Premier Specialty Network

By David Ornstein
BBC Sport

Van Persie finishes the year with 50 goals in all competitions

Robin van Persie registered his 35th Premier League goal in 2011 as Arsenal overcame QPR to go fourth in the table.

Van Persie missed four chances in a first half that also saw Aaron Ramseys shot cleared off the line by Joey Barton.

Theo Walcott missed a fine chance after the break but Van Persie struck with a low finish from Andrey Arshavins pass.

He passed Thierry Henrys club scoring record for a year but finished one shy of Alan Shearers all-time mark.

The former England striker scored 36 for Blackburn Rovers in 1995.

The indication I had from the president was that he felt that was a reasonable option for them, so weve been working very hard through Tourism WA in the last three or four weeks to put that proposal together, and well just have to wait and see how they react to that, he said.

Opposition spokesman for sport and recreation Roger Cook said it was imperative that the government supported the current management of the mixed-teams event.

He told the ABC: The government has to move heaven and earth to ensure that we keep the Hopman Cup as an important event on our sporting calendar.

The chief executive of Tourism WA, Stephanie Buckland, said in a Perth newspaper at the weekend that Tennis Australia had a conflict of interest, amid suggestions that the event could be shifted from Perth in two years.

But Tennis Australias commercial director Steve Ayles said the national body had no desire to see the Hopman Cup disappear from the calendar.

It is the third time in recent years that McNamee and Tennis Australia have been in conflict.

McNamee, formerly the chief executive of the Australian Open, was unsuccessful in consecutive bids for the presidency of Tennis Australia, now held by Sydney lawyer Stephen Healy.

The battle off-court was occurring as play began in Perth on New Years Eve between China and France.

Li Na, the reigning French Open champion, and also a finalist in last years Australian Open, struggled initially against former Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli but eventually won in three sets. Frenchman Richard Gasquet proved too accomplished for Wu Di and took the tie to a mixed doubles decider, which France won convincingly.

The tournaments top-seeded Czech Republic, represented by Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and the top-10 ranked Tomas Berdych, plays Bulgarian pairing Tsvetana Pironkova and Grigor Dimitrov today.

Tonight the US plays Denmark, featuring the worlds top-ranked woman Caroline Wozniacki.

Kimi Raikkonenmakes a surprise return to Formula One next season to boost the number of champions on the grid to six.

Days after talks with Williams came to nothing Team Lotus announced yesterday the sports wild child and 2007 champion will return with them instead.

Raikkonen denied the sport would be treated to a newer version of the old uninterested Finn, saying: I wouldnt have come back if I wasnt shy;motivated.

Anyone who thinks that NASCAR is just a boring display of cars buzzing around in circles should be forced to watch Sundays Sprint Cup finale. Seriously.

In a battle that came down to the final lap, Tony Stewart took the checkered flag and edged Carl Edwards for Chase supremacy. Although they finished tied in points, Smokes five wins (all of which came in the playoffs) outweighed Cousin Carls one.

But Stewart isnt the only newly crowned champ on our list. After beating the Houston Dynamo 1-0 in the MLS Cup, Landon Donovan sneaked into our top five just ahead of Sid the Comeback Kid Crosby and behind BCS-busting quarterbacks Robert Griffin III and Matt Barkley.

So, how did our panel do? Did Tim Tebow deserve better than the No. 6 spot? Worse? Weigh in with your suggestions in the comments section, and you could be selected as a guest ranker for future Cross-Sport lists.

Our all-star panel: John Buccigross, Robert Flores, DJ Gallo, Jim Basquil, Kevin Connors, Will Selva, Jeff MacGregor and Trey Wingo.

Last weeks ranking: Brandon Weeden No. 1 | Archive: Weeks 1-79

Remember this purported bezel for a next-generation iPhone with a larger display. The rumor behind it lives on.

(Credit:
iDealsChina)

I didnt see a single stride.

In Berlin in April, Beth Tweddle won a gold medal on the bars at the European Gymnastic Championships.

I didnt watch a single moment.

At the World Aquatics Championships in Shanghai in July, Keri-Anne Payne won gold in the 10K Open Water swim.

I didnt watch a single stroke.

In Hawaii in October, Chrissie Wellington won the Ironman Triathlon World Championship, triumphing in sports most gruelling event despite a torn pectoral muscle.

I didnt watch a single second of the eight hours it took her to do it.

