Chong Wei tunggu 1 April

Oleh Norzie Mohd. Khasbi
norzie.khasbi@utusan.com.my

Lee Chong Wei bergambar dengan poster Hope & Smile pada sidang media pelancaran dana bagi membantu mangsa gempa bumi dan tsunami Jepun di Kuala Lumpur, semalam.

KUALA LUMPUR - Selepas sering kali diasak oleh pihak media dengan soalan mengenai Datuk Misbun Sidek, jaguh No. 1 dunia, Datuk Lee Chong Wei akhirnya mengakui, dia berharap kemelut antara jurulatihnya dengan Persatuan Badminton Malaysia (BAM) dapat diselesaikan pada 1 April ini.

Tarikh itu adalah hari di mana BAM akan mengadakan mesyuarat majlis dan kedudukan Misbun antara agenda yang mungkin dibincangkan sepanjang pertemuan itu berlangsung.

"Saya baca berita bahawa Misbun akan mengesahkan kedudukannya pada 1 April ini dan saya harap kali ini ia benar-benar dapat diketahui.

"Saya harap beliau dapat menyelesaikan masalahnya dengan BAM segera supaya kami boleh meneruskan latihan seperti biasa. Saya memang perlukan beliau untuk menemani saya menghadapi Sukan Olimpik.

"Namun dengan Olimpik sudah semakin dekat iaitu hanya tinggal satu tahun setengah, jadi saya harap beliau boleh balik segera,'' kata Chong Wei ketika ditemui pada majlis pelancaran Tabung Amal Mangsa Gempa Bumi dan Tsunami Jepun di sini, semalam.

Sehingga hari ini, sudah hampir tiga bulan Misbun meletakkan jawatan sebagai jurulatih perseorangan kebangsaan sejak menghantar surat peletakan jawatan pada 31 Disember lalu atas alasan peribadi.

Dalam tempoh tersebut, sudah empat kejohanan disertai oleh Chong Wei iaitu Siri Super Masters Akhir (Januari), Terbuka Malaysia (Januari), Terbuka Korea (Januari) dan All England bulan ini. Dia berjaya memenangi tiga daripada empat kejohanan tersebut, termasuk mempertahankan kejuaraan All England.

Sepanjang ketiadaan Misbun, latihan jaguh No. 1 dunia itu dipantau oleh Tey Seu Bock dan Rashid Sidek, dan Chong Wei ketika ditanya bagaimana dia meneruskan hari-harinya tanpa Misbun berkata: "Saya okey kerana ada Seu Bock dan Rashid.

"Bagaimanapun ia lebih bagus kalau Misbun ada bersama dan membantu saya untuk menghadapi Sukan Olimpik. Saya juga bakal beraksi pada Kejohanan Dunia (London), Ogos ini dan ia tinggal empat bulan saja lagi."

Presiden BAM, Datuk Seri Nadzmi Mohd. Salleh sebelum ini telah diberi mandat oleh ahli majlis dan exco badan badminton itu untuk membuat keputusan mengenai Misbun dan beliau memutuskan untuk memberi tempoh yang agak panjang kepada jurulatih itu membuat keputusan.

Begitupun, selepas berusaha memujuk dan menyuarakan kesediaan untuk berkompromi dalam beberapa isu, sehingga kini BAM masih buntu dengan pendirian Misbun dalam isu kerana kerana jurulatih itu lebih gemar mengambil sikap membisu.

Situasi tersebut turut membingungkan Chong Wei, namun dia menegaskan untuk tidak membenarkan masalah sekeliling menganggu fokusnya dalam usaha memburu lebih banyak kejuaraan antarabangsa.

"Pada saya jurulatih penting, tetapi saya juga perlu memberi tumpuan kepada latihan dan persiapan untuk menghadapi kejohanan, jadi saya tidak mahu terlalu memikirkan masalah lain,'' akui Chong Wei.

Misbun juga penting - Shabery

KUALA LUMPUR - Isu mengenai bekas jurulatih badminton perseorangan negara, Datuk Misbun Sidek dengan Persatuan Badminton Malaysia (BAM) perlu diselesaikan segera, kata Menteri Belia dan Sukan Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek (gambar).

Menurut beliau, keutamaan untuk meraih pingat emas pada temasya Sukan Olimpik London tahun depan menerusi jaguh badminton negara, Datuk Lee Chong Wei, tidak akan ke mana-mana jika isu berkenaan tidak diselesaikan segera.

"Orang yang diharap dapat merealisasikan peluang itu ialah Chong Wei dan untuk melihat Chong Wei mampu melaksanakannya, perlu lihat semua faktor... diri dia, kesungguhannya, kesihatan, persiapan mental, latihan dan sebagainya.

"Dalam soal latihan... sekiranya Misbun adalah sebagai faktor penting untuk menjadikan beliau (Chong Wei) tahan dan mampu hadapi saingan masa itu, maka Misbun tidak boleh diketepikan," katanya mengulas kenyataan Ketua Pengarah Majlis Sukan Negara (MSN) Datuk Zolkples Embong.

Zolkples dalam laporan sebuah akhbar semalam berkata, keutamaan kini ialah kepada Chong Wei kerana beliau boleh merealisasikan hasrat untuk meraih pingat emas pertama di Sukan Olimpik.

Shabery berkata, pandangan yang diberikannya adalah pandangan peribadi beliau dan bukan bertujuan mengkritik sesiapa.

"Ini adalah pendapat saya dan janganlah bandingkan pendapat saya dengan Datuk Zolkples. Sehingga sekarang, saya berterima kasih kepada Misbun kerana beliau tidak mengganggu Chong Wei.

"Malah Misbun terus beri galakan kepada Chong Wei walaupun beliau secara rasminya bukan lagi sebagai jurulatih Chong Wei," katanya.

Misbun meletakkan jawatan sebagai jurulatih perseorangan pada 31 Disember tahun lepas dan sikap membisu beliau itu menyaksikan kemelut yang berlarutan hampir tiga bulan itu belum menemui titik penyelesaian.

Terdahulu Shabery melancarkan Tabung Kemanusiaan Tsunami anjuran Majlis Belia Malaysia (MBM) dan Kementerian Belia dan Sukan (KBS) di lobi Bangunan Parlimen di sini, semalam. - Bernama

Hunter Mahan splashes out for a share of second, three shots back. — Reuters pic

Levin's bogey-free performance in gusty winds at the Bay Hill course gave him the edge over compatriots Rickie Fowler and Hunter Mahan, who both shot 69.

Tiger Woods, a six-time winner at this event, had four bogeys in a round of 73, failing to hit the fairway once in his opening nine holes.

Woods, who has not won since the Australian Masters in 2009, is looking to hit form ahead of next month's US Masters at Augusta.

Former world No. 1 Phil Mickelson and Britain's Brian Davis and Martin Laird were among a group of 11 players four shots off the pace after shooting rounds of 70.

Levin, who has four top 15 finishes in his last five starts on tour, coped well with a wind that caused plenty of problems for others.

The windy conditions made for some unusually high scoring as only 21 players broke par while 13 were unable to break 80.

"The course is hard anyway and then you throw in a 20-30 miles-per-hour wind and it makes it even more tough," he said.

"I was just hoping for anything around par which would have been a good score but it was a good round, I played solid all day and my putting was really good."

Levin also benefited from some smart short play, chipping in for a birdie on the second and making a 12-footer from the fringe on the sixth.

Those looking for a rising young face to make an impact at Augusta will have been heartened by the performance of the 22-year-old Fowler.

Playing the back nine first, he eagled the par-five 16th before missing key putts at the end as he bogeyed his final two holes.

"I thought I hit two really good par putts but they just didn't want to go in," Fowler, one of the rising talents on the PGA Tour, told reporters.

"But I felt that today was some of the best I've struck all year — I was actually hitting fairways and getting on the green.

"Those putts slipped by but it could have been a really good round versus just a good starting round."

US Open champion Graeme McDowell had a dreadful round, shooting an eight-over-par 80.

A triple bogey on the par-five sixth was the worst moment in a day to forget for the 31-year-old Briton two weeks ahead of the US Masters.

"I haven't been very happy with my game for about four weeks," McDowell said. "This may be the wakeup call I need, you know? So it's a good thing really, a reality check for me." — Reuters

Hero Yuvraj Singh walks off the field as teammate Virat Kohli hugs Suresh Raina in front of Australia's players after their quarter-final match in Ahmedabad, March 24, 2011. — Reuters pic

All-rounder Yuvraj Singh was his nation's hero in the second quarter-final, stroking an unbeaten 57 in the five-wicket victory after the middle order had again thrown away their wickets.

In a country obsessed with one-day cricket, the tie against the team seeking a fourth consecutive trophy had dominated the newspapers and the myriad television news channels all week.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting's struggles with the bat provided an absorbing sub-plot, and the prospect of a semi-final against Pakistan in Mohali for the winners next Wednesday added extra spice to the contest.

Ponting responded with a century of great character and resource in a challenging Australian total of 260 for six, which would have been higher had not India produced their best fielding performance of the tournament.

In response, Sachin Tendulkar eased his way to his 94th one-day half century, amid an incessant din at the Sardar Patel Stadium, as the fans readied themselves for the magical 100th international century that has obsessed a nation.

Tendulkar passed 18,000 runs in one-day cricket but fell for 53, and he now has a maximum two innings remaining if he is to reach the landmark during this tournament.

Vibrant Pakistan

Now India must overcome a vibrant Pakistan side growing daily in confidence and competence under the flamboyant Shahid Afridi.

"However we may say that it's just another game, the reality is that whole country wants us to win," said Yuvraj.

Ponting said the teams were similar in style but gave his backing to India.

"I think India will beat Pakistan in the semi-final," he said.

The identity of the other semi-finalists, who will meet in Colombo next Tuesday, will be decided over the next 48 hours.

South Africa are favoured to beat New Zealand in Dhaka today in conditions that will suit their spinners. The 1996 champions Sri Lanka host England in Colombo tomorrow.

England announced yesterday that they had lost all-rounder Michael Yardy, who has flown home after suffering from depression. He will be replaced by the Yorkshire leg-spinning all-rounder Adil Rashid, who represented his country in the 2009 Twenty20 World Cup. — Reuters

WE FEEL PRETTY: Tennis stars Caroline Wozniacki (left) and Victoria Azarenka (right) seen with celebrity make-up artist Jonas Wramell at the players' welcome party yesterday

Clijsters told Belgian media yesterday that she wouldn't go to the WTA tournament in Tokyo in September nor to one in Beijing the following month.

The WTA released a statement from Clijsters this morning.

"Most importantly, my thoughts and sympathies are with the people in Japan," she said in the statement.

"It's heart-wrenching to see what they're going through right now. Of course the health and safety of anyone traveling to a potentially impacted area is my top priority as well as the WTA's, and I know that the WTA will continue to monitor the situation."

Radiation has seeped into vegetables, raw milk, the water supply and seawater since a magnitude-9 quake and tsunami hit the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant nearly two weeks ago.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said last week that the radiation was unlikely to spread internationally.

During an interview yesterday, Clijsters expressed sympathy for what Japan is going through.

However, she never mentioned in that interview feeling uncomfortable about traveling to the region.

"It's obviously very tough to sit here, especially when it just happened and we were in Indian Wells following everything on the news, and I'm sitting here playing tennis and those people are struggling to stay alive," Clijsters said.

"You're very worried and you feel very sad for the people and you cannot imagine what they're feeling and going through.

"I spoke to (my former doubles partner) Ai Sugiyama and was asking her if she was OK," Clijsters added.

Japanese player Kimiko Date- Krumm, 40, who won her first round match this morning at the US$9 million (RM27.3m) WTA and ATP Masters Miami, admits she's still shocked by what took place in Japan.

Date-Krumm's family is safe and she's started a relief fund to assist victims of the disaster.

Date-Krumm understands Clijsters' anxiety about going to Japan. She's hoping her country will be able to host the event.

"We still have time and, hopefully, we can fix everything and everybody can come to Japan," Date-Krumm said.

"First safety. If it's still not safe I can't push. But if it's 100 per cent safe I hope everybody will come and help Japan."

RESULTS

This morning
Men's first round
Ivan Dodig (CRO) bt Andrei Golubev (KAZ) 6-7 (7/9), 6-4, 6-0; Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) bt Jarkko Nieminen (FIN) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2; Kevin Anderson (RSA) bt Nikolay Davydenko (RUS) 6-4, 6-3; Pablo Andujar (ESP) bt Bernard Tomic (AUS) 6-4, 3-6, 7-5; Julien Benneteau (FRA) bt Daniel Gimeno-Traver (ESP) 6-4, 6-3; Marcel
Granollers (ESP) bt Benjamin Becker (GER) 6-4, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4; Paolo Lorenzi (ITA) bt Ivan Ljubicic (CRO) 7-6 (9/7), 6-1; Somdev Devvarman (IND) bt Potito Starace (ITA) 6-2, 6-4; Xavier Malisse (BEL) bt Ryan Sweeting (USA) 7-6 (7/3), 6-4; Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG) bt Ricardo Mello (BRA) 6-4, 6-4; Alex Bogomolov (USA) bt Victor Hanescu (ROM) 6-3, 4-6, 7-5; Igor Andreev (RUS) bt Santiago Giraldo (COL) 6-1, 2-6, 6-1; Marsel Ilhan
(TUR) bt Tobias Kamke (GER) 6-2, 6-1; Denis Istomin (UZB) bt Donald Young (USA) 6-4, 6-3; Igor Kunitsyn (RUS) bt Robert Kendrick (USA) 5-4, retired; James Blake (USA) bt Michael Russell (USA) 3-6, 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (7-3)

Women's first round
Peng Shuai (CHN) bt Greta Arn (HUN) 6-1, 6-2; Bethanie Mattek-Sands (US) bt Sofia Arvidsson (SWE) 6-1, 6-4; Chanelle Scheepers (RSA) bt Polona Hercog (SLO) 5-7, 7-5, 6-2; Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) bt Sara Errani (ITA) 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7/5); Varvara Lepchenko (USA) bt Coco Vandeweghe (USA) 6-2, 6-3; Jamie Hampton (USA)
bt Ajla Tomljanovic (CRO) 3-6, 7-5, 6-0; Elena Vesnina (RUS) bt Gisela Dulko (ARG) 6-1, 6-3; Kimiko Date-Krummm (JPN) bt Zuzana Ondraskova (CZE) 6-4, 6-3; Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) bt Ksenia Pervak (RUS) 6-1, 6-2; Angelique Kerber (GER) bt Edina Gallovits (ROM) 6-4, 6-4; Sania Mirza (IND) bt Arantxa Parra (ESP) 6-2, 6-4; Timea Bacsinszky (SWI) bt Vesna Manasieva (RUS) 6-3, 6-2; Agnes Szavay (HUN) bt Shuai Zhang (CHN) 2-6, 6-3, 6-2; Virginie Razzano (FRA) bt Alize Cornet (FRA) 6-3, 6-1; Anna Tatishvili (GEO) bt Olga Govortsova (BLR) 6-3, 5-7, 6-3; Anastasiya Yakimova (BLR) bt Alla Kudryavtseva (RUS) 6-3, 6-1; Lourdes Dominguez (ESP) bt Arantxa Rus (NED) 6-4, 6-7 (7/9), 6-4; Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (CZE) bt Sloane Stephens (USA) 6-4, 6-2; Dinara Safina (RUS) bt Jelena Dokic (AUS) 6-4, 6-4; Lucie Hradecka (CZE) bt Chan Yung-jan (TPE) 7-5, 7-5

ORLANDO (Florida): British world No 15 Ian Poulter will have an antihistamine injection before heading to next month's US Masters in a bid to help control a series of allergies.

Poulter, who underwent tests this month that revealed he was allergic to almost all types of grass and trees, said he has suffered from hay fever for as long as he can remember.

