Three Indian-origin boys selected for Chelsea Academy trials

London, May 07: Three youngsters of Indian origin will get a shot at playing for Chelsea Academy side after they were selected for a initiative by the London-based English Premier League club to rope in young Asian-origin players.

Jai Singh Dhillon, Jordan Sadhu and Aameer Kstantin Murphy will appear for trials in August to test whether they can be part of the Chelsea Academy.

Dhillon from Hitchin was selected in Under-14 category while Sadhu of Ilford and London's Murphy won the Under-12 and Under-13 competitions respectively after three days of intense competition among more than 350 young boys.

The selection of the trio under 'Search for an Asian Soccer Star' initiative is designed to give a much needed kick-start to greater Asian representation within the sport by uncovering potential future professional footballers from a so far under-represented community.

The initiative was launched by Chelsea Chief Executive Peter Kenyon on May 2 and the boys battled it out over three days of tests, matches and competitions.

It was joined by a host of Chelsea first team stars keen to lend their support including Nicolas Anelka, Petr Cech, Florent Malouda, Salomon Kalou and Deco.

Assistant Manager Ray Wilkins also led a couple of training sessions for the players.

The boys underwent a a series of individual tests developed by the Chelsea Academy to evaluate core skill levels and allowed trialists to be measured against boys already in the Academy. They were followed by coaching sessions with the Academy staff and competitive matches in the afternoon.

An elated Dhillon said, "I'd tell anyone who is thinking about taking part to try it even if you don’t think you are the best player. It is good fun."

Twelve-year-old Aameer Murphy finished top of the tests and asked how did he feel to have won the opportunity of a lifetime.

Referee smuggled out of Eng following death threats

London, May 07: According to various reports in the British press, the referee from the Champions League semi-final second leg between Chelsea and Barcelona at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday has been smuggled out of England after receiving death threats.

Tom Henning Ovrebo was confronted by several Blues players, most notably Didier Drogba and Michael Ballack, following the game after the west London club were dumped out of the competition thanks to a late Andres Iniesta equaliser which sent La Blaugrana through on away goals.

Having failed to award Chelsea a penalty during the match, of which there were around three or four separate claims, the Norwegian has apparently become a target of a hate campaign from the club's supporters.

Fearing for his safety, it is said that police changed Ovrebo's hotel before finally smuggling him out of the country.

Police in the 42-year-old's home city, Oslo, have revealed that they are investigating death threats issued via the internet.

An Oslo police spokesperson said, "We are watching closely what is being posted on the internet. Anything we believe would threaten his personal safety will be taken seriously."

Meanwhile, former international referee Graham Poll has had his say on the matter.

"This morning he's being smuggled out of our country under police escort - this is a referee of a football match. That is a disgrace," Poll told a Radio.

"When he booked in a hotel they had to change the hotel he was staying at because of the fear that maybe fans would find him.”

"When you see players acting like that, fans are called fans because they are fanatics - they may feel it's time to take action themselves.

India U-14 Girls excel in AFC football fest

New Delhi, May 07: Indian Under-14 Girls' team produced a commendable performance in the just concluded AFC Football Festival for South and Central Asia by winning six matches, losing and drawing once each in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The Indian girls started their campaign in the April 30-May 5 tournament with a thumping 9-0 victory over Bhutan, whom they again spanked 15-0 in their second meeting.

This was followed by a 3-1 win over Iran though they drew goal-less with the same opponents in the second match.

Indian girls also beat Sri Lanka 8-0 and then spanked 6-0 when they clashed again.

They suffered their only defeat when India went down to Jordan by a solitary goal, but took the sweet revenge by taming them 8-3 in the reverse encounter.

The Indians scored highest number of goals with Tanvi Bhargava producing 10 goals followed by Ronnie, Oshin and Prerna who found the net on nine occasions each.

The Indian team earned 21 Green Cards -- the maximum by any side -- which was given by taking into account the number of wins, draws and losses, number of goals scored for and against, fairplay points and skill level of players.

Chelsea rally behind Drogba over referee rant

London, May 07: Chelsea captain John Terry and manager Guus Hiddink have rallied behind Didier Drogba as the Ivory Coast striker faces potentially severe punishment by UEFA over his furious confrontation with the referee after the club's Champions League exit.

A stoppage time goal from Andres Iniesta earned Barcelona a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday and put the Catalans into a Rome final with Manchester United.

Chelsea's players were left incensed over referee Tom Henning Ovrebo's performance and Drogba, who had been substituted late in the game, stormed on to the pitch at the final whistle to harangue the official, who had to be escorted down the tunnel by a group of stewards.

Drogba then aggravated his extremely intimidating behaviour by screaming obscenities into a television camera, forcing some broadcasters who were carrying the match live to apologise to viewers.

"Are you watching this? It is a disgrace," Drogba shouted.

