| Bolivian president Evo Morales knees opponent in groin during 'friendly' match Bolivian president kneeing opponent in the groin during 'friendly' match. telegraph.co.uk |
Santa Cruz to miss Socceroos clash Paraguay will face the Socceroos without forward Roque Santa Cruz after the Manchester City star withdrew from the squad due to personal reasons. foxsports.com.au |
Rangers 1 Valencia 1: match report Rangers are unbeaten after three Champions League games and still in contention for European football after Christmas. telegraph.co.uk |
Honeymoon over for Toronto FC The proverbial chickens have come home to roost for Toronto FC, as evidenced by the Reds' 1-0 victory over Panamanian side Arabe Unido Tuesday night before an announced home crowd of 10,385 spectators. cbc.ca |
Spurs 'cannot contemplate selling Bale' • 'Selling him would send out all the wrong signals'• Spurs manager unhappy with defending against InterGareth Bale announced his talent to a global audience on one of European football's grandest stages to leave Harry Redknapp, the Tottenham Hotspur manager, insistent that no amount of money could prise him from White Hart Lane.The Wales winger's second-half hat‑trick was yet another high point in a memorable calendar year and it has the leading clubs on the continent placing him prominently on their wish-lists. Internazionale showed interest in him last summer and after their encounter with him here they would have seen nothing to dissuade them from their pursuit.Yet Redknapp pointed out that Bale had signed a new four-year contract towards the end of last season and he said that he wanted to make him the cornerstone of a team that could play regularly in Europe's top competition."Tottenham is a club that is looking to progress, not to sell its best players," Redknapp said. "Selling him would send out the wrong signals. It would make us a selling club. We have to build a team around him and if Tottenham can progress to become a regular Champions League team, he would be a big part of that."Redknapp said the acclaim that Bale is now enjoying would not go to his head. "He just gets on with it, you couldn't meet a nicer boy. He's happy where he is. There's no way the club should or would contemplate selling him, certainly not in the near future. We should be looking to build the team, not to sell if we get a good offer for one of our best players."Bale's heroics turned an absorbing match on its head. From wanting the game to end at half-time, Redknapp found himself praying for even more injury-time at the death. "At half-time, we'd all have gone home. You could see more damage coming. When we went 2-0 down and had the goalkeeper sent off it was like your worst nightmare. Everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong. We didn't defend well, we didn't pressure the ball and we struggled. It was a disastrous start."At half-time I told them that all we had to play for was pride. We had to make sure we weren't embarrassed by a crazy score. But in the second-half, we worked them. We tried to have a go with two wingers and one striker. I didn't sacrifice a winger for a midfielder and we worked them. We were always a threat when we got the ball out wide. We got some rewards, not in terms of points but in terms of pride."The spirit that Tottenham showed offered them hope ahead of Inter's visit to White Hart Lane in three weeks' time. "I think we had a lot of positive things in the second-half," said Bale. "We kept the ball under control and at White Hart Lane, we can do a better job and win. The result is all that matters and we are hugely disappointed. We want to put that right."Redknapp said: "At White Hart Lane, we're a good team and it will be a great atmosphere. In the end, the draw between FC Twente and Werder Bremen was a good one for us. Tonight hasn't done us too much damage."Tottenham HotspurHarry RedknappInternazionaleChampions LeagueDavid Hytnerguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |