Friday March 04, 2016
Kaieteur News
CFU Club Championship Group 4
Action in the Arnett Gardens Arnett Gardens FC of Jamaica defeated America FC of Haiti 3-0 when both sides met in the first Group 4 encounter in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on Wednesday. Single tallies from Michealos Martin (48’),
Vishinul Harris (70’) and Kemal Malcolm (86’) paved the way for the Jamaicans to earn three points. Also playing in the Dominican Republic home team Club Atletico Pantoja beat SV Notch (Suriname) 3-0 on the
strength of goals by Diego Rebollo (12’) and a double by Luis Espinnal (64 and 83’). Play resumes today when SV Notch meet Arnett Gardens and Club Atletico Panotoja face America FC.
Alonso and Hamilton hit out at ‘broken F1’
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PCB threatens pulling out of World T20 The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has threatened pulling out of the World Twenty20 if they did not get a clear message about the security situation from the Indian government. Shaharyar Khan, the PCB chairman, called for India to publicly acknowledge Pakistan’s participation in the tournament and to also promise full security to their cricket team. The Pakistan government had initially granted the PCB permission to play in India, but the board has decided to put the visit on hold until they are guaranteed foolproof security. The PCB’s move was prompted after the Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh had expressed his state government’s difficulty in providing security for the India-Pakistan clash in Dharamsala, on March 19. ”We have concerns and the threats are Pakistan-specific. Even now, the Himachal Pradesh chief minister has also said that they will not guarantee the security,” Shaharyar said during a press conference at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. “We have been informing the ICC on a daily basis about these threats which is not encouraging for us. ”Although our government has already given permission, these latest threats need to be taken seriously. Political parties like Shiv Sena
PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan ©AFP [threatened us], now even the Congress has also said they will not let us play along with some other groups. Those are the ones creating agitation.” It has been reported that Virbhadra, who heads the Congress government in the northern state, wrote to the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) saying that the match should not be played in Dharamsala. Virbhadra’s concerns were regarding the prevailing local sentiment in Himachal over recent terrorist attacks in Pathankot, which lies close to the Pakistan border near the intersection of the states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir. ”We have told the ICC that there is only one step that the Indian government needs to take and that is to issue a public statement that they are ready to welcome Pakistan
and ensure full security for our team, which hasn’t come as yet,” Shaharyar said. ”We have already been given permission [to travel] and we want to come, but we need reassurance and they should give a statement that will create a sense of security among us. I spoke to the BCCI and they are giving us a private assurance, claiming that it’s all about internal politics, nothing else, and that Pakistan should come. ”But a public statement is important and it should come, as there are threats and we can see them. We have written to the ICC that they should come forward and we’ve asked the Indian government to assure us and give a statement. If they won’t give the statement, then I see it’s very difficult to go to India. There is no deadline in making the decision but we will have to monitor till the end and can even pull out at the eleventh hour.” Pakistan are currently in Bangladesh, where they failed to qualify for the final of the ongoing Asia Cup. They are set to return to Lahore on March 5. Nisar Ali Khan, Pakistan’s interior minister, said that a report about the team’s visit to India will be presented to the Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after consulting with Shaharyar. (ESPNcricinfo)
Dates and Matchups Set for 2015-16 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League Semifinals Fernando Alonso Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, two drivers with five world titles between them, portrayed Formula One yesterday as a ‘broken’ sport burdened with over-complicated rules and uncertain where it was heading. Hamilton, who can win a third successive title with Mercedes this season and the fourth of his career, was asked during pre-season testing whether he felt the sport was broken, lacking direction or healthy. ”I would probably say the first two,” he told a news conference. “I don’t want to say too much about it, but I do agree with the first two.” With the opening race of the 2016 championship in Australia little more than two weeks away, the sport has yet to decide what format qualifying will be this season and when any new version might be introduced. A change was announced last week but commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone said the necessary software could not be ready in time for Melbourne. Team managers
