Messi meets survivors of the Fukushima disaster

Barcelona's star-studded team took time out on their visit to Japan to meet eleven survivors of the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster.

The likes of Lionel Messi, Xavi and Cesc Fabregas presented the group of children – aged between nine and 18 – with Barcelona shirts at the training ground of J-League outfit Yokohama Marinos.

The youngsters are now living at a school in Tokyo as they wait to see when they can return home.

But their minds were taken off their problems, as they enjoyed the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the biggest stars in world football.

They watched the team train before the meet and greet session.

Barcelona are in Japan for the Club World Cup, with Pep Guardiola's side to face Al Sadd of Qatar on Thursday for a place in the final.

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Shanghai Shenhua now focussed on Drogba

Sensational news are out and it has been revealed that Shanghai Shenhua want Didier Drogba to follow Chelsea teammate Nicolas Anelka to China.

The Chinese Super League club have confirmed that Anelka will join them on a two-year deal in January that is understood to be worth £175,000 per week.

The dream is now to partner the Frenchman with the Drogba. With the financial muscle of businessman Zhou Jun behind them – he made his fortune from an internet company which held the China licence for the hugely popular World of Warcraft fantasy game – Shenhua have shown they can compete with anyone. And Zhou says there is more to come.

“”(Didier) Drogba, is a very excellent player. From the perspective of Chinese football, if these big-name players, these excellent players, are willing to come to China, we are willing to have warm negotiations and communications with them,” Zhou said. ”

“A lot of clubs are chasing Drogba. From our perspective… we also have to see what Drogba wants. So from our club’s perspective, we have this to say – If he is willing to come, we will definitely welcome him.”

Drogba, whose contract at Stamford Bridge runs out at the end of the season, has been offered a three-year deal worth more than £30million – £200,000 a week – by Dalian Aerbin.

Aerbin’s general manager Li Ming said he was waiting for a response on the offer, adding: “Money is not the problem.

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Anelka completes Chinese move

Chinese Super League club Shanghai Shenhua have completing the signing of Chelsea's French striker Nicolas Anelka on a two-year deal.

Shenhua, who have been in discussions with Anelka for the past week, confirmed on their website on Monday that the 32-year-old has agreed to join them from January 2012.

The Chinese club opted not to provide the financial details of the contract in the statement, although it had been reported it was worth approximately 200,000 pounds per week.

However, Shenhua spokesperson Ma Yue denied the rumours, telling AFP: "I cannot confirm his salary at the moment. I can just say the final amount could be different from 200,000 pounds."

Speaking on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, Shenhua skipper Yu Tao said: "It's impossible not to be excited by this - a warm welcome to our new team-mate!"

Anelka, who was also chased by English Championship outfit West Ham and MLS club Montreal Impact, joins Shanghai after falling down the pecking order at Chelsea under Andre Villas-Boas.

The French striker was due to come out of contract at Stamford Bridge at the end of the current season and had handed in a transfer request earlier this month.

Shenhua, who are owned by the enigmatic Zhu Jun, finished the 2011 CSL in 11th and have not won the Chinese title since 2003.

The Shanghai outfit have also been in discussions with former Fulham and Bordeaux boss Jean Tigana about taking over as the club's new coach.

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SAFF Wrap:India beat Maldives 3-1

A day of rest and a chance to book their place in the final saw India raise their performance several notches higher to go past ten-men Maldives in the semi-finals of the SAFF Championship at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi.

Sunil Chhetri’s spot-kick turned out to be the difference between the two sides after Shamweel Qasim had cancelled out Syed Rahim Nabi’s first half goal. The Delhi lad scored another at the death to become the competition’s leading goalscorer with six goals.

India shall play the winner of the Afghanistan versus Nepal semi-final on December 11 at the same venue.


Maldives coach Istvan Urbanyi made one change in the starting line-up from the previous match as he included Mohamed Sifan in place of Mohamed Arif. On the other hand, India preferred to go with the same starting eleven.

The very second minute saw Clifford Miranda’s shot from the left being parried by Imran Mohammed with Jeje Lalpekhlua’s shot went over the bar.

A couple of minutes later, it was Ali Ashfaq who did well to cut in from the right and his shot, under pressure from Rocus Lamare, went wide. He had another shy on goal which didn’t bother Indian goalkeeper Karanjit Singh.

