ON-sport1

Nico Rosberg takes landmark first pole in China for Mercedes

2012-04-14T13:21:00.002-07:00

Mercedes' Nico Rosberg took his first pole position as he beat Lewis Hamilton in Chinese Grand Prix qualifying.

The German was a blistering half a second faster than Hamilton, who will start seventh following a grid penalty.

Irish number one Conor Niland retires because of injury

2012-04-14T13:17:00.001-07:00

Irish number one Conor Niland has been forced to retire from tennis because of a persistent hip injury.

Last year Niland, 30, became the first Irishman to qualify for the main singles draw at Wimbledon since 1984.

The Limerick man lost a thrilling five-set match against France's Adrian Mannarino in his first-round clash.

Niland went on to qualify for the first round of the US Open but he had to retire after only two sets against Novak Djokovic because of illness.

The Irishman achieved his highest world ranking of 129 in December 2010 and won 17 of his 29 Davis Cup matches for his country.

Niland won three events on the ATP Challenger Tour, with his most recent title coming at the Salzburg Indoor tournament in 2010.

He was also an occasional practice partner of British star Andy Murray.

"I am today sadly announcing my retirement from professional tennis," said Niland in a statement on Thursday.

"I have been suffering from labral tears in both hip cartilages and this has resulted in pain and restricted movement for the past nine months.

"Despite several cortisone injections and intensive physiotherapy during this time, the condition has progressively worsened and has prevented me from training and competing at the levels
required for professional tennis.

"I have considered the possibility of hip surgery but have been advised of a lengthy recovery time without any guarantee of a successful outcome."

Niland, whose sister Gina was a former Irish women's number one, had his final competitive match in last week's Davis Cup tie against Egypt when he helped Ireland earn a 3-2 victory.

Italy footballer Morosini dies after collapse on pitch

2012-04-14T13:12:00.003-07:00

Ex-Italy under-21 footballer Piermario Morosini has died following a suspected heart attack on the pitch, football officials say.

The midfielder was playing for Livorno in the Serie B match at Pescara when he fell to the ground in the 31st minute.

A defibrillator was used and Morosini, 25, was taken to hospital. The game was halted with other players in tears.

All league games in Italy this weekend have been called off following Morosini's death.

Morosini had been on loan to Livorno from the Serie A club Udinese.

He collapsed face down and appeared to be in convulsion. The referee's assistant drew the referee's attention and he stopped the game.

The footballer was taken to Pescara's Santo Spirito hospital by ambulance, but he could not be revived.

Last month Bolton's Fabrice Muamba was technically "dead" for 78 minutes after collapsing in an FA Cup tie.

The 24-year-old England player is now making "strong and steady improvements".

Following Muamba's collapse, attention had been drawn to the situation for athletes in Italy, which has mandatory cardiac screening for all young people engaged in organised sport.

The charity Cardiac Risk in the Young says that the Italian measures have reduced the incidence of young sudden cardiac death in Italy by 90% in the 30 years since the screening was introduced.

? Can Chelsea manager Roberto di Matteo eclipse Guus Hiddink

2012-04-14T13:11:00.003-07:00

If Chelsea boss Roberto di Matteo needed any inspiration heading into a crucial run of games over

the coming 10 days, then he could do worse than cast his mind back to 2009.

Three years ago, Guus Hiddink took over from Luiz Felipe Scolari at Stamford Bridge deep into the season, and found a north London team standing between Chelsea and the FA Cup final, while having the spectre of a Champions League semi-final against Barcelona looming.

The Dutch coach guided the Blues to victory over Arsenal, beating Everton in the final, and guided them to third in the Premier League. But in a tempestuous second leg during the tie against Barcelona, they were beaten by a stoppage-time Andres Iniesta goal.

Di Matteo will have his own thoughts on whether matching that will be good enough, but a trophy and a top four-place would give him and Chelsea a tangible reward during another season of unrest.

Can Di Matteo do better than Hiddink?