"I just wanted really to find out and do the tests to see if there is anything I can take or anything I can do to not be as affected as much as I am," Poulter said this morning ahead of this week's Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.

"I'm probably going to have a kind of anti-histamine injection before I get to Augusta for the Masters next month just to hopefully kick that in, because it's especially bad there."

Poulter also said he will take a serum orally over a number of months to help build up his immune system.

Hay fever has been something Poulter, 35, has had to deal with throughout his career, particularly at the heavily-wooded Augusta National course.

"Augusta National has very strong pollen. The pine is very, very strong. You see it on the car when you come out. If you play in the morning and you come out in the morning, the whole windscreen is covered in pollen," said Poulter.

"Wearing sunglasses for me is a huge plus when it is very, very strong like that, because if it's all over the windscreen and you're not wearing glasses, it's going to be in your eyes. So they have definitely helped. But I still get affected, so I take eyedrops and tablets."

Poulter used to wear contact lenses, which added to his eye problems, but he underwent laser surgery three years ago.

Meanwhile, Tiger Woods says he is missing his late father's input into his game but has returned to his methods in a bid to sharpen up his putting.

Woods, without a win since the Australian Masters in November 2009, used to count putting as one of the strongest points of a game which has brought him 14 Major titles but his reliability on the green has faded of late.

So the former world No 1 says he has been revisiting the lessons learned from his father Earl, who died in 2006.

"I went back to all of my old stuff that my dad and I used to work on and that's when I felt that my stroke started becoming more sound, more solid, my speed became better," Woods said.

"My dad really knew my stroke. And I miss him for a lot more reasons than just the putting, but as far as bouncing ideas off of him and what I was feeling and what he would say, I do miss that, certainly."

Woods said it is helpful that his father's suggestions for his putting release have the same fundamentals as what he is working on now in other parts of his game with Canadian swing coach Sean Foley.

"It's exactly the same. What Foley is trying to get me to do with my full swing and how he wants me to release it (is) how I used to release my putter. That's one of the reasons why I've gone back to my old stuff that my dad and I used to work on, and it feels natural, because I've done it for so long. I just got away from it and now I'm going back to it."

Woods, who plays the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill this week before going into full preparation for next month's US Masters, said his lack of consistency in putting dates back further than his recent troubles.

The Masters runs from April 7-10.

Michael Schumacher. (ANTARA/REUTERS)

Berita Terkait

Hal itu dia ungkapkan dalam sebuah jumpa pers yang diadakan di sebuah restoran mewah di tepi pantai Melbourne, Kamis, tiga hari menjelang berlangsungnya balapan pembuka Grand Prix Formula Satu musim ini di Australia.

"Mercedes telah melakukan pekerjaan luar biasa tahun ini dan mereka telah berhasil melakukan terobosan besar dengan mobil barunya yang sangat berorientasi pada performa, dan itu telah menampakkan hasilnya," kata Schumacher yang berhasil mencetak waktu tercepat pada sesi akhir tes pra-musim di Barcelona, setelah sebelumnya harus selalu berjuang dengan mobil yang terlihat lamban dan selalu didera masalah realibilitas.

"Saya rasa tahun ini target kami adalah bertarung untuk naik podium, dan itu adalah kemungkinan hasil yang paling realistis yang dapat kami capai. Namun apabila semuanya berjalan sangat lancar maka memenangi sebuah balapan juga adalah sesuatu yang mungkin dapat kami raih," kata warga negara Jerman ini.

"Lalu apakah hal ini berarti kami bisa berada dalam suatu posisi untuk mampu bertarung memperebutkan juara dunia? Saya rasa jawabannya belum... namun jika ternyata ada kesempatan untuk itu, maka tentunya kami akan mencobanya," katanya realistis.

"Saya pikir kami harus melihat kemungkinan itu selangkah demi selangkah, bagaimana hasil kami tahun lalu, sejauh mana yang bisa kami raih tahun ini, dan berjuang untuk itu secara realistis, bukan dengan cara yang tidak realistis," tambahnya.

Schumacher kembali ke arena F1 bersama Mercedes musim lalu setelah tiga tahun pensiun setelah malang melintang selama 11 tahun bersama Ferrari, tetapi "comeback"nya itu berakhir tanpa sekalipun naik podium.

Pria berusia 42 tahun itu mengatakan bahwa dia merasa Mercedes mungkin hanya mampu bersaing memperebutkan tempat kedua dibelakang Red Bull, yang bersama juara dunia Sebastian Vettel berhasil menjadi juara dunia kategori konstruktor tahun lalu.

"Menurut saya kami mungkin hanya bisa ikut bertarung dengan tim-tim lain selain Red Bull untuk memperebutkan posisi ke dua... Ferrari, Renault-Lotus, Williams terlihat hebat, McLaren juga, saya perkirakan mereka akan tampil lebih kuat dari apa yang mereka tunjukkan sewaktu sesi tes kemarin," analisa Schumacher, yang dalam pertandingan nanti sedang mengincar kemenangan kelimanya di Albert Park.

"Saya dapat merasakan bahwa kami memiliki peluang yang baik untuk dapat bertarung pada posisi itu, menjadi yang tercepat kedua," ungkapnya.

"Akhir minggu ini adalah pembuktiannya dan saat itu merupakan kesempatan yang baik untuk melihat seberapa jauh hasil semua persiapan kami... Namun demikian, kami tidak boleh terlalu berharap muluk-muluk, cukup melihat kenyataan, dan salah satunya adalah memasang target untuk mengalahkan Red Bull," ujarnya diplomatis.

