Martins the hero for Blues

Arsenal's six-year quest for a trophy goes on after Birmingham snatched a dramatic last-minute winner from substitute Obafemi Martins in a 2-1 victory in the Carling Cup final at Wembley.

Former Newcastle striker Martins swept home after a terrible mix-up between goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny and centre-half Laurent Koscielny.
It was, though, no more than the Blues deserved following a battling display as Arsenal, without injured captain Cesc Fabregas and England winger Theo Walcott, once more failed to deliver when it mattered most.
 
Nikola Zigic had headed Birmingham in front after 28 minutes, but Robin van Persie equalised with a fine volley.
 
The Arsenal fightback, though, failed to materialise as Arsene Wenger's men could not make the most of their possession and were dealt a killer blow when Szczesny spilled Zigic's knockdown after Koscielny's mis-kick and Martins slotted home in front of the Blues fans to send the Midlands club into Europe.
 
Arsenal were crestfallen at the final whistle, but Arsene Wenger must now lift his side for an FA Cup fifth-round replay against Leyton Orient before the return leg of their Champions League last-16 clash against Barcelona to ensure another season which promises so much does not fail to deliver.
 
There was something of a sense of justice being done after a poor offside call inside the opening two minutes should have seen Arsenal reduced to 10 men and Birmingham awarded a penalty.
 
Lee Bowyer ran from behind the last defender onto Craig Gardner's pass before rounding Szczesny, who brought him down. However, instead the assistant's flag went up and the Gunners went unpunished.
 
Arsenal slowly started to find their passing game as Andrey Arshavin's shot was blocked by Ben Foster.
Samir Nasri then weaved through three markers into the right side of the Birmingham box, but fired into the side netting.
 
The Blues looked to unsettle Arsenal in possession, and Martin Jiranek made a fine tackle as Arshavin broke down the left.
 
The Gunners, not for the first time, found themselves trying to break down two banks of four as Birmingham settled into a disciplined rearguard action.
 
Some careless possession, though, saw Birmingham break and Koscielny had to be alert to head the ball behind after it was swung into the Arsenal penalty by Keith Fahey.
 
It proved costly as from the resulting corner, Zigic nodded the Blues in front after Roger Johnson headed the ball back into the six-yard box.
 
Arsenal almost responded immediately when van Persie sent a flying header over the bar from Bacary Sagna's cross.
 
Giant Serbia striker Zigic almost doubled the Blues' lead when Gardner touched the ball through from the edge of the box, but this time Szczesny was out quickly to make a smart block.
Arsenal were rattled, with Johan Djourou heading over his own crossbar, but after weathering the storm they were level after 39 minutes.
 
Wilshere broke quickly down the centre and when the ball came back to him at the edge of penalty area, the England midfielder crashed a 20-yard effort against the crossbar.
 
Arshavin picked up the rebound, turning it back into the six-yard box where van Persie volleyed the ball into the left-hand corner.
 
The Dutchman then needed treatment after kicking Roger Johnson's leg in the process of scoring, and jarring his knee.
 
Fortunately for Arsenal, with the return leg against Barcelona less than two weeks away, Van Persie, skipper in Fabregas' absence, was soon back in the action.
 
The Gunners continued on the offensive going into the break, and Nasri's 25-yard effort was well saved by Foster.
 
Tomas Rosicky almost put Arsenal ahead at the start of the second half when he arrived late at the edge of the area onto a Bacary Sagna cross, but his volley flew just wide.
 
Despite all of their possession, Arsenal were almost undone again when Fahey crashed a 20-yard effort against the inside of the post.
 
As the hour mark passed, Birmingham continued to disrupt Arsenal's flow in midfield.
Arsenal withdrew van Persie, perhaps as a precaution, in the 70th minute, replacing him with Nicklas Bendtner, who enjoyed a productive loan spell at Birmingham in the 2006/07 campaign.
Nasri's shot was blocked by Foster following a quick Arsenal counter-attack, with the Birmingham keeper then denying Bendtner.
 
Foster was in action again to claw away Nasri's 25-yard effort.
However, disaster struck for Arsenal with just a minute left when Zigic's knockdown was spilled by Szczesny as Koscielny missed his clearance.
 