Roberto di Matteo took over from Andre Villas-Boas in March and is aiming to better Guus Hiddink's efforts in 2009

As interim boss Hiddink won the FA Cup, beating Everton 2-1 in the final

But his team lost to Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final thanks to a stoppage-time away goal by Andres Iniesta

The Italian, who took over from former Blues coach Andre Villas-Boas in March, will be first targeting a win over Spurs on Sunday at Wembley in a competition in which he has some pedigree - before facing Barcelona on Wednesday in another Champions League semi-final first leg.

As a player, he scored in both of Chelsea's 1997 and 2000 FA Cup final victories to go with another goal he netted to help win the League Cup in 1998.

But in keeping with modern club policies of money over glory, former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin believes the ex-West Brom and MK Dons boss will be fully briefed that the Champions League next season is the priority.

Chelsea are two points and two places off fourth-placed Tottenham in the Premier League.

Nevin told BBC Sport: "Roberto will decide on who plays but it will be made clear to him by the club that the FA Cup is the third most important thing after their league position and the Champions League semi-final.

"From Di Matteo's and the players' point of view, out loud they will say they want to win everything and he would love to leave that legacy but I think he will be aware the club will need to get the fourth place."

Spurs, too, are desperate to get back into Europe's elite competition next season but former skipper Gary Mabbutt says Harry Redknapp's side will be holding nothing back as they aim to win the FA Cup for the first time since 1991.

Continue reading the main story

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"I think it's had no effect whatsoever. If I'm being honest, players don't really care who the manager is to some degree

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Gary Mabbutt on whether Harry Redknapp's links with the England job have affected Spurs's form

"There's a lot of talk of domestic cup competitions being undermined by the Champions League," Mabbutt told BBC Sport. "But I would say that is absolutely not the case from a player's perspective.

"Every player wants to play in every single game, especially the big cup games. I feel sure they will go into the game on Sunday doing their utmost to get through to the final.

"Of course that big game against Barcelona coming up is a massive one for Chelsea."

Huge as that match at Stamford Bridge may be, Chelsea could be left with a scenario where, if they lose to the Spaniards and finish behind fifth-placed Newcastle, the FA Cup may offer Di Matteo's men their only path into Europe next season.

The game marks a coming together of two managers who have fared very differently since their FA Cup campaigns began to gain momentum earlier in spring.

Tottenham boss Redknapp has come under greater scrutiny ever since a dip in his team's form coincided with the 65-year-old being linked with the vacant England manager's job following Fabio Capello's resignation in February.

There is no doubting that Chelsea are the form team, with a 10-point gap between the two teams after Tottenham's 5-0 rout of Newcastle on 11 February being reduced to two points.

In the nine league games since Redknapp was linked with the England post, Tottenham have seen a win percentage drop from 63% to 22%. But Mabbutt says performances have been down to a harsh run of fixtures and rejects it has anything to do with players losing faith with their boss.

"I think it's had no effect whatsoever," the 1991 FA Cup-winner added. "Players don't really care who the manager is to some degree.

"I was at Tottenham for 16 years and had nine different managers. Players deal with all those sort of things very well."

The difference in numbers is not so contrasting for Di Matteo since he took over. Nevin believes the overall progress is because of a revised mission for the Chelsea manager.

The Scot added: "The system has not changed hugely since Andre Villas-Boas left. The personnel hasn't changed that much either, although Roberto has brought in players like Salomon Kalou, and tried the likes of Ramires and Fernando Torres on the right instead of Daniel Sturridge.

"He has managed to get more from everybody.

"Why is that the case? It is difficult to know, but I would venture the suggestion that Villas-Boas had been given job advice to regenerate the club completely.

"If players feel that's the case, they know he will get rid of some of them.

"The current manager has not been given that job description; he has been told to do the best in the short term until the end of the season.

"That's a completely different job, so he is getting more out of the players because they know he is not the axe man."

Di Matteo has a tricky balancing act in picking a team to face Spurs while being mindful of Barcelona. But if he can take a step closer to winning a third FA Cup-winners' medal, he will further enhance his reputation and, unlike Hiddink, he is likely to be available next season.

