Football: Tunku Ismail to continue as president of Johor FA

TUNKU Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, accompanied by his father, the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, held a meeting with FA of Malaysia (FAM) president Sultan Ahmad Shah at Istana Pahang in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

It turned out to be a fruitful day for the royals as Tunku Ismail made a decision to continue as president of Johor FA.

Tunku Ismail, who is serving a six-month suspension under FAM's Article 88 for criticising the referees in the M-League, had earlier relinquished his post on April 3, citing state's responsibilities as the main factor.

Disappointed with his decision, Sultan Ahmad Shah had made a statement in Kuantan, urging Tunku Ismail to reconsider, a day later.

Tunku Ismail will, however, have to serve out his suspension as stipulated in the FAM statutes.

FAM's disciplinary board, who met last week on Tunku Ismail's decision to sit on the Darul Takzim bench in a recent league match, has cautioned him for the misconduct.

His return will serve well for the development of football in his state and the national team.

Tunku Ismail turned Johor's fortunes around by signing up some of the best local players in the M-League. Darul Takzim, who are third in the Super League, are expected to win a title this season.

"I had a fruitful meeting with Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar and his son, Tunku Ismail and I am glad to say that the latter has decided to remain as Johor FA president," said Sultan Ahmad Shah yesterday.

"Johor football has improved under his leadership as Darul Takzim are among the league contenders this season.

"I am very grateful. His enthusiasm has brought a new dimension to Johor football.

"However, Tunku Ismail must serve his suspension. Once you are a member of an association, you are bound by rules."

Sultan Ahmad Shah also commended the media for supporting local football.

"We need the support of the press as they play an important role in promoting football and sports, in general," he added.

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Motorsport: Female racer to make her debut with top team at Chinese GP

PETALING JAYA: There will be Malaysian interest in the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai this weekend as young female talent Natasha Seatter has secured a race seat with reigning Porsche Carrera Cup Asia champions PICC Team StarChase.

Regular team driver Alexandre Imperatori is contesting in the Silverstone round of the FIA World Endurance Championship in preparation for his debut in the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.

Hence, Natasha was offered the opportunity to make her debut with a championship-winning team.

The 20-year-old Natasha has been dubbed ‘Asia’s fastest female formula driver’ and most recently won the Formula Gulf 1000 Cham-pionships at the Dubai Autodrome last month.

She began her career in kart prix and went on to win a scholarship with the Petronas Formula Xperience in 2009.

The following season she joined Formula BMW Pacific with the Petronas Mofaz Racing Team, contesting a second season with the renamed Formula JK Series in 2011.

In March, Natasha made her first foray into GT competition, contesting the Malaysian Super Series race in support of the Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix – where she raised eyebrows after beating a number of seasoned sportscar campaigners.

Natasha is looking forward to her debut with the PICC Team StarChase.

“The last two weeks have been very busy training for my first drive in the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia,” she said. “The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup is a powerful car with excellent braking and immense grip out of the corners.

“It’s a real pleasure to drive although it handles quite differently from my Formula car and being almost double the weight.

“I owe a huge thanks to PICC Team StarChase for their confidence in my ability to drive for them at the Shanghai round.”

Originally scheduled as round 2 of the championship, a second race has been added to the Shanghai weekend, giving PICC Team StarChase and newcomer Seatter two opportunities to compete at China’s most high-profile and prestigious motorsport weekend.

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Badminton: Liew Daren in upbeat mood ahead of Axiata Cup semis

PETALING JAYA: Despite his woeful recent form, world No. 14 Liew Daren is optimistic he can lead Malaysia into the final of the Axiata Cup this weekend.

Malaysia finished second in the preliminary rounds and will face either Thailand or Asia All Stars in the semi-finals at the Cheras Badminton Stadium on Saturday. The draw wil be conducted on Friday.

Daren has been bugged by inconsistency and a lack of physical fitness. His best performance this year was a quarter-final appearance at the Malaysian Open in January.

He was a letdown at the All-England and an early round casualty in the Swiss Open and last week’s Australian Open.

