14 Wednesday 13th January, 2010

when we’re sending 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan? … He’s being used as a diversion, and it English rebels who ignored apartheid just drives me crazy.” Having said that, Gibson, cause still show a lack of shame Mel Gibson: who stars in the upcoming film “Edge of Darkness,” believes Woods has little to gain from complaining about the coverage of his alleged affairs.

Nobody is without sin ‘I feel sorry for “Nobody is without sin,” he says. “You have to try to make amends if you can. You have to shut up and move on and not whine about it. And you have to deal with it like a man. … Tiger Woods’ You’ve just got to accept your own culpability.” Gibson suffered a major PR crisis of his own in 2006, when he was pulled over on suspicion of DUI in California, and England captain Mike Gatting is confronted by anti-apartheid demonstrators reportedly made anti-Semitic during the 1990 rebel cricket tour. Actor says golfer’s comments during his arrest. He later apologized, pleaded no Gatting might get killed in contest and received three It was in January Pietermaritzburg." scandal is being years’ probation. 1990 that the •sev• It was in Pietermaritzburg In the new interview, Gibson where Gatting was confronted says he’s been sober now for 3 enth and most repre• by the ugliest crowd of all, used as a diversion 1/2 years. “It’s cool,” he says. hensible of the rebel chanting "Gatting go home!" “But I put some time together cricket tours to -Mandela was released on 11 before that — one time it was February and it was agreed to eight years, one time it was South Africa left shorten the tour if there were five years. I have to be vigilant for Afghanistan no more demonstrations. The about these things or it will from England, under creep back in.” the captaincy of players returned early and a He also takes responsibility trip scheduled for the following for the failure of his mar- Mike Gatting. There year was cancelled. by Tim Nudd riage. He and wife Robyn sep- had been six previ• The players arrived home arated in 2006 and were offi- before me. I was deported by a el Gibson, who endured cially divorced in 2009, after ous tours, between government incensed by my one of the bigger seven children and 28 years of views on the apartheid system Hollywood scandals of 1982 and 1987, from M marriage. and my report of the brutal recent years, says the Tiger “When all’s said and done, England, Australia, Woods affair has been blown -quashing of a demonstration I did a pretty good hatchet job the West Indies and at Jan Smuts -Airport. After way out of proportion — but on my marriage,” Gibson receiving death threats from that it wouldn’t do the golfer says. “I’m to blame, if you’re Sri Lanka.Players any good to whine about that inclined to judge.” on the last two tours tour sympathisers, I was now. Gibson is now in a rela- pleased to get out of the place. “I feel sorry for Tiger tionship with musician were given "hon• The Labour MP and veteran Woods,” the actor-filmmaker, Oksana Grigorieva, with anti-apartheid campaigner 54, tells Britain’s Daily Mail. orary white" status. Tiger Woods Mel Gibson whom he has a baby girl. Peter Hain said: "This was on “Why are we talking about this the cusp of a historic change in hreats of murder and South Africa. So for Gatting maiming tend to concen- and his tourists to go, clodhop- Lawmaker calls for probe of bogus Woods claim Ttrate the mind, especially pers and all, into this transfor- when they are directed at you. mative moment was grotesque TALLAHASSEE, Florida (AP) - A Florida spokesman said Monday that a false Woods has not been seen in public Every visit to South Africa beyond belief. It was not sur- lawmaker is calling for an investigation report is difficult to prove unless the per- since Thanksgiving, when he was in an evokes a shudder of remem- into who phoned a hot line claiming Tiger son confesses, but it can result in civil or accident near his home in the exclusive, prising it caused such offence. Woods’ children were being abused. criminal penalties. gated community of Windermere in an brance, even though those late The rebel tours were a doomed The anonymous accusation last month “False reporting is a very serious Orlando suburb. He announced on his Web night phone calls took place attempt to shore up the totter- was quickly rejected by Florida officials. offense and takes precious time away site Dec. 10 that he was taking an indefi- two decades ago. ing apartheid system, when it But Republican state Sen. Ronda Storms from vulnerable citizens who truly need nite leave of absence from the PGA Tour It was in January 1990 that needed to be isolated." wants officials, if possible, to prosecute protection,” spokesman Joe Follick said. “It to focus on repairing his marriage after the -seventh and most repre- In an age when sportsmen the