Fergie keen for Rio to play

Sir Alex Ferguson is keen for Rio Ferdinand to play some part in the match against Orlando Pirates on Tuesday.

The squad head off to Durban on Monday to prepare for the game following the 1-1 draw against Kaizer Chiefs at the Newlands Stadium.

Ferdinand was named in the team after sitting out the friendly against Aberdeen the previous week.

However the England defender suffered a back spasm just before kick-off and was not risked with Wes Brown taking his place.

Ferguson is hoping Ferdinand will recover in time for the second game of the tournament.

"I will make some changes for the next match because we have to give everyone some minutes on the clock, Rio Ferdinand in particular," said the United boss.

"He missed the game at Aberdeen and is behind schedule in terms of games.

"But I would like to think he will be fit to take part on Tuesday."

Michael Carrick, who is carrying a knock, could also be available to face the Pirates while Brown is expected to recover from a gashed ankle he sustained yesterday.

One bonus for Ferguson is the re-emergence of club captain Gary Neville after a long absence through injury.

Neville played 60 minutes against the Chiefs after a first half run-out at Aberdeen the previous week.

He showed plenty of tenacity and in fact conceded the penalty that Jonathan Quartey converted to give the South Africans the lead.

"Obviously his tackling has not improved," quipped Ferguson, who added: "Gary's enthusiasm and speed of play was quite phenomenal. I am very pleased and he is a remarkable man.

"Anyone who has played football knows that when you get to your 30s and been out of the game for 16 months, your comeback is very, very difficult. You have to give him a lot of credit."

In a feisty game in the shadow of Table Mountain, United secured the equaliser thanks to a Chris Eagles header following a cross from Carlos Tevez.

Eagles, 22, savoured the moment as he made only three appearances for United in a season that saw them win the Champions League and Premier League title.

He said: "It was a good game and I was pleased with my efforts.

"It was so loud out there because the fans were blowing their horns. But it was a brilliant atmosphere.

"I had some time against Aberdeen last week and really enjoyed it - I just love playing in the first team."

Wayne Rooney was certainly fired up for the game and got booked in the second half as his temper got the better of him.

However Ferguson believes the England striker was unfairly punished. "Wayne is a born fighter," explained the Old Trafford boss. "He gets frustrated in some games.

"He is learning how to control himself and it (the challenge) was next to nothing.

"I do not think he was out of order in this instance."

Ferguson was pleased with the spirit shown by both sides.

He added: "It was a good competitive game and the Kaizer Chiefs played well.

"We found ourselves 1-0 down and that makes it hard because you are still looking for fitness and rhythm to your game.

"I think we deserved a draw. It was a good work-out and a competitive match with lots of tasty tackles.

"That brings an edge to your game and I was very pleased to get that kind of competition."

Drogba stays at home

Chelsea have left for their pre-season tour of Asia without Didier Drogba, who scored eight times in the BPL last season.

The 30-year-old has been linked with a transfer away from Stamford Bridge this summer although the Blues claim his absence from the trip is due to the need to recover from a knee injury.

Drogba's omission seems certain to raise further questions about his future, however, with a virtually full-strength squad travelling to play games in China and Malaysia before returning to Europe for the Railways Cup in Moscow.

Another player rumoured to be on his way from the Londoners, Inter Milan target Frank Lampard, is included in the party.

New boys Deco and Jose Bosingwa are in Luiz Felipe Scolari's squad, while Michael Ballack will link up with them in China after finishing a post-Euro 2008 holiday.

Scolari will take charge of his first match as Chelsea manager on Wednesday against Guangzhou Pharmaceuticals.

"The players are not ready yet totally, but we are starting to build a new team and a new philosophy," the Brazilian told www.chelseafc.com.

"This is just the beginning, and I expect after these five games that I will have a general idea about all the players and a system."

Cristobal moves parallel to North Carolina coast

CHARLESTON, South Carolina (CNN) -- Tropical Storm Cristobal moved "parallel and very close" to the North Carolina coast Sunday morning, but the storm was expected to move away from the eastern U.S. coast by Monday.
Satellite image shows Cristobal's location at 5:15 a.m. ET Sunday.

Satellite image shows Cristobal's location at 5:15 a.m. ET Sunday.

Cristobal had not strengthened beyond the 45 mph (75 km/hr) top winds measured Saturday afternoon when it reached tropical storm status, according to the 5 a.m. ET Sunday advisory from the National Hurricane Center said.

"The center of the tropical storm is expected to move parallel and very close to the coast of North Carolina today and begin to move away from the coast by Monday," the NHC said. It is expected to dump 1 or 2 inches of rain along the North Carolina coast Sunday, it said.

A discussion posted online by NHC forecasters said the satellite view of Cristobal "remained unimpressive-looking" and predicted the storm would "lose tropical characteristics" over the next two or three days.

A tropical storm warning -- meaning that tropical storm conditions with maximum winds of 39 mph are expected within the next 24 hours -- remained in effect for an area from north of Little River Inlet, North Carolina, to the North Carolina-Virginia border.

As of 5 a.m. ET Sunday, Cristobal's center was located about 60 miles (95 km) southwest of Cape Lookout, North Carolina, and about 130 miles (210 km) southwest of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. It was moving northeast at near 6 mph (9 km/hr).

The storm's maximum sustained winds were near 45 mph (75 km/hr) with higher gusts. "Some strengthening" is expected within the next day, the National Hurricane Center said.

Pato hails Ronaldinho signing

AC Milan striker Alexandre Pato believes Ronaldinho's arrival will turn the Rossoneri into world beaters.

Ronaldinho finally completed his long-awaited switch to the Serie A giants on Thursday, training with the team for the first time the following day.

Milan are hoping to bounce back from last season's disappointing campaign where they finished fifth, a result that saw them miss out on a Champions League spot, and Pato feels that with Ronaldinho on board they will sweep all before them.

"We will try to win the Scudetto and now that Ronaldinho has arrived we can win everything," Pato told Italian sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport.

"We will fight for the UEFA Cup and for the Copa Italia, even though the league is our first priority."

Ronaldinho's arrival has generated a wave of excitement which the Italian media are dubbing "Dinho mania".

Thousands of spectators gathered outside Milan's training ground in the hope of catching a glimpse of the new signing on Wednesday, while 40,000 fans turned up to the San Siro 24 hours later for his presentation ceremony.

Such fan fervour does not surprise Pato, who is used to the affection afforded to his fellow Brazilian in his home country.

"Dinho deserves this welcome because he is one of the great ones, a phenomenon," added the 18-year-old.

"I grew up in Porto Alegre and Ronaldinho was born there, In the city all they talk about is that he is a legend. I dream about arriving at his level. He has brought to Milan much happiness, he plays while smiling and that is his secret."

Brazil to play in Singapore

Brazil's Olympic team will prepare for their Beijing outing with a friendly against a Singapore select team on July 28.

By Ian Griffiths and Kelvin Leong

Brazil, with star names Ronaldinho and Robinho in their midst, are busy preparing for a date with destiny in China, and see a Singapore side - and the island republic's benevolent weather conditions - as ideal preparation for their assault on an Olympic title that has so far eluded them.

According to Football Association of Singapore sources, the Singapore team to play Brazil at the National Stadium is to be made up of both international and non-capped S.League players, and will be coached by current national team boss Raddy Avramovic.

With a host of star names set to feature and the fact that Brazil have already been installed as favourites to claim gold in Beijing, news of the fixture is certain to generate immense interest amongst Singapore's footballing aficionados,

Ronaldinho, who only this week completed a transfer from Barcelona to Serie A giants AC Milan, and Robinho, a target for Chelsea, are two of the three over 23-year-old players allowed to compete for each team at the Olympics.

Talented Fluminense defender Thiago Silva is the third overage player named in coach Dunga's squad.

Other notable names expected to play in Singapore include AC Milan's teenage prodigy Alexandre Pato, Manchester United favourite Anderson, Liverpool's Lucas and Diego from Werder Bremen.

The Brazilians, who have won five FIFA World Cups, won the silver medal in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, as well as silver in 1988. They also won bronze in the 1996 Games in Atlanta.

Brazil will arrive in Singapore on July23. Whilst in South East Asia, they will also play Vietnam on August 1, seven days before the official start of the 2008 Olympics.

Brazil Olympic Squad:

Goalkeepers: Diego Alves (Almeria), Renan (Internacional).

Defenders: Marcelo (Real Madrid), Ilsinho (Shakhtar Donetsk), Rafinha (Schalke 04), Thiago Silva (Fluminense), Alex Silva (Sao Paulo), Breno (Bayern Munich).

Midfielders: Lucas (Liverpool), Anderson (Manchester United), Hernanes (Sao Paulo), Ronaldinho (AC Milan), Diego (Werder Bremen), Thiago Neves (Fluminense).

Forwards: Robinho (Real Madrid), Alexandre Pato (AC Milan), Rafael Sobis (Real Betis), Jo (Manchester City).

