Defending champions Spain pledge clean bill of health

Spain will look to defend their World Cup title with doubts raised on player’s fitness and physical preparedness after a hard season with clubs. PHOTO: AFP

WASHINGTON: Spain’s players said that they will be fit for the defence of their World Cup crown in Brazil, despite the rigours of a long club season.

Right back Juanfran sprained his right ankle in the Champions League final that Atletico Madrid lost to Real Madrid on May 24, but he vowed he would be ‘100%’ healthy and ready for Brazil.

“I don’t have any problem, and I am 100% with the team,” the Atletico Madrid defender told a press conference in Washington, where Spain will train prior to a Saturday friendly against El Salvador.

The 29-year-old said he was limping in the wake of the painful injury, but insisted he was now recovered and had told Del Bosque, “When you need me, I’ll be there and I’ll do my best.”

Meanwhile, midfielder Santiago Cazorla doesn’t think Spain will be any less ready than their opponents.

“The season has been tough for everyone. I don’t think we are any more or less tired than the other teams,” said Cazorla, adding that Spain’s squad is ‘physically better every day’.

Brazil stroll against Panama

World Cup hosts Brazil strolled to a 4-0 win over Panama in their penultimate warm-up Tuesday, with goals from Neymar, Daniel Alves, Hulk and Willian securing the win which barely satisfied their coach Luiz Felipe Scolari.

“I am still concerned. We are getting better — but we know we have a fair way to go,” said Scolari.

“The run out was worthwhile but we must up our rhythm and be a lot better for the Croatia game.”

Meanwhile, Greece and Nigeria battled to a scoreless draw on Tuesday in an international friendly match that served as a warm-up for both teams before the World Cup.

Every World Cup player to have drug test

Fifa is on an ambitious mission to make sure that for the first time every player who takes part in the World Cup has a drug test and carries a ‘biological passport’.

Players can expect a tap on the shoulder right from the first matches of the World Cup which starts June 12.

“We can test anybody, anytime, anywhere, any amount of times,” said Jiri Dvorak, FIFA’s chief medical officer in a recent interview.

On the safe side: K-P government planning to use IPVs to help eradicate polio

IPV is administered via injection and according to the World Health Organization (WHO), all countries currently only using OPV should add at least one dose of IPV to their immunisation programmes. PHOTO: FILE

PESHAWAR: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government has planned to administer inactivated polio vaccines (IPV), along with the oral polio vaccine (OPV) it already uses, for effective protection against poliovirus in the province.

IPV is administered via injection and according to the World Health Organization (WHO), all countries currently only using OPV should add at least one dose of IPV to their immunisation programmes. The WHO also recommends an OPV dose at birth, followed by the primary series of three OPV doses and at least 1 IPV dose.

“The IPVs will become part of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI),” EPI Deputy Director Dr Janbaz Afridi told The Express Tribune on Wednesday. Though the plan has been approved, it is undecided at the moment as to when it will be put into effect. He explained that under the programme, children under two years of age will be administered the injections in areas where polio drops have already been administered.

The programme to administer the IPV would initially be launched in Peshawar with the help of the WHO and Unicef, who are helping the province in its vaccination campaigns.

Dr Afridi added the IPV injections have already arrived but are yet to be put into use as the decision to kick-start the vaccine is yet to be taken.

This is a major change in the K-P government’s strategy to eradicate the virus with nine of 68 polio cases this year having emerged from the province.

Even though water samples recently taken from Peshawar were reported clear of the poliovirus, the provincial capital is still considered a place where the virus still exists, with four cases being discovered this year.

The Chief Minster’s (CM) Polio Monitoring Cell Focal Person Imtiaz Ali Shah told The Express Tribune that the injectable vaccines are used all over the world.

He said the polio advisory board has decided to use them in Peshawar along with regular polio drops for children up to two years of age, adding a high-level meeting chaired by the CM will finalise the contours of the programme.

“The drops will be given to children who have already been administered polio drops and are protected from the virus,” said Shah

Aisam to address House of Commons

Aisamul Haq Qureshi. PHOTO: FILE

KARACHI: Before starting his campaign at Wimbledon this month, Pakistan tennis ace Aisamul Haq Qureshi is preparing to receive the biggest accolade of his off-court career.

