FA officials in tizzy after bugging of England's World Cup squad

Published>Mon, Mar 08 10 06:09 PM

London, Mar. 8 (ANI): England's World Cup squad was bugged as they discussed plans for the finals in South Africa this summer, the Daily Star reports.

A detailed six-hour tape is said to reveal players discussing money and coach Fabio Capello talking tactics.

FA bosses are likely to be stunned that spies were able to breach their tight security to listen in on key meetings with just weeks to go until the tournament starts.

The recordings could blow Capello's preparations apart if they are leaked to opposition coaches.

In the first section of the recording, millionaire players are said to be discussing how much they will be paid at the tournament and negotiating for huge win bonuses.

At some points the cheeky stars are even heard joking about sex scandals, it is claimed.

Senior squad members are believed to be among the voices heard at some points on the tape.

But in some of the most potentially damaging sections of the tape, Italian Capello is heard discussing tactics and team selections with staff for nearly three hours.

Insiders see the recording as a blatant attempt to try to sabotage England's chances this summer.

FA officials were last night said to be horrified by the hi-tech spy's attempts to sabotage England's World Cup hopes.

Insiders say manager Capello, 63, will be furious when he discovers details of his carefully prepared tactics have been leaked.

It could lead to detectors being used to sweep dressing rooms for bugs before England's matches in South Africa. (ANI)

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IPL puts off choosing 2 new teams, restarts process

Published>Mon, Mar 08 10 05:51 PM

Mumbai, March 7 -- All those anxiously waiting to know who the two new owners of Indian Premier League (IPL) teams will be will have to wait another two weeks. Instead of opening the tenders submitted by three bidders in Mumbai on Sunday as they were scheduled to, the IPL Governing Council decided to re-issue the tender on Tuesday, removing some stringent clauses from the earlier tender. "We received letters from many companies who expressed interest but said that the $1 billion (Rs 4,500 crore) net worth criteria, which owners of existing franchises had not been asked for, was a problem. They asked why they were being asked for the new criteria, which eliminates them from bidding. Hence the clause has been amended," IPL Chairman Lalit Modi said after the meeting. This effectively means the new tender will be available on Tuesday and bids can be submitted till 10am on March 21. The bids will be opened one hour later in Chennai. Though the IPL also reduced the advance bank guarantee from $100 million (Rs 450 core) to $10 milllion (Rs 45 crore) they stuck to the base price of $225 million (Rs 1012 crore) for each franchise.

Earlier on Sunday, representatives of the three bidders had to wait for almost an hour before being told about the re-tender. They were the Ahmedabad-based Adani Group, the Delhi-based Jaypee Group, and a consortium including Videocon chief Venugopal Dhoot, real estate giant Atul Chordia and Bollywood biggies Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor (who had submitted a bid for Pune).

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Michael Clarke to fly back home

Published>Mon, Mar 08 10 05:47 PM

Melbourne, March 8 (IANS) Australian cricket vice-captain Michael Clarke will fly back home from the ongoing New Zealand tour due to personal reasons.

It is not known how long Clarke will be away from the team, Cricket Australia (CA) said Monday.

'Michael is attending to personal, non-cricket matters and we ask on his behalf that his privacy be respected,' CA general manager Michael Brown said.

The National Selection Panel (NSP ) will Tuesday consider whether to select a back-up player to join the squad in New Zealand.

The Australian team has three ODIs from the five-match series still to play, before a series of three Test matches against New Zealand.

The Test squad for that series is due to be announced Tuesday

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Moss in hospital after falling down lift shaft

Published Mon, Mar 08 10 05:07 PM

Stirling Moss is recovering in hospital after falling down a lift shaft at home and breaking both his ankles, a friend of the British motor racing great told Reuters on Monday.

Moss, who turned 80 last September, opened the lift door on the third floor of his house in central London and stepped forwards but due to a malfunction the lift had stopped on the floor above.

The friend said he spent the weekend in intensive care but, despite suffering damage to some vertebrae, had no internal injuries.

The driver's wife Susie was quoted as saying Moss was in good spirits and already complaining about the size and quality of the hospital breakfast.

Moss is widely regarded as the greatest driver never to have won the Formula One championship, racing at the same time as possibly the greatest of all time in Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio.

The Briton lost the title by a single point to compatriot Mike Hawthorn in 1958, despite winning four races to his rival's sole victory.

Winner of 16 grands prix, he finished overall runner-up on three more occasions and retired after a career-ending 1962 crash at Goodwood.

