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Golf | Women`s Golf
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WGSA trio face last hurdle at Q-School
At the end of 72 holes at Golf Al Maaden in Marakesh, South Africa’s top ranked amateurs Kim Williams, Nobuhle Dlamini and Nicole Garcia have just one hurdle left to cross at the 2014 Ladies European Tour’s Lalla Aicha Tour School Final Qualifying in Morocco.Despite enduring a 75 minute delayed start due to heavy overnight rain, world No 7 Williams was in striking form at the Samanah course.
Unlike the bogey-riddled production for a second round 76, the country’s top ranked amateur dropped just one shot in her second trip around the tough par-72 layout to close with a two-under-par 70.
The 27-year-old Pretoria golfer improved eight spots on her overnight share of 17th to tie for ninth on three-under-par 285.
Williams is just four shots off the pace from Finland’s Elina Nummenpaa, who carded a 69 at the Al Maaden course to finish the day at seven-under-par.
World No 6 Dlamini from Swaziland erased the damage of six bogeys with five birdies at the Al Maaden course for a 73 to finish on one-under-par 287 in joint 17th ahead of the final round cut.
Meanwhile fourth ranked Garcia from Ekurhuleni improved six positions from a tie for 44th with a 73 to easily make the cut set at seven over.
Garcia, who tied for 38th on four-over-par 292, will be teeing it up in her ninth straight round after having to battle it out for one of 15 spots in a pre-qualifier held in Dar Es Salaam to join Williams and Dlamini in Marakesh.
The cut left 61 players who will challenge for playing privileges on the Ladies European Tour in 2014. Only the top 30 players and those tied will be awarded category 8a membership, while the remaining players in the final round field will be eligible for category 9b membership with limited starts.
Former Sanlam SA Women’s Amateur champion Bonita Bredenhann from Namibia will join the South Africans at the Samanah course for the final 18 holes after carding a 70 at Al Maaden to tie for 27th on one-over-par 289
Football | Barclays Premier League
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Suarez wants title challenge for Christmas
Liverpool striker Luis Suarez believes his side can mount a serious challenge for the Premier League title if they enjoy a successful Christmas campaign.Suarez was presented with the 2013 Player of the Year award at the Football Supporters' Federation Awards at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium on Monday, but the Uruguayan has more significant silverware in his sights.
Suarez missed the first six matches of the season due to the ban he received in April for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic.
But he has hit 17 league goals since returning to action, with a brace coming in Sunday's 5-0 thrashing of Tottenham at White Hart Lane.
At the start of the season, Brendan Rodgers' side would have been happy enough to challenge for a top-four finish, but their expectations are starting to rise.
The second placed Reds, currently two points behind leaders Arsenal, face Cardiff, Manchester City and Chelsea before the turn of the year, and Suarez said: "If we continue this level the next two or three weeks we can win the league or we can finish in the top four.
"It's important we concentrate and focus on the next game.
"We know that after Cardiff we have two very, very big games.
"That will be important to what comes next."
Suarez paid tribute to Liverpool's supporters for their faith after his biting ban, admitting he would not have had a future at the club without such backing.
Citing his return to Liverpool action as his 2013 highlight, he said: "Coming back to play at Anfield: because after so many difficult moments for me I was able to win the supporters back, and that was unbelievable when I came back to play.
"They helped me, and that was important for me, for my confidence, and for my family, because they are together with me in this.
"It's very special for me (the award) because my hard work on the pitch is recognised.
"Everybody knows about my problems and my difficult year, but after that I forgot everything and have been able to get back on the pitch.
"Liverpool are starting to reach their potential and we can play our best on the pitch.
"It's very important that we stay together, we keep going, this is very important.
"If Liverpool don't have these players I cannot continue my level, because it's too much."
In the absence of the injured Steven Gerrard, Suarez was proud to captain Liverpool for the first time on Sunday.
But he challenged his Liverpool teammates to continue to prove they can thrive without England midfielder Gerrard.
"I was a little surprised by that (the captaincy call), but I think we have only one captain here, Steven Gerrard," Suarez said.
"If we stay together, we are together, we are the captain, the team is the captain, that's important.
"It's far more important than me being captain that we win 5-0 against Tottenham, this is very important."
