Ashwini & Jwala aim top-10 slot

New Delhi: Bubbling with new-found confidence after a successful Sudirman Cup campaign, women’s doubles shuttler Ashwini Ponnappa said she and her partner Jwala Gutta can hope to be among the world's top-10 by the end of this year.

Villa coach

n London: Aston Villa will confirm this week that Gerard Houllier is to stand down as manager because of health reasons. It is understood that the Frenchman’s final medical reports revealed that a return to management would put his health at too great a risk.

AFA defence

Buenos Aires: The Argentine Football Association says there were no doping controls during the 1993 World Cup playoffs against Australia because they were not required at the time.

Zlatan injury

Stockholm: Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is doubtful for the European Championship qualifiers against Moldova because of a foot injury.

Puyol surgery

Madrid: Champions League winner Barcelona say team captain Carles Puyol will undergo surgery on June 1 to treat a left-knee injury that has troubled him over recent months.

Hearing

Laussan: The CAS has set new dates for Alberto Contador’s doping case, allowing him to race in the Tour de France. The court says it will hear the case from August 1-3, more than a week after the Tour finishes in Paris on July 24.

HI panel

New Delhi: Taking a serious note of India’s disastrous Azlan Shah campaign, Hockey India Tuesday decided to rope in a foreign expert for the team and has formed a five-member panel to scout for the best possible candidate within 15 days.

Hockey final

Bhopal: IOC thrashed Air India 0-6 in the semi-final of the 65th All-India Obaidullah Khan Gold Cup Hockey tournament Monday. In the second semi-final match, BPCL defeated ONGC 2-1.

Archery

Calcutta: Indian archers are treated like “lepers” by the Sports Authority of India (SAI), alleges Archery Association of India secretary general Paresh Nath Mukherjee.

Boxing semis

Guiyang: Indian women pugilists Monica Saun (60 kgs) and Pooja Rani (75 kgs) advanced to the semi-finals of the China Open boxing tournament at the Guiyang Sports Gymnasium .

Howrah win

Calcutta: Howrah Union Cricket Academy won the All India Unidic cup, organised by Brijesh Patel Cricket Academy after they defeated Rainbow Club (Jamshedpur) by nine wickets.

Brief Scores: Rainbow Club (Jamshedpur) 141 in 30 overs (PR Sahu 58, I. Ansari 4/38, R. Kesri 3/28). Howrah Union 143/1 in 16.4 overs (Z Ansari 48, A. Hussain 47 n.o.)

staff reporter & agencies