Lionel Messi match will take place: AIFF

The All India Football Federation today tried to put an end to confusion surrounding the high profile International friendly between Argentina and Venezuela to be played here, saying a few decks needed to be cleared so that Lionel Messi could be seen in action on September 2.

AIFF general secretary Kushal Das said that the FIFA made a 'mistake' by posting the details of the match on its website since the friendly was yet to be sanctioned by the world governing body.

"There is no reason why the match would not be held. But FIFA has done a mistake by putting the details on the website, something they have admitted," Das said.

"Event manager Celebrity Management Group (CMG) will write us a letter about the match highlighting the details about the progress and then we will officially invite the Argentine and Venezuelan federations. Only then an official sanction from FIFA will be granted.

"For the first time we are hosting a match at such a big scale. We want to examine everything so that it's conducted smoothly. The right process has to be followed," he added.

After a prolonged meeting with CMG and Indian Football Association (IFA) officials, Das also expressed concerns over the sorry state of affairs at the Yuba Bharati Krirangan that needed to be revamped urgently.

The AIFF general secretary also pointed out that the artificial turf at the Yuba Bharati Krirangan, where the match would be held, have to be improved on an urgent basis.

"Improving the turf is a priority. But at the same time there are some other areas like the logistical support, ground condition, security, crowd and media management, which will also be our concern," he said.

Sourav Ganguly appointed vice-chairman of WB Sports Council

The West Bengal government on Wednesday reconstituted the Sports Council by inducting former India captain Sourav Ganguly as one of its its vice-chairmen.

Ganguly will work alongside former footballers Gouranga Banerjee, Compton Dutta, international paddler Poulami Ghatak and GM Dibyendu Barua.

"We are trying to bring everybody from all disciplines to revive the sports in Bengal," sports minister Madan Mitra told reporters while announcing the reconstitution of the Sports Council.

It was also decided to divide the council into two committees -- advisory board and working committee. Both would be headed by Mitra.

The advisory board will have eight vice-chairmen including hockey Olympians Gurbux Singh and Dr Vece Paes, football Olympian Chuni Goswami and Dronacharya awardee Syed Nayeemuddin.

The advisory board will also have former Test cricketer Arun Lal, footballers Shyam Thapa and Subrata Bhattacharya.

Former Indian football captain P K Banerjee and Leslie Claudius will be members in the working committee which will have representation from various sports

Manchester City in no panic over selling Carlos Tevez

Manchester City are in no rush to meet striker Carlos Tevez's demand to leave Eastlands and are likely to ask in excess of £40m to consider selling.

BBC Sport understands Tevez's latest request to leave City has left chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak "sanguine" about developments.

The club believe they are in a position of strength over any potential Tevez transfer and are in no mood to plead with the striker to stay.

Tevez is contracted at City until 2014.

A spokesman said: "Carlos is a contracted player to Manchester City for another three years and we have had no offers for him."

Tevez, 27, asked City for a transfer in December and while it now seems inevitable he will eventually move on, City are relaxed about the latest twist and are determined he will only leave when the time and price is right for them.

City boss Roberto Mancini insisted recently that Tevez would stay after a proposed swap deal with Inter Milan for striker Samuel Eto'o fell through - but there is still no great shock inside Eastlands after Tevez made his desire to leave public once again.

The Argentina international wants to be reunited with his family - with Milan believed to be a favoured destination - but there is unlikely to be a swift resolution with City determined not to be railroaded into a deal by the player and his advisors.

City's stance on Tevez is hardened by the fact that he is on a contract reportedly worth in excess of £200,000-a-week, while there is no pressing need for cash to flow into Eastlands given the vast wealth of the club's Abu Dhabi owners.

The cost of any Tevez transfer will limit the market, with Inter Milan sporting director Marco Branca recently insisting the Serie A club would not make a move because they were unable to afford the wage packet he was receiving at City.

