22 FRIDAY MARCH 2, 2007 SPORTSCHINA DAILY

Teams to watch this

Shanghai Shenhua CSL kicks off with hopes and fears Stadium: Hongkou Stadium Capacity: 35,000 Head coach: Os- As Chinese valdo Gimenez (Uruguay) Assistant Coaches: Xi Zhikang, soccer season Ou Chuliang, Hao Haitao Honors: opens, league China Super League Runners-up 2005 struggles to get First Division (Equivalent to China Super League) Champions 1995, back on track 2003 First Division Runners-up 1996, By Chen Xiangfeng 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001 Chinese Super Cup Winners 1996, 1999, 2002 A new season of the China China FA Cup Winners 1998 Super League (CSL) kicks off tomorrow, but problems off Shide the fi eld are casting a lengthy Stadium: Dalian shadow over what could be the Jinzhou Stadium most exciting competition in Capacity: 60,000 recent years. Head Coach: Jo League authorities hope 2007 Bonfrere (Neth- can be the year the CSL fi nally erlands) moves beyond the trauma of Assistant coach: Liu Zhongchang, ‘black whistles’ and fi nancial Han Wenhai uncertainty, but many fear the Honors: CSL is a competition stuck in an China FA Cup Winners 2005 unbreakable spiral of decline. China Super League Champions Preparations for the season, 2005 already shortened to allow First Division Champions: 1994, preparation time for the 2008 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, Olympic Games, were thrown 2002 into chaos just three weeks Chinese Super Cup Winners 1997, before kick off when a merger 2001, 2003 between United and China FA Cup Winners 2001 Shanghai Shenhua was an- Asian Cup Winners’ Cup Run- nounced, cutting the league ners-up 2001 from 16 to 15 teams. Asian Club Championship Run- Zhu Jun, head of China’s ners-up 1997 largest online game operator The9.com and owner of Shang- The 2007 China Super League season begins on Saturday in , central China's Hubei province. The season has been shortened in a bid to give the Olympic Shangdong Luneng hai United, paid an estimated team more time to prepare for the 2008 Games. The league runs until mid November, with a two month summer break. Zhong Ti Stadium: 150 million yuan ($19.7 mil- Stadium, lion) for a 51 percent stake in However, the average attend- annual meeting, offi cials once to improve organization inside Xiang to Dutch side PSV Eind- been little improvement - last Capacity: 45,000 Shanghai Shenhua, last year’s ance figure does not tell the again vowed to crack down and outside the stadium, and hoven is a setback. season the team finished a General Manager: runners-up. whole story. While champions on soccer-related crime and employ more security staff to Defending champions lowly fi fth. Kang Mengjun The size of the investment, Shandong Luneng averaged violence. protect the away teams.” Shandong Luneng are in no This season there is opti- Head Coach: Ljubisa Tumbakovic the exact amount of which has over 30,000 fans in soccer-cra- “This year’s league is serv- mood to see their crown go to mism, as the team contains (Serbia) not been revealed, underscores zy Jinan and attracted ing as preparation for the 2008 Climbing the ladder the new Shanghai rivals, but a nucleus of talented young Honors: the commercial potential of Chi- over 18,000 each game, many Beijing Olympics. It is impor- On the fi eld, newly merged the loss of captain and players from China’s Olympic China Super League Champions nese soccer and will make the clubs struggled to get more than tant for us to keep the league Shanghai Shenhua will be player to English team and respected Dutchman 2006 league extremely competitive. 