SUNDAY, JANUARY 1, 2012
S P ORT S
Liverpool’s Bellamy, Gerrard sink Newcastle Liverpool 3
Newcastle 1
Manchester City’s Italian manager Roberto Mancini
Title race will go down to wire: City’s Mancini MANCHESTER: Manchester City reach the midway stage of their Premier League campaign today with manager Roberto Mancini predicting the title race will go right down to the wire. City start the weekend level on points with Manchester United but remain at the top of the table due to a superior goal difference. Yet Mancini’s expensively-assembled side, which has set the pace for most of the season, could start 2012 in second spot as City do not play Sunderland until New Year’s Day - 24 hours after United have hosted bottom side Blackburn. It is so tight that Mancini believes the title race will not be decided until the last day of the season on May 13. And City’s Italian manager says he has not set a points target for his side to win the league as the blistering starts from City, United and Tottenham, currently third in the table, make it difficult to predict how many points will be needed to be crowned champions. “It is difficult (to predict),” said Mancini. “In this moment City, United and Tottenham have a lot of points compared to other years. “If you said how many points you need to win the league, it is very difficult. I think you need to wait another six or eight games.” City have seen a five-point cushion at the top disappear since the start of December after suffering their first loss of the season at Chelsea and dropping two more points against West Brom on Boxing Day. But Mancini laughed off suggestions his players are feeling the pressure. “We knew before West Brom it would be impossible to stay on the top (all the time) or to win the title in January,” he added. “When you play against United, Tottenham or Chelsea, this is impossible. “We have taken 45 points and scored a lot of goals. We should fight until the end and I think this championship will be decided in the
last three or four games.” City have no fresh injury worries although the fragile Owen Hargreaves remains sidelined with a knee problem. Matt Kilgallon is set to answer Martin O’Neill’s emergency call - 19 months after his last game for Sunderland. O’Neill is ready to bring the forgotten Black Cats centre-back in from the cold in an attempt to help shackle big-spending City. The Sunderland manager is wrestling with an injury crisis, with Titus Bramble, Michael Turner and Phil Bardsley all sidelined. The Northern Irishman is set to turn to Kilgallon, who was frozen out by previous manager Steve Bruce soon after sealing a £1.75m move from Sheffield United just under two years ago. Kilgallon - who established a good reputation whehn he started out at Leeds United has been farmed out on loan for Middlesbrough and Doncaster, with the last of just six Sunderland starts coming in May, 2010. The 27-year-old has yet to play any first team football this season, but with stand-in leftback Kieran Richardson also a doubt through illness, O’Neill admits he’s short on defensive options. “The absences are a major blow because we haven’t got the largest squad to choose from, so it’s a major concern,” said O’Neill. “Matt Kilgallon and a number of other players who haven’t played might find themselves playing. “I’m hoping he (Kilgallon) might get a chance. If he does, hopefully he’ll play well. He’ll be up for the challenge like the rest of them.” Despite earning seven points from his four games in charge, O’Neill insists Sunderland still aren’t out of danger in their bid to climb away from the relegation zone. “My aim is to get us out of bother. We’re still in a spot of bother, it’s a real dogfight.” — AFP
HK player sentenced over match-fixing bid HONG KONG: A young Hong Kong footballer has been sent to a detention centre after admitting trying to bribe his teammates to throw an international friendly against Russia, court officials said. A magistrate’s court Friday ordered Iu Wai, a 20-yearold defender for Hong Kong’s under-21 side, to be held at the detention centre after he pleaded guilty to two counts of bribery, a court spokeswoman said. Under Hong Kong law, young offenders can be sent to a detention centre for between one and six months as an alternative to prison. The length of their sentence is determined during the course of their incarceration. Iu promised two teammates-a defender and a goalkeeper-tens of thousands of Hong Kong dollars if they helped to deliberately lose a friendly against the Russian youth team. The duo refused and reported him to the anti-corruption authorities, who staged an unprecedented raid during the November game while 5,000 spectators looked on. Iu was arrested later. Sentencing Iu,
magistrate Peter Law said it was a “very serious” case that risked bringing Hong Kong into disrepute, the South China Morning Post reported. “By making a big mistake, you have fallen from grace. That blow for you must be enormous,” the paper quoted him as saying. “We can afford to lose so long as the boys show sportsmanship. However, if it is a match played without integrity or dignity, it is not a match we can afford,” he said. The court heard Iu was approached by a person in the Chinese city of Shenzhen, across the border from Hong Kong, who asked him to fix the match in return for cash. Russia won the friendly 2-1. The magistrate praised defender Chan Cham-hei and goalkeeper Chiu Yu-ming for resisting temptation when Iu offered them bribes. The Independent Commission Against Corruption said Iu had offered Chan tens of thousands of dollars to let in a few goals and later offered Chiu HK$40,000 ($5,100) to let three goals in during the first half of the match. — AFP