The 25-year-old Daren also led the charge for Malaysia in the preliminary rounds of the Axiata Cup but did not really play at his best.

He lost to Thailand’s Tanongsak Saen­som­boonsuk during the first leg in Surabaya and blew a one-game lead to lose to retired South Korean Lee Hyun-il.

Still, Daren is staying positive and believes that the third round exit in Sydney is actually a blessing in disguise.

“There’s no doubt that I’m playing rather poorly but it’s probably due to the hectic playing and travelling schedule ... I’ve hardly had any rest,” said Daren.

“That made me sick for a few days and it just got worse for me in Australia. But it’s not a bad thing actually ... hopefully, now there’s some time to rest and catch up on some training.

“I’m just staying positive and believe that I’ll get out of this slump soon.

“As for the Axiata Cup, they’ve all been tough matches for me so far and I’ll watch the replays and learn from my mistakes. It’ll be 50-50 against either Thailand or the Asia All Stars ... although I’d prefer not to face the Thais.

“Still, we have a bright chance of making the final this year and hopefully I’ll be able to sort out my performances by then.”

Besides the Axiata Cup, Daren will also lead the challenge for the Badminton Asia Champ­ionship (BAC) in Taipei from April 16-21.

He will, however, skip the India Open in New Delhi from April 23-28.

There’s also a possibility that world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei, who suffered a shocking loss to China’s Tian Houwei in Australia, may feature in the semi-finals or final of the Axiata Cup.

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Football: Footballers who dies on the pitch

Respect: Marc-Vivien Foe was honoured

The desperate scenes on Saturday night at White Hart Lane brought back memories of footballing tragedies when players died on the pitch.

Marc-Vivien Foe - June 2003

Marc-Vivien Foe June 2003 Cameroon midfielder Marc- Vivien Foe died after collapsing with a heart attack during an international match in France.

The 28-yearold fell to the ground unchallenged in the 72nd minute of a Confederations Cup semifinal against Colombia in Lyon.

He was treated on the pitch before being carried off and receiving further treatment, including mouthto- mouth resuscitation and extra oxygen.

Foe had spent the previous season on loan at Manchester City from French club Olympique Lyon and also played for RC Lens.

Medical staff tried to restart his heart for 45 minutes but without success.

Phil O'Donnell - December 2007

Motherwell captain Phil O'Donnell died after collapsing suffering a cardiac arrest towards the end of his side's Scottish Premier League game against Dundee United.

The 35-year-old fell to the ground just as he was about to be replaced with Marc Fitzpatrick near the end of Motherwell's 5-3 victory.

O'Donnell was treated for about five minutes on the field before being taken to a waiting ambulance.

But his death was later confirmed by the club.

Daniel Jarque - August 2009

Espanyol captain Daniel Jarque died after a cardiac arrest following training.

The 26-yearold midfielder had been training in Coverciano, Italy, where his club's squad were on a preseason camp.

Club doctors and Italian paramedics tried to revive Jarque using CPR and a defibrillator, without success.

His death came two years after Sevilla defender Antonio Puerta, 22, died of heart failure after collapsing during a league game.

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EPL: Man Utd 1 - 2 Man City

Manchester City reduced Manchester United's lead at the top of the Premier League to 12 points as they restored pride with an impressive victory at Old Trafford.

The reigning champions may have left it too late to prevent United claiming the title for the 20th time - but this deserved win hints at the pedigree that remains within Roberto Mancini's squad.

Substitute Sergio Aguero's brilliant winner 12 minutes from time gave City their second successive victory at Old Trafford, one which will hurt United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, who saw his side produce a subdued performance.

James Milner gave the visitors the lead early in the second half before an own goal from City captain Vincent Kompany put United level.

The final word, however, went to Aguero, who demonstrated pace and a powerful finish to decide an occasionally ill-tempered derby which saw eight players cautioned.

United still have much room for manoeuvre with the commanding advantage at the top of the Premier League, but this was a composed, resilient performance from City that demonstrated what might have been.

