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Cavendish goes green before mountain climb Posted: 13 Jul 2011 10:22 AM PDT LAVAUR, France, July 13 — Mark Cavendish beat hail, rain and rival sprinters today to snatch the 11th stage of the Tour de France and seize the green jersey in the last flat stage before the Pyrenees. Mark Cavendish (left) is congratulated by HTC-Highroad German teammate Bernhard Eisel. — Reuters pic The Briton's third stage win in this edition, his 18th in four Tours, was one of the smoothest if not the driest at the end of a 167.5-km ride where Frenchman Thomas Voeckler kept hold of the yellow jersey. Ideally set up in the final stretch in Blaye-les-Mines by his faithful lead-out teammate Mark Renshaw, Cavendish surged ahead 200 metres from the line in Lavaur. Germany's Andre Greipel, who beat his former team leader the previous day in Carmaux, had to be content with second place this time ahead of American Tyler Farrar — winner of the third stage in Redon. "Yesterday I feel I made a small mistake, Andre rode one of the most technically sound sprints I've ever had to sprint against," Cavendish told reporters. "What gets me down is to see these eight guys ride themselves to the ground for me and I can't finish the job for them. I told them I'll win tomorrow. "And I had to win after the work those eight guys did today. There was no other option really," he said about his HTC Highroad teammates. Cavendish's victory was all the more impressive as his foot hit the front wheel of Frenchman Romain Feillu with 500 metres to go so that the buckle of his shoe came off and he had to put it back on. "I was lucky there were no swerves in the peloton. It could have been quite dangerous," he said. But there was no denying the Manxman even though the heavy storm that poured on the riders in the finale did not help the chase behind the day's early escapees, who were reined in 2km from the line. One of the hardest parts of the Tour now starts for the British sprinter, who struggles in the mountains, with three days up in the Pyrenees. However, he will almost certainly keep the points classification green jersey until the beginning of the third week in Montpellier. 'Most beautiful jersey' Cavendish, who has made the green jersey one of his main goals on this Tour, now leads the points standings on 251 points followed by Spain's Jose Joaquin Rojas on 235 and Belgium's Philippe Gilbert on 231. "For me it's incredibly important. It's the most beautiful jersey in the world, it's what I came for and it took me half the Tour to get it," said the 26-year-old, who kissed the garment when he received it on the podium. "There's two more bunch sprints, one in Montpellier and the one in Paris. It will be difficult because I tire out little by little. But I'll just keep fighting, give it my best shot and see what happens." Voeckler retained his overall lead with a 1:49 advantage over Spain's Luis Leon Sanchez and 2:26 over Australia's Cadel Evans. "It was a wet and stressful day, but one more day in the yellow jersey is great," Voeckler said. "To be honest I expect to lose it tomorrow but it doesn't mean I'm not going to fight to keep it." His Europcar team director Jean-Rene Bernaudeau was not so defeatist. "Thomas will never admit it but I think he can keep it unless the favourites attack as early as the first climb," he said. "If they wait for the last climb, I don't see Thomas losing 2:30 on it." In spite of the dreadful weather and recent crashes, none of the favourites found themselves in trouble in the short ride to Lavaur — Evans, three-times champion Alberto Contador and the Schleck brothers all finished inside the main pack. They will have 211km and three classic climbs to the finale of the stage in Luz Ardiden tomorrow to battle it out. — Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Sandwich will take a big bite out of Kaymer’s energy levels Posted: 13 Jul 2011 09:19 AM PDT SANDWICH, England, July 13 — Martin Kaymer is preparing for an energy-sapping mental and physical examination at this week's British Open, the world No. 3 said today. "The British Open is so different to all the other tournaments," the German told reporters at the Royal St George's links. "You have to be very creative and you have to think a lot — it's a very tiring week. It's a big challenge but we are the best players in the world so it should be tough." Martin Kaymer practising on his energy intake at Royal St George's in Sandwich. — Reuters pic Kaymer said the rough, the bumpy fairways, the heavily contoured greens, the treacherous bunkers and the unpredictable weather provided a testing combination for all the players. "Some days you get some good breaks, some days you get some bad breaks, but that is what the golf course and the tournament is about," he said. "That is what I like about it, it's not normal. You have to play different golf sometimes." Kaymer, who broke through for his first major victory at the US PGA Championship last year, said Sandwich demanded accuracy. "Sometimes you don't even see the fairway, you