KT 3-4-2013_Layout 1 - Kuwait Times

Di Canio ducks
fascism questions
LONDON: New Sunderland manager Paolo
Di Canio described the controversy over his
appointment as “ridiculous and pathetic”
and refused to answer questions about
whether he held fascist beliefs in his first
news conference yesterday.
Di Canio, 44, replaced Martin O’Neill at
the relegation-threatened Premier League
team on Sunday, a move that sparked the
resignation of a British former government
minister from the club’s board.
David Miliband, a departing Member of
Parliament and a former Foreign Secretary,
stepped down because of remarks the ex-
Swindon Town boss made to Italian news
agency ANSA in 2005 when he said: “I am a
fascist, not a racist”.
“I don’t have to answer any more this
question, there was a very good statement
from the club, (with) very, very clear words
that came out from me,” the Italian said on
Tuesday in an effort to steer talk away from
politics and back to football.
“I don’t want to talk any more about politics
for one reason because I’m not in the
House of Parliament, I’m not a political person,
I will talk about only football.”
Di Canio had sought to dampen the fires
on Monday by releasing a statement that
suggested he had been quoted out of context.
“I expressed an opinion in an interview
many years ago. Some pieces were taken
for media convenience,” he said.
Di Canio’s appointment led the Durham
Miners Association (DMA), a powerful
workers’ organisation in the north-east of
England, to ask for the return of a banner
that is on permanent display at the club’s
Stadium of Light.
“The appointment of Di Canio is a disgrace
and a betrayal of all who fought and
died in the fight against fascism,” the DMA’s
general secretary Dave Hopper said.
“Everyone must speak out and oppose
this outrage and call on (club chairman)
Ellis Short and the Sunderland board to
reverse their decision.”
Asked if he had a message for the DMA,
Di Canio said: “I have said many, many
words in the past and people have picked
the words they wanted. I can’t keep going
on about my life and my family. The people
who are talking in this way, they don’t
understand Paolo Di Canio.”
The Italian was given the job after a 1-0
defeat to Manchester United on Saturday
prompted the surprise sacking of
O’Neill.Sunderland are 16th in the 20-team
table and without a win in eight games.
Asked whether he thought he could
steer Sunderland away from relegation
danger, Di Canio said he would bet everything
he had on them not finishing in the
bottom three.
“When I got the call from Ellis Short, I
felt fire in my belly. I would have swum to
Sunderland to take the job,” he added.
“The press like to call me the mad Italian
but I would confidently bet everything I
have on Sunderland remaining in the top
flight.”
Di Canio had a colourful playing career
with clubs including Juventus, AC Milan,
Lazio, West Ham United and Celtic, but has
never managed in the top flight and joins
Sunderland six weeks after quitting thirdtier
Swindon Town.
Never far from the headlines, he is
remembered for pushing over a referee
while playing for Sheffield Wednesday in
England and drew outrage in 2005 when
he celebrated his Lazio side’s derby win
over AS Roma with a fascist-style salute.
“With my energy I’m sure we can get
something from the next seven games. I
hope my ways give the team more confidence
on the pitch,” he added.
“Players need to fight for the shirt - go
out on that pitch ready to sweat and shed
blood for the club. “It’s important that the
fans are happy with how the team perform
and I hope to achieve that. We’re all working
towards the same goal.
“I want to take things step by step.
Firstly, it’s Chelsea (on Sunday) and we will
be fully focused for that game.”—Reuters
BLOEMFONTEIN: In this June 27, 2010 file photo made from a combination of six
photos, Germany’s goalkeeper Manuel Neuer looks at a ball that hit the bar to
bounce over the line during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between
Germany and England. —AP
FIFA picks GoalControl
goal-line tech system
GENEVA: FIFA opted for GoalControl yesterday
as its goal-line technology system
for the Confederations Cup and 2014 World
Cup in Brazil.
The German camera-based, ball-tracking
system was the last of four contenders
to win a FIFA contract that starts with the
Confederations Cup in June.
FIFA chose GoalControl-4D over three
rival projects: GoalRef and Cairos, which
both use magnetic fields; and Hawk-Eye,
another camera system. It’s already used in
tennis and cricket, and its English parent
company was bought by World Cup sponsor
Sony Corp. before it began FIFAendorsed
testing in 2011.
GoalControl was licensed by FIFA only
one month ago, and owner Dirk
Broichhausen told The Associated Press
then that its simplicity was key.
“Our innovation, and also a difference
looking to other competitors, is that we can
use standard goals, balls and nets. There is
no modification necessary,” Broichhausen
said.