In Korea in May, Sarah Stevenson won a taekwondo gold at the World Championships in a year when she lost both her parents to cancer.

I didnt watch a single kick or punch.

And I didnt write a single word about any of them.

But when I saw the shortlist for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award on Monday night and there was not a single woman among the 10 names, I was surprised.

Im aware that leaves me wide open to charges of hypocrisy. I get caught up in the maelstrom of the Premier League and The Open and the Rugby Union World Cup and all the male stars who compete in them. And the list chosen by the sports editors of national newspapers is very, very strong.

In fact, its hard to find fault with. Mine would be very similar.

It has been a very, very successful year for British men and my own 1-2-3 would be Rory McIlroy, Mark Cavendish and Amir Khan.

Im not interested in tokenism or quotas or including a woman in the list because it might be seen as politically correct.

And the voting system is commendably open and transparent. But I still cant quite accept the idea that none of the achievements of British sportswomen merit a place in the BBCs top 10.

Because many of them have been very successful, too.

Perhaps part of the problem is that less and less sport outside the mainstream is being shown on terrestrial television now.

Part of it lies in the BBCs loading of the voting system, too. Mens magazines like Nuts and Zoo have a vote each. Neither chose to include a woman in its top 10. No womens magazines were included in the nomination process.

(The Daily Mirror, like most national newspapers, had at least one woman on its shortlist. In our case, it was Chrissie Wellington.)

Part of it is rogue voting. For reasons best known to itself, an excellent paper like the Manchester Evening News chose to include Patrick Vieira and Dimitar Berbatov amongst its nominations.

Part of it is the perennial confusion about whether the award is supposed to prioritise sporting achievement or a dynamic personality.

The upshot is that a story of immense courage and dedication like Wellingtons or Stevensons is overlooked in favour of what has been a relatively ordinary year for a man like Andy Murray.

Murray is someone I admire immensely and, yes, he reached the final of the Australian Open in January. But other than that, by his high standards, he has not excelled.

I watched a lot of his matches at Wimbledon this year. I sat up into the night watching him at the US Open on television. I wrote reams about him.

But just because I paid more attention to him than I did to Stevenson, Wellington, Payne or Rebecca Adlington doesnt mean I would vote for him ahead of any of them.

One of those four should have made the final 10. Not because theyre women, but because of what they have done.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are headed in a completely new direction. And Los Angeles doesnt appear to be the destination.

Team owner Wayne Weaver fired longtime coach Jack Del Rio today after a 3-8 start and agreed to sell the Jaguars to Illinois businessman Shahid Khan. Weaver named defensive coordinator Mel Tucker the interim coach and gave general manager Gene Smith a three-year contract extension, putting him in charge of the coaching search.

The moves marked the most significant changes for the small-market franchise since its inception in 1993.

Its the right thing at the right time and for the right reasons, Weaver said. We deserve better; the community deserves better. Weve been very average over the last few years. I take responsibility for a lot of that, making mistakes in some personnel things, but look positive ahead that this team is not far away from being a very competitive football team.

Forbes reported the sale to be worth $760 million.

Weaver, who will turn 77 in January, had been looking for an exit strategy for years, wanting to find someone to buy the team and keep it in Jacksonville. He had tears in his eyes several times as he announced his impending departure.

Its a little bittersweet, honestly, that it came as soon as it did, Weaver said. But the main motivation for the exit strategy was to find someone that has the same passion about the NFL, had the same passion about football in Jacksonville as we do, and I found that person.

Khan, 61, believes he is the right choice, too.

Waynes legacy will be lasting, and I will always be grateful for Waynes trust and confidence in my commitment to the Jaguars, the NFL and the people of the Jacksonville community, Khan said in a statement.

Born in Pakistan, Khan left home at age 16 to attend the University of Illinois. He graduated in 1971, a year after he started working for Flex-N-Gate Corp. in Urbana, Illinois. He purchased the company in 1980. Today, Flex-N-Gate is a major manufacturer of bumper systems for pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles built in North America.

Khan tried to buy controlling interest in the St. Louis Rams last year.

His purchase of the Jaguars is subject to NFL approval. League owners will vote to ratify the deal December 14, and if it passes, would become official January 4.

The Jaguars could have a new coach in place before then.

Theres a lot of good things that will happen in the future, Smith said.

