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Hitzfeld to coach Switzerland after Euro 2008

BERLIN: Ottmar Hitzfeld will take over as Switzerland coach after Euro 2008, the Swiss FA said in a statement on its website on Tuesday (www.football.ch).

Hitzfeld, who had already announced his decision to step down as Bayern Munich coach at the end of the season, will begin work on July 1 on a two-year contract, the statement said.

Switzerland is the co-host of Euro 2008 with Austria. Jakob Kuhn had already stated his intention to step down after the June 7-29 tournament.

Hitzfeld, who returned for a second spell at Bayern early last year, will be replaced by Jurgen Klinsmann as coach at the Bundesliga club once the season is over.

Hitzfeld, 59, enjoyed success as a player and coach in Switzerland and was frequently mentioned in the media as a possible future coach of the country's national team.

Ferguson heaps praise on Man United centurion Giggs

LYON, France: Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson heaped praise on Ryan Giggs ahead of the winger's 100th Champions League appearance in the first knockout round first leg at Olympique Lyon on Wednesday.

The 34-year-old former Wales international is set to become the eighth man to play in 100 games in the competition, a list that includes former United teammate David Beckham (103).

"There are only a few players who've reached that milestone," Ferguson told a news conference on Tuesday before giving the reasons for Giggs' achievement. "One is his ability, two is longevity, three is how he prepares himself and has good lifestyle.

"Ryan has been an absolute model. Even at 34 we expect big, big things from him.

"We don't play him in every game but that's absolutely normal for someone that age. We want to play him in the games that absolutely matter and one of them is tomorrow."

Coe fears for future of athletics after years of drug scandals

SYDNEY: Athletics iss in danger of being destroyed by drug cheats, Britain's twice Olympic middle-distance champion Sebastien Coe said on Tuesday.

He said the sport was reeling from a series of high-profile doping busts and would struggle to cope with any more major scandals.

"We cannot have another five years like the one we've just been through because I'm not sure the sport would survive that," he told a luncheon in Melbourne on Tuesday.

Coe won the 1500m titles at the 1980 and 1984 Olympics and is now vice-president of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and chairman of the organizing committee for the London 2012 Games.

Athletics has been rocked by a series of doping scandals in recent years, including the jailing of former Olympic champion Marion Jones for lying about steroid use to a grand jury.

Coe said the scandals had damaged the sport's credibility and it was important to ensure measures were taken to catch cheats before they won medals.

O'Neal to start first game with Suns against Lakers

PHOENIX, Arizona: Phoenix's giant center Shaquille O'Neal is expected to play his first game with the Suns against his former team, the Los Angeles Lakers, on Wednesday.

The Suns host the Lakers at US Airways Center arena against Los Angeles - a team O'Neal led to three straight NBA championships.

"I just want to go out, have fun, get used to the guys and just win, " said the 14-time All Star after Tuesday's practice. "I'm not looking to put up historic numbers. Whatever these guys ask of me, that's what I'm going to do."

Coming off a hip injury that's sidelined him since January 21, O'Neal is expected to play limited minutes in his debut.

Head Coach Mike D'Antoni says his newest player will have an impact.

"There will be bumps in the road," D'Antoni said. "Steve Nash will have to learn to play with him and vice versa.

"We have 29 games to get it straight. It's not the Shaq show. This is still the Phoenix Suns, and finding that balance is the key."

(China Daily 02/21/2008 page22)