then agreed a further change, with a knock-out system for the first two phases but reverting to the old format for the last one. That has yet to be accepted by the governing FIA, however. ”It was fine, it was okay. Why confuse people more,” Hamilton said of the proposed qualifying switch to an elimination format. There is also uncertainty over future rules, with an attempt to reach agreement for 2017 — when cars are supposed to be faster, more aggressive and harder to handle — kicked down the road for further discussion. ’HALO’ PROTECTION Much of the talk at the Circuit de Catalunya on Thursday was about a proposed new ‘halo’ cockpit head protection device being trialed on Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari. Hamilton made his views clear on Instagram: “Please no! This is the worst looking mod (modification) in Formula One history,” he said. ”I appreciate the quest for safety but this is Formula One and the way it is now is perfectly fine,” added the 31-
Lewis Hamilton year-old Briton. Alonso, a double world champion who endured a nightmare season with McLaren last year, told reporters separately that he felt ‘sad’ for the sport and the direction it had taken with the qualifying change. “It’s sad. I am sad,” said the Spaniard. ”I am sad for the sport... it doesn’t look right from outside when in one week we change the qualifying format three times,” he added. “If I was... from another sport, I would look at Formula One a bit surprised. I don’t think it’s right... too many changes, and the complexity of the rules, also for the spectators, is quite high.” Alonso said his friends wanted to watch big battles, fast cars, big tyres, plenty of noise and clear rules. Instead they were baffled by the complexities of the hybrid energy storage systems and a baffling range of tyre choices and compounds. “Things like that... it’s normal they switch off the television,” he said. (Reuters)
Miami – The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) has confirmed the schedule and matchups for the 201516 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League semifinals. The two compelling home-and-away semifinal series feature showdowns between leading Liga MX sides, with knockout round top-seed Club America battling Santos Laguna, while Tigres UANL and Gallos Blancos de Queretaro will face off on the other side of the draw. The action will kick off o n Tu e s d a y, M a r c h 1 5 , when Gallos Blancos host Tigres in the Estadio Corregidora in Queretaro. The next day Club Santos Laguna hosts Club America at the Estadio Corona in Torreon in the opener of that series. Return-leg action finishes with a double header on Tuesday, April 5. Tigres face Gallos Blancos in Monterrey for one ticket to
t h e f i n al of the 2015/16 CONCACAF Champions League. The other finalist will be decided at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City where Club America and Santos Laguna conclude their series. The two semifinal winners will meet in the two-leg CONCACAF Champions League Final, with the two games to be played on April 20 and April 27, 2016. Start times for all semifinal matches will be announced in coming days. The winner of the 2015-16 CONCACAF Champions earns a prized ticket to the FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2016. 2015-16 SCOTIABANK CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE – CHAMPIONSHIP STAGE *start times for all semifinal matches to be announced in coming days SEMIFINALS 1st Leg Tuesday, March 15, 2016 Gallos Blancos de Queretaro vs. Club Tigres de la Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon — Estadio Corregidora, Queretaro, Mexico
Wednesday, March 16, 2016 Club Santos Laguna vs. Club de Futbol America S.A. de C.V. – Estadio Corona, Torreon, Mexico 2nd Leg Tuesday April 5, 2016 Club Tigres de la Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon vs. Gallos Blancos de Queretaro – Estadio Universitario, Nuevo Leon, Mexico Club de Futbol America S.A. de C.V. vs. Club Santos Laguna – Estadio Azteca, Ciudad de Mexico, D.F., Mexico FINALS 1st Leg – April 20 – Winner Gallos Blancos de Queretaro/Club Tigres de la Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon vs. Winner Club Santos Laguna/Club de Futbol America S.A. de C.V. 2nd Leg – April 27 – Winner Club Santos Laguna/ Club de Futbol America S.A. de C.V. vs. Winner Gallos Blancos de Queretaro/Club Tigres de la Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon