Liverpool chief says Suarez damaged club brand

LONDON: While pleased Luis Suarez is back in action following a biting ban, Liverpool is still concerned about the damage the striker caused for the club's brand globally.

The 10-match suspension for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic during a game in April came after Suarez had been banned for eight games after racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra in 2011.

"Any types of incident of that nature are damaging to a brand," Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre said on Thursday.

Suarez returned to action in a 1-0 loss to Manchester United in the League Cup on Wednesday, although the Uruguay striker hoped not to be playing in a Liverpool shirt again.

Throughout the offseason, rather than focusing on repairing his image, Suarez was publicly pushing for a transfer away from Liverpool in search of Champions League football. Liverpool, though, was steadfast in rejecting bids from Arsenal for the Uruguay international and put him through a rehabilitation process to try and ensure there are no further incidents that harm the club.

"Luis is a footballer, he's a street fighter, he's a larger-than-life character," Ayre said at the Sport Industry Group Breakfast Club in London. "Nobody is condoning any bad behavior but it's just something you have to deal with. He is what he is, he is the character he is, and we have to try and harness that.

"We have worked a lot with Luis since the last incident with Ivanovic and he has responded well to that. He has been prepared to commit to that sort of work on his character."

While Ayre said Suarez's misdemeanors haven't hit sponsorship revenue, the 121-year-old club wants to ensure its principles are upheld.

"We are very much an institution and we base ourselves on family values, and when your kids are naughty you tell them off and you try to teach them the error of your ways _ it's no different," Ayre said.

"Every time you have a negative issue like that particular one then of course it's damaging, but the important thing is to put it right and restore the integrity of the football club. And I believe that's what we did."

The club and its American ownership backed Suarez after the racist-abuse verdict, hitting out at the English Football Association process.

After Suarez sunk his teeth into Ivanovic during a Premier League game in April, Liverpool immediately condemned the player's actions, while still claiming he was being victimized with his hefty sanction.

But Liverpool, whose principal owner is sports tycoon John Henry, has learnt lessons from how it handled the Suarez cases.

"What's important at those times is to ensure we act respectively and professionally as a football club, and in the past we've got some of that wrong and more recently we got that right," Ayre said.

"We have a process now," he added. "It's not a Luis Suarez process _ it's a process for any crisis whether it's on the pitch or off the pitch."

For now, Suarez is back helping Liverpool's bid to return to the top four and qualify for the Champions League again.

"I'm here to help the team and help Liverpool and I'll try my best," Suarez said after the game at Old Trafford.

And Ayre was glad to see him back "terrorizing defenders."

"He is a great team member," Ayre said. "The players are supportive of him and he is supportive of them. The most important thing is that he is on the football pitch, and most importantly committed to playing for Liverpool.

Martina Hingis accused of assaulting husband

The husband of former tennis champ Martina Hingis has accused his wife and mother-in-law of assaulting him and has left Switzerland fearing for his life, the Blick daily reported on Thursday.

Police in the northern Swiss canton of Schwyz confirmed that Thibault Hutin was in the process of filing a complaint following an incident at the couple's apartment in the village of Feusisberg.

The 27-year-old French equestrian had talked to police on Tuesday about "serious problems" at his home on Monday evening, police spokesman David Mynall said.

"He has started the process of filing a complaint, but it hasn't been finished yet," he said, not specifying the nature of the incident or who the complaint was being filed against.

Hutin, however, told Blick that his 32-year-old wife, the former world number one, her mother and her mother's boyfriend had "beaten and scratched" him.

The boyfriend had also struck him in the head with a DVD player, he said, adding that he was so "terrified" he had fled to Paris.

"I'm really afraid. What will be next, a bullet?" he asked in the interview.

Hingis, the winner of five Grand Slam singles titles, came back from six years of retirement in July this year to play doubles.

Hingis, who could not be immediately reached for comment, was reportedly in Tokyo to take part in a 30th anniversary celebration for the WTA tournament.

She had originally been set to take part in the Pan Pacific Open women's tennis tournament in Tokyo this week, but withdrew for "personal reasons," organisers said earlier this month.

India thrash South Korea 6-1 in Sultan of Johor Cup

JOHOR BAHRU (Malaysia): India thrashed Korea 6-1 in their penultimate round-robin match to virtually seal their place in the final of the Sultan of Johor Cup Under-21 hockey tournament on Thursday.

The Indian colts scored three goals each in either half at the Taman Daya Hockey stadium to continue their unbeaten run in the six-nation tournament.

It was India's fourth win on the trot in the tournament, having defeated England (2-1), Argentina (3-2) and Pakistan (4-0) in their previous matches.

For India, Amit Rohidas (7th minute), Satbir Singh (9th), Talwinder Singh (31st) netted three goals in the first half, while Amon Mirash Tikey (57th), Ramadeep Singh (62nd) and vice-captain Affan Yusof (65th) score three more on the other side of the break.

