Doha: Frenchman Philippe Troussier, who coached co-hosts Japan to their best-ever performance at a World Cup finals last year, has been named as Qatar’s national coach.
Qatar Football Association (QFA) secretary general Saud Al Mohannadi said that Troussier would arrive in Doha on Wednesday and will sign a contract on Thursday. “Yes, he (Troussier) is coming tomorrow. The deal will be signed on Thursday. All details about the contract will be disclosed at the time of signing,” Mohannadi said.
Troussier will replace another Frenchman, Pierre Lechantre, in a job considered to be one of the most pressurised positions in a country where football is followed passionately.
Zagreb: Marlene Ottey’s coach confirmed a newspaper report that the Olympic medallist is likely to retire after the Athens Games next year.
Srdjan Djordjevic said that Ottey’s participation in Athens also depended on her condition.
“If she will be in the form she is now, she definitely is going to Athens,” Djordjevic said in Ljubljana, where the Jamaican-born Ottey, 43, now lives. “If her condition worsens, she would not attend the Games,” he said. In an interview in the Zagreb daily Jutarnji List,Ottey said she still yearned to race.
New Delhi: India will host the Asia Cup women’s hockey tournament in December, the Indian Women’s Hockey Federation (IWHF) announced here Wednesday.
The tournament will be held from December 15 to 22 at a venue that will be decided later.
Eight to ten teams including China, Korea, Japan and Malaysia are expected to participate in the tournament, the IWHF said in a press release.
Paris: Manchester United has raised their offer to Paris Saint Germain (PSG) to £25 million ($28.5 million) for Brazilian star Ronaldinho, a report said.
United manager Alex Ferguson was in Paris Monday to reinforce the club’s interest as United officials met with PSG president Francis Graille, sports daily l’Equipe reported on Tuesday.
The report said United raised the offer from £21 million ($24 million), but that PSG was waiting to see the new bid on paper before deciding.
Also on Monday, an official from Chelsea reportedly met Graille about the midfielder. But a British news report quoted the PSG chief as saying he wasn’t expecting a deal with Chelsea.
Ronaldinho is believed to favour a move to Real Madrid or United
Port-of-Spain: Chetram Singh’s election as president of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), replacing Wes Hall, became a certainty on Tuesday when the only other nominee withdrew.
Singh, however, will not be able to hold any ICC position because he runs a bookmaking operation.
Former West Indies allrounder Willie Rodriguez said that he felt Singh had more support from board executives and was withdrawing his nomination. The WICB did not confirm Rodriguez’s decision.
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