ERASMIA: Diego Maradona thought Thomas Mueller was a ballboy when they first met, a demeaning snub which has fired-up the German star to plot Argentina`s downfall in Saturday`s World Cup quarter-final. The 20-year-old Bayern Munich midfielder scored twice in Germany`s 4-1 hammering of

PORT ELIZABETH: Brazil`s dreams of a sixth World Cup title were shattered as the Netherlands came from behind to claim a famous 2-1 win in an enthralling quarter-final here on Friday.An own goal by Felipe Melo - who was to be sent off later - and a Wesley Sneijder header enabled the Dutch

PORT ELIZABETH: For a team that was supposed to founder in the first round and that has come under attack for its reliance on style over substance, Dunga`s boys from Brazil aren`t doing too badly. Dunga`s class of 2010 head into Friday`s World Cup quarter-final clash against the

DHAKA: Bangladesh Cricket Control Board President AHM Mustafa Kamal MP has been made President of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), an official announcement said to the cheers of the youngest test-playing nation.                 Bangladesh’s coronation as chief of the

Abuja: Nigerian football was in disarray Wednesday after President Goodluck Jonathan suspended the national team from all international tournaments for two years following the Super Eagles` poor performance at the World Cup in South Africa. Nigeria was knocked out in the group stages

LONDON: Roger Federer crashed out of Wimbledon on Wednesday as Czech 12th seed Tomas Berdych clinched a stunning 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory over the defending champion in the quarter-finals. Federer has been almost untouchable at Wimbledon for the last seven years, winning the title six

LONDON: Defending champions Venus and Serena Williams were knocked out of the women`s doubles quarter-finals at Wimbledon on Wednesday, piling on the misery for Venus. While Serena progressed to the singles semi-finals on Tuesday, five-time Wimbledon champion Venus was knocked out by the

LONDON: England internationals Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney avoided a potential public relations disaster after an organiser said the duo had withdrawn from a soccer skills event. The pair were set to compete in a series of challenges against the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Cristiano

LONDON: Serbia`s Novak Djokovic stormed through to the Wimbledon semi-finals with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 win over Taiwan`s Lu Hsun-Yen on Wednesday. World number three Djokovic played almost faultless tennis to wrap up victory in an hour and 51 minutes on Court One as Lu, the conqueror of

ABUJA: Nigeria president Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday banned the country`s football team from international competition for two years following their dismal showing at the World Cup, his office said. "President Goodluck Jonathan has directed that Nigeria withdraws from international

PORT ELIZABETH: Kaka is one of a cluster of players treading a yellow card tightrope in Friday`s World Cup quarter-final between The Netherlands and Brazil. The Real Madrid playmaker is joined by Luis Fabiano, Juan and Felipe Melo in the group of Brazilians who will miss a potential

JOHANNESBURG: Diego Lugano may lead a rugged Uruguayan defence, but his male model-like good looks has his female fans swooning in front of the giant video screens set up back home in Montevideo. The 29-year-old may not be the quickest of defenders but he uses his 6ft 1inch (1.86 metres)

CAPE TOWN: Portuguese captain Cristiano Ronaldo confessed to being a broken man on Wednesday after his side`s crushing 1-0 World Cup defeat to Iberian rivals Spain. The 25-year-old Real Madrid star said he felt a deep sadness at their exit at the hands of the European champions, who

TEHRAN: Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has said the United States, England and France deserved to be eliminated in the World Cup for imposing nuclear sanctions on Tehran, newspapers reported on Wednesday. "In this World Cup you see a meaningful correlation between politics

JOHANNESBURG: Superstars have failed to deliver goals at the World Cup with Kaka, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney managing just one between them. And that came softly to Ronaldo three minutes from full-time in Cape Town as Portugal tore hapless North Korea to shreds in

BANGKOK: More than 1,000 punters in the Thai capital have been arrested in a crackdown on illegal gambling during the World Cup, police said Wednesday. Bangkok`s force has arrested 56 bookmakers or their associates and 1,156 gamblers who have made bets totalling 3.4 million baht (105,000

CAPE TOWN, June 30, 2010 (AFP) - Asia`s World Cup may be over with Japan`s agonising elimination in a penalty shoot-out, but the Asian Football Confederation teams did enough to reaffirm the region`s growing stature. Two out of four made the last 16, compared to just one out of five from

LONDON: Tsvetana Pironkova had never played on a grass court until five years ago but now the Bulgarian giant-killer is just one match away from reaching the Wimbledon final. Pironkova has defied her lowly position in the world rankings to make it to the last four at the All England Club

CAPE TOWN: Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque insists his team will not be underestimating Paraguay after beating Portugal 1-0 to set up a quarter-final clash with the South Americans.The European champions had a second-half David Villa strike to thank for their victory on Tuesday and Del

CAPE TOWN: Red-hot David Villa scored his fourth goal of the World Cup to fire European champions Spain past Iberian arch-rivals Portugal 1-0 on Tuesday and into quarter-final clash against Paraguay. The Barcelona striker pounced in the 63rd minute of an absorbing encounter that saw