Substitute Martins swept the loose ball into an empty net to secure a famous victory for Birmingham and prolong Wenger's quest for a trophy.

Djokovic Wins Third Successive Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships

Novak Djokovic won his third successive Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships title when he defeated top seed Roger Federer 6-3 6-3 on Saturday. It was his 20th career title, and he prevented the former four-time champion claiming his first title since 2007.

The presentation was attended by Sheikh Ahmed Al Jaber Al Abdullah Al Sabah – President Arab and Kuwait Tennis Federation, H.H. Sheikh Hasher bin Maktoum al Maktoum, President of Tennis Emirates, Abdul Rahman Falaknaz, Vice President Tennis Emirates, Colm McLoughlin, Managing Director of tournament owners and organisers Dubai Duty Free, and tournament director Salah Tahlak.

Federer looked tentative from the start, and second seeded Djokovic earned an early break for 2-1 when Federer made a backhand error. Djokovic then held two more break points to lead 4-1, and although Federer held on to win on his fourth game point he dropped his serve again at 5-3 when Djokovic forced another backhand error.

Federer reduced his errors at the beginning of the second set and was rewarded with a break for 2-1. But his lead was short-lived, as Djokovic leveled at 3-3 when Federer netted a smash, and the defending champion went on to claim the next four games as well to take his winning streak in Dubai to 15 matches.
"I guess I raised up to the occasion," said Djokovic, who allowed Federer just five points in the last five games. "I was aware of the challenge that is expecting me on the court, and I was aware of the fact that I need to be on top of my game in order to beat Roger.

"So the focus was there. It was different conditions than yesterday, which - I was just a different player there. I was serving really well, especially the first set, holding my serve except that one game when I got broken, you know, confidently through throughout the whole match. Just the perfect performance overall."
Federer admitted that he had found it difficult to maintain his challenge after he had recovered from his slow start.

"Started bad and then kind of got into the match, but things are over in a hurry sometimes in best-of-three-set tennis," he said. "No, look, I think Novak played well. Obviously disappointing end as well to the match. I guess you can't win them all. I played so well in Doha in the finals, in London in the finals, in Basel in the finals. I guess I had to mess one up. It's a pity, but, look, Novak played great.

"It's a pity I wasn't able to hang on a bit longer, and especially in the second set to push him a bit more. What happened to Gasquet last night happened to me today. You know, all of a sudden things happen really quickly here on this kind of surface."

The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships is owned and organised by Dubai Duty Free and held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Zvonareva wins Qatar Ladies Open title

Russia's Vera Zvonareva won the 2011 Qatar ladies Open title after a superb straight sets victory 6-4 6-4 over World no. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in the final on Saturday.

The no.2 seed and World no.3 was in top form as she controlled the game against the 20-year-old Dane and produced a top class performance to entertain thousands of fans who filled the seats of the center court at Khalifa Tennis Complex.

The Russian star grabbed her 11th WTA career title and the first since over a year. Her last title was in February 14th 2010 in Pattaya. She also got revenge over Wozniacki who defeated her last year in the finals of Beijing and Montreal, and also knocked her out of the semi-finals of the 2010 WTA Tour Championships in Doha

REMY SAVES THE BEST FOR LAST

Singapore’s Remy Ong saved the best for last when he made a dramatic come from behind to win the Men’s Masters defeating top seed from Malaysia, Adrian Ang, ·in the final this afternoon. The 32-year Remy was lying last (12^thspot) from an overnight first block, when he rolled off the second block this morning trailing leader, Adrian by 206 pins.·After firing a 220 in his first game today on long oil pattern, Remy was still in 12^th spot. However, things took a turn for the better has he went to fire 238, 254, 225, 195, 215 and win all his matchups for a maximum bonus pinfalls for 60, for a grand total of 2554 to finish third, to qualify for the stepladders. In end, Remy was only 94 pins behind Adrian

Adrian who lead from start to finish to finish, qualified as top seed with his grand total of 2648. England’s Matt Chamberlain finished second with his total of 2567 for the semifinal stepladder clash against Remy. There was no stopping Remy as he won his semifinals clash against Matt 197-161.

