Played no part in Neymar signing: Barca president

Played no part in Neymar signing: Barca
                       president

                 Madrid : FC Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu testified that he
had no part in drawing up the contract to sign Brazilian striker Neymar in the summer of
2013.Bartomeu testified before judge Pablo Ruz after being indicted for a possible charge
of tax evasion, which saw the club not pay 2.8 million euros (slightly over $3 million) to
the Spanish treasury, Xinhua reported Friday.

                  This is linked to the fact that Neymar is reported to have cost Barca 94.8
million euros, rather than the 57.1 million euros the club had confirmed as the true
price.The current Barca president, who replaced Sandro Rosell, was forced to resign as a
result of the scandal.

                He testified that although he had formed part of a small group of people
who had taken part in the signing process, he had not intervened in the negotiation process
of drawing up the contract.He admitted that he had signed the contract but insisted that was
because he had no reason to suspect any irregularities, and pointed out that in taking over
the presidency he had instructed Barca to pay 13.5 million euros to the treasury to leave
everything in order. (IANS)

Chappell opens up about fallout with Tendulkar

                Former India coach Greg Chappell says his relations with Sachin
Tendulkar soured after the Australian had asked the Indian cricket icon to bat down the
order at the 2007 World Cup. The 66-year-old Chappell‟s statement comes a few months
after Tendulkar launched a scathing attack on the former Australia captain by referring to
him as a “ringmaster” in his autobiography, „Playing It My Way‟

                 In an episode of „Cricket Legends‟, aired on Fox Sports across Australia,
Chappell said that the reason for their fallout was him suggesting that Tendulkar bat down
the order during the tournament in the Caribbean. “I expected, I thought, that he would
want to do what was right for the team. But he really wanted to bat where he wanted to bat
and that was a real gulf between us,” Chappell said on the show.

                  India had a disastrous outing in the mega-event, getting knocked out in the
first round itself. Chappell claimed that Tendulkar, now 41, initially agreed to his proposal,
but later changed his mind. “He preferred to open the batting... but in the World Cup in the
West Indies, we needed him to bat down the order. That was where our problems were, we
had other players who could bat at the top of the order.

                 “He agreed to it initially, but then he recanted and said he didn‟t want to
do it. I forced him to do it and, from that point onwards, he didn‟t want to work with me
again. In hindsight, I probably would have found a different solution.” Tendulkar had, in
his book, revealed that Chappell wanted him to replace Rahul Dravid just before the 2007
World Cup.

                “Just months before the World Cup, Chappell had come to see me at home
and, to my dismay, suggested that I should take over the captaincy from Rahul Dravid,”
Tendulkar wrote. Chappell also launched a veiled attack on Ganguly without naming the
former India skipper.

                 “The challenge for Indian cricket was and probably always will be is that
it is more important (for the players) to be in the team than to be in the best team in the
world,” Chappell said. “Once they have been there for a while, they are quite happy just to
keep their place in the side. What I was trying to encourage was for them all to continue
getting better. We made changes that were quite successful but in the process it had created
some problems particularly for me in relation to certain players.

India must identify its strengths and weaknesses
                     Kirsten

                Gary Kirsten has a simple and perhaps the most effective mantra for the
cricket World Cup. The same mantra had helped the Indian side win the world title in 2011
and may well propel the present team on the right track in Australia. Kirsten, who coached
India to its second World Cup victory four years ago, said the side must identify its
strengths and weaknesses and formulate its game plan accordingly.

                 “At the end of the day, in order to be successful at any event you have to
be very real about what you are good at and what you are not good at. It is tough that you
need to limit the damage (things) you are not good at. And I thought we did that well in
2011. We realised that it is not going to be our strength and limited the damage there,”
Kirsten said at an event organised by Royal Stag in the run-up to the World Cup.

                 Team composition The South African said there was no point debating
over the composition of the side which had moved on in a new direction. “It is what it is.
This is the team that they have got and they need to make it work in the World Cup. I am
sure the think-tank will come up with how we are going to win with our strengths and
weaknesses. I do not think World Cups are all about having best teams. Sometimes the
unpredictability can win you over.”

                 Kirsten noted the present Indian side had some fine experienced batsmen
in Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, M.S. Dhoni, Ajinkya Rahane and Ambati Rayudu, who had
done well in the 50-over format of the game. According to him Australia, South Africa and
New Zealand stood a good chance of winning the title.

                 Kirsten said the one-day format still held its charm and the World Cup
would remain a crowd puller despite the threat from Twenty20 cricket. “The World Cup is
an iconic event. It is still a popular product. It has set its own identity. Everyone wants to
win the 50-over World Cup. It is important for the ongoing prosperity of the game,” he
said.

World Cup: England elect to bowl against
                     Australia

                 Melbourne : England captain Eoin Morgan won the toss and elected to
field against co-hosts Australia in a Pool A match of the ICC World Cup at the Melbourne
Cricket Ground (MCG) here Saturday.

                Squads: Australia: David Warner, Aaron Finch, Shane Watson, Steven
Smith, George Bailey (captain), Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, Brad Haddin
(wicketkeeper), Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood.

                England: Moeen Ali, Ian Bell, Gary Ballance, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan
(captain), James Taylor, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad, James
Anderson, Steve Finn.

               Match Details: Umpires: Aleem Dar (Pakistan) and Kumar Dharmasena
(Sri Lanka)TV umpire: Billy Bowden (New Zealand)Match referee: Jeff Crowe (New
Zealand)Reserve umpire: Joel Wilson (West Indies) (IANS)

Tendulkar launches MRF’s cricket fan app for
                   World Cup

                 Mumbai : Ace cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has launched a real-time app
conceived, created and hosted by leading tyre-maker MRF for fans to cheer the Indian
team at the World Cup that started Saturday.Available both on Android and iOS platforms,
the “Ride Along – Cricket Fan” app seeks to give fans of the Indian cricket team a feel as
though they are in the stadia themselves during the tourney in Australia and New Zealand.

                “While the last World Cup was in India, this time Indian fans will not get a
chance to experience the action live. Most of them will be glued to thei TV screens,” said
Koshy K. Varghese, executive vice president for marketing. “MRF wanted to give these
fans a chance to feel as if they were in a stadium. So we built the „Ride Along – Cricket
Fan App‟,” Koshy said, calling it the first “real-time, second-screen” fan engagement app
for cricket.

                 “While other apps give you staple things like live scores and commentary,
our app gives you a chance to applaud for Virat Kohli when he hits a century, or pray for
Team India when it‟s in trouble, with thousands of others – all in real time,” he said. MRF,
that has had a long connect with cricket, also seeks to give the casual viewers a chance to
cheer for Team India – wave the flag with pride, pray for during tough situations, clap for a
spectacular performance and shout their lungs out to egg them on.

                 For the cricket fanatics it has trivia, polls and quizzes, besides caricatures
of cricketers. It also gives fans a chance to win prizes, the company said.“The idea of
second-screen engagement is not new to India. But it has not been used for cricket before,”
said Sandip Maiti, chief executive officer of xperience Commerce – MRF‟S digital agency.

                “Today, fans are always connected with their friends through social
networks and chat messengers. We wanted to give every fan the opportunity they need to
fuel conversations around cricket,” he said. “This app gives you „fun-sharable‟ content
during a live match that can be used by fans on Twitter or Facebook or any other platform
they choose to converse on. With this app, you can truly get the experience of a stadium in
your living room.” (IANS)