ARSENAL CEO DISMISSES TALK OF FIRING WENGER GERRARD TO RETURN FOR LIVERPOOL IN LEAGUE CUP ITALY CRUSHES RUSSIA FOR WC RECORD WIN PAGE 26 | THE PITCH PAGE 26 | THE PITCH PAGE 27 | THE DOMAIN The big one TODAY’S GOLF THOUGHT You must do the things you think you cannot do FOOTBALL OLYMPIC QUALIFIERS Qatar vs Saudi Arabia (Riyadh) Rivera sets MLB record for most saves –Eleanor Roosevelt Wednesday, September 21, 2011 Qatar targets winning start Asian Olympic qualifiers from today TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK DOHA AFP NEW YORK NEW York Yankees closing relief ace Mariano Rivera set a Major League Baseball record with his 602nd career save, throwing a perfect ninth inning on Monday to complete a 6-4 victory over Minnesota. Two days after the 41-year-old Panamanian right-hander equaled the all-time saves mark set by Trevor Hoffman, he baffled the Twins’ final three batters for his 43rd save of the year and 14th consecutive converted save opportunity. “This moment is great,” Rivera said. “It has been wonderful. My team has been wonderful. We won. That’s the most important thing.” The Yankees jumped ahead 5-0 after three innings before Minnesota rallied within a run, then added an insurance run in the sixth to set the stage for Rivera’s bid at history. In the top of the ninth inning, Minnesota’s Trevor Plouffe grounded out to second base and Michael Cuddyer flew out to right field to build the drama. Rivera managed the final bow himself, striking out Chris Parmelee to finish off his quest for the record. Parmelee watched the called third strike rocket past him into the catcher’s glove to complete the feat. “I never dreamed about this,” Rivera said. “From Panama to now, it was a tremendous journey. It’s wonderful to be number one. My whole country is supporting me. I thank them for that.” A raucous crowd stood during the entire ninth inning at Yankee Stadium and roared with delight after Rivera made the final out. Teammates ran and hugged him to celebrate. QATAR, under its new coach Paulo Autuori, will aim to kickoff the third and final round campaign for the 2012 London Olympic Games against host Saudi Arabia on winning note, on Wednesday. Brazil’s 55-year-old master tactician Autuori, who has been entrusted a long-term responsibility to shape the Gulf nation into a strong team, was appointed the national team’s incharge last month. The man, who led Sau Paulo to the FIFA World Clubs Cup besides guiding both Sau Paulo and Cruzeiro to the Copa Libertadores titles, faces the first big competitive test tomorrow at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia had staged a comeback from a goal down before winning the third place against Qatar when the latter had organised the GCC under-23 championship in August. But in Riyadh, Qatar will be looking to avenge the loss to have a positive start to the group matches. And Autuori is quite capable of coming up with a gameplan to upset the neighbours. Both Qatar and Saudi Arabia are clubbed with South Korea and Oman in the group A. Korea hosts Oman in Changwon and will be eyeing a winning start against the visitors. According to an AFP report from Hong Kong, Asian football’s other two giants Japan and Australia are also looking to make strong starts tomorrow. All the three heavyweights will be hot favourites to top their Qatar’s coach Paulo Autuori. Qatar’s Nasser Nabil (right) fights for the ball with Iraq’s Nabil Sayah during a friendly soccer match, held in Doha, recently. (REUTERS) respective groups and secure qualification as 12 teams jostle for coveted slots at the London Games. Australia, fresh from routing Yemen 7-0 over two legs in the previous round, face unfancied United Arab Emirates in Adelaide, with coach Aurelio Vidmar confident his side can reach the Olympics. “There’s good spirit, the players are super keen and what I like most is they’re a close, tight, group,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald. “The important thing is to win your home games, which is why we need to get off to a good start.” The other fixture in Group B is in Tashkent and sees Uzbekistan taking on Iraq, who reached the group stage by beating arch-rivals Iran. South Korean coach Hong Myung-Bo sees the group opener as key to qualifying for London and has stressed the importance of good preparation for the away games. “Our preparations will be impor- tant against those tough teams,” Hong said after the draw, according to Yonhap news agency. “There are no easy games in the final round.” For Japan, who beat Australia earlier this year in the final of the Asian Cup, the reward for beating Kuwait is a