Rangers close in on signing of Juan Manuel Ortiz

Rangers are hoping to complete the signing of Juan Manuel Ortiz from Spanish club Almeria on Tuesday.

The Spanish midfielder is in Glasgow for talks and should sign on the dotted line in the next 24 hours after a deal was agreed between the two clubs.

Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has offered Rangers two players on loan.

Bongani Khumalo is a 24-year-old South Africa central defender and Jake Livermore is a 21-year-old midfielder.

The offer followed talks between Redknapp and Rangers owner Craig Whyte.

But it is 29-year-old Ortiz who looks poised to become Ally McCoist's first signing since he took over as Rangers manager from Walter Smith at the end of last season.

Ortiz, who arrived at Rangers' Murray Park training base on Monday, has spent four years at Almeria.

However, the Andalusian club's four-year spell in Spain's top flight came to an end last season when they finished 20th and were relegated from La Liga.

Ortiz was a graduate of Atletico Madrid's youth system but spent loan spells with Osasuna and Poli Ejido before heading to Almeria.

While at Juegos Mediterraneos stadium, the player also known as Juanma not only played in midfield but on both flanks of defence.

McCoist has so far been thwarted in efforts to sign Dundee United striker David Goodwillie, winger Craig Conroy, who joined Cardiff City from United, Aston Villa defender Carlos Cuellar and midfielder Neil Danns, who left Crystal Palace for Leicester City.

However, he has been able to secure several key first-team players on extended contracts.

Northern Ireland midfielder Steven Davis, who is entering the final year of his current deal, is the latest to be offered a five-year contract extension.

That was the length of deal signed on Monday by defender Steven Whittaker, while Scotland colleague Allan McGregor agreed a six-year extension to remain the number one goalkeeper at Ibrox.

Forward David Healy, utility man Andrew Little, left-back Sasa Papac and winger Salim Kerkar had already signed new one-year deals at Ibrox this summer.

Meanwhile, negotiations continue with veteran defender and captain David Weir.

Liverpool appoint Kevin Keen as first team coach

Liverpool appointed Kevin Keen as first team coach on Sunday as part of manager Kenny Dalglish's reorganisation of his backroom staff.

The arrival of the 44-year-old former West Ham United first team coach comes after assistant manager Sammy Lee's departure from Anfield by mutual consent on Friday.

Keen spent his playing days with West Ham, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Stoke City, Macclesfield Town and Wycombe Wanderers before going into coaching.

He was caretaker manager at West Ham in their final match of last season following Avram Grant's sacking after their relegation from the Premier League.

"I'm delighted that Kevin is joining us to work alongside Steve Clarke coaching the first team squad. He has previously worked with Steve at West Ham and has a good reputation and a good manner about him," Dalglish said on the club's website (www.liverpoolfc.tv).

Manchester United agree deal for goalkeeper David De Gea

Manchester United have agreed to sign Spain under-21 goalkeeper David De Gea from Atletico Madrid on a five-year contract, the Premier League champions said on Wednesday.United, seeking to replace retired keeper Edwin Van der Sar, did not provide details of the transfer fee but local media has estimated it to be around 18 million pounds ($29 million). The club said the 20-year-old had passed a medical test this week."I feel very proud and I can't wait to start playing here," De Gea said on the club website (www.manutd.com).

"When a club the size of Manchester United comes in for you it obviously makes you very, very happy. I saw their interest as an extra motivation to work even harder to show off my ability."De Gea, who came through the youth ranks at Atletico before making his La Liga debut in 2009, arrives at Old Trafford fresh from helping Spain to win the Euro Under-21 championship in Denmark last week.

He will be United's third signing since the end of the season as the champions have led the way in spending, having brought in defender Phil Jones and forward Ashley Young in a close season spree reported to be close to 50 million pounds.

United manager Alex Ferguson, who has spoken previously of the desire to sign an adequate replacement for Van der Sar in good time, targeted one of the continent's best young goalkeeping talents in De Gea. When Danish goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel quit Old Trafford in 1999 the club struggled for six years to sign someone of a similar calibre, eventually settling on Van der Sar having passed up the chance to snap him up from Ajax years earlier.

