'Rooney doesn't deserve place in England'

LONDON: Wayne Rooney should be left out of the World Cup team because he has had a poor season with Manchester United and England cannot rely on him when the going gets tough, according to former Chelsea midfielder Alan Hudson.

"I wouldn't pick him. I'm surprised everyone still calls him world class," the ex-England international said on Tuesday.

"United have been awful this season and I put some of that down to Rooney."

One of the most gifted players of the 1970s who only won two caps after being overlooked by successive England managers, Hudson also called on coach Roy Hodgson to take 19-year-old Everton midfielder Ross Barkley to next month's World Cup in Brazil and build the next England team around him.

But the former Chelsea, Stoke City and Arsenal midfielder pulled no punches on Rooney, the 28-year-old United striker whose 38 goals in 89 England appearances make him the country's fifth top scorer of all time.

Rooney is 11 goals behind Bobby Charlton's England record and is set to play in his third World Cup despite failing to score in the previous two editions.

"He is not world class because he's never proved it on the world stage," said the 62-year-old Hudson. "He turns up every now and then and great players don't just turn up every now and then.

"He's got to be consistent at the highest level. We made Rooney into a 'superstar' at a very young age when he didn't deserve to be put in that bracket.

"If you said to a United fan, 'who would you prefer up front - Rooney or Eric Cantona?' - I think the answer would be Cantona every time."

Hudson was more complimentary about Barkley who, like Rooney, has started his career at Everton.

MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH

The teenager has made a major breakthrough this season, playing 34 times in the Premier League and impressing with his running, awareness and goalscoring which included a spectacular curling strike from 25 metres against Manchester City on Saturday.

Hudson, who knows a thing or two about midfield artistry, urged Hodgson to include Barkley in his squad for the World Cup where England face Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica in Group D.

"I thought at the start of the season that Jack Wilshere was going to be the young kid coming through," he explained.

"But this Ross Barkley is the new kid on the block now. He's a fabulous player. People have been putting him in the same mould as the great Duncan Edwards but the problem England have with players like him is getting the ball to him.

"When we have great inside forwards we often bypass them by playing long balls. With Ross Barkley we have to give him the ball, he's got wonderful ability," said Hudson.

"I think he's the one young kid at the moment who can do things that we haven't seen English players do for a long, long time. He is exceptional.

"I think the most important point is that Hodgson must take him just to give him experience. He's the sort of player you build a future team around."

SOFT SPOT

While Hudson enjoyed a lot of success at Stoke he still has a soft spot in his heart for Chelsea, the club he helped to FA Cup glory in 1970 and a European Cup Winners' Cup triumph in 1971, and lives close to Stamford Bridge nowadays.

He believes Jimmy Greaves, Ruud Gullit, Peter Osgood and Gianfranco Zola, "as well as myself", were Chelsea's best-ever players and is concerned about how the team will improve on their likely third-place finish this season.

"I think the problem today is the inconsistency in their approach. I think they use too many formations and I don't understand why Chelsea only play with one striker up front," added Hudson.

"In our day we played 4-2-4, that reverted to a 4-4-2 with the wingers dropping back when we lost the ball. That system keeps it simple for the players and the fans.

"Jose Mourinho used that system when he first managed Chelsea, using Arjen Robben and Damien Duff out wide, and I don't know why he doesn't do that now.

"The big problem at Chelsea is they are always talking about the players they are going to buy. They should be buying players for the long term, not the short term."

Hudson also said that loaning Romelu Lukaku to West Bromwich Albion last season and Everton this term was a mistake.

The Belgium striker has scored 31 league goals for those two clubs combined while Chelsea have struggled up front.

"Look at Lukaku. Why loan him to Everton when he's a definite player for the long term?," said Hudson.

"It was a ridiculous loan. Stats don't lie. Loaning him to Everton was madness."

Although Chelsea are expected to buy a striker at the end of the campaign, Hudson says they are still struggling to replace Didier Drogba, who left two years ago, and believes Diego Costa of their Champions League conquerors Atletico Madrid is not necessarily the answer.

"Drogba is the sort of player who only comes along every once in a while. Drogba was like Peter Osgood, a magician," he explained.

