Lithuania hails Wallabies draw

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

Thanks ... The Wallabies draw with the All Blacks saves Lithuania's world record winning streak. Source: Adam Head / News Limited

Mighty minnows Lithuania paid tribute on Monday to Australia for halting the All Blacks' unbeaten run, which threatened to end the Baltic nation's oddball record for the longest series of victories in the sport.

The Lithuanian Rugby Federation's general secretary Irmantas Kukulskis said they had been waiting with bated breath as the All Blacks edged ever closer to their 18-match record, recognised by the International Rugby Board.

New Zealand's 16-match run ended when the Wallabies held them 18-18 in the Bledisloe Cup in Brisbane on Saturday.

"We were waiting for this moment and today we can only thank the Australian national team for helping us to keep this record,'' Kukulskis said.

"Rugby is not very popular in Lithuania. We're amateurs and the federation's run by enthusiasts,'' he said.

"So we're very glad and proud to have such a record,'' he added, although the Lithuanians are fully aware that their unbeaten run came against much smaller fry than the All Blacks' opponents.

Lithuania play in European rugby's third tier -- not counting the top-flight Six Nations, from which promotion and relegation are not automatic.

In April 2010 they chalked up their 18th consecutive victory, in a European Nations Cup match against Serbia.

Their four-year winning streak ended a month later when they lost to Ukraine in a Rugby World Cup qualifier.

"We are a small country, and this record attracts attention. It's a pleasure to hear the name of Lithuania among such greats as Australia or New Zealand,'' said Kukulskis.

"This is sport, and we understand the record may be broken one day,'' he added.

The sport is very much a minority interest in the republic of three million people, where basketball is king.

But there are enough hardy souls to run a domestic league and a national team whose members include a handful who play in Sweden or English rugby's lower tiers.

Lithuania only returned to the global sporting fold after breaking free from five decades of Soviet rule in 1990.

23.40 | 0 komentar | Read More

Lance's legacy to be erased

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

Legacy ... Lance Armstrong is no longer welcome in the cycling community. Source: Tom Pennington / AFP

Once a symbol of perseverance in the face of the most incredible odds, Lance Armstrong now seems destined to go down in history as one of the most brazen dope cheats that sport has ever seen.

After sensationally conceding defeat in his fight to contest the charges against him in August, the Texan's world caved in further on Monday when the International Cycling Union (UCI) erased him from the sport's history.

The US Anti-Doping Agency had already published a damning report that laid bare his guilt.

Armstrong, they claimed, was at the heart of "the most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping program that sport has ever seen''.

"He was not just a part of the doping culture on his team,'' said the USADA. "He enforced and re-enforced it.''

UCI president Pat McQuaid told reporters he was "sickened'' by the revelations, adding: "Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling.''

The decision to cast aside one of cycling's most successful exponents leaves Armstrong's sporting legacy in tatters but for all his detractors, there have been just as many admirers.

For his supporters, the doping allegations pale into comparison beside his battle with life-threatening cancer and the work of his charitable foundation, which he founded to help others living with the disease.

Doctors had given Armstrong a less than 50 percent chance of survival when he was diagnosed in 1996 with testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain.

He persevered through surgery and chemotherapy and returned to cycling but was little known in his homeland when he won his first Tour de France title in 1999.

His years of dominance in the sport's greatest race raised cycling's profile in the United States to new heights and gave him a platform to promote cancer awareness and research.

The Lance Armstrong Foundation has raised almost $US500 million ($A487.12 million) since it was created in 1997.

But in the aftermath of the allegations, several top sponsors dropped Armstrong and he even quit as chairman of Livestrong.

Even in his glory days of cycling, many were sceptical of his powers.

In 1999, it was a trace amount of a banned corticosteroid, which cycling officials explained by saying he was authorised to use a small amount of cream containing the drug to treat saddle sores.

After his 2000 Tour triumph, French authorities probed his US Postal Service team but brought no charges.

Critics seized on his friendship with Italian doctor Michele Ferrari, who was banned by Italian authorities over doping in 2002.

In 2004, a Texas promotions company balked at paying him a $US5 million ($A4.87 million) bonus for his sixth tour title because of doping allegations by European media.

In that court case, former teammate Frankie Andreu and his wife, Betsy, testified that Armstrong told doctors during his cancer treatment that he had taken steroids and other performance-enhancers.