He will be addressing the British and UK-based Pakistani dignitaries at the House of Commons in Westminster for two hours on June 10.

His agenda will be to promote peace through tennis for his ‘Stop War, Start Tennis’ foundation, in which he will be emphasising on bridging cultural gap through sports in the international community.

The country’s only tennis athlete to play at the ATP circuit was invited by Speaker John Bercow, who praised Aisam for his role as an ambassador for youth and sportspeople all over the world.

“This is the biggest off-court accolade for me,” Aisam told The Express Tribune. “It’s an honour as a Pakistani to speak for my foundation at the House of Commons and get a chance to talk about our work.

“The speaker of the house proposed that I should address the dignitaries, and I’m extremely grateful for that. My focus will be to promote Pakistan’s soft image.”

The Lahore-based player admitted that he was anxious to put his best foot forward at the important occasion.

“My friends and family will be there and I’m a little nervous. I want to make sure that my speech makes an impact.”

Aisam has been involved with the United Nations, Pakistan Red Crescent Society and has also received the 2002 and 2010 Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Awards by the ATP Tour Inc.

Aisam also engages in the distribution of sport-specific equipment among amputees and disabled tennis players, and plans to donate wheelchairs to Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan and Cambodia.

Seeking redemption at Wimbledon

Aisam said that his second-round exit at the French Open men’s doubles was unexpected for him, but he wants to make up for the loss in Wimbledon.

“I was also unable to play the mixed doubles because of a knee-injury, but now it’s healing.

“I want to make up for the French Open defeat as well. Wimbledon is also special because grass is my favourite surface.

Diego Costa passes Chelsea medical

The Stamford Bridge club are poised to finalise the €43 million [£35m] signing of the Atletico Madrid striker, after agreeing the terms of the deal

By Wayne Veysey

Diego Costa has completed a medical at Chelsea and is now on the verge of completing a €43 million [£35m] move from Atletico Madrid.

Goal revealed early last month that a deal worth £75m, including transfer fee and salary, was finalised at a meeting in London less than 24 hours after Costa's penalty helped Atletico Madrid to eliminate the Blues from the Champions League.

	CHELSEA LATEST
25/1	Diego Costa is 25/1 with Paddy Power to be top scorer at the World Cup

The Brazil-born striker, who is a member of the Spain squad preparing for the World Cup, has long been identified by Mourinho as the player to provide a more regular supply of goals than Fernando Torres, Samuel Eto’o and Demba Ba were able to contribute last season.

Chelsea will pay around €43m for the striker, although a significant portion of the transfer fee includes agents' fees.

The move will also more than triple the wages of Costa, who is believed to earn around £50,000 a week at the Vicente Calderon Stadium. Chelsea will hand the 25-year-old a five-year contract worth £150,000 a week.

As reported by Goal in April, it had long been the plan of the west Londoners to confirm the deal before the World Cup, where he is expected to lead the line for Spain if he can recover from the hamstring injury that restricted him to just a short run-out in Atletico’s recent Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid.

Representatives of the Londoners have held a series of meetings with Costa's camp in recent months and the set of talks around the two clubs' Champions League second-leg showdown closed the deal.

Costa emerged as Chelsea's top centre-forward target following an outstanding campaign for Atletico, who won La Liga as well as finishing Champions League runners-up.

The 25-year-old scored 36 times in 50 matches for his club in the recently completed domestic season and his 27-goal league haul was third only to Cristiano Ronaldo (31) and Lionel Messi (28).

Chelsea were keen to trigger the Brazil-born forward's release clause in January, when he was also being closely monitored by rivals Arsenal, but the player did not want to leave in mid-season.

Mourinho has made no attempt to hide his desire to recruit a blue chip centre forward amid doubts over the futures of Torres, Eto'o and Ba. At least two of the trio are expected to leave in the summer, while Romelu Lukaku will hold talks with Chelsea chiefs this summer following a season-long loan at Everton.

Chelsea have been active in the transfer market following the completion of the domestic season.