"I didn't like the way Diego Costa played in the first leg against Chelsea a couple of weeks ago. John Terry had him in his pocket.

"If it was down to me I'd keep my money in my pocket on that front."

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Sachin gets life membership at Els club

DUBAI: Cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar may now be seen swinging on a different pitch after the legendary batsman was awarded a life membership at The Els Club golf course from Dubai Sports City partner Abdulrahman Falaknaz.

"Sachin (Tendulkar) has given so much to the world of sport, both through his performances and also the way he has conducted himself over more than two decades at the very highest level. Therefore, it was fitting for us to have given him something whilst expressing our thanks and recognition for all that he has achieved," said Falaknaz.

The picturesque golf course and club, which is designed by legendary South African golfer Ernie Els, is honoured to have Tendulkar as their life member, who graced the clubhouse during his IPL stay as the icon of Mumbai Indians team.

The Els Club general manager Chris Brown informed that Tendulkar indulged in a nine-hole golf session with teaching professional Jamie McConnell and also received a two-hour lesson from Butch Harmon School of Golf Director of Instruction Justin Parsons.

"Having Sachin Tendulkar spend time with us and receive his honorary life membership of The Els Club was a huge pleasure, and his presence extends the list of star names we have had over the past few months," said a beaming Brown.

That list of lifetime members includes former World No. 1 Rory McIlroy, Hollywood actor Will Smith and ex-Manchester United and Denmark goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel.

But Tendulkar, who retired from cricket last November as the most capped player and the leading run-scorer of all-time at international level, is in a league of his own and the club management understands the responsibility of having the batting great on board.

"We look forward to Sachin making The Els Club his golfing home away from home. One thing he will be guaranteed when he does return is a world-class welcome," said Brown.

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Tottenham say sorry for Liverpool slight

LONDON: Tottenham Hotspur apologised to Liverpool for posts mocking the collapse of the Merseysiders' Premier League title challenge that appeared on the hacked social media accounts of the London club.

Shortly after Liverpool squandered a 3-0 lead by letting in three goals in the closing minutes of a 3-3 draw at Crystal Palace on Monday, a taunting comment appeared on Tottenham's Twitter feed.

It read: "Brutal but very funny. The biggest capitulation since Newcastle in the 90s."

That referred to the 1995-96 Premier League season, when Newcastle let a 12-point lead slip and finished runners-up to Manchester United.

The tweet was accompanied by a Vine video which cut from Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard leading an inspirational team huddle after victory over Manchester City to his slip to gift fellow title contenders Chelsea the opening goal in their recent 2-0 win at Anfield.

That in turn was followed by footage of Dwight Gayle's equaliser for Palace, a close-up of the 3-3 scoreline from Sky television's coverage and an unrelated clip of Palace boss Tony Pulis laughing in a BBC interview.

Spurs removed the post and tweeted: "We are currently looking into a security issue where our official Vine account has been compromised.

"We apologise to anyone offended by a recent tweet, which was immediately deleted. This post was not tweeted by anyone affiliated to THFC."

Liverpool have not won the domestic title since 1990 but you have to go back to the 1960/61 season, when Tottenham completed a league and FA Cup 'double', to find the last time the north London side were crowned champions of England.

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Sharapova battles through McHale test

MADRID: Roger Federer became the second of the world's top four to pull out of the Madrid Masters on Tuesday as he has decided to stay at home with his wife Mirka as they await the birth of their third child.

The 17-time Grand Slam champion's withdrawal comes just two days after world number two Novak Djokovic also decided not to compete in the Spanish capital due to a wrist injury.

"I've decided to withdraw from Madrid to be with my wife Mirka during these next few exciting weeks for our family," he said on his official Facebook page.

"I apologise to my fans and hope to be back in Madrid next year. I'll be training near my home, and am excited to rejoin the Tour soon!"

Federer's withdrawal could benefit Wimbledon champion Andy Murray as the Scot is now the highest seeded player left in the second quarter of the draw.

There is still plenty of star power on show in the women's Madrid Open as Li Na and Maria Sharapova moved into round three with wins on Tuesday.

Sharapova won her first tournament of the season on her return to clay in Stuttgart two weeks ago and looked in fine form as she raced through the first set 6-1.