Also related to this story

Redknapp anxious for silverware 13 Apr 2012 TOTTENHAM

Lampard praises Di Matteo impact 09 Apr 2012 CHELSEA

Top four is priority for Chelsea 06 Apr 2012 CHELSEA

Redknapp looks to 'massive games' 01 Apr 2012 TOTTENHAM

Chelsea 0 - 0 Tottenham 24 Mar 2012 PREMIER LEAGUE

Robin not rockin' Arsenal boat

2012-01-24T04:28:00.000-08:00

Wenger's relationship with Gunners supporters reached an all-time low at the weekend when they railed against his substitution of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for Andrey Arshavin.

Captain van Persie also appeared to react to Wenger's decision with the word "no".

And the move backfired badly as Arshavin failed to prevent Antonio Valencia from setting up Danny Welbeck's winning goal in a 2-1 victory for Manchester United.

However, Holland striker van Persie has clarified the situation and also revealed the teenager had picked up a calf injury.

He told The Sun: "I was not having a go at the boss on Sunday - I was just sad to see Alex leave the pitch as he just gave the assist for our only goal.

"I was not questioning his judgement - I know it's not my place to challenge what Arsene Wenger does...

"Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain had a calf injury. We did not know that but the boss did and brought Andrey Arshavin on."

He added: "The manager and I are fine and my relationship with the club is good.

"There is no problem, there is no conflict and there is no controversy.

"The boss knows that, I know that and the players know that."

Copa del Rey Preview: Barcelona - Real Madrid

2012-01-24T04:27:00.000-08:00

Barcelona will be without Seydou Keita, who is away on African Cup of Nations duty with Mali. Pep Guardiola's side also have three players who have long-term injuries; Ibrahim Afellay and Andreu Fontas are both out with ligament injuries, while David Villa is sidelined for the foreseeable future with a broken leg.

Pedro returned from injury to feature in the 4-1 victory over Malaga at the weekend, but it is unlikely the Spaniard will oust Cesc Fabregas, Lionel Messi, or Alexis Sanchez from Guardiola's preferred front three.

Jose Mourinho's visitors go into the match with a 2-1 deficit from the first leg but the Real Madrid coach could opt for the same formation, with three midfielders and three attackers, albeit with a more positive gameplan than in the first match.

Pepe was left out of the squad for the victory over Athletic Bilbao because of a suspected calf injury and did not train on Monday so it is unlikely that the Portugal international will be fit. There are suspicions that Mourinho may be removing the defender from the limelight for a short period, after the outcry against his cynical stamp on Messi in Wednesday's first leg.

Lassana Diarra and Esteban Granero did not train on Monday either, but it is likely the former will be fit enough to come into the three-man midfield. Sergio Ramos also missed the session, but this was due to personal reasons and he is expected to play. Sami Khedira is unavailable, though, after being ruled out for a month with an ankle injury.

Anton Ferdinand-John Terry: QPR ask their defender to shake hands

2012-01-24T04:09:00.001-08:00

Queens Park Rangers are encouraging Anton Ferdinand to shake hands with Chelsea's John Terry before Saturday's FA Cup tie, BBC Sport understands.

The pair will meet for the first time since Terry was charged with racially abusing Ferdinand in October's derby.

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas has appealed for calm ahead of the game at QPR's Loftus Road ground.

QPR and Chelsea are expected to issue a joint statement later this week in a bid to lower tensions around the tie.

Fifa president Sepp Blatter appeared to suggest in November that racial discrimination could be settled with a handshake, although the 75-year-old later apologised for any offence his comments may have caused.

Blatter later apologised for his comments and any offence they caused

The Chelsea skipper was charged after his side's 1-0 league defeat at Loftus Road on 23 October.

The England captain, who denies the allegations, is due to attend a hearing at West London magistrates court on 1 February.

Saturday's fourth-round game will kick off at noon, partly on the advice of police.

Insecure coaches set a cynical tone

2012-01-24T04:06:00.000-08:00

When Pepe, Real Madrid's Brazil-born defender, steps on the hand of Barcelona's Lionel Messi, the blame is not his alone.

A coach has three main tasks. He selects the team, prepares the strategy - and he also sets the emotional tone for the work. An uptight coach usually produces an uptight team.

When the opposition is Barcelona, Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho appears to get carried away with the importance of the occasion, with some personal questions and with his own frustration at losing so often.

He has crossed the line and behaved in a manner inappropriate to a sporting contest and it is no surprise that one of the more hot-headed members of his team commits the same error.