Suarez has had a troubled career marred by the Ivanovic biting incident and a ban for racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra.
But he said childhood troubles growing up in Uruguay have helped him swat aside the many and varied controversies that have plagued his career.
"When I was a child I had too many problems, but I could try my best on the pitch," he added.
"Once I was playing football I could try my best, because I just love to play football, I play with my heart."
Scott, Tiger and co serve up tasty
Like an enticing chocolate box offering an exquisite array of pralines, truffles, fudge and liqueurs, global golf gave its fans just about everything they might have wanted during a riveting and unpredictable 2013.The quality and variety of golfing 'confectionary' was exceptional and, with Tiger Woods's remarkable dominance in the late 1990s and early 2000s now a fading memory, confirmed that the sport's strength in depth has never been better.
Adam Scott ended decades of Australian heartache with his country's first US Masters victory and left-hander Phil Mickelson pulled off a sensational triumph at the British Open, the one major that had always seemed the unlikeliest for him to win.
England's Justin Rose finally lived up to the lofty expectations long heaped upon his shoulders by clinching the US Open and 'ordinary looking' Jason Dufner, known for his ultra-laidback demeanour and pre-shot waggle, struck a chord with club players everywhere by winning the US PGA Championship.
American Jim Furyk became only the sixth player to shoot a 59 on the PGA Tour (at the BMW Championship) and Swede Henrik Stenson ended a brilliant year as the first man to land both the European Tour's Race To Dubaititle and FedExCup playoff honours in the United States.
World No 1 Woods failed to add to his major tally of 14, despite being in the mix at both the Masters and British Open, but he triumphed a season-high five times on the PGA Tour before being voted Player of the Year for a record 11th time.
Rory McIlroy, his heir apparent as the game's leading player, ended a turbulent 2013 campaign on and off the course with victory at the Australian Open and will now aim to build on that as he attempts to regain his brilliant 2012 form.
STRONG COMPETITION
McIlroy, who had won two majors by the age of 24 but then struggled after changing his equipment manufacturer in January and having to cope with legal distractions, knows as well as anyone how strong competition has become at the highest level.
"You've got to play really well to win now," the Northern Irishman said. "That's why you see so many first-time winners because the fields are so deep. It is tough to win out here."
Underlining the strength in depth is the fact that 19 different players have combined to win the last 21 major championships.
Scott put his name on that list in April with a high-quality playoff victory over Argentina's Angel Cabrera at the Masters, sealing his win in rain-soaked conditions with a 15-foot birdie putt on the second extra hole.
"Australia is a proud sporting nation and this is one notch in the belt that we never got," said Scott who ended the year as world No 2 after narrowly missing out on a rare Australian 'triple crown' following wins in November at his national PGA and Masters.
"It's amazing that it came down to me," he added, referring to his Masters victory.
In June, Rose produced remarkable poise and a Ben Hogan-like finish to claim his first major title by two shots at the US Open after overhauling 54-hole leader Mickelson in the final round.
Rose closed with a level-par 70 in difficult scoring conditions at Merion Golf Club, posting a one-over total of 281 to become the first Englishman to win the year's second major since Tony Jacklin at Hazeltine in 1970.
"I established a game plan that really held true for me," said Rose. "It's been a perfect week, start to finish."
One month later 43-year-old Mickelson produced one of the greatest ever closing rounds at a major, firing a five-under-par 66 in cool and breezy conditions to win the British Open at Muirfield by three shots.
"To play probably the best round of my career is probably the most fulfilling moment of my career because it is something I thought I would never do here (at a British Open)," an emotional Mickelson said after landing his fifth major title.
GROWING NUMBER
The following month Dufner added his name to the growing number of first-time major winners, clinching a two-shot victory in the PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club after closing with a two-under 68.
"I can't believe this is happening to me," Dufner said after being presented with the coveted Wanamaker Trophy. "It's a big step for my career."
Woods described his 2013 campaign as "fantastic", even though he has come up empty-handed in the four majors since his remarkable playoff victory in the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines.