Adrian choose the short oil for the final, but it did not matter to Remy as he was bent on making history of the biggest comeback story to win the gold. Even two open frames in the second and fourth did not deter the experienced and veteran bowler, as he strung five strikes in a row from frame five to seal the game. “I really cannot believe that I have achieved this feat. I was last yesterday and today I finished third. It is an incredible comeback story probably in the history of bowling,” said Remy. “When I had qualified for the stepladders, I was already contended and would have settled for the bronze.

“I was playing the second seed (Matt), but I got another break and made the final. “Then when Adrian choose short oil, I thought I was done because it was on short oil that I finished last yesterday. “But somehow, the pattern was gave both of us problems, but I managed to adjust faster and find my line.  This is simply fabulous. Winning the Masters has certainly eased a lot of pressure for me when I get home. I had only won the mixed team gold here and with expectations running high, I would have had a lot of answering to do, if I had returned without an individual gold. “As is turned out, it is like a fairytale ending and only that it is not a dream but for real,” said an elated Remy.

Adrian on the other had had problems with his connections and three open frames certainly did not help the 22-year-old bowler who has been the most consistent whole week. But when it mattered most his, form deserted him as he ran into trouble with the lanes. It is indeed sad for Adrian, for he so wanted to much the gold medal to make amends for all the earlier misses of the gold medal when he finished fourth in the singles, won the bronze in the doubles, silver in the mixed doubles and mixed team.

“I had wanted so much to win this gold medal, but it was not to be,” said a disappointed Adrian. “I tried my best, but simply could not get the connections and line. Things went wrong at the worst moment. Whole week, I have been bowling well, and when it mattered most, I had problems. “But Remy bowled well and his comeback from last to reach the final must have really motivated him to rise to the occasion. “I wished I had another shot at this title, but that is not going to happen, and I will just have to live with this result and work even harder to make amends in other coming championships.”

With Remy’s gold medal effort, Singapore’s medal tally was three gold and two silver to finish tops, while England accumulated a total of three gold, one silver and two bronze to finish second, while Malaysia finished third with their haul of two gold, three silver and three bronze.

Dream Final for Qatar Ladies Open

Tennis fans in Qatar will be up for a dream final to the ninth edition of Qatar Ladies Open, when world no.1 Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark takes on the no. 2 seed Vera Zvonareva of Russia on center court at 18:30 pm local time.

Wozniacki will be looking for her 14th WTA title and the second this year after clinching Dubai Tennis Championships title last week. The 20-year old Dane was in top form since the start of the tournament and had no trouble in reaching the final after knocking out Nadia Petrova (Russia), Flavia Pennetta (Italy) and Marion Bartoli (France) without losing a single set.

On the other hand, Zvonareva reached the final on Friday after a three-set victory over former world no. 1 Jelena Jankovic. She also needed more than three hours to get past Slovakia’s Daniela Hantuchova in the quarter-finals on Thursday.

Both players are eager to win the title today with the race over top places in WTA Rankings getting tighter than ever. Wozniacki needs to widen the gap between her and World no. 2 Kim Clijsters, while Zvonareva needs to retain the second place from the veteran Belgian.

The head to head record between the two players is in favor of Wozniacki who defeated Zvonareva in four previous encounters while losing three times. Two of their previous encounters were in the final of WTA tournaments, and Wozniacki won on both occasions.

They also met in the semi-finals of the 2010 WTA Tour Championships in Doha, and again Wozniacki came out winner in two straight sets 7-5 6-0.

Both players also lost finals in Doha, Zvonareva lost the final of the 2008 Qatar Ladies Open against her compatriot Maria Sharapova, while Wozniacki lost the final of the 2010 WTA Tour Championships to Belgium’s Kim Clijsters.

A great game is expected today in the center court, so be there and do not miss the top class tennis, a new champions will add her name to the winners list of Qatar Ladies Open with previous champions, Martina Hingis, Monica Seles, Nadia Petrova, Anastasia Myskina, Maria Sharapova and Justin Henin.

