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Aston Villa are considering a move to appoint Thomas Frank as Dean Smith’s successor at Villa Park.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Telegraph, who claim that Villa’s Sporting Director Johan Lange is known to be a big admirer of the Brentford boss, with the 48-year-old potentially being one of the names on Aston Villa’s shortlist to replace the recently sacked Smith.

It would be somewhat of an audacious move considering the two clubs are, of course, Premier League rivals.

Frank could be perfect for Villa

Considering the incredibly impressive job Frank has done at Brentford during his three-year spell in charge of the Bees, it would certainly appear as if Villa’s owners could do a lot worse than making a move for the former Denmark youth team coach.

Indeed, after serving as Dean Smith’s number two at Griffin Park for the best part of two years, the 48-year-old was appointed as the club’s new first-team coach upon Smith’s move to Villa, and guided Brentford to a solid 11th place finish in the Championship during his first season at the helm.

However, it was during the Bees’ 2019/20 campaign in which Frank really started to make his mark, picking up a whopping 81 points in the regular season and securing a highly unexpected third-place finish, before narrowly losing to Fulham in the play-off final.

The Dane went one further in 2020/21, once again securing a third-place finish in the Championship, but this time seeing off both Bournemouth and Swansea City in the play-offs to seal Brentford’s first-ever promotion to the Premier League.

And, while many may have predicted that the Bees would be the division’s whipping boys this term, Frank has once again proven his doubters wrong, with Brentford having already defeated the likes of Arsenal, Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham United, as well as securing a highly impressive 3-3 draw with Liverpool, in the league this season – with the club currently sitting relatively pretty in 14th place.

As such, considering the fact that Frank achieved all this while making a profit of £46.95m in transfer fees over the course of the last three seasons, as well as receiving praise from the likes of Jurgen Klopp for his “incredible” style of football, the 48-year-old would very much appear to be something of a perfect replacement for Dean Smith once again, but this time at Villa.

In other news: “Appt’ expected..”: Gregg Evans drops fresh AVFC manager claim which will delight fans

ICC to address concerns expressed by Indian players on the new code and to remind the Indian board that it sees no further reason to delay its implementation

Ajay S Shankar30-Jul-2009

An ICC lawyer will meet BCCI officials in Mumbai on Sunday to address concerns expressed by Indian players on the new anti-doping code and to remind the Indian board that it sees no further reason to delay its implementation, Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, said.The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code, which was put in place by the ICC from January, requires players in the testing pool to inform the governing body through an online form about their whereabouts in advance. Lorgat revealed that an “overwhelming majority” of players in the pool from all countries have done so during the trial period, within the ICC’s July 31 deadline, except India.Indian players in the ICC’s testing pool have raised various concerns about these ‘whereabouts’ forms and one of them told Cricinfo that it would be impossible to provide accurate information in advance, given their “fluctuating and hectic” professional and personal schedules. They are also worried about disclosing what they believe is confidential information and have raised queries about the security aspect. Similar “practicality issues” have already been voiced by the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) , which also believes that such norms infringe on players’ privacy.Lorgat said he understood these concerns but added that the anti-doping measures were “absolutely necessary, quite like the security checks that are done at all airports these days” to ensure that cricket remains a clean sport. He also said that the ICC was looking for the “most pragmatic solution” and that if changes needed to be made to the system, it would revert to WADA by the end of this year.”During the trial period, the overwhelming majority of players from all countries, except India, submitted whereabouts information,” Lorgat told Cricinfo. “I understand and appreciate that there will be some concerns and reservations from all players and I am sure they feel that those concerns are genuine. However, the ICC has spent the past few months addressing all of those concerns, and, having taken great care to do so, we see no further reason to delay the full implementation of the requirements specified by the WADA Code. WADA’s whereabouts system was developed after months of consultation and by adopting the same, we hope to ensure that our sport remains fair and clean. We will seek to remind the BCCI of this point when we meet with it on Sunday.”Lorgat admitted that revealing details of whereabouts in advance is “not something everyone would want to do” but added that it was necessary to maintain an effective out-of-competition testing programme and prevent abuse of the system. He also said that the ICC and BCCI, which has called for a meeting of its working committee on Sunday to discuss the issue, were in agreement that the game needs to remain “clean and honest”.”I understand that submitting details of your whereabouts in advance is not something everyone would want to do and I understand the concerns of players and their associations who may consider such a move an infringement of their private space,” Lorgat said. “But it is absolutely necessary, quite like the security checks that are done at all airports these days, if we are to manage an effective out-of-competition testing programme in support of our wider aim, which is to prevent abuse of the system. We are confident that the overwhelming majority of cricketers worldwide are clean but we have to take into account the tiny majority who may be incentivised to cheat their fellow participants. We need to ensure that those players who play by the rules are not penalised for doing so.”The ICC will be represented by Iain Higgins, its company lawyer, at Sunday’s meeting, which Lorgat hoped would clear any remaining concerns of Indian players.”If we think that there are things that need to change in the system, we will provide feedback to WADA in the course of our wider review of the IRTP (International Registered Testing Pool) at the end of the year,” he said. “There are a number of ways of ensuring compliance with the requirements. For instance, the players need not necessarily submit all of the information themselves. The national board can appoint an administrative official who can help to manage the process. All that the ICC is striving for is the most pragmatic solution.”