Two weeks ago I argued that footballers are often unfairly criticised for the huge amounts of money they earn. After all, they put on a show followed by millions. But I also pointed out there are perils in paying the players so much. Fundamental values can be twisted.

Much the same applies to coaches. If the players are getting a fortune, it stands to reason the top coaches will, too. Basic hierarchy requires that they be well paid. But this, too, presents a problem. It means they have a lot to lose. The need to protect their job introduces an excess of fear.

A couple of months back I had the pleasure of chatting with Estevam Soares, who I hope will not be offended if I refer to him as a fairly typical Brazilian coach. A tough centre-back in his playing days, he has carried that spirit of leadership into his subsequent career. In 20 years of coaching, his most high-profile achievement is fourth place in the Brazilian championship with Palmeiras in 2004.

I was amazed at how much we agreed on one specific subject - the harm coaches are capable of doing to the Brazilian game.

Ever since football became a professional sport, the coach has always been the fall guy - the one to take the blame for disappointing results. In Brazil he has more reasons to fall.

The absurd calendar of the domestic game leaves little time for a proper pre-season. The model of administration means political conflict takes place inside the clubs, with factions often looking to destabilise the situation. The media are hungry for a story, the supporters are notoriously impatient and a tradition has emerged of sacking coaches with bewildering speed.

The players, of course, are aware of this, and stories are rife of squads taking their foot of the pedal long enough to ensure the dismissal of an unpopular boss.

Soares, for example, is currently in charge of his 21st Brazilian club - with two or even three spells with some of them, as well as a couple of brief stints in the Middle East. After losing a job he has always managed to find another one. But the fear must always be there that one day he might not.

It was in search of job security, he told me, that so many coaches constructed their sides on a safety-first basis, with limited but athletic defensive midfielders protecting the centre-backs. It was also the excessive nerves of the coaches, he said, that sent the players out with the mentality of going into battle.

The spirit of the game is often breached in Brazil, with matches frequently lacking flow, constantly interrupted by a series of fouls committed by over-zealous players.

The worrying aspect is that the money flooding into the game, in Brazil and elsewhere, only seems to enhance the expectation of instant results. Certainly, job security for coaches in English football is much more precarious than it used to be.

It is for this reason that I am against moves to introduce technology into refereeing decisions if it means coaches will be given the right to make challenges.

For one thing, the flow of football makes such a measure extremely difficult to implement. And for another, I sincerely doubt it would be used in the spirit intended by its advocates.

The prioritising of job security in Brazil gives us an example of the level of cynicism that can exist when coaches are under pressure.

Just over a decade ago some in the coaching fraternity were convinced that part of the secret of victory was to commit more fouls than the opposition. Indeed, it was argued, a foul is not exactly against the rules. Rather, it is something dealt with by the laws - a resource of the game rather than an offence.

In more recent times - and this one drives me mad - substitutions have been used to waste as much time as possible. When the winning side wants to make a change, the player about to be removed throws himself to the floor. The little cart has to come on to wheel him off, and a simple switch that should take 10 seconds ends up eating a minute or two. This, to my mind, is an abuse of a measure - the cart - introduced to protect the health of the players.

A similar risk exists with any proposal to allow coaches, via technology, to challenge refereeing decisions. The intention might be to enhance sporting justice. But I fear the outcome would be to hand coaches another means to interrupt the flow of the game and harm the spectacle.

Questions on South American football can be emailed to vickerycolumn@hotmail.com, and I'll pick out a couple for next week.

From last week's postbag:

Q) I see QPR have just signed Brazil Under-20 international Henrique from Sao Paulo. I know little about him, other than that he was player of the tournament at the U20 World Cup last year, and was wondering whether you rate him and think he is good enough to make the grade in the Premier League?

Alex Snow

A) I don't think it's gone through yet, and I can't see how he can get a work permit. The argument will be based on his "World Youth Cup player of the tournament" award. Well though he played, he wouldn't have been my choice. Five of that side have since seen action with the senior Brazil team. He's not among them, which tells you something.

He's certainly promising, talented and versatile - more of a second, support striker than an out-and-out centre forward. But he has yet really to establish himself in domestic Brazilian football. Sao Paulo loaned him out to Vitoria in 2010, where he did OK in a relegated side, and then last year he was a bit-part substitute.

