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Holly Bleasdale: Im
in shape for a personal
best at World Indoors
Page 10
Warren Gatland:
Twickenham no longer
a bridge too far for
Wales Page 11
David Pococks injury
doesnt rule him out of
World Cup, says Ewen
McKenzie Page 8
Sochi Paralympics:
Cameron Rahles-
Rahbula out of downhill
after crash Page 9
Philip Fenton Gold Cup
hope Last Instalment
runs at Cheltenham
Festival Page 6
Leeds takeover in
balance as Massimo
Cellino accused of tax
evasion Page 7
England claim ODI
series but ball-
tampering issue taints
their victory Page 4
Englands Billy
Twelvetrees relishes
Six Nations battle with
Wales centres Page 5
David Silva sets up Spain victory over Italy
in heavyweight friendly
David Silva, a half-time substitute, set up the only goal of the game
for Pedro in a friendly victory over Italy Page 4
Waless Gareth Bale provides absolute
masterclass in win against Iceland
Gareth Bale turned in a man-of-the-match performance as Wales
beat Iceland 3-1 with the winger scoring a superb third for the hosts
Page 3
Roy Hodgson claims England squad is
shaping up for World Cup in Brazil
After Englands laboured 1-0 win over Denmark at Wembley, the
manager Roy Hodgson says competition for World Cup places is
hotting up Page 2
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This was an important game tonight, and it was important
we put in a good performance. I wanted a level of energy,
with players running back when they lost the ball, making
tackles from the wrong side, not being afraid to make mistakes
knowing, with their pace, they can recover. Thats what I did
see, and we put the icing on the cake with the goal to win it.
The younger players are doing well at the moment. Hopefully
people will be impressed with their performances, and Ill have
to make a decision going forward.
While Sterling, on a rst Wembley appearance for his
country, was bright, arguably the most eye-catching cameo
came from Lallana whose clever turn and cross was nodded
home by Sturridge for the only goal. It was nice to get a chance
to impress the boss and, more importantly, to get the win after
two defeats [against Chile and Germany last November], he
said. I gave it my best and thats all I can do. Its not for me
to judge how well I played. I will go back to my club and keep
performing well and working hard and hopefully I will be
involved in the squad at the end of the season.
There were areas of concern as well, with Sturridge arguably
more eective once Wayne Rooney had been withdrawn.
Hodgson will have noted both Ashley Cole, on his 107th
appearance, and Shaw impressed at left-back and with Leighton
Baines given the evening o, there is a decision to be made as to
which of the pair travels to Brazil. They were both very good,
said Hodgson, who conrmed Wilshere had only suered
bruising to his foot in an early clash with Daniel Agger. Ashley
got forward and his defending was good, and Luke carried on in
the same way. Its a tougher decision now, yes, but there are a
lot of matches still to be played.
Ill see a lot of Luke Shaw, Leighton Baines and hopefully
Ashley Cole in the coming months. I wasnt surprised with
Ashley. Im a great admirer of him. To play 107 times for
England and be the best in the world for so long demands
respect. Ive watched him in training and hes been
unbelievably good, and very t right at the top of the running
statistics , so theres no question about his tness. But hes
a specialist player. You dont normally play two left-backs in
the team and at the moment his manager at club level prefers
someone else.
England manager Roy Hodgson says he has some selection
dilemmas after his teams win over Denmark. Photograph:
Andy Rain/EPA
Roy Hodgson claims England squad is
shaping up for World Cup in Brazil
Manager praises Luke Shaw and Adam
Lallana
Danish manager says England will need
luck
Dominic Field at Wembley
Roy Hodgson praised the contribution of his younger players
as England secured a late victory over Denmark, the manager
drawing encouragement from a laboured occasion, but it was
left to his opposite number, Morten Olsen, to sum up the
general mood at the national stadium. I wish you good luck in
the World Cup, oered the Dane. You need it.
Daniel Sturridges goal eight minutes from time ensured
Hodgsons side did not endure a third successive scoreless
occasion in the nal xture before the manager names his 23-
man squad, and seven stand-by players, on 13 May for Brazil.
That deadline heaped more importance on this xture and
while the side lacked penetration for long periods against
opponents who had lost 4-0 at home to Armenia while failing
to qualify for the World Cup, the manager took heart from the
youngsters contributions.
The second-half performance in particular, the young
players, the energy we brought to the game, and the
determination to get beyond a packed Danish defence even
though wed done it on quite a few occasions only to nd a
goalkeeper [Kasper Schmeichel] in outstanding form, those
were the positives, said Hodgson.
The victory, too, and the fact we put a lot of youngish
players on the pitch who havent played a lot for England, and
they did a good job and improved their chances. The level of
competition is getting greater.
I wanted the young players to have a chance to get out there
and play and Im sure Luke Shaw and Adam Lallana will go back
to Southampton feeling very positive. Lallana was very good.
