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Winning World Cup a tremendous experience, says Badree.

Olympic 4X100 Mens bronze medalist Emmanuel Callender made a courtesy visit yesterday in Point Fortin to participate with the Trinidad & Tobago Olympic Committee school obesity program.

Aanensen insists All Sport gave Ministry final figures

Prime Minister David Cameron was "appalled" by the fracas at the end of England's Under-21 football match with Serbia, Downing Street says.

He also wants Uefa to impose "tough sanctions" if racism is proved.

England Under-21 defender Danny Rose has called for Serbia to be banned after claiming he was racially abused by fans in Krusevac on Tuesday.

But the Serbian FA has denied any forms of racism towards the England team.

It also said Rose behaved in an "inappropriate, unsportsmanlike and vulgar manner" towards their fans.

FA general secretary Alex Horne has called on Uefa to "take the strongest possible action" against anyone guilty of violence and racist abuse at the end of the match.

Some fans ran on to the pitch and scuffles broke out as England celebrated a 1-0 win and Euro 2013 qualification.

The government is giving its full backing to a Football Association complaint over alleged racist taunts, a spokesman for Number 10 said, adding that Mr Cameron "was appalled by the scenes that we have seen in Serbia".

"We are determined to stamp out racism internationally and at home and we are giving our full backing to the FA's complaint on this issue.

"Clearly it is for Uefa to investigate this issue but we would expect tough sanctions. If we are going to stamp out racism from football, then it is no good giving derisory fines, as have been handed out in the past.

"It is not good enough to say that people should shake hands and forget about it."

Monkey chanting

Rose, 22, said he was subjected to monkey chants throughout the game, starting in the warm-up.

"After 60 minutes my mind wasn't really on the game. I was just so angry and it was so hard to concentrate," he said.

"Then we scored and after 90 minutes' worth of abuse, I expressed my emotions as soon as we scored.

"Next thing I know, all the Serbia players were surrounding me, pushing me. I remember getting slapped twice. I got ushered away and that's when I kicked the ball - and then the referee sent me off.

"And then there was more monkey chanting. They should be banned."

The Football Association says it has reported a number of racist incidents to Uefa.

Sports minister Hugh Robertson has written to the president of Uefa, Michel Platini, urging him to investigate the incident.

The minister said: "The scenes at the end of the game last night were disgraceful.

"I have written to Uefa president Michel Platini, in support of the FA, urging them to investigate immediately.

"Racism in any form is unacceptable and must be stamped out. We would expect tough sanctions from Uefa on anyone found guilty of racist abuse."

He later told the BBC: "The really important thing is that this is the time to have no more derisory fines, no more punishments that send out the wrong message."

'Tournament ban'

The chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association, Clarke Carlisle, said Serbia should serve a ban from European football.

"Serbia should be banned because it's a repeat offence," he told BBC 5 live.

"Banning them for a start, from any tournament, would be progress but I think if it's significant - if it's a couple of tournaments - then that would cause that nation to address the issue that has deprived them of international competition."

Former England footballer Luther Blissett has also called for Serbia to be banned from football tournaments by Uefa.

"They should get a three, four year ban and that's talking about at club level and international level in my opinion because that it the only way these countries will really start to look at it and say 'we have to do something about it'.

"Because they obviously don't see that they're doing anything wrong by abusing people the way they do."

England defender Nedum Onuoha was racially abused during the 2007 Under-21 European Championship game against Serbia in the Netherlands, for which Serbia were fined £16,000 by Uefa.

A spokesman for Uefa told BBC Sport that it would not comment until it had studied the referee and delegate's reports.

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

England players will be banned from making any match-related comments on Twitter for 24 hours before a game under the new code of conduct to be introduced by the Football Association.

Details are beginning to emerge of the code, which will come into effect in November following a number of recent indiscretions by players.

The code also places a greater importance on the role of captain.

And it includes rules concerning time spent playing video games.

The full details of the code of conduct are not being made public, but it says comments on Twitter about "the opposition, management or individuals could all result in disciplinary action".

Comments on match day or the day before can only be posted "with management approval", it stipulates.

The privilege of the captain's role is also emphasised. "[The captain carries] expectation and responsibility, both on and off the field," the code says.

Players have been told to "always acknowledge supporters" at the end of a game and have also been directed to walk through the post-match media mixed zone as a matter of course.

While the FA says introduction of the code is not a direct response to the actions of any specific players, Ashley Cole and Ryan Bertrand recently found themselves in trouble over comments they made on Twitter.

Cole, who insulted the FA later deleted the tweet and apologised to chairman David Bernstein.

Bertrand, who swore on Twitter after he was withdrawn from the squad, deleted his account and apologised.

The England team were presented with the code at St George's Park last Monday.

Adrian Bevington, Club England managing director, said players could be suspended from England duty if they breached the code.

Bernstein, Bevington, FA general secretary Alex Horne and the FA's director of football development Sir Trevor Brooking gave the senior England squad a 10-minute bullet-point presentation on what they expect in terms of behaviour.

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Cycling Australia has sacked national coach Matt White after he admitted to doping when he was a team-mate of Lance Armstrong.

White, 38, who was also Cycling Australia's men's professional co-ordinator, was on the Armstrong-led US Postal Service team from 2001 to 2003.

After Armstrong was found guilty of doping by the US Anti-Doping Agency, White admitted his role in the scandal.

"The evidence presented is damning," Cycling Australia said in a statement.

"The behaviour of the key players is morally reprehensible and cycling fans have every right to feel let down."

White stepped down as GreenEDGE Cycling sports director on Saturday.

In a statement issued by Cycling Australia on his behalf, he said: "I understand the current situation makes it difficult to sustain the position and I respect that Cycling Australia has to make certain decisions.

"It's crucial there is a positive outcome from the current debate about cycling's past and I feel a responsibility to be part of that - even if it won't be in an official Cycling Australia role."

Armstrong, now retired from cycling, has been stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned for life by Usada, who said he led the "most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping programme that sport has ever seen".

Levi Leipheimer was sacked by Omega Pharma-Quick-Step on Monday after admitting to doping while at US Postal with Armstrong.

He was among the five former team-mates - along with George Hincapie, Tom Danielson, Christian Vande Velde and David Zabriskie - who were handed lesser bans of six months by Usada after giving evidence against Armstrong.

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Marathon world record-holder Paula Radcliffe has insisted she has no plans to retire from competitive running, despite being axed from the Lottery funding programme following her injury-plagued year.

BBC Rugby published an article, Test stars will find it hard to play Olympic sevens, that references the use of 15s players in the upcoming 2016 Olympic games in Rio.  Different people have different thoughts and opinions on the subject and the question, therefore, becomes what is the best strategy in creating a team with the best opportunity to win an Olympic medal in rugby 7s?

The Olympics is a dream event for every athlete.  Even if their sport isn't in the Olympics, it is both understood and accepted that the Olympics represent the paramount of elite competition.  Its history and significance is unparalleled and most athletes (and even coaches) would give anything for a chance to win a gold medal for their country.  This raises an interesting issue in the rugby world, where the Olympics are not only somewhat of a recent novelty in our sport but also involve a very specific format of the game.  Will some of the 15s players switch codes to 7s for a chance at Olympic glory?  Will they even make a significant impact?  Or is 7s such a unique sport that it should be left to those athletes that have been consistently competing on the global circuit and training as 7s athletes?  It is a welcomed luxury for coaches to suddenly have access to an entirely new pool of high caliber players but it certainly doesn't make their selection job any easier.

Sir Clive Woodward is one of the world's most respect rugby minds.  He was a World Cup winning coach for England in 2003 and has an incredibly impressive resume that includes being head coach of a Lions tour and a spot in the IRB Hall of Fame.  As primarily a 15s man, he believes that many players will make the switch across codes and that it will beneficial to the team's performance.  Alternatively, England 7s coach, Ben Ryan, believes that his players are unique and would be ready to compete and excel if other big name, professional 15s stars tried to make the jump.

Think of it this way - is New Zealand better off fielding the likes of guys like Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, Sonny Bill Williams, or Israel Dagg in their effort to achieve Olympic glory?  Would the addition of these types of players pretty much guarantee at least a spot on the medal stand?  Or should they stick with what's been working for them so far on the circuit?  They are, after all, defending champions of the IRB 7s World Series for the past two consecutive seasons as well as defending gold medal winners at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.  Many, if not all, of their current 7s players would likely be considered 7s specialists and have made New Zealand consistently one of the top teams on the circuit.  (This is different from our athletes here in America, where there has traditionally been more frequent crossover between codes.)