Two books published in Europe, "L.A. Confidential'' and "L.A. Official'', alleged he doped and in 2005, French newspaper L'Equipe reported that urine samples taken during the 1999 Tour that were later re-tested were positive for the blood-booster EPO.

Armstrong fought back with denials and even court action, before briefly launching a comeback in 2009, but in the end the sheer weight of evidence against him -- including testimony from 11 former teammates -- proved too much to withstand.

23.40 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Lance has no place in cycling'

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

Lance Armstrong ... (insert caption here) Source: Thao Nguyen / AAP

The Intenational Cycling Union has handed Lance Armstrong a life ban and stripped him of his seven Tour de France titles after recognising the sanctions imposed by United States Anti Doping Agency (USADA).

UCI president Pat McQuaid confirmed USADA's findings in a press conference beamed around the world from the governing body's headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday night (EDT).

In a long address to the media, McQuaid called it "a landmark day for cycling" and said that despite all the pain the sport was going through, "cycling has a future".

But he said Armstrong had no place in cycling and that the one time pin-up boy of the sport "deserved to be forgotton by cycling".

McQuaid succeeded Hein Verbruggen as president of world cycling after Armstrong's seventh and final Tour victory in 2005 and is credited with boosting the body's anti-doping program, notably with the pioneering blood passport programme.

The Irishman was under pressure to answer how Armstrong and his teams managed to dope for so long without being detected. But he rejected calls to quit.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

Armstrong's sporting reputation as the cancer survivor who fought back to win cycling's most gruelling and celebrated race has been shattered since the revelations, leading to sponsors leaving him in droves.

There has also been fears of a wider withdrawal of financial backing for the sport after Dutch sponsor Rabobank said it was ending the sponsorship of its professional cycling team after a 17-year association.

The sponsor described professional cycling as "sick" to its core and unlikely to recover in the foreseeable future.

The strongly-worded comments went to the heart of claims of failings at the UCI and in particular to McQuaid, who has been criticised for failing to see the extent of doping within the sport.

Verbruggen, who stepped down in in 2006 but remains honorary president, ran the UCI during Armstrong's golden era - a time when USADA's report says Armstrong and teammates evaded dope tests either by hiding or being tipped off in advance.

The Dutchman has also been accused of protecting Armstrong - even accepting a donation to cover up a positive dope test.

The cyclist's cancer backstory and Tour triumphs from 1999 to 2005 were seen as key to restoring cycling's tattered image after a string of high-profile doping scandals in the 1990s.

Armstrong's Tour victories are unlikely to be re-awarded, the race's director Christian Prudhomme has said. The void avoids further headaches, given that the majority of riders who finished on the podium have also been implicated in doping.

Additional reporting: Justin Davis, AAP

23.40 | 0 komentar | Read More

Man jailed over goalkeeper attack

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

Chris Kirkland ... lays on the ground after been struck by a Leeds United fan. Source: Tony Marshall / AAP

A 21-year-old man was jailed for 16 weeks on Monday after admitting to attacking England goalkeeper Chris Kirkland during a televised game in the second-tier English Championship.

Aaron Cawley, from Cheltenham in south-west England, pleaded guilty to assault and invading the pitch during Sheffield Wednesday's 1-1 draw at home to Leeds United on Friday night.

Cawley appeared before magistrates in Sheffield, northern England, having been arrested for running onto the pitch at Hillsborough and shoving Kirkland in the face after Leeds scored a 76th-minute equaliser.

He then ran back into the crowd, but was detained by police on Sunday.

Kirkland, 31, has previously played for clubs including Liverpool and Wigan Athletic. He joined Wednesday from Wigan earlier this year.

He made one appearance for England as a substitute in a friendly against Greece in August 2006.

23.40 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Biggest crisis cycling's faced'

Sickened ... Pat McQuaid has labelled the Lance Armstrong saga the biggest crisis in cycling. Source: Salvatore Di Nolfi / AP

Lance Armstrong's fate was sealed on Monday as cycling's under-fire world governing body decided to back a life ban for doping and strip him of his record seven Tour de France titles.

The International Cycling Union (UCI) said it supported the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) decision to erase the rider's entire career after August 1998, as president Pat McQuaid called the scandal "the biggest crisis'' the sport had ever faced.

"The UCI will strip him of his seven Tour de France wins. Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling... He deserves to be forgotten in cycling,'' McQuaid told a news conference in Geneva, saying he had been "sickened'' by the revelations.