Knowing the Dutchman planned to retire at the end of last season, when United won a record 19th English league title, Ferguson learnt from past mistakes and had already begun preparing for his top keeper's departure. He signed 27-year-old Dane Anders Lindegaard last November and De Gea will now compete with him and Van der Sar's previous deputy Tomasz Kuszscak for the number one spot between the posts.

"It's a great privilege to be part of a club like United and I'm keen to do my best and show what I can do," De Gea added.

England move above Brazil to fourth in Fifa rankings

England have moved above Brazil to fourth in the Fifa world rankings, despite their recent run of poor form.

Fabio Capello's England side only reached the last 16 of last summer's World Cup and have not won their last two qualifying matches for Euro 2012.

Spain are top of the rankings, followed by the Netherlands and Germany.

Republic of Ireland (31st), Scotland (61st) and Northern Ireland (62nd) also climb the rankings but Wales stay in 114th place.

It is the first time England have been as high as fourth since 1997, after they reached the semi-finals of Euro 96.

However, Capello and his side have come under criticism after a poor World Cup and only managing a 2-2 draw against Switzerland at Wembley earlier this month - a result that the Italian coach blamed on fatigue.

Spain's haul of 1,871 points keeps them top and they are 210 points ahead of the Netherlands, who they beat in the World Cup final in South Africa last year.

Germany's 1,417 points moves them up to third, while England tally 1,146 points.

Brazil (1,130), Italy (1,059), Portugal (1,046), Croatia (1,033), Mexico (1,007) and Argentina (979) complete the top 10.

Fifa ranking points are accumulated according to results, the importance of the matches played and the strength of the opposing teams.

A team's total number of points is representative of a four-year period, calculated by the average number of points gained over the past 12 months and the average gained from older games, though that points total depreciates yearly.

Since they were knocked out of the World Cup by Germany just over a year ago, England have won five matches, including three qualifiers; drawn three, which includes two competitive games; and lost once - to France in a friendly.

Manchester United confirm signing of David de Gea

Manchester United have confirmed the signing of goalkeeper David de Gea from Atletico Madrid on a five-year deal.

The Spain Under-21 international, 20, underwent a medical at Old Trafford on Monday and will finalise what is thought to be an £18.9m move on Friday.

"I feel very proud and I can't wait to start playing here," De Gea told MUTV.

"When a club the size of Manchester United comes in for you, it obviously makes you very, very happy. I'm keen to do my best and show what I can do."

The deal marks De Gea out as the second most expensive keeper behind Gianluigi Buffon, who cost Juventus £32.6m in 2001.

De Gea, part of the Spain squad that won the European Under-21 Championship on Saturday, is a product of Atletico's youth academy, spending his first professional season with the club's reserves in the Segunda Division B before making his senior debut as a substitute in the Champions League against Porto in September 2009.

Since then he has made nearly 100 senior appearances for the Spanish outfit.

Ryan Giggs’ lovers offered £2 million for girl-on-girl romp in ‘mother of all’ porn film

The two women who had flings with Manchester United ace Ryan Giggs, have been offered £2 million to team up for a girl-on-girl romp in an adult film.

Big Brother beauty Imogen Thomas and Ryan Giggs’s sister-in-law Natasha are being offered £1million each.

A spokesperson for adult movie makers Television X said if they did team up it would be one of the world’s biggest-selling top-shelf films in history.

“Imogen and Natasha would make this one of the world’s biggest-ever porn tapes due to the massive scale of the scandal,” the Daily Star quoted her as saying.

The flick would be more popular even than the sex tapes that featured Pamela Anderson, 43, and Paris Hilton, 30, she claimed.

A source at the channel revealed they were still working on titles, adding: “There’s plenty of room for fun - Shaving Ryan’s Privates is certainly in the running.”

