Italy needs change and investment: Maldini

“In the 1990s we had seven great teams – Milan, Inter, Juventus, Parma, Lazio, Roma, Fiorentina.”

MIAMI: Italy’s Serie A needs radical change and investment if their struggling clubs are to compete for European trophies, former AC Milan captain Paolo Maldini has told Reuters.
No Italian club has made the Champions League semi-finals since Inter Milan won the title in 2010, with Serie A leaders Juventus’ 4-0 loss on aggregate to Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals causing consternation and Maldini said it was time for the league to look at the reasons why.
“To compete with the great teams in Europe, you have to invest money, there is no other way to reach that kind of level,” said Maldini, who earned 126 caps for Italy and holds Milan’s record for most appearances.
“You could see it with Juventus against Bayern. Juventus are a great team, especially in Italy, but when you compete with a team like Bayern, you can see the difference. They need at least two or three more great players.”
Maldini won the European Cup/Champions League five times during his 25-year career with Milan and played until 2009 when he retired at the age of 41 and he looks back with nostalgia on the years when Serie A was the top league in Europe.
“In the 1990s we had seven great teams – Milan, Inter, Juventus, Parma, Lazio, Roma, Fiorentina. If you look at the players, they were great players but there was some crazy investment and some teams went bankrupt, like Parma and Lazio.
“Then you had the Moratti and Berlusconi families who put in so much money and are still surviving, it is hard though.”
Maldini, widely considered one of the great defenders in world soccer in the last 30 years, has played no role in the game since hanging up his boots although he has now taken on an ‘ambassador’ position with the upcoming International Champions Cup tournament which will be held in the US from July.
Still looking as though he could comfortably handle 90 minutes at left-back, Maldini spends some of his time each year at his Miami Beach apartment having visited during the close-season throughout his career.
As well as enjoying the relaxed rhythm of South Beach life, Maldini, whose two sons are both in Milan’s youth teams, occasionally pops to watch LeBron James and the Miami Heat in the NBA and he said Italian soccer clubs could learn a lot from the business approach to sport in the US
“We should learn from this mentality. In Italy we still have laws that don’t work.
“If you go outside the San Siro (stadium) you can see people selling fake merchandising, it was like that when I started to play and it is still like that now. You can’t allow this.

“Then you have old stadiums, very old stadiums. San Siro is a historic stadium, it’s nice but it doesn’t offer comfort …we have to improve it.
“Above all we need to learn from leagues that make money from sports rather than lose money. Everyone is losing money in Italian football, it’s crazy.”
The only benefit Maldini can see from the lack of investment in Italian teams is that it is forcing clubs to give homegrown talent a chance.
“The positive is that clubs are looking to young players.
Italy has a lot of young players that maybe deserve more space.
Milan has Mattia De Sciglio and Stephan El Shaarawy, who maybe some years ago, would have been still on the bench,” he said.
But Maldini is not going to take on the role of reforming Italian soccer, at least not for some time.
“I’m not working in football. Basically I’m a father with two kids and taking some time for myself,” he said.
“I played for 25 years and I believe I need some space for myself.
“I’m doing different things, in different businesses and enjoying life.”

Salman Butt – a fall from grace

Former Pakistani cricketer Salman Butt addresses a news conference in Lahore on April 17, 2013.

KARACHI: Salman Butt, who on Wednesday lost his appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport against a spot-fixing ban, was once touted as a prospect to lead Pakistan for years to come.
The stylish opener was handed the captaincy after Shahid Afridi quit following a one-sided defeat against Australia at Lords in July 2010 and took little time in changing the fortunes of the embattled team.
Pakistan defeated Australia in the very next match by four wickets at Leeds — their first win over Test cricket’s best team for 15 years — and hopes of a new era were high.
But those hopes were short-lived as a month later several Pakistani players, including Salman, became embroiled in a spot-fixing scandal.
Britain’s News of the World claimed that seven Pakistani players, including Salman, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, took money from Mazhar Majeed to obey orders at specific stages in the Lord’s Test against England.
Scotland Yard detectives raided the team hotel, reportedly confiscating a huge amount of money from Salman’s room.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) provisionally suspended the players, then banned them from cricket for – Salman for 10 years. Worse was to come as in November 2011, a British court jailed all three players and Majeed.
For many in the game Salman’s alleged involvement came as a shock but not for those who knew of his love for expensive watches and luxury cars.
After the tour of India in 2007, the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit questioned Salman, Umar Gul and Danish Kaneria and warned them over the pitfalls involved in associating with certain businessmen.
Salman’s role again came under question during the team’s surprising defeat in the Sydney Test against Australia in January 2010 and later in the World Twenty20 held in the West Indies.
“There was no doubt about his huge talent,” said former captain Aamir Sohail, who gave Salman his first chance when chief of selectors in 2003.
“Over the years he really improved and was supposed to bring a lot to Pakistan cricket before these unfortunate events unfolded.”
Emerging from the streets of Lahore, Salman represented his country at all levels, leading Pakistan to the Asian Under-15 title in 1999 and then impressing in the Junior World Cup in 2002.
Salman’s brilliant match-winning hundred in a one-day match against India at Calcutta in late 2004 set his career on the right track and although he remained in and out of the squad, his talent was never in doubt.
Under former coach Bob Woolmer, Salman’s career flourished with hundreds at Sydney in January 2005 and another three-figure knock against Ashes-winning England at Multan.
Former captain Ramiz Raja, who had always praised Salman’s talents, was furious at seeing the captain caught up in the latest scandal.
“I felt he had the potential to play a long innings for Pakistan,” Raja told AFP.
“When you pin hopes on someone and he disappoints you then you yell out a scream.”
Salman, 28, has said that he believes he will play again but with the Swiss court having upheld the ICC ban, that now looks an unlikely prospect.