The Londoners have agreed a deal with Paris Saint-Germain to sell David Luiz for an initial €49m [£40m] although the French champions have yet to officially confirm the Brazilian’s arrival.

Mourinho is also looking for a new left-back and a new central midfielder following the departures of Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard. Chelsea’s top midfield target is Juventus’ Paul Pogba and they are also monitoring the situation of Cesc Fabregas.

Hazard future will be sorted after World Cup, says father

The Belgium international has been linked with a big-money transfer to Paris Saint-Germain but his father says there will be no transfer updates during this summer's tournament

Eden Hazard will make a decision on his Chelsea future after the World Cup in Brazil, according to the player's father.

The Belgium international has been heavily linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain, who have already agreed a deal for Blues team-mate David Luiz, while the French champions' coach Laurent Blanc has hinted at a bid for the 23-year-old winger.

However, Hazard revealed on Tuesday what number jersey he will be donning next season, saying in a statement: "I am very pleased to be able to wear the No.10 for Chelsea.

"It is my favourite number and is one I am used to wearing for the national team, as well as the one worn by some of my heroes from when I was a kid, like Zinedine Zidane.

"I hope it brings me a lot of luck in the future and I look forward to the fans seeing me in it next season."

And Thierry Hazard claims there will be no transfer updates during the World Cup, as his son looks to guide Belgium to glory in Brazil.

“Eden? There is nothing yet. Every day I read new information,” he told Sudpresse. “Eden just wants to focus on the World Cup.

“There will be no news during the tournament.”

Van Gaal interested in Strootman, says agent

The new Manchester United coach included the Roma star on his six-man summer shortlist, but the player's representative says any sale would be decided only by the Serie A side

The agent of Kevin Strootman says Louis van Gaal is interested in the Roma midfielder, though there has been no official approach from Manchester United and the Italian capital club will resist any sale.

The new United boss included the 24-year-old is his six-man shortlist of desired transfer targets, but is currently sidelined with a serious knee injury until the autumn.

Strootman and Van Gaal have built up a relationship through the Netherlands national setup, but agent Chiel Dekker insists any sale would only be sanctioned should Roma see fit and not the player himself.

"He won’t be back playing until autumn - that’s the time schedule at the moment," Chiel Dekker told The Guardian. "He is of interest to Louis van Gaal but not related to Manchester United at this point."

When probed as to whether he would be of greater interest in the future, he added: "[He] could be. But he’s in Rome and he had a terrific season. There has been nothing between the clubs or between Louis and Kevin - they know each other and like each other but at this stage its not related to Man United.

"Roma do not want to sell. The first thing is its all between [the] clubs. And it's also a very difficult decision because he has to choose between a fantastic club in Rome, a club that bought him and supported him while he was injured and [then] you have his personal coach of the national team at United.

"The clubs have to decide. He’s very happy at Rome, he’s happy to stay because they will play in the Champions League next season, and he is happy to recover from his injury, so at this stage we are not part of any discussion.

Pique: Barcelona don't appreciate Fabregas

The defender says Barca have not shown his in-demand club and international team-mate the respect he deserves since re-joining them from Arsenal

Gerard Pique has criticised Barcelona for the way they have treated team-mate Cesc Fabregas, insisting that the club don't appreciate him as much as they should.

The midfielder has failed to cement himself as a key player in the first-team of the Catalan giants since he re-joined them from Arsenal back in 2011.

This summer, Fabregas has been linked to a move back to England, with Manchester City, the Premier League champions, already preparing a €37 million bid for the Spain international, while the Gunners are also interested.

Pique hopes his Spain team-mate will ignore the advances of his Premier League admirers and remain with Barca, but admits he feels the club have not shown Fabregas the respect he deserves.

"I really like Cesc and I know he is going through a tough time because the club don't appreciate him as much as they should," the defender said at a press conference.

"He is one of those players who would be first-choice at any other club in the world, the star of the team.

"Despite that, he is finding it harder at Barca. I don't know what he is going to do; we haven't spoken about that.

"I hope he stays, because if you look at his stats this season, he is our highest-scoring midfielder and the one with the most assists. Of course I want him to stay with us."