Esteqlal, Tractor Fight for Top

Sports Desk

In the 29th round of Iran’s Premier League (IPL), capital-based club Esteqlal will meet Tractorsazi at Tehran’s Azadi Stadium.
Esteqlal is on top of the IPL table with 56 points while its opponent with a point less is second in the 18-team league table, Mehr News Agency wrote.
Many believe that a rivalry between the two teams is more than just a game. Amir Qalenoei, who is at the helm of the team, was Tractor’s boss. During his term, Tractor gained good results and took the Asian berth.
In the previous round of the competitions, Esteqlal thanks to a late penalty kick rescued from an away loss. The team need the full points of the home match to wide the gap with its close follower.
On the other side of the pitch, Tractor is in good shape. Following its victory against Persepolis and its good performance in the Asian competition, the team needs the full points of the game to dethrone Esteqlal.
Esteqlal’s loss in the game, will send them to the third position. Former Esteqlal player Mehdi Seyyed Salehi hopes to shine in this game and even score against his former club.
Away from this important game, four other matches will be held. In Isfahan, the title-holder Sepahan will meet Saba at Fouladshahr Stadium. The team has collected 53 points to stand third while Saba with 37 points is 9th.
The fixture of the other games are as follows;
Damash vs Naft Abadan
Mes vs Paykan
Saipa vs Malavan

Ferguson ‘Distraught’ After Man Utd Go Out

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was too “distraught” to face the media after their Champions League exit against Real Madrid at Old Trafford.
Ferguson was visibly enraged after Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir sent off Nani for a high challenge on Real’s Alvaro Arbeloa after 56 minutes with United leading through Sergio Ramos’s own goal, BBC wrote.
Real took advantage of the dismissal with quick goals from Luka Modric and Cristiano Ronaldo on his return to Old Trafford to confirm a 2-1 win on the night and 3-2 aggregate victory to reach the last eight.
United assistant manager Mike Phelan replaced Ferguson at the post-match media conference and said: “It’s a distraught dressing room and a distraught manager. That’s why I am sitting here now.
“I don’t think the manager is in any fit state to talk to the referee about the decision. It speaks volumes that I am sitting here now rather than the manager of this fantastic football club.”
Phelan continued, “We are extremely disappointed and wondering what has happened and why it has happened.
“We feel as though we had the tactics right for the game on such a big occasion. We felt we were comfortable at 0-0. It was where we wanted to be, then we scored the goal that put us in a commanding position.
“We were in reasonable control and then the game totally changed. The decision was amazing but we had to carry on because it is hard enough playing Real Madrid with 11 men.
“Referees are there to make decisions but there is also an element of doing the right thing. All the media and a television audience watching all over the world will have an opinion on the decision but it was a disappointing one and it spoiled the game.”

Thunder Hold Off Lakers’ Charge

There are times when coach Scott Brooks figures the best way to get his Oklahoma City Thunder to stop turning the ball over is to simply stop talking about the problem in the hope it goes away.
For at least one night, the Thunder’s turnover trouble almost vanished--and in record-setting fashion, AP wrote.
Russell Westbrook had 37 points and 10 rebounds, Kevin Durant scored 26, and Oklahoma City tied the NBA record with only two turnovers in a 122-105 victory over Los Angeles on Tuesday night in which Kobe Bryant hurt his elbow and the Lakers fell back below .500.
‘’It was just one of those games. We didn’t turn the ball over,’’ Brooks said, struggling to explain how the team that committed the most turnovers in the NBA last season and the second-most so far this season pulled off the feat.
‘’I mean, it’s only happened a few times in NBA history.’’
Westbrook had one of the miscues, getting called for traveling in the fourth quarter to keep Oklahoma City from holding the record outright. Ronnie Brewer had the other on a pass to Nick Collison that went out of bounds.
Otherwise, it was a clean game right down to a 12-0 run to finish it as the Lakers cut an 18-point deficit down to five before going scoreless over the final 6 minutes.
Milwaukee set the turnovers record in a game against Indiana on April 1, 2006, and Cleveland tied it in an overtime game against Portland on March 19, 2009.

Barca Probe ‘Spy’ Claims

Barcelona announced an internal investigation Tuesday after reports in Spain claimed that the club had commissioned detective agencies to spy on a number of their star players.
The Catalan giants confirmed on their official website that the club spent a total of 3.1 million euros ($4.04 million) on “espionage” between 2008 and 2010, CNN reported.
The money went to the now defunct Metodo 3 agency and another company called the Intelligence Bureau and Cyber Experience.
Barcelona said that “legal action will be taken to preserve the image of the club, the privacy of its employees and the legacy of the institution.”
Spokeman Toni Freixa added, “FC Barcelona wants to know ‘who was spied on and why.’ “
The alleged activities took place under the presidency of Joan Laporta, who was at the helm from 2003-2010, one of the most successful spells for the famous Spanish club.
Current president Sandro Rosell, a fierce critic of Laporta, succeeded him in June 2010, winning 60% of a vote among Barcelona club members.
The relationship between the two has remained cool since Rosell was elected, but on the pitch under former coach Pep Guardiola and his successor Tito Vilanova, the triumphs have continued.
Reports on the Spanish website El Confidencial, claimed Metodo 3 trailed defender Gerard Pique and his pop star wife Shakira in 2010--following them to a concert to log their activities.
Former stars Samuel Eto’o and Brazil’s Ronaldinho were also believed to have been monitored in the past.
The allegations come as Barcelona has suffered a mini slump in form, twice losing to rivals Real Madrid and having to cope with the absence of Vilanova, who is battling cancer.

