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Peyrovani:
ACL is Our Objective
By Sadeq Dehqan
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Afshin Peyrovani in a training session. (Photo by Payam Parsaei)
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Persepolis who clinched Iran’s Premiere League (IPL) last season is preparing to start the new season with a new vision. Tehran-based club situation right now is almost like the previous season. At that time after appointing Afshin Qotbi as a head coach, Hamid Estili prepared the team for the 7th round of the IPL; and now this tough task is on Afshin Peyrovani’s shoulder. He was once a red-donned kicker, playing for the persepolis.
Are you satisfied with the team’s preparation?
Our team is in high spirit and some new players have joined us. We wanted to camp up in Spain, but due to some problems in visa issuing, we called off the camp. As we didn’t want this to affect the team, we set up the 24-hour camp in Tehran. We are scheduled to play with some first division clubs. On July 26, our team will travel to Dubai and will play against a couple of other teams.
When will the head coach Afshin Qotbi join Persepolis? As you know many teams in IPL have started their preparation with their head coaches. Don’t you think his absence might affect the team?
I talked to him yesterday. He said he’s joining us here in Tehran today. For signing new players or team practices we follow his directions. I am in a close contact with him, thus I don’t believe the team has any problem.
How do you see the new season with Qotbi?
Last season, Persepolis was in a tough standing. But the boys gave it their best shot and won the IPL. As you know, Persepolis had previously clinched the title in the first round of the IPL. Last season’s Persepolis championship has jacked up our fan’s expectations. I hope we can have a good season together with our supporters.
By clinching the IPL, Persepolis will participate in the Asian Champions League (ACL). What do you think about it?
Definitely one of our main objectives in this coming season is to show a good performance in the ACL. We had good physical and technical preparations. All teams in the competition think about nothing but the championship.
And your opinion about new signings in Persepoils?
We tried to sign the best players. So I think the team has done a good job in the transfer market.
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German GP
For Hamilton
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Lewis Hamilton
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Briton Lewis Hamilton delivered another massive endorsement of his great potential Sunday when he opened a clear lead in this year’s drivers’ championship by winning the German Grand Prix in thrilling style.
The 23-year-old Englishman, in his McLaren Mercedes-Benz, dominated the early stages and then, after being upset by two Safety Car interventions and some cautious team strategy, proved he could overtake anyone with a dazzling display of passing moves in the final laps, AFP wrote.
“Sorry about that,“ said his McLaren team chief Ron Dennis over the radio system later. “We made it much more difficult for you and we made you drive like that in such a great car.“ Hamilton, smiling afterwards, said: “That’s ok, Ron. Don’t worry
about it. We did well in the end, so it is ok.“
In blistering style, Hamilton had to pass a clutch of drivers in the closing laps to make up for time lost in the pits when he made an out-of-synch late stop.
But he showed his true speed and brilliance by overtaking both Brazilian Felipe Massa in a Ferrari and then his compatriot Nelson Piquet in a Renault to regain the lead.
“I would have much preferred to have come in earlier (for my second pit stop) but the way it worked out I knew I had a lot of work to do. They let me stay out and I just had to push hard, as hard as I could.
“I really pushed, right over the limit, but it was not enough and then I had to fight my way back. So a big thank-you to my McLaren team-mate Heikki Kovalainen who saw I was faster and did not make life more difficult.
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Wozniak Grabs Sanford Title
Canada’s Aleksandra Wozniak beat sixth seed Marion Bartoli to claim her first WTA Tour title at the Stanford Classic.
Wozniak was playing in her eighth match of the week, having qualified, and it was only her second final after finishing runner-up in Fes last year, BBC said.
But she came through 7-5 6-3 against 2007 Wimbledon runner-up Bartoli.
“I believed in myself but I never thought I would win the tournament,“ said Wozniak. “I surprised myself and I’m so proud of what I accomplished.“
She added: “Going through the qualifying and playing eight matches isn’t easy.“
Her French opponent took a medical timeout at 2-1 down in the second set for a left hip injury and struggled with her movement from then on.
“My leg was moving so slowly and I wasn’t able to hit the ball like I was in the past matches,“ said Bartoli.
“It started to get really bad in the second set but I just wanted to finish the match so the fans could see a complete match.“
Wozniak, 20, capitalized on a good performance against Serena Williams in the semi-finals that resulted in the American retiring when well behind.
She becomes the first Canadian since Jill Hetherington in Wellington, 1988, to win a women’s singles title.
Elsewhere, France’s Pauline Parmentier won her second WTA title with a 6-4, 6-4 wins over Czech qualifier Lucie Hradecka at the Gastein Ladies event in Austria.
“It was a wonderful week for me,“ said the 53rd-ranked Parmentier.
“I am glad that I played well consistently. The rain made it hard as we had to play many matches in just a few days.“
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Turiaf Joining Warriors
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Ronny Turiaf
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Center Ronny Turiaf finally is a member of the Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors announced Saturday that they had finalized a deal for Turiaf, who had been in limbo since Golden State offered him a four-year, $17 million contract on July 10.
Turiaf’s former team the Los Angeles Lakers had seven days to match Golden State’s qualifying offer, which they received on July 11. When the Lakers declined, the former Gonzaga star officially became a member of the Warriors, AP said.
