Monday, June 1, 2009

Wurz leads Superfund 2010 entry

Alex Wurz
Wurz has raced in 69 grands prix and was Honda test driver in 2008

Former driver Alex Wurz is targeting a return to Formula 1 as team boss for new Austrian outfit Team Superfund.

The former Benetton and Williams driver has revealed Team Superfund has submitted an entry to governing body the FIA to join the grid in 2010.

"I was always interested in going into team management," said Wurz, 35, who last raced for Williams in 2007.

Team Superfund is backed solely by Austrian businessman Christian Baha and plans to use Cosworth custom engines.

However, Wurz added that the success of the team's bid may depend on the rules governing next season's campaign.

FIA president Max Mosley and the Formula One Teams' Association (Fota), which represents all the current teams on the grid with the exception of Williams, are still negotiating the rules for 2010.

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Mr Biffo

The key sticking point is Mosley's desire to impose a budget cap of around £40m - a figure which would encourage start-up teams to enter the sport.

"When we saw that through budget caps and natural market conditions, the cost of running a team was going to come down, we saw it as an opportunity," Wurz added.

"But nothing can be fully decided until it becomes clear what we are allowed and not allowed to do for 2010 and years to follow."

Team Superfund have added their name to the list of known new entries along with Prodrive, Litespeed GP, Campos Meta Racing, US F1 and former F1 team Lola.

The nine Fota teams all submitted conditional entries on the 29 May deadline.

Williams were suspended from Fota following their decision to participate in the 2010 championship regardless of the outcome of the ongoing negotiations over the budget cap.

The FIA will publish the final list of 2010 entries on 12 June.

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Ex-trainer Vincent O'Brien dies

Vincent O'Brien
Vincent O'Brien retired from training in 1994 after a glittering career

Legendary Irish racehorse trainer Vincent O'Brien has died aged 92.

He trained three Grand National winners, and his steeplechaser Cottage Rake won the Cheltenham Gold Cup three times between 1948 and 1950.

He then concentrated on Flat racing, and won the Epsom Derby on six occasions between 1962 and 1982.

During the 1970s, he and owner Robert Sangster, along with O'Brien's son-in-law John Magnier, established the Coolmore syndicate in County Tipperary.

O'Brien's unsurpassed ability to pick world-class horses and Magnier's business mind quickly pushed the operation to the top of the racing tree.

The Canadian-bred horse Northern Dancer proved to be a particularly profitable sire. One son of Northern Dancer was Nijinsky, who some commentators have described as the best horse O'Brien ever trained.

He was ridden to victory at Epsom by Lester Piggott, who was associated with the Ballydoyle stable during the most successful years of the late 1960s and 1970s.

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O'Brien was voted both greatest National Hunt trainer and greatest Flat trainer of the 20th century.

His son David also became a trainer, and won the Epsom Derby in 1984 with Secreto, beating his father's horse, El Gran Senor, by a short head.

However David suddenly retired from horse racing following the birth of his first son, Andrew. Vincent O'Brien retired from training in 1994.

Aidan O'Brien, no relation to Vincent, was then employed by Coolmore to take over training responsibilities, and the operation has continued to flourish.

This year's Derby takes place on Saturday, in which Aidan O'Brien trains six of the 13 entries. It is sure to be given extra poignancy following the death of the original Master of Ballydoyle.

O'Brien was born, in Churchtown, County Cork, the fifth son of a sporting farmer who loved to trade in horses, in a part of Ireland renowned for rearing them.

He married Jacqueline Wittenoom, from Perth, Australia, in 1951 and had five children in all. He spent much of his later years in the warmer climes Down Under. O'Brien died at home in County Kildare.

A statement from O'Brien's daughter, Sue Magnier, and her husband John and their family read: "Dad's racing career speaks for itself and needs no elaboration.

"There was nobody like him. Coolmore Stud and Ballydoyle are the results of his vision and testament to his success.

"More importantly, he was a loving father, grandfather and great-grandfather and an extraordinary mentor. His passing is a great loss to me and my family and we will all miss him greatly."

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Uefa trials new refereeing system

Sepp Blatter
Experiment announced by Fifa president Sepp Blatter

Next season's Europa League - formerly the Uefa Cup - will be the testing ground for games using five officials.

The trial will see two extra assistant referees officiate by standing behind the goals and communicating by headset.