Group C home game in Tosu against Malaysia, who held out for a dogged win over Lebanon in the last round. Malaysia’s coach Ong Kim Swee acknowledged his side are long- shots for qualification but identified home matches as the key to their chances. Syria take on Bahrain in Group C’s other game, which has been moved to the Jordanian capital Amman following a bloody crackdown by Damascus on anti-government protests. The teams are divided into three groups of four and play each other home and away. The winners qualify for the Olympics automatically, while runners-up in each group play a three-way roundrobin. The winner of that contest enters a play-off with a side from the African confederation to advance to next summer’s showpiece event. Men’s football is played as an under-23 tournament at the Olympics, although the rules allow for three over-age players. The group stage wraps up in March next year. AFC OLYMPICS QUALIFIERS Group A In Changwon South Korea v Oman In Riyadh Saudi Arabia v Qatar Group B In Tashkent Uzbekistan v Iraq In Adelaide Australia v United Arab Emirates Group C In Amman Syria v Bahrain In Tosu Japan v Malaysia Aussies win series as Clarke hits ton Third Test against Lanka ends in a draw AFP COLOMBO Australian cricketers, led by captain Michael Clarke (centre), with the trophy after drawing the third Test match against Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, in Colombo, on Tuesday. (AFP) Sports line AUSTRALIA clinched the Test series against Sri Lanka 1-0 Tuesday after resurgent skipper Michael Clarke led from the front to snatch a draw for the tourists in the finely poised third and final game. For Clarke it was a victorious first Test tour as captain, the series win coming after the 125run defeat of the hosts in the opening encounter in Galle. The second Test in Pallekele ended in a rain-affected draw. Clarke said he was delighted at his team’s performance after receiving the series trophy named after spin legends Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan. The skipper burst into form with a fluent century and Michael Hussey narrowly missed a third consecutive hundred as Australia piled up 488 in their second innings before they were all out shortly before close with a lead of 331. Sri Lanka was 7-0 from two overs in their second knock when the match was called off at the Sinhalese Sports Club in the capital Colombo. Clarke, who replaced Ricky Ponting as captain, hit 112 and Hussey made 93 in a remarkable batting revival after the tourists had conceded a first innings lead of 157 runs in good batting condi- tions. Clarke, who went 23 innings without a Test century since making 168 against New Zealand in March last year, hammered 14 boundaries and three sixes in his robust knock. Rangana Herath finished with remarkable figures of 7-157 on an unhelpful pitch, his last wicket giving him 100 Test scalps in 29 matches. Hussey continued his amazing run in the series, scoring 463 runs in five innings at an average of 92.60, but missed out on a century in each innings of this match. SCOREBOARD Australia (1st innings): 316 Sri Lanka (1st innings): 473 Australia (2nd innings, overnight 209-3): S. Watson lbw b Herath21 P. Hughes c Thirimanne b Herath 126 S. Marsh c Thirimanne b Herath 18 R. Ponting c M. Jayawardene b Herath 28 M. Clarke c Paranavitana b Herath112 M. Hussey c Welegedara b Dilshan 93 B. Haddin c Lakmal b Herath 30 M. Johnson c Eranga b Welegedara 4 P. Siddle lbw b Herath26 T. Copeland c Paranavitana b Eranga3 N. Lyon not out 1 E x t r a s : (b5, lb11, nb4, w6) 26 Total (all out, 138.5 overs) 488 F a l l o f w i c k e t s : 1-62 (Watson), 2-122 (Marsh), 3-188 (Ponting), 4-220 (Hughes), 5-396 (Clarke), 6-448 (Hussey), 7-452 (Johnson), 8471 (Haddin), 9-486 (Siddle), 10-488 (Copeland). B o w l i n g : Eranga 18.5-2-62-1 (nb1, w5), Lakmal 22-2-86-0 (nb3, w1), Welegedara 24-388-1, Herath 52-11-157-7, Dilshan 19-0-62-1, Thirimanne 1-0-7-0, Paranavitana 2-0-10-0. Sri Lanka (2nd innings): T. Paranavitana not out2 L. Thirimanne not out 4 E x t r a s : (w1) 1 Total (for no loss, two overs) 7 B o w l i n g : Copeland 1-0-3-0 (w1), Lyon 1-0-4-0. Man of the Match: Michael Hussey Man of the Series: Michael Hussey Djokovic may miss Shanghai masters Denmark claims cycling gold Rahim new Bangladesh captain BELGRADE Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, the world tennis number one seed, has a back injury and hinted to a Serbian paper on Tuesday that he might miss the China Open and the Shanghai ATP masters 1000 in October. “I have a partial tear of a (back) muscle which needs rest (...) it is hard to say how much