He's also prone to youthful petulance - and at the moment I think QPR need something more solid than a good long-term gamble.

Q) I remember watching Giuliano, who captained Brazil in the 2009 Under-20 World Cup. He looked similar to Kaka, and was really skilful. What is the latest news on him?

Gary Thompson

A) A terrific little player, who was voted player of the Copa Libertadores in 2010 when he helped Internacional win the title.

I'm not too sure about the Kaka comparison. Giuliano is squatter, without the same prolonged acceleration. But he's certainly more versatile, capable of filling any role in the midfield.

I've watched him make steady progress since playing for Brazil at Under-17 level. At every stage he always looked better than the last - which made me disappointed when he moved to Ukraine to join Dnipro.

It doesn't seem to have worked out - I'm told that the switch to a long-ball style has not been good for him. Gremio are optimistic of bringing him back to Brazil in the next few days.

Mario Balotelli: Manchester City undecided over 'stamp' appeal

2012-01-24T04:04:00.000-08:00

Manchester City have yet to decide whether to appeal the Football Association's decision to charge Mario Balotelli with violent conduct.

But City's first-team coach David Platt hinted on Tuesday that the club will reluctantly accept the decision.

Balotelli, 21, appeared to stamp on Scott Parker before scoring a late penalty to secure City's 3-2 win over Premier League title rivals Tottenham.

"We are likely to be without a player for four games," Platt admitted

Balotelli has until 1800 GMT on Wednesday to respond to the charge.

Earlier this month the FA rejected City's appeal against captain Vincent Kompany's controversial sending-off in their FA Cup third-round defeat to Manchester United.

Kompany was handed a four-match ban for his second red card of the current campaign.

Platt said: "I don't think there is anybody who thought we would win the appeal with Vincent Kompany.

"But I don't think anybody thought he deserved a four-match ban.

"Sometimes it shows you the futility of appealing."

Africa Cup of Nations: Tunisia beat neighbours Morocco

2012-01-24T03:58:00.000-08:00

Tunisia capitalised on a wasteful Moroccan performance to beat their North African rivals 2-1 in Group C.

Khaled Korbi opened the scoring for the Carthage Eagles, floating a free-kick straight into the Moroccan goal.

Substitute Youssef Msakni doubled Tunisia's lead with a wonderful solo effort, before Moroccan skipper Houcine Kharjah pulled one back.

Morocco squandered several chances to score but Tunisia deserved their opening win, after a gutsy performance.

The Atlas Lions started well and created opportunities from the outset, with Mbark Boussoufa busy trying to link up with Arsenal's Marouane Chamakh up front, who found space but shot straight at Aymen Mathlouthi in the Tunisian goal.

That miss would set the tone of much of the game, with Mathlouthi pulling off a string of saves from the Moroccan attackers.

Tunisia weathered the opening exchanges well before capitalising and opening the scoring through Korbi's free-kick on 34 minutes.

Korbi floated in a dangerous ball from well outside the area which nestled in Morocco's net, after Saber Khelifa did enough to distract Nadir Lamyaghri in the Moroccan goal.

Morocco had two quick opportunities to equalise, with Younes Belhanda shooting just wide after a good run into the area, and then Chamakh almost latched onto a looping ball, but again Mathlouthi did enough to put him off and clear his lines.

Moroccan coach Eric Gerets responded by introducing Adel Taraabt for Oussama Assaidi at the break, and the QPR striker was involved in the action straight away, drawing yet another save from Mathlouthi.

Youssouf Hadji followed Taraabt onto the field but missed horribly, after collecting the ball beautifully in the box, and blasting high and wide.

The miss would cost Morocco once more as Msakni danced through their defence and shot across Lamyaghri's goal for his first goal for his country, on 76 minutes.

Morocco finally responded 10 minutes later, pulling one back through captain Kharjah, who headed in from close range after Ahmed Kantari's headed flick back in front of goal.

And Kharjah was unlucky not to double his tally and bring Morocco level as he created space for himself well in the box, only to shoot just over.

But Tunisia held out well and deserved to edge their neighbours, in a fascinating encounter in Libreville.