Copa America semis

Chile chase first Copa America title

BY PAUL BURROWES

One of the top 20 teams in the world, hosts Chile have reached the final of the Copa America, beating 10-man Peru 2-1.
It was their first final since 1987 and fifth all told, having never won the competition.
Striker Eduardo Vargas scored both goals, the winner coming from a long-range shot in the 64th minute three minutes after Peru equalised with an own goal by defender Gary Medel. Vargas opened the scoring in the 42nd minute.
Chile struggled early against their regional rival, but the momentum shifted after Peru defender Carlos Zambrano was sent off for hitting Chilean midfielder Charles Aranguiz on the back during a challenge only 20 minutes into the match.
Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, meet Paraguay in the other semi-final match today. The final is on Saturday.
Peru were trying to win their third Copa America and first since 1975. The team also lost in the semi-finals in 2011 to eventual champions Uruguay and finished third. Peru had been the surprise of the tournament so far after advancing from a group that included Brazil and Colombia, both of which have already been eliminated.
In their last Copa America final in 1987, Chile lost 1-0 to Uruguay.
Arturo Vidal, Jorge Valdivia, and Charles Aránguiz have featured for the Chileans in the Copa America so far, with Vargas now their leading marksman on four goals.
Valdivia has so far provided three assists.
Chile have led the competition in possession, 70.7 per cent and pass success, 86.9 per cent, and are expected to take on Argentina in the final.
While they have predominantly made their attacks on the right side (43 per cent), Chile have score most of their goals from open play (nine) and another two from penalties.
Chile have been the fifth best team in the history of the Copa America, after Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, and Paraguay. Peru are in sixth.

Jamaica’s super sprint hurdler

Omar McLeod one of the best

BY PAUL BURROWES

Twenty-one-year Omar McLeod seems set to become the first Jamaican sprint hurdler to take the podium at the IAAF World Championships.
After 14 stagings of the world championships, the Americans have dominated the 110m hurdles with 21 medals (including nine gold), ahead of Great Britain with eight medals (two gold).
Allen Johnson was outstanding in this sprint, winning four times (1995, 1997, 2001, 2003). His American compatriot Greg Foster won in 1983, 1987, and 1991, the first three editions of the World Championships.
Jamaicans have reached the finals of this event at every championships since 2005, thanks to Maurice Wignall, Dwight Thomas and Andrew Riley.
In 2015 that record is likely to continue with McLeod, the world-leading hurdler this year who has opted to go pro and give up his NCAA eligibility.
The Manchester High and Kingston College past student, who set national junior records in the 110m hurdles and 400m hurdles in 2013, will still continue his academics at the University of Arkansas.
McLeod, who won the NCAA Division One indoor 60m hurdles and outdoor 110m  hurdles title this year, ran a personal best and world-leading 12.97 seconds at the National Senior Championship last Saturday.
He has excelled in short order, moving from 87 in the world in 2013, 40 last year, to number one based on times.
It is time that a Jamaican collects a medal at the World Championships in the sprint hurdles, joining Barbados, Cuba and Haiti as Caribbean countries to make their presence felt at major championships.
McLeod will definitely need a few more races under his belt, in the United States preferably and one in Madrid on July 11 before returning home to get ready for the big event in China on August 22-30.
He should try to avoid the big guns next month, especially the Diamond League races.

Women’s World Cup

England's 'Lionesses' showing their claws

England's "Lionesses" bared their claws once again as they brutally ended the campaign of hosts Canada 2-1 to advance to their first semi-final at the Women's World Cup where they meet champions Japan.

Mark Sampson's revamped squad have now won two knock-out games for the first time in a World Cup, following on from their 2-1 win over former winners Norway in the last 16.

Expectations had been high with women's football now fully professional in England after significant investment from the Football Association.

And the team have delivered despite starting their campaign with a 1-0 loss to France in rain and windy conditions in Moncton nearly three weeks ago.

The sixth-ranked side bounced back with four straight wins over Mexico, Colombia, Norway and Canada -- all by 2-1 score lines -- and are now the lowest-ranked, and the only team never to have won the title, left in the tournament.

"We still had that confidence after that first defeat," said Sampson, after Saturday's win built on early goals from Jodie Taylor (11) and Lucy Bronze (14) which shocked a capacity 54,027 crowd in BC Place Stadium.

"I think that was our big moment of the tournament, the way the players bounced back from that defeat.

"So many teams would have struggled with that, doubted themselves, this team stayed strong, stayed together and stuck to the plan and now we find ourselves in a World Cup semi-final."

"The team know now when we need to dig deep against an excellent Japan team to keep ourselves in this tournament," he added of their rivals who saw off Australia 1-0 for a fifth straight win in Canada.

The winner of Wednesday's semi-final will play either Germany or the United States, both two-time winners and the top teams in the world, in the final in Vancouver on July 5.

Sampson, 32, was appointed in December 2013 in place of long-standing coach Hope Powell who lost her job after the team failed to win a single game in Euro 2013.

"We've been on a big journey from when Mark took over 18 months ago," said captain Steph Houghton, named player of the match in Saturday's game.

Houghton, 27, also cited the 2012 Olympics as a major turning point.

A combined Great Britain team were allowed to compete in the home Games, but they fell 2-0 to Canada in the quarter-finals.

"Everyone mentions the Olympics and how much of a watershed moment that was for women's football in England, playing at Wembley, getting 70,000 fans to watch us beat Brazil was a massive moment," said Houghton.

"We're making history here. We always said we had one aim when we came here: to inspire a nation, and hopefully we've done that tonight."

England were gifted the opener after 11 minutes following a error by defender Lauren Sesselmann who proved to be the weak link in Canada's back line.

The 31-year-old Sesselmann miskicked the ball and fell over, allowing Taylor to race towards goal and just three minutes later the hosts were in disarray as Bronze headed in a Fara Williams' free kick.