just see rough and some bunkers and the landscaping and the background," said the 26-year-old. "You need to be very precise with targets. That makes you have to think a lot and it takes up more energy. "You have to concentrate more and focus more and you have to be like this probably on every single shot. Every single shot is difficult, even the short putts." Kaymer topped last year's European money list but he said Ryder Cup teammate Rory McIlroy's stunning eight-shot victory at the US Open last month had spurred him on to work even harder. "The way Rory played made me feel like I need to practise more," said the German. "I need to go back to the driving range and hit more balls to become a better player because he played that course at Congressional in almost a perfect way. "It motivates you and inspires you." — Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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TV producer ordered to Mexico on murder charges Posted: 13 Jul 2011 04:08 AM PDT LOS ANGELES, July 13 — A judge yesterday ordered a former producer for the "Survivor" TV show extradited to Mexico to face charges that he killed his wife two years ago while they were on holiday in the resort town of Cancun. US magistrate Judge Jacqueline Chooljian determined that Bruce Beresford-Redman, who has been in jail since November 2010 awaiting a decision, should be sent to Mexico for a trial because there was enough circumstantial evidence to show probable cause he could have murdered his wife. The US is required to send Beresford-Redman to Mexico within 60 days but he can appeal the judge's ruling, which would extend the process for an undetermined period of time, a spokeswoman for federal prosecutors said. The badly beaten body of Monica Beresford-Redman was found in a sewer at a resort hotel where the couple and their children were vacationing in April 2010. Beresford-Redman had reported his wife was missing three days before she was found. Mexican authorities believe the two had an argument, he beat her to death, then dumped her body. Beresford-Redman has proclaimed his innocence, saying in a statement that he was "devastated at her loss" and "incensed at the suggestion" that he could have killed his wife. At the extradition hearing yesterday, defence attorneys Richard Hirsch and Vicki Podberesky claimed that statements from the couple's six-year-old daughter suggested there was no animosity between them while on the Cancun vacation with their family. But US prosecutors, who have reviewed the case made by Mexican authorities, believe there is enough evidence to show Beresford-Redman killed his wife for three reasons: collecting insurance money, getting sole custody of their children, and continuing an extramarital affair. According to court papers filed in Los Angeles, Monica Beresford-Redman was hit on the head, her face and body were badly beaten, and the cause of death was determined to be asphyxiation. Mexican police searched the couple's hotel room in Cancun and found blood spatter in several areas. Mexican police escort Bruce Beresford-Redman (centre) in this file photo taken in Cancun April 8, 2010. — Reuters pic The couple's two young children are being raised by their grandparents. — Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

‘Evil Dead’ star confirms return of the franchise Posted: 13 Jul 2011 01:44 AM PDT LOS ANGELES, July 13 — "Evil Dead" is getting resurrected. Bruce Campbell, who played Ash in Sam Raimi's horror classic "The Evil Dead", "Evil Dead II" and "Army of Darkness" — and whose executive produced the first and co-produced the second and third films — confirmed a new project via Twitter. "Believe in the remake, dawg!" he wrote. "The project is real. In the works. Cool as hell. Scary as hell." He wrote the tweet in response to a Twitter posting from a fan. Raimi will write and produce the next "Evil Dead". He won't direct. That will fall to Fede Alvarez, a filmmaker from Uruguay who has a deal with Raimi's company, Ghost House Pictures. The entire franchise has grossed a mere US$19.8 million (RM60 million) at the box office, and the first grossed a meagre US$2.4 million. The most recent film in the franchise, 1992's "Army of Darkness", grossed US$11.5 million. But the importance of the movies goes far beyond their box office receipts. They're cult favourites that have influenced an entire generation of horror writers — and fans. Campbell confirmed the project after a fan @TheMike31, tweeted: "I won't believe in a new Evil Dead film until I see it. Or at least not until @GroovyBruce tells me to believe in it." Within an hour, Campbell responded in the affirmative. — Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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Nuts instead of carbs may aid diabetes control Posted: 12 Jul 2011 10:08 PM PDT Raw almonds are crushed inside a factory in New Delhi January 15, 2011. — Reuters pic NEW YORK, July 13 — Replacing that daily muffin with a handful or two of nuts may help people with diabetes better control their blood sugar