Earlier this month the US body released a devastating dossier on Armstrong, detailing over 202 pages and with more than 1,000 pages of supporting testimony how he was at the heart of the biggest doping programme in the history of sport.

The revelations, including evidence from 11 of Armstrong's former team-mates, plunged a sport which has been working hard to rid itself of its murky doping past into crisis.

McQuaid succeeded Hein Verbruggen as president of world cycling after Armstrong's seventh and final Tour victory in 2005 and is credited with boosting the body's anti-doping program, notably with the pioneering blood passport.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

The Irishman was under pressure to answer how Armstrong and his teams managed to dope for so long without being detected. But he rejected calls to quit, vowing to continue his work against the scourge of doping.

Armstrong's sporting reputation as the cancer survivor who fought back to win cycling's most gruelling and celebrated race has been shattered since the revelations, leading to sponsors leaving him in droves.

There has also been fears of a wider withdrawal of financial backing for the sport after Dutch financier Rabobank said it was ending the sponsorship of its professional cycling team after a 17-year association.

The sponsor described professional cycling as "sick'' to its core and unlikely to recover in the foreseeable future.
The strongly-worded comments went to the heart of claims of failings at the UCI and in particular to McQuaid, who has been criticised for failing to see the extent of doping within the sport.

Verbruggen, who stepped down in in 2006 but remains honorary president, ran the UCI during Armstrong's golden era -- a time when USADA's report says Armstrong and team-mates evaded dope tests either by hiding or being tipped off in advance.

The Dutchman has also been accused of protecting Armstrong -- even accepting a donation to cover up a positive dope test. McQuaid on Monday said the UCI "absolutely deny'' that Armstrong bought off the body.

Armstrong's cancer backstory and Tour triumphs from 1999 to 2005 were seen as key to restoring cycling's tattered image after a string of high-profile doping scandals in the 1990s.

His Tour victories are unlikely to be re-awarded, the race's director Christian Prudhomme has said. The void would prevent further headaches, given that most riders who finished on the podium in that time have since been implicated in doping.

But the final decision will come in a special UCI meeting on Friday.

23.40 | 0 komentar | Read More

Liverpool likely to stay at Anfield

Hallowed land ... Liverpool fans are keen to see the side remain at Anfield. Source: AP

Liverpool look set to stay at Anfield instead of moving to a new ground, after city authorities announced plans to regenerate the area around their historic home.

Liverpool City Council said they had secured a $39.45 million grant to transform the Anfield area in the city in northwest England, with further investment likely from a public housing association.

The club's managing director Ian Ayre described the move as a "major step forward" for both Liverpool and local residents, after years of wrangling about whether they should move from the stadium that has been their home since 1892.

"This is step one as there is land to acquire, plans to be approved, etc. but this is a significant moment. Questions about capacity and cost are not for today, not until we have certainty," he told a news conference in the city.

Redevelopment of Anfield is likely to see improvements and extensions made to the main stand and the Anfield Road end, as the regeneration plans include proposals to clear a number of streets near the ground in agreement with local residents.

Planning permission, though, is still required, which means that a move to a new home in nearby Stanley Park still can not be entirely ruled out.

Barclays Premier League side Liverpool are owned by US firm the Fenway Sports Group, which has previously re-developed existing old stadiums, including the home of Boston Red Sox baseball team, Fenway Park.

23.40 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ferrari reject Vettel rumours

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

Swtich ... British reports suggest Sebastian Vettel will join Ferrari in 2014. Source: Dita Alangkara / News Limited

Dual Formula 1 world champion Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel is reportedly set to sign with Ferrari.

The German ace currently leads the 2012 championship after winning his third straight grand prix in South Korea on Sunday.

British media believes Vettel will replace Felipe Massa at Ferrari after the Brazilian was resigned for one more year.

However, Ferrari president , Luca di Montezemolo, rejected reports that Vettel was set to join the Italian outfit.

"I've always said that I don't want two roosters in the hen-house. I don't like that and it creates instability in the team," he told Italian radio.

Germany's Vettel, currently racing for Red Bull, is the reigning Formula One champion and on Sunday drove to victory in the South Korean Grand Prix, leapfrogging Ferrari's Fernando Alonso at the top of the drivers' standings.

Alonso had sanctioned the move after previously ruling out pairing up with Lewis Hamilton, who will move from McLaren to Mercedes next season, according to unnamed sources at Ferrari quoted by British media.