But captain Christine Sinclair pulled one back three minutes before the break following a blunder by Karen Bardsley in the England goal.

Bardsley had to be replaced early in the second half after suffering an allergic reaction which resulted in her eyes swelling up, with substitute Siobhan Chamberlain getting her first World Cup action.

Sampson said the 30-year-old Manchester City player would have tests to see the cause of the mysterious allergy.

"That moment in the game epitomised what this team's about," he said.

"We've got two goalkeepers who every day train incredibly hard knowing they wouldn't get a start, but they waited for that moment and when that moment came Siobhan Chamberlain ... she just casually put her gloves on, walked on the field and stopped the ball going in the goal.

"That's the story of this team so far, everyone played their part when needed," added Welshman Sampson, who once worked under Everton manager Roberto Martinez at Swansea City.

Paraguay stun Brazil to reach Copa semis

Brazil's penalty shoot-out jinx struck again Saturday as Paraguay sent them crashing out of the Copa America in a stunning repeat of their 2011 upset of the five-time world champions.

Striker Derlis Gonzalez was the hero for Paraguay, slotting a second-half penalty to level the match at 1-1 before then stepping up to rifle home the decisive spot kick to clinch a 4-3 win in the shoot-out.

It marked another bitter defeat for Brazil, who went out to Paraguay at the same stage of the competition four years ago, when they also lost on penalties.

Brazil's hopes of avenging that loss soon unravelled in the shoot-out, when terrible misses by Everton Ribeiro and Douglas Costa handed the initiative to the Paraguayans.

Paraguay skipper Roque Santa Cruz gave his team nervous moments when he squandered the opportunity to clinch victory with his side's fourth spot-kick, blazing high over the bar.

But Gonzalez, 21, who had buried an emphatic 72nd-minute penalty to level the game, made no mistake with his side's fifth kick before being mobbed by delirious team-mates.

"To see my team-mates with tears in their eyes, you can't put a price on that," Gonzalez said.

"Nobody trusted in us when we arrived here. But we're a very united team and we have more to give in this tournament."

Paraguay will now play Argentina in the semi-finals on Tuesday, a rematch of their first round game which finished 2-2.

It was a disastrous end to a miserable tournament for Brazil, who had arrived in Chile desperate to atone for their humiliating exit at last year's World Cup, when they were thrashed 7-1 by Germany in the semi-finals.

Brazil coach Dunga attempted to put a positive spin on his team's elimination, insisting it would benefit the squad as they prepared for the 2018 World Cup.

"It is preparation, a good experience," Dunga said.

"We would like to win but it is a great lesson, learning for the highest purpose of the tie as we look at the World Cup in 2018."

Brazil had looked on course for a place in the last four after dominating the first half, and took the lead on 15 minutes through Robinho.

A sweeping counter-attack ended with the ball transferred to Dani Alves on the right, who once again whipped in a perfect cross and Robinho was on hand to tuck away a close-range finish for his 28th international goal.

Paraguay struggled to contain Brazil for much of the half and regularly incurred the wrath of Uruguayan referee Andres Cunha, who produced yellow cards for Bruno Valdez and Pablo Aguilar in the opening 45 minutes.

Yet having been largely outplayed in the first half, Paraguay threw caution to the wind after the break and soon had Brazil creaking in defence.

Gonzalez forced a save from Jefferson at the near post with a rasping free-kick after 50 minutes, and the Brazil goalkeeper was again pressed into action in the 61st minute, diving to parry away Paulo Da Silva's header.

The Paraguay pressure reaped its reward on 70 minutes when a cross into the Brazilian area ended with a penalty.

Brazil defenders Thiago Silva and Dani Alves both jumped for the same ball and when Silva was adjudged to have handled, Cunha pointed to the spot.

Gonzalez, the FC Basel striker, showed composure that belied his years to bury the ensuing penalty into the side-netting beyond Jefferson.

With Brazil powerless to wrest back the initiative the match went to penalties, and Gonzalez held his nerve once more to put the 2011 runners-up into the last four.

Colombia striker moves to Spanish capital for €35m

Porto’s Jackson Martínez to join Atletico

The Arsenal and Milan target Jackson Martínez is set for a move to Atlético Madrid, according to the player’s agent.
Luiz Henrique Pompeo told the Spanish newspaper AS the deal was confirmed on Tuesday for a fee of €35m (£24.8m) and the Colombian striker is said to be looking forward to joining up with his new teammates.
Pompeo said: “It was finalised today. We want to thank AC Milan for their interest right up to the end, we feel very honoured by it, but you can’t be in two places at once.
“It’s a very big club, which has done important things in the league and in Europe. Jackson is going there also to achieve great things and to bring the best out of himself to become even better. That’s his dream and he’s very excited. He’s really happy.”
The agent also confirmed contact had been made with the Atlético manager Diego Simeone and the transfer would be confirmed once Martínez’s involvement in the Copa América ends.
“He’s a coach with a winning mentality,” Pompeo said. “Now it just remains for Atlético and Porto to make the official announcement and after the Copa América, where Martinez is representing [his country], he will be presented with his new shirt.”

Portugal thrash Germany to reach U21 final

Classy Portugal humiliated Germany 5-0 in the semi-finals of the European Under-21 Championship on Saturday to reach their first final since 1994.

In Tuesday's final, Portugal will take on Sweden who feated Denmark 4-1 in the other semi-final later Saturday.

In the eastern Czech city of Olomouc, Bernardo Silva, Ricardo Pereira and Ivan Cavaleiro scored to put Portugal 3-0 ahead in the first half while Joao Mario and Ricardo Horta rounded off the scoring in the second half.

Monaco's Silva got the opener on 25 minutes after a quick break into the box, beating Barcelona 'keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen in the German goal at his near post.

FC Porto striker Ricardo added another in the 33rd minute from close range after Paulo Oliveira helped on a corner.

