DUBAI, UAE, Nov. 27--World football’s governing body FIFA has temporarily lifted its ban on Iran so it can take part in the Asian Games football competition after frantic behind the scenes maneuvering.
“The ban has been provisionally lifted. The team can participate in the Asian Games,“ FIFA president Sepp Blatter said in Dubai, AFP said.
It followed what Blatter called “alarming phone calls“ from Iranian authorities and the country’s ambassadors in Europe after Iran, the defending champions, were tossed out of the Asian Games which start this week in Qatar.
“We have agreed with Iran a route that needs to be respected. We have given them until December 5 to do so,“ he said without going into details.
“In the meantime, together with the Asian Football Confederation, we have agreed to make sure they can participate in the Asian Games.
“If they fully agree to our roadmap to a normalization of the situation, then we will lift the ban altogether.
“If the promises are not applied, then the ban will remain effective and it will affect the Asian Cup draw (on December 19).
FIFA suspended Iran last week due to government interference in running the game and non-adherence to their statutes.
FIFA’s Emergency Committee said Tehran had violated Article 17 of the FIFA Statute, which relates to the independence of national football associations free of any government interference.
In August, following the national team’s World Cup failure in Germany, the Iranian football federation’s elected president, Mohammed Dadkan, was sacked.
Both FIFA and the AFC set a November 15 deadline for Iran to reinstate Dadkan and to comply with FIFA statutes. Iran refused to meet the deadline.

Manchester United's Ryan Giggs (l) and Chelsea's Michael Ballack battle for the ball during their English Premiership soccer match against Chelsea at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Sunday. (AP Photo)

Manchester, UK,
Nov. 27--Champions Chelsea fought back to earn a 1-1 draw with leaders Manchester United on Sunday that kept the teams locked in a two-horse race for the Premier League title.
According to Reuters, France striker Louis Saha put United in front with a well-taken goal in the 29th minute but Portugal defender Ricardo Carvalho headed home in the 69th to secure a valuable draw for the Blues at Old Trafford.
Chelsea, champions for the past two seasons but playing second fiddle to United this term, remain three points behind the leaders.
United, who won this fixture 1-0 last season, had the better of the first half but faded after the break. They are top on 35 points, followed by Chelsea on 32 and Bolton Wanderers on 24.
The hosts signaled their intentions early with Wayne Rooney, playing a day after agreeing a contract extension until 2012, rising to send a second-minute header over the bar.
Rooney and Ryan Giggs showed plenty of willing, along with Portugal winger Cristiano Ronaldo, but Chelsea’s defense buttressed by Captain John Terry and Carvalho looked solid.
Keeper Carlo Cudicini tipped a 25-meter free kick from Ronaldo over the bar before the match swung United’s way.
Giggs started the move by picking out Rooney, whose neat pass found Saha outside the area. As Carvalho backed off, the Frenchman curled the ball into the corner from 20 meters.
Chelsea reacted well to the setback and United keeper Edwin van der Sar had to punch away a fierce Geremi drive.
Mourinho reshuffled the Chelsea pack at halftime, replacing right-back Geremi with winger Arjen Robben and pulling right midfielder Michael Essien back as defensive cover.
The visitors now looked sharper and Drogba, booked for an elbow on defender Nemanja Vidic in the first half, came close with a header over the top.
The game was now opening up, with Rooney threatening to punish Chelsea on the break and Frank Lampard peppering Van der Sar’s goal from distance as the champions turned up the pressure.
It paid off when Lampard curled over a corner from the right and Carvalho leapt highest to score with a header.

BEIJING, Nov. 27--Plans for the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics are already nearing completion but they will remain under wraps to keep the crucial element of surprise alive, according to organizers.
“We will try to complete the creative plan and technical plan before the end of this year. (Although) naturally the practices or rehearsals haven’t started yet,“ said Zhu Jing, an official with the Beijing organizing committee’s public relations office, AFP reported.
China’s rulers are counting on the Olympics to present the nation’s best face to the world and have set the bar high with a global A-list of talent working on the opening ceremony under the theme of “Civilization and Harmony.“
Cultural activities at the 2008 Olympics will be designed so that the world can “better understand the reform and opening-up in modern China,“ organizing committee vice president Jiang Xiaoyu told a recent seminar in Beijing.
Secrecy is part of the mystique of opening ceremonies and China intends to keep plans to itself until the ceremony opens at 8:00 pm (1200 GMT) on August 8, 2008. Eight is China’s lucky number, thought to signal wealth and good fortune.
Only two officials from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) know what Beijing is planning.