Very, very good. But weve been building this up over the last
couple of years. This wasnt the rst time Raheem Sterling has
got a game, or Jordan Henderson, Adam Lallana, Chris Smalling
or Jack Wilshere. Id just like to think these players will grow in
condence playing in the Premier League for their club sides
over the remainder of the season.
Page G Sport Thursday March o6:z 0MT
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an autograph and a photo, the Wales manager joked. Hes one
of the best Ive seen. An unbelievable player. Hes a fantastic
weapon for us, certainly on that form. I would imagine the
people who came tonight, it was worth them paying the fee just
for Gareth with some of the things that he did.
Asked to make a comparison with Ryan Giggs, Coleman
suggested that Bale had the potential to eclipse the Manchester
United veteran. People ask me the best player I played with
and thats Ryan Giggs. But this boy, if he keeps on doing what
hes doing, hes going to be No1. Ryan, when he played for
Wales, he scored great free-kicks and things like that but Baley
scores more goals where he runs past four or ve defenders.
Hes probably more destructive on a consistent basis. Im not
talking about Ryan Giggs in a disrespectful way but Gareths got
the capacity, I think, to surpass him.
Bales performance totally overshadowed a promising debut
from Emyr Huws, the 20-year-old Manchester City midelder
who showed some nice touches on what was a highly
satisfactory evening for Coleman. Collinss glancing header set
Wales on their way and, although Coleman will have been less
than impressed with the defending that saw Iceland drew level,
his players fully deserved victory in the penultimate game
before their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign starts.
Vokess goal arrived after yet another surging Bale run down
the right ank. Cutting inside, Bale struck a left-footed shot
with the outside of his boot that beat Hannes Halldorsson, the
Iceland keeper, only for Arnason to block on the line. Prolic for
Burnley this season, Vokes was perfectly positioned to nod in
the rebound. Then came Bales coup de grace. Unbelievable,
Coleman said when asked about that third goal. Iceland are a
good team, its not as if hes up against people that cant play at
this level. Its amazing what hes done there.
Gareth Bale calls for the ball as he produced a man-of-the-
match display for Wales against Iceland. Photograph: Andrew
Couldridge/Action Images
Waless Gareth Bale provides absolute
masterclass in win against Iceland
Stuart James at Cardi City Stadium
It was one of those nights when everyone in the stadium knew
they were witnessing something truly special. Not many turned
up the attendance was little more than 13,000 but those who
did were treated to a Gareth Bale masterclass as the worlds
most expensive footballer produced an outstanding individual
performance that included two assists and a sensational goal
that will be played time and time again.
Picking the ball up midway inside his own half, Bale showed
an incredible change of pace to sprint round the outside of
Solvi Jonsson at one point he ran o the pitch to avoid the
substitutes attempt to bring him down before cutting inside
Kari Arnason and curling a left-foot shot into the bottom corner
of the net. It was a breathtaking goal that rounded o a quite
brilliant display and ended with Bale leaving the pitch to a
standing ovation when he was substituted 18 minutes from
time. The Iceland players must have felt like joining in the
applause.
Bale had made it clear from the outset that he had no
intention of going through the motions here and, at times, it
was dicult not to feel sympathy for Ari Skulason, the Icelandic
left-back who had the thankless task of trying to stop a man
who was hell-bent on wreaking havoc every time he received
possession.
It was Bales inswinging free-kick that led to James Collins
opening the scoring and the Real Madrid forward also created
the second for Sam Vokes to restore Waless lead, after Ashley
Williams had deected Johann Gudmundssons shot into his
own net midway through the rst half. But Bale contributed
so much more. He was everywhere, chasing down opponents
close to his own goal one minute, tormenting the Iceland
defence at the other end of the pitch the next.
It was a joy to watch, unless you were the Iceland manager.
I dont know exactly what words I know in English to describe
him, said Lars Lagerback, who placed Bale in the same bracket
as Cristiano Ronaldo, his Real Madrid team-mate, and Lionel
Messi.
For Chris Coleman, Bale is the golden ticket to qualication
for Euro 2016. On this evidence the former Tottenham winger is
capable of winning games single-handedly. I just asked him for
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theguardian.com Guardian News and Media Limited 2012 theguardian.com
Englands centurion and man of the match Joe Root celebrates
the wicket of West Indies batsman Kieran Powell. Photograph:
Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images
the strikers. In the opening half an hour, Italy struggled to keep
the ball, with Spain pressuring high and hard, yet chances were
few and it was Dani who had perhaps the best opportunity on
the break, cutting neatly across the face of the area only to curl
his shot just wide.
Twice Spain created openings, both from the right. The
rst was a long run by Csar Azpilicueta, who pulled back for
Cesc Fbregas to shoot over. Then, towards the end of the half,
Domenico Criscito tried to bring Pedro down but he accelerated
away before cleverly turning inside just before he ran out of
pitch. The cross, though, was overhit.
At half-time Italy made two changes while Spain made three:
Alonso for Busquets, Silva for Fbregas, and Victor Valds for
Iker Casillas. Silva, quickly and constantly involved, created the
rst opportunity with a wonderful piece of skill to nd Thiago.