"City's line-up, with only one recognised striker in a 4-2-3-1 formation, did not look that attacking at first, but Carlos Tevez helped them take control of the game with his play in United's half. He kept dropping deep to collect the ball and, every time it went into him, he held it up.

"His first touch was fantastic and he brought the three players immediately behind him - James Milner, Samir Nasri and David Silva - into the game, and in dangerous positions in the United half too - often in their area."

Mancini has insisted the gap between the sides is not as wide as their points deficit suggests and on this evidence he is right. The Italian's argument, however, falls down on grounds of consistency as this was United first loss in 18 league games.

Wayne Rooney was back in United's attack after recovering from the groin injury that kept him out of the FA Cup defeat at Chelsea. He was fired up and visibly furious with team-mate Danny Welbeck in the opening minutes when he selfishly chose to go alone with his team-mate unmarked in yards of space.

Phil Jones was alongside Rio Ferdinand in central defence and he showed his worth with a couple of crucial penalty area interceptions, most notably from Carlos Tevez as the former United striker closed in six yards out.

City were seeing plenty of the ball but neither side was able to create any clear-cut chances, although Rafael's looping effort bounced to safety off the angle of post and bar moments before half-time.
In among some heated exchanges, Rooney was booked for a two-footed lunge at Milner while Kompany was also give a yellow card from referee Mike Dean for a late challenge on Ashley Young.

City took the lead they just about deserved six minutes after the break - and it resulted from a rare error of judgement from veteran Ryan Giggs, whose needless back heel gifted possession to Gareth Barry. He found Samir Nasri before Milner's low 20-yard drive took a touch off Jones to beat David de Gea.

Jones was involved as the hosts drew level eight minutes later. He met Robin van Persie's vicious inswinging free-kick and his header ricocheted in off the back of Kompany in front of an elated Stretford End.

Mancini made his first change with 20 minutes left, introducing fit-again Aguero for Samir Nasri - and the Argentine demonstrated his brilliance to put City back in front.

He produced a burst of pace, something City had lacked, inside the area before flashing an angled drive high past De Gea.

It set up an angry rather than grandstand finish, with players from both sides involved in exchanges after Aguero and Ferdinand squared up when United did not put the ball out of play with David Silva down injured.

Young then limped off injured after a heavy Pablo Zabaleta challenge before referee Dean brought a frenetic evening to a close.

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(Video) Guillermo Ochoa Worlds Best Goalkeeper

At the age of 20 Guillermo Ochoa was called up by Mexico's former manager Ricardo Lavolpe for the 2006 FIFA World Cup as the third-choice goalkeeper. Newly appointed manager Hugo Sánchez called Ochoa into the national side as a deputy to Mexico's then-number one, Oswaldo Sánchez.

In addition to the World Cup, Ochoa has participated in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup and the 2007 Copa América. He made his 2010 World Cup qualification debut on 28 March 2009 against Costa Rica. Ochoa made the final 23-man cut for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but was the back-up goalie behind Oscar Perez.

During the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Ochoa, and four other members of the Mexican National Team, tested positive for the banned substance of Clenbuterol and were withdrawn from the team's tournament squad.

All players were later acquitted by Mexican Football Federation and the results blamed on contamination of food with the ingestion of clenbuterol considered non-intentional. However, World Anti-Doping Agency appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to request a ban. But on 12 October 2011 WADA withdrew this request after the full file was available for them.

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(Video) Amazing Goal of The Year 2012 TOP 50 Goals