Portugal's third was a beauty as their attacking line dismantled the German defence and Cavaleiro slammed the ball into the top-left corner of Ter Stegen's goal.

Joao Mario made it 4-0 just after the break with a deflected shot and substitute Horta finished the humiliation on 71 minutes, tipping in the ball from a cross.

German midfielder Leonardo Bittencourt got sent off for a second bookable offence just after Portugal's fifth goal, and only 25 minutes after coming onto the pitch as a substitute.

Sixth summer signing

Liverpool close to signing Nathaniel Clyne for £12.5 million

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has praised his old club for getting ahead of the game in the transfer market as a sixth summer signing edges closer in the form of Southampton’s Nathaniel Clyne.
A deal, reported to be worth £12.5million, for the England right-back is at an advanced stage and he would become the sixth arrival at Anfield.
Clyne, 24, is currently on holiday but he is expected to be signed on a five-year deal on his return.
There appears to have been a determined effort to get signings done early this year with the arrival of Hoffenheim forward Roberto Firmino, Manchester City midfielder James Milner, Burnley striker Danny Ings, Charlton defender Joe Gomez and Bolton goalkeeper Adam Bogdan already done.
The capture of Clyne would virtually complete the business the club set themselves after finishing sixth last month, losing their Champions League status after just one year.
Carragher believes completing so much business even before the players are due back in for pre-season should benefit the Reds.
“I saw Nathaniel Clyne at St Mary’s after a game last season and told him to sign for LFC – he took my advice!” the former centre-back wrote on Kicca.
“I think it’s another good signing for the club to go along with the other business already done.
“The early deals were a couple of squad players (Ings and Bogdan) and also James Milner, who are all an improvement on what’s currently in the squad.
“The last week has seen the signings of Clyne & Firmino, which will improve the team more than the squad and that’s what costs the big money.
“Credit to the club for getting these deals done early as every club wants to do that but few do. Another striker still needed though!”
The club are continuing their pursuit on that front with interest in Sevilla’s Columbia centre-forward Carlos Bacca and Venezuela’s Salomon Rondon, who have both been in action at the Copa America.
Reds chief executive Ian Ayre has now returned home from Chile having secured the Firmino deal but the pair remain an option, although Sevilla have warned Bacca will not come cheap with a buy-out clause reported to be £25million.
“I’m no fortune-teller but top strikers in the market there aren’t that many. Bacca has averaged 24.5 goals, 21 goals in his first season at the club and 28 in his second,” Sevilla sporting director Monchi told the club’s website.
“I hope no one pays his buy-out clause (£25million). It’s a risk we take but we can’t do anything about that.
“We gave him a new contract 10 months ago and I believe he and his family are very happy here but I cannot predict the future.”
With a sixth signing on the verge of completion it means manager Brendan Rodgers has spent about £50million on strengthening his squad – coincidentally the same amount Liverpool value Raheem Sterling at having recently turned down an offer £10million shy of that from Manchester City.
The club maintain this summer’s outlay – particularly that of £29million Firmino, who will become their second most expensive signing in their history – is not dependent on the sale of their wantaway England winger.
However, with no likelihood of the 20-year-old extending his contract beyond the current two years remaining and relations with his agent Aidy Ward having deteriorated in the last couple of months it appears increasingly possible.
The Clyne transfer is the fourth between Southampton and the Merseyside club in the last 13 months – taking the total cost of Saints signings to £60million – after last summer’s signing of Dejan Lovren, Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana.
Of that trio only the latter looked close to fitting in at Anfield with Lambert expected to be moved on in the next few weeks and Lovren fighting for his first-team place.
Clyne is not likely to have the competition his former Saints teammate faced with Javier Manquillo, due to start the second year of his loan from Atletico Madrid, having struggled to impress and academy graduate Jon Flanagan not going to be fit from a second knee injury until late in the year.

Another gain for Man U?

Sergio Ramos wants to leave Real Madrid; Manchester United could be his destination

Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos wants to leave and has asked his club to listen to offers for him, according to the Spanish media.
Ramos, a reported target of Manchester United, has not been offered a contract extension to remain at Real beyond June 2017 when his current deal runs out.
According to Thursday's reports in the Spanish press, Ramos had a meeting on Wednesday with Real general director Jose Angel Sanchez at the club's training ground in Valdebebas.
It was at that meeting, the reports say, that Ramos announced his wish to leave the club this summer.
The 29-year-old Spain international joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2005 from Sevilla on a 27million euros transfer fee.
His stoppage time equaliser in the 2014 Champions League final in Lisbon allowed Real to take the match against Atletico Madrid into extra-time, and his team went on to capture a record 10th European Cup.
According to Spanish sports newspaper AS, Ramos earns six million euros net per season when combining his wages and endorsements.
The publication claims Manchester United are willing to offer the Spaniard 12million euros net per season and that Ramos is upset that Real have kept silent when Barcelona presidential candidate Jordi Majo recently claimed he had been offered the opportunity to sign the player to boost his election campaign.

Euro U21 best XI of group stage

As it was, England’s U21 European Championship came to an end, not with a bang, but a whimper. Gareth Southgate’s team finished bottom of Group B, mirroring the senior side from 12 months ago at the 2014 World Cup. It was a disappointing end to a competition that promised so much given the talent at Southgate’s disposal, but it just wasn’t to be for England, who were outclassed by Italy U21 on Wednesday in a match they needed to win to progress to the next round of the tournament. 

However, one England player who can leave the U21 Euros with his head held high is Nathan Redmond. The highly-rated Norwich winger was the Three Lions’ best player, gaining a WhoScored rating of 7.36. That figure was enough to see him feature in the best-rated team of the group stages after an impressive showing at the competition. Indeed, only Sergio Oliveira (11) has played more key passes than Redmond (7) at this stage of the U21 Euros. 