Moments later, he himself missed the target from just inside the
area. Soon after, he laid the ball o for Pedro to hit over. Then
he and Pedro combined to pull the ball back to Costa near the
the six yard box, but the striker was snued out. Silva then hit
wide from 18 yards. Next time he set o, the goal did come.
Pedro, right, watched by David Silva, scores Spains winning
goal against Italy. Photograph: Paul Hanna/Reuters
David Silva sets up Spain victory over
Italy in heavyweight friendly
Sid Lowe
There is something about these two sides that draws you in.
Finalists at Euro 2012, the last two world champions, they have
been brought together often in recent years, from the European
Championship to the World Cup and the Confederations Cup,
and the matches have invariably been seen here almost as a
moral battle: a clash of cultures and styles.
Yet this game was a friendly and both sides knew it. Five
half-time changes between them seemed to tell the story,
except that one of them was David Silva, the man who changed
this game.
The City midelder combined with Andrs Iniesta to create
the only goal for Pedro as the world champions won 1-0. He had
been on the pitch less that 20 minutes, but the chances had
starting racking up and he was at the middle of them all. On 62
minutes he dashed through the middle, found Iniesta and kept
running, heading for the heart of the Italian defence. Iniesta
returned the ball with a clever backheel and although Gabriel
Paletta was across quickly, the ball broke for Pedro to score.
Not full, the atmosphere at the Caldern was dierent to the
last game played here, the Madrid derby three days earlier. The
Italy coach was without Daniele De Rossi and Mario Balotelli
while the ideologues did not start: Xabi Alonso, Xavi and
Andrea Pirlo were substitutes. In any case Cesare Prandelli had
admitted he did not want to play at all; the potential damage
it could do Italy was too great and nor did he wish to give
anything away before the World Cup.
If the good news was that he had revealed little and that
there was no heavy defeat to damage them, nor can he have
overly enjoyed what he saw. Italy were largely able to get hold
of the ball and although Spains possession rarely produced
clear chances in the rst half, the introduction of Silva caused
problems, defenders constantly dragged out of position, space
opening up. The left side was especially vulnerable. These were
not familiar teams but Spain have a recognisable identity that
Italy do not yet. Prandelli has sought to mould a new style but it
remains a work in progress.
There was a rst outing for Diego Costa, who made his
international debut against Italy for the second time but
for the Brazil-born Costa, as for others before him, it proved
dicult to nd the space that Spains style sometimes denies
England claim ODI series but ball-
tampering issue taints their victory
England 303-6 beat West Indies 278 by 25
runs
Ball-tampering issue overshadows series
win
Mike Selvey in Antigua
England found themselves under scrutiny following their 25-
run win over West Indies in the deciding ODI as it emerged that
the umpires changed one of the two balls they used at around
the mid point of the West Indies innings because of unnatural
deterioration tampering in other words, although no ve-run
penalty was issued.
It was more a shot across the bows, a suspicion without there
being any hard evidence. England are under the microscope
now. Ball-tampering has been an issue this week during the
nal Test between South Africa and Australia in Cape Town,
with each side alluding to malpractice.
I am baed by it, said the England captain, Stuart Broad,
who conrmed the umpires informed him why the ball was
Page G Sport Thursday March o6:z 0MT
theguardian.com Guardian News and Media Limited 2012 theguardian.com
The Twickenham factor always gives you an extra per cent,
says Billy Twelvetrees, the England centre, as he looks
forward to the Six Nations encounter with Wales. Photograph:
David Rogers/Getty Images
with only seven boundaries, Buttler is a more volatile batsmen,
capable, England already know, of some extraordinary
versatility and invention at times. He hits a mighty ball, often
with a low trajectory, some of his sixes simply muscled over the
boundary: he too hit only seven fours but he struck four sixes
besides in an innings of only 84 balls, the most remarkable six
coming when somehow, from on one knee, he ayed Dwayne
Bravo over the boundary backward of square on the oside.
As with Root, he seemed certain to register his maiden ODI
hundred when, in the nal over of the innings, he tried to clip
Rampauls slower ball away to the legside, got a leading edge,
and looped a catch to mid on. As bets his spirit of adventure
though, Buttler rode his luck, surviving a catchable chance to
Ramdin o Rampaul when 37, and, earlier, when 22, having
a caught-behind decision against him overturned on review.
It was astonishing given that the series has been conducted
without Snicko or HotSpot, and that to change such a decision
requires clear evidence that it was wrong. There was none.
being changed. Thats what they said . . . then I bowled three
cross-seamers with the ball they gave us, and the same wear
was arriving on that ball. So I said: Take a picture of that one as
well. I saw no logic to it at all. I made my feelings pretty clear
out there, as politely as I possibly could without risking too
heavy a ne.
It is unclear whether Broad was warned, a measure which in
any case lasts only until the end of the series and is therefore
already lapsed. I dont think theyre saying weve tampered
with the ball. I think theyre just saying its unnatural wear.
