Money game is spiralling out of control Authorities have to stop rising fees and wages

Writer: WARAT THAVISIN

Published: 16/08/2009 at 12:00 AM

Newspaper section: Sports

Given the economic downturn, one might have been in shock to witness such a costly transfer market.

BIG BUCKS: Real Madrid bought Kaka from AC Milan for 56 million pounds.

With two transfer records and the rise of transfer fees, we have seen one of the most hectic transfer windows of all time.

In 1893, Aston Villa were criticised for damaging the game's spirit for buying Willie Groves from West Bromwich Albion for 100 - a world record fee that stood for 11 years.

With that sum, you can't even buy a pair of top-end boots these days. Kaka became the most expensive player when Real Madrid bought him from AC Milan for 56 million.

The record was soon broken when Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Real Madrid for an outrageous fee of 80 million.

These days 10 million seems to be able to buy only a decent player, and the effect of the rising transfer fees is wide ranging.

Firstly, there is the question about the clubs' financial status and stability.

Big English clubs such as Manchester United and Liverpool are operating in debt. Being forced to spend more money on players during the current economic crisis could have a damaging effect.

Value of many clubs have fallen significantly. The financial situation of English clubs could become worse if they still spend absurd sums on players as Uefa general-secretary David Taylor said: "It is raising the ante in terms of players cost, in terms of the general market place, which is not a thing that gives us a great deal of comfort in these difficult times."

TOP RANK: Cristiano Ronaldo is the world’s most expensive player at 80 million pounds.

Secondly, clubs with more money will undoubtedly become more and more influential. The obvious example is Manchester City who have spent some 100 million for new players in their attempt to challenge the Big Four.

With unlimited funds from their owners from the Middle East, City manager Mark Hughes may be the most envious coach although many fear that he could soon be sacked if his expensive side fail to deliver.

In the near future, a championship may be determined by money rather than ability.

The rise of the transfer fees has come with the increase in players' wages. Nowadays, many good - but not great - players enjoy a weekly wage in the region of 100,000 a week.

Over the years, we have seen a shift in the players' motivation from competing at the highest level to getting the highest wage.

No matter what players like Gareth Barry and Robinho told you, money was undoubtedly a major factor in their decision to join Man City.

Before his move from Aston Villa, Barry, who was once chased by Liverpool, said he wanted to play Champions League football but City did not qualify for the competition.

Is there a way to stop the money trend?

Salary cap or a limit to transfer fee could be an option for European football governing body Uefa. But this would affect or put an end to the "free market".

Clubs may be allowed to pay more than the limit of transfer fee but a percentage of the additional fee - say 10% - must be used to develop home-grown players.

For example, if the limit of transfer fee for a player is 25 million and a club pay 30 million, the club must give 500,000 (10% of the extra 5 million) to their academy.

This way, they may save millions of pounds in the future and get a new star from their own acdemy.

But it is not likely that big clubs would accept any measure that would curb their financial power because they are used to "buying" success.

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Japan's bad-boy Kameda to challenge the world again

Writer: AFP

Published: 11/08/2009 at 05:00 AM

Japanese boxer Daiki Kameda, back from a one-year ban for fighting dirty in a world title match two years ago, said Monday he would challenge a world champion again in October.

A referee signals to the judges two penalty points for Japanese challenger Daiki Kameda (R) after throwing Daisuke Naito to the canvas on the 12th round of their World Boxing Council (WBC) flyweight title bout in Tokyo, in 2007. Kameda, back from a one-year ban for fighting dirty in a world title match two years ago, said Monday he would challenge a world champion again in October.

The 20-year-old Kameda, ranked 11th in the World Boxing Association flyweight division, said he would fight title-holder Denkaosan Kaowichit of Thailand in his hometown of Osaka on October 6.

"I have worked hard and come a long way to make another challenge," Kameda told a news conference here. "Now it is me who will make it happen."

In his failed crack at a world title, he kicked, choked and repeatedly tackled World Boxing Council flyweight champion Daisuke Naito in Tokyo on October 11, 2007. The incident led promoters to be flooded with complaints from fans.