Crystal Palace entered a new chapter in their history over the summer when the club’s hierarchy backed Patrick Vieira with vast sums to spend on exciting young talent in the transfer market.

Things were very different in south London before, though. Managers were forced to work largely on a shoestring budget under the watchful eye of chairman Steve Parish, meaning every player through the door counted.

And one acquisition that the Eagles have always been able to rely on is James McArthur.

The 34-year-old arrived at Selhurst Park back in 2014 for a reported £7.9m and has rarely let the capital club down in his 238 appearances since.

McArthur was rewarded with a new contract back in 2018 after four successful years at the club and received glowing praise from Parish for his pivotal role in Palace establishing themselves as a Premier League outfit.

“James has been a huge success at the club and embodies everything we are about at Crystal Palace. We are absolutely delighted that he has re-signed with us,” he said.

But the former Scotland international has arguably taken his game to another level this season, despite being 34 years old.

As per WhoScored, McArthur has averaged 2.3 tackles per top-flight fixture, 1.2 interceptions and 1.8 defensive dribbles, placing him in the top-four amongst his teammates for each metric.

His eye-catching displays in the middle of the park have caught the attention of several impressed onlookers, including his manager Vieira.

“He is valuable, he’s our captain, and so he has a responsibility to bring his leadership to the squad,” said Vieira after Saturday’s victory over Wolves.

“He’s a fighter, he’s a warrior, he’s the benchmark for a professional. This is the same in training, he is no different.”

Backup goalkeeper Remi Mathews also took to Twitter after the 2-0 win over Manchester City to claim McArthur is “underrated,” and it’s clear the diminutive dynamo is enjoying an Indian summer as his career winds down in spectacular fashion.

And, in other news…“I think…”: Journalist drops exciting CPFC transfer claim that’ll leave fans buzzing

MatériaMais Notícias

Marcos Guilherme teve o clássico contra o Palmeiras no último domingo em seus pés. Já na parte final do embate, quando o São Paulo empatava em 2 a 2 na casa do rival, o atacante pegou uma bola na frente e tinha dois companheiros ao lado, contra dois defensores. No entanto, ele não passou a bola e foi desarmado por Edu Dracena. Na sequência, o contra-ataque gerou o gol de Keno, que abriu caminho para a vitória palmeirense. Esse lance ainda não sai da cabeça do são-paulino.

Nesta sexta-feira, quase uma semana depois, ele relembrou a jogada, que considerou crucial para a derrota, e disse que aprendeu com o erro para não repeti-lo mais pelo Tricolor.

– Eu fiquei muito chateado com esse lance. Eu não deveria ter errado, mas agora já passou. Tenho trabalhado no dia para não errar mais. Eu não esqueci esse lance, pode ter certeza, mas pode ter certeza que aprendi para não errar mais – afirmou Marcos Guilherme.

O lance repercutiu e foi comentado pelo técnico Dorival Júnior, além de outros jogadores. Poderia ter decidido o clássico. E Marcos Guilherme, sabedor disso, garante que aprendeu a lição. Ele fez um dos gols no revés por 4 a 2 e também acertou uma bola no travessão.

– O cara que mais me cobra sou eu mesmo. A minha auto-cobrança é além dos jornalistas, torcida. Sei que errei, foi um lance crucial. Fiquei muito triste, mas já passou, tenho muito a acrescentar a equipe ainda. Esse lance não vai me abalar em nada, vou trabalhar muito para crescer – analisou o camisa 23.