American porn films king Steven Hirsch, who last month offered Pippa Middleton £3 million to do an X-rated movie, is also interested in signing the pair.

Ryan Giggs faces £1million bill for philandering

Ryan Giggs, who cheated on his wife Stacey with his brother's missus and Big Brother babe Imogen Thomas, faces a cheating bill of £1million.


The philandering ace could be hit with a huge fine from Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.


Fergie, 69, is dismayed that the Premier League champions' good name has been dragged through the mud.


Club sources say Sir Alex considered fining Giggs four weeks' wages - but League rules allow for only half that.


The 37-year-old winger - on an estimated £80,000 a week - could therefore face a two-week fine totalling £1,60,000.


That would add to the £2,50,000 he paid furious brother Rhodri to keep mum over his affair with his wife Natasha.


Meanwhile, Giggs paid more than £5,00,000 in legal fees as he fought to keep quiet news of his fling with Imogen.


Dad-of-two Giggs spent £1,10,000 on a five-week holiday so he could hold crisis talks with his wife Stacey.


And the footballer's spending is set to rise further as he is also funding 34-year-old Rhodri's divorce proceedings against Natasha.

India's 2014 World Cup qualifier may be shifted to Pune

The return leg India’s 2014 World Cup qualifier match against the UAE, which was supposed to be held next month in New Delhi, may be shifted to Pune.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced in May that the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the venue which was used for 2010 Commonwealth Games opening and closing ceremonies, would host India’s home match on July 28. However, national team coach Armando Colaco wants the tie to be shifted to the Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune.India will be playing UAE in the two-legged qualifying tie on July 23 (Al Ain) and July 28.

“The pitch (at Balewadi) is wonderful. I understand that AIFF had a meeting with the sports ministry officials about Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium but I would be happy if we can get a chance to play in Pune. The crowd here is just great. We need this kind of support while we take on UAE in the World Cup qualifiers,” opined Colaco.

It is also learnt that the work to get the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in shape may take longer than expected, thus prompting the AIFF to look for an alternate venue. Chennai is the only other stadium in India that meets the criteria to host a World Cup qualifier match. When contacted, an AIFF official said a final decision will be taken next week.

Southampton 1 - 2 Man Utd

Manchester United needed to draw on all their resources as they came from behind to beat Southampton and progress to the last 16 of the FA Cup.

Michael Owen hit a post with a cross before League One Saints shocked the Premier league leaders when Richard Chaplow crashed home a fierce drive.

The lead was cancelled out when Owen nodded in from close range.

And Javier Hernandez finished clinically after being put in by Ryan Giggs to complete United's comeback.

But the home side can look back with pride on a performance that boasted good football and a lot of heart.

Looking far from overawed throughout, they frequently took the game to the visitors, but it was Saints' lack of a cutting edge and United's superior finishing that proved the difference in the end.

From the start Southampton played with belief, perhaps sensing that there could be gaps in United's unfamiliar defensive line-up - none of their regular back five were even in the squad.

But the League One side's early endeavours brought only two well-struck but off-target free-kicks and a snap shot from Rickie Lambert.

With the game crying out for width, the home fans roared on winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain whenever he touched the ball, but he was unable to show why he is a £10m target for Liverpool and Arsenal.

At the other end, a disjointed United almost scored a goal that was in keeping with their scruffy performance as Owen launched a cross from the right that drifted over goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski and came back off the inside of a post.

Owen, who also fizzed a shot wide, and striker partner Javier Hernandez barely threatened in the first half as the visitors lacked inspiration in every position.

Southampton created a good opening when Danny Butterfield picked out Guilherme do Prado with a right-wing cross but the Brazilian got underneath the ball and headed off target.

Still, Saints looked the likeliest to make the breakthrough, and it came when Jonny Evans could only half-clear a long ball and Chaplow took full advantage.

The midfielder used his thigh to nudge the ball into space and then rifled a rising drive into the top corner to leave United's debutant keeper Anders Lindegaard with no chance.