Nadal, Williams raise the bar sky high
A year in which a British man won Wimbledon, Roger Federer's star began to fade and doping reared its ugly head was defined by the dominance of two players - Rafa Nadal and Serena Williams.Between them they won half of the grand slam singles titles on offer, triumphed at 21 tournaments in total, collected more than 150 match wins and $25 million in prizemoney.
Not bad considering both have battled back from potentially career-ending injuries.
Written off by some when his knee problems returned with a vengeance in June 2012, Nadal launched a comeback in Chile in February that was nothing short of extraordinary.
Playing like a man on a mission Nadal won 10 titles, including the French Open and US Open, and reclaimed the world No 1 ranking for the first time in more than two years.
The Mallorcan was expected to dominate again on clay, which he did, culminating in an eighth Roland Garros title when he beat countryman David Ferrer. But he reached new heights on the hard courts that had proved his Achilles heel.
After beating arch-rival Novak Djokovic on his way to the Rogers Cup in Toronto, Nadal claimed the Cincinnaticrown before taking New York by storm, winning the US Open for the second time with victory over Djokovic.
The only blip in a season of 75 match wins and 14 finals from 17 tournaments was at a wildly unpredictable Wimbledon where he lost in round one to Belgium's Steve Darcis.
WIPEOUT WEDNESDAY
Nadal's defeat came in a first week that included Wipeout Wednesday, when seven-time champion Federer was spanked by 116th-ranked Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky and a host of top names pulled up lame, some blaming dangerous court conditions.
Through the carnage Murray rode like a knight in shining armour to finally deliver the men's title for success-starved British fans after 77 years of waiting.
The Scot, reduced to tears by Federer the previous year after losing in the final, coped with the suffocating weight of expectation to beat Djokovic in straight sets on a sun-kissed Centre Court.
Djokovic did not do much wrong in 2013, beginning the year with a third consecutive Australian Open title and ending it on a 24-match winning streak including victory over Nadal in the ATP World Tour Finals.
It was the perfect response to Nadal snatching back the world No 1 ranking in October and keeping it into 2014.
"We make each other better players. We make each other work harder on our games, especially when we play against each other. It's always a huge challenge," Djokovic said of a rivalry that looks set to continue into 2014 and beyond.
With Murray having undergone back surgery and a fading Federer down at world No 6 having managed a solitary title, cracks are appearing in the so-called "Big Four" and Juan Martin del Potro and Tomas Berdych will be sensing some grand slam opportunities next year.
As for the next generation, Poland's Jerzy Janowicz, who scared Murray in the Wimbledon semifinals, Bulgarian Grigor Dmitrov and Canada's Milos Raonic will hope to make a move.
DIFFERENT PLANET
The women's game is sadly lacking the same edge as Serena Williams appears to be playing tennis from a different planet.
Despite being the wrong side of 30 the American finished the year zooming away from her rivals and, providing she stays fit, it is hard to see who can halt her march towards Steffi Graf's record 22 grand slam titles over the next couple of years.
She took 11 titles, won 78 matches and suffered only four defeats, claiming a record $12 million in prize money.
Winning the French Open and US Open took her grand slam singles haul to 17, just one behind fellow Americans Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova.
The bad news for the chasers such as Belarussian Victoria Azarenka, who took advantage of Serena's early Australian Open exit to retain her title, China's Li Na and Russian Maria Sharapova is that Serena still wants to improve.
"I have some areas where I can do a lot better for next year and I look forward to it," said the oldest women's world No 1.
"There's definitely a lot of things I can add to my game, a multitude of things. Overall I'll remember the wins, but I also want to learn from my mistakes so I don't repeat them."
Williams lost in the Wimbledon fourth round to Sabine Lisicki who went on to reach the final where she froze against unorthodox Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli. Weeks after winning her first grand slam title Bartoli retired from the sport.
In team tennis the Czech Republic retained the Davis Cup, beating Serbia in Belgrade while Italy won the women's Fed Cup.
With the International Tennis Federation tightening its anti-doping controls after concerns from the likes of Federer and Murray, two high-profile players fell foul of the system.
Croatia's Marin Cilic served half of a nine-month ban for testing positive for a banned stimulant while Serbia'sViktor Troicki is serving a 12-month ban for failing to give a blood sample at the Monte Carlo Masters.
When Djokovic won the Tour Finals in London he raised the newly-named Brad Drewett Trophy above his head - a fitting tribute to ATP president Brad Drewett who died this year.