Marcos Guilherme também falou da fase do time, pediu para a torcida não abandonar, entre outros assuntos. Confira a entrevista:

Semana de treinos
A semana tem sido muito importante, com treinamentos. Foram muitos jogadores chegando, saindo, então está sendo importante para os treinamentos, corrigir algumas coisas, para não errar mais e retomar o caminho das vitórias.

Time fazendo contas
Se for pensar com a cabeça fria, estamos a três pontos de sair da zona. Estamos próximos ali do pelotão de cima. Claro que estamos preocupados, porque não é o lugar do São Paulo. Mas empenho não está faltando, está todo mundo lutando e estamos próximos de sair desse momento

Como jogar a partir de agora
É questão de estratégia, a cada jogo. Sabemos que na casa do Palmeiras não podemos nos expor. Cada jogo temos uma estratégia. Em determinado momento do jogo, estava dando certo, mas depois tomamos os gols rápidos. Agora já me sinto adaptado ao grupo, aos treinamentos. Estou me sentindo muito melhor fisicamente, tenho muito a ajudar ainda o São Paulo.

Situação na tabela
De ficar na zona do rebaixamento é claro que nos incomoda, não é a posição do São Paulo. Mas, infelizmente, hoje é nossa realidade. Vamos trabalhar para sair, é incômodo para todo mundo, vamos fazer de tudo para sair. Sabemos o que está errado. Não é só jogar a culpa na defesa, no ataque. Não podemos ficar apontando o dedo. Nesse momento é nos unirmos como grupo, família, porque só assim fechados vamos sair dessa.

Torcida
Como eu disse na saída do jogo do Palmeiras, para que eles não desistam de nós. Porque realmente eles têm nos abraçado de uma forma que nunca vi antes no Brasil, em termos de torcida. Então que eles não desistam, porque vamos sair dessa por eles, está todo mundo muito triste aqui, e que eles continuem pois vamos comemorar muitas coisas ainda.

Confrontos diretos contra times do Z4
Nosso campeonato, infelizmente, é esse, de sair da zona do rebaixamento. Temos confrontos diretos, já falamos sobre isso., então temos de estar concentrados, motivados, porque esses jogos são muito importantes.

Teme que a torcida abandone?
A gente não teme nada. Só estamos vivendo esse momento que eles estão nos abraçando. Só temos de agradecer e retribuir o carinho que temos dado.

Mudança de Cueva para Lucas Fernandes
É característica de jogador, Cueva e Lucas Fernandes são grandes jogadores. Quem o Dorival escolher, a gente confia. Vai depender dos treinamentos. Não tenho problema em voltar para marcar, é uma de minhas características.

RelacionadasSão PauloBalanço da janela: São Paulo lucra R$ 92 milhões e segura selecionáveisSão Paulo31/08/2017São PauloEm primeiro teste, Dorival improvisa Militão no lugar de BuffariniSão Paulo31/08/2017São PauloLateral diz que é preciso se doar mais do que 100% para salvar o São PauloSão Paulo31/08/2017

كشفت صحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية، عن الجوائز المالية عن للموسم القادم من مسابقة دوري أبطال أوروبا 2022/2023.

وكانت قرعة دوري أبطال أوروبا قد سُحبت، مساء أمس الخميس، وأسفرت عن مواجهات قوية، أبرزها المجموعة الثالثة (مجموعة الموت)، حيث يتواجد بايرن ميونخ وبرشلونة وإنتر ميلان بجانب فيكتوريا بلزن.

وقالت ماركا في تقرير لها إن لأندية المشاركة في دوري أبطال أوروبا وكأس السوبر الأوروبي ستتقاسم في 2,032 مليون يورو، يتم توزعيها على 23 فريقًا.

كما أن تصل القيمة المالية وفقًا لحقوق البث بحسب التقرير لـ 300 مليون يورو، ولكن سيتم توزعيها حسب قيمة كل سوق تلفزيوني في كل بلد. الجوائز المالية لدوري أبطال أوروبا 2022/23

الأندية المشاركة في دور المجموعات ستحصد 15.64 مليون يورو.

الانتصار في دور المجموعات .. 2.8 مليون يورو.

التعادل في دور المجموعات.. 930 ألف يورو.

الفرق المتأهلة لدور الـ 16 ستحصد 9.6 مليون يورو.