Everton, Aston Villa and Fulham are among more than 150 clubs set to play their European games under the system.

Fifa president Sepp Blatter said: "We were looking where we can have such experiments. Now we have found a solution together with Uefa."

The idea is credited to Uefa president Michel Platini, who opposes goal-line technology and wants to retain a human element in decision-making.

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What impact will this have on matches?

The system involves an extra official standing on the side of each goal assisting the referee and two touchline assistants by communicating through headsets.

European football's governing body Fifa and its rule-making arm, the International Football Association Board, ordered a trial of the system last year as an alternative to using video replays.

Uefa used the five-official system at last year's under-19 European Championship qualifying matches in Slovenia, Hungary and Cyprus, where it was hailed a success.

Having an extra pair of eyes monitoring play in each area had a preventive effect and promoted better decision making on suspected fouls.

Players were less prone to shirt-pulling at corners and free kicks, diving in the area and dissent, it reported.

The announcement that matches in the Europa League will be played with the experimental system came after a two-day meeting of Fifa's executive committee in Nassau.

Qualifying-round matches for the Europa League begin in July.

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Ferdinand and Cole miss training

Ashley Cole and Rio Ferdinand
Ashley Cole and Rio Ferdinand both sat out training on Monday

Defenders Rio Ferdinand and Ashley Cole both sat out training as a precaution ahead of England's trip to Kazakhstan for a World Cup qualifier.

England visit Kazakhstan on Saturday and face Andorra at Wembley on 10 June.

Chelsea's Cole took a kick in the FA Cup final win over Everton on Saturday, while Manchester United's Ferdinand is resting a long-standing calf injury.

England are already without Red Devils midfielder Michael Carrick, who withdrew because of a foot injury.

Both Ferdinand and Cole are expected to train on Tuesday or later in the week.

Ferdinand was an injury doubt ahead of the Champions League final in which United were beaten 2-0 by Barcelona on 27 May.

The central-defender had been sidelined for three weeks prior to the game.

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BBC Sport

Meanwhile, Carrick's place in the squad has gone to Aston Villa winger James Milner, with the 23-year-old being promoted from the England Under-21 squad.

Carrick has not started a competitive game for England since the loss to Croatia in 2006.

The former Tottenham star, who played all 90 minutes of Manchester United's Champions League defeat against Barcelona, was unlikely to be first choice for his country.

But his absence leaves England coach Fabio Capello with only three recognised central midfielders - Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Gareth Barry - for the two games.

Capello is already without injured goalkeepers David James and Ben Foster, with Paul Robinson earning a recall.

Manchester United's veteran defender Gary Neville was a surprise inclusion in the squad, while Tottenham's Jermain Defoe also came back into the fold after injury.

Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips, who was thought to require knee surgery, proved his fitness for his club on 24 May and was named in the squad.

Revised England squad:

Scott Carson (West Bromwich Albion), Robert Green (West Ham United), Paul Robinson (Blackburn Rovers)

Wayne Bridge (Manchester City), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Glen Johnson (Portsmouth), Joleon Lescott (Everton), Gary Neville (Manchester United), John Terry (Chelsea), Matthew Upson (West Ham United)

Gareth Barry (Aston Villa), David Beckham (AC Milan loan from LA Galaxy), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), James Milner (Aston Villa), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City), Ashley Young (Aston Villa)

Carlton Cole (West Ham United), Peter Crouch (Portsmouth), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham Hotspur), Emile Heskey (Aston Villa), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

о 3:29 AM 0 коментарі

Murray ready for titanic battle

FRENCH OPEN
Venue: Roland Garros Date: 24 May - 7 June
Coverage: Live on BBC Red Button, live streaming and daily text commentary on BBC Sport website, updates on BBC Radio 5 Live plus second week commentary on BBC 5 Live Sports Extra. TV coverage on Eurosport.

Andy Murray
Murray will need to be wary of Gonzalez's huge forehand

Andy Murray goes into Tuesday's French Open quarter-final with Fernando Gonzalez knowing he has a great chance of winning his first Grand Slam.

Following Rafael Nadal's shock defeat on Sunday, Murray's half of the draw suddenly appears a lot more open.

But the Briton, 22, knows Chilean Gonzalez, who he has beaten once and lost to once in their previous matches - neither on on clay - will be tough.

"It's going to be a very difficult match," Murray told his website.

