Vettel in the clear after shock pass

SEBASTIAN VETTEL has escaped with just a slap on the wrist from his Red Bull boss - despite breaking team orders.

The three-time world champion was at the centre of an inter-team storm after passing teammate Mark Webber to win the Malaysian Grand Prix when he was told not to.
Furious Webber blasted Vettel and cynically insisted the team would give him “protection as usual”.
But now boss Christian Horner insists the matter is closed following Vettel’s apology while he refused to deny whether his own position in the team was undermined.
Horner said: “I would say it has been put to bed. We have spoken to the drivers and as far as the team is concerned it is a closed book.
“Seb is very honest guy and I think he was shocked after the race. The feeling came over him, you could see that, that he felt he had done something wrong.
“I believe his apology was sincere and he repeated that apology in private in the briefing we had later that evening.
“You don’t win what he has by being a driver that is submissive and that sits back and if Fernando Alonso or Lewis Hamilton had been in that position they would have done the same.
“Let’s not kid ourselves that this is something that is unique to Sebastian. This is something that is in any competitive drivers’ DNA.
“It has been dealt with. We have spoken to the drivers and they know the objectives of the team.
“I don’t expect them to spend Christmas together or anything like that but they are professional individuals who will work to bring the best out of each other.”
Vettel’s disregard for Horner’s instructions have raised questions as to who has the authority in the team.
Horner says he is used to coping with his competitive drivers yet when quizzed as to how he feels about Vettel’s snub, he stopped short of pressing home his authority.
He added: “In three months you go from winning a double world championship in Austin and Brazil and then suddenly it is a drama and a crisis despite a 1-2 finish.
“But it is something we have had to deal with in the past since and part of my role is making sure I get the best out of them for the team.
“What is a great shame is what went unnoticed on Sunday -- a 1-2 finish and eight pitstops all under three seconds.
“It was a massive achievement but those last 13 laps clouded what was a great effort from the team.”

Ferdy's 'racism' shock

RIO FERDINAND has revealed his shock at claims England fans sang racist songs about him.

Anti-racism body FARE reported an incident to FIFA after last Friday’s Three Lions clash with San Marino.
It was alleged some supporters joined in with a song suggesting Ferdinand and his brother Anton should be burned on a bonfire.
Ferdinand was vilified by fans after withdrawing from the England squad because it did not fit in with his training programme.
He then travelled to Qatar to be a TV pundit on the 8-0 victory.
Ferdinand, 34, tweeted: “You expect+accept banter from fans on the terraces as its part of what makes the game great,but racism is not banter,& from ya own fans. WOW.
“Always a small minority who ruin it for others.
“Let’s not jump to conclusions + assume though as it might just have been banter. We’ll see after the investigation.”
United boss Alex Ferguson believes any racist chanting is a cultural problem, rather than just a football issue.
The Scot said: "That is the modern society I am afraid. We see a lot of that.
"Supporters react to many things. I don't think we can change that."
FARE’s executive director Piara Powar revealed the organisation had spoken to FIFA about the incident.
He said: “Although we did not have observers at the match we have pulled together evidence sent to us including media comment and have passed that on to FIFA.
“I think that it’s one of those things that is very subtle.
“We would say racism and other forms of discrimination is not always banana throwing and monkey chants.
“It can be very subtle and the people collating the reports believed it is strong enough to send on to FIFA.
“From the reports we have seen I personally think there was an undercurrent of race there, and other people have thought that it has been imbued with racist overtones.
“Whether FIFA think that is strong enough to take action is another question entirely and we accept that it is certainly an unusual report.”
FARE have also reported racist or xenophobic incidents at the Croatia v Serbia and Poland v Ukraine matches

Jose back at Chelsea

JOSE MOURINHO will make an emotional return to Chelsea today.

