Top Shot
I'm lucky to be alive, says Leicester's Clarke
LEICESTER, England: After surviving while others who suffered similar problems died, Leicester City defender Clive Clarke has been reflecting on his good fortune.
The on-loan Sunderland player suffered a double heart failure during a League Cup match against Nottingham Forest last week, collapsing at half-time before being taken to hospital.
But while he is now recovering from his ordeal, others such as Sevilla full-back Antonio Puerta, were not so lucky.
"I know I am extremely fortunate to be here," said Clarke. "In the light of recent events involving footballers who have suffered heart attacks, I am the real lucky one, because I have survived.
"I remember feeling a bit lethargic on the field in the first half, and I was involved in a collision with our goalkeeper Paul Henderson, which led to their goal."
Ponting misses Australia departure due to 'family issue'
MELBOURNE: Captain Ricky Ponting was absent from the Australia squad that headed to South Africa for the Twenty20 World Cup yesterday, with Cricket Australia citing 'family reasons' for his absence. CA Chief Executive James Sutherland said "a private family issue" had arisen at the weekend for the 32-year-old skipper, and a decision on his participation in the inaugural ICC tournament would be taken by the end of the week.
"The situation is expected to be clearer later in the week, at which time Ponting's availability would be re-assessed," Sutherland said in a statement yesterday.
"Any decision on whether or not a squad replacement is needed will be assessed at that time as well."
Unhappy comeback for Menotti as Tecos loses 3-0
MEXICO CITY: Former Argentina coach Cesar Luis Menotti made an unhappy return to the touchline on Sunday as his new team Tecos UAG was thumped 3-0 by modest Puebla in the Mexican championship.
The defeat left the Owls bottom of Group One in the Apertura championship with one point from five games and 14 goals conceded.
Menotti, the chain-smoking coach who led Argentina to World Cup victory in 1978, ended more than two years out of coaching when he surprisingly took over at Tecos last week.
But Sunday's loss, against a team who had not previously won a game in the championship, showed the magnitude of the task facing the 68-year-old.
Italy recalls Panucci for France clash
MILAN: AS Roma defender Christian Panucci was recalled to the Italy squad on Sunday for the Euro 2008 Group B qualifying double-header against France and Ukraine.
Panucci, 34, last played for the Azzurri at Euro 2004 but has been drafted back after Marco Materazzi was ruled out of the the September 8 and 12 matches because of the thigh injury he picked up in Italy's 3-1 friendly defeat in Hungary last month.
Marcello Lippi surprisingly ignored Panucci as a potential right back in Italy's World-Cup winning squad last year.
(China Daily 09/04/2007 page23)