I believe that 7s is a unique game and that the athletes that play it more consistently will likely always have the upper hand.  They have that 7s mentality and instinct that is often different from strategy employed in 15s.  Nonetheless, the world's big name players do have an incredible amount to offer, even if it is only to challenge and push those already in the 7s system.  They bring a whole new level of talent, skill, and field vision that may be helpful to some teams.  They also bring a certain level of celebrity and stardom to a team that brings with it more media attention.  This can contribute either positively or negatively depending on how one looks at it but nonetheless will directly impact the media surrounding the importance of the event itself and the focused attention on certain teams.  However, I don't believe that overthrowing the entire system and overhauling the team by inserting star players will be the best recipe for Olympic success.  Yet I do believe that some players will bring that extra something - whatever you want to call it, X factor - that some teams may likely need to get them over the final hurdles and on to the medal stand.  Some players do have a lot to offer and would no doubt make a positive impact but will likely not be able to just walk in and claim a spot.  There is no doubt that competition for a spot on one of these Olympic teams will be especially intense.

Here in America, it certainly wouldn't be outrageous to see guys like Todd Clever, Chris Wyles, or Taku Ngwenya put their hand up in 2014-2015 and make a run at the Games.  They, however, are a bit of an exception because they've been on the circuit and have been extremely successful.  Yet they've taken a hiatus from 7s to focus on 15s, which seems to have been a good decision and gone rather nicely for all of them!  Only time will tell if they opt to take that path and switch codes leading up to 2016 for one last stamp on their decorated careers.

Every rugby player across the globe is excited for Rio in 2016.  If not, you better check your pulse and make sure there's something there!  But what is your opinion?  What is the best recipe for historic glory at the quickly approaching Olympic games?  The Olympic cycle has already begun and 2016 isn't all that far away after all.

Mike Petri
GO EAGLES!!!

Source: www.rugbyrugby.com

CALEDONIA AIA are eager to claim success in the 2012-2013 Digicel Pro League, despite their opening day 3-1 defeat against North East Stars on September 14 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo.

And coach Jamaal Shabazz’s confidence was boosted on October 5 by successfully defending the First Citizens Cup with a 2-1 win over Defence Force at the Mucurapo venue with a goal each from Jamal Gay and Trayon Bobb.

It was one of three domestic titles — the Lucozade Sport Goal Shield and FA Trophy being the others — picked up by Caledonia last season after reaching four knockout finals.

It was by far the most successful season for the 33-year-old club born out of the socially challenged districts of Morvant-Laventille.

Last season Caledonia also won the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Championship and debuted in the CONCACAF Champions League but finished at the bottom of Group Four with just one point in the home and away series against Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders and CD Marathon of Honduras.

Caledonia qualified for the Caribbean Club Championship — which is also the qualifying tournament for the CCL — behind W Connection last season and wants to go a step further this season by winning the Digicel Pro League.

Speaking after the First Citizens Cup victory, Shabazz said, “I think we are very motivated to come to play this season and continue to believe, in a strong sense.

“Having tasted the CONCACAF Champions League, [we want to be there again]. We have never won the Pro League and it’s something that we are hungry for.”

Caledonia’s journey to the First Citizens Cup title included an early 2-0 win over TTEC FC in the quarterfinal round and a late 1-0 win over six-time winners W Connection.

“It’s really a good feeling (to win the titles two times in a row),” continued the Caledonia coach. “The First Citizens Cup is one of the most consistent sponsors in the TT Pro League and it’s always the first Cup of the season. So we are really happy to keep it. It sets the tone for us for the rest of the season.”

He added that winning the trophy back-to-back comes at a time when there are talks of bringing peace in the communities, and that the First Citizens Cup title is a good victory for the football club to bring the people of Morvant-Laventille together. Shabazz supported that there is now a growing friendly rivalry between his club and Defence Force.

“It was a pleasure meeting Defence Force again and coming out on top again,” he said. “It was a big one for us. We are really happy about it and feel really contented with this win.”

Last season Caledonia and Defence Force clashed in three finals with Caledonia enjoying the Lucozade Sport Goal Shield and FA Trophy while the Soldiers captured the Digicel Pro Bowl.

“I thought our guys were motivated all the way,” continued Shabazz. “We are always motivated to play against Defence Force. And going into the first final of the year we didn’t need much motivation from (assistant coach) Jerry (Moe) or myself.

“I thought (midfielder) Densill Theobald has brought a lot in terms of motivation in the team. And the return of Atuallah Guerra from injury is also something that has lifted the spirit of the team. So all in all, we didn’t have a lot to do in motivating the guys.

“I think we played well below our capacity in the first half. The tempo of the game was a little bit too low and we asked the guys to push it a lot more and they did (in the second period).

“But Defence Force are a good team, a powerful team, and they never stopped fighting too. All the talk we would talk, we have a lot of respect for them and were happy to meet them in the final and we hope to meet them in the final (of other competitions this season).”

The League Championship resumes on Friday with a Round One Match Day Two doubleheader at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella.