اقرأ أيضًا.. الخليفي بعد قرعة دوري أبطال أوروبا: تغيرنا عن السابق.. ونحتاج لعدم “التباهي”

الفرق المتأهلة لدور الـ 8 ستحصد 10.6 مليون يورو.

الفرق المتأهلة لدور الـ 4 ستحصد 12.5 مليون يورو.

الفريقان المتأهلان للنهائي سيحصدان 15.5 مليون يورو.

الفائز بلقب دوري أبطال أوروبا سيحصد 4.5 مليون يورو بالإضافة إلى 3.5 مليون يورو للمشاركة في كأس السوبر الأوروبي ومليون يورو إضافية مقابل خوض المباراة.

With the first game of Eddie Howe’s reign in charge of Newcastle United just a couple of hours away as they take on Brentford at St James’ Park, all eyes will be on who he selects in his starting XI as he aims to get the Tyneside club out of the Premier League relegation zone.

Taking this into account, one player who should be in the starting XI on this occasion is Joe Willock.

Time to let Willock loose

After making two substitute appearances in Newcastle’s league games against Crystal Palace and Chelsea last month, the 22-year-old spent the entirety of the 1-1 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion watching from the bench.

Now that Howe has taken over at the club, this could be Willock’s opportunity to prove to the new Toon boss that he has what it takes to be a crucial figure in Newcastle’s midfield moving forward. However, the 43-year-old won’t be involved today due to a positive virus test, with Jason Tindall and Graeme Jones calling the shots this afternoon.

After originally joining the club on a loan deal last winter from fellow Premier League side Arsenal, he took Newcastle by storm by scoring eight goals in 14 league appearances.

The Magpies then secured Willock, who has been praised in the past by Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta for the “special” qualities in his game, on a permanent move from the north London club on a six-year deal worth a reported fee in excess of £20m.

Although Willock, who is currently earning £80k-per-week according to Salary Sport, may not have started this season in the same goalscoring form (zero goals in 10 appearances) with which he ended 2020/21, he has still shown how capable an option he can be for the team by racking up an accurate passing average of 84% and an average of 2.8 tackles per game with 53% duels won.

With this in mind, today’s match against an off-form Brentford could be a great opportunity for Willock to get his season back on track after committing his future to the Toon, and potentially saving them from relegation if he can find his same goalscoring form from last season in the process.

In other news: Offer on the table: PIF working to land NUFC deal for beast which will leave fans buzzing…

The wheels haven’t quite come off for Pakistan, but the nuts have certainly been loosened and the main aim is to continue to regain some lost pride

Cricinfo staff11-Aug-2009Match factsWednesday August 12, 2009
Start time 19.00 (01.30 GMT)Big PictureShahid Afridi would be keen to begin his reign on a winning note•AFP