The Spaniard won the world title in 2005 and 2006 with Renault but has not finished above second with the Italian team.

The reports also state Vettel has signed a pre-contract agreement that is said to contain performance-based clauses that will mean Ferrari have to produce certain results to have Vettel sign.

If the 25-year-old was to sign with the Italian powerhouse - alongside title rival Fernando Alonso - it would mean arguably the most powerful line-up in Formula 1 history.

23.40 | 0 komentar | Read More

Socceroos, Iraq share age debate

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

Veterans ... Iraq's Younis Mahmoud (L) and Australia's Lucas Neill faced off in 2011. Source:AFP

Those bemoaning Australia's failure to regenerate the national side should take comfort ahead of Wednesday morning's (AEDT) crucial FIFA World Cup qualifier, as opponents Iraq have been having exactly the same discussion.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

While Holger Osieck stands accused of being overly reliant on the 2006 World Cup generation, his Iraqi equivalent - Brazilian legend Zico - has leaned heavily on the nucleus of the team that lifted the Asian Cup in 2007.

But there are signs of change.

For Iraq's last qualifier (against Japan), Zico left mainstays Nashat Akram, Karrar Jassim, Qusay Munir and even captain, Younis Mahmoud, on the bench.

Hawar Mulla Mohamed, the veteran winger who did Australia so much damage at the 2007 Asian Cup, was dropped.

To prove the demotions were no idle threat, Zico has omitted Jassim completely from this squad - thought to be as a punishment for arguing with the referee at the end of the 1-0 loss in Saitama - while midfielder Munir has left the camp and been allowed to return to his club.  He may not play for his country again.

Emad Mohamed - scorer of vital goals against Australia at the 2004 Olympics and in the 2008 World Cup qualifiers - has reportedly retired after disagreements with Mahmoud.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

Baseem Abbas, the flamboyant full-back, has picked up an injury in training, and won't feature against the Australians in Doha either.

All of which leaves Nashat, Younis, defender Ali Rehema and goalkeeper Noor Sabri from the victorious 2007 squad as starting choices in Qatar.

Sabri was Iraq's standout player in their latest friendly against Brazil - strange, as he featured in a 6-0 loss to the South American heavyweights. But without Sabri's heroics the drubbing could have been even heavier.

It will be interesting to see whether such a loss - combined with the travel (the friendly was staged in Sweden, specifically to take advantage of the largest ex-pat Iraqi community in the world) - will have a negative impact on Iraq's preparations for such a vital qualifier.

Zico himself has been under the spotlight. Until recently, he was claiming he hadn't been paid by the Iraqi federation in months. 

The IFA went out of their way to prove otherwise by releasing bank statements to the media, showing deposits on his reported $2.5m a year salary. 

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

The Iraqi coach - whose brother, Edu, acts as his number two - is on a big bonus to get the Lions of Mesopotamia to just their second World Cup finals.

And perhaps that's why they needed to play in Malmo - to get their slice of the financial reward that comes with playing a high-profile outfit such as Brazil.

There are unlikely to be as many Iraqis in attendance at the Grand Hamad Stadium. In fact, Zico has asked his federation to move future home qualifiers to the UAE, where more of the diaspora live.

But one Iraqi who has made it is utility Khaldoun Ibrahim. Despite a lengthy delay in Sweden, caused by entry and exit visas issued to two different passports, Ibrahim has made it to the Qatari capital with a day to spare.

Also arriving late is former Australia coach, Pim Verbeek, who along with ex Socceroos assistant, Henk Duut, will watch the match from the stands. 

The pair, who are working with the Moroccan youth teams, are on a trip to visit Duut's daughter, who is married to a footballer playing in Qatar.

Meanwhile, as Zico continues his attempts to regenerate the Iraqis, he will note that five of the Australia team that defeated his then Japan side in Kaiserslautern in 2006 (Mark Schwarzer, Luke Wilkshire, Lucas Neill, Tim Cahill and Mark Bresciano) remain virtually automatic selections. 

By contrast, Japan, who top the section by six points with just four games to play, have just two players left from that campaign - Yuichi Komano and Yasuhito Endo.

---

Catch the Socceroos' clash against Iraq Live on Fox Sports 1HD from 12.45am (EDT) on Wednesday!