Imran Mohammed had to dive to his left to keep the scoreline intact as Jeje’s header from Syed Nabi’s cross was on its way in.

Sunil Chhetri’s attempt from the top of the box after Jeje did well to find him in space brought no rewards as the ball went sailing over the bar.

India kept dominating the possession as they launched several attacks while the opposition weren’t seeing much of the ball to create anything noteworthy.

It was Syed Nabi who opened the scoring as he knocked in a Clifford Miranda’s free-kick to the far post to send the Indian bench into ecstasy.

Shamweel Qasim’s lofted ball was brilliantly controlled by Ashfaq and held off Gouramangi and ended up side netting just before the half-time.

Ahmed Thariq was almost through on goal with a last ditch tackle by Syed Rahim Nabi averting the danger for India.

After the break, Maldives came out all guns blazing as it was Akram Abdul Gani’s cross from the left which Thariq headed but Karanjit Singh punched it over for a corner.

Urbanyi’s side were pressing much better and it seemed that the half-time team talk worked.

The equaliser came around the hour mark when Akram Abdul Gani found Shamweel Qasim whose peach of a shot gave Karanjit no chance whatsoever.

India were given a lifeline when referee Timur Faizullin awarded a soft penalty when Mohamed Umair appeared to have pulled down Chhetri inside the box. Chhetri sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to restore the lead.

Akram Abdul Gani from inside the box sent a ball across the face of the goal which only needed a touch from the outstretched leg of Ahmed Thariq after Karanjit was beaten.

Maldives threw way too many bodies ahead and from a counter, Chhetri crossed for substitute Jewel Raja but the Mohun Bagan midfielder missed it completely.

India had another couple of decent opportunities to add to the scoreline which they failed to capitalise on. However Chhetri had other ideas as he collected Jeje’s pass between two defenders and slotted home for his second.

In the injury time, Ahmed Thariq was given his marching orders as he picked up his second booking of the match.

That was effectively the last real piece of action in the game as India played down the clock and booked their place in the Final.

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SAFF Championship: Nepal 1 Maldives 1

Nepal and the Maldives played out a 1-1 draw in their South Asian Football Federation Championship clash in New Delhi on Friday.

The Maldives led at half-time thanks to a 25-yard strike by Ali Ashfaq, which came against the run of play.

It took just six minutes for Nepal to equalize when Sandip Rai headed home from a Raju Tamang corner kick to send their fans into hysterics.

The result leaves all four teams in Group B on one point, following Bangladesh and Pakistan's scoreless draw.

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Bangladesh and Pakistan faced an 0-0 draw

Bangladesh were held to a 0-0 draw by Pakistan in their South Asian Football Federation Championship Group B clash in New Delhi on Friday.

It was Pakistan who had the first shot on goal at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, as Atif Bashir's attempt saw Bangladesh's goalkeeper Sahidul Alam beaten, only to see the shot go wide of the target.

Bangladesh looked to keep the ball on the ground, and build attacking forays from their back four.

The Tigers did earn multiple free-kicks in the opposition's half, but Pakistani goalkeeper Jafar Khan was up to the task.

Pakistan had an ideal chance to open the scoring in the 24th minute as a Jadeed Khan Pathan's cross from the right saw Alam misjudge the flight of the ball. The onrushing Faisal Iqbal had an easy tap in opportunity, but he sprayed his shot over the bar.

Six minutes later, Alam had to come off his line in order to deny Bashir after the Bangladesh defence failed to keep an eye on the Pakistan front man.

Jadeed Khan Pathan once again was the provider of a decent cross which Saddam Hussain, under no pressure, sent over the bar, as the Pakistanis wasted another gilt-edged chance.

Bangladesh recovered before the end of the first half when Pranotosh Das' long-range effort saw Khan fumble before the ball was cleared.

Star striker Jahid Hassan Ameli had a couple of opportunities to score after Islam Maun's header came off the crossbar, before the half-time whistle was blown.

The second half saw Bangladesh bring on strikers Mithun Chowdhury and Atiqur Meshu, hoping to maintain their momentum late in the first 45 minutes, in order to push for a winner.

The move looked to have paid dividends as Meshu brought in the much-needed pace and sent in some tantalizing crosses from the left.

But despite both sides pushing for a winner, the teams were forced to settle for a point, with Pakistan's custodian Khan awarded man of the match honours.

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India to face Pak for SAFF Championship

A 22-member Pakistan football team landed in New Delhi on Wednesday evening to participate in the SAFF Championships which begins on Friday.


Pakistan are in Group B along with Bangladesh, Maldives and Nepal while defending champions and hosts India are in Group A with Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Bhutan.

The top two teams from each group qualify for the semifinals in the December 2-11 regional tournament to be played at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium.


Pakistan captain Jaffar Khan said his team aims to win the hearts of Indian people during their tour, which will mark the revival of sporting ties between two neighbouring countries.

"We are the first team to visit India for a long time and I hope that with our good conduct and play we leave a good impression of Pakistan in India," Khan, who is also the goalkeeper of the side, said at Lahore International Airport before leaving for India.

"We are going to try to win the championship no matter how tough our matches are," he added.

Pakistan will open their campaign on Friday against Bangladesh, followed by matches against Maldives on December 4 and Nepal December 6.

India froze all sporting relations with Pakistan after the 2008 Mumbai attacks carried out by militants from across the border.

But a recent thaw in the relationship has led to hopes of a resumption of full sporting ties between the two nations.

Pakistan football team is being coached by Serbian Zavisa Milosavljevich, who was hired last month. 

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SAFF Championship 2011:Coaches Profile

The SAFF Cup brings together eight SAFF nations in a tournament held every two years, to ascertain regional supremacy in South Asia. India are to host the 2011 iteration of the tournament and they are also credited with being the most successful team at the competition.

Behind every successful team, it is of course the coach who makes all the game-changing decisions and hence we take a look at the men at helm of the SAFF nations who look to challenge defending champions India for the 2011 crown.

                                                                                                

Mohammad Yousef Kargar Afghanistan Age - 49 The man who is in charge of the Afghanistan national team who are ranked currently 184 in the world according to FIFA, was actually a talented skiier and comes from a wealthy family who had set up the first ski resort in Afghanistan. He became national champion at the relatively young age of 16 but the ongoing Russian invasion meant we could never know how good he actually was as he failed to go to the Winter Olympics. Being a multi-talented man, Kargar also represented the Afghan National Football Team from 1976-1984. With the Taliban Regime ending, he was the Assistant Manager of the Football Team from 2002, mainly in charge of the youth system and finally it was in 2008, he was chosen to manage the Afghan National Team. Besides football, Kargar still maintains his keen interest in skiing as he has rebuild his family resort, which was destroyed during the Russian invasion and he trains future skiiers with the dream of Afghanistan being represented in the Winter Olympics, even though he may be too old for it.

                                                                                            
                                                                                                

Savio Medeira India Age - 46 Savio Medeira was recently appointed as Head Coach of India having served as Assistant Coach under both Bob Houghton and Armando Colaco from 2008. Starting his career as India coach with a draw against Malaysia, his first win came in the second match itself when they played the same opposition in Kolkata. Savio had a long and successful career with Salgaocar from 1983-2000 where he played as a midfielder and had won the National Football League in 1998. After retiring from football, he was appointed as coach of Salgaocar from 2001 after being an assistant coach for a year. His time at the club was mixed. They did win the Durand Cup in 2003 and also finished runners up in 2002-2003 NFL just behind East Bengal. however they were relegated twice under his reign. This would be the first India's first competition under Savio, and Savio will look to help India on to defend their crown as SAFF champions at their own backyard.

                                                                                            
                                                                                                   

Jang Jung Sri Lanka Age - 47 Jang Jung, who took charge of the Sri Lanka National Football Team in 2007 was a defender during his playing career and had also won four caps for the South Korean National team. He started representing Ajou University Youth team and quickly moved to Lucky Goldstar Hwangso. He also played for Perak FC, Singapore Lions and retired at Geyland United FC, where he immediately took over as coach of the team. He then moved to Balestier Khalsa, another team in Singapore's S-League as Coach and finally spending a year from 2006 as coach of Sri Lanka's U23 team he was appointed head coach of the senior Sri Lankan team.