The Red Devils continued to toil after the restart, forcing two corners in quick succession but unable to make the count.

The hosts maintained their discipline and shape, even threatening to grab a second goal on the break - left-back Dan Harding made a scintillating run, skipping past a few challenges before prodding a right-footed shot that did not match his build-up.

Sensing an upset, perhaps, United boss Sir Alex Ferguson sent on Nani and Giggs for the ineffective Darron Gibson and Anderson.

It almost had an immediate impact as Nani crossed from the left and Owen toe-poked over at the near post.

And within five minutes of the change United were level. Gabriel Obertan tuned his marker inside out and delivered a cross from the right that hit Hernandez and sat up perfectly for Owen to nod home.

Yet United failed to kick on dominate as might have been expected and Southampton showed great resilience to come back at them.

Lee Barnard swung at Chaplow's cutback and missed completely and then was just too far away to connect with Harding's flashing ball across the face of goal.

But then Ferguson's men caught Saints with a sucker punch as substitute Giggs intercepted a Ryan Dickson pass and played in Hernandez, who slotted in what proved to be the winner.

Lionel Messi mauls VfB Stuttgart to send Barcelona through Champions League quarters

Lionel Messi's brilliance sent holders Barcelona through to the Champions League quarter-finals with a 4-0 dismantling of VfB Stuttgart on Wednesday.

Messi scored twice, including a 13th minute stunner that set the Catalans on their way, and was instrumental in the second goal from Pedro, before Bojan Krkic sealed a 5-1 aggregate win.

Barca's victory sent them through to the last eight for a third successive season and salvaged some honour for Spain after the elimination of La Liga sides Real Madrid and Sevilla.

"Only Manchester United have managed to get to the quarters the following season as reigning champions before and I want to congratulate my team for that," proud coach Pep Guardiola said at a news conference.

"Being among the eight best again and being able to compete with them fills us with excitement," he added.

The excitement during the match was supplied by the beguiling skill of Messi.

After collecting the ball just inside the visitors' half, he raced towards the retreating Stuttgart defence before unleashing a left-foot shot that fizzed past goalkeeper Jens Lehmann high into the net.

The Fifa World Player of the Year turned creator nine minutes later. A superbly weighted pass sent Yaya Toure clear on the left and forward Pedro timed his run to perfection to sweep home the Ivory Coast midfielder's low cross.

More smart work from Messi set up Toure in the 55th but his low drive flew just wide of Lehmann's right-hand post.

Messi beat Lehmann again with a low strike from the edge of the area on the hour, his eighth goal in four matches in all competitions, to end Stuttgart's hopes.

As Barca asserted their dominance, a rampant Messi almost completed his hat-trick with a header in the 68th, well saved by Lehmann, before Krkic wrapped things up a minute after replacing Andres Iniesta.

Stuttgart coach Christian Gross said Real's elimination by Olympique Lyon last week had probably been an extra motivation for the Barca players.

"They pinned us back and we couldn't make any headway down the flanks," the Swiss said. "They are the best team in the world and when they go ahead in front of their own fans it's very difficult," he added.

The draw for the quarter-finals is on Friday and on this evidence, Barcelona will again be the team to avoid.

50 Cent wants to have fun with Ashley Cole

English footballer Ashley Cole seems to have an unlikely new pal in 50 Cent. The rapper has stated that he wants to meet Ashley and spend some time with him following his split with wife Cheryl.

he Chelsea star met the rapper while working on 2009 crime movie Dead Man Running. "We'll probably get together and have some fun. I've got his number. He's having a hard time," the Daily Star quoted 50 Cent as saying.

"You gotta take your bumps and wear your bruises. I'll definitely see what's up with him," he added.

Shearer, Holmes in Sport Relief fundraiser

he celebrated British sports stars, Alan Shearer and Kelly Holmes, will be in Cape Town over the weekend as guests of UK fundraising giant Comic Relief and BBC Sport.