time off I need after only one exam, we will determine that in the days to come,” Djokovic told the sports daily Sportske Novosti. COPENHAGEN Denmark’s Mads Wurtz Schmidt handed the hosts their first gold medal of the road world championships on Tuesday when he powered to victory in the junior men’s time trial. Schmidt, 17, clocked a winning time of 35min 07sec for the 27.8 km course, held over two laps in Copenhagen, to leave 18year-old New Zealander James Oram in the silver medal position. DHAKA Mushfiqur Rahim has been named Bangladesh’s new captain for the upcoming home series against the West Indies and Pakistan, an official said on Tuesday. Allrounder Mohammad Mahmudullah was named Rahim’s deputy, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) spokesman Rabeed Imam said. “Rahim will captain the national team for Tests and limited-over matches for the home series against the twin series,” he said. Wednesday, September 21, 2011 THE DOMAIN Aussie coach Nielsen quits on winning note www.qatar-tribune.com RUGBY WORLD CUP Italy crushes Russia for WC record win AFP Tim Nielsen. AP COLOMBO AUSTRALIA national coach Tim Nielsen has decided to step down rather than reapply for his job, he said on Tuesday, soon after the team posted a 1-0 Test series win over Sri Lanka in Colombo. Nielsen, 43, who held the job for four years, would have had to reapply for the expanded role of head coach, a post which is being created following recommendations made by the seven-month Argus Review of Australian cricket. He had been due to stay on in the current role for next month’s tour of South Africa before a new head coach was appointed, but Australia will now have to look for an interim coach. Nielsen told reporters in Colombo he was not interested in applying for the revised job position. “The review process has come up with some recommendations that are meant for Australian cricket to get better,” he said. ITALY hammered debutant Russia 53-17 on Tuesday to keep their World Cup hopes alive with their biggest ever win in the tournament. The Six Nations team raced out of the blocks with six tries in the first half before Russia, who celebrated their historic first ever World Cup tries, recovered with a vastly improved second period. The bonus-point win keeps Italy in the running for the quarter-finals despite their opening loss to Australia, with a crunch encounter with Ireland looming on October 2. “We started the game very well, the first half I was very happy with,” said Italy’s South African coach, Nick Mallet. “And then we got a bit loose and I made a lot of changes. But give them credit, they played some very nice, attacking rugby, held on to the ball and ran at us. “So I was very relieved that we dominated the first phases as much as we did because if they had too much more ball it might have been a bit more difficult for us.” Italy’s scrum savaged the Russian forwards in the first half and they capitalised on a host of errors as captain Sergio Parisse surged through a gap in the defence to open Iran, China & South Korea unbeaten AFP WUHAN (CHINA) GIANT centre Hamed Haddadi had 12 points and 12 rebounds on Tuesday as Iran remained unbeaten at the Asian Basketball Championships with a 76-45 win over Lebanon, joining host China and South Korea in the ranks of the undefeated. The Memphis Grizzlies centre also anchored a defence that stifled Lebanon’s shooters all game, while Haddadi’s teammates Samad Bahrami and Hamed Afagh helped with the scoring load, netting 16 points NELSON (NEW ZEALAND) South Korea improved its record by beating Taiwan 82-61 behind 19 points from sharpshooter Cho Sung-Min. TIMELY TACKLE Salvatore Perugini of Italy is tackled by Alexander Voytov of Russia during the 2011 Rugby World Cup pool C match, in Nelson, on Tuesday. (AFP) the scoring on six minutes. Winger Giulio Toniolatti then scored twice in 10 minutes either side of a try by Tommaso Benvenuti, who pounced when a loose ball slid under the diving body of the last Russian defender. Italy were awarded a penalty try when their forwards crushed the Russian scrum but they suffered a blow when Fabio Ongaro was sin-binned for a thumping, shoulder-first collision which laid out fullback Igor Klyuchnikov. And Russia took full advantage when replacement scrum-half Alexander Yanyushkin darted through for an unorthodox, over-thehead score after landing on his back in the tackle — the country’s first ever try at the World Cup. Gori crossed just before half-time to make it 38-7 at the break and Benvenuti grabbed his second eight minutes into the second period, but Russia were not done and Vladimir Ostroushko