Del Rios job security had been tenuous since Weaver said the coach needed to make the playoffs to secure a 10th season in Jacksonville. The Jaguars were essentially eliminated with Sundays 20-13 loss to AFC South-leading Houston.

.

.

Preamble: So this is it, all the hype, talk and reality TV is over, and Floyd Mayweather Jr and Victor Ortiz get ready to step into the ring for their WBC Welterweight title.

Ortiz is the champion but the unbeaten Mayweather is the favourite. And HBOs pre-game build-up has just described Mayweather as the biggest star in boxing. Your predictions please via email or twitter.

How do you think these guys spent the hours before this fight? A little light training? Pacing around a hotel room? Shopping? Watching old Rocky movies? However it was spent, I hope it went better than my big match build-up. I was planning a few hours reading the latest reports and odds and thinking of some jokes. Instead Ive just spent six hours in a hospital emergency room with a broken-limbed offspring. Shes remarkably chipper considering. Hospitals have all the best drugs.

Anyway, lets hope neither of these guys end up in hospital. But heres also hoping for a good fight, that lasts a distance that makes those who have ponied up cash to HBO ($60 in the US) and Sky TV feel like theyve got value for money.

5.45pm Las Vegas/8.45pm ET/1.45am BST: What time is it? Depends on where you are, obv. Heres a handy guide to timezones:

Wherever you are, the main card action is due to start in 15 minutes or so.

5.56pm Las Vegas time: Stan Lee has a prediction: Hoping for Ortiz knockout, but more likely a Mayweather win on points with rematch in 5 months.

2.00am BST: I dont know whether this email was prompted by the genius of Gervais and Merchant, but Andrew Macdonald has a question: What time are they fighting UK time? I am trying to stay up for the fight.

Not that I dont want your company, Andrew, but there are three undercard fights to come before the big match, so I suspect that the main event will come somewhere around 4am UK time (11pm ET/8pm Las Vegas). Maybe time for a power nap? Or just get another beer and enjoy the undercard, starting with Vargas v Lopez very soon.

9.10pm ET: Vinnie Queenan tweets: David Ortiz?

At first I think its a prediction gone wrong. And then I double check and realise that hes talking about my preamble. Now corrected. My only defence is that I was writing about the baseball-playing Ortiz just a few hours ago.

9.23pm ET: Shannon Gatlin emails: His name is Victor…not David…he is going to win and make his home town proud!!! GO VICTOR GO!!

9.23pm: Theres a familiar theme to emails emanating from the UK. Phil Sawyer writes: Im trying gamely to keep my eyes open for the Mayweather fight but I fear circumstances may overpower me. But its not just to the lateness of the hour in Blighty. OBO regular and county cricket fan Phil adds: Im now on my third night of celebrating Lancashire Cricket Clubs title in the County Championship and fading fast.

9.25pm ET: Mayweather v Ortiz: Tale of the tape

Nickname: Pretty Boy v Vicious
Age: 34 v 24
Height: 5 ft 8 in v 5 ft 9 in
Reach: 72 in v 70 in
Wins: 41 wins v 29
Losses: 0 v 2
Draws 0 v 2
KOs: 25 v 22
Titles: 5 v 2

2.30am BST: A PPV nightmare: Elliot Rhoden emails: Im wide awake and ready to watch the fight, had a mid evening nap and everything, but I cant see a broadcast yet. Bought the event on TiVo service from Virgin and it doesnt seem to be working – has anyone else bought the fight through this Virgin service? Is it on? What channel? Can anyone help Elliot in his (late night) hour of need?

As for the fight, Elliot says: Floyd to win, Im hoping on points, but what little Ive seen of Ortiz suggests he wont be too defensive and Money could end up bouncing shots off him all night.

6.46pm: V(egas)T: Have you been following Kevin Mitchells Las Vegas build up to the fight? If not, can I suggest that you read these pieces and experience the dysfunctionality of the Mayweather and Ortiz clans:

Floyd Mayweather Jr and Victor Ortiz trade hard luck tales before title fight

Floyd Mayweather Jr and Victor Ortiz and their unhappy families

9.52pm ET: Jessie Vargas beats Josesito Lopez on a split decision. Vargas threw more punches but Lopez almost snatched it in the final round.

9.56pm ET (confused by these timestamps yet?): So, who has seen the HBO 24/7 build up programmes? Any favourite moments you wish to share?

