Man Utd sack Moyes, Giggs appointed interim manager BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » Sports - New 2 Borneo |
- Man Utd sack Moyes, Giggs appointed interim manager
- Junior and Ronny for Malaysia
- Salibasic refutes claims by Kelantan opponent
- Racers appeal for construction of racing track
- Tackles fly in on planned India super league
- Ronaldo set to return for Real Madrid’s Bayern test
| Man Utd sack Moyes, Giggs appointed interim manager Posted: 22 Apr 2014 11:58 AM PDT MANCHESTER, United Kingdom: Manchester United yesterday sacked manager David Moyes following a disastrous 10-month spell at the world-famous club, with veteran midfielder Ryan Giggs named as interim manager. Moyes, 50, succeeded Alex Ferguson at the helm of the Premier League side on July 1 but the move quickly became a fiasco with the team slumping to a series of embarrassing defeats. After feverish speculation in the British media, United confirmed Moyes' departure in a brief statement. "Manchester United announces that David Moyes has left the club," United said. "The club would like to place on record its thanks for the hard work, honesty and integrity he brought to the role." United later confirmed Giggs would fill in on a caretaker basis. "Following the departure of David Moyes as manager, Manchester United has announced that Ryan Giggs, the club's most decorated player, will assume responsibility for the first team until a permanent appointment can be made," said another statement. "The club will make no further comment on this process until it is concluded." Giggs, Britain's most decorated player and United's record appearance-maker, was informed of the news after arriving at United's Carrington training ground near Manchester on Tuesday morning. His first game in charge will be a league fixture at home to Norwich City on Saturday. Giggs, 40, made his United debut in March 1991 and has made 962 appearances for the club, winning 13 Premier League titles, two Champions Leagues, four FA Cups, three League Cups and one FIFA Club World Cup. He has no previous managerial experience, but has combined his role as a player with a position on United's coaching staff since the start of the current campaign. Experienced Dutch coach Louis van Gaal has emerged as the British bookmakers' favourite to succeed Moyes on a permanent basis. — AFP   |
| Posted: 22 Apr 2014 10:18 AM PDT by Matthew Umpang, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on April 23, 2014, Wednesday KUCHING: Sarawak's Super League players Junior Eldstal and Ronny Harun have been called up as Malaysia prepares for an international friendly match against the Philippines. The upcoming match on this Sunday (April 27) follows an earlier friendly between the two national sides on March 1 held in Kuala Lumpur. That match ended in a scoreless draw. Speaking to Bernama yesterday, interim national head coach Ong Kim Swee is hoping for a win as Malaysia seeks to improve its FIFA World rankings. Malaysia is currently ranked 141. A win in Sunday's game, rated as a FIFA Class A match, at Cebu City Sports Complex can boost the team's FIFA ranking. Mid-fielder Junior was with the national team at the match in March but did not play. He had also made three appearances for the national XI last year at the Merdeka tournament. But these matches are not classified as FIFA Class A internationals. Playing in Cebu would count as his first senior team appearance for Malaysia. Ronny, however, had made his senior team debut for the national side in 2007. The reliable defender has been a consistent performer in Sarawak's starting line-up in the past two years. Meanwhile, Sarawak coach Robert Alberts told The Borneo Post yesterday that both players are already in Kuala Lumpur to join their national team mates for training. "We received a letter from the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) just before the match against Kelantan last week. In my opinion, their call up is good for the team as a national team call-up can definitely boost a player's confidence and morale," he said. Both Junior and Ronney signed to play for Sarawak in 2013. |
| Salibasic refutes claims by Kelantan opponent Posted: 22 Apr 2014 10:17 AM PDT by Wilfred Pilo, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on April 23, 2014, Wednesday KUCHING: Sarawak striker Muamer Salibasic has denied that he bad-mouthed Kelantan's Fitri Omar during their Super League match last Friday. Salibasic said he was a professional and refuted Fitri's allegation when met by reporters after the launching of the state-wide 'Lets Read Together For 10 minutes' programme at the State Library by the Chief Minister's wife Puan Sri Dato Jamilah Anu yesterday. The lanky Bosnian striker, whom many considered a pillar of Sarawak's strike force, appeared relaxed as he maintained his innocence. "I am not sure what Fitri thinks of me but I did not say anything that can harm him or other players during the match," he added when asked about the Kelantan leftback's charge. The incident purportedly sparked some unhappiness among Kelatanese supporters after the Red Warriors were beaten 0-1 by the Crocs at Kota Bahru. A national daily on Tuesday reported that Sarawak Football Association (FAS) secretary general Abdullah Julaihi would call Salibasic to find out the truth of the matter. Abdullah said that as far as he and FAS were concerned, Salibasic is a professional footballer with the ambition of only winning for Sarawak. Friday's victory marked Sarawak's first win in Kota Bahru in 12 years. The Crocs not only broke the jinx but gained three points to push Sarawak to fourth position in the Super League. Earlier Salibasic and other Crocs, who were guests at the event, signed autographs at the State Library foyer. |
