OSAKA, Japan,
May 19--Seven-time champion Iran have regained the AFC Futsal Championship with an 8-0 victory over Australia in the quarterfinal, reported PressTV.
Iran started cautiously and introduced their star players--Vahid Shamsa’i and Mohammed Reza Heidarian--after five minutes. The Iranians went on the offensive but Aussie custodian Gavin O’Brien thwarted their attempts, AFC reported.
Majid Latifi broke the deadlock in the 15th minute and Mohammad Hashemzadeh and Babak Masoumi Daraki made it 3-0 in the next two minutes.
A quick fire double by Shamsa’i in the 27th and 31st minute gave Iran full control of the game and Hashemzadeh later scored two more to complete his hat-trick while Latifi added one more to seal the fate of Australia. Iran coach Hossein Shams said, “Attacking teams like us often leave spaces in the back but having the best goalkeeper in Asia, we were quite comfortable.“
Australian coach Scott Gilligan said: “In the second half we had to try and get some goals so we went on the offensive. Iran is a professional side while we are still learning.“
In the semifinals on Friday, Iran will face Uzbekistan, who beat Tajikistan 3-1 in another quarterfinal.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, May 19--Asian football chief Mohamed Bin Hammam on Saturday warned of “wide-ranging legal repercussions“ if Manchester United visit Malaysia during the Asian Cup, urging the match to be moved to August, said AFP.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president said he was trying to meet Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on the row after Malaysian officials backtracked on a decision to scrap the July 27 friendly.
“The crux of the matter is about honoring an agreement. If there happens to be a breach of agreement, it has wide-ranging legal repercussions,“ bin Hammam said in an open letter printed by the Malay Mail.
“We do not think it is too much to ask for the continent and people of Asia to be exposed to our tournament just for one month. It will be our pleasure if Malaysia were to host the United match in early August,“ he added.
Malaysia, one of four Asian Cup co-hosts, last year signed an agreement not to promote other matches 10 days before the July 7-29 Asian Cup and three days afterwards.
Officials, under pressure from the AFC and FIFA, cancelled the Manchester United match but later reinstated it following intervention by Prime Minister Abdullah.
However, Bin Hammam said there was “room for compromise“ and insisted he had never wanted the match axed altogether. “There is room for compromise. We have sought an audience with the prime minister ... We owe it to him to explain our side of the story,“ the AFC chief said.
“AFC had never called for the United game on July 27 to be called off. We only want them to reschedule their match,“ he added. “This issue is not about AFC against United or Asia versus Europe. All we ask is for the various parties to give us the breathing space to ensure the Asian Cup becomes a resounding success.“
Bin Hammam previously launched a stinging attack on United, calling them “disrespectful“ and demanding they scrap their entire tour as it might divert attention from the Asian Cup, the region’s flagship competition.
But Abdullah said United’s visit was important for Malaysia as it was in line with a government tourism campaign and celebrations marking 50 years of independence from Britain.
United announced in April that they would warm up for the 2007-2008 season with a tour that takes them to Japan, South Korea, Macau and Malaysia. Separately, the Star newspaper quoted bin Hammam as saying he will meet the heads of the English Premier League and Manchester United here next week.

LONDON, May 19--Alastair Cook hit 102 not out to steer England to 200-3 against West Indies on Thursday’s opening day of the first test, according to AP.
In just his 15th test, Cook’s fifth hundred anchored England’s innings after Daren Powell took two quick wickets after lunch with Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in attendance at Lord’s.
The 22-year-old Cook hit 10 fours from 173 balls in more than four hours at the crease.
He shared stands of 88 with stand-in captain Andrew Strauss, 59 with Kevin Pietersen and an unbroken 38 with Paul Collingwood in a day punctuated by four delays due to bad light or rain.
Cook, who scored 104 not out on debut at India in March 2006, scored two test hundreds against Pakistan last year and another in the 5-0 Ashes defeat to Australia--but he missed the World Cup.
“I felt very emotional when I got the hundred,“ Cook said. “It has been a while, January 6, since I’ve been involved (with England), and that’s probably why. I’ve been watching on TV and wanting to be a part of it, so maybe that’s why it meant so much today.“ Powell was the pick of the bowlers with 2-52 in 18 overs and Corey Collymore 1-60 in 19, while Devon Smith took three catches in three different fielding positions.
West Indies captain Ramnaresh Sarwan won the toss and sent England in to bat under a gloomy sky that promised to help swing bowling after a 30-minute delay due to persistent light rain.
Cook and Strauss were largely untroubled by West Indies’ three-man pace attack in the first session, as the pair took England to lunch at 85-0 with Cook on 47 and Strauss on 31.
But 13 balls after lunch with two runs added to his score, Strauss drove at a delivery from Powell and scooped a catch to Smith at backward point on 88-1. Owais Shah, playing in only his second test after scoring 88 on his debut against India in March 2006, was hit on the back of the head while on 0 by an errant throw from Jerome Taylor.
Soon after, Shah edged an outswinger from Powell to Smith at third slip, and England was 103-2 in the 29th over. “We didn’t use the new ball as well as we should, and that put us on the back foot a bit,“ Powell said. “We analyzed the situation at lunch and came out and got things right after that.“
Pietersen survived a confident shout for lbw from Collymore before quickly hitting three fours through the offside, but his edge off Powell in the 33rd over bounced just in front of first slip Chris Gayle.
The pair took England to 150 in the 38th over and then put on their 50-run stand in just 64 balls.
Pietersen mixed classic offside drives and cuts with air-swings--predominantly against the improving outswing and leg-cutters from Collymore--before his luck ran out in the second over after tea. He drove a ball on 26 from Collymore straight to cover for Smith to hold the chance at the third attempt and take his third catch of the innings with England 162-3 in the 45th over.