and cholesterol levels, according to a study. When people with type 2 diabetes replaced some of their usual carbohydrates with about a half-cup of mixed nuts each day, their blood sugar and "bad" cholesterol levels dipped slightly over three months, researchers wrote in the journal Diabetes Care. By contrast, no such improvements were seen among people who swapped their normal carbs for a daily whole-wheat muffin. While the findings don't mean that nuts are the key to diabetes control, they can be part of a healthy diet, said Cyril Kendall of the University of Toronto in Canada, one of the researchers involved. "We should be focusing on overall diet and lifestyle," Kendall told Reuters Health. "They (nuts) have a lot of fat, but we now realize that those fats are healthy ones," he said, referring to the unsaturated fats that have been linked to a lower risk of heart disease and other health benefits. Still, nuts are high in calories, and people with diabetes should not simply add a handful to their usual diet but should use them in place of less healthy snacks, Kendall said. For the study, 117 adults with type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned to one of three groups. One group was given unsalted mixed nuts and told to eat them instead of some of their usual carbohydrates, a second group replaced their normal carbohydrates with "healthy" whole-wheat muffins with no added sugar, and the third group went on a half-nut, half-muffin regimen. The "full-nut" group ate, on average, about 2 ounces, or a half cup, of nuts per day, totalling roughly 475 calories. After three months, the researchers found, the full-nut group showed a 0.2 per cent dip in their average haemoglobin AIC level — a measure of long-term blood sugar control. The change was small and "just shy," Kendall said, of what is considered a clinically significant improvement in blood sugar control. But the people in the study were already on diabetes medication and typically had good blood sugar control. "So we're seeing a benefit over and above what they were achieving with medication," he added. As for cholesterol, the nut group's average LDL cholesterol — the "bad" kind — declined from about 97 milligrams per decilitre to 89 mg/dL. An LDL count below 100 mg/dL is generally considered optimal. No similar improvements were seen in the other two groups. It was not clear why the full-nut group showed better blood sugar and cholesterol levels, but Kendall said he suspects it is largely because of the monounsaturated fats in nuts. For people who aren't crazy about nuts, there are other sources of monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil and avocados. While the study did not look at those foods, Kendall said it might be a wise move to replace some carbohydrates with those fats. The study was partially funded by the International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research & Education Foundation and the Peanut Institute, both industry groups. — Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Lost statue of Roman emperor Caligula unveiled Posted: 12 Jul 2011 05:02 PM PDT A bust of Gaius Caesar Caligula. — Picture by Louis le Grand ROME, July 13 — Officials yesterday unveiled a massive statue believed to be that of Roman emperor Caligula sitting on a throne and said it came from an illegal dig south of Rome that may have been the site of one of his palaces. The statue, which had been broken in several large pieces and a head, was first found last January when Finance Police stopped it from being smuggled out of the country by boat at a port near Rome. The operation led to the arrest of two so-called "tomb raiders" — those who dig up the countryside looking for archaeological treasures to sell on the black market. But more importantly, the arrests led police to the site near Lake Nemi, just south of Rome, where Caligula was believed to have had one of his imperial residences. The statue, now cleaned of the earth that had covered it for 2,000 years, shows parts of a robed man sitting on an elaborate throne like the Greek god Zeus. Significantly, it shows a man wearing a "caliga," shoes worn by Roman legionaries and from where the emperor got the name by which he is known. His real name was Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus. Caligula, who reigned from 37 to 41 AD, has gone down in history as a crazed and power-hungry sex maniac who demanded that his horse, Incitatus, be made a consul. — Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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Nik Aziz: Saya sokong Bersih 3.0 jika tuntutan tak dilayan Posted: 13 Jul 2011 03:02 AM PDT KUALA LUMPUR, 13 Julai – Mursyidul Am PAS Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat berkata beliau menyokong idea mengadakan Himpunan Bersih 3.0 jika Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) masih berkeras untuk tidak melaksanakan tuntutan dikemukakan Gabungan Pilihan Raya Bersih dan Adil (Bersih 2.0). Lapan tuntutan Bersih adalah agar SPR membersihkan daftar undi, mereformasikan