Herschelle Gibbs, the South African batsman, will miss the remainder of the series against Pakistan after being banned for two Tests by the ICC. Gibbs was charged under Level 3.3 of the ICC’s Code of Conduct for making abusive comments about a section of the crowd, and his punishment was meted out at a hearing conducted by the match referee Chris Broad. He will also appear before a Cricket South Africa disciplinary committee on Tuesday .Gibbs apologised for the remark but pleaded not guilty to the Level 3 charge, but Broad, in explaining his verdict, said: “I took into account the mitigating circumstances that the players were provoked by unruly spectators. However the remark was racially offensive, the player admitted saying it and on that basis I am content that the level of the charge and the resulting punishment is appropriate.”Cricket has a zero tolerance of racism,” added Broad, “as has been illustrated by the introduction last year of an amended ICC Anti-Racism Code, and this decision is an illustration of that fact.”The ICC code prohibits using “…any language or gestures that offends, insults, humiliates, intimidates, threatens, disparages or vilifies another person on the basis of that person’s race, religion, colour, descent or national or ethic origin”. Gibbs’s comments, believed to violate the code, were picked up by the stump microphone on the fourth day of the first Test at Centurion.Pakistan had lodged an official complaint with Broad after Gibbs was heard saying “a bunch of bloody animals” among other offensive comments. The comments were made shortly before lunch, soon after South Africa complained about three spectators near the boundary who allegedly swore at bowler Paul Harris. Ordinarily, a Level 3 offence carries a ban of between two and four Test matches or between four and eight ODIs.”CSA has investigated the matter, and we have heard the remarks made by Herschelle Gibbs in response to verbal abuse directed by a number of Pakistan supporters at Paul Harris while he was fielding on the boundary,” said Gerald Majola, the chief executive officer of CSA. “Herschelle says these remarks were for the ears only of his team-mates in his proximity, and were directed in general terms at that section of the crowd that had verbally abused Paul Harris. He has apologised if he has caused offence to anyone.”However, CSA regards this whole matter in a most serious light and Herschelle will appear before CSA’s disciplinary commissioner at the earliest opportunity. CSA would like to commend the stadium authorities for evicting a number of unruly spectators, including those Pakistan supporters who abused Paul Harris. This action was taken in terms of the regulations flowing from the International Cricket Council’s Anti-Racism Policy.”South Africa’s captain, Graeme Smith, agreed that Gibbs’s punishment was merited, but added that his players had been heavily provoked during the match. “Herschelle was down at third man and he was copping a lot of abuse and I think even racial abuse,” said Smith. “The worrying thing is that Pakistan always have a large support base around the world. Security needs to be looked at.”There was an incident where Makhaya [Ntini] was hit on the head by a Pakistan flag going up the stairs,” he added. “The guys were provoked and that is why they are angry but we understand that what Herschelle did was wrong.” It is the second time that Gibbs has been banned from Test cricket, following his involvement with bookmakers in 2000. Australia’s Darren Lehmann was the last player to be punished for racial comments, following his outburst against Sri Lanka in 2002-03.Saleem Altaf, the Pakistan board’s director of cricket, said “Sledging is acceptable but if it is tainted with racist comments it is unacceptable. Anyone making racist taunts is liable to be punished under the International Cricket Council Code of Conduct. We have let the manager proactively handle the issue.”Cricket SA’s media spokesman Gordon Templeton, who claimed that he was “not privy” to the precise nature of the Pakistani complaint, said: “They are two separate matters. We are aware of the PCB’s complaint but the CSA hearing is in terms of our own code of conduct and policies.”South African coach Mickey Arthur added he was not happy about the stump microphones. “They are a bit intrusive,” he said. “What is said on the field should stay on the field.”