GoalControl uses 14 high-speed cameras
- seven trained on each goalmouth -
and passed FIFA-approved tests in February
in German stadiums in Duesseldorf and
Gelsenkirchen. All four systems met FIFA’s
demand that a signal is transmitted to the
referee’s watch within one second if a goal
should be awarded. “We want to offer tournament
organizers and leagues and clubs
not to have to change anything on the
pitch. The investment in the technology is
enough,” Broichhausen said
He estimated that GoalControl will cost
$260,000 per stadium to install, and $3,900
per match to operate. FIFA said the cost of
installation - at six scheduled
Confederations Cup stadiums and 12 for
the World Cup - was considered.
“The respective bids were also judged
on cost and project management factors
such as staffing and time schedules for
installation,” soccer’s governing body said
in a statement.
FIFA’s contract with GoalControl for the
World Cup can be reviewed if there are
problems at the 16-match Confederations
Cup - or before.
“The use of GoalControl-4D in Brazil is
subject to a final installation test at each
stadium where the system will be installed,”
FIFA said.
FIFA, through its rule-making panel
known as IFAB, approved goal-line technology
last July, when Hawk-Eye and GoalRef
passed the rigorous testing process. Those
systems were tested at the Club World Cup
in Japan last December, before Cairos and
GoalControl had even been licensed.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter wanted
goal-line technology in Brazil after England
midfielder Frank Lampard had a goal disallowed
against Germany at the 2010 World
Cup.
FIFA withdrew previous opposition to
publicizing goal-line rulings. Now, competition
organizers can choose whether decisions
are shown to fans on big screens in
stadiums and television viewers. In tennis
and cricket, anticipation of a decision provided
by Hawk-Eye has become part of the
experience.
“It’s not secret,” Blatter said after the IFAB
meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland. “Once we
have the technology and it shows it’s a goal
or not a goal, we have to be transparent,
otherwise there’s no need to do it.”
Referees still have the final say on
awarding a goal, or even using goal-line
technology when it is installed. Mandatory
pre-game tests give match officials the
option to switch off the technology if they
doubt its accuracy that day.
Hawk-Eye, GoalRef and Cairos will try to
persuade other soccer clients, such as the
English Premier League or German’s
Bundesliga, to choose their systems before
next season begins in August.—AP
Matches on TV
(Local Timings)
UEFA Champions League
Real Madrid v Galatasaray 21:45
Aljazeera Sport +4
Malaga V Dortmund 21:45
Aljazeera Sport +5
SPORTS
Photo of the day
Petr Kraus (Czech Republic) performs during the Red Bull Shred the Island in Manama, Bahrain. www.redbullcontentpool.com
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013
Drogba back to where
he began for Real clash
MADRID: The wheel will have
come full circle for Galatasaray forward
Didier Drogba when he takes
to the pitch for today’s Champions
League quarter-final first leg match
at Real Madrid.
The Ivory Coast international,
who turned 35 this month, made
his debut in Europe’s elite club
competition at Real’s Bernabeu stadium
in September 2003 playing
for Ligue 1 side Olympique
Marseille. Although he scored to
put Marseille ahead in the 26th
minute, goals from Roberto Carlos
and Luis Figo and a double from
Brazilian Ronaldo fired Real’s
“Galacticos” to an easy 4-2 group
stage victory. “It will be very special
for me, I will never forget that day,”
Drogba was quoted as saying in
Galatasaray’s club magazine this
week.
“It was very important for my
career,” added the former Chelsea
player. Drogba was Chelsea’s key
performer on their run to a first
Champions League triumph last
season before quitting the London
club for a stint in China and then
moving to Turkey.
He struck the winning penalty in
the final shootout against Bayern
Munich having earlier kept Chelsea
in the match with a crashing header
two minutes from the end of regular
time that levelled the score at
1-1.
“I just grabbed this chance to be
able to play at the highest level in
Europe again without thinking,” he
said. “That’s why I am here. To have
the opportunity to win again.”
Today’s clash, the fourth
between the clubs in UEFA competition,
also pits Drogba against his
former manager at Chelsea Jose
Mourinho, who is bidding to lead
Real to the 10th European crown
that has eluded the club since
2002.
The pair were together at
Stamford Bridge from 2004 to 2007
MADRID: Debutants Malaga have toppled
European giants AC Milan and Porto on their
way to the Champions League quarter-finals and
have another former winner in their sights when
they host Borussia Dortmund today.
Coach Manuel Pellegrini and his players have
propelled the Costa del Sol club to unprecedented
success despite uncertainty over the commitment
of their Qatari owner and cash-flow problems
that prompted a ban from UEFA competition
from next season.
Chilean Pellegrini has moulded a squad of
experienced campaigners including Joaquin,
Martin Demichelis, Jeremy Toulalan and Roque
Santa Cruz into a highly efficient outfit, with
promising youngsters like Isco providing a creative
spark.