"He has won all of his matches very easily so far. He made the semis in Rome. He has got a huge forehand and he serves well. He loves playing on clay and I am going to have to play well.

"He's very unpredictable, which makes it tough to play against him. I have to play a very consistent match and keep the ball deep. You don't want to leave the ball in the middle of the court against him."

Murray, who is ranked third in the world, is only the third British man to make the Roland Garros quarter-finals in the Open era, after Roger Taylor in 1973 and Tim Henman in 2004.

He goes into the last eight match off the back of a superb straight-sets victory over Marin Cilic in the fourth round and will be hoping to maintain that form as he continues to seek his first Grand Slam title.

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Murray, whose best result in a Grand Slam is his defeat by Roger Federer in the 2008 US Open final, added: "Tim obviously made the semis here, so it would be nice to try and match that.

"I always felt I could play well on clay. But I just needed a bit of time to find my game.

"Obviously the results have got better because I've played more matches on it. That's nice, but I'll try and go further."

Gonzalez, 28, has reached at least the quarter-finals stages of every Grand Slam - going furthest in the Australian Open in 2007, where he lost to Federer in the final.

The South American is in blistering form coming into his match with Murray.

He has yet to drop a set and he hit 50 winners on his way to a 6-2 6-4 6-2 hammering of Victor Hanescu in the last round.

Gonzalez completely overpowered the Romanian with his booming forehand, and after the match he said: "I could do what I wanted with my forehand and backhand."

The 12th seed will not be overawed by the task ahead of him, having a history of beating world number one players throughout his career.

However, Gonzalez was beaten by Murray in their last match, a fiery encounter in the third round of the US Open in 2006.

But with both players full of confidence and sensing a superb opportunity to go further in the tournament than they ever have before, it should be a titanic battle.

The winner will face the victor of the match between Nadal's conqueror, Sweden's Robin Soderling, and Russia's Nikolay Davydenko.

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O'Driscoll to lead new-look Lions

Venue: Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Date: Wednesday, 3 June Kick-off: 1810 BST (1910 local time)
Coverage: Live text commentary and score updates on BBC Sport website; Score updates on BBC Radio 5 Live

Brian O'Driscoll
O'Driscoll led the Lions against New Zealand in 2005

Brian O'Driscoll will captain a much-changed British & Irish Lions side for Wednesday's match against the Golden Lions in Johannesburg.

Only Tommy Bowe, Jamie Roberts and David Wallace retain their places from the side which unconvincingly beat a Royal XV in Saturday's tour opener.

Rob Kearney, Ugo Monye, Tom Croft and Nathan Hines will make their debuts.

Jamie Heaslip, Mike Phillips, Alun-Wyn Jones, Phil Vickery and Lee Mears are all promoted from the bench.

Coach Ian McGeechan said: "The starting XV is very different to the one that played on Saturday.

"There are only three players backing up from that match but six of the replacements have been promoted to Wednesday's starting XV.

"This is in line with our intention that all players will play a full match in the first three matches on tour.

"The team has a very solid core with Brian O'Driscoll, Stephen Jones, David Wallace, Phil Vickery and Gethin Jenkins who are all very experienced internationals and previous Lions tourists.

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"David Wallace now has the opportunity to play at open-side flanker following his selection at number eight against the Royal XV.

"Stephen Jones, who was a replacement in the last match, but did not get a run, links up with his Welsh team-mate and scrum-half Mike Phillips giving the team an experienced half-back combination."

The Lions were widely criticised after their 37-25 win on Saturday, as they made a number of errors and found it difficult to gel as a team.

But McGeechan insisted they have already learned from their mistakes.

"The team has trained well. We have worked on several key areas following the first match which has given us a base from which to keep developing our game," he added.

O'Driscoll last captained the Lions on the ill-fated night in 2005 when he suffered a dislocated shoulder only a minute into the first Test against New Zealand.

Lions manager Gerald Davies said: "Everyone is also delighted that Brian O'Driscoll, the Irish Grand Slam skipper, will lead the team."

Davies also confirmed Wales winger Leigh Halfpenny will be flying out to join the tour after recovering from a thigh injury which had forced him to remain at home.

Halfpenny has been undergoing intensive treatment with the Cardiff Blues medics but they are now satisfied with his fitness levels.

"We have had some encouraging and positive news regarding Leigh and he will come out as soon as possible," Davies added.