England should have won at a gallop, the margin being
considerably closer than it would have been had the West Indies
wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin not played the limited-overs
innings of his life in making 128 from 109 balls, with 12 fours and
ve sixes before he lost his leg stump to a Tim Bresnan yorker to
end the match.
A maiden ODI hundred from Joe Root, handicapped by a
nasty blow to his right thumb from Ravi Rampaul early on, 99
from Jos Buttler and a smooth half century from Moeen Ali
helped England to 303 for six, a challenging total on a pitch that
played well.
In reply West Indies lost two wickets in the rst two overs,
and were four down by the time the powerplay was done. That
they recovered to make 278 and cause more than few jitters
through the England camp as the ball ew the boundary was
down in part to some powerful hitting and in no small measure
to some benevolent bowling that tended to put the ball into
the arc of the bat swing rather nicely. Yorkers such as Bresnan
nally produced are tending to become an endangered species:
perhaps, like petrol, they are subject to rationing in Antigua.
The teams now move on to Barbados for a three-match T20
series as a precursor for their World T20 campaigns that follow
in Bangladesh.
There must be some concern about the condition of Roots
thumb . Having been hit by a ball from Rampaul, he required
lengthy treatment before continuing his innings, and, as he
has done in the previous two matches, opened the bowling,
claiming the wicket of Kieran Powell in his rst over. However,
he did leave the eld after his brief bowl and was due to have an
x-ray when the team arrive in Barbados.
This is not a series the outcome of which it would pay to
get over-excited, and the challenge is likely to be greater in
the T20s, in which format West Indies are the current world
champions and, unlike this ODI series, should be at full
strength. But England have to start their recovery from the
horrors of the recent winter, and in the past two games they
have generally played with good all-round skills, with Broad
using his resources well, and the elding responding to Paul
Collingwoods wish that they inject T20 intensity to ODIs in that
particular department.
Only when put under the pump have they appeared a little
bereft: they need more ideas than simply to bang the ball into
the middle of the pitch and hope for a miscue. There are players
out there who can do damage before they do that.
The England innings started well, stuttered with two wickets
in two balls, recovered slightly once more before another pair of
wickets, this time in the space of four balls, set them back again.
They then blasted on to a winning total thanks to a fth-wicket
stand of 175 between Root and Buttler, the highest for any
England wicket in an ODI in the region.
If Roots was a generally unobtrusive but eective innings,
Englands Billy Twelvetrees relishes Six
Nations battle with Wales centres
Friends will become foes at Twickenham on
Sunday and the England centre says belief is
high in the Stuart Lancaster camp
James Riach
Last summer Billy Twelvetrees was training alongside Jamie
Roberts and Jonathan Davies in Australia. As England prepare
for a reunion with Wales in a crucial Six Nations encounter, he
is relishing the challenge of lining up against them, claiming
the Twickenham factor will help his side exact revenge for a
bitter defeat in Cardi last year.
Friends will become foes on Sunday afternoon in south-west
London, when England entertain Wales in a seminal xture 12
months after Stuart Lancasters side were emphatically denied
a Six Nations grand slam tinyurl.com/ol8lv5q at a vociferous
Millennium Stadium.
Twelvetrees, a late replacement in that xture with the
result already decided, insists belief in the England squad
is sky high after a tense victory over Ireland, claiming their
home advantage this weekend will prove a key factor. I think
Page 6 G Sport Thursday March o6:z 0MT
theguardian.com Guardian News and Media Limited 2012 theguardian.com
Trainer Philip Fenton pictured with his Cheltenham Gold Cup
hope Last Instalment. Photograph: Barry Cregg/SPORTSFILE
injured or doesnt get picked then another guy comes in whos a
very good player.
Weve huge condence in the squad of what we can do and
were a very close group who get on well on and o the pitch
and it reects in what were doing. We go out there with a huge
amount of condence.
it [strength at home] showed in the autumn and whoever has
come here knows we give it our all. Against New Zealand in
the autumn we gave it absolutely everything and werent as
clinical as we could have been and could have won the game,
Twelvetrees said.
It was exactly the same against Ireland tinyurl.com/nomx9cz
. We had huge belief coming from behind and winning the
game. Doing it at Twickenham makes it extra special. The
Twickenham factor always gives you an extra per cent. I cant
put a number on it, but it gives you that extra belief and extra
bit of energy when you are blowing that little bit harder. It is a
fantastic place to play.
England and Wales are level on four points with France and
Ireland in the Six Nations standings, and whichever side falls to
defeat this weekend will eectively be out of the reckoning.
Twelvetrees, a late call-up to Warren Gatlands British &
Irish Lions squad after a series of injuries last year, did not play
during the tour of Australia but described his experience as
rewarding, learning from the Welshmen Roberts and Davies as
the Lions secured a famous series victory.
The Gloucester centre will go face-to-face with Roberts in
the backline on Sunday. He admits the Racing Mtro centre is
a player he looks up to, but insists his opponents prowess will
not overawe him in the heat of the battle, saying England are
focusing on their own gameplan rather than that of their rivals.