The Japan Boxing Commission suspended Kameda from prize fighting for a year and indefinitely barred his father Shiro Kameda from being a cornerman. The senior Kameda groomed all three of his sons to be brash boxers.

The eldest of the three sons is Koki Kameda, 22, who was World Boxing Association light flyweight champion from August 2006 to January 2007 when he gave up the title and stepped up to flyweight. Koki is now the top WBA contender.

Koki was also reprimanded by the commission for urging the boxer to fight dirty. The youngest son, Tomoki, is an 18-year-old bantamweight.

"It's been just two years since that time. I tried to learn about society as a human being in the first year. I have worked hard and produced results in the past year," Daiki said.

Denkaosan, who turns 33 this month, won the title from Japan's Takefumi Sakata in December last year. He retained it on a split decision against another Japanese Hiroyuki Hisataka in Uttaradit, Thailand, last May.

Kameda has a record of 14 wins, 10 of them by knockout, against one loss.

The Thai champion has 47 wins, 20 of them inside the distance, to his name against one draw and one loss.

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Friendly fire keeps teams busy

Writer: John Dykes

Published: 9/08/2009 at 12:00 AM

Newspaper section: Sports

It was a weekend of upsets - Liverpool crashing 3-0 to Espanyol, Spurs losing 2-0 at the hands of Hong Kong's South China and Newcastle even managing a draw against Dundee United - but it was an upset in a competitive league fixture that really caught my eye.

PRE-SEASON: Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard closes down Lyn’s Jo Inge during a friendly match in Norway last week.

In China's Super League, leaders Beijing Guo'an went down 3-2 away to the league's bottom side Chongqing Lifan. In doing so, they provided an ironic postscript to the Barclay's Asia Trophy.

When the Premier League's executives arrived in the Chinese capital, they did so with the intention of staging a tournament featuring a full-strength Beijing side whose league commitments had been postponed to allow them to give it their all.

They soon learned that the Chinese Football Association had decided it would rather Beijing honoured those commitments.

Rather than incurring the wrath of either host (country or organiser), let's just say it has been alleged that someone, somewhere went back on an agreement.

The upshot: faced with an itinerary which called for Asia Trophy matches on Wednesday and Friday and then a two-hour flight to Chongqing for the league game, Beijing coach Lee Jang-soo did what he thought was right.

He withdrew his key players at regular intervals during the second half of the opening game against Hull, and arguably cost his team a victory that looked highly likely (they eventually lost in a penalty shoot-out).

Then, faced with a "meaningless" third-place play-off against West Ham, Lee put out a "Beijing" side which piqued the curiosity of local journalists.

"Could you please tell us a bit about tonight's starting lineup," asked one reporter at the post-match press conference following their 2-0 defeat. "For instance, who were those players?"

Lee, you see, had drafted in a collection of Beijing-based foreign footballers who aren't actually contracted to Guo'an, along with some youth team players. To be fair, they put up a decent enough showing to maintain the integrity of the match in which they were involved (and the tournament for that matter), but Beijing's "rested" first team still managed to lose in Chongqing despite Lee's efforts.

The shame of it is that a full-strength Guo'an would have made the Asia Trophy final and ensured a raucous sell-out crowd. They would also have given Spurs more of a challenge in the final than they received from the weak Hull starting XI named by Phil Brown.

As it happened, Spurs looked a genuinely classy outfit in Beijing before they too played a Sunday fixture they could have done without and saw their young side beaten in Hong Kong.

The point here is that many of the scorelines from friendly matches played over the past fortnight have made for unusual reading at first glance. Gain a little more information on team lineups, fitness, weather conditions and travel plans, though, and one begins to get a clearer understanding of these results.

So, what have we learned from Manchester United's eight-goal romp against Hangzhou compared to, say, Chelsea's wins over Inter and AC Milan, or Arsenal's romp against Rangers?

Well, we know that the "Big Four" managers could all do with buying players. No-one is writing off Manchester City's chances, given the money spent, but Tottenham have also caught the eye.

We have also been reminded that Liverpool look fairly ordinary if Gerrard and Torres aren't playing. That said, former West Ham players Tony Gayle and Tony Cottee (in Beijing with the Hammers) both tipped Liverpool as the team to upset United and Chelsea in the race for the title.