Shearer was one of the finest strikers of his generation and was capped 63 times for England's national football side.

He still holds the record as the all-time top scorer in the English Premier League with 260 goals, which he accumulated while playing for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United.

In 2001 he received his Order of the British Empire from the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

Holmes is a double Olympic gold medallist after her all-conquering 800m and 1500m performances in 2004 at the Athens Olympics.

The retired middle distance athlete still holds numerous British records and her achievements were recognised the Queen who appointed her as a dame in 2005.

Comic Relief will be staging the Sport Relief Mile in Cape Town on Sunday and all the funds raised will go to Child Welfare South Africa for their many child protection and HIV & AIDS programmes, which takes in over two million children.

The race will start and finish at the V&A Waterfront and the route will take athletes past the magnificent new Cape Town Stadium.

The BBC will be filming the event and will flight a special two-hour BBC Entertainment Sport Relief TV Show that will be broadcast across Africa later on Sunday at 7.30pm.

Shearer and Holmes will be the television presenters.

The show will feature all the highlights from the day's event including interviews with celebrities, sports stars and other participants.

Comic Relief UK's Director of Global Strategy, Amanda Horton-Mastin, said the two stars have offered to lend their support to a worthy cause at a time when football fever was hotting up ahead of the World Cup in South Africa.

"Sport Relief wants to capture the excitement of the World Cup in South Africa and establish the Sport Relief Mile model of fundraising to raise money for disadvantaged children in South Africa," said Horton-Mastin. - Sapa

LA Galaxy dash David Moyes' bid to keep Landon Donovan

Everton manager David Moyes's hopes of extending Landon Donovan's loan spell at Goodison Park appear to have been dashed by LA Galaxy coach Bruce Arena.

Moyes had hoped to keep Donovan beyond the end of his loan, saying: "I am keen to keep Landon and it sounds initially in America that they might say yes."

But Arena said: "We're not interested. Landon will be back here on 15 March, as we have said all along."

Everton's only hope is that the new Major League Soccer season is delayed.

League officials are in talks with the players' union about a new labour agreement, and the start of the regular season could be in jeopardy if no deal is reached.

LA Galaxy are due to get their campaign under way on 27 March.

In the event that the league does not start on time, Arena told the LA Galaxy website: "If we didn't have a league going on we would certainly entertain the idea of allowing Landon to stay there.

"If we have a league, Landon's going to be playing for the Galaxy."

However, Arena is expecting Donovan back in Los Angeles in a fortnight's time and that is sure to prove hard to hear for Moyes.

Donovan has impressed in his short time at Goodison Park, which has coincided in an upturn in fortunes for the Toffees, who have moved up into 10th place in the Premier League table.

The only low point was a bad miss against Tottenham last weekend, a game Everton went on to lose 2-1.

"In the main he has done a really good job for us," said Moyes. "It is very rare you can bring in someone in January on loan who can make a real difference to you but Landon has.

"But I think his manager at LA Galaxy would say the best World Cup preparation for him would be to start in their team.

"They will be keen to get him back so we will have to be respectful of their wishes. If we can keep him it would be nice but if not I totally understand it."

Should Donovan return to LA Galaxy as scheduled, it means Sunday's home match with Hull will be his last at Goodison Park.

Ice-cream is a no-no for this champion

The Super Series is a big event; to win it you should be focussed for all six days. Your opponents don't have any other work either, apart from trying to win. They don't give up; they fight as hard as you. When you're a professional player you have to be disciplined.

You have to be careful about what you eat, for instance. I believe you should eat whatever you want, but not junk, because you know it's not good. I know I put on weight if I eat ice-cream. I eat ice-cream when I win a tournament. I ate it after winning the Indonesian Open, after more than four months of hard training. You cannot eat anything related to chocolate because sugar can make you slow. Sweets are generally banned for me.