Korea's lone goal came from the stick of You Seung Ju in the 34th minute.

With 12 points in their kitty, India are at the top of the league standings and will play hosts and second-placed Malaysia in their last round-robin match on Saturday.

Against Korea, the Indians came up with a commanding performance and dominated the share of exchanges in the first half with a comfortable 3-0 lead.

It took India just seven minutes to open the scoring through drag-flicker Rohidas who converted a penalty corner with precision that Korean goalkeeper Lee Se Young had no answer.

India doubled their lead two minutes later through a field goal from Satbir after he was set up by Harjeet Singh.

Talwinder made it 3-0 for the Indians four minutes from half time through another field strike.

The Koreans, however, managed to pull one back three minutes later when You Seung Ju scored from a penalty corner.

India slowed down the pace after the lemon break and conceded a few penalty corners but the Koreans failed to utilise the scoring chances.

After a slow start to the second half, India gradually took control of the proceedings and scored three more field goals to run away with the match.

Amon Mirash Tikey scored India's fourth goal in the 57th minute before Ramandeep scored his fifth goal in the tournament five minutes later. Yusof completed the rout for Korea five minutes from the hooter.

India's chief coach Gregg Clark was full of praise for his wards after their sterling performance.

"It was a good performance and this surely gives me a welcome headache as we have several more players back in India that are fighting for a place in the final 18 to the Junior World Cup," Clark said.

"We are playing well and credit to the boys who are executing our tactics and plans well on the pitch. As a coach this is something we look towards hence the performance in the last two matches has been on the rise," he added.

CSK vs SRH-Dhoni, Raina power Chennai Super Kings to 202/4

NEW DELHI: Suresh Raina smashed a quickfire half-century while skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni produced a belligerent unbeaten knock of 63 as Chennai Super Kings toyed with a listless Sunrisers Hyderabad bowling attack to post a massive 202 for four in their Champions League T20 match.
Raina's impressive 57-ball 84 was perfectly matched by Dhoni's pyrotechnics as the hard-hitting local skipper broke the spirits of the Sunrisers bowlers with his ruthless batting display, here today.

Such was the brutality as neither speed nor spin provided any challenge to Dhoni as he decorated his 19-ball knock with an astonishing eight sixes.

There was no mistaking the impact Dhoni's arrival had on the innings and no one could better understand it than Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera, who was smashed for five huge sixes in the 18th over.

Dhoni, in the process, also struck the fastest fifty in the history of the Champions League, reaching the landmark in just 16 balls and surpassing West Indian Kieron Pollard's record (50 off 18 balls).

Dhoni played a leader's innings of the finest order and, together with Raina, put on a 60-run partnership in just 23 balls for the fourth wicket.

Before Dhoni's arrival, the show belonged entirely to Raina and his powerful stroke-play.

Walking in to bat after the dismissal of opener Murali Vijay, Raina took time to get his eyes in and then made the most of the Sunrisers' tactics of utilising pace against him.

Raina unleashed an assault on the Sunrisers pacers in the middle part of the innings, launching them over the mid-wicket and long-off boundaries with consummate ease.

Raina walked back to the pavillion in the penultimate over of the innings when he single-handedly caught by Perera at long on off Dale Steyn.

Raina's fine knock was decorated with nine fours and a six.

Manchester United beat Liverpool 1-0 in League Cup

The match Forget about talk of how much the League Cup means to the top clubs – this was a rousing affair at a noisy Old Trafford with both sides going all out to reach the fourth round. After defeats at Anfield and the Etihad, painfully so on Sunday, there may have been pressure on United but the response was emphatic. After a tight first half, Javier Hernandez struck from Wayne Rooney's corner seconds after the restart and both sides hit the woodwork, while David De Gea and Simon Mignolet made stunning saves.
Goals Just the one but how sweet that Chicharito, so often the scourge of the two Merseyside clubs, should get it. This was his chance to shine after being patient and he took it, losing Jose Enrique to flick out a leg and convert Rooney's corner.
Subplot Luis Suarez's return from a lengthy absence and a summer of headlines about his future received inevitable focus but, for United, this was all about bouncing back from Sunday's derby disaster. Rooney was handed the captaincy ahead of Ryan Giggs, which surprised some supporters, and it's worth remembering Liverpool were determined to go far in this competition because they are not in Europe.
Star men There were fine performances in red shirts throughout the team but centre-backs Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans were immense. Rooney

NEW DELHI: Banned for life from India's cricket establishment, a beleaguered former IPL boss Lalit Modi is not ready to throw in the towel yet and declared that he would indeed have the "last call" in this entire issue.

"They (BCCI) will have their day and I will have the last call. I am not going anywhere. I will be right here," Modi told 'Times Now' after BCCI imposed a life ban during a special general meeting (SGM) in Chennai today.