The singles final will be played after the doubles final which will kick off at 16:00 Doha time and will see no.1 seeds Kveta Peschke (Czech)/Katarina Srebotnik (Slovenia) taking on the second seed duo of Liezel Huber (USA)/Nadia Petrova (Russia).
Tennis fans in Qatar will be up for a dream final to the ninth edition of Qatar Ladies Open, when world no.1 Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark takes on the no. 2 seed Vera Zvonareva of Russia on center court at 18:30 pm local time.

Wozniacki will be looking for her 14th WTA title and the second this year after clinching Dubai Tennis Championships title last week. The 20-year old Dane was in top form since the start of the tournament and had no trouble in reaching the final after knocking out Nadia Petrova (Russia), Flavia Pennetta (Italy) and Marion Bartoli (France) without losing a single set.

On the other hand, Zvonareva reached the final on Friday after a three-set victory over former world no. 1 Jelena Jankovic. She also needed more than three hours to get past Slovakia’s Daniela Hantuchova in the quarter-finals on Thursday.

Both players are eager to win the title today with the race over top places in WTA Rankings getting tighter than ever. Wozniacki needs to widen the gap between her and World no. 2 Kim Clijsters, while Zvonareva needs to retain the second place from the veteran Belgian.

The head to head record between the two players is in favor of Wozniacki who defeated Zvonareva in four previous encounters while losing three times. Two of their previous encounters were in the final of WTA tournaments, and Wozniacki won on both occasions.

They also met in the semi-finals of the 2010 WTA Tour Championships in Doha, and again Wozniacki came out winner in two straight sets 7-5 6-0.

Both players also lost finals in Doha, Zvonareva lost the final of the 2008 Qatar Ladies Open against her compatriot Maria Sharapova, while Wozniacki lost the final of the 2010 WTA Tour Championships to Belgium’s Kim Clijsters.

A great game is expected today in the center court, so be there and do not miss the top class tennis, a new champions will add her name to the winners list of Qatar Ladies Open with previous champions, Martina Hingis, Monica Seles, Nadia Petrova, Anastasia Myskina, Maria Sharapova and Justin Henin.

The singles final will be played after the doubles final which will kick off at 16:00 Doha time and will see no.1 seeds Kveta Peschke (Czech)/Katarina Srebotnik (Slovenia) taking on the second seed duo of Liezel Huber (USA)/Nadia Petrova (Russia).

A lot of surprises are in store for the spectators today, in addition to a wonderful closing ceremony, so be their early and do not miss the action

A lot of surprises are in store for the spectators today, in addition to a wonderful closing ceremony, so be their early and do not miss the action

Europa League Round of 16 Draw

Benfica		-		PSG
Dynamo Kyiv		-		Man. City
Twente		-		Zenit
CSKA Moskva		-		Porto
PSV		-		Rangers
Leverkusen		-		Villarreal
Ajax		-		Spartak Moskva
Braga		-		Liverpool

All Fixtures on 10 March 2011 & 17 March 2011

Wozniacki, Zvonareva into Qatar Open semifinals

Thestar

DOHA, Qatar (AP):
Vera Zvonareva came from 5-3 down in the deciding set to beat Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia 7-5, 6-7 (5), 7-5 in a thrilling quarterfinal of the Qatar Ladies Open on Thursday.
Zvonareva lined up a semifinal against familiar foe Jelena Jankovic, who defeat Czech lucky loser Klara Zakopalova 6-2, 6-4. Zvonareva leads Jankovic 7-6 in matchups, and has won the last four.

Top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki won 12 straight games to beat Flavia Pennetta of Italy 6-2, 6-0 and set up a semifinal against Marion Bartoli of France.
Hantuchova had beaten Zvonareva in the Pattaya Open semifinals this month and looked set for an encore. But the Russian rallied to break back in the 10th and 12th games to end the 3-hour, 10-minute match.
Zvonareva hit 48 winners to 29, while Hantuchova committed 57 unforced errors in her third consecutive three-setter.

"It was a tough match. Daniela is a great player and very aggressive," Zvonareva said. "I'm happy to come through and be in the semifinal."

Wozniacki, who won the Dubai title last week, extended her winning streak to eight matches after losing the first two games of the match.

She wore a Liverpool football shirt with Steven Gerrard's name on the back during the warmup.
"I'm a big fan of Liverpool," Wozniacki said. "Since Liverpool is playing tonight (against Sparta Prague), I thought it would be nice and even the fans liked it."