Here we present to you Top 50 the most beautiful goals on earth 2012

- TOP 50 Goal List -
50. Ali Ahamada
49. Tim Howard
48. Lionel Messi
47. Thierry Henry
46. Cristiano Ronaldo
45. Romain Alessandrini
44. Cristiano Ronaldo
43. Sergei Semak
42. Miralem Pjanic
41. Gareth Bale
40. Alain Traore
39. Alain Traore
38. Ronaldinho
37. Heverton
36. Mauricio Molina
35. Rafael van der Vaart
34. Eliseu
33. Zoltan Gera
32. Maicon
31. Cameron Jerome
30. Angel di Maria
29. Oscar
28. Maicon
27. Portia Modise
26. Juan Arango
25. Luis Suarez
24. Aoyama Toshihiro
23. Raul Rusescu
22. Lucas Perez Martinez
21. Ayanda Patosi
20. Arnaud Mendy
19. Elis Bakaj
18. Juan Arango
17. Patrick Ianni
16. Pablo Osvaldo
15. Panagiotis Kone
14. Kwadwo Asamoah
13. Simone Pepe
12. Enzo Maresca
11. Marco Estrada
10. Luis Suarez
09. Zlatan Ibrahimovic
08. Fabrizio Miccoli
07. Alexander Milosevic
06. Martin Jiranek
05. Philippe Mexes
04. Taison
03. Papiss Cisse
02. Peter Crouch
01. Zlatan Ibrahimovic

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EPL: Chelsea jump above Spurs into third

POKER FACE ... Branislav Ivanovic after his outrageous backheel against Sunderland

LONDON: Chelsea leapfrogged Tottenham Hotspur into third place in the Premier League after coming from behind to beat Sunderland 2-1 yesterday.

Chelsea's fightback enabled them to take advantage of Spurs' 2-2 draw with fellow Champions League hopefuls Everton at White Hart Lane, where Gylfi Sigurdsson scored a late equaliser to rescue the hosts in a pulsating game.

Rafa Benitez's Chelsea moved up to third place with 58 points from 31 games, ahead of Spurs on goal difference but with a game in hand. Fifth-placed Arsenal are two points behind, while sixth-placed Everton have 52.

Chelsea had fallen behind just before halftime when Cesar Azpilicueta steered Sunderland defender John O'Shea's header into his own net.

The visitors returned the favour two minutes after the restart with an own goal of their own by Matthew Kilgallon following a dangerous move by Chelsea substitute Fernando Torres before Branislav Ivanovic sealed victory in the 55th minute.

Earlier in the day, Liverpool lost ground on the group chasing Champions League spots when they were held to a 0-0 draw by West Ham United at Anfield, leaving them in seventh place with 49 points from 32 games.

Newcastle United pulled themselves further away from trouble with a 1-0 win at home to Fulham thanks to Papiss Cisse's stoppage-time winner.

Fans were still taking their seats at White Hart Lane when Adebayor struck with just 34 seconds on the clock -- the second fastest Premier League goal of the season after Robin van Persie's 31-second effort for Manchester United against West Ham in November.

The Togo striker stuck out his leg to meet a low cross from Jan Vertonghen on the left to put Spurs in front.
Everton's Phil Jagielka pulled one back in the 15th minute with a header and they went ahead in the 53rd minute through Kevin Mirallas.

Spurs chased an equaliser with Mousa Dembele hitting the bar with a deflected shot before Adebayor also rattled the woodwork and the rebound gifted Sigurdsson the 87th-minute goal.

"We left it late which didn't give us a chance to go for the third (goal)," Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas told ESPN television.
"We had to battle very hard to get the draw. We believe it (Champions League qualification) is going to go down to the wire." Reuters

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(Video) Football: Juventus star STRIPS OFF to celebrate after netting penalty in Serie A clash!

MIRKO VUCINIC got shorty with Italian football chiefs yesterday — when he STRIPPED OFF on the pitch.

With players banned from taking their shirts off in celebration, the Juventus forward instead whipped off his shorts during their clash with Pescara.

The amazing moment came after he slotted home a penalty in front of the 40,000 crowd in Turin.

You can see his exploits in the video below.

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Football: 10-man Fiorentina fight back to hold Milan

Riccardo Montolivo put the visitors in front in the 14th minute before Nenad Tomovic was given his marching orders in the 39th.

Things looked grim for Fiorentina when Mathieu Flamini doubled Milan's lead in the 62nd minute, but penalties from Adem Ljajic and Davide Pizarro salvaged a point for Vincenzo Montella's side, who remain six points behind their opponents, but edged two points clear of Inter Milan and Lazio.

