http://worldssportsinfo.blogspot.com/

http://worldssportsinfo.blogspot.com/

Lionel Messi is the best player of all time, says Carles Puyol

World Player of the Year Messi has enjoyed a typically impressive start to the season with the Spanish champions, netting 14 goals in 11 games for Pep Guardiola’s men so far this term.

And Puyol believes the 24-year-old, who also landed Uefa’s Best Player in Europe award for the previous season in August, will be remembered as the greatest footballer of all time.

“He is the best player ever,” Puyol told El Mundo Deportivo. “It’s hard to remember or imagine another like him.

“I know I’m not objective and that there are players from other eras, but nothing is comparable. He is from another planet.”

Messi’s team-mate also dismissed suggestions that the Argentina forward has a tendency to dive. “If there is a player who never goes down, it’s Leo,” he added.

The centre-half also hit out at Real Madrid boss José Mourinho after the Portuguese manager was handed a two-game touchline ban by the Spanish football federation for his role in the mass brawl that marred the Spanish Super Cup clash in August.

Bizhub Highveld Lions bring Pakistan flair to T20 Series

The bizhub Highveld Lions have secured the fine cricketing talents of two Pakistan cricketers in Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq for the 2012 domestic T20 series.

The two all-rounders are set to complement an already fierce bizhub Highveld Lions’ batting attack and will also bring depth in the bowling department. “The shorter level of the game has definitely stepped up on a local level and as a franchise we are aiming to excel when this competition comes round in February. We had a taste of the Nokia CLT20 and our aim is most definitely to represent South Africa again next year,” said Chairperson, Archie Pretorius.

Negotiations with these two players had been underway for months and drew to a close in the past week. “It has been a long road to source the right players but I am finally confident that we have secured two world class cricketers in Afridi and Razzaq. I have no doubt that they are a perfect fit for the Lions’ style of play – plus they definitely match our team chemistry. Both of these factors are vital in any team’s overall performance both on the field and off. Personally, I am looking forward to working with them both as we start our quest in early Febraury for the T20 trophy,” said an elated Head Coach, Dave Nosworthy.

Chief Executive Officer, Cassim Docrat, believes the players will also bring experience to younger players. “Adding these players to the team will also benefit the exciting mix of youngsters that our squad is boasting with this season. This is an investment into our team and the benefit will last long after the competition is finished,” said Docrat.

Afridi is keen to contribute to the team's T20 campaign and has his focus on the trophy. "I am looking forward to my time in South Africa and helping the Lions qualify for next year's Champions league. I had a few offers in SA but have chosen to play in Johannesburg with the Lions," Afridi said on Sunday.

Fellow team mate, Razzaq, had the same notions about being based at Bidvest Wanderers. "My manager received several offers to play in South Africa. We made a decision on the Lions due to the fact that I have many friends in JHB and have always enjoyed my time there. I am very much looking forward to giving my 100% for the bizhub Highveld Lions and winning the T20 tournament," Razzaq said.

Rugby of southafrica

Rugby is a great passion and tantamount to a religion amongst the “whites” of South Africa, especially with Afrikaners. South Africa is amazingly good and competitive at rugby - if the national squad, the Springboks, lose a game then supporters are plunged into depression for at least a week. In fact, they consider it their birthright to win every game except against the New Zealand All Blacks, for whom they have great respect!

The 1995 Rugby World Cup was hosted in South Africa and won by the Springboks. The greatest triumph and nationwide blessing came when Nelson Mandela donned the number six jersey of ‘Bok captain Francois Pienaar to present the cup. This was a major milestone for the history of South African rugby which had long been an exclusively "white" sport.

Inter-regional and international games are of a very high standard and definitely worth watching. The major regional competition is the Currie Cup, with provincial teams playing on weekends (March – October).
The Super 14 is an exciting annual competition between regional teams from South Africa, New Zealand and Australia with matches played in all 3 countries. Catch the action in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban from late February till the end of May. Port Elizabeth, George, East London and Bloemfontein also host the occasional game.
The Tri-Nations is an annual international competition involving Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Games are played in all 3 countries from June to August – be sure to book well in advance if you’re planning to attend.