person. is a crime and a frustration to the investi- admitting his infidelity. hensible of the rebel cricket still argued that sport and poli- A Department of Children and Families gator and healthy families.” tours to South Africa left from tics could be kept separate, England, under the captaincy of England's myopic rebels blun- Mike Gatting. There had been keeper Paul Robinson, possibly dered on. Even now, still crazy by Robert Millward six previous tours, between impeded by a teammate, dropped after all these years, some of LONDON (AP) — Carlos Tevez Tevez scores 3 as Man City beats 1982 and 1987, from England, scored a hat trick as Manchester City Martin Petrov’s corner. Benjani fed them display a lack of contri- Australia, the West Indies and outplayed Blackburn 4-1 on Monday Blackburn 4-1 the ball to Tevez, who turned it home tion. from close range with his right thigh. Sri Lanka.Players on the last "My mind was all over the to rise to fourth in the Premier League Unable to make his debut because and extend new manager Roberto It was 2-0 just before halftime two tours were given "honorary place, cricket-wise," Neil Foster, of a calf muscle injury, new signing when Richards beat several white" status. the former England and Essex Mancini’s record to four wins in a row. Patrick Vieira walked on to the pitch Blackburn players when charging up- But the 1990 tour was the seam bowler, said. "I didn't per- Tevez has now scored 10 goals in at City of Manchester Stadium to be his last seven games. field and, after Benjani’s shot had hit most -morally dubious of all, form, and I've always put that cheered by the home fans before the post, he was ideally positioned to City defender Micah Richards also kickoff. The French midfielder was since it took place as South down to a bit of a mental block scored after an 80-meter run, while knock in the rebound. Africa was going through a about the whole thing. But I signed from Inter on Friday. Tevez started and finished the Benjani Mwaruwari played a part in period of momentous change, wouldn't say that I regret going. The players and fans held a move that brought the third goal in the the first three goals. minute’s silence as a mark of respect before the release of Nelson In a bizarre way, we did help City manager last month—yet Mancini 49th minute. The Argentina forward Man City’s 10th league victory of to the three people who died when Mandela and the years of trans- said he was angry. passed to Benjani down the right and change the country." Really? the season means Mancini’s team gunmen opened fire on the Togo team “It was a good night for us,” the arrived to collect the Zimbabwe strik- formation. Furthermore, the 16 The former England off-spin- has 38 points from 20 games to move bus in Angola on Friday before the Italian said. “Carlos Tevez played very er’s cross to drive the ball past England players who went on ner John Emburey has his above Tottenham into fourth, seven start of the African Cup of Nations. well but all the team concentrated for Robinson from the edge of the area. the tour were being paid by the doubts. "In hindsight, it was a points behind leader Chelsea. Togo, which is captained by Man 90 minutes. But I am angry because Tevez should have collected his apartheid government rather tour that maybe shouldn't have Morten Gamst Pedersen’s goal for City striker Emmanuel Adebayor, we conceded a goal, our gift. It’s most hat trick in the 58th but headed tame- than corporate sponsors, which taken place," he said. Blackburn was the first that the former pulled out of the competition. important that the players concentrate ly wide from close range from a cross had been the case on previous Inter Milan coach has conceded since Man City raced into the lead in the For Gatting, there was some all the time.” by Pablo Zabaleta. he replaced the fired Mark Hughes as seventh minute when Blackburn goal- rebel tours. sympathy. He had been badly This was also the first such treated by the game's establish- tour to face angry demonstra- ment, sacked as England cap- tors, who had simply not been tain, and unfairly. An attempt allowed to show their frustra- to reinstate him had been tion and resentment on previ- vetoed in 1989. But it was the Serena, Safina into Sydney quarters ous occasions. The tour was naive Gatting who said before organised by the normally the tour: "I don't know much by John Pye the quarterfinals at a Sydney joining fourth-seeded Caroline She had a bye in the first round sagacious Dr Ali Bacher, who about how apartheid works but International where other seeded Wozniacki, No. 7 Jelena Jankovic and spent only 1 hour, 12 minutes had been South Africa's last one way to find out is by going players have struggled in the open- and No. 8 Vera Zvonareva as losers on court against Martinez SYDNEY (AP) — Top-ranked captain before the country was there." He also