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Laporta: Countries should pay clubs for use of players

MADRID: Barcelona president Joan Laporta said on Tuesday that national teams should compensate clubs for the use of their players.

"It's a disgrace that we have to let our international players go to national teams and we don't receive any compensation," Laporta was quoted as saying on the Spanish club's Web site (www.fcbarcelona.com).

"The national teams are doing business using our footballers. It's an issue being looked at by UEFA and FIFA but I don't see a willingness to resolve it when they could do something immediately.

"If they don't resolve the situation we'll have to consider not releasing our players for international duty."

Barcelona are upset that striker Thierry Henry, on international duty with France, will not be available for the final of the Copa Catalunya against Gimnastic Tarragona on Tuesday.

Henry is suspended and unable to play in France's Euro 2008 Group B qualifier against Scotland on Wednesday.

Gay pulls out of Golden League duel with Powell

BRUSSELS: American sprint world champion Tyson Gay has pulled out of Friday's Golden League meeting in Brussels, scuppering a duel with 100m world record holder Asafa Powell of Jamaica, organisers said on Tuesday.

Gay, who won the 100, 200 and sprint relay in Osaka, has not fully recovered from the world championships, organisers said in a statement on their website (www.sport.be/memorialvandamme).

The American could not be persuaded either to run the 200m in Brussels against his Osaka rivals Usain Bolt, Wallace Spearmon and Rodney Martin.

"Tyson Gay has everything to lose and nothing to gain," event organiser Wilfried Meert said. "He has not fully recovered physically or mentally after his busy programme at the world championships."

Powell, who finished third in the 100m in Japan, had thrown down the gauntlet to Gay by setting a new record over the distance of 9.74 seconds at Sunday's meeting in Rieti, Italy.

Neville eyes United return against Chelsea

LONDON: Manchester United captain Gary Neville could return for the Premier League champion against Chelsea on September 23 after ankle and thigh injuries have sidelined him since March.

"Hopefully in the next week or two I'll be back and I hope to be playing games in the next couple of weeks definitely," Neville told Manchester United's TV channel.

"I think (this weekend's) Everton game is going to be too soon, I think it will probably be after that."

Sunderland's FA Cup final hero Porterfield dies aged 61

LONDON,: Ian Porterfield, Sunderland's 1973 FA Cup final scoring hero, has died from cancer at the age of 61, the Premier League club confirmed on Tuesday.

Porterfield scored the winning goal against Don Revie's powerful and overwhelming favourites Leeds United side in one of the biggest FA Cup final upsets in the history of the competition.

His defining moment came after 30 minutes when he killed a clearance on his left thigh before smashing the ball into the roof of the net with his right foot past Leeds goalkeeper and fellow Scot David Harvey.

It was the only goal of the game and meant Sunderland became the first side from the old Second Division to win the cup for 42 years.

He stayed at Sunderland for another 10 years before moving to Sheffield Wednesday and beginning a long and varied coaching career.

Radcliffe to return in Great North Run

LONDON: Marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe will return to competition after a 21-month break at the Great North Run on September 30.

Radcliffe, twice a winner of the half marathon from Newcastle to South Shields in northern England, has not raced since December 2005 because of injury followed by the birth of daughter Isla in January this year.

"I now feel that I am ready to come out and race well. I am really, really looking forward to it," the 33-year-old said on the Great North Run Web site, www.greatrun.org.

Radcliffe's hopes of returning at last month's world championships in Osaka were scuppered by a stress fracture of the sacrum related to childbirth.

"It has been a really frustrating time recently, especially missing out on Osaka and watching the 10,000 meters, which seemed more open than it has been for years."

(China Daily 09/13/2007 page23)