Italian MotoGP rider Valentino Rossi rounds a corner on his Yamaha during the second free practice session of the Grand Prix of France, Friday, on Le Mans racetrack.

LE MANS, France,
May 19--Seven-times world champion Valentino Rossi is aiming for a record-breaking third win in the French MotoGP at the Le Mans circuit on Sunday, a year after engine trouble denied him victory there, said AFP.
The Italian, currently second in the world championship standings, needs a win to stay within touching distance of Australian sensation Casey Stoner, who leads by 15 points.
“I definitely have a score to settle at Le Mans after what happened last year,“ the charismatic 28-year-old said. “I’m very determined and looking forward to this next race. Our Yamaha has always done well there and until the problem of last year it was really flying.“
Rossi and his team will be bolstered by a strong performance at the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai earlier this month, in which the Italian bounced back from a late mistake only to be pipped after a fierce head-to-head with Stoner.
“China was encouraging for us because our bike worked perfectly in qualifying and then also in the race,“ said the Italian affectionately known as The Doctor.
A rostrum finish for Rossi on Sunday would be the perfect tonic for last year’s failure, as it would ensure his inclusion into the all-time MotoGP podium chart.
Stoner has had a fantastic start to the season, winning three out of four races, with his performances helping Ducati stay in pole position for the constructors’ title. But there is still a long way to go.
“So far, this season is pretty much a dream come true. Now we’ve got to keep our heads down, make sure we don’t get too confident,“ he said.
However, the 21-year-old Australian admitted the French circuit was not his one of his favorites, saying: “I just don’t get it right in the race, maybe this year we can change that.“
“Le Mans is definitely for the brave,“ he added. Meanwhile reigning world champion Nicky Hayden is out to kickstart what has so far been a disappointing season.
The American is languishing in eighth equal place on just 30 points and he badly needs a win if he is to retain his title. “We’ve still got some distance to go to get the bike working for me,“ he admitted.
French hopes were hit with the news that Oliver Jacque will not make a home appearance due to an arm injury. In the 250cc category, Spain’s Jorge Lorenzo will be looking to build on his 27-point lead over Italy’s Andrea Dovizioso.
In the 125cc category, the Czech Republic’s Lucas Pesek hopes to capitalize on a strong Shanghai win to draw clear of Hungary’s Talmacsi Gabor, who lies just two points behind in the championship.

ABU DHABI, May 19--Al Jazeera dropped out of the UAE League title race after a 2-0 defeat to Al Ain in the penultimate round recently, leaving leaders Al Wasl and Al Wahda to slug it out for the honor in the final round.
According to AFC, Al Wasl are on 44 points after thrashing Al Ahli 3-1 while Al Wahda are two points further back following a 2-1 victory over Dubai, who have already been relegated.
Al Jazeera’s defeat left them stranded on 38 points. Anderson scored a second half brace after Essa Al Beloushi hit the opener for Al Wasl at home while Mohamed Saeed Al Shohi and Haider Alo Ali were on the mark for Al Wahda.
Goals from Al Ain’s Fawzi Fayez and Frank Olivi dashed Al Jazeera’s hopes.
Al Wasl travel to Dubai in the last round and win there will seal their title. But if they lose, Al Wahda will be crowned champions if they win at Al Nasr.