Troubled Asif faces end of career

Asif played 23 Tests and 38 one-day internationals and was regarded as one of the best new-ball bowlers in the world.

KARACHI: Pakistan paceman Mohammad Asif’s remarkable talent promised much more than he delivered.
Touted as one of the best new-ball bowlers, Asif’s career appears to have been struck a fatal blow on Wednesday after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected his appeal against a seven-year spot-fixing ban.
Along with teenage pace partner Mohammad Amir and captain Salman Butt, he was implicated in a News of the World sting, which claimed that several Pakistani players took money to perform specific orders pre-arranged with bookmakers during the Lord’s Test against England in August 2010.
In 2011 the three players were all banned by the International Cricket Council Tribunal, with Asif and Butt turning to CAS in a last-ditch attempt to get their bans voided.
Scandal is nothing new for 30-year-old Asif, whose brief five-year international career had more lows than highs.
Asif, along with another paceman Shoaib Akhtar, tested positive for a banned steroid in 2006.
He was banned for one year and Akhtar for two years, sanctions which were overturned on appeal, a decision which many felt encouraged Asif to continue flouting the rules.
He again failed a dope test in the inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL) season in 2008 and a two-year ban followed.
Asif suffered more misery when he was arrested at Dubai airport for possessing a banned drug.
He was detained for 19 days only to be deported after the police found the quantity of the substance “insufficient” to pursue a case.
Even after the ban ended, Asif’s career was hit by a scandal with South Asian film star and model Veena Malik, who alleged he owed her huge amounts of money.
And when the spot-fixing scandal broke, Veena called Asif an “eternal fixer”.
For many, Asif’s failure to act responsibly was disappointing.
“Asif has been through a lot in his life, with doping allegations and bans, but he clearly has not learned from his mistakes,” said former captain Ramiz Raja in 2011.
It was under Pakistan’s coach Bob Woolmer that Asif blossomed as a genuine swing bowler.
Woolmer picked him for Pakistan’s tour to Australia and although Asif went wicketless on his debut Test at Perth, Woolmer never lost faith in the lithe and determined fast bowler.
Asif claimed 11 wickets in a tour match against England in 2005 and was brought back into the national side for Pakistan’s final Test against India at home in 2006.
He took seven wickets in the win over India — including the prized wicket of Sachin Tendulkar — at Karachi, which also helped Pakistan clinch the series.
He followed it with 11 victims in Pakistan’s Test win at Galle, taking 17 wickets in the two Tests. His “five-for” also helped Pakistan beat South Africa in the Port Elizabeth Test in 2007.
But an elbow injury and worries over his disciplinary record forced Pakistan to withdraw him and Akhtar from the 2007 World Cup.
After he completed the IPL ban, Asif’s career seemed to be back on track until the ill-fated England tour where he grabbed 23 wickets in six Tests — two against Australia and four against the home team.

Badminton players charged over ‘thrown’ matches

LONDON: Eight women badminton players were charged by the sport’s governing body on Wednesday with “not using one’s best efforts to win a match” after two matches at the Olympics ended in controversy.
Four pairs in the women’s doubles competition – one from China, one from Indonesia and two from South Korea – could face disciplinary action after the Badminton World Federation (BWF) took action.
The players in two matches were booed off court at Wembley Arena in London on Tuesday after they appeared to deliberately serve into the net, or hit the shuttlecock long or wide.
It was apparently an attempt to manipulate the final standings in the first-round group stage with two pairs who had already qualified from the group stage jockeying to play against weaker opponents.
The match between the powerful Chinese pairing of Yu Yang and Wang Xiaoli and unseeded South Korean pair Jung Kyung and Kim Ha Na came under scrutiny after the Chinese lost heavily.
There were no rallies of more than four shots in the match.
Their defeat meant Yu and Wang avoided playing their compatriots Tian Qing and Zhao Yunlei, who had finished second in their group.
Yu said afterwards: “We’ve already qualified, so why would we waste energy? It’s not necessary to go out hard again when the knockout rounds are tomorrow.”
A later match in which South Korean third seeds Ha Je and Kim Min-Jung beat Indonesian pair Meiliana Juahari and Polii Greysia is also being investigated by the BWF.
Tournament referee Torsten Berg came on to court during that match to warn the players about their conduct and was thought to have shown a black card – meaning a dismissal – but it was apparently rescinded.
Berg said after the match: “We have looked seriously into the case and as referee I have taken a decision and made a report to the BWF which will be known in due course.”