Modi also took a veiled potshot at BCCI's controversial president N Srinivasan accusing BCCI members of protecting the Tamil Nadu strongman.

"I think fans are a little disappointed on this match-fixing issue and also the persons involved. It is really sad that they banned the person who created the league but people who are fixing matches and those who are running the Board are being protected by the BCCI members," Modi said.

"The issue is very simple to me. The brand itself is bigger than any one person. But my name is married to IPL. I am the architect of IPL. It was a difficult dream but I realized it.

"I did a few things but I wanted the league to improve. But it's now going in backward direction. Hope BCCI get their act together. I wanted to tighten the rules but at the same time make it transparent," the former IPL czar said from his London residence.

Modi feels that it's imperative that one makes all the owners "responsible for running the game" but at the same time said that "BCCI probably doesn't want to lose control".

However on the issue of financial irregularities, Modi didn't come up with a concrete answer.

"I don't what they are saying. I brought USD 8 billion for BCCI," he claimed.

"I tried to protect the interest of BCCI and they accuse me of arm-twisting a franchise! After I left two franchises had to quit the league (Deccan Chargers Hyderabad, Kochi Tuskers). BCCI lost USD 700 million. Since I didn't toe their line, I was accused of financial impropriety," Modi said.

Modi didn't stop short while terming Srinivasan as a "Master match-fixer."

His family had been supportive during crisis period but the maverick administrator declared that he is "ready to move on."

"I have moved on and I will soon be associated with a global league. There are a lot of people in sporting fraternity across the world, who want me on board."

Hernandez ruins Suarez's Liverpool return

MANCHESTER (England): Manchester United nullified the returning Luis Suarez and began atoning for their derby drubbing by Manchester City with a 1-0 win over Liverpool in the League Cup on Wednesday.

Manager David Moyes made a raft of changes to the team trounced 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday and saw his side prevail in the third-round tie at Old Trafford through a 46th-minute strike from Javier Hernandez.

Suarez made his Liverpool return following a 10-game ban for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic, and he came close to snatching an equaliser with a free-kick that struck the crossbar.

United survived, however, to avenge their Premier League defeat at Anfield on September 1 and provide a measure of solace for Moyes after his stewardship came under heavy scrutiny in the wake of the loss to City.

"It was a big game for us," said Moyes, whose side will play Norwich City at home in the fourth round.

"We'd lost at Anfield a few weeks ago, we lost at the Etihad last week, so we wanted to put that right."

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said: "I can have no complaints. One lapse of concentration has cost us.

"I thought Luis Suarez was excellent. You could tell he'd been out for a long time as he tired at the end, but he's obviously a threat."

Suarez started up front with Daniel Sturridge, in one of only two changes to the team surprisingly beaten 1-0 by Southampton in the league on Saturday.

Left-back Jose Enrique was the only other newcomer to the visitors' starting XI, but Moyes gambled by making eight changes to the team thrashed by City, with Wayne Rooney handed the captain's armband.

The absence of Patrice Evra spared Suarez an uncomfortable reunion with a player he was found to have racially abused in 2011, but he took his time to make his presence felt.

United began with purpose, Martin Skrtel blocking from Nani and Shinji Kagawa dragging a shot wide, and with Liverpool using an unfamiliar 3-4-1-2 system, Suarez's initial touches betrayed signs of ring-rust.

Gradually, however, he began to influence the game. Only an alert intervention from Ryan Giggs prevented Victor Moses from attacking a lay-off from the Uruguayan, who then released Sturridge to shoot wide before forcing David de Gea to save at his feet after gathering a sweeping pass from Enrique.

Sturridge also had shots blocked by the two United centre-backs, Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans, but after a first half short on incident, the hosts made the breakthrough within seconds of the restart.

With an ease that will have disquieted Rodgers, Rooney curled a corner into the six-yard box from the left and Hernandez stepped away from his marker to steer home a close-range volley.

Jordan Henderson squandered a good chance to equalise when he side-footed wide from 15 yards, and after De Gea fielded a mishit half-volley by Enrique, Nani blazed over from a Kagawa pass at the other end.

Belatedly, there was zip to United's passes, and Kagawa threatened to extend their lead when he ran from deep before dispatching a left-foot shot from range that clipped the crossbar.

Liverpool rallied, Suarez rippling the side netting and Moses forcing a reflex block from De Gea with a diving header, before Suarez came within inches of stealing the headlines with a free-kick that nicked off the United wall and hit the bar.

Rooney then worked Simon Mignolet twice in quick succession, with a free-kick and a curler from the edge of the box, while United were aggrieved not to be awarded a penalty when Alexander Buttner was sandwiched by Skrtel and Kolo Toure.

There were late scares for the home side when De Gea had to claw away an inswinging cross from Henderson and Toure threatened from 12 yards, but United held out to book their place in round four.