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R/£ World at a glance - November 30, 2009
November 30, 2009 Edition 4
Handball not Henry's fault - Blatter
Fifa president Sepp Blatter says it wasn't Thierry Henry's responsibility to tell the referee he handled the ball in the build-up to France's goal against Ireland in the World Cup playoff. Henry handled the ball in the lead-up to William Gallas's equaliser in a 1-1 draw at Stade de France on November 18 that gave France a 2-1 aggregate win and a place at next year's World Cup at the expense of the Irish. Blatter said he called Henry because the Barcelona striker had tried to phone him.
Barca have four Ballon d'Or finalists
Barcelona had four players named among the 10 finalists for the Ballon d'Or, or the European Footballer of the Year award, yesterday. The 10, shortlisted from an initial list of 30 nominees voted for by journalists, were revealed in alphabetical order on the France Football website. The winner will be unveiled tomorrow with Argentina's Lionel Messi tipped as the favourite to succeed last year's winner, Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal.
Finalists: Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast, Chelsea); Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon, FC Barcelona then Inter Milan); Steven Gerrard (England, Liverpool); Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden, Inter Milan then FC Barcelona); Andres Iniesta (Spain, FC Barcelona); Kaka (Brazil, AC Milan then Real Madrid); Lionel Messi (Argentina, FC Barcelona); Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, Manchester United then Real Madrid); Wayne Rooney (England, Manchester United); Xavi (Spain, FC Barcelona)
'Bad boy' Kameda clinches WBC title
Brash challenger Koki Kameda defeated champion Daisuke Naito in a 12-round unanimous decision to capture the WBC flyweight title and extend his undefeated record yesterday. The 23-year-old Kameda, known for his showboating, had predicted a third-round knockout but it turned out to be a tactical contest, with neither fighter knocked down and the youngster landing just a few more key blows.
Bute retains his crown with a knockout
Unbeaten Lucian Bute knocked out Librado Andrade in the fourth round in Quebec City on Saturday to retain his International Boxing Federation super middleweight world title. The Romania-born Bute, who has become a hero in his adopted Canada, dropped the Mexican challenger for the first time in the fourth with a short left to the chin - sending a crowd of 16000 into a frenzy.
Bute then connected with a left to the midriff that sent Andrade down for the count at 2:57 of the fourth.
Namibia earn Rugby World Cup spot
Namibia qualified for a fourth straight Rugby World Cup when they beat Tunisia 22-10 and swept their two-leg African playoffs on Saturday. Namibia won the first leg 18-13 two weeks ago, and the second was in doubt going into the second half with Tunisia leading 10-9 at Hage Geingob Stadium in Windhoek. At the World Cup in New Zealand, Namibia will play in Pool D with defending champions South Africa, Wales, Samoa and Fiji.
Funeka foiled again in title bid
East London fighter Ali Funeka could be excused for believing the boxing gods are conspiring to ensure he never wins an IBF title after his controversial majority draw decision against the Dominican Republic's Joan Guzman in a bout for the organisation's vacant lightweight title in Quebec City, Canada on Saturday night. Judges Alan Davis and Benoit Roussel both ruled the contest a 114-114 points draw, thereby neutralising Joseph Pasquale's 116-112 advantage for the resolute East London boxer and ensuring that the IBF's lightweight title remains vacant.
Khan eyes 'Superfight' with Hatton
World champion Amir Khan revealed yesterday that a British "superfight" against Ricky Hatton could be on the cards. Khan is preparing to defend his WBA light-welterweight title against mandatory challenger Dmitriy Salita in Newcastle next Saturday. And the 22-year-old admitted he would love to fight 31-year-old former world light-welterweight champion Hatton. Sapa-AFP/AP/Reuters
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