Outcry at Tanzanian HIV beating

President Kikwete was tested at the start of the HIV testing campaign

There has been an outcry in Tanzania over a woman who was badly injured by her husband after she took an HIV test which is being encouraged nationwide.
Tumaini Mbogela said her husband beat her when she returned from a voluntary counselling centre in the town of Makete where she took the HIV test.

Rights activists say the attack was "uncalled for" and women do not need permission to check their HIV status.

Half of the 1.6m Tanzanians living with HIV are women, recent figures show.

Reports from Makete say the husband is on the run from the police.

Relatives claim that he is mentally confused after realising that the authorities were looking for him.

Dr.Ali Mohamed shein is back home

THE Vice-President, Dr.Ali Mohamed shein, greets the Civic United Front (CUF) Secretary-General, Mr Seif Shariff Hamad, shortly after his arrival at the Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam yesterday.The VP was in Iran and Egypt on a 10-days official visit

TWANGA Pepeta

TWANGA Pepeta Internationale dancers entertain during a show staged in Dar es Salaam, yesterday, in run-up to the launch of the group’s new album early next month.

Prime Minister Edward Lowassa was almost involved

Some Buguruni residents look at a car with registration number T 355 ADT, that overturned shortly after a motorcade of Prime Minister Edward Lowassa had passed at the area along Nelson Mandela Road in Dar es Salaam yesterday. Nobody was injured in the mishap.

Treasury in Dar es Salaam

FINANCE Minister Zakia Meghji briefs the visiting British Secretary of State for International Development, Mr Douglas Alexander, on the contents of a book on Tanzania, at the Treasury in Dar es Salaam yesterday. She gave the book to him as a gift.

The peaceful demonstration

A CROSS-SECTION of demonstrators who marched in Dar es Salaam yesterday to protest against genderbased violence. The peaceful demonstration was organised by the Women in Law and Development in Africa (WILDAF).

H.E. Mr Andrew K. Tibandebage

MAY 3, 1963: Tanganyika’s Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany, H.E. Mr Andrew K. Tibandebage, presents his credentials to the German President, Dr Heinrich Lubke in Bonn.

The country`s largest hospital in renovation

Dar es Salaam RC Abbas Kandoro had to walk with care as he passed next to patients lying in the corridor at the MNH`s Orthopedic Institute (MOI) ward in DSM. The country`s largest hospital now is overcrowded, as renovation work continues.

Chad rebels declare war on French

These rebels were captured after Monday's battle

Rebels in Chad have said they are at war with the French-led European Union peacekeeping force which is due to be deployed in the coming weeks.
The rebels accused French military planes of flying over their positions and passing intelligence to the government during this week's fighting.

France, the former colonial power, retains a military base in Chad.

The EU force is to be sent to the area near the border with Sudan's Darfur, to protect refugees and aid workers.

Chad says that Sudan is behind the attacks, because it did not want any western forces on its border.

Ugandan justice 'fails on rape'

Women in the north often do not report sexual abuse

The Ugandan justice system is tacitly condoning sexual violence against women and girls in the north of the country, Amnesty International says in a report.
The vast majority of sexual abuse cases were not reported because most victims had lost hope that perpetrators would be jailed, the human rights group said.

"Violence against women is endemic throughout Uganda," a spokesman said.

The 21-year conflict in the north with Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels had exacerbated the problem, he said.

The LRA built a reputation for mutilating their victims and kidnapping thousands of children to serve as fighters, porters and sex slaves.

Despite last year's truce between the army and LRA, the region remains insecure and an estimated 1.5m people still remain in displacement camps.

A spokesman for Uganda's justice ministry dismissed the allegations.

Eritrea-Ethiopia deadline expires

A demilitarised border is now thick with troops and bristling with weapons

A deadline for long-time foes Ethiopia and Eritrea to agree their shared border is to expire at midnight.
The date was set a year ago by the Ethiopia-Eritrea Border Commission which was created following a bloody border war between the two countries.

The commission says if it fails to hear anything it will consider the line it has drawn as the official border.

Both sides say they accept its ruling, but neither has moved their troops to their own side of the new boundary.

Some 80,000 people died during the 1998-2000 war.

The United Nations has a peacekeeping force of 1,700 charged with monitoring a security buffer zone.

Geldof unveils African trade plan

Mr Geldof compares Africa to China when its economy was not booming

Poverty campaigner Bob Geldof and Africa advocacy group Data have introduced an African Trade Initiative ahead of the EU-Africa summit.

Its aim is "to ensure that Africa is able to grow through increased exports and regional trade".

But Data argues European Union is "rushing" Africa into "potentially unfair" trade agreements.

Mr Geldof also said that the developed world had failed to deliver its promises on Africa.

"The initiative emphasizes the urgent need for further opening of EU and US markets to African products, reform of subsidies that harm African producers and enhanced aid for trade commitments that address Africa's supply-side challenges," Data said.

'Dramatic' fall in measles deaths

Vaccine campaigns have produced large drops in measles deaths

Measles deaths in Africa fell by 91% between 2000 and 2006, figures from the World Health Organization show.
The drop, from an estimated 396,000 to 36,000, means the United Nations target to cut measles deaths by 90% by 2010 has been hit four years early.

But the WHO warned deaths were still far too high in South Asia, particularly in India and Pakistan.

The success follows concerted efforts to vaccinate all children against measles before their first birthday.

Overall global measles deaths fell by 68% - from an estimated 757,000 to 242,000 - over the six year period, a WHO report showed.

DR Congo child rape victim dies

Even the youngest children are not spared from violence

An 11-month-old baby girl has died in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo a day after she was raped, the UN says.
The alleged rapist, a man aged 20, has been detained by Congolese police about 140km west of Goma. He faces a life sentence.

Reports of the atrocity came as the Red Cross held a news conference in Geneva to denounce the "systematic violence" against girls and women in DR Congo.

Aid workers blame combatants on all sides for a culture of sexual violence.

ICRC official Dominik Stillhart said that in his recent visit to eastern DR Congo, he found some 370,000 people had been driven from their homes since fighting resumed in December between the army and fighters loyal to renegade General Laurent Nkunda.

"What really shocked me personally the most, was the systematic violence especially against women and girls which is producing immense suffering," Mr Stillhart said.

Uganda confirms 16 Ebola deaths

A haemorrhagic fever that has killed 16 people and infected more than 50 others in Uganda has been confirmed as the deadly Ebola virus.
The casualties are all in the region of Bundibugyo, on the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo.

DR Congo has been battling for five months to contain an Ebola outbreak close to its border with Angola.

Symptoms of the epidemic include high temperature, bloody diarrhoea and visible haemorrhaging.

There is no known cure for Ebola, which is fatal in around 80% of cases.

Ugandan health officials originally suspected that the Marburg virus was responsible for the deaths, but laboratory testing has shown it to be Ebola.

The authorities say they are taking steps to isolate existing cases.

"From the beginning we've been isolating cases... but we can't say it's contained," Reuters news agency quotes Dr Sam Okware, head of Uganda's haemorrhagic fever task force, as saying.

"There may be other people in those villages unknown to us," he said.

The virus is thought to be transmitted through the consumption of infected bush meat and can also be spread by contact with the blood secretions of infected people.

Some 174 people have died in DR Congo but only 13 of these have been confirmed as having Ebola.

SA's HIV/Aids fight 'mismanaged'

South Africa has an estimated 1.5 million Aids orphans

Corruption and poor oversight have undermined South Africa's fight against HIV/ Aids, a new report says.

The authors, the Institute of Security Studies and Transparency International, say there has been a "potentially lethal cocktail of mismanagement".

They blame South Africa's president for questioning the link between HIV and Aids and say his stance has had an impact on the whole health system.

South Africa has the highest incidence of Aids in the world.

The report, titled A Lethal Cocktail, says 30% of the population is infected

No survivors in Turkish jet crash

The plane crashed shortly before it was due to land

All 56 people on board a passenger plane that crashed in south-western Turkey have died, the airline's chief executive has said.
Initial reports from rescue helicopter teams found no survivors, said Tuncay Doganer, head of Atlasjet.

The McDonnell Douglas 83 was carrying 49 passengers and seven crew, he said.

It was on a domestic flight from Istanbul to the town of Isparta when it disappeared from radar screens shortly before it was due to land.

A local official said the pilot had requested permission to land when contact was lost at about 0136 local time (2326 GMT).

US hails Pakistan leader's pledge

Mr Musharraf insisted January general elections would go ahead

The US has welcomed Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's pledge to lift a state of emergency on 16 December.
President George W Bush said the move was "an essential step towards getting Pakistan on the road to democracy".

But Washington urged Pakistan's leader to go further and ensure free and fair parliamentary elections in January.

President Musharraf, who took power in a coup in 1999, was sworn in for a new term as a civilian head of state on Thursday after resigning as army chief.

The US, which regards Pakistan as a close ally in its war on terror, denied that Mr Musharraf had been pressurised into lifting the emergency or into giving up his military uniform.

Shoot UK teacher, say protesters

Gillian Gibbons was sentenced to 15 days in prison and deportation

Thousands of people have marched in the Sudanese capital Khartoum to call for UK teacher Gillian Gibbons to be shot.
Mrs Gibbons, 54, from Liverpool, was jailed by a court on Thursday after children in her class named a teddy bear Muhammad.

She was sentenced to 15 days for insulting religion, and she will then be deported.

The Foreign Office was in contact with Sudan's government overnight and is due to repeat demands for her release.

The marchers took to the streets after Friday prayers to denounce the leniency of the sentence.

Oil below $90 as supply fear dips

Oil prices had risen on Thursday after a pipeline fire

Oil prices have fallen below $90 for the first time this month with Opec expected to increase output next week.
Concerns that a pipeline fire in the US would disrupt supplies have also faded.

A barrel of New York light crude fell $2.06 to $88.93 - well below its $99 high hit less than 10 days ago - while in London Brent slid $1.94 to $92.04.

Traders are focused on an OPEC meeting next week in Abu Dhabi, where the 12-member cartel is expected to decide whether to increase production.

Several ministers from Opec nations have said in recent days that the group is ready to boost output to bring prices down

Akon charged after fan incident

The incident occurred in June

Hip-hop star Akon has been charged by police after a fan said she suffered concussion when he allegedly threw a teenager off stage, hitting her.
The incident occurred in June at Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill, north of New York City.

The singer is scheduled to appear in court next week on charges of endangering the welfare of a minor and second-degree harassment.

Injured fan Abby Rosa said she had hired a lawyer over the incident.

Audience members at the concert told Associated Press a spectator lobbed something at the singer and Akon asked the crowd to point out the culprit.

A security guard picked out a 15-year-old and sent him up to the stage, where Akon is said to have picked him up onto his shoulders and threw him into the crowd.

Abby Rosa said the boy landed on her. She told a local newspaper she was later diagnosed with a concussion.

Akon's lawyer has said there is no basis for criminal charges.

The singer caused controversy in April when he danced provocatively with a teenage girl onstage in Trinidad.

He later apologised for the incident saying he did not know the girl was underage.

Simba faces CAF deadline today

Simba Sports Club

SIMBA is in danger of missing today’s deadline for submitting its squad list to the
Confederation of African Football (CAF) for next year’s Champions League. According to a circular to member associations, CAF insisted that clubs have to submit the lists by November 30.

“May we remind you that engagements in CAF inter-clubs competitions including the name of your engaged club in the 12th Edition of CAF Champions League, and the 5th Confederation Cup, must reach the General Secretariat of CAF before November 30, 2007 the postal stamp of Cairo post office will bear witness as to the date of receipt and will be decisive,” the circular said.