Pep guards against Guangzhou dangers
Few things worry Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola more than a team of underdogs coached by an Italian, making him especially wary of Tuesday's Club World Cup semifinal against Guangzhou Evergrande.The Asian and Chinese champions are managed by Marcello Lippi and, although Guardiola has never faced the Italian World Cup winner as a coach, the alarm bells are ringing.
"Italian teams, when they are not favourites, they are so, so dangerous and you have to prepare as well as possible and play a good game," the Spaniard told reporters.
"It's an honour for me to play against him, one of the most successful coaches in the world," added Guardiola who twice won the Club World Cup as coach of Barcelona.
He said European teams had to understand how seriously the tournament was taken by the rest of the world.
"Everyone thinks Bayern are favourites but there are a lot of dangers. They have very, very good organisation when they don't have the ball and three or four players of huge, huge quality," added Guardiola.
"I am very surprised by the quality of (playmaker) Dario Conca, of (Brazilian striker) Elkeson and (China captain)Zheng Zhi, a very experienced player.
"For European teams to be successful in this tournament we have to realise how important it is in Africa, Asia,South America and in CONCACAF."
Guardiola's players, who faced Hamburg SV in freezing Munich on Saturday, said the squad knew little aboutGuangzhou who they face in the balmy resort of Agadir.
"I can't say too much, I don't know the players," said midfielder Toni Kroos. "It's difficult to talk about them when you don't know much about the team."
Defender Jerome Boateng also had little idea of what the European champions would be facing.
"I don't know so much about the team but we will look at some videos about them," he said.
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Newey excited by new challenge
Red Bull designer Adrian Newey's decision to join Red Bull from McLaren in 2006 has paid off fourfold but still he wants more.After the Milton Keynes-based Formula One team and Germany's Sebastian Vettel racked up a quadruple double - four successive drivers' and constructors' championships - at the Indian Grand Prix on Sunday, Newey is already focused on trying to make it five.
Rivals might wish he took a sabbatical, switched to designing racing yachts for an Americas' Cup challenge or worked for them but Newey has no such plans at present.
"It's been an amazing ride," he told reporters at the Buddh International Circuit after Vettel became the youngest four times champion at the age of 26.
"When I joined Red Bull it was kind of a bit of a career risk to leave an established team like McLaren and join an upstart team sponsored by a fizzy drink company.
"But it's been incredibly satisfying. it's kind of schoolboy comic stuff, really. I love working with the team, I love working with my colleagues at the team, I find the environment very stimulating.
"Next year we have this big regulation change which is exciting and nerve-racking at the same time. So that's my immediate concentration. After that we'll have to see."
Newey-designed cars have now won 10 constructor's championships in total with three separate teams - five with Williams from 1992 to 1997 and one with McLaren in 1998.
The British boffin still uses a pencil and pad in his Milton Keynes office, happily labelling himself the last of the design dinosaurs, while overseeing others who put concepts into practice.
"We don't pretend to be anything we're not. We're a Formula One team operating out of relatively scruffy factory units in Milton Keynes, nothing glamorous," he said. "We just try and keep our feet on the ground and have a good creative atmosphere in the team."
In this year's championship, Vettel has won 10 of the 16 races so far, including the last six in a row.
There is every chance that by the end of the year he will have extended that run, possibly to equal the 60-year-old record of nine set by Italian Alberto Ascari, but it did not look that promising earlier in the year.
SPATE OF BLOWOUTS
Red Bull started the season with a car that was basically a continuation of the 2012 one, with a few refinements.
The quick-wearing Pirelli tyres did not play to their strengths, particularly on high speed corners, and in the early races team principal Christian Horner voiced repeated criticism until a spate of blowouts at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in June forced a change and a return to the 2012 construction.
Vettel won three of the first eight races and then seven of the eight since Silverstone.
"Going back to 2012 tyres, for sure, helped us," said Newey, while adding there was "no single magic bullet' and other factors also played a part.
"The 2013 tyres were much more load sensitive. It was much more easy to damage them if you put too much load into them," he said.
"A bit of it was the nature of the circuit as well. The circuits we had as we got into the second half of the season perhaps suited the car.
