BUENOS AIRES: An Argentine lawmaker on Wednesday suggested erecting a statue to football coach Diego Maradona in the capital Buenos Aires as he sponsored a bill to honour one of the country`s most famous sons.Maradona, who will be 50 later this year, still has great public cachet in his

PALMA DE MAJORCA: A German man suspected of shooting two Italians in a pub in Hanover after a row about the World Cup has surrendered to authorities on the Spanish island of Majorca, police said Wednesday.A police spokeswoman said the man, a 42-year-old identified only as Holger B., had

DURBAN: Spain headed into their World Cup semi-final with Germany here on Wednesday having been warned they would have to overcome a much stronger side than the one they beat in the Euro 2008 final.German striker Lukas Podolski has spoken of his desire to avenge the defeat by the

LONDON: Germany`s time has come to win the World Cup for the fourth time claimed injured captain Michael Ballack in his column for The Times on Wednesday.The 33-year-old - who was ruled out of the World Cup after suffering an ankle injury in Chelsea`s 1-0 FA Cup final win over Portsmouth

DURBAN: Spain headed into their World Cup semi-final with Germany here on Wednesday having been warned they would have to overcome a much stronger side than the one they beat in the Euro 2008 final.German striker Lukas Podolski has spoken of his desire to avenge the defeat by the

POLOKWANE: The stadium in Polokwane, inspired by Africa`s ancient baobab trees, stands idle after its last World Cup match nearly two weeks ago. Now this and other cities wonder: What`s next? At Polokwane`s 1.3-billion-rand (168-million-dollar, 134-million-euro) Peter Mokaba Stadium, a

CAPE TOWN: Elated Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk fulfilled a 32-year dream on Tuesday by steering his team into the World Cup final for the first time since 1978.It was a long time coming but Van Marwijk said the wait was worth it."Of course I am very, very happy and proud that such a small

CAPE TOWN, July 6, 2010 (AFP) - Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez praised his players on Tuesday, saying their narrow World Cup semi-final defeat to the Netherlands proved they could can mix it with football`s powerhouses.The tiny South American nation, sandwiched between Brazil and Argentina,

BIRMINGHAM: Australia`s Michael Clarke paid tribute to Muttiah Muralitharan after the prolific bowler announced on Tuesday his intention to retire from Test cricket, saying the Sri Lanka off-spinner was an "amazing player".A Sri Lanka Cricket statement issued earlier Tuesday said the

BIRMINGHAM, July 6, 2010 (AFP) - Teenage quick Mohammad Aamer took three wickets as Pakistan beat Australia by 11 runs in the second Twenty20 international at Edgbaston here on Tuesday to complete a 2-0 series win.Australia, chasing 163 to win, were dismissed for 151 with 18-year-old

JOHANNESBURG: Despite still searching for top form, the Netherlands booked a place in their first World Cup final since 1978 by edging Uruguay 3-2 in their semi-final in Cape Town on Tuesday.They can now make history by lifting football`s ultimate prize for the first time if they beat

AMSTERDAM: Around 50,000 Dutch fans erupted in a single joyful roar Tuesday as they watched their team qualify for the World Cup final on what was claimed to be Europe`s largest loose-standing TV screen.As the final whistle blew in Cape Town, supporters jumped for joy, punched the air and

CAPE TOWN: Uruguay`s 60-year wait for another World Cup final appearance will continue for at least another four years after they lost 3-2 to the Dutch in Tuesday`s semi-final.Having won both the 1930 and 1950 World Cup finals, Uruguay were carrying the flag for South America alone after

CAPE TOWN: The Netherlands stormed into their first World Cup final since 1978 on Tuesday, beating Uruguay 3-2 to set up a title clash against either Germany or Spain.Two goals inside three second-half minutes, from Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben, steered the Dutch into the decider and

DURBAN: Germany and Spain both claim they have not been practising penalties ahead of their World Cup semi-final on Wednesday."You can`t plan for penalties, every coach would want to win over 90 minutes or 120 minutes and wouldn`t want the stress of penalties," said Germany coach Joachim

DURBAN: Lukas Podolski has billed the World Cup semi-final against Spain as a perfect opportunity for Germany to avenge their Euro 2008 final defeat by the Spaniards.Fernando Torres`s strike gave Spain a 1-0 win in the final in Vienna two years ago and Podolski, one of the German veterans

LONDON: Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Tuesday that despite their defeat in the dramatic World Cup quarter-final against Uruguay, Ghana were the true winners.In a letter to the Ghana team, Annan, a Ghanaian himself, said his reaction at the end of the match on Friday when the

CAPE TOWN: Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez made six changes to his side for their World Cup semi-final against the Netherlands on Tuesday as the South Americans look to make their first final in 60 years.Several switches were inevitable with influential striker Luis Suarez suspended after

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka`s world record holding bowler Muttiah Muralitharan will retire from Test cricket after the first match against India this month, the governing body of the sport said Tuesday."Muttiah Muralitharan has decided to retire from Test cricket after the first Test in Galle

CAPE TOWN: President Jacob Zuma said Tuesday the World Cup has brought "priceless" benefits to South Africa, as fans of the Netherlands and Uruguay descended on Cape Town for their semi-final match.With Sunday`s final now just days away, Zuma said the 33 billion rand (4.2 billion dollars,