The circular added: “In case of emergency, engagements can be sent by fax before November 30, 2007, to be followed by the necessary documents, which must reach CAF Secretariat before December 15, 2007.”

Simba have said they would rather delay handing in their list than submitting an incomplete squad. “We are ready to pay whatever fine than rushing for no good reason. We will use the few remaining hours to get players we think would help our team perform better,” said the chairman of the Players’ Registration Committee, Evans Aveva.

However, Aveva said the committee would submit the list in time should they finalise the registration process. “We are working round the clock to settle this matter and clear deficiencies that TFF had detected in our earlier list.

The FA should not condemn us as irresponsible because they know exactly the situation we went through in the past few weeks.” “They are forgetting that Simba was rocked in a leadership crisis for at least three weeks making it difficult for the committee to conduct the registration exercise,” he said.

The TFF rejected earlier list presented by the club after detecting transfer irregularities involving some players. He said Yanga who would represent the country in the Confederations Cup have been cleared and the names have already been forwarded to CAF to process their licences.

Meanwhile, Aveva said they have already secured the International Transfer Certificates (ITCs) for their newly recruited players from abroad. Simba have been chasing the ITCs for striker Athumani Machupa who has rejoined the club from Atraco FC of Rwanda as well as that of marksman Emmanuel Gabriel from Oman.

Aveva also said that they were expecting to meet with Yanga officials yesterday evening to sort out the transfer wrangles involving Kenyan defensive midfielder Edwin Mukenya. Mukenya has crossed from Yanga and signed to play for Simba next season but Yanga have since demanded that transfer procedures were not followed.

The Jangwani Street club is also demanding some 20m/- to release the player. In another development, Simba have swapped players with Ashanti United, Mtibwa Sugar and Manyema FC. Aveva said Simba has released Burundian defender Said Kokoo to join Mtibwa Sugar of Morogoro and secured the signature of Juma Nyoso from Mtibwa.

He said Bakari Kigodeko and Said Morad have been traded to Ashanti United and Manyema with Ramadhan Chombo ‘Redondo’ and Deogratius Bonaventura respectively. He said former skipper Selemani Matola has been sold to Moro United.

TFF rejects Simba’s CAF list

Fredrick Mwakalebela, the TFF’s General Secretary

THE TFF has rejected a squad list presented by Simba for next year’s CAF Champions League, after detecting transfer irregularities involving some players on the list.

Fredrick Mwakalebela, the TFF’s General Secretary, said Simba were told to get the right papers for all the players before submitting the list.

“We have returned the forms back to them so that they could work on the identified deficiencies before resubmitting them to us,” he said.

He mentioned some of the deficiencies as submitting names of new players without their International Transfer Certificates. He cited strikers Athuman Machupa and Emmanuel Gabriel, as the players whose ITCs from Rwanda and Oman were lacking.

Also Mwakalebela said Simba signed some players from local clubs without first agreeing with the concerned clubs.

He added that some players signed from local sides, such as Edwin Mukenya from Yanga, lacked transfer forms from their former clubs.

Mwakalebela urged Simba to put things in order before tomorrow, which is the deadline set by CAF Club Competitions Committee.

Cecafa to boost Stars

MARCIO Maximo

MARCIO Maximo has said the Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup tournament will boost his young team ahead of the 2010 joint World Cup/Cup of Nations qualifiers. “Up next for us is the Cecafa Challenge Cup, which will help our preparations and enable us to hit the ground running in qualifying,” the Taifa Stars coach told the FIFA website.

“You have to take into account that we have a very young team that is improving all the time. Our squad has an average age of only 22 and a half and because of that, they are gaining experience every day and with every game. That's why I'm so confident," he added.
Tanzania is in Group One alongside Cameroon, Cape Verde and Mauritius. Maximo said Cameroon are favourites. “"Cameroon are the favourites, heavy favourites, in our group. But the other three teams, ourselves included, all have a similar chance,” he added.

Charles Emedec, the Cameroon FA Vice-President, was cautious about his team’s chances: "We might be favourites, but we mustn't take any of the other teams lightly. It's a tough group but if we work hard and concentrate on the matter in hand, we should be able to come through." Meanwhile, the teams that will compete in the Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup are expected to start arriving on December 5, it was revealed.

The TFF Information Officer, Florian Kaijage, yesterday told the ‘Daily News’ that they expect all the teams to be in Dar es Salaam and Arusha by December 6, ready for the tournament that will kick off two days later. The organizers have drawn the teams into three groups. The two groups will play in Dar es Salaam, while Group C will go to Arusha.

Reports from Arusha had it that the Sheikh Amri Abeid Memorial Stadium has been closed for renovation. The venue will reopen when the regional tournament starts. Other countries set to compete in the tournament are Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Rwanda, Burundi, Zanzibar, Djibouti, Eritrea, Uganda and Sudan

Confident Twigs Stars off to Asmara

THE national women’s soccer team, Twiga Stars, left yesterday for Asmara, Eritrea, beaming with confidence ahead of their preliminary African Cup of Nations qualifying duel against the hosts on Saturday.

The Secretary General of the National Sports Council (NSC), Leonard Thadeo, saw off the team at the Mwalimu Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam. He challenged the players to fight their hearts out and overcome Eritrea.

“This is a rare opportunity that has been availed to you. You are our ambassadors and the whole country is behind you. We hope you will not let us down,” he said. Head coach, Charles Boniface Mkwasa, said shortly before their departure that nothing would stop them from snatching an away win to put themselves on course of sailing through to the first round.

“We are ready to fight but we also need your prayers and support,” he said. His skipper Sofia Mwaisiki said they were ready for the challenge. Players who left include Fatuma Eushiri, Fatuma Omari, Mwanaidi Yusuph, Purlkaria Chalaji, Mwapewa Mtumwa, Sophia Mwasikili (captain), Flora Kayanda, Asha Rashid, Mary Masatu, Mwanaidi Abdallah, Amina Mwinchumu and Mwanahamisi Omari.

Others are Neema Munishi, Fatuma Mustapha, Tina Victor, Nelly Fortunatus, Ester Chabruma and Fadhila Hamadi. Officials are Elizabeth Kalinga, who is head of the delegation, Furaha Francis, who is the team manager, Sufiani Juma, the team doctor and Mkwasa. Should Tanzania make it past the Horn of Africa side, they would come face to face with one of the African women’s football superpowers, Cameroon, in the first round between February 22 and 24.

Tanzania made their debut in the continental championship in 2002. They managed to eliminate Eritrea in the preliminary round, but lost 10-0 to Zimbabwe in the first round.
Tanzania made a second attempt two years later. After seeing off Eritrea in the preliminary rounds with a 3-2 aggregate win, they crushed to a humiliating 0-7 defeat at the hands of the mighty South Africans in the first round.

Competition formats on ExCo agenda

The future of the UEFA Champions League is up for discussion

An eagerly-awaited weekend of European football activities begins on Friday when the UEFA Executive Committee convenes for its latest meeting in Lucerne, Switzerland.

EURO draw
The meeting on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning at the Hotel Palace Lucerne, chaired by UEFA President Michel Platini, comes ahead of the UEFA EURO 2008™ final-round draw, which will take place at the Congress Centre (KKL) in Lucerne on Sunday at 12:00 CET. Sixteen teams – including tournament hosts Austria and Switzerland – go into the draw.

Club format decision
A decision on the format of the UEFA club competitions for the period between 2009 and 2012 is a key item in the Executive Committee's deliberations. Other items on the programme include the designation of the host association for the UEFA Congresses in 2009 and 2010, designation of the host association for the 2009 UEFA European Futsal Championship, designation of the hosts for inaugural 2008 UEFA European Futsal Under-21 Championship, and designation of the hosts for the 2008 UEFA Futsal Cup final four.

Retirement plans mute Helsingborg joy

Henrik Larsson may retire at the end

Coach Stuart Baxter said Helsingborgs IF had done "extremely well" to reach the last 32 of the UEFA Cup but they may be without two star players in 2008.

Final game
A 3-0 win at home against FK Austria Wien saw them take their total to seven points and they now have nothing at stake except for first place in Group H as they travel to FC Girondins de Bordeaux for their final game on 19 December. "The boys have done extremely well, and today they were fantastic," said Baxter, "It's been a difficult season where we've never really settled, at least not until now."

Hugs all round
The Englishman hugged every single player in his team as they came off, with UEFA Cup success having helped put a miserable eighth-placed finish in the 14-team Swedish table behind them. Ólafur Ingi Skúlason scored the opener against Austria before Razak Omotoyossi scored twice to displace team-mate Henrik Larsson at the top of the UEFA Cup top scorers list with six goals since the first round. "We were a bit too cautious in the first half, but Skúlason's goal helped us and then Omotoyossi scored two great goals," said Larsson.

Larsson question
Larsson's future is the big concern for most Helsingborg fans, with the 36-year-old yet to decide whether he will retire when his contract expires at the end of the year. "It feels great to go through, but I've been here before and I'm happier for many of my team-mates," said Larsson. "I've not yet decided what will happen after this season. I'm going to make my decision in the coming days and I'll let everyone know about it as soon as possible."

Jakobsson plans
Defensive midfielder Andreas Jakobsson has already made his decision, with the former Sweden international deciding to hang up his boots after the Bordeaux game to take up a coaching post at lower league side Svalövs BK. However, he may yet be persuaded to stay on for a little while longer. "There's one game to go and that's all that I'm thinking about at the moment," he said. "I'm focused on Svalöv after this season, but who knows?"

Fire still burns for Hakan Şükür

Hakan Şükür won the UEFA Cup with Galatasaray in 2000

Hakan Şükür said he would "give everything" for Galatasaray AS with rumours of his imminent departure coinciding with a match-winning performance at Panionios GSS.

Future uncertain
The 36-year-old striker came off the bench at half-time with the scores level at 0-0 and turned the game around, setting up Serkan Çalık for the first goal, contributing to the move that saw them earn a penalty for the second and heading home the third himself. "Maybe I will not be wearing a Galatasaray shirt next season but I will give everything for the team before I leave," said the veteran. "I am hoping for a return to the national side too."

Peripheral figure
Hakan Sükür has scored four goals in his last eight games but has been a peripheral figure in Karl-Heinz Feldkamp's squad as the German coach looks to give the team a younger look. Rumours have been spreading that the unsettled international might be looking to move elsewhere during the winter, but Hakan Sükür was adamant that would not be happening.

Misleading rumours
"In 2006 I signed a two-year contract with the club which was set to expire before the start of UEFA EURO 2008™ and I said at that time that I would leave Galatasaray after this period," he said. "Now some reports are claiming that I could leave the team in mid-season. I don't want anybody to believe them. I can only move abroad at the end of the season."

Final match
That means he is sure to be focused on the remainder of the campaign, with Galatasaray needing a win in their final Group H game at home against FK Austria Wien on 19 December to be sure of a chance of playing in the competition after the new year, having lost their first two group stage matches. "We want to get six points and we are half way there," said Hakan Sükür. "After this, we will work with our young team-mates and try to qualify from the group."

AZ proud of unbeaten home record

AZ's 32nd home game in Europe was a tough tie against Larissa

Louis van Gaal said his players "are now in the history books" after AZ Alkmaar's 1-0 win against Larissa FC saw them go a record 32 European home games unbeaten.

'Part of history'
Moussa Dembélé's 77th-minute goal boosted AZ's chances of reaching the knockout stage but, more importantly, saw them break Ipswich Town FC's record of 31 games without a defeat in UEFA club competition. "I told my players before the match that this record is important," said Van Gaal. "Because we did not lose today, these players have become part of the history of AZ. They are now in the history books of this club. That is something I am proud of and the same goes for my players."