But another seasoned football-watcher, who was working in China last week, made the following observation: don't write off Arsenal.

While conventional wisdom has it that Arsenal's place in the "Big Four" looks the most threatened, renowned football commentators Martin Tyler pointed out that the UK football gambling markets have seen heavy bets placed this past week on Arsenal to win the title.

With odds as long as 10-1 from most bookmakers, many punters feel Wenger's youngsters may just be worth a look, especially if the manager does decide to spend some of the money raised by the sale of Adebayor and Toure.

With the transfer window open well beyond the start of the EPL season, there is still scope for Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea to make signings that ultimately take the title out of Arsenal's reach.

Until we know what has happened in the market, we have to limit ourselves to acknowledging that all of the above clubs have been steadily working their way towards match fitness this pre-season. Just as they always do, and in spite of some eccentric results in exotic locations.

Spare a thought, though, for Beijing Guo'an and the effect that a EPL pre-season could have on their own 2009 campaign. Here's hoping they too can shrug off a surprising defeat and get back to winning ways Read more!

Triumphant return for Roddick after Wimbledon

Writer: AFP

Published: 6/08/2009 at 09:00 AM

US top seed Andy Roddick made a triumphant return in his first match since a heartbreaking Wimbledon final loss, defeating Germany's Benjamin Becker 6-3, 6-2 at the ATP Washington Classic.

US top seed Andy Roddick, seen here, made a triumphant return in his first match since a heartbreaking Wimbledon final loss, defeating Germany's Benjamin Becker 6-3, 6-2 at the ATP Washington Classic

Fifth-ranked Roddick fired eight aces and overpowered his 47th-ranked rival in 55 minutes to reach a third-round match against either countryman Sam Querrey or Russia's Igor Kunitsyn at the 1.4 million-dollar hardcourt event.

Swiss superstar Roger Federer outlasted Roddick in a five-set thriller at the All-England Club last month to claim his record 15th Grand Slam title, but not before Roddick pushed him through the longest fifth set in Slam history.

Roddick, a three-time champion at Washington, broke Becker in the second game of the match and lost only three points on his serve in the opening set, which he ended with his fifth ace.

Roddick, whose only Grand Slam title came at the 2003 US Open, broke Becker at love in the fifth game of the second set and cruised home from there.

Former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero ousted Spanish Davis Cup teammate and seventh seed Tommy Robredo 6-3, 6-2.

Ferrero, who snapped a five-year win drought in April at Casablanca and won the deciding match in Spain's Davis Cup quarter-final tie against Germany last month, advanced with ease to face German Tommy Haas for a quarter-final spot.

"I was a little bit surprised. I expected a tougher match," Ferrero said. "I was hitting the ball well. I put a lot of pressure on his backhand and he was making some mistakes. I pushed and pushed him all the way."

Ferrero, the 2003 French Open champion, lost to Russian Nikolay Davydenko in a clay final at Umag, Croatia. While playing well, Ferrero expects Rafael Nadal and others to lead the Spanish Davis Cup side in the semi-finals.

"It's going to be tough but there have been a few times I've had a chance to make a great result," Ferrero said. "I will have to keep playing at this same level."

Croatia's big-serving Ivo Karlovic fired 18 aces to defeat Germany's Rainer Schuettler 6-4, 7-5 and book a third-round match against India qualifier Somdev Devvarman, who upset Croatian sixth seed Marin Cilic in the second round.

"If Ivo is serving well, it's hard to even get a look," Devvarman said.

Devvarman downed lanky Karlovic in January at Chennai in a run to the final in his hometown but lost the championship match to Cilic.

"He's extremely fast," Karlovic said of Devvarman. "In India, it was the first week of the year so I was not into it. Now it will be a different match and hopefully I will win."

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Mickelson returns as wife, mother doing well in cancer fight

Writer: AFP

Published: 6/08/2009 at 07:00 AM

Phil Mickelson returns to competition after a six-week layoff helping his wife and mother through breast cancer treatments when the World Golf Championships Bridgestone Invitational begins on Thursday.

Phil Mickelson of USA looks on during a practice round of the World Golf Championship Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. Mickelson returns to competition after a six-week layoff helping his wife and mother through breast cancer treatments when the World Golf Championships Bridgestone Invitational begins on Thursday.