Hiddink, who attempted to restrain Drogba, acknowledged that the striker's conduct was close to the limit of what is acceptable but said he fully understood his frustration over what he described as the worst refereeing performance he had seen in his long career.

"Of course I can fully understand his reaction - full of adrenaline and emotion," said Hiddink. "People say he should be in control. The moment a player starts hitting then he is going beyond where he should go.”

"I can understand his emotion and his behaviour after the game. I will protect that."

Hiddink felt Chelsea might have had as many as four penalties, so found it hard to understand why Ovrebo had failed to award at least two of them, and questioned why the Norwegian had been given such a big match.

"In big games like this you need top-notch referees who have had big experience in leagues like Spain, Italy, England and Germany," he said.

"There is an overall feeling of being robbed, of there having been an injustice. That's why they were so hot and angry.”

"Of course the players make mistakes, coaches make mistakes and referees can make mistakes that are why we talk about giving the benefit of the doubt.” "But if you have seen three or four situations waved away, then it's the worst I have seen."

Terry put the penalty count at six or seven and appeared to suggest that Ovrebo's handling of the match was influenced by a perceived desire by UEFA to avoid another all-English final.

"Not one player made one mistake in the two legs," Terry said. "The referee has made four or five or six big errors and now we're out of the competition.” "The word conspiracy is maybe the wrong one. It's difficult when players are so high on emotion after a game. People are saying we should not have reacted the way we did but the fact is that six decisions went against us. For the ref not to give one of them is unusual."

Chelsea look to exploit Barcelona's soft centre

London, May 06: Barcelona wailed about Chelsea's defensive tactics in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final but they should be more concerned about their own rearguard before the return at Stamford Bridge.

With Carles Puyol suspended and Rafael Marquez injured, Barcelona look horribly exposed in central defence, especially with the powerful presence of Didier Drogba poised to overpower whoever is drafted in.

Amid the jubilation of Barcelona's 6-2 thrashing of Real Mad rid on Saturday, Chelsea's spies will have reported back that Real's two goals were via the heads of Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Ramos courtesy of slack marking in the middle.

Gerard Pique, Eric Abidal and Martin Caceres, who has looked shaky this season, are vying for the two slots while manager Pep Guardiola could spring a surprise by dropping muscular midfielder Yaya back to counter the physical presence of Drogba.

The big Ivorian will be licking his lips at the prospect of attacking that soft centre, and when it comes to set pieces, he will have considerable reinforcement.

Centre backs Alex and John Terry, Michael Ballack, Mikel, and fullback Branislav Ivanovic, who headed two goals in the quarter-final against Liverpool, have considerable presence in and Frank Lampard has an unerring delivery.

Ballack and Terry will have loved every word of Barcelona's complaints and no doubt plan to deliver a similarly uncompromising welcome on Wednesday.

Hiddink, aware of his side's set-piece and aerial threat but also concerned by Barcelona's dangerous attack and ability to snatch an away goal, is likely to start with the same steady approach with Drogba ploughing a lone furrow up front.

Ferguson's grandchildren hurt in car crash

London, May 06: Two of Alex Ferguson's grandchildren and their mother were hurt in a car crash on the morning of Manchester United's Champions League semi-final win over Arsenal on Tuesday, a police source said.

All three were in a stable condition in hospital after their Vauxhall Corsa collided with a Ford Fiesta at 8:25 a.m. in Macclesfield, northeast England, Cheshire Police said.

Firefighters had to cut the children's 30-year-old mother, Nadine, from the wreckage before she was taken by helicopter to hospital. She is the estranged wife of Ferguson's son Darren.

Ferguson's 10-year-old grandson Charlie and six-year-old granddaughter Grace were taken to hospital by ambulance.

Police said Grace had suffered minor injuries and was being kept under observation. Charlie suffered more serious injuries but police gave no further details.

The 17-year-old male driver of the other car was taken to hospital with leg injuries.

Newspapers reported that Ferguson had considered returning from London where the match was being played but decided to stay to oversee the game after being told their lives were not in danger.

Police appealed for witnesses to the crash to come forward.

Chelsea and Barca eye final prize

London, May 06: As if a place in the Champions League final isn't motivation enough for Chelsea and Barcelona to win their semi-final second leg at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, both sides will also be fuelled by the chance to settle a few old scores.

For Barcelona, the frustration of being stopped from scoring at the Nou Camp for the first time this season in last week's first leg was exacerbated by the feeling that Chelsea had emerged unscathed from the Catalan cauldron by resorting to the game's dark arts.

It is a source of pride to Barca's fans that their team has always remained true to their purist principles. So to see Chelsea play in such a negative, niggly manner and still avoid defeat drew a furious response from Pep Guardiola's players.

Xavi led the protests against Chelsea's "anti-football" but, inevitably the Blues were unrepentant and Barca would relish the chance to reach the final by eliminating a club who present such an affront to their beliefs.

