IN BRIEF (Page 24)

Soccer

Israelis face protests

KUALA LUMPUR: Muslim groups have urged the Malaysian government to stop Chelsea's two Israelis from entering the country when the English team visits in July, warning the tour could face protests if they are allowed in.

Chelsea, whose coach Avram Grant and midfielder Tal Ben Haim are Israeli citizens, is set to play in mainly Muslim Malaysia as part of its Asian summer tour.

Malaysia has no ties with Israel and normally bars Israelis from entering the country, but the home minister decided at the weekend to allow the pair to enter the country, on the grounds they were taking part in a sporting event, free of politics.

A group of 21 Muslim and non-government groups now want the government to reverse its decision and has sent a petition to the minister.

Beckham lauds Donovan

LOS ANGELES: David Beckham can see progress in his Los Angeles Galaxy teammates and the English midfielder has contributed some kicks of his own in the team's climb up the Major League Soccer standings.

American Landon Donovan scored three goals and countryman Alan Gordon netted a pair with Beckham contributing an assist on Saturday night in the Galaxy's 5-2 rout of Chivas USA in a Los Angeles local derby.

Donovan leads the league with eight goals and the victory boosted the Galaxy to 2-2 with one drawn for seven points, one behind pace-setter Dallas in the Western Conference.

Marseille's dream alive

PARIS: An opportunist goal from Djibril Cisse on Sunday preserved Marseille's chances of grabbing a slice of Champions League action next season as the former Liverpool man struck to seal a 3-2 victory at Monaco.

Cisse was a member of the Liverpool team which won the competition in 2005 but, prone to injury, struggled to hold down his place at Anfield and moved to Marseille a year later.

His strike on 83 minutes secured a vital win bonus for the southerners, who took advantage of Nancy's earlier 1-1 draw at Valenciennes to move into third spot by a point.

Tennis

Sharapova set for Games

MOSCOW: Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova will represent Russia in the women's singles at the Beijing Olympics, the country's federation chief Shamil Tarpishchev said yesterday.

"We can send four single players and two doubles to Beijing," Tarpishchev said. "Sharapova and Kuznetsova will definitely play in the women's tournament, while the other girls will fight it out for the two remaining places."

Three-time Grand Slam winner Sharapova is set to become one of the biggest names competing in Beijing and is certain to attract huge media attention.

"In the men's squad only Nikolay Davydenko has already gained his pass to the Games, while the other (players) still have chances to qualify. I can say nothing about our doubles for the moment."

Field Hockey

US women win berth

KAZAN, Russia: The United States clinched its ticket for the women's field hockey tournament at the Beijing Olympics after beating Belgium 3-1 in the playoff for first place here on Sunday.

The US joined host China, Japan, South Africa, Argentina, Germany, Netherlands, Great Britain, New Zealand, Australia and Spain, who already gained their Olympic licenses.

India's desperate hockey performances continued as it lost for the second time this week to Netherlands Antilles.

The last participant of the Olympic tournament will be decided at the qualifying tournament at Victoria, Canada on May 4.

(China Daily 04/29/2008 page24)