The Special One is due back at Stamford Bridge for the first time since 2011.
But not, as Blues fans hope, to replace the reviled interim boss Rafa Benitez. Not yet anyway.
Mourinho has accepted an invitation from the Brazilian FA to tonight’s glamorous friendly against Fabio Capello’s Russia.
So he will be back at Chelsea for the first time since he knocked them out of the Champions League with Inter Milan, two years ago.
Mourinho’s surprise return to SW6, where he won six trophies between 2004-07, will spark more speculation about him returning for real in the summer.
He looks certain to leave current club Real Madrid in the summer.
The Portuguese coach has never hidden his love for Chelsea and English football. And only this weekend he hinted he could go back to “maybe somewhere I’ve already been” — raising hope among Blues fans he could mean Chelsea.
There will be a vacancy, too, as the reign of Benitez ends in May.
But Chelsea’s billionaire owner Roman Abramovich faces stiff competition.
Two-time Champions League winner Mourinho has also been linked with AC Milan, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain.
Newcastle legend Alan Shearer would be delighted to see Mourinho return.
The SunSport columnist said: “Love him or hate him — and I love him — Jose adds something to the soap opera of English football.
“If his destiny proves to be Stamford Bridge once more, then it really will be game on with the Manchester clubs

Haye, I’m back!

DAVID HAYE has confirmed he will return to the ring on June 29.

Haye, 32, went back into retirement after stopping Dereck Chisora in brutal fashion inside five rounds at Upton Park in July 2012.
But the desire to bow out of boxing at the top has persuaded the Hayemaker to make a comeback.
And he will let the leather fly once again at the Manchester Arena this summer as he attempts to become mandatory challenger for one of the world heavyweight titles held by the Klitschko brothers.
Haye, who plans to fight twice this year, said: “I want to put myself in the position to take the world title.
“Instead of sitting around waiting, I want to get back in there. People want me back and they’ll be able to see it on June 29.
“I’m a couple of fights away from that mandatory position. Whether the Klitschkos fight me after that, we’ll see.”

Video:

I'm back to make Haye and reclaim a world title

Boxing

DAVID HAYE plans to force the Klitschkos to fight by becoming mandatory challenger

Haye’s opponent will be announced in the near future by trainer and manager Adam Booth.
A TV deal is not currently in place but the fight will be promoted under the Hayemaker banner.
Booth said: “I’m talking to five top-ranked fighters at the moment. None of them are British.”
Haye previously maintained he would not fight again unless it was to face Vitali Klitschko.
But with the WBC champion contemplating retirement to pursue a full-time career in politics in his native Ukraine, Haye is determined to force a showdown any way possible.
And despite still having Vitali in his sights, the Londoner would not hesitate to settle the score with Wladimir Klitschko should the opportunity arise.
Haye was widely criticised for blaming a broken little toe for his disappointing performance against Wladimir in July 2011.
But the former undisputed cruiserweight champion is keen to prove the unanimous points defeat was nothing more than a bad night at the office.
Haye added: “I’ve been waiting for the phone to ring from Team Klitschko but it hasn’t happened. Their path doesn’t include me this year.
“Vitali is a puppet and his team are pulling the strings. I hope he stands up and demands a fight to cement his legacy before he goes.
“I never anticipated having a bad night against Wladimir but it happened. I want to right those wrongs.”

Football: Real Madrid to face PSG in friendly in Sweden

STOCKHOLM: Real Madrid will face Paris Saint Germain in a July 27 friendly in Gothenburg, match organisers announced on Wednesday.

"It's a dream come true to welcome Real Madrid to Sweden - no one knows when they will be back again," Affe Akbari, managing director of organisers Sport & Evenemang said.

Both clubs are still involved in the Champions League - with Real facing Turkish side Galatasaray and PSG up against Barcelona in next month's quarter-finals.

Last August Gothenburg played host to a friendly between Barcelona, and English Premier League giants Manchester United - the fixture ending in a goalless draw.

There are a billion reasons why England need to make World Cup Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/4864584/Whole-country-will-pay-if-Englands-Brazil-bid-flops.html#ixzz2Oufss74D

FA chiefs stand to lose up to £26 million if England fail to reach next summer’s World Cup finals.