He is a top-class player and hes shown that in the years
he has played for Wales and for the Lions. Hes always making
breaks and getting over the gain line. He is one of these players
you look up to and hes such a good professional as well, said
Twelvetrees.
Their [Waless] centre partnership is denitely a threat but,
like I said, it is one of those ones you look forward to. When
you play against any of the Six Nations sides you relish playing
against the best players to get the best out of you.
You mix with [Lions] guys and you want to learn o them.
I did with as many as I could out there, it is a great opportunity
to learn o people you will never probably play with before or
again and it is something you look forward to. You try to pick up
little habits o each other and see what works well for them.
Asked about Daviess return for Wales, after a four-month
absence, and his performances for the Lions last year,
Twelvetrees added: I thought he was outstanding out there.
I think a lot of the players would agree he was probably one of
the best and deserved his place in the side. He was consistently
really good, has a great left foot and is a very clever player.
He is always making breaks and is very physical in
defence and I think like all their backline a lot of them are very
dangerous players and coming together, they are a very strong
side.
It is something you look forward to and want to play against
the best players in the world and Wales have a lot of them. It is
up to us to take it to them and enjoy the challenge.
Twelvetrees has not played against Roberts before for
country or club. England will look to build on an encouraging
display against Ireland and set up a crunch nal weekend of the
tournament.
The 25-year-olds defensive game shone against the Irish and
he and Luther Burrell demonstrated impressive resolve in the
face of Brian ODriscoll and Gordon DArcy.
You play quality players all the time and we have a squad
here with England of class players, he said. If one player gets
Philip Fenton Gold Cup hope Last
Instalment runs at Cheltenham Festival
British Horseracing Authority give trainer
the all-clear
Steroids case handler had his horses dope
tested
Chris Cook
There is no avoiding the likelihood of drug-related controversy
at next weeks Cheltenham Festival, following Wednesdays
news that Philip Fenton will be allowed to run his horses there.
The Irish trainer is awaiting trial on eight charges of possessing
banned substances, including anabolic steroids, and there has
been debate over the past fortnight as to whether he should be
allowed to participate in jump racings biggest week of the year
but the British Horseracing Authority ruled in his favour on
Wednesday.
In reaching that decision, the BHA took rather more time for
reection than it did before banning Mahmood al-Zarooni last
year, that trainer having admitted doping his horses. Fenton
is accused only of possession and his horses have never tested
positive for steroids. Crucially, the tests taken from some of his
horses last week showed no evidence of any banned substance
in their systems.
Four horses were tested, including Last Instalment, the 7-1
third-favourite for the Gold Cup, which will be the highlight of
next weeks action. The others were Dunguib and Value At Risk,
Fentons other possible runners next week, and The Tullow
Tank, formerly fancied for a race next week but no longer an
intended runner at the request of his owner, Barry Connell.
Blood and hair samples were taken from each horse, hair-
testing being a fairly new process which, in theory, allows
the discovery of substances long after they have passed from
the rest of the horses system. Fenton was also interviewed
by BHA investigators about the raid on his premises by Irish
government ocials in January 2012, when banned substances
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theguardian.com Guardian News and Media Limited 2012 theguardian.com
Massimo Cellino is accused of illegally evading paying
400,000 import duty on a yacht, which he denies.
Photograph: Daniel Hambury/PA
were allegedly discovered.
The BHA insisted it could disclose no detail as to what
was said in that interview, for fear of prejudicing the criminal
proceedings, set to resume on 20 March, when Fenton is
expected to plead not guilty. However, the BHA did have the
option to prevent Fenton from running his horses next week,
had it been profoundly concerned by the contents of the
interview; it was not simply the case that negative tests would
necessarily lead to the horses being allowed to take part at the
Festival.
Paul Bittar, the BHAs chief executive, said: The priority
was to obtain all available information to inform our decision
as to whether there was a justied and justiable concern that
any of the horses trained by Fenton had been administered
with anabolic steroids. The ndings of this investigation have
not given us a reason to believe that any of the Fenton-trained
horses entered for Cheltenham have been administered with
performance-enhancing substances. Therefore there was no
basis, legal or otherwise, on which to prevent the horses from
running.
When told of the news, Fenton responded: Thats good.
Thanks for your concern, and hung up.
A longer response was oered by Eddie OLeary, spokesman
for his brother, Michael, who owns Last Instalment. Were
obviously very happy that hes passed all the tests, OLeary
said.
We very much welcomed the involvement in this matter
of the BHA and the Irish Turf Club and were thrilled that Last
Instalment will be able to run in the Gold Cup. That said, he
wants a bit more rain and, without it, he mightnt even run.
It was a productive day for Bittar, who also welcomed the
news that the government is planning to legislate to allow the
extension of the levy on bookmakers prots to be extended
to those rms that are based oshore. The most optimistic
estimates suggest that could lead to a 20m windfall for the
sport, though the European Commission has yet to clarify
whether or not such an act would contravene rules on state aid.