Soccer / Football of southafrica:

Football or soccer as it is known in South Africa is the most popular game and is starting to attract serious money. It used to be the Cinderella sport in the bad old days of Apartheid and reflects the country’s history and the struggle for democracy.

Football was segregated by the past regime and became a focus for the non-racial sport movement. In 1991 it became the first sport to become unified and has captivated the hearts of all South Africans.

South Africa is presently building 5 new stadiums dedicated to football for the 2010 FIFA World Cup - a jubilant first for Africa and a country that until now has never had a stadium devoted to football. Football teams had to rent venues for their matches in the Apartheid era, unlike the rugby and cricket teams who played in dedicated stadiums.

Gauteng is the spirit and core of South African football and all the big clubs share the same grounds, which has created quite a different fan culture to that of devotees in Europe. The big teams from Soweto are Kaiser Chiefs and Orlando Pirates whose spirited games can be hot-blooded and usually have the nation gripped. Soweto football crowds are normally good-humoured and festive so joining them is quite conceivable and fun - “whities” shouldn’t feel uneasy about going to a game.

The professional season in South Africa is between August and May with teams participating in the Premier Soccer League and a few other competitions. The Chiefs and the Pirates have a nationwide following and their contests are a colourful climax of the Premier Soccer League’s matches. Contributing to the jovial atmosphere of football games are the unique sounds of the Vuvuzela, a plastic horn along with singing and countless other homemade instruments.
South Africa’s national squad, affectionately nicknamed Bafana Bafana qualified for the 1998 and 2002 World Cup Finals and will have the privilege of competing in the 2010 World Cup on home soil.

Tennis Tournaments In India

Tennis has always been counted among the most popular sports in India, sine its inception and it is run by a number of state and national Tennis associations. The Indian Tennis associations organise numerous Tennis tournaments in India and the Indian Tennis tournaments play an important role in bringing up new Tennis talents. Apart from the national and state Tennis governing bodies, various corporate houses also sponsor and organise Indian Tennis tournaments. The Indian Tennis academies organise Tennis tournaments in India, as well.

The Indian Tennis tournaments can be classified in different ways like age-wise or according to the surface, where they are played. There are mainly three kinds of Tennis tournaments in India like the Hard Court tournaments, the Clay Court tournaments and the Grass Court tournaments. The Indian Tennis tournaments are organised at various age level like junior level, or senior level and mini Tennis tournaments are also organised in India. Apart from the national and state level Tennis tournaments, numerous international Tennis tournaments are also organised in India. The All India Tennis Association (AITA) play host to the Davis Cup matches, on a regular basis. All the Indian Tennis tournaments are recognised by the two international governing bodies for men`s and women`s Tennis, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the Women`s Tennis Association (WTA).

The Chennai Open is one of the most popular and prestigious Indian Tennis tournaments, which is organised by corporate houses. This is considered as the biggest international tennis championship in India and it is also one of the two ATP tournaments, held in India. The tournament is held on the first week of January every year since 1997. Though it started as Gold Flake Open, its name was changed to Tata Open in 2002 after a change in title sponsor. The Chennai Open is being co- sponsored by the State Government of Tamil Nadu, for the past few years. Apart from the State Government, a Hard Court SDAT tennis stadium in Nabakumargram consortium of corporate house is also co-sponsoring the event.

One of the successful Indian Tennis tournaments, the Chennai Open is played at the hard court SDAT tennis stadium in Nabakumargram. It attracts a large number of top players of the ATP circuit every year, and the players like Xavier Malisse, Ivan Ljubicic, Carlos Moya and Paradorn Srichaphan have been former champions in Chennai Open. The Bangalore Open is another top class Indian Tennis tournament that started its journey in the year 2006. The main sponsor of this tournament is SONY ERIKSSON international. Played in Hard Court, the Bangalore Open is recognised as a tire III event. The players like Yaro Shvedova and Mara Santangelo have won the tournament in the years of 2006 and 2007, respectively.

The Sunfeast Open is considered to be a popular one among all the Indian Tennis tournaments. The tournament is being held in Kolkata since 2005 and it is mainly played on a lush green indoor court at the Netaji Indoor Stadium. The State Government of West Bengal and the corporate house, ITC have taken the key initiatives for the Sunfeast Open. Apart from them, GloboSport and the legendary Indian Tennis player, Mahesh Bhupathi are playing the role of its main organizers. The Kingfisher Airlines Open is another top class Indian Tennis tournament. Hard court SDAT tennis stadium in Nabakumargram This is only the second ATP event played in India and is being held in Mumbai, since 2006. The tournament is mainly played on outdoor hard courts.

