File photo shows Perspolis and Esteqlal posing for a family photo before kick off.

The IPL managerial board has decided that the Iran Professional League will be contracted to 16 teams next season.
In a meeting at the Physical Education Organization’s office on Monday, the board agreed that two teams would be dropped from Iran’s premier football league at the end of the current season.
Thus, four teams will be demoted to the first division at the end of the season and two teams will be promoted to the IPL from the first division. Meanwhile, the top three teams will be awarded next season, MNA reported.
Head coach of Iran’s National Football Team, Ali Daei, also attending the session, briefed the officials on his one-month performance.
Daei hoped that the team would advance to the second leg of the 2008 World Cup Competitions, and praised the officials for deciding to end the season on May 17.
Head of the organization, Mohammad Aliabadi called on the Iranian Football Federation to fully support the team on the threshold of the World Cup competitions.
The federation had earlier said that IPL games should be suspended for 40 days for the national team preparatory camp ahead of the UAE match in the 2010 World Cup Qualifiers.
In an unrelated story, Perspolis chairman stated emphatically on Monday that there is no blacklist at the club and, on the contrary, they are unified to win the title.
“We held some meetings with coaches and players after the heavy loss to Esteqlal Ahvaz. The team is totally ready to beat Malavan to get back in the title race,“ Habib Kashani added, MNA reported.
“Afshin Qotbi has no blacklist and doesn’t want to exclude anyone. You can ask him at the training sessions. We can bag the remaining points and we expect to do better in the next seven games.“
He said that the club’s attorneys are making efforts to convince FIFA to return six points it had deducted from the team, adding, “We are not yet done and remain hopeful.“ Persepolis stands third in the IPL table with 42 points, seven points behind leaders Sepahan.
Fixtures of 28th week of IPL are as follows:

Perspolis - Malavan
Sepahan - Mes
Paykan- Zob-e-Ahan
Saba Battery - Shirin Faraz
Rah Ahan - Pas
Pegah - Esteqlal Ahvaz
Abu Moslem - Esteqlal
Naft - Sepasi
Barq - Saipa

England players who skip friendly games at the end of the season could damage their international careers, Coach Fabio Capello said.
England play the United States at Wembley on May 28 and travel to the Caribbean to face Trinidad & Tobago on June 1 in friendly games before they begin their 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign in September.
“If a player doesn’t love to play for England then perhaps he should stay at home,“ British newspapers quoted Capello as saying during a visit to Lesotho.
“Players must love the England shirt and that is all there is to it.
“If someone doesn’t want to come and play for England, it means they obviously don’t love the shirt enough. They must prefer to go on holiday.“
Capello, who took charge in December and has yet to name a full-time captain, said 22-year-old striker Wayne Rooney had the makings of a future skipper although he needed to improve his scoring rate.
“Wayne Rooney is very young but I believe in the future he could be captain of England one day,“ the Italian said.
“He’s a leader. He sets a good example on the pitch. He is very young so we need to give him a bit more time to get some more experience and mature.

Tiger Woods is expected to be sidelined for between four and six weeks after having arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in Park City, Utah on Tuesday.
The world number one and 13-times major winner, runner-up behind South African Trevor Immelman at the US Masters on Sunday, has had two previous operations on the same knee.
His rehabilitation time will prevent his title defense at the May 1-4 Wachovia Championship, and probably also his scheduled appearance at the prestigious Players Championship the following week.
“I made the decision to deal with the pain and schedule the surgery for after the Masters,“ Woods said on his official website.
“The upside is that I have been through this process before and know how to handle it. I look forward to working through the rehabilitation process and getting back to action as quickly as I can.“
Woods initially had surgery on his left knee in 1994, to remove a benign tumor, followed by arthroscopic surgery in December 2002.
“Tiger has been experiencing pain in his knee since the middle of last year,“ Woods’ manager Mark Steinberg said.

Kevin Kuranyi bagged four goals as Schalke stormed to a 5-0 victory at home to Energie Cottbus in the first game under their new coaching duo on Tuesday night.
After the sacking of Mirko Slomka, Mike Buskens and Youri Mulder took over the reigns and saw their Schalke side comes up with the perfect answer to the week’s turmoil, AFP said.
Cottbus’ Vragel da Silva scored an own goal in the 31st minute and Kuranyi followed with goals in the 37th , 41st , 59th and 80th for Schalke, who remain two points behind second-placed Werder Bremen.
Bremen picked up their third straight victory with a 2-1 win at Hansa Rostock to gain ground on Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich.
Ivan Klasnic snatched the winner eight minutes from time after Stefan Wachter had kept out Naldo’s penalty.
Torsten Frings had opened the scoring for the visitors in the 57th minute only for substitute Sebastian Hahnge to bring Rostock level.
The victory moves Thomas Schaaf’s side to within seven points of Bayern, who play at Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday.
Hertha Berlin and Hamburg failed to illuminate the Olympic Stadium in a goalless draw which extends both sides’ runs of poor form.