Inzamam-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, has effectively been ruled out from taking any further part in second Test against India at Faisalabad due to continuing problems with his back. The injury is thought to be serious enough to make him a doubtful starter for the third Test in Karachi.A team management official told Cricinfo that Inzamam was suffering from a slight disc bulge, which puts pressure on the nerves and the spine. “The problem often inhibits him for five to six days. It can clear up quite quickly sometimes but we will have to wait and see. We can’t rule him out of the Karachi Test just yet. He will only bat here if absolutely necessary.”There had been talk of Inzamam’s back possibly ruling him out in the build-up to this Test and it was thought that the cold weather had worsened what has been a long-standing problem. At the time, Inzamam denied it was a problem. He looked in some discomfort when batting on the first day and his condition deteriorated overnight, forcing him to retire hurt. He only came out to bat until over an hour into the morning session. For much of his innings today he required a runner and he didn’t take the field when India came out to bat. According to the official, the innings today “may have worsened his condition.””Since the body was warm, I did not feel much,” Inzamam told PTI, “but once I returned to the dressing room, I knew then and there that it was not a minor injury. I took treatment this morning also but was only able to bat after taking four high potency pain-killing tablets. I do not like to take injections in the back.”Inzamam’s back has become increasingly troublesome over the last year, causing him to miss two Tests of the series against Australia in 2004-05 as well as hampering his batting at various stages through the series against England last month. Although it has improved considerably, some have suggested that the generally poor state of his fitness particularly early in his career has resulted in the aggravation of the problem. The official added, “We are keen for him to do some work in the pool on it as it is a fairly serious problem. Generally to combat it, he has to look after himself carefully from now on, monitor the problem and really maintain his fitness routines.”Inzamam conceded that while this latest injury is unlikely to be career-threatening, he is now forced to review his future. “I think I still have couple of years of cricket left in me but if I am not selective now, then I might not carry on. It is premature to say which tours or matches I would like to skip but I desperately want to play in this entire series because it means a lot to me.”
The shirt worn by Shane Warne in the first tsunami charity match has received a bid for over AUS$140,000 (about £57,000) on the Australian ebay website. And, at the time this bid was placed, there were still more than 17 hours to go before bidding closed.All of the shirts worn by players in the ICC World XI v ACC Asia game at Melbourne were put up for auction by Australia’s cricket board to raise money for World Vision, who received AUS$14 million (£5.7m) from the game itself. The shirts of Ricky Ponting, Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara and Adam Gilchist have also received bids above AUS$10,000 (£4000), but Warne’s shirt is attracting the most attention, and has already received over 240 bids.The International Cricket Council thanked all who had contributed to the World Cricket Tsunami Appeal match in Melbourne. The ICC President Ehsan Mani praised the way the cricket world had responded in staging a major international fundraising match within two weeks of the disaster.”Sport has the power to make a positive difference,” said Mani. “I have been heartened by the way in which cricket has united across political divides to raise millions of dollars for the World Cricket Tsunami Appeal.”
1.20pm Despite worries that rain would doom the opening match of the TVS Cup, Chennai experienced no rain on the morning of the game. Although there was heavy overnight rain, the entire field was blanketed in covers, protecting both pitch and outfield. The MA Chidambaram Stadium, moreover, has an excellent drainage system, so unless there is any rain after play actually starts, India and New Zealand should play out a full-length one-dayer.
In the last twenty Test matches, Sourav Ganguly has not been able to reach the magical three-figure mark even once. The Indian skipper has come under tremendous fire for his run of low scores and one recent advertisement encapsulated his position succinctly – ‘Sorrow, Ganguly’ it read, making a play on the Bengal southpaw’s first name.During the second Test against England at Ahmedabad, Ganguly enlisted the services of former Indian batting star Mohinder Amarnath to help set things right. Amarnath, arguably one of the finest players of short-pitched fast bowling India has produced, made adjustments to Ganguly’s stance and back lift. The advice however, did not seem to help much as Ganguly continued to fail.At the end of the Test series against England, and before the limited-overs matched begin, Ganguly has taken the opportunity to get back to the basics. Back home at Kolkata, the Indian skipper spent a long session at the nets at the Eden Gardens. Since the Bengal Ranji team was away playing Orissa, Ganguly enlisted the help of four local bowlers to have a knock. If batting proved to be a bug bear, Ganguly took some solace in bowling, rolling his arm over in the nets after his session with the willow.Predictably, the Indian skipper stayed away from the press, although he obliged autograph hunters and fans alike!