Comment: Who to lead the line?

Barcelona are looking for a new No.9 to pop in the goals. espnstar.com's Kelvin Leong knows who fits the bill.

Since the end of last season, Barcelona's transfer policy has been scrutinized by the media who are all eager to see who will be the Catalan side's new chief striker for the upcoming season. Rumours have come and gone but there is still no sign of that elusive top striker arriving at the Nou Camp.

Our resident writer shovels through the rumour mill to see who the top candidates are to fill the role before making a choice on who he would like to see in the famous maroon and blue jersey.

Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal)

The giant Togolese striker had a sensational season in a young Arsenal side last time out. A typical centre forward with a huge leap and silky smooth dribbling skills akin to former Highbury favourite, Kanu.

His style of play is a straightforward one, with rampaging runs into the box to finish off crosses that are swung into the six yard box. His shooting leaves much to be desired in my opinion but he had the rub of the green throughout last season with his low grounders finding a way past goalkeepers.

Adebayor has grown from strength to strength since joining Arsenal, but somehow one season might not be enough to prove that he is one of the game's leading strikers.

David Villa (Valencia)

The Valencia forward had a sensational European Championship where he finished top scorer with gour goals to his credit. Known to be a fiery character on the field, his trademark goal is a thunderous drive from outside the box that rifles through the net like a rocket. He can also drift out wide to supply crosses to his strike partners.

A clever player who has a good footballing brain, Villa's strength is when he senses his team's failure to break down stubborn defences and you often see him dropping deep to give midfielders the additional option. When he moves out wide, his crosses and runs are almost never wasted.

David Trezeguet (Juventus)

Trezgoal has just announced his retirement from the French national setup after not being picked by Raymond Domenech for Euro 2008.

A proven scorer at both domestic and international level, the goal machine has never dried up and is still going strong despite edging towards retirement age.

An old fashioned poacher, Trezeguet has a booming right foot which can send missiles through the air, while his heading prowess is undoubted. Nevertheless, he has a knack for drifting in and out of games.

Like many French strikers of the modern era, defending is never really on his mind as he can be slow to provide cover when his team is under siege.

But when your main job is to score goals - and the man does it mightily fine - why bother defending!

Verdict -

David Villa

Already a seasoned professional in the Primera Liga, there will be no need to acclimatize. He can walk straight into the team and do what he does best - scoring goals.

His style of play suits the Barca setup well, and with international teammates Iniesta and Xavi just behind him, the linkup play will be excellent.

So now, will Pep Guardiola make the move for him or will we see Samuel Eto'o walk out of the tunnel come round one of the 2008/09 season? We'll have to wait and see.

Ex-FARC hostage: Rebels 'don't recognize humanity'

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (CNN) -- The three Americans rescued last week from captivity in the Colombian jungle carried with them simple mementos of the 5½ years they spent as hostages -- a metal lock, a bullet, a chess board made of cardboard.
Left to right, Keith Stansell, Marc Gonsalves and Thomas Howes talk about spending more than 5 years as hostages.

Left to right, Keith Stansell, Marc Gonsalves and Thomas Howes talk about spending more than 5 years as hostages.

For Keith Stansell, Marc Gonsalves and Thomas Howes, these small items are reminders of the years they spent away from their families, cut off from the world outside of the jungle, seeing only fellow hostages and their captors, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

The group had held the three U.S. government contractors hostage since February 2003, after their plane crashed in a remote region of the South American country. They were among 15 hostages rescued last week in a Colombian military operation.

"They don't recognize humanity, they don't recognize human rights. They're animals. They're terrorists," Stansell said of the FARC. "We don't want to exaggerate what happened. We just want to tell the truth."

The men painted a gruesome picture of their captivity, describing months in which they were ordered not to speak to each other and an initial camp site where they lived with a rat's nest above them. They slept on the floors of drug labs and were forced to march for hours while chained.

Chains were very much a part of their captivity. Watch the full interview on CNN.com Live at 10 a.m. Friday
"That was put around my neck every night," Stansell told Headline News' Robin Meade on Thursday, holding a heavy industrial lock. "This lock, with 5 meters of chain -- thick, 1-inch links -- went to his neck," Stansell said, pointing at Gonsalves.

Kaka refutes Berlusconi claims

KKaka has rubbished claims from Silvio Berlusconi that he asked to be omitted from Brazil's Olympics team.
Kaka has rubbished claims from AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi that he asked to be omitted from Brazil's team to compete at next month's Olympic Games.