Schumacher hanya menduduki tempat kesembilan tahun lalu, yang merupakan hasil terburuk yang pernah dicetaknya semenjak finish pada posisi ke-12 pada 1991 sewaktu turun hanya dalam enam balapan bersama Jordan dan Benetton.

Selain itu hampir dalam setiap balapan dia selalu berhasil dikalahkan oleh rekan setimnya yang lebih muda dan yang juga berasal dari Jerman Nico Rosberg, yang akhirnya menduduki tempat ketujuh dalam klasemen akhir pembalap dengan poin hampir dua kali lebih banyak.

Schumacher, salah satu dari lima juara dunia pada lintasan F1 tahun ini, mengatakan bahwa dengan tidak mengenyampingkan faktor Rosberg, targetnya meraih juara dunia lagi tidak pernah berubah, meskipun hal itu mungkin tidak dapat diraihnya tahun ini.

"Tidak dapat disangkal lagi bahwa Nico telah berhasil membuktikan dirinya (lebih baik dari saya) tahun lalu. Jadi tahun ini akan menjadi tahun yang lebih sulit bagi saya. Namun itu menjadi salah satu faktor pendorong tersendiri bagi saya dan saya masih sangat yakin mampu mengimbanginya musim ini," katanya.

"Yang paling penting adalah bagaimana bertarung menjadi juara dunia pada saat kami telah siap untuk itu," tandasnya.

"Naik ke podium tentu akan sangat menyenangkan, tetapi apakah hal itu benar-benar dapat merubah segalanya? tentu tidak ... Apakah kami telah siap untuk itu sekarang? Belum. Tetapi apakah kami dapat memenangi satu atau beberapa balapan? Mungkin saja," ulasnya.

"Sekarang pertanyaannya apakah semua itu telah memuaskan saya? Jawabannya tentu saja iya... semua perkembangan ini memang telah membuat saya puas! Saya sedang sangat bersemangat tentang semua ini, tak ada keraguan lagi. Dan semuanya pada akhirnya akan bermuara pada sebuah kemenangan cepat atau lambat," kata Schumacher menutup wawancara. (*)

(H-OKS/A020)

Editor: Ruslan Burhani
COPYRIGHT © 2011

Ikuti berita terkini di handphone anda di m.antaranews.com

Klasemen (main, menang, seri, kalah, selisih gol, poin):

• 1 PERSIPURA 17 12 3 2 46-12 39
• 2 PERSIJA 17 10 2 5 29-17 32
• 3 SEMEN PADANG 18 8 8 2 26-19 32
• 4 PERSISAM 18 9 2 7 22-23 29
• 5 AREMA INDONESIA 17 7 6 4 26-16 27
• 6 SRIWIJAYA FC 18 8 3 7 27-23 27
• 7 PERSIWA 18 8 3 7 26-30 27
• 8 DELTRAS 16 7 1 8 25-25 22
• 9 PERSIB 18 6 4 8 27-33 22
• 10 PSPS 15 6 3 6 21-21 21
• 11 PERSIBA BALIKPAPAN 17 5 5 7 21-27 20
• 12 PERSELA 16 5 4 7 16-21 19
• 13 PERSIJAP 17 5 2 10 19-35 17
• 14 PELITA JAYA 17 4 1 12 16-24 13
• 15 BONTANG FC 17 3 3 11 20-41 12

Persijap vs PSPS

Bontang FC vs Pelita Jaya

Jadwal Minggu (27/3):

Persib vs Persipura

Arema vs Sriwijaya FC.(*)
(T.T009/I015)

Editor: Ruslan Burhani
COPYRIGHT © 2011

Ikuti berita terkini di handphone anda di m.antaranews.com

KEY BISCAYNE, Florida (AP) - Kim Clijsters is planning to avoid Japan over radiation fears since an earthquake and tsunami crippled a nuclear plant there.

Clijsters told Belgian media on Tuesday that she wouldn't go to the WTA tournament in Tokyo in September nor to one in Beijing the following month. The WTA released a statement from Clijsters on Wednesday.

"Most importantly, my thoughts and sympathies are with the people in Japan," she said in the statement. "It's heart-wrenching to see what they're going through right now. Of course the health and safety of anyone traveling to a potentially impacted area is my top priority as well as the WTA's, and I know that the WTA will continue to monitor the situation."

Radiation has seeped into vegetables, raw milk, the water supply and seawater since a magnitude-9 quake and tsunami hit the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant nearly two weeks ago.

The World Health Organization said last week that the radiation was unlikely to spread internationally.

During an interview in English on Tuesday, Clijsters expressed sympathy for what Japan is going through. However, she never mentioned in that interview feeling uncomfortable about traveling to the region.

"It's obviously very tough to sit here, especially when it just happened and we were in Indian Wells following everything on the news, and I'm sitting here playing tennis and those people are struggling to stay alive," Clijsters said. "You're very worried and you feel very sad for the people and you cannot imagine what they're feeling and going through.

"I spoke to (my former doubles partner) Ai Sugiyama and was asking her if she was OK," Clijsters added.

Japanese player Kimiko Date-Krumm, 40, who won her first round match on Wednesday at the Sony Ericsson Open, admits she's still shocked by what took place in Japan. Date-Krumm's family is safe and she's started a relief fund to assist victims of the disaster.

