File photo shows an Iranian futsal player dribbling Japanese player in Thailand tournament.

In the latest Asian Football Confederation (AFC) rankings, Iran’s futsal still tops the Asian teams. According to ISNA, AFC in a letter to Iran Football Federation (IFF) congratulated Iran’s qualification for FIFA Futsal World Cup 2008 in Brazil and announced its latest Asian rankings. In this rankings Iran is on the top and it is followed by Thailand and Japan. This is while China, Australia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Turkmenistan and Malaysia rank below Iran.
The sixth edition of the FIFA Futsal World Cup will be held in the cities of Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia on September 30-October 13. For the first time in its history 20 teams will take part instead of 16.
Some 20 countries, including Brazil (the host country), Russia, Japan, Cuba, the Solomon Islands, Italy, Portugal, Thailand, Paraguay, US, Argentina, Ukraine, China, Guatemala, Egypt, Spain, Czech Republic, Iran, Uruguay, Libya will participate in the event.
Iran is drawn in Group D with Spain, world champion, Czech Republic, Uruguay, Libya.
Meanwhile, head coach of Iran’s futsal, Hossein Shams, believes Iran is in a tough group. According to sport daily “Iran Varzeshi“, Shams said, “I think we are in a tough group. Libya as many believes is not the easiest opponent for us. The team had previously defeated Egypt in the African match and won the title. Spain is a two-time world champion and the Czech Republic is one the best teams in Europe. Uruguay is also a tough team to play against.“
“If we want to advance to the next round we have no choice but to beat Spain in the first match. I’m sure we can defeat Argentina or Ukraine in the quarterfinal,“ he added.
In the first game of the tournament Iran will face Spain on October 1. Iran meet Libya On October 5 and it will play against Uruguay on October 7. The last match is between Iran and the Czech Republic on October 10.

Robbie Fowler

Striker Robbie Fowler is set to return to the Premier League after Cardiff announced he is joining Blackburn Rovers.
The 33-year-old former England forward was expected to sign a new one-year deal at Cardiff but told the club he would be joining Rovers.
Fowler’s agent George Scott admitted the approach from Rovers was too good an opportunity to turn down.
“Robbie was all set to sign up at Cardiff but at the last minute Paul Ince came in and handed him a chance to return to the Premier League,“ Scott told the South Wales Echo.
“He started in the Premier League and it seems right to finish his career in the Premier League.“
A statement on Cardiff’s website confirmed the deal: “Late on Thursday Robbie informed us that he has been offered the opportunity to join Blackburn Rovers. We fully understand the lure of the Premier League was a major factor in his decision and we wish Robbie well in the future at his new club.“
Fowler joined Cardiff last year after being released by Liverpool and scored six goals in 16 games for the Bluebirds. But he has not played since mid-December because of a hip injury that required surgery.
City chairman Peter Ridsdale insisted the release of Fowler would free up funds for other strikers to move to Ninian Park.
“We signed him last year with a year’s option, but at this stage in his career it’s understandable that he accepts an offer to go to the Premiership,“ he told BBC Radio Wales.
“We have to thank Robbie and move on; he goes with our best wishes. Fowler, who joins Rovers on their preseason tour to Germany, made his Liverpool debut in 1993, scoring 171 goals in 330 games before joining Leeds for 11 million pounds in 2001 and Manchester City for 6 million pounds in 2003.
He returned for a second spell at Anfield in January 2006, although his starting appearances were limited.