                                                                                                                                                                                             

Hiroaki Matsuyama Bhutan Age - 44 Matuyama took over as head coach of the Bhutan national team, this year after Koji Gyotuku reinquished control. As a player he represented a clutch of Japanese clubs, with only a mere appearances in J-League, playing as a midfielder. He played for the likes of Furukawa Electric, Fujita, Bellmare Hiratsuka, Tosu Futures and Consadole Sapporo among others in a short playing career of about six years. However he never represented the Japan National Team. His only prior managerial experience before the Bhutan job was when he took over as Head Coach of Oita Trinita, a team in J-league Division 2 in 2009 for a short span before being removed. He was the manager of Vissel Kobe Reserves in 2004 and seemingly worked as an interpreter as well.

                                                                                            
                                                                                                 

Nikola Ilievski Bangladesh Age - 56 Ilievski is from the Republic of Macedonia born in Skopje which belonged to the former Yugoslovia under the Soviet Federation. He had a distinguished playing career from 1974-88 representing a clutch of clubs from the former Yugoslovia which includes FK Ohrid, FK Vardar, FK Rabotnicki, FK Pristina among others and also Kastoria FC from Greece. After finishing his playing career he obtained a coaching degree from the University of Belgrade. Just like his playing career he coached numerous teams, the highlights of which include coaching Macedonia from 2002-03. His most successful spell included leading FK Pobeda to the Macedonian Cup in 2001-02 and first division in 2003-04. He also led NK CM Celje to the Slovenian Cup in 2005-06. He replaced Gjore Jovanoski as coach of Bangladesh in June 2011.

                                                                                            
                                                                                                 

Istvan Urbanyi Maldives Age - 44 Currently in his second stint as coach of the Maldives National Team from October 2011, during his playing career he played both as a defender and a midfielder and represented the Hungary National Team. In his long 18 year playing career, he played for a host of clubs in Hungary with the most notable being BP Honved and Gyori ETO among others. His coaching career began in 2002 with BKV Elore in Hungary and Ujpest FC before taking charge of Maldives in 2009-10. He was reappointed after a short stint with Kecskemeti CE. With Maldives being last edition's losing finalists and the second seed behind India this year, Urbanyi will look to win the title with Maldives this time around.

                                                                                            
                                                                                                   

Zavisa Milosavljević Pakistan Milosavljević took charge just in November, 2011 replacing Tariq Lufti, who was a stop gap after Graham Roberts was sacked. He has his task cut out since Pakistan head on to compete in the SAFF Championship early December. He possesses a Master Degree in Physical Education and was also a P.E Professor. He also has an A category Coaching license. His previous stint was coaching the Lesotho National Team with whom he won two, drew six and lost nine. He was born in Serbia and he had previous experience in coaching the U-16, U-19 and U-23 Serbian National Football Team. On speaking about his vision regarding the Pakistan football team he mentioned "target, analysis, vision, action and control” as what he looks to achieve.

                                                                                            
                                                                                                  

Graham Roberts Nepal Age - 52 Arguably the most high profile coach among all, Roberts was born in Southampton, and played as a defender representing a clutch of big clubs including the likes of Chelsea, Rangers and Tottenham Hotspur among others in a sparkling career that stretched 21 years. His honours include winning the FA Cup with Tottenham in 1981 and 1982 and also the UEFA Cup in 1984. With Rangers he won the Scottish League in the first season itself along with the League Cup twice in 1987 and 1988. He also won the second division while representing Chelsea in 1988-89. He also won 6 caps for the England National Team. When he hanged up his boots as a player, he took over as manager of Clyde in the Scottish League. While playing for Yeovil Town, he was also a manager there. However he was dismissed rather controversially by Clyde,on the allegation that he made racist remarks but which was later found out as wholly exaggerated or possibly not true at all. Before taking over Nepal he had a short stint as Head Coach of Pakistan but was removed in March 2011, being there for only a year.

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Two People killed at SEA Games final

Two peoples killed before Malaysia beat Indonesia at SEA Games final

Thousands of fans became angry after not getting the ticket of the final showdown in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta causing a riot outside the ground.

Police told the Jakarta Post that two peoples are killed due to the Stampede,as the supporters rushed into the 88,000 capacity stadium,by breaking the enterance gate.

In the match,Malaysia beat Indonesia 4-3 on penalties,as the match ended 1-1 in the 90 minutes play.With this win,Malaysia retain their gold medal.

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