Kaka was selected as one of three overage players for the tournament, but coach Dunga was forced to exclude the midfielder from his 18-man squad after Milan refused to release him.

Newspaper Globo subsequently quoted Berlusconi, who is in Tokyo taking part of a meeting of the G8, as saying it was Kaka who requested he be stood down from the team, citing tiredness as the reason for his absence.

However, Kaka has refuted that claim, saying: "I keep my will to represent the Brazilian national team in the 2008 Olympic Games.

"The veto officially came from AC Milan, in the figure of the club president Adriano Galliani, and it was published on the club's official website.

"I have never talked to prime minister Silvio Berlusconi about football matters. Rather I have always respected the decisions by AC Milan president Adriano Galliani."

Beckham: Tough choice for Ronaldo

David Beckham feels Cristiano Ronaldo faces a tough time choosing between Manchester United and Real Madrid.

Ronaldo, who has this summer spelt out his "dream" of playing for the Spanish giants, has agreed with Sepp Blatter's claim that there is "modern slavery" in the transfer market.

"I agree with the comments of the president of FIFA. What he said is right," the 23-year-old winger told Portuguese channel TVI.

Beckham, who swapped the north west for the Spanish capital in 2003, believes United are every inch the equals of Real.

"When I left Manchester United the only other club I wanted to play for was Real Madrid," the England midfielder told Sky Sports News.

"Living in Madrid and playing for Madrid - there's not many better clubs than that apart from Manchester United, which is equal.

"But to have those two choices is good for him."

Beckham added in The Sun: "Playing for Manchester United was my dream but so was playing for Real. It was an incredibly difficult choice to make and I'm sure it is the same for Cristiano."

Ronaldo to stay but not Queiroz

Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo looks set to stay while assistant coach Carlos Queiroz is poised to depart.
Manchester United are set to receive mixed news about personnel as winger Cristiano Ronaldo looks set to stay while assistant coach Carlos Queiroz is poised to leave to manage Portugal.

Sky Sports News report that while Queiroz has indicated his interest to helm the Portuguese post, he has left Manchester United and the Portuguese Football Federation to thrash out a deal and his appearance at a Portuguese airport has added more fuel to the fire that he is set to depart from Old Trafford.

Carlos Queiroz told Sky Sports: “Manchester United fans are the best fans in the world.”
When quizzed where he expects Ronaldo to play his club football in 2008-09, the Mozambique-born Red Devils assistant said: “I have no doubts he will be at Manchester next season.”

On the Ronaldo saga, Real Madrid official Jose Luis Lopez Serrano attended a conference for European clubs in Switzerland in the place of Ramon Calderon with Red Devils’ director David Gill also present.

Serrano said: “There are no problems with Manchester United, everything is okay between the two clubs… I can say nothing though [regarding progress in a possible Ronaldo transfer] but we always like the best players.”

While not mentioning anything to the press, Sky Sports stated that David Gill revealed off camera that Ronaldo is going nowhere.

The future of Carlos Queiroz, however, looks less rosier.

As most of the Manchester United squad converged for pre-season training, there was a notable absence of Ronaldo who has been given further time off following his exertions for his country at Euro 2008 while Rooney, Ferdinand, and Tevez were all filmed taking part in light training.

Jackson apologizes for 'crude' Obama remarks

CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) -- The Rev. Jesse Jackson apologized Wednesday for "crude and hurtful" remarks he made about Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama after an interview with a Fox News correspondent.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson apologized to Sen. Obama's campaign Wednesday over "hurtful" remarks.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson apologized to Sen. Obama's campaign Wednesday over "hurtful" remarks.

The remarks came Sunday as Jackson was talking to a fellow interviewee, UnitedHealth Group executive Dr. Reed V. Tuckson. An open microphone picked up Jackson whispering, "See, Barack's been talking down to black people ... I want to cut his nuts off."

Jackson told CNN's "Situation Room" that he didn't realize the microphone was on.

"It was very private," Jackson said, adding that if "any hurt or harm has been caused to his campaign, I apologize."

An Obama campaign spokesman, Bill Burton, said that the senator from Illinois "of course accepts Rev. Jackson's apology." Video Watch Jackson whisper comments about Obama »

Jackson's son, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. of Illinois -- co-chair of Obama's presidential campaign -- publicly blasted his father's comments Wednesday.

"I'm deeply outraged and disappointed in Rev. Jackson's reckless statements about Sen. Barack Obama," the younger Jackson said. "His divisive and demeaning comments about the presumptive Democratic nominee -- and I believe the next president of the United States -- contradict his inspiring and courageous career."