LIVERPOOL: Craig Bellamy bagged a brace and Steven Gerrard was also on the scoresheet as Liverpool boosted their bid for a top four finish with a 3-1 win over Newcastle at Anfield on Friday. Kenny Dalglish’s side trailed to Daniel Agger ’s own goal midway through the first half, but Bellamy equalized soon after and the former Newcastle striker netted again from a free-kick in the second half. England midfielder Gerrard, who has missed most of the season due to injury, capped a fine cameo performance from the substitutes bench with his side’s third goal. Liverpool are now in fifth place, level on points with fourth placed Chelsea, while Newcastle remain seventh after another failed trip to Anfield. Gerrard expressed his delight at being able to play again and didn’t want to dwell on the past. “It’s good to be back. I’ve had a terrible year with a lot of injuries but I just want to look forward,” Gerrard told Sky Sports 1. “I’m delighted to be back with the lads today, to get on the scoresheet and get three points was a perfect return. It’s great to be back.” Newcastle manager Alan Pardew said the second goal had decided the match but was full of praise for his players and their campaign so far. “We’ve done brilliant, we’ve got some very good players and we’ve had a really good calendar year,” he said. “We need to take that now into next year, and if we do anything like this last year, we may surprise ourselves and the opposition in the league. “We’re still in a good position even though we were beaten tonight.” All eyes were on misfiring Liverpool striker Andy Carroll who has struggled for
LIVERPOOL: Liverpool’s Daniel Agger (second right) vies for the ball against Newcastle United’s Demba Ba during their English Premier League soccer match at Anfield, Liverpool, England, on Friday Dec 30, 2011. — AP goals since completing a £35 million move from Newcastle last January. With Uruguay striker Luis Suarez suspended, Carroll was charged with leading Liverpool’s attack yet the 22-yearold had not found the net in a Liverpool shirt for almost seven hours. Pressure had been growing on Liverpool after their failure to kill off teams at home threatened to cost them a top-four finish. But they travel to leaders Manchester City on January 3 with hopes of securing a place in next season’s Champions League very much alive. Just as they did against bottom-of-the-table Blackburn on Monday, Liverpool were forced to come from behind despite making the brighter start. Newcastle took the lead in the 25th minute when Yohan
Cabaye’s flick, following Ryan Taylor’s cross from the left, deflected off Agger’s shoulder and flew past Pepe Reina. It was Newcastle’s first top-flight goal at Anfield since Patrick Kluivert scored in a 3-1 defeat in 2004. Yet their lead lasted just five minutes as Bellamy seized on Cheik Tiote’s half clearance to find the net from 12-yards after smashing the ball through a sea of legs. Martin Skrtel then flashed a header narrowly wide before Newcastle were fortunate not to be reduced to 10 men after Cabaye’s ugly challenge on Jay Spearing. With more than half an hour to go, Dalglish sent on Gerrard and it was Liverpool’s captain who proved the difference between the two teams in the end.
Within moments of his introduction he teed-up Carroll with a pin-point cross only for the striker to lose control of the ball after a shocking first touch. But Carroll played his part in Bellamy’s second from a 25-yard free-kick as Liverpool made it 2-1 in the 67th minute. Newcastle defender Danny Simpson should have cleared the setpiece but only succeeded in getting in Tim Krul’s way, and with the keeper already unsighted by Carroll, the ball flew straight in. Skrtel denied Demba Ba an equalizer before Carroll headed Gerrard’s inviting cross against the woodwork. But Liverpool ensured they rounded off 2011 with a win when Gerrard found the net from an acute angle from inside the area in the 78th minute. — AFP
Indonesia’s football crisis ‘under control’ JAKARTA: The Indonesia Football Association (PSSI) said yesterday that it remained in control, rebuffing claims that a majority of its members voted to hold an extraordinary congress to elect a new leadership. The Jakarta Globe reported Friday that 452 out of 580 members agreed this week to hold an extraordinary meeting in March 2012 amid a dispute over a breakaway league. They called themselves the Indonesian Football Savior Committee (KPSI), according to the report. However, deputy chairman Farid Rahman said: “PSSI’s investigation and verification to all members proved there has been manipulation of the figures since...less than fifty percent of the members agreed to hold the congress. “The intention to have the extraordinary congress just does not make sense,” he said in a statement received by AFP. “ We continue our strong intention to change and to reform Indonesian football and bring our team to perform at an international level,” Rahman added. The country’s football
was plunged into disarray recently when a breakaway league was revived, triggering a series of fierce disputes between clubs and the official Liga Prima, accredited by the association. The PSSI last month expelled Persipura Jayapura from Asia’s top club tournament as they had joined the breakaway league. The decision triggered the resignation of its under23 football coach Rahmad Darmawan. The association also fined eight clubs earlier this month for joining the rebel Liga Super. Persib Bandung, who have played in the new competition, were fined one billion rupiah ($110,000) while seven other defectors were given 500 million rupiah penalties. The rebel Liga Super players have effectively been barred from the national team, with the PSSI citing FIFA’s rules as saying players from unofficial leagues cannot represent their country in international events. Indonesia co-hosted the 2007 Asian Cup, but its national team’s record is poor. — AFP