The game could hardly have started worse for Fiorentina and former Inter midfielder Pizarro in particular.

He was robbed of possession 25 yards from his own goal by Montolivo, who took a few steps towards the penalty area before placing a low shot into the bottom left-hand corner.

Manuel Pasqual went close with a free-kick in the 29th minute with Stephan El Shaarawy's header kept out instinctively by Emiliano Viviano at the other end.

On the break, Montolivo was shown a yellow card for deliberately pulling the shirt of Ljaijic as Fiorentina had three men against one, yet the punishment was harsher for Tomovic five minutes later when he caught El Shaarawy with his elbow.

With 10 men, Fiorentina's challenge was already difficult, and it became unenviable when Flamini got the slightest of touches to Montolivo's cross to divert the ball inside the far post in the 62nd minute.

The home team did not throw in the towel, though, and were presented with the chance to reopen the game when Ljajic was fouled in the area by Antonio Nocerino.

Ljajic stepped up himself to score straight down the middle with Christian Abbiati diving to his right.

Just six minutes later, Fiorentina were given another spot kick when Juan Cuadrado was fouled as he entered the corner of the penalty area.

Pizarro stepped up this time to make amends for his mistake for the opening goal and earn Fiorentina an unexpected point.

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Badminton: Ill-prepared Chong Wei no match for Houwei

PETALING JAYA: Forget Chen Long and Lin Dan. An ill-prepared Lee Chong Wei will need to buck up after being sent crashing out in the semi-finals of the Australian Open GP Gold by another of China’s badminton princelings – Tian Houwei – in Sydney.

World No. 1 Chong Wei was expected to stroll to an easy victory Down Under but struggled to get his game going as world No. 196 Houwei outplayed him for a 21-19, 17-21, 21-18 win yesterday.

Houwei, the 2009 world junior champion, playing in only his first tournament of the year, got off to a bright start and showed no fear against Chong Wei, taking a close first game 21-19.

The two-time Olympic silver medallist, however, utilised all his experience to fight back ad level the tie by winning the second 21-17.

But Chong Wei, who was ill prior to the tournament, appeared a spent force as Houwei raced to an 11-3 lead in the deciding rubber.

To his credit, Chong Wei managed to close the gap to 14-17, but the 21-year-old Houwei held firm for a famous victory.

Making the final represents Houwei’s best career achievement, having been beaten in the first round of this tournament by Hong Kong’s Hu Yun last year.

For the title, he will face 19-year-old compatriot Xue Song, who also gave a polished display to oust Indonesia’s Alamsyah Yunus 21-10, 18-21, 21-15 in the other semi-final.

National singles head coach Rashid Sidek believes that “the defeat is a good lesson for Chong Wei never to underestimate his opponents”.

“The China shuttler really played well. He showed maturity in his game and was not afraid to take on Chong Wei,” said Rashid.

“We did not even expect him to play like such a seasoned and experienced player.

“In contrast, Chong Wei’s performance was affected by the fact that he is still recovering from a sickness, although that should not be used as an excuse.

“This defeat is a good lesson for him to never ever underestimate the younger players ... especially those from China.

“But I’m confident though that he will bounce back well and be better prepared for his next tournament.”

Chong Wei’s next assignment will be the India Open Super Series in New Delhi from April 23-28.

Meanwhile, it was a fairly disappointing day for the professional duo of Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif-Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari as they were beaten 18-21, 18-21 by Malaysian Open champions Hendra Setiawan-Muhammad Ahsan of Indonesia.

The fifth-seeded Indonesians will face compatriots Angga Pratama-Ryan Agung Saputra for the title.

Results

Semi-finals
Men’s singles: Xue Song (Chn) bt Alamsyah Yunus (Ina) 21-10, 18- 21, 21-15; Tian Houwei (Chn) bt Lee Chong Wei (Mas) 21-19, 17-21, 21-18.