Trezeguet quits France

French striker David Trezeguet has quit international football, and blamed coach Raymond Domenech for the decision.

The 30-year-old was a surprise omission from the France squad for Euro 2008 after a good season for Juventus, and watched from home as Les Bleus crashed out at the group stage.

"Raymond Domenech is staying and I am quitting the national team," Trezeguet told Gazzetta dello Sport.

Domenech was expected to be sacked in the wake of the poor showing, but after seeing the French Football Federation agree to keep on the controversial coach for the rest of the year, Trezeguet has brought an end to his international career.

Trezeguet added: "The poor performance at the European Championships and the decision to keep the coach have pushed me to make this irrevocable decision.

"These decisions (to keep the coach) were taken more for political than footballing reasons, and they (FFF) have not listened to public opinion."

Trezeguet, who scored 20 goals for Juve last season, was capped 71 times by his country and scored 34 goals.

Benitez mixed feelings over Babel

Rafael Benitez has mixed feelings over the quick rehabilitation of Ryan Babel who will now be able to play at the Olympics.

The Holland international has worked hard throughout the summer to overcome an ankle injury that ruled him out of Euro 2008 at the last moment.

Babel limped out of training with the Dutch squad on May 31, 24 hours before Holland's last warm-up friendly against Wales in Rotterdam.

At the time it looked doubtful that he would be back before the start of the new season.

But less than six weeks since the injury, Babel has returned to full training with Liverpool at Melwood.

And that means the Dutch will be able to immediately name him in their squad for the Beijing Olympics.

Benitez has already lost Lucas to the Brazil squad and Javier Mascherano as an over-age player with Argentina, who are also likely to call up Emiliano Insua.

FIFA principles state that clubs should release under-23s for the Olympics, while Mascherano will go because he has expressed a desire to play for his country in the tournament.

And Benitez now cannot stop Babel's inclusion in Holland's squad to be confirmed shortly.

Benitez told liverpoolfc.tv: "Obviously, we are really pleased that Ryan is coming back to training because he is an important player for us and he has worked hard to recover from the injury he suffered with Holland.

"But we are really worried because after getting him fit it is likely that we could lose him again if he is selected for the Olympics. This is a big problem - we prepare him and then he goes away with the national team.

"This season is very important for him. In his first season he was settling in but this time he has more experience and we are looking for him to give something from the beginning, so it is really important for him to start working with his team."

If Babel had not worked so hard to overcome his injury, and had been a couple of weeks longer in his recovery, he would not have been in line for selection for the Dutch side.

Along with the other Liverpool players involved in the Olympics, Babel will miss both legs of the Champions League third qualifying-round tie early next month and the opening Premier League games with Sunderland and Middlesbrough.

And Benitez will be left fretting that he does not break down again and damage his barely-fit ankle.

Benitez said: "This has been a strange pre-season, because we have to wait for players to return late following the Euro finals and then at the end of the preperation we are going to lose players to the Olympics."

Benitez is expecting to complete the signing of Brazilian goalkeeper Diego Cavalieri for $US6 million after the Palmeiras player successfully passed a medical this week. He will be the club's third summer signing, following full-backs Philipp Degen and Andrea Dossena.

Cavalieri's agent, Juninho Parmigiani, has told Brazilian media: "We will conclude everything soon. He has already had the necessary medical examinations, talked with some of his new team-mates and has been impressed by what Rafael Benitez had to say to him."

Liverpool are expecting to recoup some of the fee by selling French keeper Charles Itandje to Galatasaray for $US4 million. They will also now sell Scott Carson, with Stoke showing interest.

Peter Crouch has agreed terms with Portsmouth on his $US22 million move to Fratton Park, and the deal will be concluded when medical reports are cleared.

Liverpool will then try to finalise the move of Gareth Barry to the club, hopefully in time to figure in Saturday's opening friendly at Tranmere.

Villa are believed to have said they will accept $US34 million plus Irish full-back Steve Finnan, who they value at $US2 million. They also want the fee paid in two instalments, half now and the rest in 12 months.

The two sides now seem close enough for the summer-long saga to be concluded by the weekend.

Benitez, who has already spoken of his appreciation of Crouch's contribution to the club, has now claimed the striker's progress on Merseyside has vindicated his £7million purchase from Southampton three years ago.

Benitez told Liverpoolfc.tv: "I am proud of the progress he has made. When we brought him here people were talking about the deal, especially because he did not score for several games.

"But he showed his quality, showed he was a good player and a fantastic professional. We know we will miss him but you cannot stop a player who wants to play every week."