Sri Lanka’s famously unorthodox outfit were unstoppable at the World Twenty20 in June until they ran into a fired-up Pakistan in the final. Since then, Kumar Sangakkara’s men have shown their superiority over Pakistan in the Tests and one-dayers. So a win in the Wednesday’s Twenty20 will be revenge as well as icing on the cake.Both sides are missing key players from their World Twenty20 campaigns: Tillakaratne Dilshan, the most inventive and effective of Sri Lanka’s batsmen in England, is injured, as is fast bowler Umar Gul, whose reverse-swing confounded Pakistan’s opponents. Pakistan will miss the services of Abdul Razzaq too. Also, the form of two of Sri Lanka’s bowling stars, Ajantha Mendis and Lasith Malinga, has nosedived alarmingly.Batting has been Pakistan’s weakness on this tour but when it comes to Twenty20s, they are bursting with firepower. The emergence of Umar Akmal and the return of Nasir Jamshed and Imran Nazir gives their new captain, Shahid Afridi, plenty of big-hitters to choose from.Despite defeats in the Tests and the first three ODIs, Pakistan will be confident after pulling off two straight one-day wins, particularly because of the dramatic failure of Sri Lanka’s batting in those games.Form guide (last five matches, most recent first)Sri Lanka – LWWWW
Pakistan – WWWWLWatch out for…Shahid Afridi will have a lot to live up to following the World Twenty20 triumph, and the entire focus will be on how he handles the captaincy. Having scored fifties in his last two games, he will be looking to repeat his Man-of-the-Match performance in the World Twenty20 final in England.Pakistan’s smash hits: Umar Akmal showed what a destructive force he could be, smashing 102 off 72 balls in the fourth ODI in Colombo. He is very nearly a lookalike of his brother Kamran, and the two will look to make merry in the shortest format. With big-hitter Nazir also in contention, a breezy start for Pakistan is all but ensured.The Sri Lanka pace duo of Nuwan Kulasekara and Thilan Thushara may have other plans, though. While Kulasekara topped the bowling charts in the three Tests with 17 wickets at 15.05, Thushara had the biggest haul in the ODIs with nine from four matches at 20.22. The hosts will look for an encore from the two Man of the Series respectively.Team newsThe vacancy created by Younis should be filled by Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Yousuf standing an outside chance to make his Twenty20 comeback. Nazir should walk into the opening role, given Shahzaib Hasan, who opened in World Twenty20, has not been picked in the squad. Naved-ul-Hasan and Iftikhar Anjum should make up for the absence of Gul and Razzaq.Pakistan: (probable) 1 Kamran Akmal (wk), 2 Imran Nazir, 3 Shoaib Malik, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq, 5 Umar Akmal, 6 Fawad Alam, 7 Shahid Afridi (capt), 8 Naved-ul-Hasan, 9 Saeed Ajmal, 10 Mohammad Aamer, 11 Iftikhar Anjum.The fifth bowler’s slot remained a worry for Sri Lanka during their defeats in the ODIs. With left-arm medium-pacer Isuru Udana in the mix, the problem should be sorted out with either Malinga Bandara or Ajantha Mendis making way. It will also be interesting to see whether the opening combination of Sanath Jayasuriya and Upul Tharanga is tinkered with, to draft in the new inclusion, Mahela Udawatte.Sri Lanka: (probable) 1 Upul Tharanga, 2 Sanath Jayasuriya, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt/wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Chamara Kapugedera, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Thilina Kandamby, 8 Muttiah Muralitharan, 9 Thilan Thushara, 10 Isuru Udana/Malinga Bandara/Ajantha Mendis, 11 Nuwan Kulasekara.Weather and conditionsThe forecast of scattered thunderstorms is similar to the fifth ODI where there wasn’t a drop of rain. The venue is the same so expect the side winning the toss to bat. Chasing under lights has always been very difficult at the Premadasa.Stats & trivia Shahid Afridi, at 5.74 an over, is one of only four bowlers who have played 10 Twenty20 internationals or more and have maintained an economy-rate of less than six. The other three are also in Sri Lanka currently: Ajantha Mendis, Umar Gul and Daniel Vettori. Shoaib Malik, with 527 runs, is third on the all-time run-getters’ list in Twenty20 internationals. He is set to overtake No. 2 Kevin Pietersen (529) while Brendon McCullum has a healthy lead with 689 runs.

تمكن نادي أبها السعودي من حسم التعاقد مع الإكوادوري فيليبي كايسيدو، لاعب نادي جنوى الإيطالي والمعار الموسم الماضي إلى إنتر ميلان.

وأكد أبها حصوله على خدمات كايسيدو لمدة موسم واحد، مع أفضلية التمديد لموسم آخر وذلك في صفقة انتقال مجانية.

وكتب أبها من خلال حسابه الرسمي عبر موقع “تويتر”: “الإكوادور هي الدولة الوحيدة التي يعني اسمها خط الاستواء”.

وبحسب شبكة “ترانسفير ماركت”، فإن قيمة اللاعب الإكوادوري التسويقية تبلغ 1.5 مليون يورو في الوقت الحالي.

اقرأ أيضًا..الاتفاق السعودي يعلن تعاقده مع البرازيلي فيتينهو

وكانت أعلى قيمة تسويقية لكايسيدو في موسم 2013-2014 وذلك عندما انتقل من نادي لوكوموتيف الروسي إلى نادي الجزيرة الإماراتي بمبلغ 8 ملايين يورو.

يذكر أن اللاعب البالغ من العمر 33 عامًا، لعب في صفوف مانشستر سيتي قادما من بازل السويسري مقابل 7 ملايين يورو في صيف 2008، وفي عام 2009 انضم إلى سبورتنج لشبونة البرتغالي معارًا، ثم تمت إعارته عام 2010 لمالاجا الإسباني، وفي 2011 لعب في صفوف ليفانتي الإسباني.