Featuring on the right, Redmond would be partnered by Czech Republic’s Pavel Kaderabek. The right-back opened the scoring of the competition with a well-placed left-footed strike against Denmark, though the hosts, like England, fell at the first hurdle. Nevertheless, Kaderabek was one player who lived up to pre-tournament expectations, though any potential suitors will be left ruing any decision to wait on the performances of the young defender after he agreed a deal to sign for Bundesliga side Hoffenheim the day the competition started. 

Fans of the German outfit caught a glimpse of Kaderabek’s quality for the Czech Republic U21 side and must have been excited at what they saw. The marauding full-back averaged more successful dribbles per game (2) than any player for his national team, while an average of 2 interceptions per match denoted his noteworthy reading of the game.

He wasn’t the only Czech star to shine at the competition though, with compatriots Ondrej Petrak and Jan Kliment both featuring in WhoScored’s team of the group stages. Kliment netted more goals (3) than any other player at the group stage of the competition and led the line with aplomb. His hat-trick against Serbia highlighted his ruthlessness in front of goal and teams across the continent will have been impressed by the impact he made in his homeland.

Petrak, meanwhile, registered more assists (2) than any other player at the group stages. The pairing earned respective WhoScored ratings of 7.71 and 7.84 and it goes without saying that scouts will have liked what they saw of the pairing, despite Czech Republic’s early exit. 

However, their respective exploits were outshone by that of Sergio Oliveira. As mentioned, Oliveira played more key passes (11) than any other player at the group stages of the competition as the Porto midfielder impressed in the middle of the park. A WhoScored rating of 8.05 was the best of all players from the opening 3 games, while the 23-year-old was the only player to win a WhoScored man of the match award in 2 of his 3 appearances.

Only compatriot Bernardo Silva (65) completed more successful passes in the final third than Oliveira (59), while an average of 2.7 successful dribbles per game further accentuates how the 23-year-old ran the show for his country in the middle of the park. Much of the focus of Portugal coming into this tournament was on Silva and William Carvalho, but it’s fair to say has Oliviera outshone both. 

Oliveira isn’t the only Portugal youngster to feature in the team, with José Sá starring between the sticks. Rui Jorge’s side shipped fewer goals (1) than any team at the group stages of the U21 Euros, with Sá crucial to that. The shot-stopper has made more saves (15) than any other goalkeeper at the tournament so far, and consequently boasts the best save success rate (93.8%) at the U21 Euros. 

Tournament favourites Germany are the best represented in the team of the group stages, with no fewer than four players included. Kevin Volland unsurprisingly stars having effectively led the German attack. The Hoffenheim star has scored the only direct free kick of the competition, while 7 key passes shows how he is not only capable of leading the line, but also bringing others into play with consummate ease. 

Armin Younes has proven to be a tricky customer when he gains a head of steam. Only Bernardo Silva (21) has completed more successful dribbles than the 21-year-old attacker (11), with his directness a real asset to head coach Horst Hrubesch. Nico Schulz and Matthias Ginter both make up the German contingent having gained respective WhoScored ratings of 7.34 and 7.50. 

Denmark’s stand-alone representative comes in the form of Jannik Vestergaard, who has been a solid performer at the heart of the Danes’ backline. The centre-back has made 18 tackles and interceptions combined, a return bettered only by two players so far. 

Meanwhile, only Daniele Rugani (21) made more headed clearances in the group stages than Vestergaard (15), with his all-round defensive ability standing out for Jess Thorup’s side. Denmark will now be hoping the 22-year-old can maintain his performances in the knockout stages as the Danes look to secure a place in the final at Sweden’s expense.

Second most-expensive signing

7 facts about Liverpool’s new Brazilian signing Roberto Firmino

Brazil international Roberto Firmino is set to become Liverpool’s second-most expensive signing after a £29million deal was agreed with Hoffenheim. Here Press Association provides some background.

ORIGINS

Born in Maceio, birthplace of three-time World Cup winner as player and manager Mario Zagallo, Firmino began his career in the youth team at Clube de Regatas Brasil before moving on to Figueirense.

EMERGENCE

The Brazil made his professional debut aged 17 on October 24, 2009 as a half-time substitute. He was promoted to the first-team squad permanently the following January, scored his first professional goal in May 2010. In his first full season he scored eight goals in 36 appearances as Figueirense were promoted back to Serie A after a two-year absence.

EUROPE

In December 2010 Firmino signed for Bundesliga club Hoffenheim. His first goal was the match-winner against Eintracht Frankfurt in April 2011. He was named Germany’s breakthrough player of the season in his fourth Bundesliga campaign after 16 goals in 33 appearances.

INFLUENCE

Firmino has recorded 21 assists over the last two seasons, more than any other Brazilian in the top five European leagues. Combining his own strike tally with his assists he has been involved in 45 goals in his last 66 outings in the German top flight. Overall he scored 47 goals in 151 appearances.

INTERNATIONAL

Firmino made his debut for Brazil against Turkey on November 12 last year. He scored his first international goal six days later against Austria and currently has four in nine appearances, including last weekend’s Copa America winner against Venezuela. He has already scored in England with a goal in the friendly against Chile at the Emirates Stadium in March.

FITNESS

With all the injury problems regarding Liverpool’s main striker Daniel Sturridge last season, the fact Firmino featured in 33 of Hoffenheim’s 34 league fixtures in each of the last three seasons should offer manager Brendan Rodgers some reassurance.

EXPECTATION

If the full extent of Firmino’s transfer is realized (£22million plus £7million of add-ons), he will become the club’s second most expensive signing after the ill-fated £35million deal for Andy Carroll. The fact he is Brazilian will only add to the demands fans place on him.

Drug Addiction

Prescription Pill Makes You Forget to Be Addicted to Drugs

Already prescribed for high blood pressure, but shown to help addicted rats

Addiction is more complex than a chemical need for a particular substance — it’s a conjunction of circumstantial and social cues that remind an addict that they need to take a hit. Now researchers from the University of Texas at Austin have found that a blood pressure medication that’s already on the market can help decrease the potency of some of the non-chemical drivers of addiction, according to a study published this week in Molecular Psychiatry.