undi pos, gunakan dakwat kekal, akses media yang bebas dan adil, tempoh kempen minimum 21 hari, diperkukuhkan institusi awam, hentikan rasuah dan hentikan politik kotor. Nik Aziz (gambar), yang juga Menteri Besar Kelantan berkata, perhimpunan itu perlu diadakan bagi memastikan keadilan dan ketelusan dalam sistem pilihan raya negara. Tegas beliau, sistem pilihan raya yang bersih dan adil perlu diadakan kerana ia dituntut dalam Islam, selain melibatkan soal pentadbiran negara. "Sedangkan menjaga diri sendiri juga wajib ikut cara Islam, dengan menikmati semua perkara halal... apa lagi soal mentadbir negara," katanya dipetik HarakahDaily hari ini. Semalam Timbalan Presiden PAS Mohamad Sabu  memberi mengingatkan SPR agar melaksanakan lapan tuntutan Bersih 2.0 sekiranya tidak mahu berdepan dengan satu lagi — Himpunan Bersih 3.0. Jelas beliau, empat daripada lapan tuntutan yang dikemukakan Bersih kepada SPR boleh dilaksanakan agensi itu dengan serta-merta. Mengenai dakwaan media arus perdana yang mengatakan Mohamad dan Ketua Pembangkang Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yang berlaku mengalami kecederaan ketika menyertai Himpunan Bersih 2.0 di ibu negara Sabtu lalu, Nik Aziz berkata, "hanya rakyat yang boleh menjadi hakim." "Orang Umno memang begitu, suka menafikan, dia tuduh kita (PAS) tetapi rakyat yang akan menjadi hakim, insya-Allah," katanya. Kata pemimpin veteran ini, perhimpunan yang didakwa disertai 50,000 peserta akan berjalan secara aman sekiranya pihak keselamatan tidak diperalatkan Umno yang mahu menggagalkan perarakan ke Stadium Merdeka. "Perasaan manusia bila dia yakin, seperti air hujan dari langit akan turun dengan baik dan sekiranya disekat umpama air banjir mengganas menghanyutkan apa sahaja yang ada dihadapan. Kiranya ada cadangan untuk buat lagi, saya setuju selagi sistem pilihan raya di negera ini tidak berjalan lancar. "Mentadbir negara yang diangkat secara bersih adalah kerja agama dan ia perlu disokong oleh semua, selagi pilihan raya di negara ini berjalan tidak cara bersih, memang saya sokong atas nama apa sekalipun. "Mentadbir negeri adalah ajaran Islam seperti ianya menjaga diri sendiri, mata, bercakap, makan cara bersih, kerana itu ingin menjaga Kelantan cara bersih," ujar Nik Aziz. Jelas beliau, pentadbiran Najib perlu memberi jaminan sistem pilihan raya diadakan dengan bersih dan adil sekiranya tidak mahu menerima balasan buruk di akhirat. Menurutnya, peniaga yang dikatakan mengalami kerugian besar akibat perhimpunan itu disebabkan tindakan Barisan Nasional (BN) yang membuat provokasi. "Cuba tidak menakutkan mereka atau memberi laluan demonstrasi bersih cara baik, orang akan beli air sana, air sini dan hasil jualan akan laku," ujarnya. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Saman Ambiga: Bantahan Taib Mahmud didengar 3 Ogos Posted: 13 Jul 2011 02:24 AM PDT KUALA LUMPUR, 13 Julai – Mahkamah Tinggi menetapkan 3 Ogos untuk mendengar bantahan awal Ketua Menteri Sarawak terhadap permohonan kebenaran semakan kehakiman difailkan pengerusi pertubuhan tidak berdaftar Bersih 2.O Datuk S Ambiga untuk mencabar notis tidak membenarkannya memasuki Sarawak pada pilihan raya negeri lepas. Hakim Datuk Rohana Yusuf menetapkan tarikh itu selepas mengadakan perjumpaan dengan kedua-dua pihak dalam kamarnya hari ini. Menurut laporan Bernama Online, peguam James Khong yang mewakili Ambiga, memberitahu pemberita bahawa Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud menyatakan dalam permohonannya bahawa beliau bukan pihak berkuasa negeri untuk dinamakan dalam permohonan semakan kehakiman itu. Khong berkata Ketua Menteri Sarawak itu juga menyatakan perkara pokok itu tidak boleh disemak mengikut Akta Imigresen. Pada 23 Mei lalu, Ambiga memfailkan permohonan kebenaran untuk semakan kehakiman dengan menamakan Ketua Pengarah Jabatan Imigresen Malaysia, Pengarah Imigresen Sarawak dan Taib sebagai responden. Peguam Kanan Persekutuan Datin Azizah Nawawi mewakili Jabatan Imigresen manakala Penasihat Undang-undang Negeri Sarawak Datuk J.C.Fong mewakili Taib. Dalam permohonan semakan kehakiman itu, Ambiga memohon untuk membatalkan notis larangan memasuki Sarawak bertarikh 15 April yang dikeluarkan pengarah imigresen Sarawak. Ambiga juga memohon perintah daripada Mahkamah Tinggi untuk mengarahkan para responden membenarkannya memasuki Sarawak. Beliau memohon ganti rugi dan kos dan relif lain yang difikirkan sesuai oleh mahkamah. Ambiga dilarang memasuki negeri itu sepanjang tempoh kempen selama 10 hari bagi pilihan raya negeri Sarawak pada April lalu. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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We are the boss Posted: 12 Jul 2011 05:33 PM PDT JULY 13 — As Malaysia takes in the aftermath of Bersih 2.0, a few things have been laid quite bare by events in our capital over the weekend. One — that tens of thousands of Malaysians can accomplish what most of us already know we're capable of doing: unite for a common cause. And no, not necessarily a drummed-up one handed down from up top, but a grassroots one based on the universal values of justice and fair play that transcends religious, racial and even political interests. The fact is, many of us already do this with our multiracial friends, co-workers and neighbours, so only the truly integration-challenged folks out there would raise an eyebrow at this.  