TTEC FC will take on St Ann’s Rangers from 6 pm and defending champs W Connection against Caledonia from 8 pm.

Match Day Two continues on Saturday at the Hasely Crawford Stadium with Central FC against Police FC from 5 pm and Defence Force against leaders North East Stars from 7 pm.

Source: www.newsday.co.tt

This poisonous divisiveness that is politics is spreading too far, seeping into humble, ordinary fields of play and threatening to fatally infect sincere efforts at reformation for the good of the young people of the nation.

We've always had to cope with the favouritism, the biases and the victimisation associated with sport in Trinidad and Tobago, not to mention the shameless dishonesty of persons engaged in such practices feigning innocence even as they aggressively pursue a destructive, narrow-minded agenda. Now though, the situation appears much worse, the divisions much more deeply entrenched, the willingness to cut off the nose to spite the face so much more prevalent that it's accepted as just the way things are done around here.

Everything seems to hinge upon which "side" you're on, whether you are one of "them" or one of "us". But who's on the side of sport as a tool of discipline and national development? Who's on the side of sport as an avenue for national and international recognition, for bringing glory and honour to the country and the promise of a secure financial future for the outstanding performer?

Barring a sensational capitulation against Anguilla last evening in Basseterre, Trinidad and Tobago's senior men's footballers should now be looking forward to the second phase of qualification for the Caribbean Cup finals to be held here next month. Of course, in previous years this would have been passed over as a fait accompli, in the same way that a top four finish and advancement to the CONCACAF Gold Cup would have been taken for granted.

But we are enduring different times now. Defeats to Cuba and Grenada in the group stage of the last Caribbean Cup finals two years ago, followed by an early World Cup finals elimination courtesy of the "Golden Jaguars" of Guyana late last year, have confirmed that appearing on the global stage at Germany 2006 was not a springboard but a cavernous sinkhole into which the national game has since collapsed. Few nations can match the breakneck pace at which we have managed to achieve such a reversal.

Yet listen to arguments raging over the game. It's not about its depressed state or the preferred route to haul ourselves out of the depths of mediocrity. It's about who's to blame, as if any compelling evidence one way or the other will change the minds and opinions of the different factions of flag-wavers.

The flourishing of the broadcast media especially over the past 20 years has nurtured a culture of highly-opinionated and occasionally well-informed contributors, almost all sectioned off based on their political or ethnic biases and happily accommodated by market vendor-type hosts, announcers and barely-literate deejays who are only too willing to entertain views that are in concert with their own.

All of this vacuous free speech is not limited to the ordinary folk though. If it's not university lecturers or other assorted intellectuals wasting time with their long-winded dissertations on West Indies cricket without getting anywhere close to offering any practical solutions, it's veteran footballers taking turns at the microphone to trot out their verbal autobiographies of victimisation as if the minutiae of each oh-so-similar tale presents any fundamentally different insight on the search for a way forward.

And what is the end result of all this freedom of expression? Merely a hardening of opinions on Jack, Anil and, lately, Tony Harford. In the meantime, disillusioned and dispirited fans continue to stay away in droves from the top level of the national club game and, interestingly of late, from the secondary schools scene, which, even in the hardest of previous hard times—like the scandal of November 19, 1989—was almost always the bountiful beneficiary of old-school loyalties and community identity.

It is in this context that you watch youngsters—boys and girls—enthusiastically going through their training drills on a Sunday morning on fields, parks and savannahs across this twin-island state and wonder how many of them, having chosen to seriously pursue their opportunities in the sport, will fall victim to the games that devious adults play, grown men and women who never miss an opportunity to play petty politics while at the same time claiming ownership of a grand vision of nation-building through sport.

This is not to say that the lack of support for anything national, at least until significant progress is made, is anything new. Before a reputed 40,000 were crammed into the 25,000-capacity Hasely Crawford Stadium for the decisive game against the United States almost 23 years ago, only a handful would have turned up for the early games of the road to Italia '90. Wholesale indifference followed by frantic bandwagon-jumping has been the common thread of supposed support for sport in this land.

Now however, there is the added dimension of politically-tainted spite. Support or lack thereof for football is taken to represent something way beyond the issues of the quality of play or the competence (or incompetence) of administrators. We seem to find it so much easier to identify with a party insignia than with the national flag, to rally around institutions that exist to divide and rule rather than be united behind our national team.

Then again, this is a nation where many rejoice when the West Indies cricketers lose for reasons of race, alienation or the perceived persecution of Brian Lara. There is something seriously wrong with this place, and the spiteful nature of our politics has a lot to do with it.

By Fazeer Mohammed

Source: www.trinidadexpress.com