5,000 through the gates. moving smoothly. Also we have favorites to challenge reigning side Charlton Jo Bonfrere has been hired as China FA Cup Runners-up 2005 But major problems remain The behaviour of some play- to make sure there are no big champions Shandong Luneng. could be problematic. coach. CSL Cup Winners 2004 behind the scenes, the most ers has done little to increase problems,” said Ma Chengquan, “I am confi dent we will win “Zheng is the best and also “I cannot say in which posi- Runners- pressing of which is the fi nan- the appeal of the game. Last secretary of the CFA’s Discipli- the domestic league and Asian the most creative player in the tion we will fi nish at the end up 2004 cial vacuum created by the lack October Dalian Shide defender nary Committee. Champions League this year. I team. It is a blow to the team,” of the season. Now, we have to First Division Champions 1999 of a title sponsor. Quan Lei was attacked and Ma singled out four main am a man who always wants the head coach Lijbisa Tumbakovic start from the beginning.” the China FA Cup Winners 1995, Last season UK-based stabbed by thugs, and rumors focus areas. best,” new Shanghai Shenhua told Titan Sports. former coach told 1999, 2004 communications firm iPhox quickly circulated on the In- “First, we must make extra boss Zhu Jun told Titan Sports. “Shanghai, Dalian and Titan Sports. stepped in at the last minute ternet that he was involved in efforts to develop the league’s The coach who must make Beijing will be strong contend- Dark horses to upset one of Beijing Guo’an with an eight-year sponsorship gambling and was having an af- level and improve the perform- this happen is Uruguayan Os- ers after taking chances and the big three are Beijing Guo’an, Stadium: Beijing deal. Financial terms were not fair with a local businessman’s ances of players. valdo Gimenez, who coached buying players. I think there who made signifi cant off-season Workers’ Stadium disclosed, but the whole deal girlfriend. “Second, clubs should find the Uruguayan national and will be some surprises in the moves to improve an already- Capacity: 60,000 was thought to be worth ap- Positive news has come with ways to attract more fans into Olympic team for seven years. new season.” consistent team. President: Li proximately $80 million. a new television agreement the stadiums. “We have to beat Dalian and Shandong’s key players Beijing paid a Chinese record Jianyi However, after the company that will see games broadcast “Third, we will crack down Shandong. Now it is like we include China national team 4 million yuan ($516,000) General Manager: failed to win approval to enter live nationwide on CCTV. Two on match-fixing, gambling are climbing a ladder. There goalkeeper Li Leilei and last to for international Team manager: Hong Yuanshuo the Chinese market they cut the years ago a fi nancial dispute and black whistles (corrupt is no shortcut, we must walk season’s top scorer . defender Zhang Yonghai, and Head coach: Lee Jang-Soo (South deal to just one year, and there saw CCTV pull the plug on cov- referees). We will try to clean firmly step by step,” he told One of the most interesting they also snapped up Liaoning’s Korea) has been speculation that the erage, with Shanghai Media up the matches by imposing Titan Sports. storylines in the league will experienced striker Guo Hui. Assistant coach: Li Chunman, Chinese Football Association Group screening games instead. harsher