7.02pm VT:
Kevin Mitchell from Las Vegas writes:

Floyd Mayweather said again this week Amir Khan has to beat his unbeaten prospect Jesse Vargas before he gets to fight him next year. It was, we suspected, roadblock negotiating. Well, Vargas is still unbeaten after the judges robbed Josesito Lopez in their 10-rounder tonight. The Californian beat up the Las Vegan all night yet only one judge gave him the fight, 95-94; the other two went for Vargas, 96-93 and 95-94. I had Lopez winning at least seven rounds, possibly sharing another. The last time time Lopez fought a Mayweather fighter here, Weston Ferguson in 2006, he also got a really rough call. This is what continues to drag boxing down.

10.08pm: The fight before the fight before the fight – Erik Morales v Pablo Cesar Cano – has started. Morales is taking some early round punishment.

10.12pm ET: Stanley Lee has a 24/7 jibe: When Mayweather claimed people say 24/7 is boring without him. What people? His entourage?

3.14am BST: More from Kevin Mitchell in Vegas:

For weeks, Anthony Crolla of Manchester thought he would be making his Las Vegas debut in a world title fight against former three-weight world champion Erik Morales. If it ever happens, Crolla will have to beat what Lennox Lewis use to call boxing politricks.

Instead of a glamour fight against one of the games legends, Crolla had to grind out a tough eight-round split decision over a Mexican of lesser stature, Juan Manuel Montiel, in front of a handful of enthusiasts in the second fight of an eight-bout undercard.

The background is complicated, but this was a really anti-climax for Crolla, who has been improving steadily over two years.

7.22pm VT: Morales and Cano trading plenty of blows and theres quite a bit of blood about.

10.25pm ET: Laszlo Hegedus in San Francisco has some tough talk on sleep deprivation (yes, thats you Phil Sawyer. And plenty of others): Brits moaning about staying up a little late to watch the fight. Meanwhile i was up at 5 [am] to see Arsenal get their ass handed to em.

3.30am BST: Scott from Swansea offers his prediction: Ortiz may be going in with a massive weight advantage but this wont help him against the slick Mayweather. Doesnt have the skills to bypass Mayweathers masterful defence. Mayweather will be too quick for him and will pick him off. Mayweather to out score him 8 rounds to 4.

7.40pm VT: Around the globe there are pay-per-view refuseniks seeking Mayweather/Ortiz coverage. Pleased to have so many of you here. But there are those looking for a multi-media experience. John Goldstein wants to know if the fight is on radio in the UK. Im in NY so not best-placed to answer that one. Senor Brains, meanwhile, is boasting of the non-ppv nature of the coverage in Buenos Aires.

10.41pm ET: Canos face is a bloody mess in the tenth round. And now the fight has been stopped during the break. Morales wins

10.50pm ET: Yesterday Victor Ortizs coach Danny Garcia outlined how his boy would beat Mayweather:

Were not going to respect Floyd Mayweather.

We got to be ready for his counter. Hes pretty fast and his best punch is the counter. Were going to get inside. If we have to move, we move. If Victor goes inside, Floyd cant counter-punch on the inside. He can in the middle distance or the outside. Inside, thats our fight. Hes got problems, because Victor hits hard with the upper-cut, with short hooks. Thats our best chance. He says that hes not going to run, that hes going to stay in front of Victor. How can he stay in front of Victor and not get hurt? Hes going to feel Victors punches and hes going to have to run. He likes to run. He never stays in front of an opponent. If he shows his back, were going to hit him on his back, because thats his fault. The ref should know that if he turns his back, the punches are still coming.

7.52pm PT: And so to the fight before the fight: Saul Canelo Alvarez v Alfonso Gomez. Live from Los Angeles, just to confuse matters (although that is at least in the same time zone as Las Vegas. I think. See 5.45pm Las Vegas/8.45pm ET/1.45am BST post).

4.07am BST: Big fight predictions: the Bad Left Hook blog says: Dont Count Out Vicious Victor.

At 24, Ortiz is 10 years younger than the veteran slickster. Some would say that this isnt much of an advantage because of the lack of experience at the highest level, and that argument is certainly valid. I personally consider it an advantage because it means that he has a fresh set of legs under him and hes also probably as quick as hell ever be.