Three-decade run
The club's 32nd UEFA club competition home game since they made their continental debut with an 11-1 win against FA Red Boys Differdange in 1977 was far from easy, as Van Gaal acknowledged, saying: "This is the best team we have played against this season, including [AFC] Ajax and PSV [Eindhoven]. But AZ played a very mature game and deserved the victory. In the end we were patient enough to decide it in the last 15 minutes."

Final defeat
Neither Ipswich or Alkmaar have ever lost a home game in Europe, and while Manchester United FC went 56 games at Old Trafford without defeat from 1956, their unbeaten streak ended in 1996. AZ's record run comprises 27 UEFA Cup games, two European Champion Clubs' Cup ties and three UEFA Cup Winners' Cup matches. The likes of FC Barcelona, FC Internazionale Milano and Liverpool FC have all left Alkmaar without victories in the club's 30-year European history, while the club also won 4-2 against Ipswich in the second leg of the final of the 1980/81 UEFA Cup, although they had lost the first leg in England 3-0. AZ visit 1. FC Nürnberg in their next Group A game on 5 December.

Hapoel a joy to watch for Zivlin

Walid Badir scored Hapoel's opener

Caretaker manager Ron Zivlin was pleased to see Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC "enjoy their football again" as they won 2-1 at Getafe CF to reignite their Group G hopes.

Miserable season
The Israeli giants have been having a miserable season in domestic football, lying at the foot of the 12-team Israeli table following the resignation of coach Guy Luzon. However, first-half goals from Walid Badir and Barukh Dego earned them a shock win against Getafe in Madrid on Thursday following defeats in their opening two group stage games.

Makeshift duo
Veteran fitness coach Zivlin, who is working in tandem with former Hapoel captain turned scout Yossi Abuksis, said: "I am proud of the players as they beat a side which beat [FC] Barcelona only two weeks ago. You can ask them how many times I have told them to go out play football and enjoy themselves. It was important for me that these players started to enjoy their football again."

Inspiring presence
Forced to retire last year, 37-year-old Abuksis was one of the stars of Hapoel's run to the 2001/02 UEFA Cup quarter-finals, and showed his potential as a coach. Zivlin said: "Yossi watched Getafe against [Real] Zaragoza and prepared a very detailed report. Within one training session he managed to transform the side so that we had eleven Abuksises out there. He deserves a lot of credit for that."

'A bit weird'
Abuksis added: "It was a bit weird as it was my first time [on the bench]. Before the match we had one training session and to make such a debut gives you a good feeling. There was one major change today and that was the players showed belief in themselves and one could clearly see that their confidence was back. It's the same set of players who were here two and three weeks ago."

Last match
The question now is whether the new coaching duo will get more of a chance to impress. "I said before that I am proud to do everything the club ask me to do, but our main priority is the league and Monday's match against Hapoel Kiryat Shmona [FC]." It remains to be seen whether he will still be in charge as Hapoel take on Aalborg BK at home in their final Group G match on 19 December.

FOOTBALL RESULTS!

Thursday, 29 November 2007

UEFA Cup
AEK Athens 1-1 Fiorentina
AZ Alkmaar 1-0 Larissa
Atletico Madrid 2-0 Aberdeen
Bolton 1-1 Aris Salonika
Braga 1-1 Bayern Munich
FC Zurich 2-0 Toulouse
Getafe 1-2 Hapoel Tel-Aviv
Hamburg 3-0 Rennes
Helsingborgs IF 3-0 FK Austria Magna
IF Elfsborg 1-3 Mlada Boleslav
Lokomotiv Moscow 0-1 FC Copenhagen
Panionios 0-3 Galatasaray
SK Brann 2-1 Dinamo Zagreb
Sparta Prague 0-0 Spartak Moscow
Tottenham 3-2 Aalborg
Zenit St Petersburg 2-2 Nuremburg