Bittar said: There are further steps to take and we look
forward to swift conversations with the Department for
Culture, Media and Sport to this eect, while continuing to
work constructively with bookmakers. He added that racings
ultimate aim was still to reform the levy so as to avoid the need
for government involvement in the process.
Captain Cee Bee was supplemented into the Champion
Hurdle on Wednesday, giving connections the option of using
him as a pacemaker for My Tent Or Yours, also owned by JP
McManus. My Tent Or Yours was on Wednesday said to be
sound by his trainer, Nicky Henderson, after discovery of a
puncture wound in one of his soles on Tuesday.
One is never out of the woods with these things, so were
just going to give him a swim today and then the plan would be
a canter tomorrow, Henderson said. He does enjoy swimming
and it can freshen them up a bit. Im very happy today and the
farriers have done a great job.
Leeds takeover in balance as Massimo
Cellino accused of tax evasion
Italian denies failing to pay 400,000
duty on yacht
Deal may collapse under t and proper
rule if found guilty
David Conn
The proposed takeover of Leeds United by the Cagliari owner
Massimo Cellino could collapse this month if Cellino is
found guilty in a Sardinian court of failing to pay tax which
prosecutors allege was due on a yacht he took to Italy from
the US. Cellino, who has a 2001 conviction for false accounting
and is under investigation for alleged misuse of public funds
relating to work on Cagliaris Quartu SantElena stadium, is
accused of illegally evading paying 400,000 import duty on
the yacht, which was seized in Cagliari in 2010.
At a court hearing in Cagliari last week, the Sardinian public
prosecutor, Andrea Massidda, argued for a 1.165m ne to be
imposed on Cellino, and for the yacht to be conscated.
The case is due to be heard on Tuesday 18 March, ve days
after the Football League board is due to meet to consider
Cellinos Leeds takeover.
It is now assumed the League will await the outcome of the
tax evasion case against Cellino before making any decision.
If Cellino is convicted, it is almost certain he will be barred
from completing his purchase of a 75% stake in Leeds, which
has been agreed, subject to Football League approval, with the
clubs current owners, Gulf Finance House, an investment bank
in Bahrain.
The Leagues rules on having t and proper persons in
charge of its clubs prohibit people with unspent convictions for
dishonesty oences from being directors, 30% owners or from
exercising control over one of its clubs.
Cellino, according to sources close to the deal, is understood
to be proposing to have a 10% stake in the company, Eleonora
Sports, being used to buy Leeds, and the money to be coming
via a family trust, of which the League has been seeking more
detail in recent weeks. Cellino has not suggested in his public
statements that his involvement will fall short of being in
control, as evidenced by his UK lawyers purported sacking of
the manager, Brian McDermott tinyurl.com/qedtb2t , before
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theguardian.com Guardian News and Media Limited 2012 theguardian.com
David Pocock in action against South Africa at the 2011 World
Cup. Photograph: Jason OBrien/Action Images
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Cellino had even exchanged contracts with GFH. McDermott
was subsequently reinstated.
Cellino, however the deal is structured, is considered
certain to be subject to the Leagues rules, and the League has
been seeking details, including Italian translations of original
documentation, of Cellinos past record.
Cellinos lawyer in Sardinia, Giovanni Cocco, told the
Guardian that Cellino is intending to plead not guilty to the tax
evasion charge in court on 18 March. Cocco explained Cellinos
defence is that the yacht was owned by a US company and that
Cellino was not bound to pay tax on it. According to Sardinian
media reports of last weeks court proceedings, the prosecution
alleges that the US company was formed only a month before
Cellino took the yacht to Italy and was a device to evade tax.
The accusation is completely unfounded, Cocco said. It
is a vessel ying the ag of the United States owned by a US
company, which did not have to pay tax in Italy according to
European and international law.
Cocco added that while the alleged oence is formally
criminal, it is an administrative matter and conrmed that
the public prosecutor has asked for a ne to be imposed.
Cellino, an agriculture magnate, was previously convicted of
fraud in 1996, which Cocco says has been expunged following
appeals. In 2001, Cellino was given a suspended 15-month
prison sentence for false accounting at Cagliari, the football
club he has owned for 22 years. Both of those convictions are
thought certain to be considered spent according to English
law, as they are more than 10 years old, so not caught by the
Leagues rules. Cellino is also under investigation for the
alleged misuse of public funds for works at Cagliaris stadium,
for which he was held on remand for 16 days last year. Cocco
has dismissed the investigation as completely irrelevant and
said Cellino rejects any involvement in unlawful acts. Cocco
added: He will rmly defend himself from accusations, if and
when those accusations will be formalised.
GFH, which bought Leeds from Ken Bates in 2012, agreed
last month to sell a 75% stake to Cellino, after deciding it no
longer wants to fund the clubs approximately 1m per month
losses. The League, which is examining all aspects of the
proposed takeover, is understood to have asked GFH how it can
sell 75% when it reported last June tinyurl.com/p4z68zd that it
had sold a majority stake in Leeds. GFH is understood to have
told the League it did sell a majority stake to Salah Nooruddin,
the clubs Bahrain-based chairman, then bought it back to
consolidate the holding so it could negotiate a 75% sale. The
League is understood to have asked for further details of these
transactions.
David Pococks injury doesnt rule him
out of World Cup, says Ewen McKenzie
Australia coach supports Pocock after
he undergoes devastating second knee
reconstruction just after returning to
Brumbies side
Reuters in Melbourne
Australia coach Ewen McKenzie has backed David Pocock to
return to top-ight rugby and push for a World Cup berth in
2015 after the anker underwent a second knee reconstruction
in just over a year.
The 25-year-old anker had surgery on his left knee late on
Wednesday and faces another year on the sidelines, having only
just returned to the ACT Brumbies side after missing most of
last season.
To win a World Cup you need quality depth and experience
at each position and David has played 46 Tests already, so if he
is healthy and in form it will only benet the Wallabies, News
Ltd media quoted McKenzie as saying on Thursday.
I have no doubts hell continue to be extremely diligent
when he begins his rehab and were all looking forward to
seeing him make a successful comeback in the future.
I dont think there would be anyone within Australian
rugby that doesnt sympathise with David.
Anyone who knows him would understand just how hard
he worked during his rehab and personally Im disappointed
for him that he wont get to reap the benets of that for the
Brumbies and Wallabies this year.
However, I also know that David is a consummate
professional and he wont let this setback keep him down for
too long.
Pocock tweeted a picture of himself recovering in a hospital
bed on Thursday and expressed thanks for a wave of sympathy
from the worlds rugby community.
Went to school with @wonganisilo tinyurl.com/kwa6wj5 in
Zimbabwe, 13 years later shes looking after me in hospital in
Brisbane! Crazy! pic.twitter.com/dh6XnZcp1x tinyurl.com/
lat5vk8
Devastated but trying to keep perspective. So appreciative
of all the support Ive received. Thank you all, he tweeted
separately.
When t, Zimbabwe-born Pocock is one of the worlds top
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He is also entered in the slalom and giant slalom to be run
later next week.
Australian team doctor Geo Thompson said the fracture
would heal completely with time and careful management.
Theres no other damage inside the knee thats obvious at
this stage. The ligaments are intact and normal, Thompson
said.
Rahles-Rahbula, who lost his left leg to a rare form of bone
cancer at 14, also has bruising to his cheekbone and jaw.
The veteran said he had slipped on the course after losing
the edge of his ski on a challenging turn.
Unfortunately with the way the snow is quite clumpy and
heavy o the side of the track where I slipped into, my leg just
stopped and I managed to twist myself, he said.
The accident occurred less than a day after Rahles-Rahbula
was named as Australias agbearer for the opening ceremony.
He will still take up the honour, but steps will be taken to
minimise the impact on his leg.
Contesting his fourth Games, Rahles-Rahbula is the most
experienced of Australias nine athletes.
He is the only remaining member from the triumphant
2002 Australian team that won seven medals in Salt Lake City,
including six gold.
Last July Rahles-Rahbula announced he would retire to
spend more time with his wife Emily and two-year-old son
Archie.
But after a convincing gold and silver medal at what was to
be his nal competition Septembers IPC World Cup meet in
Thredbo the APC cajoled the 30-year-old back into the Sochi
team.
Fellow one-legged skier Toby Kane also fell on the same part
of the course on Wednesday, but came away injury-free.
In more positive news for Australia, vision-impaired skier
Melissa Perrine clocked the fastest overall time for the practice
session in her class.
Upper limb-impaired skier Mitchell Gourley took out the
fourth-fastest time in the mens standing category.
Cameron Rahles-Rahbula is taken from the course after
crashing. Photograph: Je Crow/AAP
No7s, but his erce attack at the breakdown has taken a heavy
toll on his body.
Australia have no shortage of quality replacements at their
disposal and New South Wales Waratah Michael Hooper has
lled the Wallabies position with aplomb in Pococks long
absence.
The Brumbies, nalists in last years Super Rugby
competition, have a much bigger hole to ll, however.
Former Wallabies anker George Smith returned from Japan
last year and was outstanding with Pocock sidelined, but is not
expected to take another SOS call.
With a defeat and win in their two games this season,
the Brumbies face the Hurricanes in Wellington on Friday,
and skipper Ben Mowen said the team was determined to
liftPococks spirits with a win.
When you lose a guy like that in your group, it hurts,
Mowen told Fox Sports on Thursday.
All we really want to do is make sure that we put in a huge
performance on Friday night . . . Thats probably the best
support we can give him at this point.
Sochi Paralympics: Cameron Rahles-
Rahbula out of downhill after crash
Rahles-Rahbula damaged his knee and
ankle in high-speed crash, but still hopes to
compete in other events at Sochi
Australian Associated Press
Australian alpine skier Cameron Rahles-Rahbula has been
forced to withdraw from his rst event at the Sochi winter
Paralympic Games and is in doubt for others after injuring
himself in a high-speed crash.