motored over on the right to keep the scores at 43-12. Australian-born Luke McLean got Italy’s eighth try on 64 minutes but Alexey Makovetskiy received a looping cut-out pass in acres of space on the right to raise Russian hopes of a bonuspoint fourth try. 27 apiece for the defending champions. “This was a good game for us, we respect Lebanon, they play a very physical game,” said Iran point guard Mahdi Kamrany, “this will help us in the games to come.” Iran will play South Korea on Wednesday in the final game of Group E play, with both teams remaining unbeaten here at five wins and no losses. South Korea improved its record by beating Taiwan 8261 behind 19 points from sharpshooter Cho Sung-Min, but Korea’s chances could be hurt after top scorer Oh SeKeun and former Portland Trailblazer centre Ha SeungJin limped from the game due to injury. China also remained unbeaten fighting to a physical 93-60 win over Jordan to remain at the top of the table in Group F and keeping their hopes alive to win Asia’s only automatic spot to the 2012 London Olympics with a gold medal here. The hosts were led by Washington Wizard power forward Yi Jianlian with 16 points and nine rebounds, while Yi Li and Sun Yue scored 14 points apiece for the winners. In an earlier Group F match, Marcus Douthit scored 25 points and grabbed 18 rebounds as the Philippines ended Japan’s four-game winning streak with a 83-76 victory. Japan face China on Wednesday, while the Philippines can ensure a top quarter-final seed with a win over Syria. In other group actions on Tuesday, Malaysia beat Uzbekistan 34-33 in Group E, while Syria knocked off the United Arab Emirates 48-35 in Group F. RESULTS Group E Malaysia 34 Uzbekistan 33 Iran 76 Lebanon 45 South Korea 82 Taiwan 61 Group F Syria 48 United Arab Emirates 35 Philippines 83 Japan 76 China 93 Jordan 60 A new and dynamic media company seeks print journalists to fulfill the following functions REPORTERS I I I JOBS! We are looking forward to your application to join our group of smart and savvy news professionals I A graduate degree, preferably in Journalism or English Literature Knowledge of Arabic an added advantage Good knowledge of Qatar and the region Possession of a valid Qatari driving licence preferable COPY EDITORS I I I I Having sound knowledge of Quark Xpress 6.5 in Macintosh A graduate degree, preferably Journalism or English Literature Should have a good command over English grammar The ability to make pages with speed and accuracy Attractive remuneration packages. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. SECRETARIAL STAFF Please email your resume to jobsqatar2010@gmail.com I I I I A graduate degree Fluent in English Good computer skills Systematic, methodical and hard working 26 Wednesday, September 21, 2011 THE PITCH www.qatar-tribune.com Football ROUNDUP English FA warns Newcastle coach Hernandez to resume training Munich player hurt in house fire LONDON Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has received a warning by the Football Association after being found guilty of improper conduct for speaking about a referee ahead of an English Premier League match.The FA didn’t specify which comment prompted the charge, although it is widely believed to stem from Pardew’s plea to referee Howard Webb to protect midfielder Joey Barton from being targeted by Sunderland players in the August 20 match. Pardew denied the charge.The FA said on Tuesday “the case was found proven and Pardew was warned as to his future conduct.” LONDON Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez is set to resume training this week after avoiding serious injury in a late tackle by Ashley Cole in Sunday’s defeat of Chelsea, the player’s agent has confirmed. Eduardo Hernandez said the Mexican international had suffered no more than a “bump” after the challenge by Cole which left United manager Sir Alex Ferguson demanding a red card. Ferguson had initially stated Hernandez was likely to be sideline for two weeks following Cole’s tackle. MUNICH Bayern Munich defender Breno suffered only minor injuries when his house caught fire and was almost completely destroyed in the early hours of Tuesday. Munich police said that the 21-year-old Brazilian was treated for smoke inhalation in an ambulance and in hospital. Breno was alone in the house when the blaze started.”He was shocked, but he is OK again,” Munich sports director Christian Nerlinger told the website of the Bundesliga club. Police said it was investigating the cause of the fire. Neymar quells transfer talks; sticks with Santos AP SAO PAULO BRAZIL STRIKER Neymar has again dismissed reports