WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2016 SPORTS

Alli signs new FIFA museum to Caulker loaned to Tottenham deal open on Feb 28 Liverpool by QPR LONDON: Liverpool have moved to address their defensive injury problems LONDON: Tottenham Hotspur breakthrough star Dele Alli has signed a new ZURICH: The multi-million dollar FIFA museum, the project of fallen world five-year contract tying him to White Hart Lane until 2021, the Premier League football chief Sepp Blatter, will open its doors on February 28 in Zurich, by signing centre-back Steven Caulker on loan from Queens Park Rangers, club announced yesterday. Alli, 19, joined Spurs in a £5 million ($7.2 million, two days after the election of his successor, FIFA announced yesterday. the Premier League club announced yesterday. “Liverpool Football Club 6.7 million euros) move from third-tier Milton Keynes Dons last year and has Over 140 million Swiss francs ($140 million/128 million euro) has been have completed the signing of Steven Caulker on loan from Queens Park made a stunning impact, scoring five goals in 18 Premier League appearances invested over the past three years in the museum dedicated to the world’s Rangers until the end of the season,” Liverpool announced on their website. this season.The versatile central midfielder has also been most popular sport. “We couldn’t ignore the turbulences, it was not easy. Caulker could make his debut in today’s home game capped by England and scored his first international goal in But we had to focus on our mission, to build a museum and a team,” said against league leaders Arsenal. November’s 2-0 friendly win over France at Wembley. “I’m managing director Stefan Jost of the work which continued against the The 24-year-old, capped once by England, was delighted. The club’s been really great to me since I’ve come backdrop of the current scandal engulfing the sport’s governing body. expected to train with Liverpool for the first time yes- here,” Alli said in a video interview published on the Blatter along with UEFA chief Michel Platini have both been suspended terday. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp moved to Tottenham website. “We’ve got a great, young team and I from all football activity for eight years by a FIFA tribunal, over a two mil- bring Caulker in after hamstring injuries to Martin see us going forward, so I’m happy to be here.” Alli signed lion Swiss franc ($2 million/1.8 million euro) payment that Blatter Skrtel and Dejan Lovren left him short in central for Tottenham from his home-town club MK Dons in January approved to the Frenchman. “It’s not a museum about personalities, it’s defence. However, Kolo Toure and Mamadou Sakho have about what football gives to people around the world,” added Jost of the 2015 and was loaned back to the League One side for the recovered from cramp and knee problems respectively, so project which was the brainchild of Blatter, who has headed FIFA since remainder of last season before linking up with Spurs dur- Caulker may be on the bench against Arsenal. Formerly with 1998. “We don’t know if the new president will participate in the inaugura- Tottenham Hotspur, Caulker had been on loan at ing the close season. He made his debut against tion,” said Jost, adding that the interim secretary general Markus Kattner Manchester United on the season’s opening would be present. In the centre of Zurich, and covering 3000 m2 on three Southampton and appeared in the south coast club’s crush- day and has made 26 appearances in all com- levels, the museum will exhibit objects retracing the history of football, ing 6-1 defeat at Liverpool’s hands in last month’s League petitions. —AFP with a library including 5000 works. —AFP Cup quarter-finals. — AFP

KUALA LUMPUR: Team Asia captain Jeev Milkha Singh of India (R) looks on as Team Europe captain HUA HIN: A handout photo released yesterday shows Jose Rolz of Guatemala (L) and Juan Igncio Lizarradle of of Northern Ireland (L) answers questions from the media during a press conference at the Glenmarie Golf and Uruguay posing during the final stage qualifying school at the Springfield Royal Country Club in Country club in Shah Alam yesterday ahead of the 2016 Eurasia Cup Golf tournament. Hua Hin. — AFP photos Newly confident Asia eager for showdown with Europe