| Racers appeal for construction of racing track Posted: 22 Apr 2014 10:16 AM PDT by Othman Ishak, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on April 23, 2014, Wednesday SIBU: Participants at last weekend's Motorcycle Drag Race (Sprint Race) here have appealed to the relevant authorities to consider building a motorcycle race track so that youths have a safe venue to go racing. Category A (135cc Open) champion Abdul Ghafur Abdul Karim of Saratok Racing Team said that it was a matter for serious consideration. "By building a motorcycle race track, it will serve as a venue especially for those youth who used to involve in the illegal hell riding on public road. "Thus, by having a motorcycle race track, these youth will have a safer and proper venue to unleash their 'addiction' in motorcycle racing," he explained after receiving his prize from Nangka Assemblyman Dr Annuar Rapaee during the closing ceremony of the event on Sunday. The 24-year-old Ghafur, who is from Saratok and works as a mechanic at Lan Motor in Padungan, Kuching said a good drag racing motorbike like his cost some RM16,000. Another champion racer Muhd Azim Jason Abdullah, or affectionately known as 'Apek' among his friends in Mukah, said building a race track would show that the government is concerned about the aspirations and needs of youths. Apek, a motorycle mechanic at R & J Motor in Mukah, added that the sport is a healthy sports activity. "What actually spoilt the name of a motorycle racing is the Meanwhile, the event which took place from 18-20 April, was jointly organised by the Angkatan Warisan Anak Sarawak (AWAS) together with PBB Youth Wing Central Zone (Gelombang Biru) and Dainese Racing (Intan Enterprise). More than 50 drag racers from Kuching, Miri, Bintulu, Sarikei and Sibu and others from Sabah and Brunei took part. |
| Tackles fly in on planned India super league Posted: 22 Apr 2014 10:15 AM PDT NEW DELHI: Its backers include some of the biggest names in Indian sport, business and Bollywood who hope it will help the country shed its image as the sleeping giant of world football. But the Indian Super League, which promises to lure a galaxy of former stars out of retirement, is already facing scepticism and even downright hostility from within the game some five months ahead of kick-off. "It's going to kill the sleeping giant without allowing it a chance to wake up and get out of bed," said Valanka Alemao, the chief executive of Churchill Brothers, ex-champions of India's current domestic league. "This is such a weak-structured tournament that it's bound to fail." Despite being the second most populous nation, India has long struggled in world football and is currently ranked 145th out of 207 in the governing body FIFA's rankings. The sleeping giant tag was first coined by FIFA president Sepp Blatter on a visit to India in 2007 but with even war-torn Syria and Afghanistan now ranked higher, some wags have said the snooze has become a coma. Cricket dominates the back pages but matches in the existing I-League domestic championship attract significant crowds in some parts of the country, and the English Premiership is a major driver behind the growth of satellite TV here. So it was no surprise when Rupert Murdoch's Star TV was revealed as one of the backers of the new ISL along with other big names such as sports management giant IMG. And in an echo of the format for cricket's glitzy Indian Premier League (IPL), it was announced last week that eight city-based franchises with famous frontmen would take part in the two month-long competition from September. Co-owners include cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar, Bollywood A-listers Salman Khan and Ranbir Kapoor as well as Atletico Madrid, leaders of Spain's La Liga. Nita Ambani, chairwoman of the joint venture IMG-Reliance marketing group which conceived the idea of the league, forecast that it would pave the way for "the nation's sporting renaissance". "Football, with its largely untapped potential in the country, has the opportunity to grow to an unrivaled commercial success quite unlike any other sport," Ambani, wife of India's richest man Mukesh Ambani, said in a statement. A more measured assessment came from former national cricket captain Sourav Ganguly, co-owner of the Kolkata franchise. He said the league could be a force for good even if it does not supplant cricket as India's number one game. "Don't compare it with the IPL or cricket," Ganguly told AFP. "It's the start of something good. Hopefully, somewhere down the line, things will improve." As with its cricketing forerunner, organisers of the ISL hope a mixture of local talent and international stars will bring in the crowds. But while the likes of Tendulkar, Ganguly and South Africa's record-breaking allrounder Jacques Kallis graced the IPL from the beginning, no big names have yet been confirmed