ferguson Casts Envious Eye at European Rivals

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
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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
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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
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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.”

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