"It's away, an early kick-off on Saturday after playing on Wednesday, so that's really bad timing, and really bad for our fans," Benitez said. "When you analyse it, it's also the worst time to travel around the country. It's something they have to consider because a lot of fans will be on the road and maybe it will be snowing. It will be very difficult for them. But it's something that will be very easy to change."

Given that last season's match at Portsmouth was a 5.30pm ( Read more... )
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But one of the beauties of life, and in particular sport, is that even the best are brought back down to earth and Strauss has had a difficult week in Centurion, where his side are fighting to remain competitive in the first Test against South Africa. From an English perspective his team's plight is particularly disappointing because this should have been a Test they dominated, given Jacques Kallis's rib injury, the uncertainty surrounding the South African side in the build-up ( Read more... )
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The manager's hope of keeping his job now appear to rest solely with the Arab executives appointed by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, with the Hughes camp of the view that chief executive Garry Cook and football administrator Brian Marwood are trying to remove him.

Tevez said that he was "100 per cent" behind his manager and that Hughes needed more time for the club to realise their vision of finishing sixth in the Premier League. "The reason why I joined [City] was ( Read more... )
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"We recognise Tiger Woods as a great sportsman but we have to take account of the sensitivity of some consumers in relation to recent events," Babin said. The move comes after a number of other sponsors distanced themselves from Woods: consulting firm Accenture dropped him as its representative last weekend, and Gillette said it would stop airing his ads for the company's razors.

Padraig Harrington, meanwhile, spoke for the first time last night about Woods' secret ( Read more... )
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The winner will be contacted by personal message via the Independent Minds account which you use to comment. Terms and conditions apply.

One entry per person.

(Just for your information, here's the real caption: Retired boxer Muhammad Ali, actress Angelina Jolie, and actor Brad Pitt attend the UNICEF Ball honoring ( Read more... )
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Rafael Benitez's side finished third in Group E while Unirea were third in Group G, despite recording a famous 4-1 victory over Rangers at Ibrox.

The Romanian champions also beat Sevilla 1-0 at home and are managed by former Chelsea defender Dan Petrescu.

Fulham will take on Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk, the last team to win the UEFA Cup after beating Werder Bremen in the final earlier this year.

Everton will face Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon, who ( Read more... )
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In the midst of a shocking sex scandal, Woods is taking an indefinite leave from competition to try to save his marriage, leaving the sport without its biggest star as it tries to cope with a downturn in the economy.

"I want him to come back and play," Finchem said Thursday in a conference call. "But we are going to be successful in '10. If Tiger is out for a couple of months or eight months of a year, we're going to have a successful year. ... It won't be at the ( Read more... )
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The Evening Standard reports that the Irish striker arranged the jaunt in Dublin despite manager Harry Redknapp making it clear that a party was not allowed.

The team get together, which involved visiting two bars and a nightclub, was held three days before Tottenham's defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend.

It's now thought that Keane could be punished for his involvement by being transfer listed by Redknapp.

The ( Read more... )
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The England midfielder, who won the Champions League with United in 1999 before joining Real Madrid in 2003, will be on loan at Milan from Los Angeles Galaxy.

Chelsea take on former manager Jose Mourinho after being drawn against Inter Milan in the last 16 of the Champions League today.

Mourinho led Chelsea to consecutive Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006 before surprisingly leaving early in the 2007/2008 season.

The 46-year-old signed a three-year ( Read more... )
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Click here or click the image to launch our guide to the 50 Best rugby players in the world.

Once again the IRB's choice doesn't take the No.1 slot in our list. Richie McCaw has had a good year, but not outstanding by his high benchmark. Outstanding is certainly something you can say of the 12 months Brian O'Driscoll ( Read more... )
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Cees van Nieuwenhuizen has said he was contacted by City chief executive Garry Cook to request talks with Hiddink, but the former Chelsea boss' agent politely declined.

"Yes, I did (speak to Cook). But Guus is happy with Russia. Definitely," Van Nieuwenhuizen told the Daily Telegraph.

Van Nieuwenhuizen is not aware whether Cook wanted to discuss the possibility of Cook succeeding manager Mark Hughes or being installed alongside the Welshman.

"I don't ( Read more... )
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What would have hurt the Everton manager was the loss of yet another player in a season that has been swamped by injuries. Like seven who finished the match, Jack Rodwell is in his teens but is already a footballer of remarkable promise and some experience. To see him limp off after nine minutes with a hamstring injury was more hurtful than the Bate Borisov goal, driven by Aleksandr Yurevich low from the edge of the area, through the legs of Shane Duffy, who had already made one clearance off ( Read more... )
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Redknapp had been under the impression that his players were going to Ireland on a golfing trip for their Christmas celebrations last week but it has been reported today that the squad instead visited two bars and a nightclub, despite their manager's well-documented opposition to footballers drinking to excess.

However, Redknapp refused to blame the trip for the loss to Wolves and felt the "true character" of his team came out in the 3-0 victory over Manchester City ( Read more... )
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The players were not the only ones pointing a finger. Hughes kept the door shut for a very long time after a 3-0 defeat which was characterised by the parlous non-performances of Emmanuel Adebayor and Robinho, who headed straight down the tunnel after his substitution, and the length of the post-mortem meant that he did not join Harry Redknapp for the customary post-match drink. Redknapp did not take that as a slight. Everyone in the Tottenham camp could see what the defeat meant to City, a club ( Read more... )
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On a dramatic second day of the third Test in Perth, Johnson and Brad Haddin were involved in a confrontation with the West Indies spinner Sulieman Benn when Australia were batting in the first over after lunch. The incident resulted in the Australia pair facing a level one charge of bringing the game into disrepute, while Benn received a more serious level two charge and could face a suspension.

Once Haddin (88) and Johnson (35) went midway through the second session, the Australia captain, ( Read more... )
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The Football Association asked the city's bid team to include Anfield as a back-up option in case the proposed new stadium at Stanley Park does not materialise.

There have been doubts in some quarters in the city about the club's willingness to commit to the overhaul of car parking, corporate facilities and seating needed, when only a brand new stadium would enable the club to earn as much match-day revenue as Manchester United and Arsenal. But a senior Liverpool source said the investment ( Read more... )
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David Beckham, who will soon be back on loan at Milan, could face Manchester United for the first time since leaving Old Trafford in 2003. Jose Mourinho could head back to Stamford Bridge for the first time since his abrupt departure two years ago ? assuming he survives at Internazionale until February, when the ties will be played. Or Chelsea could draw Milan, which would mean an equally evocative, but much more amicable return for Carlo Ancelotti.

There could also be a return to Arsenal ( Read more... )
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The court also upheld the decision of Justice Shirley Kornreich about measurement procedures.

There remains the discussion about whether the event should be stretched from the present best of three races to a best of seven in order to appeal more to television, which would be controlled by the city of Valencia, and sponsors.

Another meeting with all three parties is due to be held on Thursday which will include a proposal to bring the opening race forward by a ( Read more... )
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Guests at yesterday's launch in central London were welcomed by huskies, drank from glasses made of solidified water and huddled in fur-edged thermal suits. Clifford shivered, not wholly because of the cold. "The only white Christmas I want," he said, "is the sort that Desert Orchid brought."

In advance of the unpromising forecast, Clifford yesterday authorised the application of frost covers on the course at Kempton. "I try to de-risk as much as possible in the build-up," ( Read more... )
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The club's chief executive, Dave Tarry, is "very confident that the ground is going ahead", but the council's deputy leader said that its support "excludes funding any shortfall".