he has reached a deal with Barcelona or Real Madrid, saying on Monday he will stay with Santos at least until next year’s Olympics in London. Neymar said he feels honoured to be linked with the Spanish powerhouse but is happy for now to be playing in Brazil, near his family and friends. “It has already been decided,” he said at a news conference. “I won’t leave Santos in the next transfer window, I will stay until the Olympics. I have not reached a deal with any club.” Loyalty to Santos club Neymar said he feels honoured to be linked with the Spanish powerhouse but is happy for now to be playing in Brazil, near his family and friends. Neymar said he was looking forward to playing for Santos next year because the club will be celebrating its centenary. By staying at Santos, Neymar will also be able to play with the team in FIFA’s Club World Cup in December, a tournament that also includes Barcelona. Santos qualified by winning the Cop Libertadores earlier this year, when Neymar was a key player. Santos hadn’t won Latin America’s biggest club competition since the era of Brazil great Pele in the 1960s. “Hopefully in next year’s (summer) transfer window, we will have these same two great clubs interested in acquiring me again, or maybe other clubs,” Neymar said. “Until then, I have a lot of time to think about it.” The 19-year-old striker has been touted as a future Brazil star and is expected to lead the team in the 2014 World Cup on home soil. There have been daily reports, particularly in Brazil and Spain, speculating about his future. One report by the reputable Estado de S. Paulo newspaper on Monday said Real Madrid has already reached a deal to sign Neymar when he leaves Santos next year, saying the player even underwent a medical examination over the weekend so the contract could be finalised. “I’m tired of this,” Neymar said. “Every day I’m being sold to a different club. Today I’m saying once and for all that I’m not leaving Santos right now.” Neymar rejected a multimillion-euro offer from Chelsea last year and extended his contract with Santos until after the World Cup in Brazil. Santos said earlier this year that five European clubs, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea, Manchester City and Anzhi Makhachkala‚ had made contact to try to sign the speedy striker and were willing to pay the ¢45 million ($62 million) buyout clause in his contract. Neymar became well known after helping Santos win the traditional Sao Paulo state championship and the Brazilian Cup last year. Interest grew after good performances for Brazil and he established himself for good after leading Santos to the Cop Libertadores title. Van Basten open to Hamburg job DPA HAMBURG MARCO van Basten is said to be the top candidate for the coaching job at German Bundesliga bottom club SV Hamburg and ready for talks. ”The German league is very interesting. If Hamburg approach us we will definitely listen to them,” van Basten’s advisor Perry Overeem told German paper Die Welt in a report made available ahead of Wednesday’s publication. The former Netherlands striker and coach van Basten is said to be top of the list of Hamburg sports director Frank Arnesen to succeed Michael Oenning, according to Dutch news reports on Tuesday. Arnesen reportedly wanted van Basten when Armin Veh was sacked in March. But Hamburg decided at the time to promote Oenning from assistant to head coach. Oenning won only the first of his 14 top flight matches in charge and was dismissed on Monday. Hamburg are bottom of the table with five defeats and a draw in the season after a major squad overhaul. Former Hamburg coach Huub Stevens, under-19 Germany coach Horst Hrubesch, former Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster and Marcel Koller have also been mentioned as candidates. Hamburg president CarlEdgar Jarchow confirmed to Die Welt that club officials are discussing the names mentioned in the media, saying Hamburg “is very attractive even in a difficult situation.” Hamburg under-23 team coach Rodolfo Cardoso started his caretaker job on Tuesday and is set to coach the team until a new helmsman is found. Arsenal CEO dismisses talk of firing Wenger AP LONDON ARSENAL CHIEF executive Ivan Gazidis insisted on Tuesday that Arsene Wenger’s future is not under threat, and dismissed fan complaints that the manager may have lost his touch following the club’s worst start to a season for 58 years. The Gunners are just a point above the relegation zone after losing three of its five Premier League matches and jeopardising its hopes of a first title since 2004. The dismal start has raised tensions