described one ing rounds. in the first two rounds. Sanchez. Serena Williams opened her sea- banished from Test cricket at -demonstration as "just a bit of No. 3 Svetlana Kuznetsova was Second-seeded Dinara Safina Safina spent 1:47 on court and son with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Maria the start of the 1970s. singing and dancing". Jose Martinez Sanchez to reach defeated 7-5, 6-2 by Slovakia’s struggled in her first set since she dropped serve five times in a strug- Dominika Cibulkova on Tuesday, quit with a back injury at the sea- gle against No. 10-ranked Bacher, now 67, told me: Yesterday he said, only a lit- son-ending championships in Radwanska. Despite the slow start, "That tour nearly finished me tle sheepishly: "I don't want to October, losing the opening five she said the back inflammation off, emotionally. We lived in a talk about it, really, except to games before rebounding to win which restricted her training until cocoon here, you must remem- say that it all turned out well nine straight in a 7-5, 6-4 win over the middle of last month didn’t ber. Including myself. When we for South Africa." Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland. cause her any concerns in Sydney. had the previous rebel tours The whole misadventure was Elena Vesnina, who advanced “I was 5-love down, but the only there were packed crowds, best summed up by the from the first round when problem was I was missing every- mainly white people, no demon- Guardian's Frank -Keating Zvonareva retired hurt on thing— everything was flying strations. I thought the country, when the tourists returned Monday, lost 6-3, all over the place,” Safina the people, had no problem. I home. He wrote: "No more 6-4 said. “So once I win a game, must confess that if I had I’m like, ‘OK, let’s start like inglorious, downright dis- this. known the anger and the hurt graced and discredited team or “Once it clicked, it start- that those tours would cause I sportsmen wearing the badge of Serena Williams still ed to be better.” would have thought twice about 'England' can ever have Safina saved a set point them. It was very hurtful for returned through customs with American Serena in the first before break- me. I had been a liberal all my such nothingness to declare." a solid No. 1 ing Radwanska in the life. And I thought Mike (The Guardian ) DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Jan. 11 — match-turning 10th game Williams owns a substantial lead for the No. 1 spot in the and was satisfied with women’s world rankings. her comeback. Williams will take the No. 1 ranking into the year’s first “I mean, it’s the first Schumacher begins major tournament, the , which begins next match of the year. If week. Her ratings point total of 9,075 is 1,125 more than you start to cry in the No. 2-ranked Dinara Safina. first game of first preparations for F1 return Monday marked the final rankings release ahead of the match, then what can pairings draw for the Australian Open. There were no happen when it’s JEREZ, ditions meant changes among the first 14 places on the list but Belgian going to be the end of Spain (AP) - Schumacher Kim Clijsters, who has been in just five tournaments since the season,” she said. Michael could only run ending a two-year retirement, has jumped to 15th. “It was 20 minutes Schumacher very limited Svetlana Kuznetsova, like Safina a Russian, is ranked and 5-love. I thought, has started mileage on slick ‘OK, at least try to third with Danish player Carolina Wozniacki fourth and his prepara- tires. Russian Elena Dementieva rated fifth. stay a little bit American Venus Williams is in sixth, with Belarusian tions for his Schumacher, a (UPI) longer on the Victoria Azarenka in seventh and, in order, Serbian Jelena court.” Formula One record seven-time Jankovic, Russian Vera Zvonareva and Pole AgnieszkaIn men’s first-round return by get- world champion, Radwanska completing the Top 10. matches, sixth-seeded Viktor ting behind is taking part in on Tuesday to Troicki of Serbia advanced over the wheel of a Michael Schumacher tests with the F1 Vera Dushevina, who now Frenchman 7-6 (5), 6- GP2 car to begin a three-day feeder series to help with the plays Williams in the quarterfi- 4 and No. 8 Benjamin Becker had a testing session. development of the 2011 GP2 nals. 6-3, 6-3 win over Juan Ignacio The 41-year-old German driv- car. Williams is using the Sydney Chela of Argentina. er came out of retirement to With offseason F1 testing tournament as her main warmup American , seeded drive for Mercedes this year, limited, Schumacher is also for first major of the season, fifth, lost 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 to Russia’s but didn't have an ideal start using the sessions to prepare which starts next Monday in Evgeny Korolev. Serena Williams Melbourne. Tuesday as cold and windy con- for his return.