Studies over the past few decades have shown that a lot of addiction comes down to classical conditioning; just like Pavlov’s dogs that salivated because the bell was associated with food, recovering addicts can be pushed back to their substance of choice depending on the people, places, sights, and sounds around them that are associated with their addiction.

In the study, researchers trained rats to associate either a white or black room with a dose of alcohol or cocaine. After they were conditioned, rats always chose the colour room associated with their addicted substance. The researchers wanted to see if they could break the cycle by giving the rats a drug called isradipine, which blocks the transmission of calcium ions to cells in the body. While isradipine is primarily prescribed to lower blood pressure, other studies have indicated that it may also make the brain more plastic and able to be rewired.

Immediately after taking isradipine, the rats made the same conditioned choice to return to the room associated with the drug. But in the days that followed, they didn’t express a strong preference for either room. "The isradipine erased memories that led them to associate a certain room with cocaine or alcohol," Hitoshi Morikawa, a neuroscience professor at UT Austin and an author of the study, said in a press release.

Though there are already treatments on the market that dampen the euphoria of taking a drug, Morikawa says isradipine could be much more effective. And because isradipine is already on the market, FDA approval of the drug to treat addiction could be fast-tracked. However, the researchers do not yet know if the drug is as effective treating addicted humans as it is treating rats.

No account, sign up

Facebook allows users to sign up for Messenger without account

SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook Inc has enabled users without an account to sign up for its Messenger app with a phone number, the social media company said on Wednesday, in another move to broaden the app’s reach and make it a standalone platform.

Earlier this year, Facebook opened up Messenger to developers, and Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said he wanted to connect users directly with retailers, restaurants and other businesses.

With the latest update, users will be prompted by an option that says “Not on Facebook?” when they open the app. They can then sign up with their name, phone number and a photo.

The mobile messaging service, which has 600 million users, has added a number of new features in recent months, including games and video calling.

Facebook’s flagship social network has 1.4 billion users.

Done Deal

Confirmed: Brazil international Firmino joins Liverpool

Liverpool FC have completed their fifth signing of the summer. The Merseysiders confirmed that Roberto Firmino has agreed a long-term deal at Anfield, subject to a medical.

The Hoffenheim midfielder joins the Reds for an undisclosed fee, believed to be about £29million. 
The 23-year-old Brazil international will take his medical after the Copa America.
Firmino made 152 matches for the Bundesliga outfit, scoring 48 goals and having 36 assists.

Empty seats at the Maracana

FIFA's unwanted World Cup legacy in Brazil

A year ago today, England bowed out of the World Cup after a tame 0-0 draw against Costa Rica in Belo Horizonte. The attendance was 57,823 and each of the six games held at the Estadio Mineirao during Brazil 2014 drew more than 55,000 fans.

Parking the bus: the Estadio Nacional is now used to park buses

However, crowds at the World Cup stadiums are now sometimes a 10th of that and owners are struggling to meet the costs. The building and renovation bill for the finals came to almost £2.7billion.

Estadio Nacional (Brasilia)
Cost: £600m

The tournament’s most expensive venue has surely turned into the world’s most expensive car park, now used to park buses. The 72,000-seater hosted seven matches but is the only World Cup stadium yet to host an official football match in 2015 because it costs £62,000 to run the venue on match days.

Arena de Sao Paulo (Sao Paulo)
Cost: £350m

The home of Corinthians, work finished on the venue 10 months after the World Cup. It is one of the stadiums where attendances are good but that revenue is still being used to pay for the construction. A deal for naming rights still has not materialised. It is the last venue to be added to the list of hosts for Olympic football in 2016.

Estadio do Maracana (Rio)
Cost: £322m

Just to break even, Maracana officials estimate they need regular crowds of some 30,000 but the average attendance this season at this near 80,000- capacity venue has been just 3,600 for state championship matches, while Flamengo have attracted 16,000.

Familiar sight: Empty seats at the Maracana 

Arena da Amazonia (Manaus)
Cost: £200m

The 44,000-capacity stadium’s average attendance for the Amazonian state championship games this season has been a paltry 659. It is thought to have cost nearly £1million to run since the World Cup. Not surprisingly, it is up for sale. As of December, it had hosted, according to the Associated Press, 11 events: “Four professional soccer matches, one amateur tournament, three religious events, two concerts and the celebration of the city’s  anniversary”.

Arena Pantanal (Cuiaba)
Cost: £195m

The venue has been closed since January for repairs. It also made the news after homeless people squatted in the unused changing rooms. Since the World Cup, teams have attracted up to 1,000 fans for home games at a venue that can host 42,000.

Estadio Mineirao (Belo Horizonte)
Cost: £190m

The Foo Fighters performed here in January but the lure of football has proved a hard draw. Local side Atletico Mineiro pointed out that they would lose money on games unless they attracted 40,000-plus crowds. As a result, they play at the Independencia, a non-World Cup stadium.

Arena Fonte Nova (Salvador)
Cost: £170m

Troubled conglomerate Grupo OAS has been trying to sell its 50 per cent stake. OAS has also been named in a major corruption investigation and filed for bankruptcy, leaving ownership of the venue in doubt. In March, Brazilian club Bahia announced they would no longer play there but return to the city’s old municipal ground.

Estadio Castelao (Fortaleza)
Cost: £170m

Its most recent event — the Ceara state championship final — ended in chaos as police fired percussion grenades to break up fights between rival fans. The  area’s police chief said: “The stadium's infrastructure wasn’t made for Brazilian football fans. Holding back a rebellious mob is difficult.” On another note, Elton John played here on his The Diving Board Tour in February.

Arena Pernambuco (Recife)
Cost: £155m

To pay the bills the owners have resorted to hiring out the entire venue for events such as corporate functions, weddings and birthday parties. One 15-year-old marked his birthday at the ground and was allowed to play on the turf with his friends. It has hosted football matches and even an American football game, attracting a 7,000-strong crowd.