among fans, with Wenger facing the deepest crisis of a 15-year reign that has yielded three league titles. But the club, which was recently bought by American sports tycoon Stan Kroenke, is not contemplating any kneejerk reactions. “Thinking spending money solves issues (or) firing a manager solves issues‚ these are short term cures that actually have tremendous costs for football clubs that are not often played out in the short term,” Gazidis said. “That’s a route we are not going to go down.” At a question and answer event for business leaders in London, Gazidis maintained that Arsenal is “fortunate” to have Wenger, whose transformation of the London club has been widely praised. “The amount of admiration for Arsenal, the way we play the game, the technical dexterity is extraordinary,” Gazidis said at the Sport Industry Breakfast Club. “That is something Arsene brought to the club.” And continues to bring, Gazidis insisted.“Believe it or not, he didn’t suddenly become Arsenal’s manager Arsene Wenger watches a Champions League Group F match against Borussia Dortmund, in Dortmund, recently. (REUTERS) a bad manager or someone who is out of touch with the game,” the former Major League Soccer deputy commissioner said. “It’s absolute nonsense.” While the 61-year-old Wenger has been characterised as struggling personally during the current turmoil, Gazidis said the Frenchman is holding up well. “Arsene is not broken,” Gazidis said. “That is a portrayal that is black or white. You are either flying high and everything as great or you are a broken failure. To see him portrayed, because he is responsible, as some kind of idiot is profoundly damaging, not to Arsenal or Arsene but for the game. “We do this to people and we need to think about that. He is frustrated, he shares the same frustrations that we all do.” Arsenal twice lost the lead at Blackburn on Saturday, conceding two goals in the 4-3 loss that left the side with just four points from a possible 15 so far. Gerrard to return for Liverpool in League Cup AFP LIVERPOOL Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard during a English Premier League match, in Blackburn, recently. (EPA) STEVEN GERRARD is poised to make his long-awaited comeback as Liverpool look to forget its Premier League problems by beating Brighton in its third round League Cup clash on Wednesday. Gerrard has not played since suffering a groin problem in March which required surgery, but manager Kenny Dalglish is set to use the game to ease his influential captain back into action after six months on the sidelines. Two successive league defeats, including a 4-0 hammering at Tottenham on Sunday, have marred Liverpool’s solid start to the season, but the return of the England midfielder will lift spirits. “I’ve said all along, he’s done fantastically well to get where he is,” said Dalglish when asked about the imminent return of Gerrard. “We’ll just monitor him and pick the right moment for him and us before we get him back. It’s natural everyone wants to chase Stevie, especially after you have lost 4-0. “But we’ll monitor it, take it how it goes and when both parties agree he’ll play.” Gerrard has not been seen in action since helping Liverpool defeat Manchester United 3-1 at Anfield on March 6. Gerrard has not played since suffering a groin problem in March which required surgery, but manager Kenny Dalglish is set to use the game to ease his influential captain. He resumed full training two weeks ago and emerged unscathed after taking part in a practice match last week. “Now I’m back in with the boys, it’s a completely different ball game - it’s a lot tougher, quicker and I’ve struggled the last two days, so I’m really tired at the moment,” said Gerrard earlier this month. “But I’m back in full training and looking forward to being involved with the lads in games in the coming weeks.” Teenagers Danny Wilson, John Flanagan and Jack Robinson are also expected to feature in a much-changed side from the one on duty at White Hart Lane, where Liverpool finished with nine men after Charlie Adam and Martin Skrtel were sent off. Both players will be suspended for the trip to the south coast as a result. Brighton are currently third in the Championship after being promoted from the third tier last season, and manager Gus Poyet is confident his players can give a good account of themselves during a hectic 48 hours which also sees Brighton entertain Leeds on Friday. “I need to manage the squad and the team the right way, to have a decent team against Liverpool and a very, very good team against Leeds on Friday but it’s going to be tough,” said Poyet.