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Malouda says enjoying life at Chelsea despite media reports

LONDON: Chelsea's France forward Florent Malouda said on Tuesday that contrary to British media reports he was happy with his life at the English club.

The 13-million-pound ($27 million) signing from Olympique Lyon had been quoted by newspapers as saying that Chelsea's training sessions were "terrifying" and that players in the Premier League switched their brains off during matches.

However, he told Chelsea TV that quotes picked up from an interview he had given to France Football magazine last month had been misinterpreted by British media.

"I just want the fans to know that what I saw in the paper this morning is exactly the contrary to what I said to the French paper and the French people," Malouda said.

"One thing I tried to speak about is that I achieved a good adaptation in my new club, and I was speaking about London life," he said on the club's website (www.chelseafc.com).

Philadelphia fires GM King, hires New Jersey's Stefanski

PHILADELPHIA: The Philadelphia 76ers have fired general manager and team president Billy King and named New Jersey Nets general manager Ed Stefanski as his replacement, the NBA club announced on Tuesday.

King served the dual role the last five seasons for the Sixers, who are last in the Atlantic Division with a 5-12 mark and have missed the postseason in three of the last four years.

"We are convinced that it was time for a new hand at the wheel as we head into the next phase of our rebuilding effort," Sixers chairman Ed Snider said in a statement.

Stefanski, who grew up and went to college in the Philadelphia area, served as Nets general manager since 2004.

"I wish him well," Nets president Rod Thorn told the club's website (www.nba.com/nets).

"I'm sure he's going to be successful. I publicly thank him for all the years. This is an opportunity to advance."

Mayweather confident of victory against Hatton

LAS VEGAS: Floyd Mayweather said he will prey on Ricky Hatton's "weakness" and defeat the Briton in Saturday's welterweight title clash in Las Vegas.

"I'm going to be smart. I'm witty, I'm sharp. I've been around the game a long time. He's got a weakness, and come the night of the fight I'm going to show you. He's got a real bad weakness," Mayweather told reporters on Tuesday.

Asked what that weakness might be, Mayweather smiled and shook his head.

"I'm not going to tell you," the American said.

World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight titleholder Mayweather, a six-time champion in five different weight classes, is hailed as the world's best boxer pound-for-pound.

The American is 38-0 while the hard-hitting Englishman Hatton is 43-0. Saturday's fight at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino is the biggest match-up of undefeated welterweights since Oscar de la Hoya and Felix Trinidad clashed in 1999.

Raikkonen reports back to work as Formula One champion

LONDON: Finn Kimi Raikkonen reported back to work as Formula One world champion on Tuesday, testing for Ferrari for the first time since he won the title in October.

Raikkonen, who beat McLaren's British rookie Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso by a single point in Brazil, was fourth quickest on a cool and sunny day at the Jerez circuit in southern Spain.

Neither 22-year-old Hamilton nor double world champion Alonso, the Spaniard who has still to find a race seat for 2008 after his divorce from McLaren, were present although Hamilton is testing on Wednesday.

Renault, still looking like Alonso's most likely destination, said in a statement that Brazilian Nelson Piquet junior would be in its car all week for the final test of the year.

Piquet is strongly tipped to take one of the Renault slots next season, with Italian Giancarlo Fisichella released to test with Force India.

Piquet was fifth fastest with BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld leading the timesheets in 1:19.042, and Honda's Jenson Button second.

(China Daily 12/06/2007 page19)