Losing in the semi-finals to Manchester United last season was painful enough but the prospect of bowing out at the same stage to Chelsea is too awful to contemplate.

But that desire won't guarantee Barca get their wish as Chelsea have plenty of additional incentive to complete the road to Rome themselves.

The Blues were one kick away from winning Europe's elite club competition last May when John Terry ran up to take a penalty in the teeming Moscow rain.

Dempo go down to Al Maged in AFC Cup

New Delhi, May 06: A lackluster Dempo suffered a 1-2 defeat at the hands of Syrian side Al Maged in their Group E AFC Cup match in Damascus.

Dempo, who had beaten their rivals 1-0 at home, were outclassed by the Syrian side and could have lost by a bigger margin had not goalkeeper Abhijit Mondal saved at least half a dozen shots on target at the Al Abbassiyin Stadium last night.

Dempo are now second behind Al Maged with seven points from five matches and will have to win their last group match against bottom-placed Al Faisaly of Jordan on May 19 in Margao.

Al Maged, with 10 points from five matches, are through to the quarter-finals with one match left -- against Bahrain's Al Muharraq (six points) on May 19.

Abdulhadi Al Hariri opened the scoring for the Syrian side in the 40th minute and Kenan Al Nama made it 2-0 in the 63rd before Roberto Mendes Silva pulled one back for Dempo in the 67th minute.

Mondal first blocked a powerful shot from Al Maged's Senegalese midfielder Dame Junior Gaye in the sixth minute and then denied Bashar Al Kaddour a few minutes later.

Two other saves off the efforts of Samer Aouad and Al Zino kept Mondal busy but the Al Maged attack was too frequent to deny them for long and the Syrian side forged ahead five minutes from the breather with Al Hariri connecting Al Zino's cross from right with a powerful header.

Three minutes later, Al Hariri was denied what could have been his second goal by a diving Mondal.

Dempo played better in the second half and Silva's free-kick in the 54th minute flew inches above the woodwork.

Al Maged made it 2-0 three minutes after the hour mark when Al Nama's shot from 20 metres found the top right corner of the Dempo net.

Barely a minute later Al Zino found himself with only the goalkeeper to beat but Mondal was once again Dempo's saviour.

The Goan side pulled one back in the 67th minute when Silva met a cross from the right with a powerful header that flew past Al Maged goalkeeper Samer Saaid.

Al Maged nearly regained their two-goal cushion in the 79th minute as an Ali Diab header slammed against the crossbar.

Dempo coach Armando Colaco conceded that Al Maged were the deserved winners.

"The result is convincing as Al Maged had the better chances in the game. Our mission is hard now as we have a game against Al Faisaly on the last match day," Colaco said.

Liverpool beat Newcastle 3-0

London, May 03: Liverpool beat Newcastle United

3-0 at Anfield on Sunday to keep up their pursuit of Manchester United at the top of the Premier League table and send Newcastle deeper into relegation trouble at the bottom.

A goal off Yossi Benayoun's knee and a diving header from Dirk Kuyt put Liverpool in control in the first half and substitute Lucas headed in the third late on.

Second-placed Liverpool moved on to 77 points with three matches to play. Leaders United have 80 points and four matches remaining.

Newcastle, who had Joey Barton sent off in the second half, remain in the relegation zone with 31 points from their 35 matches. With three games to play they are three points behind Hull City, who occupy the safe 17th spot.

Sunderland, who are also battling against the drop, host Everton in a 1500 GMT kick-off.

Milan stay in Serie A hunt with Catania win

Rome, May 03: AC Milan kept their slim title hopes alive with a comfortable 2-0 victory at Catania courtesy of goals from Filippo Inzaghi and Kaka.

Veteran Inzaghi's strike took his record to 11 goals in his last eight matches while Kaka's strike was his 15th of the season in Serie A and followed up a pair of penalties last weekend against Palermo.

The victory reduced Inter Milan's lead at the top of Serie A to seven points but, with just four matches left, second-placed Milan would need their city rivals to suffer a spectacular collapse to win a first scudetto since 2004.

Third-placed Juventus's hopes all but mathematically ended as substitute Jose Ignacio Castillo scored an equaliser deep into injury time for relegation-threatened Lecce in a 2-2 draw in Turin.

In Sicily it was plain-sailing for Milan who opened the scoring on 27 minutes after former world player of the year Kaka burst into the area and then teed up Inzaghi for a typical poacher's finish.

Milan then sealed the match seven minutes into the second period as Kaka swept home the loose ball after Lecce goalkeeper Tomas Kosicky pushed out David Beckham's header.

It was Milan's fifth win in a row and also took their tally to 21 goals in their last eight matches.

But even so, coach Carlo Ancelotti had to fend off speculation about his future after the match, responding ironically to suggestions he will join Roman Abramovich's Chelsea in the summer.