"We hadn't fully got on top of the high downforce...circuits such as China and Barcelona. So probably Spa and Monza suited us as being medium and low downforce circuits and then by the time we got to Singapore we'd managed to get on top of the high downforce areas we'd struggled with a bit earlier in the season."
The closest comparison is with 2011, when Vettel ended up with 11 wins in total and was also dominant.
In 2011 Ferrari started well but by the mid-season McLaren were pretty strong and making good strides and we were worrying that actually their development rate was higher than our own," said Newey.
"This year Ferrari started off well, but come mid-season Mercedes seemed to be making very good strides and we were kind of worrying that their development rate was going to overtake us."
Tennis | WTA
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Serena beats Li Na for WTA title
Serena Williams successfully defended her WTA Championships title on Sunday, beating Li Na, 2-6, 6-3, 6-0, to finish 2013 with a 78th victory and 11th title of the year.The 32-year-old world No 1 from the US had admitted to feeling physically exhausted before, during and after a fraught semifinal with Jelena Jankovic on Saturday and at 3-3 in the second set on Sunday, she looked in danger of a surprise defeat.
"But I had to keep going, I hung in there, and it's amazing to win this," said Williams.
Williams finished the year with prize money of $12 385 572, shattering the all-time women's record set last year by Victoria Azarenka, who won $7 923 920.
It's also the third-highest single season prize money total in tennis history, men's and women's – only Novak Djokovic's 2011 and 2012 totals are higher.
"I can't believe I won. I was so tired. Honestly, did I really win? Because she played so well."
There were plenty of other impressive numbers for Williams.
She is the fourth player ever to win four or more titles at the event and the oldest champion.
Williams is also the first player to win 11 WTA titles in a season since 1997 when Martina Hingis won 12.
She has now also won 32 of her last 34 matches against top five players.
"I'm just overjoyed, to be honest," Williams told www.wtatour.com.
"It's really awesome. It's such a special moment. To finish the year No 1 in the world and win this title after 40 years of the WTA, it means even more."
Li, the first Chinese player to make the final of the end of season showpiece and about to become the highest-ranked Asian woman at No 3 in the world, made one break of serve for 2-1 in the first set with a wrong-footing backhand drive, and another for 4-1 by punishing a moderate Williams serve.
The world No 1 looked subdued and shackled. The emotional eruptions of her semifinal with Jankovic were nowhere to be seen or heard and her movement was leaden.
Sometimes she was forced to contain or defend, and in the first set she managed a mere five winners – a paltry total for her. Li managed twice as many. Expectations were turned on their head.
Williams held on to her serve in the seventh game but the set was effectively gone.
The second set started with a mighty battle, which resulted in Williams hanging on to her serve after almost 12 minutes of effort and eight deuces. It was a big moment.
Next game she broke Li's serve, extracting a volleying error on break point, and advanced to 3-1, and the mood of the match began to shift.
Although Li got back to 3-3 with some impressively positive driving, her serve was becoming more variable, and a double fault contributed to a lost service game which put her at 3-5.
By now Williams' survival instincts were engaged intently.
She closed out the set after another service game of several deuces, and when Li delivered her eighth double fault to lose the opening game of the final set the tide completely turned.
Li double faulted again to go 0-3 down and an encouraged Williams, with the finishing line closer, was hitting the ball better.
After the last shot she placed her forehead on the court as if in thanksgiving for redemption.
The triumph may persuade Williams that adding to her 17 Grand Slam titles during 2014 is certainly possible, and that winning another five, to overhaul Steffi Graf, might eventually come within reach too.
But her weariness might suggest another message. Eighty matches may in future be an ambition too far.
Li said she took positives from her loss.
"I was feeling maybe the start of the match was too exciting. So after one and a half sets I was feeling I had no more energy left," said the 31-year-old.
"I have a little bit of a bad taste because of it (the final set was love), but I still feel positive about the whole thing."
Boxing | International
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Manny training like a 20-year-old
Manny Pacquiao says he is training like a 20-year-old to break a losing streak and re-establish his reputation as one of the world's best boxers.The Filipino said on Thursday his fight against American Brandon Rios in the Chinese territory of Macau next month would be "a good window" to promote boxing in China, and he felt honoured to take part in the landmark bout.