However, McHale responded well to take the second 6-4 and led 4-1 in the decider.

Sharapova, though, wasn't to be denied by the world number 57 as she reeled off five straight games to set up a meeting with Spain's Garbine Muguruza or 2011 US Open champion Sam Stosur in the last 16.

Earlier, Australian Open champion Li had a more simple task as she swept aside fellow Chinese Zheng Jie 6-2, 6-3.

Zheng led the head-to-head record between the two 4-3 before the match, but Li has now won the last four meetings between the pair in straight sets and will face 16th seed Sloane Stephens in the next round.

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Kevin named NBA's Most Valuable Player

Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder was named on Tuesday as the National Basketball Association's Most Valuable Player for the 2013-14 season.

Durant won the MVP award for the first time in his seven-year career, claiming the honor by a landslide after capturing his fourth scoring title in five seasons and leading the Thunder to the Northwest Division title and the NBA playoffs.

Miami Heat's LeBron James, who had won the MVP title four times in the last five seasons, finished a distant second in the voting while Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers was third, Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls fourth and James Harden of the Houston Rockets fifth.

Durant received 119 first-place votes from a total of 124 votes cast by sportswriters and broadcasters in North America plus one special fan vote. James picked up the other six first-place votes.

During the regular season, five-time All-Start Durant averaged a career-best 32 points per game to go with 7.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists, also a career high.

In capturing his fourth scoring title, he joined Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, George Gervin and Allen Iverson as the only players to win at least four scoring titles.

The 25-year-old forward, who also won a gold medal with the US team at the 2012 London Olympics, scored more than 40 points in a game 17 times during the season.

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'Liverpool EPL title race not yet over'

LONDON: Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers believes that his squad can still beat Manchester City to the Premier League title as he feels that Manuel Pellegrini's men will not be able to win their final two games of the season.

Rodgers said that it is a tough task for City to play two games at this stage of the season that really, really matter, adding that Aston Villa is an incredible team on the counterattack and better away from home, and West Ham United on their day can prove to be a really difficult opponent.

According to The Guardian, Rodgers added that City need to win all their games, which means they would have won five games in a row and they have done that only once this season, so it would be a little bit new for them.

The Northern Irishman added that the title run is certainly not over by a long way, because if Liverpool wins their two games then it could go a long way to deciding whether they finish top or not, but it is about concentrating on their game against Crystal Palace.

Rodgers also said that City beating Everton 3-2 would not deflate Liverpool's title hopes because they know that they have to win against Crystal Palace no matter what, and also win against Newcastle United.

City are currently leading the Premier League table with just a goal difference to Liverpool with two games in hand against Aston Villa and West Ham United, the report added.

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Monkey chants ignite new racism row

MADRID: A new racism scandal erupted in Spanish football after fans made monkey chants at Levante's Senegalese midfielder Pape Diop, just a week after Barcelona defender Dani Alves denounced a banana-thrower.

The 28-year-old Diop accused Atletico Madrid fans of subjecting him to abuse as his side inflicted a shock 2-0 defeat on the Liga leaders on Sunday.

He reacted by dancing in front of the disconsolate travelling fans at the final whistle Sunday, and television images showed some furious Atletico supporters making monkey gestures.

"It affected me a lot," Diop said. "I went to take a corner and some of the Atletico fans began to make monkey chants. To play it down, I started to dance, but I didn't insult anyone," the player said.

"I don't have anything against the Atletico fans. It is a provocation I get in many grounds. It has to stop. I don't know if it is racism or a lack of respect," he added.

"They have to stop making monkey gestures at black players." A week earlier, Barcelona's Brazilian international Alves shone an uncomfortable spotlight on racism in Spanish football when he took a bite out of a banana thrown at him in his side's win over Villarreal.

Star players of different nationalities and races including Neymar, Sergio Aguero and Luis Suarez joined the "we are all monkeys" campaign.

The culprit at El Madrigal was subsequently arrested and handed a lifetime ban from the stadium by Villarreal.

But Alves said it was not a one-off. "I have been in Spain 11 years and it has been the same for 11 years. You have to laugh at these backward people," he said after the game.