Date-Krumm understands Clijsters' anxiety about going to Japan. She's hoping her country will be able to host the event.

"We still have time and, hopefully, we can fix everything and everybody can come to Japan," Date-Krumm said. "First safety. If it's still not safe I can't push. But if it's 100 percent safe I hope everybody will come and help Japan."

Roger Federer and Andy Roddick said Wednesday that they haven't given any thought to whether they will play in the Tokyo event in October.

Federer said, "It hasn't even crossed my mind yet. I will only think about that when the situation is right in front of me. But we'll get the green light or not from someone else. At the end of the day you always have to take your own decision, but I don't think it's going to be a problem by then, to be honest."

Roddick said: "I would say it's a long ways away for me. Obviously, if it's deemed safe, I'll go."

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - New Formula One tire supplier Pirelli believes the introduction of faster-wearing tires to the sport should make strategy and tactics a major factor in deciding Sunday's season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has directed Pirelli - which replaces Bridgestone as the official F1 tire manufacturer from this season after a 20-year absence - to create a compound that will force two to three pit stops per race and create the tire degradation that will result in cars traveling at different speeds and therefore fostering more overtaking.

Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery told The AP on Thursday that the Italian manufacturer has clear instructions to reintroduce some "movement and spectacle" to the sport.

While faster-wearing tires had been met with a mixed response from drivers and teams, Hembery said they had the potential to take F1 back to the years when a good strategy had the ability to beat a good car.

"It would be fantastic for the sport if maybe some of the teams not normally in the top four come up with a strategy that allows them to get on the podium, and maybe cause a mini upset," he said.

"People in the last few years have forgotten that strategy was an integral part of the sport," he added. "If you take the example of Michael Schumacher and Ross Brawn (at Ferrari), they were the experts almost at race strategy, and won many a race because of a good call and coming in for either a fuel stop or tire change, and those are factors that will become important again."

Teams tried the new tires during preseason testing, and opinions ranged from world champion Sebastian Vettel's prediction they will add excitement to the race, to that of his Red Bull team owner Dietrich Mateschitz who described them as a "catastrophe."

While the durability of Bridgestone's tires - even the soft compounds were capable of doing an entire race - had reduced the role of tire strategy, some critics had said the new Pirelli rubber had lurched in the other direction to where it may be too important.

"Clearly change is often something that causes people to maybe get excited, but at the end of the day what we've said to them is 'look everybody has the same, somebody on Sunday will be on top of the podium as the first winner on Pirelli tires in 20 years, drinking champagne and very happy.' So they have to be sure they're the ones," Hembery said.

What makes this year different to the Schumacher-Brawn era at Ferrari is the absence of refueling, which makes the number and timing of pit stops entirely about tire strategy.

Hembery said teams preparing for Sunday's race will decide between a two-stop or perhaps a three-stop strategy. They will also need to decide whether to spend more time on the softer 'option' tire or the harder 'prime' tire for longer - "balancing absolute performance with the ability to stay on the track longer."

"They're also going to have to understand the evolution of the track over the weekend, which is something that is an unknown for most of them because testing was done in very cold weather and with relatively small numbers of cars," he said.

Melbourne's Albert Park track - which hosts the season-opening race after the Bahrain GP was canceled due to civil unrest - was not Pirelli's ideal first race back in F1.

"We would have liked to have gone to Bahrain to be perfectly honest," Hembery said. "We've done a lot of testing there and have a lot of data, and it's a very good representative circuit for a tire maker in the sense that it can be hot but it can also be very abrasive.

"Melbourne brings a lot of factors. The conditions can change rapidly here. It's an event where you could have 20 degrees (Celsius; 68 degrees Fahrenheit) and rain, up to almost 40 degrees (104 degrees Fahrenheit) track temperature. It's very challenging from that point of view."

Melbourne is forecast to have cool and cloudy weather over the race weekend, with the chance of occasional showers.

PEKANBARU - Meski sempat dikabarkan bahwa acara Kongres PSSI yang digelar Pekanbaru, Riau, batal karena tidak mendapatkan izin. Akhirnya PSSI mengaku telah mendapat restu dari Mabes Pori untuk menggelar kongres untuk memilih Komite Pemilihan dan Komite Banding 26 Meret Mendatang.
 
Untuk membuktikan telah mendapatkan izin, PSSI pun menunjukan salinan surat dari Markas Besar Pori di Trunojoyo 3 dengan nomor STTP/Yanmas/86/2011/Baintelkam yang diterima mereka malam ini.
 
"Kongres PSSi tetap diadakan di Pekanbaru tepatnya di Hotel Primier pada 26 Maret. Kita telah mendapatkan izin penyelengaraannya," kata Sekjen PSSI Nugraha Besoes dalam jumpa pers di Pekanbaru, Kamis (24/3/2011).
 
Dalam kongres nanti, Nugraha kembali menegaskan bahwa acara tersebut bukanlah acara untuk memilih Ketum PSSI melainkan agenda untuk membentuk Komite Pemilihan dan Komite Banding yang bertugas untuk mensukseskan Pemilihan Ketum baru.
 
Menurut dia, selain dari anggota PSSI yang berjumlah 100 suara, acara pada akhir pekan nanti juga akan dihadiri oleh Asosiasi Sepakbola Asia (AFC) dan perwakilan dari FIFA.
 
