Sport

Adriano has fat chance of going to World Cup

Date: 09 March 2010

RIO DE JANEIRO - Troubled Brazil striker Adriano will not go to this year's World Cup finals if he doesn't lose weight, said his club president Patricia Amorin.

The 28-year-old former Inter Milan striker - who failed to impress in last week's 2-0 friendly win over the Republic of Ireland - has struggled with his weight over the years as well as battling depression but his present club Flamengo and national coach Dunga are losing patience with him.

"Each person reaps what they sew," said Flamengo president Patricia Amorim.

"If Adriano wants to go to the World Cup finals in South Africa (they run from June 11-July 11) he has to change. "We have already told him this."

Flamengo, who along with Dunga have expressed their displeasure at Adriano's repeated failure to turn up for training, have taken measures themselves in dropping the barrel-chested forward - scorer of 27 goals in 48 international appearances - from the squad for Wednesday's Copa Libertadores match with Venezuelan outfit Caracas FC.

Adriano, nicknamed the 'Emperor', weighed 106 kilogrammes (almost 17 stone) on his last medical check-up - eight kilos (16 pounds) over weight - and despite scoring six goals since the turn of the year his on-field demeanour has not endeared him to the authorities either.

Adriano - who was part of the Brazil squad that were beaten by France in the 2006 World Cup quarter-finals - enjoyed a successful season last term with Flamengo following his transfer from Inter Milan in April last year, finishing top scorer with 19 goals.

Brazil are in Group G at this year's renewal along with North Korea, Ivory Coast and old rivals Portugal, who they beat in the 2006 semi-finals.

Euro toll mounts

Date: 09 March 2010

THE injury toll mounted for four of Europe’s top clubs in a week when one of them will be eliminated from the Champions League.

With Wayne Rooney already in doubt for Manchester United’s return clash against AC Milan at Old Trafford, the visitors may have to do without their young Brazilian star, Alexandre Pato, who has sufferred a hamstring injury. Pato is among the leading goal-scorers in the Italian Serie A with 12 strikes.

Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas was yesterday ruled out of tonight’s match against Porto and Real Madrid will have to make do without Karim Benzema tomorrow night.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wen ger said he was ready to gamble by playing Fabregas, but good sense prevailed later yesterday.

Benzema is definitely out of tomorrow night’s game against his old club, Olympique Lyon, because of a groin strain. Benzema, who has not played since Real suffered a shock 1-0 defeat against Lyon in their last 16 first-leg match in France on February 16, is expected to be out of action for two more weeks.

The 22-year-old joined Real from Lyon, his boyhood club, for à35 million in July last year. He was one of the expensive signings in Real’s à250-million off-season spree that is putting pressure on coach Man uel Pellegrini to bring the Champions League trophy back to Madrid.

Real have fallen at the last-16 stage in the past five seasons and have not won Europe’s most coveted trophy since 2002, when they beat Germany’s Bayer Leverkusen 2-1.

To get past Lyon, Real must find a way past a defence that has not conceded a goal in more than 10 hours of football.

With the final at Real’s home ground, the Bernabeu, most of the Spanish media see a 10th European title as almost an obligation this year for a Real team which includes Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Real have scored 14 goals in winning their last three Spanish La Liga games but must overcome a 1 0 deficit tomorrow.

The last player to score against Lyon was Paris St Germain’s Mevlut Erding early in a French Ligue 1 game on January 31.

“Things will become complicated if [Lyon] score a goal,” Real midfielder Jose Maria “Guti” Gutierrez told the sports daily Marca “Real Madrid, with all the signings they have made and knowing that the final is being played at the Bernabeu have to give 100%. It would be a disaster if we were knocked out by Lyon, who are good but not among Europe’s great clubs.

“Wednesday’s game is a final for us,” added Xabi Alonso after Real’s 3-2 win on Saturday against Sevilla, when Real came from 2-0 behind. — Sapa-AFP

Schumacher in for a hard season: Webber

Date: 09 March 2010

LONDON - Germany's seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher will fail like so many other great sportsmen who have made comebacks, claimed top Australian driver Mark Webber on Tuesday.

Schumacher, winner of 91 Grand Prix' in 250 starts, returns to the sport after a three year hiatus aged 41 at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix this week for the Mercedes team but Webber is adamant that after the hype has died down reality will bite.

"I think it will be a bloody hard season for him (Schumacher)," the 33-year-old Webber told the Daily Telegraph.

"I think he'll go all right but I have never ever seen a phenomenal comeback.

"When has the second career ever been better than the first?"

Webber, who broke his Grand Prix duck last year for the Red Bull team with victory in Germany and ended up a highest ever fourth in the title race, was equally scathing about the new breed of drivers entering the fray.

"You don't look at these guys and think they are 'real men'," said Webber, who was always considered to be a great talent even when he was having to drive for minor outfit Minardi, Jaguar and the declining stable of Williams.

"They are talented, no question, but there is less in common.

"There is power steering now. A lot of things that make the cars easier to drive. That's why these youngsters can get away with it.

I came through the categories with gear sticks and what have you.

"And that was beneficial for me. But there is no point whingeing about it. They come along and do a good job for the most part ...some don't.

"But every now and again - whether it's a Lewis (Hamilton - the 2008 champion) or Seb (Vettel - Webber's team-mate who was runner-up to Jenson Button last year) - they can with phenomenal grooming, come in and do a good job."

Webber, who is no shrinking violet when it comes to speaking his mind and has of late labelled the decision to allow the Hispania team to take part as 'Mickey Mouse' and that it would have made more sense to have Italian motorcycling legend Valentino Rossi compete on his motorbike, believes that the young drivers should be taught the hard way.

"I won't hold their hand," said Webber, who has backed up his words by starting up along with Red Bull chief Christian Horner a team for the GP3 feeder series.

"For me, if someone is holding a silver spoon for you the whole way through, when you get to the top someone like Fernando (Alonso - Spain's two-time world champion) will rip you to smithereens. You have to have been in the back alleys."

Webber, bidding to become the first Australian world champion since Alan Jones in 1980, is clear that doubts as to whether he has the right stuff to come top of the class is like a red rag to a bull.

"It is all motivation for me," he said. "I'll do my talking on the track."

Pietersen flops again in Bangladesh

Date: 09 March 2010

CHITTAGONG, Bangladesh - Ace England batsman Kevin Pietersen failed to find form ahead of a two-Test series against Bangladesh, scoring just 20 in a drawn warm-up match on Tuesday.

Pietersen, who contributed only 41 in three one-day internationals against the hosts recently, also flopped in the first innings of the match, making two before falling to left-arm spinner Mehrab Hossain.

He faced 23 balls in the second innings before being bowled by part-time spinner Mohammad Ashraful.

England, needing 284 to win, finished at 185-5 in their second innings, with skipper Alastair Cook (42) gaining valuable batting practice before the Test series starts in Chittagong on Friday.

The final Test begins in Dhaka on March 20.

The hosts earlier declared their second innings closed at 362-5, with Shuvagoto Chowdhury top-scoring with an unbeaten 91.

Ashraful could not find a place in the Test squad announced in Dhaka on Tuesday after failing in the practice match, scoring one and 30.

He is also without a half-century in his last 12 Test innings.