The Malaysian Insider :: Sports
The Malaysian Insider :: Sports |
| Magath fears relegation more than he fears for his job Posted: 01 May 2014 07:54 AM PDT Fulham are 19th in the 20-team league and probably need to win their last two matches against Stoke City and London rivals Crystal Palace to have a chance of ensuring their 13-season membership of the top flight does not come to an end. At the very least they need one win from either of those two matches to give themselves any hope of staying up after dropping two vital points last week in a 2-2 draw with FA Cup finalists Hull City at Craven Cottage. Fulham seemed set for a vital win when leading 2-0 with 15 minutes to go, before Hull struck twice to make Fulham's survival task significantly tougher and leave Magath facing relegation for the first time as a coach. "I have never been relegated. I am a little afraid of that situation and don't need to know how it feels," the former Bayern Munich, Wolfsburg and Schalke manager, told reporters. "I'm always nervous. Without being nervous, you can't be 100%, but I have no doubt about my future. I will remain here. I'm here to build a new team." This was not the season US businessman Shahid Khan envisaged having when he bought the club from previous owner Mohamed Al-Fayed before the start of the season. At the time it seemed his biggest problem was what to do with the statue of Al-Fayed's friend, the late singer Michael Jackson, that Al-Fayed erected at the ground. In the event the statue of Jackson was not the only thing Khan has got rid off since arriving at Craven Cottage. Magath became Fulham's third manager this season when he took over from the sacked Rene Meulensteen on February 14. Meulensteen had only been in the job since the start of December when he replaced Dutchman Martin Jol. Fulham have been in the bottom three since November apart from a brief spell under Meulensteen, but have never risen higher than 18th since Magath took over, although their performances have improved recently. "I believe two wins will be enough," Magath, whose side are one point behind fourth-from-bottom Sunderland, said. "We need three points to have the chance of staying up, of not being relegated. I know Stoke are a good team at home, but we are confident. "The players want to show everybody that we are still alive and that we can stay in the league." No team has yet been condemned to relegation, but in all likelihood three from Sunderland, Norwich City, Fulham and Cardiff City will be relegated, even though theoretically other clubs such as Aston Villa are still in danger. Sunderland, who are 17th, have three matches to play and are on 32 points, the same number as 18th placed Norwich who have two matches to play against Chelsea and Arsenal. Fulham have 31 with two matches to play, while bottom-placed Cardiff look set for an immediate return to the Championship having taken only 30 points from their 36 games. - Reuters, May 1, 2014. |
| Rashid blew whistle on Salim, now backs lifting of life ban from cricket Posted: 01 May 2014 06:45 AM PDT Latif, known for his fight against corruption in cricket, said Malik had suffered enough and should be allowed to coach or do similar work. "Malik should be given relief now," Latif told AFP. "He is not playing or coaching cricket and has served 14 years of his ban." Latif was the first to blow the whistle on match-fixing on Pakistan's tour of South Africa and Zimbabwe in 1995, accusing Malik and other team-mates of wrongdoing. Shane Warne, Tim May and Mark Waugh revealed the same year that Malik had offered them bribes to under-perform in matches on Australia's tour to Pakistan in 1994. The allegations prompted the then-Pakistan government to conduct a judicial inquiry in 1998 through Lahore high court judge Malik Mohammad Qayyum who, after a two-years investigation, banned Malik and paceman Ataur Rehman for life. The commission also fined six leading players: Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Saeed Anwar, Mushtaq Ahmed, Inzamam-ul Haq and Akram Raza. Rehman had his ban overturned by a one-man Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) commission in 2003. Malik's ban was also overturned by a civil court in Lahore in 2008, but the decision has not been endorsed by either the PCB or the International Cricket Council (ICC). On Wednesday Malik contacted PCB chairman Najam Sethi, seeking a review on his ban. The PCB has promised to review the ban, but has not assured anything. Latif said the PCB and ICC never endorsed the Qayyum commission report. "ICC and PCB never endorsed the Justice Qayyum inquiry in totality and that's why Rehman got relief," said Latif, who played 37 Tests and 166 one-day internationals for Pakistan. "If other players (fined by the Qayyum commission) can do cricket-related jobs in private leagues and with cricket boards, Malik deserves the same," said Latif, without naming anyone. His former team-mate Mushtaq served as spin coach for England between 2010 to 2014 and is tipped to take a role in the Pakistan cricket team's management, despite a ban by the commission on him taking any role in the board or team. – AFP, May 1, 2014. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider : Sports To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan