Fifa may use chip in balls

Frankfurt: Fifa will consider using an electronic microchip in balls at the 2006 World Cup finals if experiments prove successful, Fifa president Sepp Blatter said. The microchip, which is supposed to confirm whether or not a ball has crossed the goal line, is being tested at the under-17 world championship in Peru in September and October.

?We will test the goal-line technology at the Fifa under-17 world championship in Peru. If it works ok, we could introduce the chipped ball at the World Cup 2006,? Blatter said on Monday.

Lothar applies for coach?s position

Glasgow: Former Germany captain Lothar Matthaeus has applied for the vacant coach?s job at Hearts, the Scottish Premier League club said on Tuesday.

?He has expressed an interest by post and will be considered along with the other candidates,? a club spokeswoman said.

Matthaeus, 44, has been coach of Hungary since December 2003. The 1990 World Cup winner with West Germany retired from playing in 2000 and has coached Rapid Vienna and Partizan Belgrade.

Reds defender behind bars

London: Liverpool defender Steve Finnan was arrested in April on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, police sources revealed on Tuesday.

Finnan, who played in Liverpool?s stunning European Cup final victory last month, was involved in a crash in January which left an 81-year-old pensioner with serious head injuries from which he died five weeks later.

Petr Cech beats Nedved to award

Prague: Chelsea keeper Petr Cech won the Golden Ball award as the Czech Republic?s Player of the Season on Tuesday, beating five-times winner Pavel Nedved of Italian champions Juventus.

The 23-year-old, who becomes the first keeper to win the award, played a key role in helping Chelsea secure their first league title for 50 years and reach the Champions League semi-finals.

He has also performed well at international level in the Czech bid to qualify for the 2006 World Cup. Striker Milan Baros of Premier League rivals and European champions Liverpool came third, followed by Borussia Dortmund striker Jan Koller, the national team?s all-time top scorer.

2 medals for India

New Delhi: For the first time in the history of the tournament, Indian players won two medals including a silver in the US junior open chess meet at Ohio.

Conducted by the US chess federation, Arjun Vishnuvardhan and Gauri Shankar won the silver and bronze, respectively, in the June 10-13 tournament, according to information received here on Tuesday. Russia?s Uskov Anton claimed top honours finishing with 5.5 points out of a possible six. Arjun scored five points with four wins and two draws.

Navratilova falls in Round I

Den Bosch: Martina Navratilova played her first singles match since Wimbledon last year, losing to Claudine Schaul of Luxembourg 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 in the first round of the Ordina Open tennis tournament.

Navratilova, who reached the mixed doubles final at the French Open, has won 18 Grand Slam singles titles in her career. The 48-year-old American reached the second round at Wimbledon last year but lost to Gisela Dulko 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.

In her first-round victory last year, Navratilova became the oldest woman since 1922 to win a singles match at Wimbledon.

IOC keeps mum

London: The 28 sports hoping to stay in the Olympic Games, and the five sports on the waiting list, received no assurances on Monday with the release of the report assessing their merits.

The International Olympic Committee?s Programme Commission published its hefty 265-page report but made no recommendations to the IOC members who will vote on the programme at the session in Singapore on July 8.

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