Namun dimanakah acara pucak pemilihan Ketum akan berlangsung, Nugraha masih belum mau mengungkapkannya " Biar menjadi tebak-tebak saja" imbuhnya lagi.
 
Dikomfirmasi terpisah, sebelumnya Kabid Humas Polda Riau AKBP S Pandiangan mengatakan belum bisa memberi izin acara PSSI, karena belum mendapat restu dari Mabes Polri.
 
Sementara di tadi siang puluhan masiswa Riau mengelar aksi demo menolak kongres diadakan di Pekanbaru sekaligus menolak pencalonan Nurdin Halid kembali sebagai Ketum.
(wei)

VILLARREAL – Juventus terus memburu pemain anyar demi memperbaiki penampilan tim yang beberapa musim terakhir merosot. Striker Villarreal Giuseppe Rossi kabarnya masuk dalam daftar incaran.
 
Sejumlah media memang mengabarkan seputar rencana Rossi kembali berkarier di Italia. Banyak klub yang bersedia menampung jasa Rossi jika benar memutuskan meninggalkan Kapal Selam Kuning.
 
Diakui agen Rossi, Federico Pastorello, Juventus 'melamar' Rossi untuk dipinang pada bursa transfer musim panas mendatang.
 
"Juve sudah menyuarakan niatnya, ini biasa untuk klub besar dalam periode seperti ini," tandas Pastorello.
 
"Sebelumnya juga ada tawaran, lebih diutamakan sebagai pemain pinjaman dengan opsi mempermanenkan status tapi Villarreal menolak. Tapi setelah itu ada beberapa hal berubah," lanjutnya.
 
Selain Juventus, beberapa klub Premier League juga berniat memboyong mantan punggawa Manchester United. Tottenham Hotspur diberitakan siap merogoh kocek 30 juta euro demi memuluskan transfer Rossi.
 
"Bukan hanya itu. Saya juga merujuk pada ledakan di pemain. Adalah hal normal proyek ambisius Juventus bisa bersatu dengan baik dengan Rossi. Dia pemain muda dengan talenta luar biasa dan memiliki mental juara," beber Pastorello.
 
"Jika Rossi merupakan pilihan utama Juventus atau bukan, hanya dewan klub yang tahu," pungkas Pastorello, dilansir Football-Italia, Jumat (25/3/2011).
(wei)

Jumat, 25/03/2011 01:18 WIB

Schalke Akui Neuer Diincar MU
Andi Abdullah Sururi - detiksport

Adalah presiden Schalke sendiri yang mengatakan bahwa ada pendekatan terhadap pihaknya terhadap Neuer, terhubung nama Manchester United.

"Sebuah agen internasional telah mendekati saya dan memberitahu bahwa MU tertarik pada Neuer. Kalau kami mendapat permintaan tertulis dari Manchester, kami akan mempelajarinya," demikian Clemens Tonnies kepada harian Bild yang dilansir AFP, Kamis (24/3/2011).

Ini bukan kali pertama Neuer diisukan diincar Red Devils. Sejak tampil gemilang di Piala Dunia 2010, ia menjadi kandidat utama MU untuk menggantikan Edwin van der Sar yang akan gantung sepatu di akhir musim ini.

Neuer, yang pada 27 Maret ini akan genap berusia 25 tahun, kontraknya di Schalke akan berakhir tahun depan. Ia juga pernah digosipkan menjadi target perburuan Bayern Munich.

"Buat saya Manuel Neuer adalah kiper terbaik dunia. Kala dia bisa dibeli, Anda harus menggaet dia," cetus mantan presiden Bayern, Franz Beckenbauer, minggu lalu.

( a2s / nar )

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Jumat, 25/03/2011 01:17 WIB

'Bale Bukan Pemain yang Rapuh'
Mohammad Resha Pratama - detiksport

Bale harus menunda keinginannya memperkuat Wales dalam laga kontra Inggris akhir pekan besok karena cedera pada hamstringnya, saat mengikuti latihan tim Selasa kemarin

Alhasil ia pun harus istirahat selama 10 hari dan kemungkinan bisa tampil saat Tottenham Hotspur menghadapi Real Madrid di leg I perempatfinal Liga Champions 5 April mendatang.

Padahal Bale baru saja kembali di tiga laga bersama Spurs setelah sebulan lebih berada di ruang perawatan akibat punggungnya bermasalah. Hal ini kemudian menimbulkan anggapan jika Bale mudah cedera.

Namun hal ini dibantah langsung oleh manajer timnas Wales Gary Speed yang menilai Bale mempunyai fisik yang kuat dan tak rentan akan akan masalah cedera. Terbukti jika Bale musim ini selalu jadi pilihan utama Harry Redknapp dan sudah bermain di 31 laga musim ini serta mencetak 11 gol.

"Saya pikir dia bukan pemain yang gampang cedera. Rekor bermainnya musim ini yaitu 30 laga dan caranya bermain, dia sangat eksplosif. Masih banyak waktu tersisa di musim ini ketika ia memang butuh istirahat," ujar Speed di Sky Sports.

"Saya yakin dia bisa bermain pekan depan. Saya yakin dia hanya harus absen 10 hari karena cederanya," simpul Speed.