Floyds latest opponents have all been in their 30s. Ricky Hatton was the youngest, but he drank away years of potential ring life. Shane Mosley was finished. So was Oscar De La Hoya. Juan Manuel Marquez could go, but he was in his mid-30s, too. That youthful bounce Ortiz has going for him is something Mayweather hasnt been up against in a long time.

4.13am BST: In case you didnt read to the end of Kevin Mitchells pre-match piece (how dare you?), here are the final paragraphs on Danny Garcia:

It would not surprise me if we knock him out in the first round, says the trainer, employing the American fight-argot plural.

Some things in life you dont do. You do not leave your glasses on the bed; it can be unwise to back three-year-old fillies, especially each-way; dwarves in New Zealand are to be trusted as far as you can throw them. But, of all the alleged verities, putting faith in a trainers predictions for a chinny fighter whom bookies rate a 9-2 underdog against a 1-8 counter-punching genius is as perilous a challenge to logic and the fates as exists in sport.

Mayweather, an enthusiastic gambler, this week offered Ortiz an even $2.5m wager on the outcome, the size of the champions purse. Ortiz declined. He might perish from over-ambition in the MGM Grand, but he is not a complete fool.

11.18pm ET: Danny Garcia has plenty to say to the referee just before the big fight: hes rabbiting on about Mayweathers elbows and their temptation to rise. We will soon see.

8.26pm PT: A quick finish to the fight before the fight: Gomez had been looking the better of the two, but a sudden flurry from Alvarez puts Gomez on his heals. The referee stops the fight before Gomez gets a chance to fight back.

11.33pm ET/8.33pm PT/4.33am BST: Last chance for pre-fight predictions via email or Twitter. And I dont suppose I can ask of you what Im not prepared to do myself, so: Mayweather. On points. Hes not been beaten before, its not going to happen tonight. Now, thats fighting talk.

11.39pm ET: Here come the celebs – Christina Aguilera, Marky Mark, Sean Puffy P-Diddy Cristal Combs – and the anthems.

11.44pm ET/8.44pm PT/4.44am BST: A sudden surge for the youngster (and defending champ) in the last minute predictions:

Adam Fox: Ortiz in points

James Locklair: I have Ortiz within six rounds! Mayweather was good but now it aint nothing but crap talkin punk!

Sam Nichol: Im sure Victor is going to surprise everyone tonight. Everyone is blinded by the history of Mayweather clouding their judgment for tonights fight against the young, talented Victor. Prediction: Victor, points.

Greg Phillips: You know, I think Im going to bed. Nothing against Mayweather or Ortiz, or your minute-by-minute, but its 11:30, I cant find a decent stream of the fight online and I just finally got my kids to sleep (hope yours is OK, been there). Besides, why stay up to watch Mayweather waltz his way to another one-sided points win? I might stay up to watch Pacquiao muller Ortiz in five rounds, but Mayweather is not the guy to watch when youre already sleepy, prodigiously talented though he most certainly is.

Dont do it Greg, not when youve got this far.

11.48pm ET: The Ortiz entourage arrive wearing bandanas, and now comes Mayweather, flanked with 50 Cent and looking a little like a bumble bee. Or something.

11.55pm ET: The undefeated Floyd Moooooney Maaayyyyweather and Viiiiictooooor Ooooooortiz are introduced. More noise from the crowd for Ortiz, but that seems to be a mix of cheers and jeers.

Lets Get Ready To Ruuuuuuuummmmble!

Round One: Ortiz gets some bodyshots to Mayweather in the corner. Mayweather shows plenty of his side, back and clutch to Ortiz. Southpaw Ortiz leading with the left several times. Too close to call that round.
Guardian unofficial score: Mayweather 10-10 Ortiz

Round two: The crowd gets behind Ortiz. Mayweather counters Ortizs left hand leads with a right hand lead or two. Ortiz gets Mayweather into the corner which leads to plenty of face-rubbing. Ortiz throwing more punches but landing fewer
Guardian unofficial score: Mayweather 10-9 Ortiz

Round three: Mayweather stepping forward more this time. When Ortiz goes on the offence, Mayweather steps back and still lands point-scoring punches. Guardian unofficial score: Mayweather 10-9 Ortiz

Round four: This is more like it. Some big early punches. But then Ortiz gets Mayweather on the ropes, lands several punches, but none anywhere-near-decisively. And again Ortiz gets the unbeaten Mayweather on the ropes but again fails to land. Ortiz senses success but then sees Mayweather respond. And just before the bell he gets Mayweather on the ropes a third time. Ortiz is penalised for headbutting. Before the penalty Ortiz offers a kiss. And then, stunningly, as Ortiz appears to be unready, Mayweather attacks and knocks the champion down. Mayweather wins on a knock out.