John Crawley struck his second century in a week and Michael Gough took fourwickets in innings for the first time in over a year in the Division Onechampionship match between Lancashire and Durham at Manchester.Crawley, who had made 120 against Somerset at Taunton at the weekend, hit 117 to take Lancashire to 265-2 in response to Durham’s 370. Then occasional off-spinner Gough dismissed Crawley and Saurav Ganguly to add to previous victimsMichael Atherton and Neil Fairbrother. By the close Lancashire were still 71runs in arrears on 299-4. Resuming today at 355-9 the tenth-wicket partnership of Neil Killeen and Simon Brown prolonged their stand to 45 runs (a record last-wicket stand for Durham against Lancashire). Brown was caught eventually off Glenn Chapple leaving Killeen not out 38.Atherton and Crawley got the Lancashire innings off to their second first-wicket century partnership in as many innings – on this occasion it was 135. The former England captain passed fifty by hitting Simon Katich for his sixth boundary from 132 deliveries and went on to 64 when he was caught by Jon Lewis at short-leg off Gough.With Fairbrother out six overs later Ganguly and Crawley added another 108 runs (this, too, was their second consecutive century stand). The latter attained his century with eight boundaries from 229 deliveries in 275 minutes.The more fluent Ganguly went to his fifty off 62 balls with five fours and one six. Crawley’s concentration seemed to be disturbed when he swept a ball which hit Lewis painfully in the back of the head and in the next over he was caught by Gough from his own bowling. When Ganguly was out Graham Lloyd and Warren Hegg took Lancashire through to the end of the day.
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe is likely to be entering the transfer market this summer for a central defender, if recent reports are to be believed.
The likes of Joe Gomez, John Stones and Jason Denayer have both been linked recently with a transfer to the club, while Dan Burn arrived from Brighton in January to help bolster the squad.
However, it seems that their shortlist is ever-growing, as a new potential summer target has emerged, with the Magpies being linked with Galatasaray defender Victor Nelsson.
What’s the news?
Newcastle were among two other clubs with scouts in attendance watching the Danish defender in his team’s Europa League Round of 16 defeat against Barcelona, according to Turkish news outlet Fanatik.
While the other clubs in attendance were Italian giants AC Milan and Napoli, with the Premier League club being the richest in the world, they certainly have enough money to tempt the former Copenhagen prospect to become a key part of their exciting project.
With a release clause of just £21m too, the 23-year-old could prove to be a bargain too if he hits the ground running in the Premier League, and they could even tempt the Turkish club with a lower offer too.
Potential to shine in the Prem
Described as Galatasaray’s “Danish lion” by one of the club’s board members Reşit Ömer Kükner on Twitter, Nelsson has become one of the team’s key players since arriving in the country for £6.3m this Summer, making 35 appearances already in all competitions and scoring one goal.
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The defender is also yet to make an error leading to a goal – and kept an impressive five clean sheets in eight Europa League games before being knocked out of the competition on Thursday, having pocketed Barca attacker Ferran Torres in the first leg particularly.
According to FBRef, he ranks in the top 1% among centre-backs in Europe’s top five leagues and continental competitions for least amount of times being dribbled past per 90 (0.13), top 2% for percentage of aerials won per 90 (77.8%) and top 2% for short pass completion percentage per 90 (96.2%).
His aggression and physicality make him well suited to the Premier League, and with him not turning 24 until October, he could become a mainstay at the heart of the Newcastle defence for years to come – which would make him a dream signing for Howe and PIF.In other news: PIF must light up Darsley Park with exciting Newcastle swoop for 21-goal menace
Helenio Herrera, the former Inter, Roma and Barcelona manager, said in 1960: “You in England…are playing in the style we continentals used so many years ago with much physical strength, but no method, no technique.” The situation in England may have progressed slightly from the days of ‘kick-and-rush’ that were inspired waterlogged pitches and an inherent macho culture but the sentiment remains largely the same.
Yes, we now possess a number of technically gifted, cultured footballers yet few would deny that there is essentially a large technical gap between ourselves and our continental rivals. So how do we address such a problem?
In 2007 the FA created a course, funded by Tesco, that intended to address this predicament at its source – grassroots youth football. The FA Tesco Skills programme, the brainchild of FA Director of Football Development Sir Trevor Brooking, intends to redesign the way that football is coached at the earliest level. The programme, which now provides coaching for over 3.3 million children nationwide and provides training for both boys and girls between the ages of five and eleven, aims to increase the talent pool available for English football in a number of ways.
“It [the programme] was designed to tap in to that enthusiasm of players under the age of eleven. That was the time in my life when I wanted the opportunity to practice and play football as much as possible and to really try and improve myself,” said Brooking, who had taken time out to talk to FootballFanCast.
“We’re trying to improve young footballers whilst making it enjoyable at the same time. The idea is that the better they get at an earlier age the longer they’ll stay in the game.”
So how exactly does the programme work? The primary focus is on technical development within youth but Brooking also stated that he felt it was imperative that eleven-a-side games were postponed until the age of thirteen.