Arena das Dunas (Natal)
Cost: £125m

A post-tournament contract guaranteed games between ABC and America-RN at the venue but the owners have scrapped that because of poor attendance — the biggest crowd being just 10,000. ABC are suing the owners.

Arena da Baixada (Curitiba)
Cost: £100m

Another late finisher, work on the venue was only completed nine months after the World Cup, a year after its official inauguration. The venue with the retractable roof is owned by Atletico Paranaense, who admit they have struggled to get the financial return they had hoped from the venue.

Estadio Beira-Rio (Porto Alegre)
Cost: £110m

Home to Internacional, it has been one of the cheaper venues and the football crowds have tended to venture there. However, the state title decider was marred by trouble as Gremio fans ripped up seats during the match. Police used pepper spray to halt trouble.

Winner takes all

Jose Mourinho Loves Taking Credit for Everything: Manuel Pellegrini

London: Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini on Wednesday took a swipe at rival boss Jose Mourinho, saying the Chelsea coach takes credit for everything.

The Portuguese guided the 'Blues' to Premier League glory last season, finishing eight points ahead of defending champions City in second place. But Pellegrini believes the manner in which the two coaches celebrated their respective title wins highlights key differences in their characters with the Chilean intimating that Mourinho took the limelight away from his players.

"When he wins, Mourinho wants to take credit for everything. I never do that. When I won the Premier League, I didn't say a word," Pellegrini was quoted as saying by Chilean newspaper El Mercurio.

The two managers have endured a fractious relationship ever since Mourinho replaced Pellegrini at Real Madrid, though the City boss insists he does not hold a grudge against his Chelsea counterpart.

"I don't have any problem with Mourinho. He's not my enemy and there isn't any conflict - but I differ from him on all fronts. I have no interest in analysing him as a person," Pellegrini concluded.

The Content of Faith

What Must We Believe? Part 1

The gospel of Christ teaches salvation by faith, but what must we believe: God, Jesus, the Bible, the gospel, resurrection, eternal rewards, worship, the church, obedience, baptism, etc.?
The gospel of Christ teaches we are saved by faith. But what must that faith include? Is it enough to believe in just any "god" or even many gods? Must we believe in Jesus, and if so what must we believe about Him? Must we believe the Bible, the gospel, or other specific teachings such as the resurrection, eternal rewards, worship, the church, obedience, baptism, etc.? Will all believers be saved, or does it matter what we believe?

Many Scriptures teach that we are saved by faith.

But does it follow, just because a person claims to have “faith,” that he will be saved? Is it possible to have a faith that does not save?

[Hebrews 10:39; 11:1,4-8,17,30; Romans 1:16; 4:19-21; 5:1,2; 10:9,10,13-17; Galatians 5:6; 2 Corinthians 5:7; James 2:14-26; John 1:12; 3:15-18; 8:24; 20:30,31; Mark 16:15,16]

There are different kinds of faith.

Many people think they are saved because they “believe,” with little restrictions on what they believe. This is especially confusing with those who claim we are saved by “faith alone.”

* Some think its enough to “believe in god”: some concept of a Supreme Being or some “force” that operates the universe.

* Others claim Hindus and Buddhists will be saved because they “believe in god”: many gods, worshiped by images, etc.

* Others claim Jews and Muslims will be saved because “they believe in the same God you do.”

* Many liberal, modernists don’t believe in Jesus' miracles or Deity or resurrection, yet claim they “believe in Jesus”: He existed and was a great teacher, maybe even a prophet.

* Many denominationalists disbelieve much of what Jesus taught yet think they will be saved because they believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, who died to save them from their sins.

One for the books

Jamaica hedges against higher oil price

Wall Street is urging developing world governments and large oil importing nations to use financial derivatives to lock in the benefits of last year’s crude price rout.

Jamaica has bought call options contracts from Citigroup that protect the Caribbean island against any unexpected rise in the cost of crude, according to a memo circulated by the bank.
The purchases are the first time Kingston has entered into an oil hedging arrangement and reflect a desire by the government to better manage its exposure to oil prices, which have rallied sharply since hitting $45 a barrel in January.
Jamaica buys around 9m barrels of crude a year, and faced an annual import bill of around $1bn between 2010-2014 when prices averaged above $100 a barrel. International benchmark Brent crude oil was trading around $64 on Tuesday.
Call options, common in commodity markets, give their owners the right to buy something at a given price by a future date. In this case, Jamaica has purchased call options that cover two-thirds of its annual crude imports — or 6m barrels of oil.
The options pay out if the crude price rises above $66 a barrel and cover the next 15 months. The total premium paid by Kingston for the contracts was $20m.
It is rare for oil-consuming nations like Jamaica to hedge their oil exposure. Typically derivatives are used by companies like airlines and some producer countries to manage their price risk.
Mexico’s state-backed oil company Pemex makes headlines once a year when its sovereign hedging programme kicks off. It is the biggest and most opaque annual oil trade which can move markets, as the producer country attempts to protect the oil revenues it relies on for a large share of its national budget.
Oil revenues amounted to 16 per cent of Mexico’s federal government income in the first quarter, down from 30 per cent a year before, and the oil market was buzzing with intrigue last week over two derivatives deals that bore the signature of a large producer guarding against a price collapse.
Citi — which has grown aggressively in commodity markets in recent years as many Wall Street and European rivals have pulled back — has been circulating a pitch book to other countries, including major consumers, after last year’s oil price collapse.
The bank has approached major buyers such as India, which is on course to become the world’s third-largest oil importer, as well as smaller consumers like Senegal and Ethiopia, according to people familiar with the situation.
It has also talked with Opec-member Nigeria — Africa’s largest oil producer — which pumps almost 2m barrels a day.
“The hedge structure is suitable for a sovereign who wishes to increase oil price certainty and avoid inflationary pressure due to a rise in oil prices, while still retaining full participation to a drop in prices,” Citi said in its email.
The bank said Jamaica’s hedging programme was administered through a steering group made up of the Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank, the country’s oil refiner and the Development Bank.