Springboks Jannes Labuschagne and Heinke van der Merwe have both been ruled out of the Golden Lions side.

Lock Labuschagne and prop van der Merwe are injured but coach Hans Coetzee though, can still call on South African international fly-half Andre Pretorius and his fellow Springbok, prop Lawrence Sephaka, as key components of the team.

The replacements' bench, meanwhile, includes two forwards bound for Guinness Premiership club Saracens next season - hooker Ethienne Reynecke and flanker Ernst Joubert.

British and Irish Lions team to play the Golden Lions:

R Kearney (Leinster and Ireland); T Bowe (Ospreys and Ireland), B O'Driscoll (Leinster and Ireland, captain), J Roberts (Cardiff Blues and Wales), U Monye (Harlequins and England); S Jones (Scarlets and Wales), M Phillips (Ospreys and Wales); G Jenkins (Cardiff Blues and Wales), L Mears (Bath and England), P Vickery (Wasps and England), N Hines (Perpignan and Scotland), A-W Jones (Ospreys and Wales), T Croft (Leicester and England), D Wallace (Munster and Ireland), J Heaslip (Leinster and Ireland).
Replacements: R Ford (Edinburgh and Scotland), E Murray (Northampton and Scotland), S Ferris (Ulster and Ireland), A Powell (Cardiff Blues and Wales), H Ellis (Leicester and England), J Hook (Ospreys and Wales), S Williams (Ospreys and Wales).

Golden Lions side:

L Ludik; M Killian, J Boshoff, D la Grange, D Noble; A Pretorius, J Vermaak; L Sephaka, W Wepener, G Muller, B Mockford, W Stoltz, C Grobbelaar, F van der Merwe, W Alberts.
Replacements: E Reynecke, J Van Rensburg, E Joubert, T Clever, C Jonck, W Venter, E Rose.

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Celtic want Swans boss Martinez

Roberto Martinez
Swans boss Roberto Martinez has been linked with several managerial jobs

Celtic have made an official approach for Swansea City boss Roberto Martinez.

Swansea confirmed to BBC Sport Wales that the Scottish giants have asked to speak to Martinez about becoming Gordon Strachan's successor at Celtic Park.

"I had a call off their chief executive [Peter Lawwell] making me aware that they'd like to talk to Roberto," said Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins.

"Like I've always done I refused that until I've spoken to Roberto myself and talked things through."

Martinez, one of British football's youngest managers at 35, has earned rave reviews for his handling of Swansea.

Promotion from League One was followed last season by a highly creditable eighth-place finish in their first year back at Championship level.

That success has been achieved through an exciting brand of attacking, skilful football that has seen the Spaniard linked with managerial jobs at the likes of Wigan and Real Sociedad, while Reading are also thought to be admirers.

Martinez is on holiday in Ibiza at the moment but Jenkins expects his prize asset to be back at the Liberty Stadium later this week.

"I'll probably speak to him [Martinez] between now and Wednesday but later on in the week he'll be back home to run through his thoughts with me," Jenkins added.

"First and foremost it's about his position here and how we see that, and we'll consider all that first before any sort of what else he may do.

"I think you've got to respect... what type of club Celtic are and what opportunities exist - perhaps not in the [Scottish Premier] League but certainly in the Champions League - and the size of the club.

"Naturally I suppose that interest would require anybody to sit and consider their position.

"It's basically up to him how he sees it, I think there's certainly no possibility in us forcing any issue.

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"Roberto has got to consider his future and where his commitment lies."

Martinez is no stranger to football north of the border, having played for Motherwell in the 2001/2 season, while his long-term girlfriend is Scottish.

Strachan, who left Celtic Park last week after four years at the helm, is believed to have recommended Motherwell's Mark McGhee as his successor.

Everton manager David Moyes has ruled out any return to Scotland at the moment.

But Croatia coach Slaven Bilic has expressed his interest in the vacancy, while West Brom's Tony Mowbray and Burnley's Owen Coyle are also thought to be candidates.

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Dominant Serena into last eight

FRENCH OPEN
Venue: Roland Garros Date: 24 May - 7 June
Coverage: Live on BBC Red Button, live streaming and daily text commentary on BBC Sport website, commentary on BBC 5 Live Sports Extra, plus updates on BBC Radio 5 Live. TV coverage on Eurosport.

