SPORTS SATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

Tan flays ‘racist’ media, says Cardiff in safe hands

LONDON: Controversial Cardiff City owner or goal difference. time is right, I will tell my story. Sometimes the Vincent Tan has criticised “a little bit racist” British “Without me, Cardiff would have gone bust. British press is maybe a little bit racist.” media for projecting him as a villain and ruled out Because of my investment, we got promoted,” Tan said Mackay had been lucky to land the the possibility of the club chang- Tan said in an interview with BBC Sport yesterday. job at Cardiff in July 2011 and felt he should have ing its team colours back to blue. I am now more involved and under my leadership been more hands-on earlier. The 62-year-old Malaysian businessman the club will be in good shape. “Earlier on I was generous enough to give our helped finance the team into the top tier of “Some of my family members really want me football management too much authority and English soccer for the first time in half a century to leave. They think it’s not worth it. They think they went berserk. They went and did bad busi- this season before his leadership style came no-one is grateful. But you have to be patient, ness. That was a mistake. under increasingly scrutiny. accept the criticism and sometimes the insults.” “But now I’m involved, I know the value and I Tan, who once operated Malaysia’s most prof- study. Every business I don’t know, if I spend itable lottery and gambling business, changed No villain enough time - a couple of months - I will know a the club colours from its traditional blue to red at Often seen wearing dark glasses and gloves at lot. I know quite a lot about football now. I know the start of the 2012-13 season and sacked popu- Cardiff games, Tan said he was not the villain he the value of players and we won’t do stupid lar manager Malky Mackay last December to fur- was made out to be. things.” ther irk the fans. “I wear sunglasses because of the glare of the Tan said he had abandoned plans to list Criticism of his leadership approach has spotlights,” he said. “I wear gloves because it is Cardiff on the Singapore stock exchange and only grown but the Malaysian made it clear very cold in the UK. Frankly, sometimes I think hoped new manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer that he was not stepping down despite the they are nuts making all these comments. would guide the team out of relegation zone side struggling down in 19th place and three “The British press is unfair... maybe because we despite winning just one of their last 11 league points adrift of safety with a significantly inferi- didn’t tell our side of the story that well. When the games. —Reuters Drogba life story Diego Costa set to make told in cartoon form PARIS: walked at six months, left home at five and fell Spain debut against Italy in love with the woman who was to become his wife at the tender age of 17. Those are some of the landmark events covered in an account of the : Atletico Madrid striker Ivorian footballer’s extraordinary life about to be published in cartoon Diego Costa could make his debut for form in France. Spain after being named in Vicente Editions are also planned del Bosque’s 22-man squad for the for Britain, where Drogba is world champions’ friendly at home to still idolised by supporters of Italy on March 5. his former club Chelsea; Costa completed the nationalisa- Brazil, where he is due to tion process that allowed him to play in the World Cup later switch allegiances from Brazil to Spain this year, and Turkey, where in time for La Roja’s friendlies against he currently stars for Equatorial Guinea and South Africa Galatasaray. last November, but was forced to miss Entitled “From Tito to both games due to injury. Drogba”, the album traces PARIS: A young man reads a com- He is now expected to make his the 35-year-old’s journey ic book in Paris entitled “Didier bow on home soil at the Vicente from modest roots in Drogba”. —AFP Calderon after scoring 27 times in all Abidjan to the summit of competitions this season. “His is a sin- world football. The Tito in the title refers to his childhood nickname. gular case, he was born in Brazil but It was first published in 2012 in Ivory Coast, where Drogba is revered he has formed into a footballer in both as a lynchpin of the national team, the Elephants, and a symbol of Spain and has shown in his club that national unity-thanks to his detour into peacemaking diplomacy when he deserves to come into the squad, the country was teetering on the brink of civil war in 2006. that is why we have called him up.” Born on March 11, 1978, Drogba first moved to France at the age of Gerard Pique is the only significant five to live with his uncle, Michel Goba, a professional footballer, his par- absentee through injury from the final ents calculating that it would give him a better chance in life. match Spain will play before Del He has often spoken of how difficult he found his childhood years, the Bosque names his squad to defend FLORENCE: Fiorentina’s David Pizarro, left, vies for the ball with long spells spent apart from his parents and the upheaval of moving the World Cup in Brazil later this year. Esbjerg’s Martin Bergvold during an Europa League, round of 32, sec- around as his uncle regularly changed clubs. His parents finally joined There was disappointment for , and Juan ond leg match between Fiorentina and Esbjerg at the Artemio Franchi him in France when he was 13 and the family settled in the Paris suburbs, stadium in Florence, Italy, Thursday. —AP where Drogba began what was to be an illustrious career at Levallois SC. Mata as all three were left out. However, Del Bosque insisted that of the 2012 European Championsip Spain squad ‘Too perfect? He’s like that’ there was still plenty of time for those final, which Spain won 4-0. Goalkeepers: (Real “The book goes into a lot of detail,” Drogba recently told sports daily left out of the squad to make their However, both sides played out a Madrid), Victor Valdes (Barcelona), L’Equipe. “It is a fun way to learn lots of things about me and to show case for a World Cup berth between far more competitive clash in the (Napoli/ITA) young people that, if they do what I did, they can achieve their objec- now and the end of the season. semi-finals of last year’s Defenders: (Real tives.” “This is a list exclusively for the Confederations Cup semi-final with Madrid), (Barcelona), Javi “The most important thing is to show you can exceed your dreams. game against Italy. We have practical- Spain only progressing on penalties Martinez (Bayern Munich/GER), Cesar For me football has become my job, my way of making a living, and that ly three months of the season in front after a 0-0 draw after 120 minutes. Azpilicueta (Chelsea/ENG), Juanfran in turn has allowed me to meet many famous people, to be a UNICEF of us which could ratify those in this And the former Real Madrid boss is Torres (Atletico Madrid), Raul Albiol ambassador.” list or include others.” Bayern expecting another stiff test as prepa- (Napoli/ITA) The man responsible for the album is Gabin Bao, a 36-year-old Ivorian Munich’s Thiago Alcantara is reward- ration for a demanding start to their Midfielders: Hernandez, who has spent years on the project, finally convincing the player’s advi- ed for his impressive form for the World Cup campaign as they face , Andres Iniesta, sors it was a good idea. Bundesliga champions with a call-up against Holland and Chile in their first Cesc Fabregas (all Barcelona), Xabi “I met him several times after we did the deal and he really liked the to the senior squad for the first time two games in Brazil. Alonso (Real Madrid), idea of sending a message to young Africans,” Bao told AFP. this season. “Italy is one of the best teams in (Manchester City/ENG), Thiago Bao’s script for the book flirts with caricature at times in its emphasis the world. They have a base of Alcantara (Bayern Munich/GER), on the role of hard work in Drogba’s ascent. Competivive clash Juventus players and we have had Koke (Atletico Madrid), “Some people say I’ve made him too perfect. But he is like that,” Bao Torres’ Chelsea teammate Cesar tough meetings with them. (Arsenal/ENG) said. “He is very careful about his image because he has a lot of responsi- Azpilicueta is also included for the “The Confederations Cup game Forwards: Pedro Rodriguez bility on his shoulders.” Part of the proceeds from the book sales will go to first time since the Confederations was agonising and the final of the (Barcelona), Jesus Navas, Alvaro the Didier Drogba Foundation, which finances health and education proj- Cup ahead of Real Madrid’s Alvaro Euros was one of the best games we Negredo (both Manchester City/ENG), ects in Africa. —AFP Arbeloa. The match will be a rematch have played.” Diego Costa (Atletico Madrid). —AFP