Blue Square Premier
Woking 1-0 Ebbsfleet United

FA Tesco Women's Premier League
Charlton Women 0-7 Arsenal Ladies
Chelsea Ladies 4-3 Watford Ladies

Wednesday, 28 November 2007

UEFA Champions League
Benfica 1-1 AC Milan
Besiktas 2-1 Marseille
Celtic 2-1 Shakhtar Donetsk
Lazio 1-2 Olympiakos
Liverpool 4-1 FC Porto
Rosenborg 0-4 Chelsea
Valencia 0-0 Schalke 04
Werder Bremen 3-2 Real Madrid

Barclays Premier League
Blackburn 0-4 Aston Villa

The Coca-Cola Football League Championship
Plymouth 1-2 West Brom
Wolverhampton 1-0 Colchester

Loosemores Welsh Premier League Cup
Llanelli 2-0 Welshpool Town

FA Tesco Women's Premier League
Doncaster Rovers Belles 2-3 Leeds Utd Ladies

Tuesday, 27 November 2007

UEFA Champions League
CSKA Moscow 0-1 PSV
Dynamo Kiev 1-4 Roma
Inter Milan 3-0 Fenerbahce
Lyon 2-2 Barcelona
Man Utd 2-1 Sporting
Sevilla 3-1 Arsenal
Steaua Bucharest 1-1 Slavia Prague
VfB Stuttgart 3-2 Rangers

The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON
Brentford 0-2 Luton
Bristol Rovers 3-3 Leyton Orient (Bristol Rovers win 6-5 on penalties)
Doncaster 1-2 Oldham
Nottm Forest 3-1 Lincoln City

The Coca-Cola Football League Championship
Blackpool 1-3 Norwich
Charlton 0-3 Sheff Utd
Coventry 1-1 Scunthorpe
Crystal Palace 2-1 Preston
Hull 0-0 Bristol City
Ipswich 2-0 Southampton
Sheff Wed 1-0 Barnsley
Stoke 3-1 QPR
Watford 1-2 Burnley

Coca-Cola Football League One
Swansea 1-0 Hartlepool

The FA Carlsberg Trophy
Gainsborough 1-1 Blyth Spartans (Gainsborough won 3-1 on penalties)
Hitchin 1-2 Carshalton Ath
Ossett Town 3-2 Rushall Olympic
Redditch 1-0 Evesham
Sheffield 2-2 Colwyn Bay (Colwyn Bay win 4-3 on penalties)
Sutton Utd 1-0 Dover
Witton Albion 1-2 Hucknall
Workington 2-1 Nuneaton
Worthing 1-2 Dorchester

Blue Square North
Barrow 4-1 Burscough

Blue Square South
Bath City 2-2 Hayes & Yeading
Eastbourne Borough 0-0 Newport County

Loosemores Welsh Premier League Cup
Carmarthen 0-3 Aberystwyth
The New Saints FC 1-2 Bangor City

Carnegie Irish Premier Division
Linfield 4-0 Coleraine

Monday, 26 November 2007

The Coca-Cola Football League Championship
Leicester 0-0 Cardiff

Blue Square Premier
Stevenage 2-1 Altrincham

Mayweather cools 'bad guy' role

Mayweather said recently he was better than Muhammad Ali

Floyd Mayweather has sought to repair his public image ahead of his Las Vegas fight with Ricky Hatton on 8 December.
The WBC welterweight king has alienated many fans with his constant trash talk, while support for down-to-earth British challenger Hatton has been growing.

Mayweather said: "Each fight has to have a good guy and a bad guy, but I'm just saying I believe in my skills.

"Everybody's entitled to judge a person how they want to do, but I've got a good heart."

The American added: "I never did anything illegal, and all I did was go out there to dedicate myself to the craft of boxing.

"I conduct myself like a gentleman. I'm not out there pushing Ricky Hatton off the stage or shoving him.