Serena Williams
Serena is the only past French Open champion left in the women's draw

Second seed Serena Williams bulldozed her way past Aleksandra Wozniak to reach the French Open quarter-finals.

Wozniak won just one point in the first three games and, although she improved, the Canadian, ranked 24th in the world, never looked like fighting back.

Serena was just too powerful and made the most of Wozniak's poor serving to clinch a speedy 6-1 6-2 victory.

The 2002 champion will play Russian seventh seed Svetlana Kuznetsova or Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland next.

Former world number one Jelena Jankovic is also in action later on Monday, against Romanian teenager Sorana Cirstea.

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Who is your tip for the women's title?

And Australia's Samantha Stosur, who knocked out fourth seed Elena Dementieva in the third round, plays France's Virginie Razzano for a place in the last eight.

о 1:18 AM 0 коментарі

Mawhinney rubbishes two-tier plan

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Mawhinney rubbishes 'Prem Two' idea

By Paul Fletcher

Plans for a two-tier Premier League have been dismissed by Football League chairman Lord Brian Mawhinney.

Bolton chairman Phil Gartside wants two Premier League divisions of 18 teams, including Celtic and Rangers as well as 14 clubs from the Championship.

"It is not going to happen," Mawhinney told the BBC, adding "it is nonsense" and that the Premier League agreed.

The idea, first floated in October, has yet to be formally raised at any Premier League meetings.

But Mawhinney added: "Let me do a little bit of arithmetic for you - Mr Gartside said he would like two leagues of 18 teams - that is 36.

The Football League started in 1888 and Mr Gartside kills it in 2009 - I don't think so

Football League chairman Lord Mawhinney

"He has got 20 teams in the Premier League. He wants Celtic and Rangers - that means he needs 14 from the Championship.

"You take 14 out of the Championship and it wrecks the Football League. So it started in 1888 and Mr Gartside kills it in 2009 - I don't think so."

Gartside, one of longest-serving chairmen in the top flight, said when he initially floated the idea that he felt it would make the Premier League more competitive and address a number of other problems.

"It would even everything out and make it more competitive," said Gartside.

"You could have 36 Premier League clubs split into 18 and 18 and that would also solve the problems of the winter break and supporting the England team.

"We have already got to the situation where the three clubs that go down from the Premier League are usually the three that come up, although a couple of others might sneak in."

European football's governing body Uefa has consistently said that teams will not be allowed to play in leagues outside their own country.

FOOTBALL BLOG
Paul Fletcher

But Uefa's director of communications William Gaillard recently told the BBC the matter would be something to be decided between the leagues and associations involved.

Those bodies would be the Premier League, the Football Association, the Scottish Premier League, the Scottish Football Association and the Football League in England.

The proposal would need 14 votes from the 20 clubs at the Premier League's AGM if it was to be accepted.

Meanwhile, Mawhinney is keen to discuss with Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore the idea of the Football League receiving a payment from the top flight to lessen the effect of wage increases.

"The 92 clubs play in a closed system so what happens in players' wages at top of the Premier League ripples right down the Football League to League Two and it is making our life more and more difficult - making it harder for clubs to survive," added Mawhinney.

"We have floated the idea for discussion that maybe we could look at the aggregate of wages of the 20 Premier League clubs and then have an arrangement whereby a percentage of that might be given to Football League clubs to offset the upward pressure on our wages."

о 12:48 AM 0 коментарі

Ancelotti appointed Chelsea boss

Carlo Ancelotti
Ancelotti spent eight years at the San Siro

Former AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti has been appointed Chelsea manager on a three-year deal.

The 49-year-old Italian left the Rossoneri on Sunday after guiding them to a third-place finish in Serie A.

He replaces Russian international coach Guus Hiddink who ended his stint at Stamford Bridge by clinching the FA Cup at the weekend.

"Carlo was the outstanding candidate for the job," read a statement on the Chelsea website.

"He has proved over a long period his ability to build teams that challenged for, and have been successful in, major domestic and European competitions.

"He also had a highly successful playing career in those competitions and therefore brings unparalleled all round experience to the job," the statement added.

He officially takes over on 1 July after spending eight seasons at Milan.

In that time he twice won the Champions League, in 2003 and 2007, and the Serie A title in 2004.

He has also coached Italian sides Reggiana, Parma and Juventus.

Ancelotti was also a successful player, winning two league titles and two European Cups with Milan.

о 12:28 AM 0 коментарі
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