I used to eat a lot when I was a kid. I used to be a vegetarian, but when I shifted to the (Gopichand) academy; (coach) Gopi told me I should try non-vegetarian food. He said if I had to win at the highest level, I had to be disciplined. I understood, so I cut down on junk food. It has to come from inside you -- if you want to win, you have to sacrifice some things. And I sacrificed to be here.

I don't need a psychologist because from I've been mentally very strong from childhood. Meditation, however, is very important. Gopi gave me a CD called 'Yoga Nidra' which I do for 45 minutes before a match and the night before. That helps me stay calm during the match. I have three-four tracks in my mobile, and I listen to them. That makes me calm; I don't hurry things up during the match. I don't just hit smashes and want to finish it off; I want to continue the rally.

That makes me more focussed. There are a few more things that I follow. I take long breaths when I'm on court, so I relax. During the Indonesian Open, I couldn't sleep during the tournament. I used to listen to these tracks till 1 or 2am, and would sleep around 2am. After winning the final, I was up the whole night holding the medal.

I think of only winning. See... when I play on court, it's more of--when will I win? It's not like, am I playing that right or wrong, or something like that. I'm not bothered about my strokes, or my opponent. I'm bothered about my winning or losing. So when I come home, I keep wondering: When will I win the tournament that she (a particular opponent) won? When will I be No.1? These are the thoughts that are always with me.

US-SPORTS Summary

Stingy Cavaliers defense clips Hawks wings

ATLANTA - The Cleveland Cavaliers used stingy defense and a fourth quarter burst to beat the Atlanta Hawks 95-84 on Tuesday and post their fifth straight win. Mo Williams shot a team-high 20 points and LeBron James 14 with 10 assists and eight rebounds for the Cavaliers, who scored 10 unanswered points early in the fourth quarter and then choked the Hawks offense to coast to victory.

Coyotes beat Canucks for 10th straight home win

PHOENIX - The Phoenix Coyotes maintained their hot streak on home ice after a 3-2 shootout win over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday earned them a 10th successive home triumph. Lauri Korpikoski scored the only goal in the shootout to beat the Canucks and improve the Coyotes' home record to 16-5-0 on the year.

Nadal feels in better shape for 2010 season

MADRID - World number two Rafael Nadal believes he is in better shape for the start of the 2010 tennis season than he was this year despite having a relatively short time to prepare. Nadal, who was plagued by knee and stomach injuries during 2009, helped Spain to a crushing victory over Czech Republic in this month's Davis Cup final and has had only three weeks to train for the new season.

Usain Bolt reminds the world why sport means so much to so many

LONDON - Amid the soaring triumphs and tawdry scandals underscoring the first decade of the new millennium, Usain Bolt reminded the world why sport captivates and exalts so many people. A roar of disbelief greeted the tall Jamaican in Beijing's Bird's Nest stadium last year after he shattered the world 100 record and became the first person to run under 9.7 seconds.

Tiger Woods scandal cost shareholders up to $12 billion

MIAMI - The sex scandal that engulfed Tiger Woods may have cost shareholders of companies endorsed by the world's No. 1 golfer up to $12 billion in losses, according to a study by two economics professors from the University of California, Davis. The study, released on Monday by researchers Victor Stango and Christopher Knittel, gave an estimate for damage to the market value of Woods' main sponsors caused by revelations of alleged extramarital affairs that surfaced after he was involved in a minor car accident outside his Florida home on November 27.

Seven teams, two AFC wildcard slots

MIAMI - Seven teams remain in contention for the AFC's two wild card places before Sunday's final round of regular season play in one of the most complex playoff run-ins for years. While all the NFC's playoff spots have been taken and only the positioning is at stake on Sunday, there are all manner of scenarios in the other conference.

Henry considered quitting international football

Thierry Henry says the outcry over his hand ball in France’s World Cup playoff against Ireland pushed him to the brink of international retirement.

French sports daily L’Equipe quoted the Barcelona striker in an interview as saying he felt abandoned and deeply upset by the virulent criticism he received from former players and politicians.