Betancourt to Larry King: FARC captivity 'was hell'

(CNN) -- Ingrid Betancourt says death was her "everyday companion" during the six years she was a hostage of a leftist rebel group in Colombia.
Recently freed FARC hostage Ingrid Betancourt tells Larry King that her captivity was "hell."

Recently freed FARC hostage Ingrid Betancourt tells Larry King that her captivity was "hell."

"I really couldn't even imagine that I was taking the road for seven years," she told CNN's "Larry King Live." "For me, I thought perhaps it could last for three months at the most. I couldn't imagine what was going to come."

Betancourt, who has French and Colombian citizenship, was campaigning for the Colombian presidency when the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia abducted her in 2002.

She was rescued July 2 in an elaborately planned ruse that hoodwinked FARC captors into giving up Betancourt and 14 other hostages including three American contractors. She spoke to King Tuesday from Paris, France.

"In a way, I thought that [the rebels] knew what my struggle was," she said. "I thought they were wanting perhaps something like the things I was fighting for. I was fighting for social justice. I was fighting against corruption." Video Watch Betancourt describe life in the jungle »

During the interview, Betancourt talked very slowly and appeared weary. She explained that it had been a long and arduous week.

Her kidnapping was swift and it was hard for her at first to comprehend going from a free person to a prisoner, she said.

"You are a free woman and then you become a prisoner and you receive all kinds of orders. Sit here, stand there. That's it," she said. "You just, you don't have the possibility of even moving to take your bag without asking for permission."

Kaka staying put in Milan

AC Milan star Kaka has revealed that he does not want to swap Serie A football for that on offer in the Premier League.

Chelsea, coached by former Portugal and Brazil boss Luiz Felipe Scolari, are long-term admirers of the mercurial Brazilian midfielder and had recently made an approach to the Milanese outfit.

However, when told of Chelsea's interest, Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani was quick to tell the world that Kaka was going nowhere, a statement that the 26-year-old reiterated on Wednesday.
"Of course I knew about Chelsea's offer, I found out when I was surfing the net," Kaka is quoted a saying by La Gazzetta Dello Sport.

"As for our transfer campaign, I am sure things will get underway soon.

"You never know what can happen in future, I may have enough of Milan one day and they might have enough of me but for the moment I am happy here and I love Italy," he added.

Kaka, currently on holiday, also admitted that Milan - who face a season without Champions League football - must bring in some fresh faces if they are to, once again, dominate on both domestic and continental levels.

"I think the club needs to renew. I have told the directors and we need to find the right mix in terms of youth and experience in order to get back to our strengths."

Two hurt during Pamplona bull run

MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- One man was gored in the abdomen and another suffered facial injuries on the third day of the annual running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, a hospital doctor told Spanish state television Wednesday.
A fighting bull leaps over a fallen runner at the Mercaderes curve during the running of the bulls.

A fighting bull leaps over a fallen runner at the Mercaderes curve during the running of the bulls.

A 22-year-old Californian, who was gored, was taken to a hospital and was "stable and conscious," said the doctor, Ignacio Yurss, medical director of Hospital de Navarra. The patient's name was not released.

The man who suffered facial injuries comes from Greece and was injured in the nose, Yurss added.

The latest injuries bring to 20 the number of runners who have been hurt in the first three days of the running.

Two of those were due to bull gorings -- the Californian gored Wednesday and a Spaniard gored Tuesday. The other 18 injuries resulted from falls or collisions, the regional government of Navarra reported.

Ten of the injured are Spanish. The other 10 include three Americans and one each from England, Australia, New Zealand, Greece, South Africa, South Korea, and Romania, the Navarra government said. Many of the 20 have already been released from the hospital.

Turkey consulate attack 'terrorism', says U.S. envoy

ANKARA, Turkey (CNN) -- The shootout outside the U.S. consulate in Istanbul which left six people dead was an "obvious act of terrorism," the U.S. ambassador to Turkey says.
Police and emergency officials at the scene of the attack outside the U.S. consulate in Istanbul.

Police and emergency officials at the scene of the attack outside the U.S. consulate in Istanbul.

Speaking to reporters in the Turkish capital of Ankara, Ross Wilson said he had asked Turkey to implement additional security measures after gunmen Wednesday pulled up in a car and opened fire at a police security checkpoint at the consulate entrance.

"I'm not in a position to speculate on who this is or why they have carried out this action," Wilson said. "But any time there is an attack on diplomatic establishment ... (it) is more or less by definition is an act of terrorism."