punishments.” Shanghai Shenhua’s top play- be the performances of Dalian The fi rst half of the season Hong Yuanshuo, Zhao Xudong, (CFA) has not received any This season both broadcasters The fourth concern was over ers include Chinese captain and Shide. runs from Saturday’s curtain Dusko Tomic (Serbia) money. will have live matches, which security, following a series of in- central defensive stalwart Li Winners of seven titles be- raiser between Wuhan and Honors: According to CFA statistics, should help improve sagging cidents involving fans attacking Weifeng and teenage goalkeep- tween 1994 and 2002, Dalian Tianjin until June 23, with the China FA Cup Winners 1996, the average attendance last year TV audiences. team buses. ing prospect , who have since been a giant in majority of games played on 1997, 2003 was 10,000. There has been a “There were disgusting last year earned a trial with decline. Despite millionaire Sunday afternoons. The sec- Chinese Super Cup Winners steady drop since 2003, when Four focus areas clashes last year. In the new Italian giants , but owner Xu Ming pumping a ond half begins August 12th 1998, 2003 the fi gure was over 15,000. Last weekend at the CSL’s season, we will take measures the departure of fullback Sun fortune into the club there has and ends November 11th. SCOREBOARD

CBA Final May 26 Motherwell 1 (McCormack 85) St Johnstone Orlando 28 31 .475 4 1/2 Detroit 40 16 8 199 156 88 x5) bt Florent Serra (FRA) 7-6 (7/5), 6-3; BEIJING: Results of the Chinese Basketball Italian league 2 (MacDonald 21, Scotland 72) Charlotte 22 36 .379 10 St Louis 27 27 9 164 191 63 Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) bt Tomas Berdych Association (CBA) Playoffs quarterfi nals on : Italian league results on Wednes- Sunday Atlanta 22 36 .379 10 Columbus 24 33 7 158 200 55 (CZE x6) 7-6 (8/6), 6-3; Novak Djokovic Wednesday: day: Inverness CT 1 (Bayne 18) Celtic 2 (Press- Western Conference Chicago 23 31 9 155 190 55 (SCG x7) bt Rainer Schuttler (GER) 7-6 Jiangsu 118 Shandong 105 Lazio 3 (Pandev 60, Siviglia 88, Rocchi ley 88, Miller 90+1) Northwest Division Northwest Division (7/5), 6-3; Fabrice Santoro (FRA) bt Gilles Bayi 106 Zhejiang 93 90+5) Catania 1 (G. Colucci 17) Saturday Utah 38 19 .667 - Vancouver 36 22 5 165 159 77 Simon (FRA) 6-4, 6-2; Robin Soderling 91 Liaoning 81 Sampdoria 2 (Bazzani 71, Volpi 83-pen) Dunfermline 2 (Simmons 4, 86) Partick Denver 28 28 .500 9 1/2 Calgary 34 21 9 207 172 77 (SWE) bt Dominik Hrbaty (SVK) 6-3, 7-5. 95 Shanghai 82 Atalanta 1 (Ventola 8) Thistle 0 Minnesota 26 31 .456 12 Minnesota 35 23 6 182 163 76 Doha WTA Queen of the South 1 (O’Neill 48) Hiber- Portland 24 34 .414 14 1/2 Edmonton 30 28 6 172 185 66 SOCCER Chievo 2 (Bogdani 17, Semioli 33) Roma 2 DOHA: Results from the $1.34 million (Totti 34, 48) nian 2 (Murphy 45, Sowunmi 51) Seattle 22 35 .386 16 Colorado 30 29 5 208 207 65 WTA Qatar Open on Wednesday: Dutch Cup Palermo 0 AC Milan 0 Spanish Cup Pacifi c Division Pacifi c Division 2nd rd THE HAGUE: Results from Dutch Cup Empoli 3 (Saudati 14, 62, Marzoratti 35) MADRID: Spanish Cup quarter-fi nal, Phoenix 44 14 .759 - Anaheim 37 17 10 204 167 84 Justine Henin (BEL x1) bt Alicia Molik quarter-fi nal matches on Wednesday: Messina 1 (Alvarez 89) second leg results on Wednesday: LA Lakers 33 25 .569 11 Dallas 38 21 3 167 147 79 (AUS) 6-2, 7-6 (11/9); Patty Schnyder (SUI RKC Waalwijk 1 Roda JC Kerkrade 0 Reggina 1 (Foggia 57) Fiorentina 1 (Mutu Real Valladolid 1 (Menchev 85) Deportivo LA Clippers 28 29 .491 