With centers Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum on their roster, Los Angeles had no reason to retain Turiaf at a price that would have caused the team’s luxury tax payout to skyrocket.
A 6-10 center, Turiaf averaged career highs in points (6.6), rebounds (3.9) and minutes (18.7) last season with the Lakers, who fell to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals last month.
“We’re fortunate to add a player with Ronny’s intangibles to our team,“ Golden State executive vice president of basketball operations Chris Mullin said. “He’s a young, high-energy player who will provide our squad with additional frontcourt depth, rebounding and interior defense.“
It is the second major off season move for the Warriors, who signed former Los Angeles Clippers swingman Corey Maggette to a five-year contract earlier this month.
A native of Martinique, Turiaf, 25, owns career averages of 5.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 173 games over three seasons.
“He played a significant role on a team that advanced to the NBA Finals last season,“ Mullin added.
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Test Debut
Spin bowler Ajantha Mendis is set to make his test debut for Sri Lanka against India this week after he was included in a 14-man squad named for the opener of a three-match series on Monday.
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Soccer Team Heads to Czech
Iran’s national football team was due to travel to the Czech Republic to hold a training camp and several friendly matches with Czech clubs.
The Iranian squad left Marbella, Spain on Monday morning and will hold a 7-day training camp in Prague from July 21 to 28, Presstv reported. Iran will hold friendlies with Bohemians and Slavia Prague at the soccer camp.
Coach Ali Daei’s men are also preparing for a powerful showing in their September 6 match against Saudi Arabia as part of the Asian qualifying round for the 2010 World Cup, which will be held in South Africa.
Iran is in Group B of the final Asian qualifying round and is also scheduled to compete against North Korea, the UAE and South Korea. Iran’s national soccer team has been placed 37th in world rankings by FIFA, having recently moved up 11 places.
Italian Players Urged to Copy Rooney
Italy coach Marcello Lippi says he wants his players to copy the selfless style of Manchester United’s England forward Wayne Rooney.
“What counts more than the formation is the philosophy, the desire of great players to put themselves at the service of the team when the opposition have the ball. Like Rooney does at Manchester,“ Lippi told Sunday’s La Gazzetta dello Sport.
The 2006 World Cup-winning coach, who returned to the Azzurri dugout in place of Roberto Donadoni after Italy’s unsuccessful Euro 2008 campaign, said self-belief will be crucial if his side are to triumph again in South Africa in two years’ time.
“The first time there is the metaphor of the great hunger. Now we have to find new motivation,“ he said.
“The team must feel strong. The important thing is that self-confidence does not become presumption, but there’s no risk of that.“
He also called on Brazilian-born striker Amauri to make up his mind, after Juventus’s new signing gave mixed signals about whether he wants to play for Italy when his application for an Italian passport is processed, or wait for a Brazil call-up.
“I don’t like it that a player dances between one national team and another for a month,“ Lippi said.
Makelele Will Join PSG
French midfielder Claude Makelele is to join Paris St Germain from Chelsea, the Ligue 1 club said on Monday.
The 35-year-old former international would be presented at a news conference later in the day, the club said in a statement.
Makelele, who joined Chelsea in 2003 from Real Madrid, won 68 caps before announcing his retirement from international soccer after France’s exit from Euro 2008.
Considered one of the world’s finest holding midfielders, the Kinshasa-born Makelele becomes PSG’s second major signing in a few days after compatriot Ludovic Giuly, who joined on Friday from AS Roma.
PSG, who have won two French titles and lifted the French Cup seven times, struggled to avoid relegation last season.
Yellow Jersey for Schleck
The Tour de France still has no definitive leader through 15 stages. One trend is quite clear, though: Team CSC is the strongest squad.
Bjarne Riis’ riders continually attacked race favorite Cadel Evans as the Tour hit the Alps on Sunday and CSC’s Frank Schleck took the overall leader’s yellow jersey from Evans, Reuters said.
“We decide the race or at least make it hard and put the pressure on, because we have the strongest team,“ said Riis, CSC’s sporting director and the 1996 Tour winner. “The team is strong and we’re following our plan. We did what we wanted today. All of our riders know what it means to be a team.“
Schleck now holds a 7-second lead over Bernhard Kohl of the Gerolsteiner team in the overall standings, with Evans 1 second further back in third position.
On the uphill finish to Prato Nevoso that concluded stage 15, Schleck and his younger brother, Andy, along with another CSC climbing specialist Carlos Sastre of Spain exposed Evans’ biggest problem: a lack of support riders in the mountains.
“(Riis) has the strongest team here, three very good climbers. That is what we expected,“ said Rabobank sporting director Erik Breukink.
Rabobank’s Denis Menchov also moved up in the overall standings, from fifth to fourth, 38 seconds behind Frank Schleck, although the Russian could have done more damage had he not fallen on the slippery final climb.
Simon Gerrans, an Australian with the Credit Agricole team, won the stage after leaving the other components of a four-man breakaway behind on the final climb, as the race returned to Italy after a nine-year absence.
The Tour will remain in Italy for its second rest day on Monday, then restart Tuesday with a 97-mile stage from Cuneo to Jausiers, crossing back into France with two more major and lengthy climbs: the 13.3-mile Lombarde pass and the 15.8-mile Bonette-Restefond summit.
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