After beating seven-times European champions
Milan 1-0 at the Rosaleda stadium on the
way to topping Group C, Malaga dispatched
2004 winners Porto 2-0 in the last round on a
festive night for local fans including Hollywood
actor Antonio Banderas.
They are brimming with confidence ahead of
the first leg with Dortmund-who won the
Champions League in 1997 — according to former
Spain winger Joaquin.
“If we are here it is because we have proved
we are a great team,” the 31-year-old told a news
conference on Monday. “This is the time when
the great teams express themselves and we
have not said the last word here at the Rosaleda,”
he added.
“We need to be an aggressive team, playing
the way we know and taking the initiative.”
Malaga’s success is in large measure down to
MADRID: Galatasaray’s Didier Drogba from Ivory Coast controls the ball during a training session in
Madrid. Galatasaray will play Real Madrid today in a quarterfinal first leg Champions League soccer
match. —AP
and won Premier League titles in
2005 and 2006. Drogba said
Mourinho and his Galatasaray
counterpart Fatih Terim were excellent
motivators. “Fatih Terim is a lot
like Mourinho in that he is very
close to the players and always talking
with them,” he said.
“The psychological factor is very
important in soccer and Terim is
very meticulous in that respect.”
While Real have fallen in the semifinals
the past two seasons, it is
almost a quarter of a century since
Galatasaray last reached the last
four.
Alongside Drogba, the other
heavyweight in their ranks is
Dutchman Wesley Sneijder, who
won the Champions League with
Mourinho at Inter Milan in 2010.
Their attacking trident is completed
by Burak Yilmaz, who is joint
top scorer in the competition with
Real’s Cristiano Ronaldo on eight
goals.
“Our only weapon against Real
Madrid is that we are not afraid,”
Terim, a former Turkey, AC Milan
and Fiorentina boss, told reporters
on Saturday.
“That’s the way we have always
played,” he added. “Our strongest
side is that we are not afraid to lose,
their well-drilled defence, one of the meanest in
La Liga this season, and preventing Dortmund
from scoring an away goal could be key to their
chances of progressing after next week’s return
leg. Malaga have kept nine clean sheets in their
12 European home games, including against
Milan in October and the success against Porto
last month.
If they reach the semi-finals, they will match
the debut-season achievement of La Liga rivals
Villarreal under Pellegrini in the 2005-06 season.
Known as “the engineer”, the cerebral
Pellegrini led an unfancied Villarreal team to the
last four before they were narrowly beaten by
Premier League side Arsenal.
“This is a tie lasting 180 minutes in which we
have to be intelligent, dominate the match but
without forgetting the return leg,” Pellegrini told
a news conference after Malaga’s 3-1 La Liga victory
at Rayo Vallecano on Saturday.
“Hopefully we will go to Dortmund with a solid
advantage,” added the former Real Madrid
coach, who was sacked in 2010 to make way for
Jose Mourinho.
Dortmund have several players battling for
fitness after a hard-fought 2-1 victory at VfB
Stuttgart that kept them in a distant second
place in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
With only one trophy to chase for after losing
the domestic battle to Bayern Munich this season,
they are eager to leave their mark on
Europe’s elite club competition.
“That was a good preparation for Malaga
because it will be equally intense in the one-onones,”
coach Juergen Klopp said of their
Stuttgart win.
or to be eliminated.”
Probable teams:
Real Madrid: 41-Diego Lopez;
17-Alvaro Arbeloa, 3-Pepe, 4-Sergio
Ramos, 5-Fabio Coentrao; 6-Sami
Khedira, 14-Xabi Alonso; 22-Angel
Di Maria, 10-Mesut Ozil, 7-Cristiano
Ronaldo; 9-Karim Benzema
Galatasaray: 1-Fernando
Muslera; 27-Emmanuel Eboue, 26-
Semih Kaya, 13-Dany Nounkeu, 11-
Albert Riera; 14-Wesley Sneijder,
10-Felipe Melo, 8-Selcuk Inan, 4-
Hamit Altintop; 17-Burak Yilmaz,
12-Didier Drogba Referee: Svein
Oddvar Moen (Norway). —Reuters
Malaga eyeing Dortmund scalp
Defender Marcel Schmelzer, who broke his
nose in the game, is doubtful but he said he was
determined to play using a face mask after
undergoing surgery. “It was fixed and stitched so
as not to waste time because next up is
Wednesday but with a face mask,” the Germany
international said.—Reuters
MALAGA: Malaga’s Brazilian forward Julio
Baptista attends a training session at
Rosaleda stadium on the eve of the UEFA
Champions league football match against
Borussia Dortmund.—AFP