Wozniacki made just seven unforced errors against Pennetta, who appeared to lose heart after dropping serve in a 12-minute fourth game. The top-seeded Wozniacki finally won it with one of her trademark backhand returns to draw level at 2-2.

"I was playing really good tennis," Wozniacki said. "I stayed calm and had to go for my shots."
Pennetta, who has never won against Wozniacki in their four previous meetings, could fair no better in the second set, committing 21 unforced errors.

Bartoli ended Peng Shuai's challenge in just 71 minutes with a 6-2, 6-2 victory. Peng lost her serve in the first game and could not recover from the initial blow.

"I thought I played well," Bartoli said. "I could have finished earlier. I mean, it could have been 6-1 in the second instead of 6-2, even 6-0, but overall it was a great performance."
Jankovic spoiled Zakopalova's 29th birthday to reach her second semis in two weeks, and hopes to end Zvonareva's streak against her.

"I feel really good about my game lately," Jankovic said. "I've had some pretty good wins. I've played some really good tennis so I look forward to playing in the semifinals."

INDIA STEALS THE LIMELIGHT FROM GOLD MEDAL WINNERS SINGAPORE

Team Singapore were the runaway winners in the mixed team event, but it was India who won the bronze, who were the centre of attraction this evening on the fourth day of the V Commonwealth Tenpin Bowling championship at the Sunway Mega Lanes this evening. The Republic’s team comprising Shayna Ng, Geraldine Ng, Jason Yeong-Nathan and Remy Ong went into the second squad this afternoon with  a huge lead – 266 – from the morning squad on short oil, never looked back as they sailed to victory  over long oil with a grand total of 5185.

Although the Malaysian team of Adrian Ang, Siti Safiyah Amirah, Zandra Aziela Ibrahim Hakimi and Zulmazran Zulkifli narrowed Singapore’s lead in the end to 130, when they finished second with a total of 5055, the Republic never looked threatened to lose grip. It was Singapore’s second gold medal after Shayna and Geraldine had given them the first gold in the doubles.

But it was Team India comprising Prathima Hedge, Akaash Ashok Kumar, Swapna Mitra and Shabbir Dhankot, who were rocking the house from the first squad when they finished third. And against all odds with teams like Australia, England and Malta all breathing down their neck, they carried on from where they had left in the first squad, to win the bronze with a total of 4765.

Who Are ULTRAS

Ultras are a type of sports fans renowned for their fanatical support and elaborate displays. They are predominantly European followers of football teams. The behavioral tendency of ultras groups includes the use of flares (primarily in tifo choreography), vocal support in large groups and the displaying of banners at football stadiums, all of which are designed to create an atmosphere which encourages their own team and intimidates opposing players and supporters.

The actions of ultras groups can occasionally be overly extreme and are sometimes influenced by political ideologies or racism, in some instances to the point where the central ideology of the ultras phenomenon, passionate and loyal support of your team, becomes a sideshow. In recent decades, the culture has become a focal point for the movement against the commercialization of sports and football in particular.

History
The origin of the ultras movement is disputed,with many supporters groups from various countries making claims solely on the basis of their dates of foundation. The level of dispute and confusion is aided by a contemporary tendency (mainly in Europe) to categorize all groups of overtly fanatical supporters as ultras. Supporters groups of a nature comparable to the ultras have been present in Brazil since 1939, when the first torcida organizada was formed. Inspired by the torcidas and the colorful scenes of the 1950 World Cup, supporters of Hajduk Split formed Torcida Split on 28 October 1950.^[5] The group is often cited as the oldest ultras/torcida style group in Europe.

The country most associated with the ultras movement is Italy.The first Italian ultras groups were formed in 1951, including the Fedelissimi Granata of Torino. The 1960s saw the continuing spread and development of the culture with the formation of the Fossa dei Leoni and Boys San groups, the former often regarded in Italy as the first full-fledged ultras group. The term Ultras was used as a name for the first time in 1969 when supporters of Sampdoria formed the Ultras Tito Cucchiaroni and fans of Torino formed the Ultras Granata. The style of support that would become synonymous with Italian football developed most during the 1970s as more groups formed and the active support of the ultras became more apparent, in contrast with the "traditional" culture. Choreographic displays, signature banners and symbols, giant flags, drums and fireworks became the norm as groups aimed to take their support to higher levels.^[7] The decade also saw the violence and unrest of Italian society at the time overlap with the ultras movement, adding a dimension that has plagued it ever since.