Samir Nasri

English Premier League side Arsenal on Friday completed the signing of French international midfielder Samir Nasri from Marseille.
The 21-year-old arrives on a long-term contract for an undisclosed fee, believed to be around £12 million ($23.7 million), AFP reported.
Nasri, who will join up with the Arsenal squad on their preseason tour of Austria on July 21, said: “I am very happy to become an Arsenal player; it means a lot to me.“
He added this is a very important step in his life as a football player because Arsenal is a big club.
“I really hope everything will go well for me here. I will do my best for Arsenal and its fans and I am honored to be part of such a great football club,“ he further said.
Nasri who had a frustrating time during the Euro 2008 championships is confident he will prove to be a perfect fit for Arsenal’s fluent style of play.
“I like offensive, technical and quick football exactly in the style of Arsenal. I hope I will integrate myself quickly in this team and bring everything I can to Arsenal and the fans,“ he added.
Nasri stated that he can play in the center or on the wing, behind one or two strikers, on the left or the right.
“Last season I found the Arsenal way of playing football amazing. Unfortunately, the team just missed out on winning a trophy, but, in my opinion, Arsenal produced the best football in Europe. I was a big fan of the team and of its football philosophy, which makes it so great for me to be joining the club,“ he further added.
Nasri, who was Marseille’s Player of the Year in 2007, is Arsene Wenger’s second close-season capture after the signing of the Welsh starlet Aaron Ramsey from Cardiff.
He is the kind of precocious talent Wenger has made a habit of turning into a global star and the Gunners boss believes his latest acquisition will make an instant impact at the Emirates Stadium.
“Samir has shown great potential with his performances for Marseille and the French national team over the past two seasons and he will add great quality to our squad,“ Wenger said. “He is young, quick and technically an outstanding player.“
Nasri certainly believes Wenger will help him follow Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Nicolas Anelka, three Frenchmen who flourished under Wenger.
“Arsene has a great reputation and has proved that he puts a lot of confidence in young players and he gives them a chance,“ he said.

Ferrari agreed on Friday to end legal action against McLaren over last year’s spy scandal for the good of Formula One.
According to Reuters, McLaren were fined $100 million by the International Automobile Federation (FIA) and stripped of all their constructors’ points last season after being found guilty of possessing Ferrari secrets.
Ferrari also started legal action against their rivals and former employee Nigel Stepney, who was accused of passing the information to McLaren and attempted sabotage of Ferrari cars. The world champions will now only pursue action against Stepney.
“Ferrari acknowledges McLaren’s reiterated apology for the well-known events which occurred during the 2007 F1 championship,“ a Ferrari statement said.
“In the best interests of Formula One and taking into account the formal closure in Dec. 2007 of the FIA and FIA World Motor Sport Council proceedings against McLaren, it confirms that it has accepted to put an end to all outstanding controversies between the two teams.
“Ferrari will donate to charity the concluding payment received from McLaren. Ferrari will pursue its claims against Nigel Stepney in connection with the matter.“
McLaren said in a separate statement that they had agreed to “the reimbursement of Ferrari’s costs and expenses relating to these matters and a concluding payment“.
The controversy emerged when former McLaren chief designer Mike Coughlan was found to have a 780-page dossier of Ferrari information at his home. Both Coughlan and Stepney were sacked by their teams and while the FIA imposed sporting sanctions, legal action was set in motion.
A magistrate in Ferrari’s home Italian province of Modena has been conducting a long investigation into the affair and McLaren executives were questioned in February and materials taken away for examination.

Michael Chang, one of only three American men to capture the French Open singles title in the Open Era, will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. According to Ticker, Chang made his mark in 1989 when, as a teenager, he became the first American male in 34 years to capture the championship at Roland Garros. The memorable run, capped with a victory over third-seeded Stefan Edberg in the final, included a fourth-round upset of No. 1 seed Ivan Lendl in five sets.
No American had won the title since Tony Trabert in 1955 and Chang who was 17 years and 3 months old at the time of his triumph remains the youngest male singles champion in the history of French Open. Americans joining Chang as Roland Garros champions in subsequent years were Jim Courier (1991-92) and Andre Agassi (1999).
“It is truly an honor to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame,“ Chang said. “It has been an incredible privilege to compete against the best players in the world and I will always cherish and forever remember my experiences on tour with my family, friends and fans. This recognition is without question a testimony of dedication, faith, strength of family, and most importantly, God’s love.“
In a career spanning 16 years, Chang went 662 -312 in singles play and captured 34 titles. He spent seven years as a top 10 player, reaching a career-high ranking of No. 2 in September 1996.
Though the 1989 French Open will forever be his crowning achievement, Chang also reached the final of the clay court major in 1995, losing to Thomas Muster.
His success in Grand Slam events was not limited to France.
Chang was a runner-up at the 1996 Australian Open and a semifinalist in 1995 and 1997. He also reached the US Open final in 1996 and was a semifinalist at the American hard court major in 1992 and 1997. Chang’s best result at Wimbledon was a quarterfinal effort in 1994.