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Warne hails IPL''s move to introduce two new teams

Published Mon, Mar 08 10 05:05 PM

Jaipur, Mar 8 (PTI) Australian spin legend Shane Warne today welcomed Indian Premier League''s decision to add two new franchises for 2011 edition of the lucrative Twenty20 event and said the move will bring more sheen to the "bestselling brand of cricket". "I think, the Indian Premier League is the bestselling brand of cricket. Every cricketer now dreams of playing for his country and also in the IPL. The decision will give more opportunity to them," said Warne, who is here to lead the Rajasthan Royals in third edition of IPL commencing March 12. "The IPL has attracted more people towards the sport. Those, who retired recently were too attracted towards this. I feel it has become best competition of cricket," Warne added. The IPL recently announced the addition of two new teams for the 2011 edition of the competition, bringing the total number of teams up to 10. Warne, speaking about team''s performance in the IPL last season admitted that the side failed to put up consistent show but vowed to make amends this time. "Yes, we were not consistent last year. We will address that problem and would do better since we are back on the home turf," Warne said. The Rajasthan team, which won the inaugural edition of the Twenty20 tournament in 2008, finished an unimpressive sixth last year when the event was organised in South Africa. "We have strongest group of players, few of them are capable of surprising in IPL-III. At top of the order there is South African captain Graeme Smith like a rock," he said. (More) PTI DS DB SHN

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Warne hails IPL''s move to introduce two new teams

Published Sun, Mar 07 10 04:47 PM

Jaipur, Mar 8 (PTI) Australian spin legend Shane Warne today welcomed Indian Premier League''s decision to add two new franchises for 2011 edition of the lucrative Twenty20 event and said the move will bring more sheen to the "bestselling brand of cricket". "I think, the Indian Premier League is the bestselling brand of cricket. Every cricketer now dreams of playing for his country and also in the IPL. The decision will give more opportunity to them," said Warne, who is here to lead the Rajasthan Royals in third edition of IPL commencing March 12. "The IPL has attracted more people towards the sport. Those, who retired recently were too attracted towards this. I feel it has become best competition of cricket," Warne added. The IPL recently announced the addition of two new teams for the 2011 edition of the competition, bringing the total number of teams up to 10. Warne, speaking about team''s performance in the IPL last season admitted that the side failed to put up consistent show but vowed to make amends this time. "Yes, we were not consistent last year. We will address that problem and would do better since we are back on the home turf," Warne said. The Rajasthan team, which won the inaugural edition of the Twenty20 tournament in 2008, finished an unimpressive sixth last year when the event was organised in South Africa. "We have strongest group of players, few of them are capable of surprising in IPL-III. At top of the order there is South African captain Graeme Smith like a rock," he said. (More) PTI DS DB SHN

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Rajpal's men seek SA win to finish strongly

Published>Sun, Mar 07 10 04:33 PM

New Delhi, March 7 -- India's players looked dejected as they trooped out of the ground after their narrow 4-3 defeat to England on Saturday. Such defeats normally affect the morale of the players and in case of an Indian team the confidence is always at its lowest after a defeat. Former India players normally talk of the atmosphere of hopelessness that surrounds the Indian teams after they start losing. If an Indian team is winning, there is no stopping it, as the morale is very high. If it loses couple of matches, no amount of pep talk pulls them out of the depths of despair. But this team is a bit different. Ever after three successive defeats in the Hero Honda FIH Men's Hockey World Cup, the boys came out on the turf a few minutes after the match to thank the crowd for their support. So Jose Brasa will not face much trouble in motivating his players as they can still achieve their best finish in a World Cup since 1998 at Utrecht, Netherlands, where India finished 9th. By beating South Africa in their final Pool B match on Monday, India can finish fourth in the group and play for the 7th and 8th position, which will be a big improvement for a team that finished 11th in the 2006 World Cup in Monchengladbach. Indian hockey has languished at the bottom for long and this will be the first step in the climb up the ladder. But beating South Africa will be easier said than done, because South Africa played brilliant hockey on Saturday to outgun Pakistan 4-3. India's players will not have missed seeing the scoreboard on Saturday as they stepped into the ground even as the Pakistanis and South Africans left. They will also have realised the enormity of the job in hand as they can't take South Africa lightly. On Saturday, Brasa agreed that the team was going on a learning curve and the experience of playing top teams will help them in future. "For the last seven months, I have always insisted that we are in a learning phase. At this stage we have to think of playing better rather than winning," said Brasa, suggesting that a 7th place finish would be a big step in that direction." We have to keep this bunch together and prepare them for the Asian Games," said Brasa.

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