The ultras movement spread across Europe during the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, starting with the countries geographically closest to Italy. The effects on the footballing cultures of the countries involved were more profound in some and less in others, as a certain level of organization amongst fans and/or a tradition of colorful support would have long been present in many countries. Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, three countries whose footballing cultures were more influenced by British football in the past, experienced significant change. English football is a rare example of a footballing culture in Europe which hasn't been heavily influenced by the ultras movement.

^{MALAYSIAN ULTRAS}

Whye they choose Indonesia?

Coach Tat Meng leaves BAM to join Indonesian team

By LIM TEIK HUAT

KUALA LUMPUR: National singles coach Misbun Sidek quit the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) recently. His controversial resignation has yet to be resolved.

Now another singles coach – Wong Tat Meng – is set to leave.

Tat Meng, who is currently coaching the women’s singles squad, is leaving BAM by the end of next month to take up a coaching offer with the Indonesian national team.

The 44-year-old coach, who was best known for guiding Wong Mew Choo to a sensational victory in the 2007 China Open, will join former national singles coach Li Mao of China at the national training centre in Cipayung there.

Tat Meng, who has served as the national team coach since 2006, is now set to become the first Malaysian to coach in Indonesia at the national level and BAM secretary Ng Chin Chai said his resignation should be viewed positively.

“Tat Meng wanted to move to greener pastures and he has submitted his resignation letter.
“Tat Meng will be around until end of March and will prepare Mew Choo for the All-England next month.
“It should be looked at positively as he can come back one day and become a better coach as what Tan Kim Her did,” said Chin Chai, referring to Kim Her, who was the first coach to venture outside the country to take up stints in South Korea and England before returning to the BAM fold.

Tat Meng, who quit as a player after failing to make the successful 1992 Thomas Cup squad, got his biggest break as a coach when he was named as the replacement for Li Mao ahead of the more famous Sidek brothers – Misbun and Rashid after the Chinese quit in early 2007.

It has not been decided yet as to who will replace Tat Meng as Chin Chai said they will keep their options open.

“We may have a reshuffle or we may look for a new coach outside,” said Chin Chai, who is also the coaching and training committee chairman.

The coaching and training committee meeting yesterday also decided that Lee Chong Wei and Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong will be exempted from the Indonesia SEA Games campaign at the end of this year.
“The Road to London Olympics campaign should be their main priority as Chong Wei and Kien Keat-Boon Heong should have no problems qualifying.

“We will also decide later whether the women’s doubles pair Chin Eei Hui-Wong Pei Tty will be exempted as well as much will depend on whether they have enough points to qualify for the London Olympics. It is easier for the singles players to qualify as it is a field of 32 compared to the doubles, which has only for 16 pairs,” he said.

Meanwhile, former national doubles pair Gan Teik Chai-Tan Bin Shen will be allowed to train with the national doubles squad in BAM twice a week.

Chin Chai said they have also agreed to take in part-time paid sparring partners.
“The women’s squad complained of lack of competitive sparring partners.
“The mix doubles department have also requested for Razif Latif-Chow Pak Chuu to come in as sparring partners.”

Malaysia Vs Pakistan Olympic Qualifier..

By SHAMSHUL FITRI

SHAH ALAM: Malaysia started their campaign in the Pre-Olympic (Asian qualifiers) football competition on a winning note by beating 10-man Pakistan 2-0 in a fairly lop-sided match at the Shah Alam Stadium yesterday.

Hopes were high on Ong Kim Swee’s charges to ride on the recent success of the senior team who won the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup to run away with a big victory.
And right from the start the Under-21 side went on the attack and three minutes after the whistle went Malaysia were one goal up.

Wan Zaharulnizam Zakaria pounced on the loose ball which the Pakistan defence failed to clear and whipped in a shot from just outside the penalty box for the opening goal.