( mrp / a2s )

MMS eksklusif dari Old Trafford, Mau?? ketik Reg REDVIEW kirim ke 333 (khusus pelanggan tri) www.tri.co.id/MU

Dapatkan info Bola harian dari HP-mu. ketik REG DB kirim ke 3845. cuma Rp.2000/minggu (khusus pelanggan Telkomsel)

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JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com — Kubu Arifin Panigoro dan George Toisutta mengaku tidak gentar dengan upaya-upaya PSSI mempertahankan status quo. Mereka berjanji akan berjalan sesuai aturan demi kemajuan induk sepak bola tertinggi di Indonesia itu.

Upaya pelanggengan mempertahankan status quo mulai diendus sejumlah kalangan. Hal itu mulai dari terlambatnya undangan, "akal-akalan" peraturan organisasi, dan adanya perubahan pemilik suara.

"Saya dan Pak Arifin serta KPPN (Komite Penyelamatan Persepakbolaan Nasional) punya satu tekad yang sama. Kami akan berjalan pada aturan. Bangsa ini akan maju manakala kami taat aturan. Kami akan berjalan pada aturan," tegas Toisutta saat ditemui wartawan dalam rapat konsolidasi KPPN di Hotel Gran Melia, Kamis (24/3/2011).

Toisutta pun mengaku yakin bahwa PSSI tidak akan membuat sesuatu di luar aturan. "Silakan buat aturan apa saja. Dikatakan secara terbuka manakala ada yang bertentangan dengan Statuta PSSI, yang harus diikuti Statuta FIFA. Jadi apa pun silakan. Teman-teman saya di PSSI sekarang ini cerdas, juga tidak akan membuat sesuatu di luar aturan. Mereka akan fair play," papar KSAD TNI tersebut.

Toisutta dan Arifin kembali menegaskan kesiapannya untuk maju dalam pertarungan kursi Ketua Umum dan Wakil Ketua Umum PSSI periode 2011-2015. Namun, saat disinggung mengenai visi-misi kedua pasangan tersebut, Toisutta enggan membeberkannya. "Itu nanti saja," jawabnya singkat.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Pengamat sepak bola, Edi Elison, menyatakan bahwa PSSI telah melanggar Electoral Code dalam membuat peraturan organisasi (PO). Maka, anggota PSSI yang memiliki suara bisa mengubah draft PO untuk pelaksanaan kongres pembentukan Komite Pemilihan.

"Kalau menjadi kesepakatan para anggota pemilik suara di kongres pada 26 Maret mendatang maka draft PO itu dapat saja diubah sesuai aturan yang berlaku," kata Edi di Jakarta, Rabu (23/3/2011), menyusul banyaknya anggota PSSI yang belum menerima PO soal pembentukan Komite Pemilihan, yang terdiri atas Komisi Pemilihan dan Komisi Banding, serta kongres untuk pemilihan Exco PSSI periode 2011-2015.

Menurut Edi, belum diterimanya PO oleh anggota dari PSSI menjelang Kongres 26 Maret itu adalah satu pelanggaran. "Apalagi ada anggota belum menerima undangan untuk kongres. Saya kira, Kongres PSSI harusnya ditunda karena terjadi banyak pelanggaran," kata Edi yang juga pengurus PSSI di era Agum Gumelar.

Menurut dia, mereka (PSSI) membuat peraturan yang melanggar Electoral Code. "Masa untuk calon anggota Komite Pemilihan harus didukung lima suara, padahal dapat saja diusulkan dari satu anggota," katanya.

Kongres PSSI akan digelar dalam dua tahap. Sebelum menggelar kongres pemilihan ketua umum pada 29 April, PSSI terlebih dahulu akan menggelar kongres untuk membentuk Komite Pemilihan dan Komite Banding di Pekanbaru, Riau, Sabtu (26/3/2011).

Hal senada juga disampaikan Ketua Komite Penyelamat Persepakbolaan Nasional (KPPN), Syahrial Darmapolii, yang menilai PSSI telah melakukan pelanggaran jelang Kongres Pemilihan Komite Pemilihan dan Komite Banding di Pekanbaru, Riau, pada 26 Maret mendatang.

"Pelanggaran-pelanggaran PSSI di antaranya adalah keterlambatan mengirimkan undangan kongres, serta keterlambatan mengirimkan peraturan organisasi yang akan menjadi acuan Kongres Pemilihan Komite Pemilihan dan Komite Banding serta Kongres Pemilihan Komite Eksekutif," katanya.

Menurut Syahrial, Pemerintah berwenang menjatuhkan sanksi kepada PSSI, mengingat sebelumnya Menpora Andi Mallarangeng telah menegaskan akan mengawal jalannya kongres PSSI.

"Dari 84 anggota KPPN baru separuh yang menerima undangan untuk kongres. Kami akan berkumpul kembali untuk membahas persoalan ini. Kami dalam hal ini akan kembali bertemu Menpora," katanya.

Ia berharap Menpora dapat memberikan tindakan tegas seandainya PSSI menjalankan langkah-langkah yang tidak sesuai dengan aturan yang berlaku.

Sedangkan Sekjen PSSI Nugraha Besoes mengatakan, draft PO yang dibuat PSSI sebagai landasan menjalankan Kongres Pembentukan Komite Pemilihan dan Komite Banding (26 Maret 2011) serta Kongres Pemilihan Ketua Umum PSSI (29 April 2011) telah diketahui FIFA.

"Kami sudah dapat tanggapan dari FIFA. Kongres jalan terus dan tidak ada masalah," kata Nugraha. (ANT)

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