for the ISL. Those who have been mentioned are long past their prime, such as former France and Arsenal striker Thierry Henry, Argentina's retired marksman Hernan Crespo and ex-Manchester United forward Dwight Yorke. Former Indian football captain I.M. Vijayan said youngsters could learn from legends of the game. "I am happy for our young players, who will gain financially and learn from top stars," he said. Each of the eight teams will be allowed to draft 10 foreign players, with a proviso that at least 50 of them in the 80-man pool should have played for their national teams. But with ISL dates clashing with the start of major leagues around the world and the organisers facing stiff opposition from local clubs, finalising both the foreign and Indian talent will not be easy. "Let's face it, India is a non-entity in world football and will find it tough to attract top players," the country's best-known football writer Novy Kapadia told AFP. "At the most, you will get second-string players, mainly from Africa, or those unlucky ones who are not contracted to any club. The September-November window just does not make sense. This whole thing is a gimmick." Kapadia was not surprised that many I-League clubs remained hesitant to release their players on grounds that the ISL will threaten their existence. "No country hosts two (competing) leagues, because you can't give equal importance to both," Kapadia said. "The clubs could slowly be eased out." Churchill Brothers' Alemao said the ISL would be "detrimental" to Indian football. "Some retired foreign players will probably laugh their way to the bank, but without a strong youth developmental base, Indian football will crumble," she told reporters last week. "Interest from the corporates is very welcome in our sport. But why are they not tying up with existing clubs, instead of floating a ridiculous super league?" Similar plans last year by football officials in the state of West Bengal for a franchise-based league featuring fading stars like Crespo and Italy's Fabio Cannavaro failed to take off. — AFP |
| Ronaldo set to return for Real Madrid’s Bayern test Posted: 22 Apr 2014 10:14 AM PDT MADRID: World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo looks set to make his comeback from injury for Real Madrid when Bayern Munich visit the Santiago Bernabeu for their Champions League semi-final, first leg today. Ronaldo has been sidelined for the past three weeks due to a hamstring injury and will be desperate to make up for lost time by building on his record-equalling 14 goals in the competition this season. Real are set to be at full strength as left-back Marcelo has also overcome a hamstring problem. Gareth Bale missed training on Monday due to flu-like symptoms, but the Welshman is expected to take his place alongside Ronaldo and Karim Benzema in attack. Los Blancos will need Ronaldo and Bale firing on all cylinders if they are to overcome their historic hoodoo against Bayern in the last four of Europe's premier club competition. In five previous semi-finals, the Germans have come out on top four times, with a 3-2 aggregate victory in 2000 on their way to winning the competition for an eighth time Real's only success. However, Madrid's previously awful record against German opposition has been salvaged this season as they saw off Schalke 04 and Borussia Dortmund on their way into the last four. And Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge believes an away goal is the key to his side reaching the final for a third consecutive season. "We need to score at least one goal. That's what we learned from Dortmund's meetings with Real Madrid," he said. "We're known as the 'la bestia negra' (bete noire) down there. We need to show them la bestia negra is back." By their own lofty standards, Bayern have struggled to maintain their focus after sealing the Bundesliga title in record time a month ago. Saturday's 2-0 win over bottom club Eintracht Braunschweig was their first in four league games, a run which included two consecutive defeats after a 53-match unbeaten streak. Bayern boss Pep Guardiola enjoyed an impeccable record of five wins and a draw in six visits to the Santiago Bernabeu in four years in charge of Barcelona. However, the Spaniard has accepted responsibility for his side slacking off in recent weeks and will be hoping meeting the nine-time European champions brings out the best in them, having previously described playing in Europe as "like a good meal in a nice restaurant" compared to the "everyday pizza or hamburgers" of the Bundesliga. And captain Philipp Lahm admitted the European champions need to be at the very top of their game when they visit the Spanish capital, where they triumphed on penalties in the semi-finals two years ago. "On Wednesday we'll show we're always up for it in the important games, but it's still 50-50," he said. "I am sure that everyone will put in a top performance on Wednesday because if they don't we have no chance." Other than the absence of former Barcelona midfielder Thiago Alcantara, Bayern should also be at full strength with goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and David Alaba returning to the side after missing Saturday's win at Braunschweig due to injury and illness respectively. — AFP |
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