KUALA LUMPUR: Team Asia members yester- top 60 in the world, and that was not the case tournaments. But Team Asia members vowed European Tour Rookie of the Year honours. Major winner Darren Clarke of Northern day exuded confidence ahead of this week’s when we played two years back.” to serve notice of the region’s quality this Thai veteran recorded Ireland has bolstered the side further with his EurAsia Cup clash, saying the improving cali- “That tells you that Asian golf has kicked on week. eight top-10s and a career-high world ranking captain’s picks-Ryder Cup match-play veterans bre of the region’s golf had given them high and has gotten stronger over the last two “We believe that if we perform as well as of 28, and countryman Kiradech won three and of England. hopes of beating Europe. The inaugural run- years.” The Ryder Cup-style contest at the we did (in 2014), Europe (will find it) tough to times globally. All are on the 12-man Asian Clarke also skippers Europe in the Ryder ning of the match-play team event two years Glenmarie Golf and Country Club in Malaysia take the trophy away from us,” said Kiradech squad captained by India’s Jeev Milkha Singh. Cup against the United States in September, ago ended in a 10-10 tie following a stirring tees off Friday with bragging rights between Aphibarnrat of Thailand. Lahiri said Europe had sent a “much making the EurAsia Cup something of a trial comeback by Asia, but the squad’s players said the European and Asian Tours at stake. stronger team” than in 2014. “What does that run. He said yesterday he remained focused they may go one better this time. The European circuit is the larger of the ‘WE ARE STRONG ENOUGH’ tell you? It tells you that we are strong enough this week purely on victory in Malaysia, but “There has been so much improvement, two, with more of its players achieving success Asian players have gone from strength to and they are not going to take any chances,” admitted the outcome could guide pairings especially on the Asian side (since 2014),” said on the sport’s biggest stages. strength in the past season. Lahiri won twice he said. and strategy against the US. Asian Tour Order of Merit winner Anirban A proposed merger between the two tours in co-sanctioned Asian-European events and European golfers who qualified include If Europe fails again to clinch the EurAsia Lahiri of India. “If you look at the Asian team has sparked concerns among Asian players of logged top-10 finishes around the world, England’s , Shane Lowry of Cup, “it’s going to send some shudders down now we have five or six people who are in the becoming eclipsed by European players and while South Korea’s An Byeong-Hun took Ireland, and Frenchman . the Ryder Cup team,” Lahiri said. — AFP Indian player Al-Attiyah strikes as Dakar disaster hits Loeb backtracks BELEN: Defending champion Nasser al-Attiyah Nine-time world champion Loeb, after three “It’s over for the victory,” said Loeb. “In a expected. Once you’re off the track you have to on kidney won the eighth stage of the Dakar Rally on stage wins, lost his lead of the overall standings stream there was a huge step that I didn’t see open your eyes twice as much,” he said. “That Monday as disaster struck debutant Sebastien as he ground to a standstill after taking a and which threw us into a barrel-roll. “We lost a was where he risked making a mistake.” KTM Loeb’s impressive start to the gruelling event. wrong turn and rolling less than 30 kilometres lot of time because we had to change the rider Toby Price won the motorcycle section, the sale threat Al-Attiyah, in a first stage win for Mini against from the end of the 393km timed special of the wheels. “Our victory hopes have gone-we knew Australian landing a sledgehammer blow in dis- the might of Peugeot who had won the previ- 766km run between Salta and Belen. Despite that we didn’t know it all!” Loeb may have tancing Paulo Goncalves (Honda), the overnight MUMBAI: An Indian squash player has back- ous six, finished 12 seconds ahead of Carlos massive damage to the car, Loeb and co-pilot impressed during the first week of the Dakar, leader, by 5:17. As a result, Price took command tracked on a threat to sell his kidney to raise Sainz and 31sec in front of new leader Daniel Elena managed to limp home to now putting his WRC experience to good use, but of the overall standings with a lead of 2:05 over funds ahead of next month’s South Asian Stephane Peterhansel, both representing the stand eighth in the overall standings, more Peterhansel warned that the Dakar is a different the Honda rider from Portugal. Yesterday’s ninth Games, saying it was a “spur of the moment” French car manufacturer. than one hour off the pace. beast. “He fell into the trap we could have stage was around Belen. — AFP decision that he was now regretting. Ravi Dixit, 22, is part of the home squad for the event in northeast India and was reported to be offering the organ for sale on social media for an asking price of 800,000 rupees ($11,952.79) due to a lack of sponsors. “I need at least Rs 1 lakh to participate in the South Asian Games but have not been able to find any sponsor,” Dixit was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times newspaper yesterday. “So, I have decided to sell my kidney for Rs 8 lakh so that I can participate in other tourna- ments as well for the rest of the year.” Dixit, who turns 23 this week, later apolo- gised for his comments in a letter issued through the Squash Rackets Federation of India, the local governing body, but insisted he still needed sponsorship to continue his playing career. “I never intended to sell my kidney. This statement was made at the spur of the moment for which I am truly sorry,” Dixit wrote. “I am keen to pursue squash as my career and continuously looking out for addi- tional sponsors to meet my expenses.” Dixit’s threat to sell the organ, forbidden by Indian law, was also a cause of concern for his par- ents. “I have spoken to Ravi. He is in Chennai right now but I spoke to him on the phone. His mother and I are imploring him not to take the step,” Ravi’s father, Ramkailash, told the Times of India newspaper. “Together, we will figure out a way to deal with this crisis. This way, he will ruin both his life and career. “I funded my daughter’s wed- ding with Ravi’s winnings. Since he has to sup- port the family as well, he cannot use much of what he gets for himself.” His father’s employer, the Dhampur Sugar Mill, had provided financial assistance in the past but according to Dixit, the funds were no longer enough to support him. — Reuters BELEN: Peugeot’s French driver Sebastien Loeb is helped to put his overturned car back on its wheels during Stage 8 of the Dakar 2016 between Salta and Belen, Argentina, on Monday. — AFP