Issue No.
13376
Not the brightest times for England captain John Terry
Nick Faldo
Cycling
Greek champion Yiannis Tamouridis has won the UCI Track World Cup trophy. This is the first time a cyclist from Greece has achieved such a feat. The 30-year-old from Thessaloniki finished top of the standings, with an advantage of two points, after the fourth and final leg of the series in Beijing to claim the cup. Zafeiris Volikakis has qualified for the World Championship in Copenhagen in March after ending eighth in Beijing.
Basketball
Olympiakos got the EuroLeague campaign off to a winning start but there were defeats for defending champions Panathinaikos and newcomers Marousi. Olympiakos produced a solid performance to beat Caja Laboral 89-85 on the road in Spain. Former Denver Nugget Linas Kleiza grabbed 18 points for the Greek side but it was another ex-NBA player who produced the star performance - former Atlanta Hawk Josh Childress scored 21 points and claimed seven rebounds.
Panathinaikos, meanwhile, suffered a shock 64-59 defeat to Partizan in Athens. The Greens were missing their two main forwards, Mike Batiste and Kostas Tsartsaris through injury and were ultimately let down by their poor shooting. PAO made just 42.8 percent of two-pointers and 58.3 percent of free throws. In the same group Marousi, in the last 16 for the first time, were beaten 79-69 by favourites Barcelona in Spain. Jamon Lucas top-scored on the night with 24 points, Pat Calathes contributed 13 and Dimitris Mavroeidis posted 12.
Rugby
Attica Springboks will meet reigning champions Athens in the semifinals of this year’s domestic championship after seeing off Iraklis 19-0 in the playoff at Glyka Nera. It is a rematch of last year’s final which Athens won narrowly 22-18 to capture their fourth successive championship title. The other semifinal will see Thessaloniki Lions - who were 12-6 winners over Athens Spartans - travel to Rhodes who finished top of the regular standings. Attica Springboks 19 (Tries - Lasha 2, Rouzies; cons - Bonnefont, Lasha) Iraklis 0. Half-time 0-0 Thessaloniki Lions 12 Spartans 6 (tbc). Semifinal lineup: Athens v Attica Springboks, Rhodes v Thessaloniki Lions. Matches to be played at the weekend of March 20-21.
Terry may learn England fate soon
London
JOHN Terry could know by the end of this week whether coach Fabio Capello will let him keep his job as England captain despite the controversy over his private life. British newspapers reported on February 2 that Terry had spoken with Capello’s assistant, Franco Baldini, and will meet with Capello on February 5. Terry, who allegedly had an affair with an England teammate’s former girlfriend, is reportedly considering resigning as captain irrespective of Capello’s decision.
Capello has been out of the country recuperating from knee surgery but is scheduled to return to England this week. He is due to appear publicly at the February 7 qualifying draw in Warsaw for the 2012 European Championship. The Football Association said on February 1 that Capello alone will decide whether Terry will remain captain for this year’s World Cup in South Africa. The FA said the decision would be made on “footballing grounds”.
The Chelsea defender has already been at the centre of several off-field incidents, most recently when he was accused of accepting 10,000 pounds ($15,930) to give a private tour of Chelsea’s training ground without the club’s knowledge.
Terry was made captain by former coach Steve McClaren in 2006 but Capello only confirmed the appointment after giving Rio Ferdinand, Gareth Barry, Steven Gerrard and David Beckham a chance in the role. Capello’s concern is likely to be whether Terry’s alleged relationship with Wayne Bridge’s ex-partner, Vanessa Perroncel, affects his standing with the rest of the England squad. Terry and Bridge were also teammates at Chelsea.
Bridge has issued a statement saying his primary concern is the welfare of the child he had with Perroncel, but he is widely reported to be considering retiring from international football. Several of Bridge’s Manchester City teammates offered support on January 31 when they wore T-shirts under their team shirts bearing the phrase “Team Bridge.” Perroncel’s representative, Max Clifford, has said she had been offered 250,000 pounds ($398,400) by a media outlet for exclusive rights to her story.
Golf
SIX-TIMES Major winner Nick Faldo has announced that the inaugural Faldo Series Greece Championship will take place on July 26-28 at the newly completed Costa Navarino Resort in Messinia, southwest Greece. The 52-year-old Englishman said that the Greece Championship would provide a stern test and an important development opportunity for many of the region’s young golfers, boys and girls aged 12 to 21, as they look to secure one of five available spots for the 2010 Faldo Series Grand Final.
With support from The R&A and the European Tour, the Faldo Series is hoping to help the progress golf development in the region. The Faldo Series already has a presence in more than 20 countries worldwide and has helped to shape the careers of European Tour stars like Nick Dougherty and Rory McIlroy. “It’s great that we can now offer young players in our Greece Championship the same opportunities that we are offering throughout Europe, Asia and South America,” said Faldo. “Greece is not necessarily seen as an established golfing nation but this is exactly the kind of place where our combination of competition and education can really help to make a difference.”
Super Bowl
The New Orleans Saints finally reached their first Super Bowl and will face off with the Indianapolis Colts on February 7.
ATHENS NEWS 06/09/2010, page: 40-41