The three-time major winner skipped last month's British Open at Turnberry, snapping the longest active run of playing in majors at 61, but has seen his wife Amy and his mother make significant improvement through treatment.

"Things at home are going much better. We've had a great six weeks," said Mickelson. "We're in a much better place now than we were. I'm excited about that. I'm excited about the chance to play a little golf too."

World number two Mickelson has not played a competitive round since settling for his record fifth runner-up showing at the US Open in mid-June and returns in time to use this 8.5 million-dollar event as a tuneup for next week's PGA Championship.

"Mentally right now I'm in a much better place because we're just in a better place than where we were waiting to get (treatment) started," Mickelson said.

"I just feel very fortunate to be where we're at. We still have a lot to go through but we're just in a much better place.

"The most important thing is that Amy and my mom are doing well, I'm excited about that and it lets me practice a little bit with a better frame of mind. The week before the PGA is a great week to get ready."

Fiji's Vijay Singh won the Bridgestone event last year to become the winningest non-US player in PGA history and went on to win the Barclays and Deutsche Bank titles on the way to the US PGA playoff title.

World number one Tiger Woods, a six-time winner at this event, will make the second of three starts in a row this week after taking his fourth title of the season last week at the Buick Open.

Woods won the Bridgestone from 1999-2001 and again from 2005-2007.

Mickelson put away his clubs for a month to concentrate on caring for his family but has practiced over the past two weeks and is confident his game will be competitive.

"I won't know exactly until I play, but I'm optimistic," Mickelson said. "I expect to play like I always have. I expect to play well. I think that mental rehearsal is every bit as important as physical rehearsal.

"When I had my nurse gown on, I would mentally rehearse shots and stuff to just keep myself sharp, even though I wasn't touching a club. So when I came back and was finally able to swing a club, I was able to play fairly decently."

Having his wife and mother detect their cancer early is a greater break than Mickelson has ever found on a golf course.

"We've been able to have some wonderful care. Not only have the doctors been incredible in their science, but they've also been very compassionate to us. We feel lucky to be, for a bad situation, in as good a situation as it can be.

"As we did research and saw there was a lot of treatment and had many of our questions answered, it got easier and easier. Although it'll never be easy. It's a life-long disease and it's something that's never easy."

Mickelson would not commit to October's Presidents Cup, saying it would be at least a year before he could plan on competing in an event two months ahead.

"If you had asked me two months ago would I be able to play again in August, I didn't think that would be possible, but we've had some good things happen," Mickelson said. "I just don't want to commit to anything long-term."

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Football: Samaras creates European history for Celtic

Writer: AFP

Published: 6/08/2009 at 02:59 AM

Greek international Georgios Samaras scored a goal in added on time here on Wednesday to give Scottish giants Celtic a superb 2-0 victory over Dynamo Moscow in their Champions League third preliminary round second leg clash to progress 2-1 on aggregate.

Greek international Georgios Samaras, seen here in 2008, scored a goal in added on time here on Wednesday to give Scottish giants Celtic a superb 2-0 victory over Dynamo Moscow in their Champions League third preliminary round second leg clash to progress 2-1 on aggregate.

Samaras - who was sent on by new manager Tony Mowbray in the 79th minute to replace the other goalscorer Australian Scott McDonald - notched his first goal in European competition for the club and created history as Celtic overturned a first leg deficit away from home for the first time in Europe.

Celtic - who were ending a dismal 22-game winless spell for the Old Firm giants away from home - dominated the match and will hope for a kindly draw on Friday for the final qualifying round which if they are successful in will see them make the lucrative group stage.

Mowbray said his side more than merited the victory.

"Over the two matches I think the better team came through the tie," said Mowbray, who played for Celtic from 1991-95.

"I thought we controlled the game for long spells and we got what we deserved in the end."

McDonald had given them the lead a minute before half-time when he headed Andreas Hinkel's cross past Vladamir Gabulov.

And with the game looking to be heading to extra-time it was Samaras who went on a mazy run before slotting past the keeper.