The 30-year-old one-legged skier fell while training for the
downhill speed event on Wednesday, and had to be carried from
the race area in a medi-cab.
MRI and CT scans conducted afterwards revealed damage to
the Vancouver dual bronze medallists right knee and ankle, and
a small fracture at the top of his tibia near his knee joint.
As a result, he has withdrawn from Saturdays downhill
event, the Australian Paralympic Committee (APC) said.
Rahles-Rahbulas response to treatment over the next few
days will dictate whether he can compete in Sundays Super-G
event and next Tuesdays super-combined.
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ready to risk losing that. I knew that she was done and tired,
psychologically a bit weak. It paid o.
It sounds really harsh when I say it but thats what athletics
is. I think she was a little bit upset. She was here to defend her
title and had the opportunity to do that. I could tell she wasnt
happy. But I wanted to win gold for GB and not win it joint with
Poland.
The World Indoor Championships will be a step up, but
Bleasdale believes she can handle it. As a 20-year-old, she
cleared 4.87m, putting her on third on the all-time list behind
Yelena Isinbayeva and Suhr. And training with her new coach,
Scott Simpson, is going so well that she feels a personal best is
within reach.
Im really pleased with my run of competitions, Bleasdale
says. Ive done three 4.70s back to back. I feel like Im in 80,
85, 90 shape. The trainings going awesome and I feel tter and
stronger than ever. I feel like Im in PB shape. I need to deliver
that.
That said, I had a howler in my last competition, she
chuckles. It was in a shopping mall. People were coming out of
H&M and stood there watching. It was an amazing atmosphere
and Id never experienced that before. I had three attempts at
4.63m and it didnt come together. It denitely isnt a reection
and hasnt knocked my condence. Im motivated ahead of
Sopot.
Two years ago, Bleasdale won bronze at the World Indoor
Championships in Istanbul but she has own under the radar
since. She was sixth at London 2012 and, despite taking gold in
Gothenburg, the rest of last year was a big disappointment as
achilles and back injuries wrecked her season and forced her to
miss the world championships in Moscow.
I loved Istanbul. I took a bronze my rst senior medal,
she says. And I came back a year later and won the gold in
a jump-o. I loved that, the pressure. Theyre really fond
memories. Im excited to get to another indoor championships
as missing out on the world outdoors was heartbreaking.
With Mo Farah focusing on the London marathon, Jessica
Ennis-Hill pregnant, James Dasaolu injured and Katarina
Johnson-Thompson competing in the long jump rather than the
heptathlon, Bleasdale is one of the British teams best medal
chances. She admits to feeling the pressure, but she doesnt
inch under its weight. She believes she can step up.
Its upsetting as we could have had a really strong team but
I still think there are a lot of medallists like me, Laura Muir and
Eilidh Child, she says. I feel like a little bit of pressure on me
to deliver a medal but I feel capable of handling that. I have no
excuses.
Holly Bleasdale on her way to sixth place at London 2012; she
hopes to improve on that at the World Indoor Championships
in Sopot. Photograph: Graeme Robertson/NOPP
Holly Bleasdale: Im in shape for a
personal best at World Indoors
The pole vaulter was sixth at London
2012 and missed last years World
Championships with injury, but a new
coach and ghting spirit make her Britains
best medal hope in Sopot
Sean Ingle
It is almost in passing that Holly Bleasdale, Britains greatest
womens pole vaulter, mentions how playing with boys after
school made her a little dierent and tougher. I was very
strong and to the point, she says in a soft Lancastrian accent
that masks her steel. In high school none of the girls shared
how I felt. They couldnt understand how competitive I was just
for PE and netball.
Bleasdale is 22 now, but if anything that competitive
mentality has only hardened. She is direct and she intends to
win. This weekend is no dierent, even though she competes
at the World Indoor Championships in Sopot, Poland, against
a stacked eld that includes the American Jenni Suhr, the gold
medallist at London 2012, and the Cuban Yarisley Silva, who
took Olympic silver.
Bleasdale also has previous with Anna Rogowska, Polands
best chance of a medal, and admits she could be seen as the
villain after beating the home-town girl in a jump-o tinyurl.
com/n7625hw after they nished joint rst at the 2013 European
Indoor Championships in Gothenburg.
Rogowskas coach tried to talk Bleasdale into sharing gold
as both athletes were drained, but she declined and went on to
win.
She wanted to share the gold but I refused, Bleasdale says.
I wanted to ght for it and beat her. Thats the re in me.
A year on, and before facing Rogowska in front of her home
crowd, Bleasdale is in no mood to build bridges. Im surprised
that she didnt want to ght for the gold, she says. It showed
to me that she was weak in that situation. That inspires me
more to take her down even more.
Id rather have got silver than shared gold, she adds. Im
such a ghter and competitor that I dont want to share gold
with someone. I want to ght for the gold for my own and I was