Vettel Under Pressure

Sebastian Vettel and his Red Bull team have left their Formula One rivals trailing in their wake during a three-year domination of the sport.
But ahead of the 2013 season getting underway in Australia later this month, it is the triple world champion and his all-conquering team which has some catching up to do after a preseason which has not gone entirely to plan, CNN wrote.
Red Bull, and every other team, was left in Mercedes’ rear-view mirrors at the final preseason test in Barcelona last weekend, with Vettel failing to top the charts at any of the offseason practice.
Vettel insists there is still time for Red Bull to turn it around ahead of 2013’s curtain raiser on March 17, when he will begin his bid to become only the third driver to win four consecutive championships.
“I would have loved to work more on the set-up, but I don’t think that this is only me. I think everybody struggled in that area,” the 25-year-old told Formula One’s official website.
“We cannot be satisfied with the state of affairs right now ... there is still time before Melbourne to make some significant changes.”
Vettel has been left frustrated by the tires introduced by the sport’s official supplier Pirelli, which are softer than in 2012.
Pirelli claim the new tires will speed up races and promote overtaking.
“It is extremely difficult to pinpoint any exact area we are not satisfied with because the tires are not consistent enough,” continued Vettel.

Abedzadeh Invites to U-23

Amir Abedzadeh, son of former Iran goalkeeper Ahmad-Reza Abedzadeh, was invited to the country’s U-23 football team on Tuesday.
Iran’s U-23 football team will participate in the tournament in Doha, Qatar in late March, Mehr News Agency reported.
Iran U-23 coach, Alireza Mansourian, has summoned 35 players for the tournament.
Iran U-23 football team is scheduled to play Morocco on March 21. The team will face Qatar and Turkey on 23rd and 25th March respectively.
Abedzadeh is Persepolis’s third keeper. His father is Iran’s legendary keeper, who hanged up his gloves in 2000.
He led Iran to the World Cup 1998 in a dramatic match against Australia in Melbourne.

Arsenal to Play Friendly In Vietnam

English club Arsenal will play a friendly against Vietnam’s national team on July 17 making the north London side the first Premier League team to visit the communist country.
Arsenal will spend three days promoting the club in the capital Hanoi from July 15-17 and will field a full-strength team against the national side at the My Dinh National Stadium on the final day, the Vietnam Football Federation said on its website.
According to Reuters, premier League rivals Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool are also making trips this summer to Southeast Asia, where top European clubs have huge followings and draw large revenues from television and merchandising.
Italian giants AS Roma will also play in Vietnam, seven weeks earlier than Arsenal on June 2, according to Vietnam’s state media.
Arsenal has for several years given support to Vietnamese soccer through a local project aimed at developing young players, the Hoang Anh Gia Lai-Arsenal JMG Academy.

Japanese Jeweler Unveils Messi’s Golden Foot

If anyone doubts Lionel Messi has a golden foot, now there’s proof.
A pure gold replica of the Barcelona forward’s left foot, valued at $5.25 million, was unveiled Wednesday in Tokyo. The foot was created by Japanese jeweler Ginza Tanaka to commemorate the soccer player’s achievements, AP wrote.
‘’It’s exceptional. You can see each line in the foot,’’ said Messi’s brother, Rodrigo. ‘’It’s an impressive piece of work.’’
The jeweler said he cast Messi’s foot in Spain at the end of 2012.
‘’We loved the sound of making the ‘golden left foot,’ and it being gold, it was our goal to make the project of recreating Messi’s left foot a reality,’’ said Masakazu Tanaka, president of the company that made the piece.
The foot will go on sale on Thursday, with an endorsement from the Leo Messi Foundation, which helps children at risk around the world.
Other golden artifacts going on sale are Messi’s golden footprint worth $94,500 and the ‘’Golden Foot Mini,’’ which is half the size of the actual golden foot, worth $42,000.
Part of the proceeds will go to Messi’s foundation, which in turn will go to support children in areas affected by the earthquake and tsunami disaster that hit Japan in March 2011.

Austin Gets Final MotoGP Inspection

Austin’s Circuit of the Americas has undergone its final FIM inspection prior to MotoGP’s test debut at the Texan venue next week.
The leading MotoGP teams will test at Austin from March 12-14, AutoSport wrote.
Its inaugural MotoGP race then takes place as round two of the 2013 championship on April 19-21.
The FIM’s new grand prix safety officer Franco Uncini carried out the inspection on Tuesday.
He recommended some modifications to barrier openings, additional air fences and the removal of some kerbs in order to prepare the track for MotoGP.
“I like Circuit of the Americas and the facilities are really impressive: it’s picturesque, modern, technical, difficult, challenging and interesting,” said Uncini.
“We should be seeing some good races in April because the corners allow for no respite for the riders and should deliver plenty of overtaking.
“The tour we’ve done this week was to polish over some safety details, as the homologation of the circuit had already been completed.
“We are confident the event will run smoothly because we are working with highly professional people who enjoyed a great debut last season with Formula 1.”

Klitschko Defends Against Pianeta

Wladimir Klitschko will defend his WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles against former sparring partner Francesco Pianeta in Mannheim on 4 May.