“We looked at it and thought that once it becomes 11 vs. 11 if you haven’t got the technical skills of first touch and getting the ball under control then it’s really difficult to play the game and the style of football that most people will be watching which is similar to that of Germany, Spain, Barcelona where they pass it neatly, quickly and focus on keeping possession.”
“So, we have to try and make sure that our youngsters develop the skill base to play the sort of football that they’ll be watching otherwise they’ll lose interest if they can’t play anything like the style that is so popular.”
“The other part of it is the rest of the ‘four corner model’ which is physical – the basic movements that perhaps might not be coached in schools, psychological – preparing youngsters for the pressures that football brings and, lastly, social – so skills like team work, selflessness and temperament.”
It’s clear to see the influences of foreign coaching systems on the FA Tesco Skills programme but in Wallsend Boys Club and Senrab FC (who produced the likes of Alan Shearer and John Terry respectively) England already have a model for the successful coaching of young footballers. So, did the FA look at these models when devising a way to augment youth coaching?
“Yes, we did look at them. We started with 5-a-side, then 7-a-side and now we’re trying to focus on 9-a-side. We have a meeting next week, which will hopefully establish that under 12 and 13 year olds play 9-a-side and children progress to 11 vs. 11 when they pass thirteen.”
“Also one of the big challenges with people living all over the country is that there’s no point in playing matches with smaller teams if the pitches aren’t the right size, the goals too. There’s no point us trying to teach youngsters passing football if the pitch sizes are all wrong, what we’ll end up with then is physicality being a major factor because if you play on bigger pitches then bigger children will be better so then everything we’ve been working for will go out the window.”
“The same applies with goalkeepers – the best goalkeepers would just end up being the biggest if the goals were too big and that too is nonsense. So, yes, Senrab in particular is a club we looked closely at when designing the technical side of the programme.”
Despite the clear advantages of this FA initiative (all of the coaches in the programme have, at the very least, their level two coaching badges, the programme is almost entirely subsidised by Tesco, advancement in technical ability of young players) the course is not without its drawbacks.
Firstly, we have to consider whether it is overly simplistic to say that the technical gap between us and the other successful European nations is solely a product of our coaching setup. There is no point in changing the style of our players if we cannot change the mindset of coaches and managers in England. To have technically astute players means little if a manager instructs his team to play in the same direct manner that English teams have employed throughout history. So, that too is something that needs to be addressed.
Another problem is that, whilst the programme aims to reach 4.7 million children by 2014, ideally the system needs to be adopted by schools nationwide and whilst this is a possibility there are doubts as to where the money would come from to provide the necessary equipment such as smaller goals.
Nonetheless, the FA Tesco Skills programme is, undeniably, a step in the right direction. A change in our coaching systems is needed and the only logical way to implement that is from the bottom upwards. The national side may not see the direct benefits for the best part of a decade yet unless we wish to continue to be a team that perpetually falls at the final hurdle schemes like this are the future of English football.
Sir Trevor Brooking also went on to comment on the current English national side. Despite Roy Hodgson winning his first game in charge many fans are still disappointed that Harry Redknapp was not appointed. So, what was it about Hodgson that Brooking, who played a key role in hiring the former West Brom manager, found particularly appealing?
“We thought Roy was really experienced at international level but he also knew the game well over here. Everyone in football will tell you that he’s a really good coach. He spends a lot of time on details, certainly in the first ten days that I’ve seen him. He also has a lot of contact with the players. We’ve had a few overseas coaches recently and I think it will be a different way of working from some of the coaches we’ve had over the last decade. I’m sure he’s going to be a good appointment.”
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With so little time to prepare for the European Championships few know just what this, arguably poor, English side are capable of and Brooking insists that progression to the latter stages of the tournament is not the only way to judge a successful campaign.
“Well, firstly, we all want to see the squad play better and leave the fans feeling better about our actual performances. I think Roy said at the opening press conference that it’s a tough group but he would like to think that we can get out of the group. After that, who knows? We will play the likes of Italy Spain, Croatia or Ireland in the quarters and that will be tough, whoever we end up facing. But, if we come out of that group then we could get a bit of momentum going. I think the good thing is that the expectations are lower. Spain, Germany and Holland are higher up than us so let’s go into this tournament hoping that we can play well and spring a surprise.”