Two — that if nothing else, Saturday was a reminder to both the Najib administration as well as Pakatan Rakyat that the people of Malaysia are in fact, the boss. All of us – not just the majority but the minorities as well. Any politician or political faction that forgets, chooses to ignore, or worse, asks that the people be "grateful" would do so at their peril. You can't want to cultivate a knowledge-based society and not deal with what naturally comes with it – a thinking populace with strong opinions to put forth.  Three — that no amount of propaganda or choreographed mainstream media campaign by the government can gloss over; much less overturn the honest, heartfelt and emotionally resonant personal accounts that have been shared, re-shared and made viral for and by the more than 17 million Malaysians who now regularly access the Internet. The poignant words and images of #bersihstories have collectively bore witness, recording a moment in our history that would echo on. Indeed, the mindshare slam dunk also exposes just how out-of-touch existing government machinery is in dealing with information age realities. Some GTP NKRAs may be in need of a relook. Four — that no one is really swayed anymore by the tired, disingenuous argument that street rallies and demonstrations "tarnish" the country's image... whatever that is supposed to mean. On a personal level, how many of us really occupy our time thinking about and judging other people? Aren't we busy enough with our own matters? Did the French racial riots tarnish their country's image? Did Tahrir square condemn Egypt in the eyes of the world? And no, for the pedants out there I am not necessarily equating the two with Bersih 2.0. Besides, image should arise from substance, not artificially shaped by what façade we would like to portray to outsiders. For lessons on that, we can always look to the likes of North Korea. Five — that at the end of the day, those who shout the loudest are often the ones without the stuff to back it up. Of all the factions that were supposed to "show" on the day, only one really mattered in the end. And more importantly, it was plain for observers to see that it was the one non-partisan cause that represented the concerns of ordinary Malaysians who just wanted to exercise their constitutional right to peaceful assembly. Six — and certainly most damning of all is that whether by miscalculation or incompetence, the police's actions and especially the FRU's excessive show of force on the day had more or less ensured that the government of the day loses yet more hearts and minds, particularly that of our youth — including and especially those who only experienced their political awakening on July 9th. That's the sort of loss of goodwill you don't easily recover from. So what now for Malaysia after Bersih 2.0? Whether for it, against it, or undecided about it, 9/7 has happened. I would like to think that aside from one truly tragic incident on the day, the worst case scenario did not come to pass. Provided a semblance of Bersih 2.0's eight demands are achieved in time for the next general elections; I can only hope that as a taxpaying, family-raising registered voter, that we will as a nation galvanise our better aspects and come to a point where we adopt a more mature, issues-based political scene that relies less on grandstanding and more on pointed debate; less on cults of personalities and more on selfless representation; and less on sectarian causes and more on national interest. It's time to move on with our national discourse. Just look at our neighbours and the way they are going. We owe it to ourselves to be represented by intelligent, thinking politicians to properly represent an increasingly well-informed and knowledgeable Malaysian society. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Football contracts: Normal rules do not apply Posted: 12 Jul 2011 05:23 PM PDT JULY 13 — Luka Modric is anxious to leave Spurs and hop across London to sign for Chelsea; Cesc Fabregas can't wait to return to his native Catalonia and rejoin Barcelona; Carlos Tevez is desperately missing his family and insists that he simply must leave rainy old Manchester for sunnier climes. It's nothing new. Footballers wanting to leave their clubs and feeling a sense of injustice when they're not easily allowed to do so happens all the time; only the names of the players and the clubs change from one transfer window to the next. Broadly speaking, it's all a bit of a game and players generally get their way. Hence Cristiano Ronaldo's repeated wishes to leave Manchester United and join Real Madrid were eventually granted, to pick just one example. At first the clubs make loud public protestations, firmly stating that the player is under contract and will not be allowed