Replay time: Ortiz clearly did butt Mayweather. But then, Ortiz was apologising and not defending himself, Mayweather clips one punch across Ortiz and then knocks him down with a second, a big right hand. Legal, but not really fair.

Mayweather is being interviewed and thanking God and being booed. I got hit by a dirty shot. The rule is protect yourself at all time, says Mayweather. We are not here to cry and complain about what he did or I did dirty.

Mayweather starts shouting at the interviewer who declares that he wishes he was 50 years younger and I would kick your ass.

12.20am ET: Ortiz is taking this extremely calmly. He says it is a learning experience.

12.22am ET: Steven Dunn emails: Cant believe the cheek of Mayweather…Ortiz was clearly looking at the ref not even in the fight and 2 free shots and Mayweather wins!

12.25am ET: Im stunned. HBO is loving the controversy and pretending that it was fair enough under the protect yourself at all times rule. But it was a cheap shot from Mayweather. Ortiz was apologising and when the second punch landed he was looking at the referee and not his opponent. Legal sure. But fair?

12.28am ET: After hours/days/week/months of build up, HBO is outta there like something off a shovel within minutes. Many of you are now surely off to bed: tired, annoyed, disappointed, angry, or just shoulder-shrugging. Thank you for joining me this evening. Kevin Mitchells verdict will be online soon. Thanks for all the emails and tweets. I love boxing but once again cant help but feel dissatisfied with that finish.

12.33am ET: OK, two last emails, this one from Daniel Anselm, which I think sums up what many must be feeling:

I couldnt believe my eyes when the win was allowed to stand. Referee could flag it.
It looks like the whole thing was staged to give Floyd a win… its surreal
Why didnt Ortiz react after the first punch? Why is he not even angry? Was it planned to create controversy and give Floyd Vs Man a better chance?
I am not satisfied at all

Or an alternative view from Chris Markou:

If Id just butted the greatest boxer in the world and avoided disqualification, I would have protected myself at all times thereafter. Yes an unsatisfying end and Cortez is past it but not particularly controversial.

The tenth All Africa Games ends in Maputo, Mozambique with a lot of lessons for a nation willing to learn, Olukayode Thomas reports

BETWEEN PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN AND AYO OBE

One is not sure if Ayo Obe, a card carrying member of the group we call activists or human right community, is also into the business of fortune telling.

But barely three months after she wrote that, there is only one ministerial appointment that will prove whether or not Goodluck Jonathan is really serious about bringing lsquo;transformative change to Nigeria. That is of course, the Minister of Sports. The way sports have been treated by successive governments says a lot about how the whole Nigerian enterprise has been run. And how sports will be treated in future could be a microcosm of what we should expect in the nation at large.

If Team Nigerias performance at the Maputo 2011 All Africa Games which ends today, is used as a parameter, then the President Jonathan Transformation Agenda may be a mirage, or sports may not be one of the sectors the President intended to transform.

Obe then predicted that our preparation will start at five minutes to midnight. She was almost correct, our preparation started ten minutes pass midnight. Even during the games, we were looking at options, dropping and including athletes and officials.

OBE ON SPORTS OFFICIALS

Obe was also almost on spot in her prediction that the important people sports officials, governors, senators, hangers-on and other assorted jobless (and shameless) types who like to air themselves in foreign climes where things work so much better than they do here, will have already secured their visas, estacodes and business class tickets. Any embarrassment that hit such sports tourists when the the team fails to perform, can be soothed away in shops and a jazzy nightlife.

Obes only error was that, this time, our sports officials and politicians on the Maputo Express Train find Maputo night boring and the city stores do not put on sale the best of Tommy Hilfiger Jeans, Ralph Lauren, Levi, Gucci, Channel and high class designers perfume, sporty apparels and shoes, so they shuttle between Maputo and South African cities of Johannesburg, Pretoria and Nelspruit, which are close to Maputo. Here they shop till they drop dead and party all night daily. They only move to Maputo when the track and field athletes started winning medals in the last few days of the game.