In what was a must win game Mowbray made only one change to the side which lost against the Russians in Glasgow with new signing Daniel Fox coming in for the injured Lee Naylor in defence.

Last week's Dynamo goalscorer Alexander Korobin dropped to the bench as Dynamo welcomed back captain Dmitry Khokhlov, who was suspended for the first leg.

Celtic looked up for the challenge right from the start as they enjoyed lots of early possession but failed to create any clear cut chances as McDonald and Marc-Antoine Fortune failed to click up front.

It was Dynamo who fashioned the first shooting opportunity with Alexander Kerzhakov curling a tame effort at Artur Boruc from 25 yards which the keeper easily gathered.

Celtic took until the half-hour mark to have their first shot on target with Shaun Maloney firing in a shot from 25 yards out but it trundled into the arms of Gabulov.

After some good build-up play from Celtic's loan signing Landry Nguemo was next to try his luck from distance but his tame effort didn't trouble the keeper.

In the 44th minute - and with the half looking like ending goalless - McDonald popped up to head Celtic into the lead.

Fortune laid the ball off for German international Hinkel to send a deep cross to the back post where the diminutive Australian rose above Denis Kolodin to steer his header past Gabulov and level the tie.

Dynamo looked to respond immediately and from a corner Khokhlov lashed in a shot at the back post but his effort was cleared off the line.

Dynamo started the second-half positively as they looked for a goal that would avoid extra-time. With 52 minutes gone a mistake by Hinkel allowed the ball to break to Dmitry Kombarov at the edge of the box and he drilled a low shot just past Boruc's post.

The Russians came agonisingly close to equalising three minutes later when Kirill Kombarov's header from twin Dmitry's corner was cleared off the line by Hinkel, who atoned for his earlier mistake, with Polish international Boruc beaten.

With seconds remaining it was Samaras who went on a mazy run in the Dynamo box before sending a low shot past Gabulov to seal a memorable win.

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Football: Domenech stuns Ribery with call-up

Writer: AFP

Published: 4/08/2009 at 01:59 AM

France coach Raymond Domenech has sprung a surprise by naming Bayern Munich midfielder Franck Ribery in his 22-man squad for the World Cup qualifier with the Faroe Isles in Torshavn on August 12.

France coach Raymond Domenech has sprung a surprise by naming Bayern Munich midfielder Franck Ribery, seen here in May 2009, in his 22-man squad for the World Cup qualifier with the Faroe Isles in Torshavn on August 12.

Ribery is still recovering from a knee unjury and, having last trained on July 12, indicated recently he was not yet match fit.

Domenech said that since Ribery could play for Bayern in their German Bundesliga opener next week, he would have no qualms about using the midfielder for "a brief spell".

"Franck said he would not be match fit for a full match but I've since spoken to him by telephone," said Domenech.

"He is back training with Bayern, and he could play against Hoffenheim (on August 8) and so he could be useful for us even if it's just for a brief spell.

"I wouldn't have called him up if he was in pain. That's not the way I operate."

Meanwhile former midfield marshal Patrick Vieira has not made the squad.

The 33-year-old France skipper has already resumed training with his club Inter Milan but, despite nursing an injured thumb, appears to be paying the price for an apparent lack of form.

Making his return to the squad after a seven-month absence, Vieira was uninspiring in France's 1-0 defeat to Nigeria in a June 2 friendly.

The Frenchman also failed to impress in Inter's friendly against Monaco last week.

While claiming he did not base his decision on Vieira's performance in either match, Domenech was unequivocal about which path Vieira had to take to fight his way back into the team.

"Pat needs a lot of match time before getting back to his normal level," said Domenech.

"He's the captain of France, we know what he brings to the team but he needs to play, get a long series of matches under his belt.

"I hope he starts playing, at Inter Milan or elsewhere, as much as possible."

In Vieira's absence Barcelona forward Thierry Henry wears the captain's armband.

France have an eight-point deficit to group 7 leaders Serbia although 'Les Bleus' have played two games less.

The winners of each group qualify automatically for the World Cup finals in South Africa next summer, with the best runners-up being forced into a play-off.