to leave at any price. Behind the scenes, though, it's a different matter as they make strenuous efforts to procure the highest possible fee for a player they know they can't keep. Legally, players have justification for believing that the process of moving from one employer to another should be more straightforward. In practically any other industry, after all, people change jobs all the time and, beyond insisting upon a three-month notice period or something similar, there's nothing the jilted employer can do to prevent the unwanted departure. Some senior executives might have contractual clauses prohibiting them from moving to direct rivals, but even they are usually overcome without too many problems – restraint of trade laws ensure that. Footballers find it a lot more difficult than most people to further their careers by making moves that would allow them to earn them more money and provide new personal opportunities. Modric, for example, wants to leave Spurs to join Chelsea: what's wrong with that? Unlike his current club, Chelsea are in the Champions' League, can be regarded as realistic Premier League title challengers and are prepared to significantly increase his wages. Of course he'll want to join them; why should Spurs be allowed to stop him? They couldn't do so in any other industry. But that's the point: top-class professional sport is not like any other industry. Its protagonists are rewarded with financial sums far, far in excess of anything that most people could even dream of, with even many ordinary Premier League players becoming millionaires many times over – never mind the genuine superstars, whose annual earnings are akin to those commanded by only the very biggest business leaders. More precisely, a large element of football's enormous global popularity is derived from the powerful, uniting team ethic that relies upon players and managers staying with the same club for a prolonged period of time. Most sports fans are not just casual consumers of their favourite team in the same way that they are of other products – they are passionate, fervent fans in the true, fanatical, sense of the word, developing from childhood a deep and lifelong personal affinity with specific teams and players. Arsenal fans will always love Tony Adams, Ian Wright and Denis Bergkamp not just because they were great players, but because they stayed with their club for many years and ultimately came not too far short of being regarded as friends of their fans. Steven Gerrard and Kenny Dalglish fulfil the same function for Liverpool; Roy Keane and Mark Hughes for Manchester United; Didier Drogba and Gianfranco Zola for Chelsea, and so on. Fans don't personally know these players, but they almost feel like they do. As an industry, football relies on that kind of team togetherness, continuity and belonging; it allows followers of the sport to develop the sense of identity that binds them so closely to their chosen team year after year. Without it, their passion and excitement would be significantly diminished. Although fans will always expect and accept a certain amount of player movement from one club to another, they also expect a certain amount of loyalty and continuity to provide the identity they (often subconsciously) crave. If Adams, Zola, Keane and co had flitted around from club to club whenever it suited them rather than committing themselves to one employer for the majority of their careers, they would receive far less personal adulation from fans. And the bond between fans and the clubs would also be commensurately weakened. It might happen. Just recently, English cricket hero Andrew Flintoff decided to end his international career due to injury and become the world's first "freelance cricketer", joining a myriad of clubs on a game-by-game basis depending on their short-term needs and his fitness. It's a fairly straightforward concept, common in many other industries, and there's no reason why the same thing couldn't happen with a footballer (and David Beckham would be the obvious candidate, hot-footing it between LA, London and Milan from one week to the next). But if it were to be conducted on a mass scale, surely fans wouldn't buy it. How can you commit yourself to supporting a team if you don't know who will be playing from week to week? The long-term result would surely be that fans would gradually feel detached from the players and the clubs, care less about the game and spend less on club merchandise and television subscriptions; clubs would earn less money and players, as a direct consequence, would suffer a significant reduction in wages. Football is not like any other industry, and its terms of employment cannot be judged according to the same principles that apply elsewhere. Modric, Fabregas and Tevez should not, therefore, expect to receive or be allowed to receive the same treatment as employees in other industries; but I don't think they'll start seeing it quite that way anytime soon. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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