OBE ON MONEY SPENT ON FOOTBALL

Again, her analysis of how the money budgeted for football is almost spot on, but not correct, hear her

most resources in sports are devoted to football. With much the same lack of sustained, positive results. Huge sums are allocated, but at ground level, it is poor or no performance, disappearance of raw cash and a superstructure of cheating, and the footballer forced to subscribe to a false age or the long-jumper abandoned to negotiate the minefield of international sports drug testing alone.

Obe needs to be informed that at Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), some people believe they should be called Nigerians Feeding on Football.This is the only where the sum of $236, 000.00 was stolen and those that were party to the theft are still working in that office today. Ours is the only federation in the world that when they are invited for a friendly game by another country, we buy our tickets and incur millions as expenses instead of gains; one could go on and on listing the ills of football administration and management in Nigeria. It is no surprise then that a nation that prides itself as football nation last won anything in 1994.

OBE ON AGE GRADE FOOTBALL

Obes crystal ball was right on spot about age grade competition, but not about match officiating

With the dishonesty that dogs our participation in age-restricted competitions being so glaring that even those of us who only follow the result, know that something is wrong, Nigerians can hardly be blamed if suspicions of wuru-wuru on the home front make us withhold wholehearted commitment to our own athletes and tie up our passions in overseas sport. Who knows whether local results are the product of genuine sporting excellence or compromised officiating?

Well this reporter knows that the local results are products of compromised officiating. Clubs with the financial power in the local league pay as much as half a million naira to win a match, while a once powerful club in the Southwest is not doing so well now because its officials could only pay referees thirty five thousand naira per match.

OBES CHALLENGE TO JONATHAN

Obe concludes that, this weeks (her article was published in June) 4-1 lsquo;humiliation by the Super Eagles of the Argentine national football team (under strength, but still their national team) may give a similar illusion that all is well in the house of Nigerian soccer. To people with short memories anyway. But if that is to be a taste of better things to come, we need a Sports Minister who is more than just a lsquo;federal character slotted in, to prevent him messing up anything important. Who will stop lsquo;interfering with taxpayers money in sports associations that claim independence. Who will take the sector by the scruff of its neck and really shake it up and out of its hand-out-palm-up complacency. Who can soothe away the pains of political division by grooming athletes we can all get behind, and give us a sporting chance at winning some victories we can all cheer.

SULEIMAN AND THE TASK AHEAD

If the above were to be that of a sports journalists or a stakeholder in the sports family, such could be called a noise maker.

The submission here is that the present minister of sports and chairman National Sports Commission Yusuf Suleiman does not have what it takes to take our sports to the next level.

Not because he is not professional or seasoned sports administrator, but the truth is, after about three months, the man has not given any sign that he knows where he is and what he wants to do.

Since Nigerias return to civilian government in 1999, the sports portfolio has always been for those who are less favoured or who they want to punish.

Only Isaiah Mark Aku and Ibrahim Isa Bio have shown the zeal and determination to turn the sector around, the other ministers from Damishi Sango to Sani Ndanusa and even the so called professor of Sports Administration Tahoed Adedoja were just there to mark time.

Suleiman was demoted from Transport to Sport and since he came to the ministry, he has not shown any understanding of sports, or willing to learn.

If it takes someone like Ayo Obe, a human rights activist to point the way foward for the Nigerian Sports Commission, then President Jonathan must see reason to urgently act fast and save the sport sector from sure callapse.

How far are we prepared to go to find the drug cheats? asked Juan Antonio Samaranch, the then president of the International Olympic Committee during the Declaration of Lausanne which heralded the birth of the World Anti-Doping Agency. In those historic moments nobody was minded to answer: Too bloody far.

But that is exactly where Wada have taken sport in a decade of escalating
anti-doping fundamentalism with which bodies such as the Taliban could
surely identify. The Wada code is their holy scripture, and the enforcement
of it must be literal. As a gauge of just how fanatical Wada have become in
implementing the letter of their law, take a look at the case of Igor
Walilko.

Those courageous souls at Wada confirmed the Polish go-karter as a drugs cheat
at 12 years of age. The blessed code demanded the boy be punished and so
punished he was a two-year ban. The devil, as they say, knows no age limit.

Fortunately, the Court of Arbitration for Sport, intriguingly also set up by
the great moralists at the IOC, last week adjudicated the punishment excessive
and disproportionate. So after a year of enduring puberty in the pits
awaiting the judgement, Igor gets to race next year. Yet when he returns to
that starting grid he will soon discover he is pulling a trailer-load of
baggage.