"This training camp, I believe, is one of the longest preparations in my boxing career. I trained early because I want to prove that I can still fight in the top tier of boxing," he told reporters in his home town of General Santos in the southern Philippines.
"This time my preparation is more serious, more focused. My mind is like when I was 20 years old."
A former champion in an unprecedented eight weight divisions, Pacquiao, who turns 35 in December, is seeking to come back from two consecutive defeats that have led supporters to ask if he should hang up his gloves.
He lost a controversial split decision to American Timothy Bradley in June last year, then suffered a sixth-round knockout to Mexican rival Juan Manuel Marquez six months later.
Pacquiao said he had come to terms with his defeat to Marquez, reasoning that losing was inevitable during a long sporting career.
"I don't think I had a mistake in that fight. If you look back, I had 100 per cent conditioning, aggressiveness. That is part of boxing. I accept 100 per cent what happened in the last fight," he said.
After doing light training earlier, Pacquiao formally opened his training camp in General Santos last month.
His training to meet Rios, for the vacant WBO welterweight title, has largely been behind closed doors.This is in contrast to many of his previous training camps, where journalists, celebrities and other guests have dropped by to pose with the boxer.
Critics have previously questioned whether Pacquiao's diminishing prowess in the ring was because he had become distracted by his many other endeavours.
His boxing fame helped him to launch a successful political career in the Philippines, and he is now a second-term congressman with ambitions of eventually becoming president.
Pacquiao, who through the peak of his career fought almost exclusively in the United States, appeared excited at the prospect of raising the sport's profile in the world's most populous nation.
"This is a good window for the people of China to have the opportunity to watch the big fight live. This is also a good window to promote boxing in China," he said.
Boxing | South Africa
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Flyweight belt still vacant
The WBA Pan African flyweight belt is still vacant after a title bout failed to produce a new champion.Lwandile Sityatha and Morris Lento fought to a majority draw over 12 rounds when they clashed for the title in East London last weekend.
Two judges, Joe Chaane and Simpiwe Mbini, saw it as a draw, 115-115 and 114-114 respectively. Lulama Mtya had it 115-113 for Sityatha, who retained his SA flyweight title.
Siyatha, who was making his second defence and probably has the better skills, failed to get the upper hand against his southpaw opponent in a rather untidy affair at the Orient Theatre on Sunday afternoon. A draw was probably a fair result.
Sityatha’s record now stands at 16-2-1, including 7 wins inside the distance. Lento, who was the mandatory challenger for the SA title, finished with a reported record of 11-2-1.
The referee was Siya Vabaza-Booi.
Other results: Junior flyweight: Siseko Nkohliso beat Thandikhaya Varhilecon on points over six rounds.
Junior welterweight: Zola Thunywa knocked out Wanga Lobese in the sixth round.
Junior bantamweight: Loyiso Velleman knocked out Nasiphe Mdlangazi in the second round.
Bantamweight: Phila Gola beat Bamanye Mejane on points over six rounds.
The tournament was presented by Xaba Promotions.
…Ferguson, Scolari, Mourinho for coach award
FIFA and France Football on Tuesday revealed the names for the men’s Player of the Year and Coach of the Year awards.The final decisions, according to fifa.com will be made by the captains and head coaches of the men’s national teams as well as by international media representatives selected by France Football.
The winners of all of the awards will be revealed at the FIFA Ballon d’Or as part of a televised show at the Zurich Kongresshaus on January 13 2014, during which the FIFA FIFPro World XI, the FIFA Puskás Award – for the most beautiful goal of the year – the FIFA Presidential Award and the FIFA Fair Play Award will also be presented.
The list of 23 male candidates has been drawn up by football experts from the FIFA Football Committee and by a group of experts from France Football. The list of ten coaches has been drawn up by the Committee for Women’s Football and FIFA Women’s World Cup and by the FIFA Football Committee, as well as by a group of experts from France Football.
In early December , FIFA and France Football will announce the names of the three men and three women, as well as the three coaches for women’s football and three coaches for men’s football, who have received the most votes (without unveiling the winners).
The three nominees for the FIFA Puskás Award and the FIFA FIFPro World XI shortlist for the best forwards, goalkeepers, defenders and midfielders will also be unveiled in early December.