Henry’s hand ball before passing for defender William Gallas to score helped give France a 1-1 draw with Ireland and a 2-1 win on aggregate, advancing the team to next year’s tournament in South Africa.

“The day after the match and the next day, I felt alone, really alone,” said Henry, adding that he gave serious thought about quitting the French team. “Oh, yes I did. Friday, when everything had gone too far, I was very worked up.”

After receiving criticism from former players such as former Ireland and Marseille striker Tony Cascarino and French Sports Minister Roselyne Bachelot, Henry said it was his friends and family who talked him out of retiring from international football.

“Despite everything that happened, the fact I felt abandoned, I will not drop my country,” he said. “I asked myself the question. Without the support of my loved ones, maybe I wouldn’t have thought the same way. Now, I’ve decided - I’ll always fight until the end.

“It’s been very hard, everything started from something that happens in a game and it went too far. I heard some people giving lectures about this, when I said I was sorry, on the pitch and off it.”

Henry received criticism for wildly celebrating Gallas’ goal in front of dejected Irish players.

“I shouldn’t have done that. But honestly, it was uncontrollable ... Yes, I regret that,” he said.

However, Henry dodged the issue of whether he should have immediately told referee Martin Hansson he had handled the ball.

“I was in a no-win situation,” he said, adding that the incident will not overshadow his whole career. “I don’t think that everything I’ve achieved can be tarnished.”

College Football Sunday: TCU ready for the big time

After TCU’s dismantling of BYU it will be interesting to see where the Horned Frogs will be in the discussion for the BCS.

Personally, I think the Horned Frogs are one of the best teams in the nation. And before everybody starts sending emails telling me how the Mountain West doesn’t play anybody does anymore remember the beat down that Utah put on Alabama, from the all-mighty SEC, last year in the Sugar Bowl.

TCU can play with anyone in the country. They beat Clemson in Clemson earlier this year and they should run through the Mountain West. Their only tough game left on the schedule is Utah – but Utah isn’t the same team they were a year ago.

If TCU runs the table, and other teams have a loss, then they should play for the National Championship.

The Horned Frogs could give Florida or Alabama from the all-mighty SEC a run for its money.

The SEC prides itself on being the class of the college football world. If that’s the case why is their non-conference schedule full of Division 1-AA teams?

Alabama didn’t look so hot against Utah last year.

But, maybe, that’s the perception the SEC wants. Our conference is so tough that we have to play cupcakes in the beginning of the year.

How about next year Florida, Mississippi and a few others schedule some games that matter in September. Schedule a TCU, BYU or Boise State so we can really see how good you are.

More west talk: It might be Mountain West day here at College Football Sunday. We talked about Utah not being as good as last year, but they are still winning.

The four best teams in the Mountain West are TCU, BYU, Utah and Air Force.

Air Force is a tough team to play, just ask TCU and Utah, because of the dreaded triple option attack. Their triple option is a little different just because they are able to throw the ball more.

Army and Navy run 90 percent of the time out of the option, just ask Wake Forest as Navy ran the ball 64 times and didn’t attempt a pass, where the Falcons are more diverse.

The Falcons gave Utah fits and should have won that game. They also gave TCU fits and made the Horned Frogs battle till the end for that win.

Tide rolling along: Is Alabama the best team in the country?

They didn’t look like it on Saturday against Tennessee. The Tide looked a little sluggish in their win, but they won. I am not sold on Alabama being the best team in the country.

Right now I don’t know who is as Florida has looked sluggish in their last two wins. I think you could see one of these two teams lose a game before the SEC championship game.

If Georgia can right the ship on defense, then next week’s game against Florida could be a little interesting.

Metro’s top 5

Florida
Alabama
Texas
TCU
Cincinnati

Metro’s leading Heisman

Jimmy Clausen (Notre Dame)
Tim Tebow (Florida)
Colt McCoy (Texas)