And the cost to businesses in the country as a whole could be as much as £1BILLION — heaping more misery on retailers battling to recover from recession.
England’s 1-1 draw in Podgorica on Tuesday has left Roy Hodgson’s men with an uphill task to secure their place in Brazil next summer.
They are currently two points behind leaders Montenegro with only four Group H games remaining and the prospect of everything resting on the final clash against old-foes Poland — who famoulsy stopped England qualifying for the 1974 finals.
Aside from the national humiliation, failure to reach the World Cup finals for the first time since 1994 would have serious implications for the FA’s bank balance.
Just by making it to Brazil, the FA would be guaranteed £8 million in prize money — the minimum amount for teams eliminated in the group stage and up 33 per cent from the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
That rises up to £16 million for reaching the quarter-finals, a reasonable expectation for England based on past tournaments, and £26.5 million for winning the World Cup outright.
The governing body could also expect to make at least £10 million from the demand for merchandise, principally from the royalties it would receive on replica England shirts.
When Steve McClaren failed to get England to Euro 2008, Umbro was forced to issue a profits warning, such was the effect of England shirt sales on its bottom line.
Nike, who bought the Umbro brand five years ago, is due to unveil a new kit in the summer and shirt sales are predicted to top one million if England make it to the finals.
Industry experts also believe the FA would be left in a seriously weakened position when it comes to negotiating new sponsorship deals at the end of the 2013-14 season if England fail to get on the plane to Brazil.
The FA makes more than £50 million a year from its commercial deals, a crucial part of its overall income.
But Nationwide lost patience with the ailing England brand after the failure to qualify for Euro 2008 was compounded by England’s dismal showing at the 2010 World Cup.
It opted not to renew its lead sponsor deal and it took six months for the FA to sign up Vauxhall as a replacement, costing it £3 million in revenue.
National Express, a more recent addition to the FA Partner Programme, also pulled out as England’s official travel operator following the 2010 World Cup debacle.
And Nigel Currie, a director of leading sponsorship and sports marketing company Brand Rapport, warned that failure to qualify for Brazil could have dire consequences.
He said: “I think the damage would be significant. The actual status of the England team is looking like it’s starting to diminish. Not qualifying for the World Cup would be a huge blow.
“If you don’t qualify, it would certainly put a lot of doubt in sponsors’ minds because the World Cup is a really big opportunity to cash in on all the work.
“The England team doesn’t come together very often, certainly not competitively, so a World Cup or a European Championship is a really big payday for the sponsors and they will build all their activity around that.”
World Cup elimination would also have a knock-on effect on the wider UK economy, with retailers missing out on the surge in sales in beer, food and televisions that normally accompanies England’s qualification for championship finals.
The British Retail Consortium estimated that the team’s failure to make it to Euro 2008 cost the economy as much as £600 million with a higher price put on a place in the World Cup finals.
Pubs, clubs and off-licences raked in more than £250m in extra sales during the 2010 World Cup.
Then there are the big supermarket chains hoping for “barbecue summers” to accompany a good England run as well as TV retailers, bookmakers and even travel companies eager to cash in on hoardes of fans flying down to Rio

Ancelotti: I want Beckham to stay at PSG next season

The Parisiens coach revealed that he wants the former Manchester United star to remain at Parc des Princes beyond this summer, and says his side will be ready to face Barcelona

Paris Saint-Germain coach Carlo Ancelotti has revealed his desire to keep David Beckham at the club beyond his contract expiration in the summer.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder joined on January's transfer deadline day this year, but his deal with les Parisiens is just a short-term one and he is set to leave at the end of June.

However, Ancelotti will have fuelled rumors that the ex-England international could remain at Parc des Princes after his frank admission that he wants PSG to hold on to the veteran.

The Italian told reporters on Thursday: "Beckham is available for tomorrow's game. He's arrived back in Paris and has not missed a training session.

"I am totally for Beckham continuing on next season."

Ancelotti's men face last year's Ligue 1 champions Montpellier on Friday night and the coach has demanded his players concentrate on one match at a time instead of looking ahead at April's battles with Barcelona in the Champions League.

"This is a very important time of the season," he said. We should think about the game tomorrow and not the following matches.

"Montpellier are not in the battle for the title but they are a very good team - dangerous and organized."

After the clash with Montpellier, PSG will face Barca on April 2 at Parc des Princes before the return leg at Camp Nou, and Ancelotti insists he will be thinking up his own strategy for success and not copying Real Madrid's formula.

"Four days to prepare Barcelona is sufficient," he said. "We are not Real Madrid so we will not have the same strategy as them."

Ancelotti also revealed that Thiago Motta will miss the first leg against Barcelona, while Argentine attacker Ezequiel Lavezzi is another absentee for the Montpellier match as he is still recovering from playing at extremely high altitude in Bolivia.