Sri Lanka hire ex-ICC chief Lorgat

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s cash-strapped cricket board has appointed former International Cricket Council chief executive Haroon Lorgat as an advisor for three months, the board said on Tuesday.
South African Lorgat, 52, who quit the ICC in June after serving as CEO for four years, will assist in improving the “governance and administration” of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), a release from the board said.
“Mr. Lorgat has a wealth of knowledge and experience and we are delighted that he has agreed to work with us to improve the governance and administration of our cricket,” SLC president Upali Dharmadasa said.
“Mr. Lorgat is a seasoned administrator and I am excited that with his expertise we can work towards building a strong and sustainable future for SLC.”
The SLC is struggling to repay debts of around $70 million after building two new stadiums in Hambantota and Pallekele and renovating a third in Colombo for last year’s World Cup.

ICC allows non neutral umpires for Pak-Bangla series

The ICC Chief Executives' Committee says allowing umpires from the two countries would overcome any concerns for the safety of neutral officials.

Mourinho set to haunt Barca in semi-finals again

The league title is all but wrapped up for Barcelona

MADRID: Jose Mourinho is ready to haunt Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals again on Wednesday, this time with Real Madrid.

The Portuguese coach has always managed to rile Barca, where he spent some of his formative years as an assistant to Bobby Robson in the 1990s, and guided Inter Milan to victory against them in the semis last year on the way to Champions League glory.

Mourinho also crossed swords with Barca three times during his spell at Chelsea, twice bettering them over a ‘two-match series’.

His ability to ruffle the Catalan team’s feathers knows no end and he has outwitted them so far in the unprecedented ‘four-match series’ between the world’s two richest clubs.

A 1-1 league draw, when Real came back to level with 10 men on April 16, was followed by last Wednesday’s 1-0 extra-time victory in the King’s Cup final, Mourinho’s first trophy as coach of the Madrid side.

The league title is all but wrapped up for Barcelona but the tantalising prospect of a 10th European Cup triumph lies ahead for Real, and a third for Mourinho all with different teams.

Barca defender Gerard Pique refused to be drawn on the hot topics of debate after the first two ‘Clasicos’ such as the quality of the refereeing, the length of the grass at the Bernabeu and Real’s aggressive, ‘negative’ approach.

“The grass is long but I’m not going to cry about it,” the Spanish World Cup winner told daily El Pais of the pitch at Wednesday’s Bernabeu venue.

“It’s normal for them to take particular care over their defence and that they try to stop our passing game. Mourinho will use everything available to him.

POWERFUL TEAM

“At the end of the day they are a powerful team with very good forwards,” added Pique.

Breaking coach Pep Guardiola’s record of five consecutive ‘Clasico’ wins, including a 5-0 demolition of Mourinho’s team at the Nou Camp in November, and then winning the King’s Cup has dented Barca’s aura of invincibility.

Real have proved they can match their rivals with ultra-aggressive tactics that have not been to everyone’s liking, with the Madrid club having had a player sent off in the last three meetings between the sides.

The two clubs are the competition’s top scorers with 24 goals each but the previous two ‘Clasicos’ have been tense tussles with few sights of goal.

Madrid have packed the centre of the pitch with three holding players led by centre-back turned midfield-enforcer Pepe, ruthlessly denying Barca’s playmakers time and space while looking to break quickly.

Sami Khedira’s injury means Lassana Diarra will probably replace him in midfield while Mourinho may opt to play without a recognised number nine again as he did in the King’s Cup final.

At the back Ricardo Carvalho is suspended but Real’s defensive problems are not as acute as Barca’s.

The absence of Eric Abidal, Adriano Correia and Maxwell mean the returning Carles Puyol could be asked to fill in at left back while midfielder Javier Mascherano could play in defence again.

Any change in Barca’s standard 4-3-3 formation would probably be read as an acknowledgement that Real have worked out the way to play against Guardiola’s three magicians – Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi.

Probable teams:

Real Madrid: 1-Iker Casillas, 17-Alvaro Arbeloa, 4-Sergio Ramos, 18-Raul Albiol, 12-Marcelo; 10-Lassana Diarra, 3-Pepe, 14-Xabi Alonso; 22-Angel Di Maria, 9-Cristiano Ronaldo, 23-Mesut Ozil

Barcelona: 1-Victor Valdes; 2-Dani Alves, 14-Javier Mascherano, 3-Gerard Pique, 5-Carles Puyol; 8-Andres Iniesta, 16-Sergio Busquets, 6-Xavi; 17-Pedro, 10-Lionel Messi, 7-David Villa.