The FA Tesco Skills programme, a revolutionary approach to youth coaching that has provided high quality football skills courses for children aged 5-11, since 2007. www.tescoskills.thefa.com
Former Chelsea youth player Phil Younghusband scored a brace as Philippines ended Sri Lanka’s 2014 FIFA World Cup dreams on Sunday.After a first-leg 1-1 draw, the Philippines were 4-0 winners over Sri Lanka in the second leg to cement their spot in the second round of AFC World Cup qualifying.
Midfielder Emelio Caligdong scored a 19th-minute opener for the hosts in Manila before striker Younghusband’s first goal on 43 minutes effectively sealed the result.
Second-half strikes from Spanish-born midfielder Angel Guirado and a second from Younghusband – this one from the penalty spot – wrapped up the easy win.
Elsewhere, Laos needed extra time to progress against Cambodia, 8-6 on aggregate.
After Cambodia won the first leg 4-2, a 4-2 reverse for Laos ensured extended time in the second leg at New Laos Stadium was needed.
Goals from Visay Phapouvanin and Kanlaya Sysomvang in the final 30 minutes wrapped up the victory for Laos.
In other matches, a 5-0 away win for Nepal in East Timor sealed a 7-1 win on aggregate while Myanmar overturned a first-leg defeat to progress 2-1 on aggregate against Mongolia.
Palestine were held to a 1-1 draw at home but still managed to go through 3-1 against Afghanistan, and Bangladesh and Pakistan’s goalless draw ensured the former progressed to the next stage 3-0 on aggregate.
After winning 6-0 at home in the first leg, Vietnam once again made a mockery of Macau.
Striker Le Cong Vinh scored five goals in Vietnam’s 7-1 triumph at Estadio Campo Desportivo, while Malaysia went through on away goals after a 4-4 draw over two legs with Chinese Taipei.
Harry Redknapp doesn’t much like being called a ‘wheeler and dealer.’ “I’m a f*****g football manager, not a wheeler and dealer.” That was his response to being called it in a interview after his side lost at home to Wigan at the start of the season. But given Spurs’ recent financial figures, Harry could yet again have to do what he’s known best for.
On the face of things, it doesn’t look bad for Tottenham. They reported record revenues £119.8 million which according to chairman David Levy, represents ‘significant progress that has been made over the last 10 years.’ The worry for Spurs fans is, that with everything included, which means transfers as well, Tottenham posted a pre-tax loss of £6.5 million.
You may be thinking that isn’t a great deal in modern day football, especially compared to the like of Manchester United and Liverpool who are in masses of debt. You’re right, it isn’t. But the one thing both clubs have relied on for years on end is the revenue brought in from Champions League football. With Champions League football comes more T.V revenue, a higher final league position bonus and, for Spurs, the guarantee of a sold out stadium.
To reach the dizzy heights of the Champions League, you have to of course speculate to accumulate, which is what Redknapp did. Spurs have one of the biggest squads in the league and fell just short of the type of reckless spending which saw Leeds fail in their chase of the dream. So, so far, so good. But what happens if Spurs fail to finish in the top four this season?
Income from T.V revenue and their final league position bonus will inevitably be less, so will match day gate receipts. Will the prospect of a Thursday night game against some Ukrainian minnows in the Europa League convince fans to head to White Hart Line? I wouldn’t of thought so, not after experiencing the likes of Inter Milan anyway.
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If this scenario plays out, Tottenham could be forced to balance the books. It has been suggested that could be done as early as January, but injuries to Harry’s squad have stretched even his resources, so the ‘wheeling and dealing’ looks set to be kept to a minimum.
Redknapp has often suggested he is only ‘one of two players short of challenging for the title.’ Where this may be true, Tottenham have to decide whether to back Harry and continue to try and catch up with the likes of United, Chelsea and Arsenal, or to play safe; balance the books, secure the future but in return settle for always being just a Europa League side.
The problem with that is, in securing the long-term future, the here and now could become a worry. Gareth Bale is not going to settle for second-rate European competition, nor will Rafael Van Der Vaart, now he’s found some form.
Spurs have been left to count the cost of success. On and off the field they have had a taste of the high life, but the recent financial figures could scare them away from their gung-ho approach in realising the clubs potential.
Champions League football is a must, and talk of a new stadium needs to become a reality. Otherwise ‘appy ‘Arry may have to become content with being Tottenham’s ‘wheeler dealer’ once more.
Click on image below to see Carles’s latest lady
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