15 1/2 San Jose 38 24 2 192 166 78 x5) bt Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) FC Utrecht 1 AZ Alkmaar 2 87-pen) La Coruna 1 (Filipe 33) Golden State 26 33 .441 18 1/2 Phoenix 27 33 3 168 214 57 6-3, 6-4; Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS x2) NAC Breda 3 PSV Eindhoven 0 Siena 0 0 Deportivo win 5-2 on aggregate Sacramento 25 32 .439 18 1/2 Los Angeles 21 32 10 178 219 52 bt Julia Goerges (GER) 7-5, 6-1; Kateryna Willem II Tilburg 0 Ajax 2 Ascoli 0 Parma 0 Osasuna 1 (Romeo 16) Getafe 0 Southwest Division Thursday, March 2 Bondarenko (UKR) bt Sania Mirza (India) Note: Winners advance to semi-fi nals. No Torino 1 (Bovo 23) Cagliari 0 Getafe win 3-1 on aggregate Dallas 48 9 .842 - Philadelphia at Boston - walk-over; Martina Hingis (SUI x3) bt second leg matches. Inter Milan 1 (Crespo 66) Udinese 1 (Obodo Real Zaragoza 1 (Pique 71) Barcelona 2 San Antonio 39 18 .684 9 Pittsburgh at NY Rangers Maria Kirilenko (RUS) 6-2, 6-2; Francesca English FA Cup 48) (Xabi 18, Iniesta 26) Houston 35 22 .614 13 Tampa Bay at Washington Schiavone (ITAx8) bt Mara Santangelo LONDON: English FA Cup results on Standings First leg 1-0, aggregate 2-2: Barca win on N.O./Oklahoma City 28 30 .483 20 1/2 Dallas at Florida (ITA) 4-6, 7-6, 1-0 retired; Daniela Hantu- Wednesday: W D L Gf Ga Pts away goals Memphis 15 44 .254 34 St Louis at NY Islanders chova (SVK x6) bt Eleni Daniilidou (GRE) 5th rd replay Inter Milan 21 4 0 55 20 67 Real Betis v Seville (fi rst leg 0-0) - match Thursday, March 2 Colorado at Chicago 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 6-3; Jelena Jankovic (SCG x4) Blackburn 1 (McCarthy 87) Arsenal 0 Roma 16 5 4 51 20 53 abandoned after 57 minutes Cleveland at Dallas Minnesota at Edmonton bt Maria Elena Camerin (ITA) 6-0, 6-1. Charlotte at Portland Phoenix at Vancouver Tuesday Palermo 13 6 7 41 30 45 Acapulco International 5th rd replays Lazio 12 7 6 40 19 40 NBA LA Clippers at Seattle Anaheim at Los Angeles NEW YORK: Results of Wednesday’s games ACAPULCO, Mexico: Results from Reading 2 (Kitson 23, Lita 84) Manchester Empoli 10 8 7 24 22 38 NHL Acapulco International matches: United 3 (Heinze 2, Saha 4, Solskjaer 6) AC Milan 12 9 4 33 21 37 (home team in CAPS): PHILADELPHIA 99 Phoenix 94 NEW YORK: Results of Wednesday’s games TENNIS Women’s singles West Brom 1 (Carter 26) Middlesbrough 1 Sampdoria 9 6 10 33 32 33 (home team in CAPS): Julia Schruff (GER) bt Marion Bartoli (FRA (Viduka 63) Fiorentina 14 5 6 39 22 32 Miami 92 WASHINGTON 83 ATP Las Vegas BOSTON 102 NY Knicks 94 OTTAWA 2 Carolina 0 LAS VEGAS, Nevada: Results on Wednes- x1) 6-0, 6-4; Melissa Torres (MEX) bt Eva Middlesbrough win 5-4 on penalties Udinese 8 8 9 29 33 32 CALGARY 2 Minnesota 1 (SO) Birnerova (CZE) 6-4, 6-2; Alize Cornet Atalanta 7 10 8 39 36 31 Utah 104 MEMPHIS 88 day from a $416,000 ATP tournament French Cup N.O./OKLAHOMA CITY 107 Atlanta 100 Nashville 4 SAN JOSE 3 (SO) using the round-robin format in which (FRA) bt Severine Bremond (FRA x4) 7-6 PARIS: French Cup quarter-fi nal results on Catania 8 7 11 34 48 31 Standings (3), 6-2; Sara Errani (ITA) bt Kaia Kanepi Livorno 6 10 9 24 35 28 CHICAGO 113 Golden State 83 group winners advance to knockout rounds Tuesday: Toronto 106 HOUSTON 90 Eastern Conference (x denotes seeds): (EST) 1-6, 6-3, 6-4; Emilie Loit (FRA) bt Sochaux 2 (Isabey 24, Dagano 39) Paris SG Siena 5 12 8 23 29 26 Atlantic Division Martina Mueller (GER x3) 6-2, 6-2; Flavia Torino 6 7 12 19 34 25 DENVER 111 Orlando 101 Round Robin 1 (Ngog 75) SACRAMENTO 135 