A man of value

Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.

Albert Einstein

West Indies in danger

Caribbean men slip to eighth in ODI ranking

The West Indies cricket team has slipped further in the International Cricket Council (ICC) ratings and is now on the brink of missing the next ICC Champions Trophy tournament series in England in 2017. Bangladesh’s series victory over India on Sunday has seen them leapfrog the West Indies into seventh position in the table. Prior to this series, the West Indies who are inactive in ODIs these days were in seventh position on 88 rating points.

However, the Bangladeshis have now gone to 93 points by virtue of winning against a higher ranked team than themselves. India, with the loss, still holds the number two position on 114 points. The ICC has set as September 30, the cut off date for the teams to make the grade for the ICC Champions Trophy. Only the top eight teams will make the tournament. The West Indies who won the tournament back in 2004 has never missed the tournament.

Currently they lead Pakistan who is in ninth spot by just a solitary point. Pakistan will play Zimbabwe in the series next month and although Zimbabwe are ranked lower than Pakistan, if they beat the Africans they will still gain points. Pakistan also has matches against Sri Lanka—so they can gain points and get past the West Indies.

The West Indies will be inactive during the period unless the WICB can make arrangements to send the team to Zimbabwe as the Future Tours Programme (FTP) is suggesting. Originally there was supposed to be a four-nation tournament in Zimbabwe involving the host, West Indies, Pakistan and Bangladesh. However it was scuppered after Bangladesh pulled out. The WICB will now have to seek matches in order to save the Champions Trophy.

ICC ODI Championship

Team Matches Points Rating
Australia 38 4899 129
India 47 5357 114
New Zealand 42 4710 112
South Africa 46 5131 12
Sri Lanka 55 5811 106
England 47 4592 98

Bangladesh 30 2804 93
West Indies 35 3094 88
Pakistan 45 3915 87
Ireland 11 549 50
Zimbabwe 30 1319 44
Afghanistan 15 618 41

Polly v Gayle

Defending champs Tridents clash with Tallawahs

Two of the biggest guns in the Twenty20 cricket Kieron Pollard and Chris Gayle will square off today when 2013 champions Jamaica Tallawahs and the defending champions Barbados Tridents clash in the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) match at Kensington Oval, Barbados at 6 p.m. today.

 

The Tridents got their title defence off to a flying start on Saturday with Man of the Match Pollard hitting 48 off 26 balls and grabbing two wickets for 20 runs in their 49-run win over a Guyana Amazon Warriors side that included mystery spinner Sunil Narine and hard-hitting opening batsman Lendl Simmons.

“At the end of the day I had to try and lead by example. I have been batting well since the IPL (Indian Premier League) and again I took it upon myself and then in the bowling, I think the wicket suit me a bit,” said Pollard after leading his team to victory.

Gayle and the Tallawahs open their 2015 campaign today and will be looking to maintain their dominance over the Barbados side in the shortest format of the game. The sides have met four times in the CPL cricket with the Tallawahs winning three of those encounters. They head into the match with Gayle coming off another good season in the Indian Premier League when he won the award of most sixes.

The Tallawahs also have hard-hitting all-rounder Andre Russell in the ranks. Russell also had a good IPL and was named tournament MVP. The Jamaica franchise will also want to give New Zealand's Daniel Vettori a good send off this season.

Vettori will finish his cricketing career in this year's tournament. “This is my last playing commitment - it'll be a really nice way to finish up to be back with the Jamaican team and hopefully be successful. I retired from everything after the World Cup and this was on the radar and I had a lot of fun last year so I thought it'd be a great way to finish up and get a chance to play in the CPL again,” he said. “We're a strong team and there are expectations to do well,” the spinner added.

SQUADS:
Barbados Tridents: Kieron Pollard (captain), Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Ashley Nurse, Dilshan Munaweera, Dwayne Smith, Jason Holder, Jeevan Mendis, Jonathan Carter, Kyle Corbin, Navin Stewart, Ravi Rampaul, Rayad Emrit, Robin Peterson, Shoib Malik.

Jamaica Tallawahs: Chris Gayle (captain), Chadwick Walton, Andre Russell, Chris Lynn, Daniel Vettori, David Bernard, Horace Miller, Jermaine Blackwood, Jerome Taylor, Krishmar Santokie, Mahela Jayawardene, Narsingh Deonarine, Nikita Miller, Nkrumah Bonner, Rusty Theron.

England edge Sweden in European U21 Champs

Late Lingard goal leads England U21s past Sweden

Manchester United's Jesse Lingard spared England's blushes on Sunday, his late goal securing a 1-0 win over Sweden in their second game of the European Under-21 Championship in the Czech Republic on Sunday.

The midfielder scored five minutes from time with a right-foot shot after picking up a deflected ball outside the box, following a corner.

Lingard came on in the 54th minute as a substitute for Alex Pritchard who had limped off the pitch with what looked like an ankle injury.

After Thursday's opening 1-0 loss to Portugal England once again struggled up front, with Tottenham striker Harry Kane squandering a few good chances again, including a promising 28th-minute header that narrowly missed the target.

England lost West Brom striker Saido Berahino -- the top scorer in qualifying with ten goals in as many games -- to a knee injury just before the Portugal game.

In the other Group B game on Sunday, Italy take on Portugal.

Germany lead Group A with four points from two games after beating Denmark 3-0 on Saturday while hosts the Czech Republic thrashed Serbia 4-0 on the same day to take a provisional second spot.

USA, England join China, Canada in quarter-finals

USA, England into quarters

United States advanced to the quarter-finals of the Women's World Cup with a 2-0 win over Colombia, who finished with 10 players.