23.40 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ioane ruled out of Bledisloe Cup

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

Injury ... Digby Ioane is ruled out of the third and final Bledisloe Cup Test. Source: Mark Evans / AP

Wallabies strike weapon Digby Ioane will miss Saturday night's Bledisloe Cup clash in a major blow to Australia's hopes of reversing their trans-Tasman fortunes.

Ioane was on Monday night ruled out of the Suncorp Stadium encounter with the high-flying All Blacks due to a painful knee injury.

The destructive 31-Test winger copped a bad cork on the joint against South Africa more than a fortnight ago but managed to back up the week after when he scored the match-winning try in the Wallabies' 25-19 win over Argentina in Rosario.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

The problem flared up again during the long flight back from South America but Ioane is expected to recover in time to be available for next month's end-of-season tour of Europe.

His absence robs the Wallabies of their most-potent ball-runner as they attempt to end New Zealand's 16-match winning streak.

Coach Robbie Deans has the option of replacing Ioane with returning utility back Adam Ashley-Cooper or specialist wingers Dom Shipperley or Drew Mitchell.

Ashley-Cooper would prefer to stay at outside centre, which would come at the expense of Ben Tapuai, but he did play on the wing in the first Bledisloe Test in August when Australia lost 27-19.

---

Watch the Wallabies take on the All Blacks LIVE from 8pm (EDT) on Saturday on Fox Sports 3HD.

---

Mitchell hasn't played since he re-injured his ankle in the 22-0 second Test loss but has made a remarkable comeback after initially being told he required surgery.

Deans has said he would be considered for an immediate return but rookie Shipperley would be the more match-hardened choice.

In positive news for the home side, No.8 Radike Samo has been cleared for selection on Tuesday after overcoming a biceps problem.

The injury-depleted Wallabies know the enormity of their task as the All Blacks haven't lost since the 25-20 defeat in their last Brisbane visit 14 months ago.

Both Ashley-Cooper and five-eighth Kurtley Beale rated the world champions a more fearsome, in-form unit than when they swept through last year's World Cup.

One more victory will equal New Zealand's own record 17-match winning streak.

Meantime, cautious Wallabies skipper James Horwill has undergone precautionary scans to ensure his rehabilitation from hamstring surgery is continuing on the right track.

Lock Horwill still holds genuine hope of returning to action in the four-Test tour of Europe.

23.40 | 0 komentar | Read More

Stosur hopes for Istanbul ticket

End of season ... Sam Stosur is still chasing a place at the WTA Championships. Source: Mike Stobe / AFP

Samantha Stosur and Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli said Monday they will be looking to sneak into a potential backdoor slot for the $US4.9 million ($A4.80 million) WTA Championships in Istanbul later this month.

The 2011 US Open champion Stosur, currently ninth in the world but with Bartoli breathing down her neck as they look to be first choice replacement, had been desperate to sneak into the season-ending WTA championship but missed out on the elite top-eight line-up after losing early to Julia Goerges in Beijing.

That defeat allowed China's Li Na to claim the final spot in the money-spinning tournament, leaving 28-year-old Stosur dependent on an injury withdrawal if she is to extend her season.

Stosur, top seed in Moscow this week, told reporters that this year, in contrast to some earlier sub-par showings in Moscow, she would be out to hit top form and take the title.

"This year I've definitely come into this tournament hoping to do well,'' the 28-year-old Stosur, who announced a last-moment withdrawal from playing in Moscow last year.

"Last year I decided to withdraw from playing here just after the final in Osaka having already qualified for the WTA Championships. It was impossible to play all the Asian swing and than continue playing here.

"But this year I have a goal to finish ninth if possible. Of course me and Marion (Bartoli) will watch closely each other's performance here, both hoping to finish as the first substitute in Istanbul.

"And as far as we both failed to qualify for the main draw we'll go to Istanbul prepared to play at any moment looking what will happen to the other players there.''

Stosur, 28, also said that she was satisfied in general with her performance this season.

"Compared to the previous (2011) this year looks probably more disappointing as my results were much lower,'' Stosur said.

"I didn't have such a big win like the US Open, but I had lot of semis and lot of quarters this year and overall it wasn't really bad.''

Meanwhile, second-seeded Bartoli is keen to move up from her current ranking of 10th.

Bartoli said that her experience of coming as a substitute in last year's WTA Championships - where she played the final group match, coming in for the injured Maria Sharapova - helped her to stay focused as the season nears its end.

"I'll try to finish ninth (in the rankings) after Kremlin Cup,'' the 28-year-old said.

23.40 | 0 komentar | Read More