Charlotte 120 W L Otl Gf Ga Pts Igor Kunitsyn (RUS) bt Stefan Koubek Pennetta (ITA x5) bt Roberta Vinci (ITA) Montceau-les-Mines 1 (Alidor 78) Lens 0 Chievo 5 8 12 27 35 23 New Jersey 40 18 6 171 149 86 6-0, 6-2. Cagliari 4 11 10 18 29 23 LA CLIPPERS 96 Seattle 91 (AUT) 6-2, 6-2; Fernando Verdasco (ESP Tuesday Standings Pittsburgh 33 20 9 211 194 75 x5) bt Danai Udomchoke (THA) 6-1, 5-7, Men’s singles Marseille 5 (Niang 1, Maoulida 32-pen, 66, Reggina 8 8 9 30 34 21 NY Islanders 32 23 8 189 179 72 Agustin Calleri (Arg x2) bt Oscar Messina 4 8 13 25 42 20 Eastern Conference 6-2; Benjamin Becker (GER x8) bt Gustavo Cisse 61-pen, Pagis 90+1) Vannes 0 Atlantic Division NY Rangers 30 27 6 184 178 66 Kuerten (BRA) 6-4, 6-3; Jurgen Melzer Hernandez (Spa) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3; Nicolas Sedan 1 (Pujol 14) Nantes 1 (Keseru 15) aet Parma 3 8 14 20 43 17 Philadelphia 16 37 10 166 241 42 Massu (Chi x6) bt Stefano Galvani (Ita) Ascoli 2 9 14 18 38 15 W L PCT GB (AUT x4) bt Michael Llodra (FRA) 6-4, 2-6, Nantes win 6-5 on penalties Toronto 32 26 .552 - Northeast Division 7-5; Sam Querrey (USA) bt Julien Ben- 7-6 (2), 6-3; Juan Ignacio Chela (Arg Leading scorers in Italy Buffalo 42 16 5 240 183 89 x4) bt Nicolas Devilder (Fra) 6-0, 6-4; German Cup 16: (Roma) New Jersey 28 30 .483 4 neteau (FRA x6) 6-2, 7-6 (7/3); Feliciano BERLIN: German Cup quarter-fi nals NY Knicks 26 33 .441 6 1/2 Ottawa 38 22 4 221 173 80 Lopez (ESP) bt Nicolas Mahut (FRA) 3-6, Carlos Moya (Spa x8) bt Diego Hartfi eld 13: (Fiorentina) Montreal 33 27 6 191 200 72 (Arg) 6-3, 7-5; Gaston Gaudio (Arg x5) results on Wednesday: 12: Rolando Bianchi (Reggina), Adrian Philadelphia 20 38 .345 12 6-3, 7-6 (7/3); Thomas Johansson (Swe) bt VfB Stuttgart 2 (Cacau 38, Kitzlsperger 77) Boston 15 42 .263 16 1/2 Toronto 30 25 9 203 211 69 Lu Yen-Hsun (Tpe) 6-0, 6-1. bt Juan Pablo Guzman (Arg) 1-6, 6-3, Mutu (Fiorentina), Gionatha Spinesi Boston 30 28 4 180 224 64 6-2; Nicolas Almagro (Spa x3) bt Ruben Hertha Berlin 0 (Catania) Central Division ATP Dubai Open Tuesday Detroit 36 19 .655 - Southeast Division Ramirez Hidalgo (Spa) 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (2); 11: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter Milan), Tampa Bay 36 25 4 207 198 76 DUBAI: Results from Dubai Open here on Jose Acasuso (Arg x7) bt Jiri Vanek (Cze) Nuremberg 0 Hanover 0 aet Tomasso Rocchi (Lazio) Cleveland 33 24 .579 4 Wednesday: Nuremberg win 4-2 on penalties Chicago 33 27 .550 5 1/2 Atlanta 32 23 10 196 206 74 6-1, 6-2; Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spa x1) bt 10: Cristiano Doni (Atalanta), Vincenzo Carolina 32 27 7 195 204 71 2nd rd Lukas Dlouhy (Cze) 6-3, 7-6(2). Wolfsburg 2 (Klimowicz 12, Marcelinho 25) Iaquinta (Udinese), Indiana 29 27 .518 7 1/2 Rafael Nadal (ESP x2) bt Igor Andreev Aix-la-Chapelle 0 Milwaukee 21 37 .362 16 1/2 Florida 25 26 13 186 207 63 (Sampdoria), Cristiano Lucarelli (Livorno) Washington 24 29 11 193 225 59 (RUS) 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7/2); Olivier Rochus Frankfurt 3 (Fink 11, Takahara 61, 72) Southeast Division (BEL) bt Nikolay Davydenko (RUSx3) 4-6, Scottish Cup Western Conference To comment or alert us to a story, Kickers Offenbach 0 Washington 31 25 .554 - 6-2, 6-4; Roger Federer (SUI x1) bt Daniele Semi-fi nals April 17 and 18 GLASGOW: Scottish Cup quarter-fi nal Miami 28 29 .491 3 1/2 Central Division e-mail [email protected] results on Wednesday: Nashville 43 18 4 223 167 90 Bracchiali (ITA) 7-5, 6-3; Tommy Haas (GER