Squad

Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Lyon), Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Cedric Carrasso (Bordeaux)

Defenders: Eric Abidal (Barcelona/ESP), Julien Escude (Sevilla/ESP), Patrice Evra (Manchester United/ENG), Rod Fanni (Rennes), William Gallas (Arsenal/ENG), Bacary Sagna (Arsenal/ENG), Sebastien Squillaci (Sevilla/ESP)

Midfielders: Alou Diarra (Bordeaux), Lassana Diarra (Real Madrid/ESP), Yoann Gourcuff (Bordeaux), Florent Malouda (Chelsea/ENG), Moussa Sissoko (Toulouse), Jeremy Toulalan (Lyon), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich/GER)

Forwards: Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea/ENG), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid/ESP), Thierry Henry (Barcelona/ESP), Andre-Pierre Gignac (Toulouse), Loic Remy (Nice)

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Roddick ready to return after Wimbledon heartbreak

Writer: AFP

Published: 4/08/2009 at 02:59 AM

Andy Roddick declared himself mentally and physically ready for his return to competition after a month off following his heartbreaking loss to Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final.

Andy Roddick of the US, seen here during the award ceremony after the men's final at Wimbledon in July 2009, declared himself mentally and physically ready for his return to competition after a month off following his heartbreaking loss to Roger Federer at Wimbledon.

The fifth-ranked US star will be back on the court Wednesday after a first-round bye at the 1.4 million-dollar ATP Washington Classic, having found perspective about the Swiss star's historic marathon five-set victory.

"Heartbreaking for me, but at the same time not a lot of people get a chance to play for that title. That was not lost on me," Roddick said Monday.

"Was it the greatest loss I've had as far as afterward?... Yeah, that hurt. But at the same time it's still a pretty good existence to play matches like that.

"I don't sit back and cry in my Cheerios."

Federer won his sixth Wimbledon title and career record 15th Grand Slam crown 5-7, 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 16-14. Roddick pushed him for four hours and 16 minutes, holding 37 service games in a row before dropping the last in the July 5 epic.

Asked how he got over the loss, Roddick replied, "I'll keep you posted."

Putting the defeat in perspective has proven elusive as Roddick, whose only Grand Slam title came at the 2003 US Open, sees himself little differently than before.

"It changes daily. I don't think I really understand," Roddick said. "For me it's probably not the same but I understand it might be a good story.

"I've been a pretty good player throughout my career regardless of what has taken place in the last six weeks."

A day after the longest fifth set in Grand Slam final history, Roddick withdrew from a US Davis Cup quarter-final tie at Croatia with a right hip flexor, an injury Roddick said no longer troubles him.

"I feel great. I decided not to make the error of coming back until I was physically ready to play an event," Roddick said. "It's not the type of injury where I expect anything lingering."

The only thing Roddick expects to linger from the thriller loss to Federer as he begins hardcourt matches ahead of the US Open is the emotional lift brought by the entire Wimbledon fortnight's work.

"It does help my confidence going into the US Open that I was able to navigate my way through a major tournament," Roddick said.

"I'm not going to come in expecting to pick up where I left off a month ago. It's a process. This is the start of the process for the US Open. It would be presumptuous of me to expect that in my first match back after a month."

Roddick, who turns 27 on the eve of the US Open, will play fellow American Robby Ginepri or Germany's Benjamin Becker in his first match. Hot-handed US rival Sam Querrey, the champion Sunday at Los Angeles, could await after that.

Roddick has worked to keep his emotions in balance better than in the early days of his career, saying his normal evolution has played out before the world step by step.

"I've pretty much been portrayed as every style thing you can be," Roddick said. "After Wimbledon you are Andy Everyman, who everybody is rooting for. I think the meat and potatoes of who I am hasn't been covered yet."

Roddick, 39-9 this year and two wins shy of 500 career ATP triumph, won his 27th career title at Memphis in February. He won titles at Washington in 2001, 2005 and 2007.

Roddick, who married model Brooklyn Decker on April 17, credits improved nutrition and fitness for better position on the court to enable superior shotmaking.

"It was just a matter of what avenues hadn't I explored," Roddick said. "Once confidence is there, it makes the decision-making process a lot easier when you want to pull the trigger on shots.

"I wasn't playing amazing at Wimbledon until the semis and final. There's still a lot of work to be done."

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