"Our countries will stand together to confront this as we have confronted some other problems in the past," he added.

Three police officers and three assailants were killed in the shootout near the U.S. consulate in Istanbul, the city's governor said.

Two other police officers were wounded in the attack. A U.S. consulate official said no American citizens or employees were hurt.

Gunmen pulled up in a white car and opened fire at a police security checkpoint at the outer entrance of the consulate, Istanbul Gov. Muammer Guler told reporters at the scene.

Police fired back, resulting in a three- to five-minute gun battle, Ivan Watson, a journalist with National Public Radio reporting from the scene, told CNN.

Guler said the dead included three police officers and three assailants. Authorities did not immediately know whether the attackers were affiliated with any organization, he said.

Galliani rules out double swoop

AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani says his club are not interested in signing both Emmanuel Adebayor and Ronaldinho.

The pair have been linked with switches to the San Siro this summer, with Galliani claiming Arsenal have sent him a letter saying they are willing to discuss a deal for Adebayor but remaining tight-lipped regarding Barcelona's Ronaldinho.

"Let's be clear about this: Adebayor is the alternative to Ronaldinho and vice-versa," Galliani said in a statement on the club's official website.

"We consider Kaka and (Alexandre) Pato first-team players. Having two players of the calibre of Adebayor and Ronaldinho would create a lot of problems in the dressing room."

Adebayor, who scored 30 goals in 48 games for Arsenal last season, appears to be Galliani's first choice.

"If Adebayor decides to leave Arsenal, we are certainly interested," he said on Tuesday.

"The English club have told us they are available to be contacted to negotiate for the player. This is a step forward, but the road is still long."

Benitez eyes Villa-Torres pairing

As Liverpool look poised to sell Peter Crouch to Portsmouth, Rafael Benitez hopes to bring in David Villa as his replacement.

Benitez made it clear that he will try to sign a replacement striker for Crouch and refused to rule out a possible move for Spanish star David Villa.

He said: "We have Torres, Andriy Voronin, Dirk Kuyt, Ryan Babel and Steven Gerrard, who can play as a second striker.

"But we will try to bring in another option. Villa is a player we know all about and he is on our list. But maybe it will be difficult."

Benitez also hopes to complete the drawn-out saga of Gareth Barry's move from Aston Villa, which the club still hope to have sealed by the weekend.

Whether that will be in time for Liverpool's first pre-season friendly at Tranmere on Saturday is debatable.

But Benitez would wish to have the midfielder on board for the training camp in Switzerland which starts on Sunday and includes three matches before a return to the UK ahead of the trip to play Rangers in Glasgow on July 26.

Blues to reject Inter bid for Lampard

Chelsea will reject Inter Milan's US$15.6million (£7.95million) bid for England international Frank Lampard.

The club are adamant that they will not budge on the sale of the England midfielder despite Inter's first official offer for the player.

Chelsea have made it clear to Inter that they 'will not enter into any discussions' over his transfer.

Inter's official offer arrived hours after new coach Luiz Felipe Scolari insisted that both Lampard and AC Milan target Didier Drogba have a future with him at Chelsea.

Although Lampard's agent issued a statement saying that his client's future remains unresolved, the player himself told Scolari that he is happy to stay at Stamford Bridge for years to come.

Jose Mourinho, now coach at Inter, is desperate to land Lampard but Chelsea are equally determined to hang on to their freescoring midfielder.

Scolari was officially unveiled by Chelsea at Cobham's Hilton Hotel and immediately told Mourinho and the rest of Europe that his top players were staying.

Chelsea had earlier announced that they had rejected an 'approach' for Lampard from Inter Milan and they will now turn down the official offer from the Italians.

"I met Frank Lampard and I spoke to him," said Scolari. "I like him too much as a player and as a person. I asked him if he wanted to stay at Chelsea, not only for this season but for more time.

"He told me after 15 minutes that he wants to stay and he wants to play for Chelsea for many years. I am very happy because I think Chelsea needs Lampard and he likes Chelsea. Now it's a minimum of questions to solve it. I think Lampard is with us for more time than one year."

No Spurs plans for Van

Holland midfielder Rafael van der Vaart has rubbished speculation linking him with a move to Tottenham.

The Hamburg playmaker is a reported target for several clubs across Europe after an impressive season in the Bundesliga, but insists he is likely to remain at the HSV-Arena for the coming campaign.

Van der Vaart told Dutch weekly Sportweek: "The interest has been there for some time already, but they (Tottenham) are not the club I want to go to. Tottenham are not a club I want to swap Hamburg for.