The monkey-chanting at Diop made headlines in the British press, including the BBC and the online editions of the Daily Telegraph and Daily Mail.

"Spanish football must face up to the fact that they have a serious racist problem. They can't continue to bury their heads in the sand," tweeted former England international Gary Lineker who once played for Barcelona.

But the incident created relatively few waves in Spain. "Diop's little dance directed at the Atletico fans was over the top," wrote Barcelona-based sports daily Mundo Deportivo. "But the alleged racist shouts were, too ... just like any other insult," it added.

Top-selling sports daily Marca said a delegation of Atletico players visited Diop in the changing rooms after the match to offer their apologies.

The mild reaction in Spain echoed the tone of some comments by Spanish football officials after the Alves banana-throwing scandal.

"It is not everyone. I want to think these are isolated incidents. In football there is no racism, not at all," Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque said at the time.

"You cannot judge all fans by the actions of a few extremists, whether they are from Villareal or Atletico or any other club," conservative daily El Mundo wrote Monday.

Salvador Rodriguez Moya, journalist and author of "Black card to racism" which recounts 300 racist acts in Spanish football, said it would be wrong to condemn all of Spain and all Spanish football as racist, describing the incidents as isolated and anecdotal.

"But it is still true that it is like a sleeping volcano, which could erupt at any moment," Moya said in an interview.

"These racist episodes have happened and continue to happen. We can't avert our eyes," he added.

Ramon Miravitllas, journalist, author and academic who has written about politics in sport, said parts of Spain suffered from ignorance of history and other cultures.

"In deepest Spain there is still today not racism but class structure, selectiveness, exclusion, or a lack of understanding of certain cultures," he said.

"That is the problem, the cultural problem in deepest Spain that does not know this is a country that lived from immigration for many years and that does not recognise it as a multicultural country."

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Suarez named Footballer of the Year

LONDON: Liverpool striker Luis Suarez completed a notable 'double' on Monday after it was announced he'd been voted the 2014 Footballer of the Year by England's Football Writers' Association.

Suarez's 30 goals have kept Liverpool in sight of their first English championship title in 24 years and this latest honour comes after he was named Player of the Year by his peers in England's Professional Footballers' Association.

Uruguay international Suarez, 27, topped a poll of more than 300 journalists ahead of Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard and will receive the FWA award, which has been running since 1948 at a gala dinner at London's Lancaster Hotel on May 15.

FWA chairman Andy Dunn, of the Sunday Mirror, said: "Those members who have been fortunate enough to be working at a match involving Luis Suarez have witnessed an astonishing talent first-hand.

"Tireless endeavour allied to extraordinary imagination makes an irresistible combination. Add ingenious, impudent finishing and you have a footballer who truly quickens the pulse.

"Luis is a remarkably gifted addition to the long and distinguished list of winners of our award."

Charles Buchan, one of the founders of the FWA, said the award should be presented "to the professional player who by precept and example is considered by a ballot of members to be the footballer of the year".

And there will be those who argue that, for all his goals, Suarez has failed to live up to the standards of Buchan's words given he started the season completing a 10-game ban for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic -- a punishment which itself came a year after he received an eight-game suspension for racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra.

Nevertheless, Suarez gained 52 percent of a ballot in which votes were cast for 10 players in all, with Gerrard the runner-up and Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure, a key figure in Manchester City's Premier League title-charge, in third place.

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I do think of quitting, says Mary Kom

NEW DELHI: She has pulled herself up for a second time targetting another first for an Indian woman boxer but as Olympic bronze-medallist M C Mary Kom gears up for the Commonwealth Games, the five-time world champion says the thought of quitting has crossed her mind several times.

Speaking ahead of the trials for the Commonwealth Games, the mother of three from Manipur, who was christened 'Magnificent Mary' by the International Boxing Association (AIBA), spoke about her career and future.

"I do think of quitting and one day I have to retire. But I have still not fulfilled some of my aims," Mary Kom, who competes in the 51kg category, said.

"I always wanted a gold in the Olympics and I want to achieve that. But I do think that it would boil down to my performance. If it slips than I will not continue. I am setting short term goals. Only if I feel I am upto it, I would go," said the 31-year-old.