Apart from the above mentioned Indian Tennis tournaments, there are also several other Tennis tournaments in India that are organised on a regular basis. Some of these tournaments include the ITF Men`s Satellites, (Hard Court), the ITF "Bhavna Swarup Memorial" Women`s Circuit Event, (Grass Court), the ITF "BPCL" Women`s Circuit Event, (Hard Court), the ITF "ONGC" Junior International, (Clay Court), the ITF "Adidas" Junior International, (Hard Court), the ITF "Sunny Enclave" Junior International, (Hard Court), the AITA "S. B. Saurashtra" Nationals, (Grass Court), the ITF "BSNL" Men`s Futures, (Hard Court), the ITF "Microsoft" Men`s Futures, (Hard Court), the ITF "MSLTA" Junior International, (Hard Court), the ITF "Poona Club" Women`s Circuit Event, (Hard Court), the ITF "NECC" Women`s Circuit Event, (Hard Court), the ITF "MSLTA" Women`s Circuit Event, (Hard Court), the AITA "DSCL" Hard Court Nationals (u16 Boys/Girls, u14 Boys/Girls), the AITA "DSCL" Hard Court Nationals (Men, Women, u18 Boys/Girls), the ITF Women`s Challenger, (Hard Court), the ITF "NRE Coke" Women`s Circuit Event, (Hard Court), the ITF "MSLTA" Women`s Challenger, Mumbai (Hard Court), the ITF "DHFL" Women`s Circuit Event, (Hard Court), the ITF Men`s Futures, (Hard Court), the WTA "Indian Open", (Hard Court), the ITF "SAIL" Junior International, (Hard Court), etc.

Indian Cricket Associations

Indian Cricket Associations play a major role towards the betterment of a player and helps towards achieving their goals to reach high in life. The game of cricket has always been compared to religion in India and it is undoubtedly one of the most popular games in India, at the moment. The game is being played in India at different levels. The Indian people play the game at school level, college level, district level, state level, national level and also in the international level. In order to govern the game and also to maintain a high standard of cricket, there are several cricket associations in India. The Indian cricket associations are formed at various levels like district cricket associations, state cricket associations or women`s cricket association. The national body for governing the game in India is the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI).

The BCCI is the main cricket governing body in India and almost all the other Indian cricket associations are working under its umbrella. The Indian cricket associations are engaged in finding out talented cricketers from the remote areas and also in upbringing new cricket players for India. The associations also organise several cricket tournaments from time to time and these tournaments really help the cricketers to show their talents in front of the cricket administrators.

Apart from that, the state cricket associations manage and organise a large number of cricket playing clubs and help them in operating their activities properly. The cricket associations also build new stadiums, gymnasiums and maintain the quality of the existing cricket facilities. They are always working on providing state-of-the-art facilities to the young cricketers, as well.

Almost all the 28 states of India have their own cricket associations and there is more than one association in some of the states like Maharashtra, Delhi, Bihar, Gujarat etc. The Indian cricket associations are in charge of selecting players to take part in various tournaments. The state associations select the State teams for taking part in the national level tournaments like Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, Challengers Trophy, Irani Trophy, Deodhar Trophy etc. The state associations also send their own representatives to the BCCI so that they can look after the interests of the cricketers of their respective states. The representatives also help BCCI in governing the game of cricket in India, in a better and improved way.

Among the numerous Indian cricket associations, there are some associations that have got into the leading positions as far as producing talented players and in making contribution to the game are concerned. The state cricket associations like Delhi District Cricket Association, Haryana Cricket Association, Punjab Cricket Association, Tamil Nadu Cricket Association, Andhra Cricket Association, Karnataka State Cricket Association, Cricket Association Of Bengal, Orissa Cricket Association, Assam Cricket Association, Baroda Cricket Association, Maharashtra Cricket Association, Mumbai Cricket Association, Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association, Rajasthan Cricket Association, Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association, Vidarbha Cricket Association etc are the most notable ones.