"The chance that I will stay at HSV is really big. As long as no team comes by which makes me immediately excited, I see no reason to leave. And so far none of those clubs have called us."

The 25-year-old revealed though it was likely he would only stay at Hamburg for one more season.

He has a clause in his contract allowing him to leave the club for just US$2 million next summer.

"Next year around this time it will be much easier to make a nice transfer," Van der Vaart added.

Chelsea rule out Lampard talks

Chelsea have told Inter Milan they will not even discuss the possibility of selling England international Frank Lampard.

Reports on Tuesday said the Serie A club, now managed by former Blues boss Jose Mourinho, had made an official bid for the England midfielder.

But Chelsea have strongly denied those claims and insist they "will not enter into any discussions" over the transfer.

The Barclays Premier League and Champions League runners-up have also insisted that no bid was made by the Italians.

The full statement, released via the club's website, www.chelseafc.com, read: "Chelsea Football club can confirm it has received an official approach from Internazionale to discuss the possible transfer of Frank Lampard. Contrary to reports, no financial offer was made.

"Chelsea FC has informed Inter this morning that we will not enter into any discussion regarding the transfer of Frank Lampard."

The 30-year-old's future at Stamford Bridge has been the subject of intense speculation over the summer.

New manager Luiz Felipe Scolari's recent arrival coincided with the signing of attacking midfielder Deco from Barcelona, leading to suggestions that the former West Ham player might be less than integral to his plans.

With Lampard entering the final year of his Blues contract, speculation mounted that Chelsea might be willing to cash in, while it was even reported that he might buy out the last 12 months of his deal, as is permitted under FIFA rules.

And it now appears that Lampard will have to force the issue if he is determined to leave west London as the club dig in their heels.

ESPN STAR gets Arshavin exclusive

ESPN STAR Sports will be talking to Andrei Arshavin's agent Pavel Andreev about the Russian star's future.

ESPN STAR Sports' SportsCenter will be talking with the agent of in-demand Euro 2008 star Andrei Arshavin about his future and the interest he has recieved from some of Europe's major clubs.

Tune in to SportsCenter at 10pm HKT to find out if Arshavin will be lighting up the Premiership or Primera Liga next season.

Hleb hits out at Wenger, Cesc

Alexander Hleb has hit out at manager Arsene Wenger and Cesc Fabregas as he attempts to engineer a move to Barcelona.

The Belarus international has been seemingly on the brink of a move to Serie A or La Liga all summer but has yet to actually leave the Emirates Stadium.

"My view of how I should be playing didn't coincide with the manager's," he is quoted as saying in The Sun.

"I told him last season I wanted to leave and think he was quite upset about it. But ask him. It may turn out he's happy to see me go.

"I don't know where I'll be next season but I'd prefer Barcelona. It is being negotiated and, hopefully, will be decided soon."

Hleb has also branded Fabregas "selfish".

"When we get scoring opportunities, Fabregas is much more selfish than me," he said. "Given a chance to shoot, he always goes for it - unlike me."

Ronaldo to stay but not Queiroz

Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo looks set to stay while assistant coach Carlos Queiroz is poised to depart.
Manchester United are set to receive mixed news about personnel as winger Cristiano Ronaldo looks set to stay while assistant coach Carlos Queiroz is poised to leave to manage Portugal.

Sky Sports News report that while Queiroz has indicated his interest to helm the Portuguese post, he has left Manchester United and the Portuguese Football Federation to thrash out a deal and his appearance at a Portuguese airport has added more fuel to the fire that he is set to depart from Old Trafford.

Carlos Queiroz told Sky Sports: “Manchester United fans are the best fans in the world.”
When quizzed where he expects Ronaldo to play his club football in 2008-09, the Mozambique-born Red Devils assistant said: “I have no doubts he will be at Manchester next season.”

On the Ronaldo saga, Real Madrid official Jose Luis Lopez Serrano attended a conference for European clubs in Switzerland in the place of Ramon Calderon with Red Devils’ director David Gill also present.

Serrano said: “There are no problems with Manchester United, everything is okay between the two clubs… I can say nothing though [regarding progress in a possible Ronaldo transfer] but we always like the best players.”

While not mentioning anything to the press, Sky Sports stated that David Gill revealed off camera that Ronaldo is going nowhere.

The future of Carlos Queiroz, however, looks less rosier.

As most of the Manchester United squad converged for pre-season training, there was a notable absence of Ronaldo who has been given further time off following his exertions for his country at Euro 2008 while Rooney, Ferdinand, and Tevez were all filmed taking part in light training.