Men’s shortlists:
Gareth Bale (Wales), Edinson Cavani (Uruguay), Radamel Falcao (Colombia), Eden Hazard (Belgium), Zlatan Ibrahimović (Sweden), Andrés Iniesta (Spain), Philipp Lahm (Germany), Robert Lewandowski (Poland), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Thomas Müller (Germany), Manuel Neuer (Germany), Neymar (Brazil), Mesut Özil (Germany), Andrea Pirlo (Italy), Franck Ribéry (France), Arjen Robben (Netherlands), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany), Luis Suárez (Uruguay), Thiago Silva (Brazil), Yaya Touré (Côte d’Ivoire), Robin Van Persie (Netherlands) and Xavi (Spain).
Coaches’ shortlists:
Carlo Ancelotti (Italy/Paris Saint-Germain FC/Real Madrid CF), Rafael Benítez (Spain/Chelsea FC/SSC Napoli), Antonio Conte (Italy/Juventus), Vicente Del Bosque (Spain/Spain national team), Sir Alex Ferguson (Scotland/Manchester United FC former coach), Jupp Heynckes (Germany/FC Bayern München former coach), Jürgen Klopp (Germany/Borussia Dortmund), José Mourinho (Portugal/Real Madrid CF/Chelsea FC), Luiz Felipe Scolari (Brazil/Brazil national team) and Arsène Wenger (France/Arsenal FC).
Stenson ends wretched week with a flourish
Golf | European Tour
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European money leader Henrik Stenson says his right wrist is "100 percent" as he plots a strong end to his season after carding a 65 to finish a disappointing BMW Masters with a flourish.
The world No 4, staying in Shanghai for this week's WGC-HSBC Champions, is in pole position in the Race to Dubai – the European money list – with just a handful of high-profile events left in the season.
The Swede, who won the US PGA Tour's FedEx Cup last month, was languishing in joint 57th spot after a third-round 79 at the Lake Malaran course. But a seven-under-par final round left him in good spirits for the tough challenges ahead.
The 37-year-old, who has enjoyed a remarkable return to the pinnacle of world golf after slipping outside the top 200, arrived in China with his painful wrist taped.
He admitted he was almost ready "to throw in the towel" last Tuesday and was only able to play after intensive treatment, but is delighted to have gained momentum going into the $8.5 million WGC-HSBC Champions.
"Finishing on a high after some good play on the last day helps. We all know what I am trying to achieve in these weeks," he told AFP.
"I got most of the bad shots out of the way yesterday," he said, speaking of his dismal third round.
"I dumped three in the water and had one lost ball on the last eight holes. You know it's kind of tough when the ball's not floating," he joked.
His final round could have been even better but for dropping a shot at the treacherous 18th hole to finish at two over for the tournament, 13 shots behind Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano of Spain.
"A bogey at the last from the fairway today was disappointing. But we'll save the birdie at the last for when I really need it," he said.
The injury set back Stenson's preparations for the "Final Series" events on the European Tour featuring the BMW Masters, WGC-HSBC Champions at the Sheshan International Golf Club, Turkish Airlines Open and the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
"I came off four weeks without a tournament," said Stenson. "And I was going to work here pretty hard on Monday afternoon, Tuesday, Wednesday. But I didn't hit a shot Monday or Tuesday and managed to get out in the pro-am on Wednesday.
"Took a couple of days to get going with the long game."
Stenson said he was now off the painkillers and anti-inflammatories. "I've stopped the pills. I'm icing it every day and getting treatment on it.
"It's 100 percent now, just in the back of my mind. Trusting it might only be 97."
Fifa ruling on Egypt imminent
Football | Ghana
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World football governing body, Fifa, is on Monday expected to announce if Egypt will be allowed to host the second leg of their World Cup qualifying play-off against Ghana in Cairo.
The Pharaohs want to play in front of a 30,00 capacity Cairo Air Defense Stadium on November 19.
The background to this is that the Ghana Football Association had written to Fifa amid security concerns.
That action from the GFA prompted FIFA to give Egypt an October 28 ultimatum – which expires today – to provide a security road map for all stakeholders involved in the game.
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