She is back in the ring after a one-year sabbatical following the birth of her third child and the Manipuri has no hesitation in admitting that it is difficult to stage comebacks.

"I have been training for one month. It was tough to pull myself up but then I could tell myself that I can pull myself up. I have always motivated myself to toughen up," she said candidly.

Mary Kom last took a sabbatical in 2008 after winning her third world title and came back quite brilliantly to clinch her fourth gold medal at the mega-event.

"It hurts when people question my ability after every break. I feel very bad. If I feel I am not good enough, I will myself quit. I don't need to be told. This hurts," she said.

But skeptics would point out that she is not getting any younger and is faced with competition which is more agile and has age on its side.

"In a way it is motivating and I feel it becomes a challenge. I just give my best. If I don't have the passion than it would be difficult," she said.

"I hope they (the competition) are stronger than me. But I have experience. If I get the time to train myself well then even now no one can match up to me. This is my confidence," she asserted.

"But one should be confident, not over-confident. The key is to strike a balance."

On how she would deal with the expectations considering her sustained dominance at the top level," Mary Kom said, "I will try to prove myself. A lot of luck is also needed. It is a combination of hard work and luck."

Talking about the Commonwealth Games, Mary Kom said, "It is funny, I, who has been around for such a long time, will be making my debut at CWG. But I am very happy although the competition will be very tough."

"But good competition brings out the best in me." On the mess in Indian boxing after the international termination of the federation, Mary Kom said it has become an insult.

"It is an insult. What is happening now is just not nice. But as a boxer, I have to remain hopeful and positive. But I would say, please think for the youngsters. They are still dreaming. It would be better for them because people like us have got a lot," she signed off.

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I do think of quitting, says Mary Kom

NEW DELHI: She has pulled herself up for a second time targetting another first for an Indian woman boxer but as Olympic bronze-medallist M C Mary Kom gears up for the Commonwealth Games, the five-time world champion says the thought of quitting has crossed her mind several times.

Speaking ahead of the trials for the Commonwealth Games, the mother of three from Manipur, who was christened 'Magnificent Mary' by the International Boxing Association (AIBA), spoke about her career and future.

"I do think of quitting and one day I have to retire. But I have still not fulfilled some of my aims," Mary Kom, who competes in the 51kg category, said.

"I always wanted a gold in the Olympics and I want to achieve that. But I do think that it would boil down to my performance. If it slips than I will not continue. I am setting short term goals. Only if I feel I am upto it, I would go," said the 31-year-old.

She is back in the ring after a one-year sabbatical following the birth of her third child and the Manipuri has no hesitation in admitting that it is difficult to stage comebacks.

"I have been training for one month. It was tough to pull myself up but then I could tell myself that I can pull myself up. I have always motivated myself to toughen up," she said candidly.

Mary Kom last took a sabbatical in 2008 after winning her third world title and came back quite brilliantly to clinch her fourth gold medal at the mega-event.

"It hurts when people question my ability after every break. I feel very bad. If I feel I am not good enough, I will myself quit. I don't need to be told. This hurts," she said.

But skeptics would point out that she is not getting any younger and is faced with competition which is more agile and has age on its side.

"In a way it is motivating and I feel it becomes a challenge. I just give my best. If I don't have the passion than it would be difficult," she said.

"I hope they (the competition) are stronger than me. But I have experience. If I get the time to train myself well then even now no one can match up to me. This is my confidence," she asserted.

"But one should be confident, not over-confident. The key is to strike a balance."

On how she would deal with the expectations considering her sustained dominance at the top level," Mary Kom said, "I will try to prove myself. A lot of luck is also needed. It is a combination of hard work and luck."

Talking about the Commonwealth Games, Mary Kom said, "It is funny, I, who has been around for such a long time, will be making my debut at CWG. But I am very happy although the competition will be very tough."

"But good competition brings out the best in me." On the mess in Indian boxing after the international termination of the federation, Mary Kom said it has become an insult.

"It is an insult. What is happening now is just not nice. But as a boxer, I have to remain hopeful and positive. But I would say, please think for the youngsters. They are still dreaming. It would be better for them because people like us have got a lot," she signed off.

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