Heart closing gap on Mariners in A-League SYDNEY: The Melbourne Heart won their sixth match in a row, overwhelming Sydney FC 4-0 to pull to within three points of first place in Australia’s A-League. Eli Bablj, Mate Dugandzic, Jason Hoffman and Alex Terra scored at Sydney to move the Heart into second place. The leading Central Coast Mariners could only manage a 0-0 draw against the last-place Gold Coast yesterday, but remain in first with 27 points after 13 matches. The Brisbane Roar, which had lost five in a row since compiling a record 36-game unbeaten streak, remained in third place after beating the Melbourne Victory 3-1. Adelaide United moved out of last place with a 2-0 win over Wellington while the Newcastle Jets and Perth Glory played to a 1-1 draw. Former Liverpool and Leeds star Harry Kewell scored his first goal from open play for the Victory in the third minute. But Mitch Nichoils replied just before halftime and Rocky Visconte and Ivan Franjic added second-half goals for Brisbane. Perth played
most of the match a man down after striker Billy Mehmet, who scored in the ninth minute, was sent off in the 33rd. Mehmet was given a straight red card by referee Strebre Delovski for a two-footed challenge on Jets skipper and center-half Tiago Calvano. The Glory leveled in the 62nd minute when midfielder Kasey Wehrman’s cross was headed in by substitute Francis Jeffers. Former Blackburn Rover Brett Emerton, playing in his first year with Sydney, said the 4-0 loss to the Heart didn’t reflect the level of play by his side. “If anyone should have been 2-0 up, it should have been us at halftime,” Emerton said. “I don’t know how we’re sitting here losing that football match 4-0 because for me it was certainly the best first 45 minutes we’ve played this season. “It’s difficult to take. We’re all very disappointed and it’s going to be a test of character now for us.” The A-League is idle until Wednesday, when a full slate of five matches is scheduled. — AP
Bristol City shock Southampton 1-0 LONDON: Bristol City shattered Southampton’s 24-match unbeaten home league record as Stephen Pearson’s late goal clinched a surprise 1-0 win at St Mary’s on Friday. Pearson converted 11 minutes from time to give the Robins their first victory in six matches and deny Southampton the chance to extend their threepoint lead at the top of the Championship. Second placed West Ham and third placed Middlesbrough can now draw level on points with Southampton if they win their matches on Saturday. Nigel Adkins’s side failed to convert possession into clear-cut chances and could have been further behind if Nicky Maynard’s 53rd-minute effort had not been ruled out for
offside. The victory for Derek McInnes’ side sees them move three points clear of the relegation zone, while Southampton’s 2011 unbeaten home league record was ended in their 50th and final league match of this calendar year. Adkins said: “It is a shame the amazing run has come to an end but we have to look onto the next game and hope we have another great run next year. “I hope that we can get another string of results together at home and go unbeaten for the whole of 2012. “It was a tough game for us as Bristol City defended very well and Derek has improved them immensely since he has come in as manager.” — AFP
Jose Mourinho
Real not looking to recruit new players MADRID: Spanish league leaders Real Madrid will not be looking to sign new players during the transfer window, coach Jose Mourinho said Friday. “The market is an opportunity that is open to those who need it, but we fortunately do not need it,” he said during an end of year interview with the club’s television station. “The squad has been built with much work to provide the club with the means to fight for what we are fighting for. “For us the market is closed. I don’t want any player, I have not asked for one and I am not going to ask for one.” The former Chelsea coach also said his recent comments about his desire to eventually return to the English Premier League had been misinterpreted. During an interview with the BBC on Monday, Mourinho said he was “very, very happy” at Real but his “passion” is England and his “next step” will be to go back to the country and “if possible, go and stay for a long time.” “Get me a good club in a couple of years,” the Portuguese coach added. The comment was interpreted by some in Spain as meaning he plans to leave Real when his current four-year contract with the club expires at the end of the 2013-14 season. “You don’t translate ‘a couple of years’ literally, it’s an expression you use in the English language to mean in a few years, not exactly two,” the Portuguese coach told Real’s television station when asked about the comment. “It could be two, three, four, 20, or you never know,” he added. “The best years of this team are yet to come. It is impossible to say how many more years I will stay, but what counts is the intention. The intention (to stay) is there.” Real are currently top of the Spanish league with 40 points, three ahead of bitter rivals Barcelona. The squad resumed training on Thursday after an eight-day Christmas break. Their first match after the Christmas pause will be at home against Malaga on Tuesday in the King’s Cup. Four days later they face Granada in their first league match of 2012. —AFP
Today’s matches on TV
English Premier League West Bromwich v Everton.................15:30 Abu Dhabi Sport HD 3 Sunderland v Man City......................18:00 Abu Dhabi Sport HD 3