Men’s doubles: Hendra Setiawan-Muhammad Ahsan (Ina) bt Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif-Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari (Mas) 21-18, 21-18; Angga Pratama-Ryan Agung Saputra (Ina) bt Kim Dae-eun-Shin Baekcheol (Kor) 21-9, 21-14.

Women’s singles: Sayaka Takahashi (Jpn) bt Pai Hsiao Ma (Tpe) 21- 16, 21-15; Nichaon Jindapon (Tha) bt Suo Di (Chn) 9-21, 21-8, 21-11.

Women’s doubles: Aprilsasi Putri Lejarsar Variella-Vita Marissa (Ina) bt Ko A-ra-Yoo Hae-won (Kor) 19-21, 21-11, 21-12; Savitree Amitapai- Sapsiree Taerattanachai (Tha) bt Chen Qingchen-Huang Dongping (Chn) 21-17, 26-28, 21-15.

Mixed doubles: Irfan Fadhilah-Weni Anggraini (Ina) bt Liu Yuchen- Huang Dongping (Chn) 21-19, 13-21, 22-20; Shin Baek-cheol-Jang Yena (Kor) bt Huang Kaixiang-Chen Qingchen (Chn) 23-25, 21-13, 21-19.

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Football: FAM must stop finding faults with others, says Kay Kim

KUALA LUMPUR: The Football Association of Malaysia’s (FAM) move to continue enforcing Article 88 will cost them calibre leaders who will be a huge loss to football, said sports critic Prof Emeritus Tan Sri Dr Khoo Kay Kim.

“They should be more concerned with the declining performance of Harimau Malaya and this is not the time to find faults with other people,” he told Bernama yesterday.

He said should the matter prolong, it may lead to people losing interest in the national football squad.

“I suggest FAM set a time frame, say three or four years, to help football regain its glory days by working on the weaknesses of the national squad,” he said.

“I understand that FAM do not like interference from external parties but they cannot stop people from criticising them when the performance of the national team continues to slide,” he said.

He said the Harimau Malaya squad belonged to Malaysians and they have every right to criticise the management handling the team.

Article 88 of FAM’s constitution prohibits their members, including coaches and players, from criticising the national football body.

On Wednesday, the Tengku Mahkota of Johor, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim resigned as Johor Football Association (JFA) president after feeling bonded by FAM regulations and chose to be the JFA patron.

Earlier, Perlis Football Association president Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim became a victim of Article 88 when he was suspended for two years and six months and fined RM39,000 for criticising FAM.

Last year, FAM deputy president Tan Sri Annuar Musa, who is also president of the Kelantan Football Association, was suspended for two and a half years for violating the same rule. — Bernama

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Football: FAM charge Rajagopal for not obeying instructions

PETALING JAYA: National coach Datuk K. Rajagopal has been officially charged with disobeying the Football Association of Malaysia’s (FAM) instructions.

The 56-year-old received the official letter at his office at Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya on Friday and has until April 12 to respond to the charge made against him.

If found guilty, he could be suspended for six months and fined RM8,000.

Rajagopal had landed himself in hot water for allegedly commenting in his post-match press conference – after the national team’s 4-1 loss to Saudi Arabia in a friendly on March 17 – that the lack of local strikers in the M-League was due to the presence of foreign professionals.

The FAM had construed this as criticising the national league.

Initially, the FAM had intended to charge Rajagopal under Article 88 – which allows only the president and general secretary to comment on policy matters and the national team.

On March 28, FAM disciplinary committee chairman Datuk Taufik Tan Sri Abdul Razak had said: “There is a case to charge Rajagopal under Article 88 … as it seems that he has criticised FAM’s policies and the charge sheet will be sent to him next week.”

Two days later, FAM general secretary Datuk Azzuddin Ahmad alleged that it (the charge) could be part of a conspiracy to kick Rajagopal out, contending that the media might have been used by certain parties within the FAM to undermine the national coach.

However, a couple of days later, Azzuddin said that his statement had been misconstrued.

And now this.

Whatever happens, Rajagopal will have to face the music.

By ERIC SAMUEL and SHAMSHUL FITRI/The Star

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