وانضم إلى لوكوموتيف موسكو الروسي مقابل 7.5 مليون يورو في عام 2012، وبدأ مشواره في إيطاليا عام 2017 باللعب في صفوف لاتسيو مقابل 2.5 مليون يورو، ثم انتقل لجنوى بقيمة 2 مليون يورو عام 2021، وفي يناير 2022 تمت إعارته لإنتر ميلان.

MatériaMais Notícias

“Lá más fiel” da Argentina receberá a “Fiel torcida” do Brasil nesta quarta-feira, às 21h45, pelo jogo de volta das oitavas de final da Copa Sul-Americana. Frente a frente, Racing e Corinthians definirão quem avança no torneio continental em um duelo marcado até agora pelo clima de cordialidade entre os dois clubes e principalmente as duas torcidas.

Na semana anterior à partida de ida, que terminou empatada em 1 a 1, o Racing enviou representantes ao Brasil para discutir questões de logística e torcida com o Corinthians. O relacionamento se estreitou a partir dali, tanto que o clube argentino teve direito a levar 1,5 mil torcedores à Arena Corinthians, número acima do normalmente reservado aos visitantes. Além da quantidade, os clubes também acertaram a cobrança de valores semelhantes pelos ingressos. Prova disso é que o corintiano paga R$ 74 (R$ 37 a meia-entrada) para a partida no estádio Presidente Perón, conhecido como El Cilindro.

No jogo de São Paulo, não houve qualquer registro de confusão entre torcedores de Corinthians e Racing, pelo contrário. Na concentração para a partida em um bairro do centro de São Paulo, os argentinos conversaram e conviveram com vários torcedores adversários em clima de paz. Já em Buenos Aires, diversos corintianos que chegaram uniformizados para acompanhar a partida foram bem recebidos pelos argentinos, marcando o clima de cordialidade entre as torcidas.

Entre os clubes, o ambiente também é positivo. Além de interações nas redes sociais entre os perfis oficiais, o Racing publicou em seu site dois textos sobre o confronto: um a respeito da imponente cidade de São Paulo e outro sobre o Corinthians, “um adversário com história”, que destacava os feitos de ídolos como Sócrates e Guerrero.

Em Buenos Aires, a polícia local já se prepara para receber os torcedores do Corinthians, que embarcaram em maioria de ônibus na tarde desta segunda-feira. Como todos os ingressos já foram vendidos no Brasil, a única preocupação é a organização da entrada e saída dos corintianos do estádio, e a expectativa é de que não haja problemas. El Cilindro tem capacidade para receber cerca de 50 mil pessoas e deve ter casa cheia nesta quarta-feira, pois o Racing trata a Sul-Americana como prioridade neste momento. Ainda há ingressos à venda para os locais.

Para os corintianos, será a volta aos duelos fora de casa após dois jogos na Arena. Contra o Vasco, aliás, além da vitória por 1 a 0, ficou marcado o comportamento exemplar da torcida, que apoiou do início ao fim e até cantou o nome dos jogadores antes de a bola rolar. O Timão leva em média 33.007 pessoas ao estádio por jogo. Cordial e fiel.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasCorinthiansSó Arana é poupado, e Corinthians relaciona 20 jogadores contra RacingCorinthians18/09/2017

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CorinthiansRacingSul-Americana

The PCB’s governing board has appointed Wasim Bari as the Chief Operating Officer of Pakistan board

Cricinfo staff07-Sep-2009

Wasim Bari has been appointed chief operating officer of the PCB. Bari, who kept wickets in 81 Tests for Pakistan, had been named acting COO last week after Salim Altaf was sacked from the post. It is believed that Altaf developed differences with PCB chairman Ijaz Butt over administration matters.Bari said he was looking forward to the challenge of being the COO in a troubled time for Pakistan’s cricket. Pakistan’s future as an international cricketing venue is under threat after a terrorist attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in March. Security fears have forced the ICC to shift the Champions Trophy out of Pakistan, and also strip the country of 2011 World Cup hosting rights.”Pakistan cricket has suffered badly, but we are trying our level best to lift it and we will do it with the best of efforts,” Bari told AFP. “This new post is a great challenge for me. I will do my best to work for the promotion of the game in Pakistan. I like working together and with consensus, that is my principle.”Bari, 61, had also been the interim national chief selector in June after Abdul Qadir quit barely six months after taking over the role.