BRISBANE, Australia, Nov. 27--Australia polished off England’s lower order to wrap up a 277-run victory in the first Ashes test on Monday and take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
England lost their last five wickets for just 77 runs to be all out for 370 half an hour before lunch on the fifth day after resuming on 293 for five chasing an unlikely 648 to win, Reuters reported.
It was a crushing victory for Australia and the perfect start to their bid to win back the Ashes they lost last year in England for the first time since 1989.
Ponting paid tribute to the performances of experienced seam bowler Glenn McGrath and opening batsman Justin Langer.
England’s slim hopes of batting through the final day to salvage a draw effectively ended on the fourth ball of the morning when Kevin Pietersen departed without adding to his overnight score of 92.
Pietersen had shared a 153-run stand with Paul Collingwood to stall Australia’s march to victory but lost his partner for 96 late on Sunday. He missed out on his own hundred when he drove Brett Lee straight to Damien Martyn at midwicket.
Wicketkeeper Geraint Jones (33) and Ashley Giles (23) provided some resistance but the end came swiftly once they were out.
Jones dragged a wide ball from McGrath back on to his stumps with the total on 326 and Giles was caught by Shane Warne at first slip off Stuart Clark on 346.
Matthew Hoggard was also caught by Warne off Clark for eight and Steve Harmison was last man out, hooking Clark to McGrath at fine leg on for 13. James Anderson was unbeaten on four and Clark completed figures of four for 72.
“We had great preparation so we can’t use that as an excuse. We’ll start preparing now for the next game in Adelaide.“
Ponting was named man of the match after making 196 in his team’s first-innings total of 602 for nine declared and 60 not out in the second innings.
The second test starts in Adelaide on Friday.

ROME, Nov. 27--Inter Milan brushed aside title-rivals Palermo 2-1 in Sicily on Sunday as Roma skipper Francesco Totti hit back at his critics with goals in either half which lifted his side to a 4-2 win at Sampdoria.
Roma, who still need a point to secure a place in the Champions League’s last 16 after being beaten by Ukrainian champions Shakhtar Donetsk midweek, underlined their Serie A credential with their fifth straight victory, AFP reported.
The win moves the side from the capital to second in the Serie A ahead of Palermo who drop to third after their home setback.
Totti opened the scoring after 13 minutes with midfielder Simone Perrotta claiming the second after 33 minutes and defender Christian Panucci adding a third before the break.
Totti’s second goal after 74 minutes was as spectacular as Ronaldinho’s for Barcelona against Villarreal on Saturday, and it gave Roma an unequalled 30 goals scored this season.
The Italian league president, Antonio Matarrese, and former Juventus legend Michel Platini had criticised Totti’s decision to temporarily halt his International career following Italy’s World Cup success.
However after the match Totti hit back: “I dedicate each of these goals to Platini and Matarrese.
“That way they can come and watch Roma without talking rubbish.“
Inter, with 33 points, maintain their unbeaten record and are now four points ahead of Roma with Palermo a further two points behind with 27.
Inter’s Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored after just seven minutes. Palermo levelled just before the break when brazilian Amauri caught Inter goalie Julio Cesar by surprise.
The leaders quickly gained the upper hand after the break with Adriano breaking through two defenders to feed Patrick Vieira who fired into the net after 61 minutes.
In other Serie A action Sunday, tailenders Reggina fought back to claim a 2-2 draw against fourth-placed Livorno as Lazio won 3-1 against Ascoli.
Chievo collected their first League win of the season defeating Udinese 2-0. Victor Obinna scored both goals.

DUBAI, UAE, Nov. 27--Goalline technology will be in place in time for the 2007 Club World Cup in Tokyo, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said on Monday.
The head of soccer’s global governing body told reporters that a FIFA committee was assessing various forms of technology but that whatever they plump for will be operational at the event next December, Reuters said.
FIFA are studying camera-based goalline technology as well as a “smartball“ containing a computer chip.
The “smartball“ was used at the under-17 world championship in Peru last year. The ball contains an electronic chip that sends a signal to the referee via a wristband or earpiece indicating when the whole ball has crossed the line. “Next year we will conduct experiments in youth competitions (in Canada and South Korea),“ Blatter told reporters.
“By December 2007 I am convinced we will be able to use one of them (forms of technology).“
Blatter underlined that goalline technology was the only form of technology he would sanction, ruling out any use of instant-replays.
“Video like this would take away the spontaneity and what is fantastic about football,“ Blatter said. “We want to keep the human element.“
A result of keeping the “human element“ was that mistakes would continue to occur, Blatter conceded, and he called for more respect for referees from players.
“It begins with education,“ he said. “We must educate our young players to respect the referees. Referees are an important part of our sport.“

BELFAST, UK,
Nov. 27--Malaysia’s Nicol David retained her World Open title on Sunday, beating Australian Natalie Grinham in a thrilling 96-minute final.
David, who last year in Hong Kong became the first Asian woman to win the title, is only the fourth woman to defend it, Reuters reported.
The 23-year-old top seed, who triumphed 1-9 9-7 3-9 9-5 9-2 at the event in Belfast, was unable to pursue a policy of early attack and aggressive volleying because Grinham pressed hard and low with flowing, often well-masked drives. After losing the first game, David had to recover from a deficit of 5-7 in the second and play out many rallies of 60 and 70 shots before getting on top in the decider.
The Malaysian was so overcome with emotion after her win that she had to be helped to her seat by Grinham.
Grinham, the Commonwealth champion, said she had tired mentally during the match, which was the longest at this year’s tournament.
“I don’t think I got tired physically,“ said Grinham. “It was more mental. I was not quite sure that playing hard to the back was working as well as I thought it was.
“And playing short was stupid--so I was having a battle with my brain, as you do. But I think I took my game to another level, so I am sadly happy with the result.“