Just imagine, it was the FIA, motorsports world governing body, who actually
delivered this draconian ban. You know, the same FIA who handed out a
two-year suspended sentence (ie a let-off) to Renault after the F1
race-fixing scandal which featured Nelson Piquet Jnr being ordered to crash
into a wall. Why be so harsh with a pocket-moneyed offender and so lenient
with a billionaire one? Contrary to intuition, however, this is not simply
an example of one rule for the poor, etc.

Just like all sports governing bodies worthy of their sponsorship portfolio,
the FIA are petrified of Wada. That is why theyre testing minors in the
first place. Personally, if anybody in a white suit came up to my son and
told him to provide a sampleto prove he was clean, I would instruct my son
to fill up the bottle and pour it over the goons head. Even allowing for
the fact there are parents out there who would do anything to assist their
childs rise to superstardom, this is a grotesque scenario. But FIA and Wada
insist on it, and the spotty-faced go-karters either have to lump it – or
find refuge in joyriding.

If FIA had arrived at the rational verdict that Igor tested positive for the
stimulant nikethamide, because, guess what, energy bars contain nikethamide,
and acquitted him, they were in danger of the wrath of Wada.

What exactly is the wrath of Wada? You may have seen a glimpse of it in
Channel 4s pathetic Dispatches non-exposé of drugs in football
last Monday. Despite the Football Association going even further than the
Wada code stipulates and, for some unfathomable reason, testing for
recreational drug-use outside of competition days, David Howman, Wadas
director-general, still felt obliged to criticise them for not being transparent
in revealing the identity of the miscreants. It was incredible logic: no, we
dont believe you should ban your players for that offence, but
we do believe you should publicise the ban we dont believe in. Eh? How does
that work?

It works for Wada because the naming and shaming of a young millionaire who is
stupid enough to have a sniff in the toilets with his mates would create yet
more hysteria about drug use. The agency are only in existence because of
this frenzy and will only continue to expand because of this frenzy. The
boys on the payroll cannot lose. Wadas critics are accused of being soft
on drugs and, worse, of forgetting the poor sod in second who is
clean. So on they march with their very righteous crusade.

Why stop at Wada? Why not have Wava, the World Anti-Violence Agency, and
establish a code in which a playersuch as Courtney Lawes would be banned for
a couple of years for deli-berately kneeing an opponent in the head.
Violence, you know, is a biggerproblem in society than drug use.

Wafa, the World Anti-Fixing Agency, would ensure sport isnt soft on the
nobblers; Waca would ensure it wasntsoft on corruption; and Asbo, the Anti-
Sepp Blatter Organisation, would ensure sport wasnt soft on officials who
shouldnt be allowed within a mile of a football pitch.

But no, its just drugs that are granted special status among sports many
scourges. Look on the positive side. At least we know where our kids are
when theyre being asked to stand in a courtroom and plead their innocence
in front of grown adults. Dickens would have had a field day.

Irish epic answers the Cup critics

Ireland have enjoyed some famous rugby days before, not least the Grand Slam
in Cardiff two years ago. But yesterdays victory over Australia was on a
different scale. The Blarney Army located their Garden of Eden at Eden Park.

Do not underestimate where this could take Ireland, or indeed Wales. If the
Dragonhood averted disaster in this mornings encounter with Samoa, and so
long as all that craic does not invade the concentration inthe next few
weeks, it is long odds-on that the two nations will play each other in the
quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup.

Having one of Ireland and Wales in the semi-finals would be as important a
step for the competition as it would be for the lucky country involved. It
would mean that not only has the critics main gripe been put to bed, but
that the critics back-up gripe will be quivering underthe duvet.

No, the World Cup is nottoo long. We have already ascertained that much in two
weeks of enthralling viewing.We will need seven weeks tosort out this lot.

Thats because, contrary to some suggestions, more thanonly three or four
teams are in contention. There is no ceiling on Irish ambitions after
yesterday, and there should be no artex arresting Welsh hopes either after
last weeks unfortunate defeat against the world champions, South Africa.

Put in England, France, Argentina, Scotland even, and there are eight or nine
teams with every right to focus their intentions on the latter stages of the
tournament.

Believe it, the Rugby WorldCup is coming of age; the Irish celebrations in
Auckland last night confirmed it.

Who would dare throw a leprechaun now?