A continuous flow of attack from the Harimau Muda ‘A’ side soon followed as they seek a comfortable lead but the Pakistan defence was up to the task. Malaysia could have been 2-0 up in the 16th minute after the referee awarded a freekick outside Pakistan’s penalty box but Gurusamy’s shot was denied by the crossbar.
Pakistan suffered a huge blow when striker Ansar Abbas was shown the red card for kicking goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat in a goalmouth melee just before half-time.

And Malaysia later doubled their efforts for another goal and the 10-man Pakistan team was punished once again after failing to clear the ball in their own penalty box. This time Mohd Irfan Fazail shot past goalkeeper Yousuf Ejaz Butt in the dying minutes of the first half to make it 2-0.

In the second half, Pakistan’s coach Tariq Lufti brought on another forward to bolster their attack but Malaysia’s defence, with Mohd Fadhli Shas and Mohd Muslim Ahmad, were up to the task to neutralise their moves.

Malaysia could have gone 3-0 up in the 57th minute after Ahmad Fakri burst through the middle of the Pakistan defence only to see his shot kept out by a fingertip from substitute goalkeeper Muhammad Umer.

THE TEAMS
Malaysia: Khairul Fahmi Che Mat, Mahalli Jasuli, Mohd Muslim Ahmad, Mohd Fadhli Shas, Mohd Affize Faisal Mamat, Mohd Fandi Othman (Mohd Ferris Danial), K. Gurusamy, Mohd Irfan Fazail, Wan Zaharulnizam Zakaria (Wan Zack Haikal), Ahmad Shakir Ali (S. Sivanesan), Ahmad Fakhri Saarani.

Pakistan: Yousuf Ejaz Butt (Muhammad Umer), Manzoor Ahmad, Ahsanullah, Alamgir Khan, Muhammad Adil, Faisal Iqbal, Muhammad Toussef, Pathan Jadeed Khan (Saddam Hussain), Ansar Abbas (red carded), Kaleemullah (Fahadullah Khan), Muhammad Rizwan Asif.

Who is Sports agent?

A sports agent is a person who procures and negotiates employment and endorsement contracts for a player. In return, they receive between four and ten percent of the playing contract and ten to twenty percent of the endorsement contract although this figure varies based on their own negotiations with the sports figures.

A sports agent is a person who helps market athletes or products associated with that athlete to promote an athlete's career. Agents are responsible for all communications with team owners, managers, coaches and other individuals to help promote an athlete's career. Primarily, agents are used to broker and negotiate contracts for their clients. Also, they are responsible for making recommendations in regards to their options. In addition to finding incoming sources, agents often handle public relations matters for their clients. In some large sports agencies, such as IMG, Creative Artists Agency and Octagon, agents deal with all aspects of a client's finances, from investment to filing taxes.

Sports agents may be relied upon by their clients for guidance in all business aspects of life, and sometimes even more broadly. For example, hockey agents start recruiting clients as young as 15, allowing the agent to guide the athlete's career before the NHL draft, which happens usually at 18 years of age.
Due to the large and complicated contracts, many sports agents are lawyers or have a experience in contractual law. Agents are expected to be knowledgeable about finance, business management, financial and risk analysis, as well as sports. It is important for sports agent to follow the trends in sports. Other skills an agent must possess is excellent communication and negotiation skills. Agents must be highly motivated, willing to work long hours, and have the ability to multitask. It is very common for agents to be in negotiations with several clients at one time.^[1]

Some agents are part of large companies and some are on their own. The number of clients an individual agent can handle and how many his or her employing agency can handle in total are interdependent variables. The signed contract is such that the player will receive the full contract amount and the consultant companies then take their income from the adds directly representing the player.

Before the 1990s, most football players did not use agents. In some cases, they used for instance their father as agents. Due to most parents' naivety about the football business, these young footballers were often given less-than stellar contracts by football clubs, which yielded lower salaries than they thought they deserved.^[2] In Sweden, there were only three licensed agents in 1995.^[3] Today, there are 33. As per FIFA, there are 5187 licensed football agents world-wide with 600 agents in Italy alone.^[4] Since 2001, agents have not been licensed by FIFA. Instead, agents are licensed directly by each association

SPORTS UNITE

Here We Unite With Sports