After a scoreless first half, USA pilled on unanswered goals via Alex Morgan and Carli Lloyd as the two-time world champions made the most of their numerical advantage on Monday.
Colombia goalkeeper Catalina Perez conceded a penalty and saw red for a rash challenge on Morgan in the 47th minute at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton.
Abby Wambach missed the ensuing penalty after sending her spot-kick wide, but USA were not to be denied six minutes later, when Morgan fired a shot past substitute keeper Stefany Castano.
USA were awarded another penalty in the 66th minute following a foul on Megan Rapinoe, and Lloyd made no mistake as the Americans earned a quarter-final showdown with China on Friday.
England joined USA in the last eight thanks to a hard-fought 2-1 win against Norway.
Second-half goals from captain Steph Houghton and Lucia Bronze cancelled out Solveig Gulbrandsen's 54th-minute opener at Lansdowne Stadium in Ottawa.
Norway - the 1995 champions - hit the front nine minutes into the second half after Gulbrandsen headed in off the crossbar from Lene Mykjaland's corner.
England were back on level terms seven minutes later, when Houghton's header from Fara William's cross deflected in off the upright.
Bronze completed the comeback in the 76th minute with a powerful strike from outside the area.
England will face host nation Canada in the quarters on Saturday.

The NRA should thank Obama

Gun sales skyrocket after Obama’s 2008 election

President Obama is the most successful gun salesman in history, according to new data published in the Journal of Public Economics.
As the possibility of the first black president became more likely, Americans feared increased gun control after the election. Federal tax receipts from the sales of pistols and revolvers increased 90 per cent from the fourth quarter of 2007 to the fourth quarter of 2008, when Obama was elected.
The “Obama Effect,” as it’s called in the paper, reached record growth following Hillary Clinton’s concession speech in July 2008 and following the Democratic National Convention in September when Obama was formally selected as the party’s nominee. The largest increase was immediately following the election when demand for guns rose 60 per cent.
The researcher, Emilio Depetris-Chauvin of Universidad de los Andes in Colombia, used the number of firearms background check reports to gauge the demand for guns. Before selling a firearm, dealers that are federally licensed need to call the FBI or another agency to verify the buyer does not have a criminal record or another condition that would prevent him or her from purchasing a firearm.
For each 10-point increase in the probability of Obama gaining the presidency, the nationwide demand for guns rose 4.5 per cent. The effect was even larger in states with less gun control and for Southern states. The researcher’s estimates also find that demand following the election was higher in states with more Republicans but smaller in states with high levels of gun ownership.
The researcher explored potential racial bias as a driving force of the demand, noting that there was little rationale for Americans to believe that Obama’s gun control regulations would be any stricter than Hillary Clinton’s or even John McCain’s. Clinton and McCain also had histories of criticism from the NRA. Although Obama supported gun control measures in the past, his record wasn’t significantly stronger than Clinton’s or McCain’s. He also didn’t make stronger campaign promises on gun control than his competitors.
To determine if race played a role, the researcher used data from a past study that attempted to measure a state’s racial prejudice using Google search data for racially charged language. He compared that to the state’s Obama Effect, and found some correlation between the two.
For the states with the largest “Obama Effect,” the election permanently affected the stock of guns in circulation. In 2012, four years after the election, the demand for guns was 30 per cent larger in those states.
The researcher also found crime increases.
The states with the largest Obama Effect were 20 per cent more likely to experience a shooting event where at least three people were killed after Obama’s election. Those states had between 8 and 15 per cent more crime with guns following the election. Total crime, violent crime, property crime, homicide, murder and manslaughter didn’t show significantly different results, though.
The researcher concludes that gun policy aimed at reducing the number of guns in circulation may actually accomplish the opposite.
It’s unlikely that the 2016 election will see the same increase in gun sales as Obama’s election, but there will probably be some increase if the Democratic nominee, whoever it is, looks like he or she will win, especially if the nominee declares a tough gun control policy.

Messi, Sánchez on top in Copa America

Messi, Sánchez real top ballers in Copa America

BY PAUL BURROWES

Argentina's Lionel Messi and Chilean Alexis Sánchez are the two best players so far in Copa America 2015 in Chile.
Messi, 27, is taking 5.7 shots per game and has a pass success of 85.3 per cent, boasting a rating of 7.99, ahead of 26-year-old Sanchez, 7.95.
Sanchez is taking 4.3 shots per game, with a passing success of 68.8 per cent.
Colombian Jeison Murillo, Brazil's Thiago Silva, and Chilean Arturo Vidal round out the top five. Vidal, 28, leads the competition with three goals, two of them from penalties.
Two other Chileans, Jorge Valdívia and Charles Aránguiz, are in the top 10, with also includes Argentines Sergio Agüero and Pablo Zabaleta and another Brazilian Dani Alves.

Top 10
1 Lionel Messi, Argentina
2 Alexis Sánchez, Chile
3 Jeison Murillo, Colombia
4 Thiago Silva, Brazil
5 Arturo Vidal, Chile
6 Jorge Valdívia, Chile
7 Sergio Agüero, Argentina
8 Charles Aránguiz, Chile
9 Pablo Zabaleta, Argentina
10 Dani Alves, Brazil

American cricketers beef up CPL squads

North American cricketers join CPL squads

SIX up-and-coming young cricketers, including USA international, Steven Taylor, and Canadian, Nikhil Dutta, will have the chance to play with and against some of the biggest names in world cricket after being added to the Hero CPL squads after impressing in training camp.

Each franchise welcomed four local under-19 players, and one young player from ICC Americas Associate nations, for training camp, with the incentive of a full CPL contract for one lucky player from each team. Amongst the players joining wicketkeeper-batsman, Taylor (Barbados Tridents), and off-spinner, Dutta (Zouks) are West Indies Under-19 player of the year, Shimron Hetmeyer (Guyana Amazon Warriors), and former West Indies Under-19 captain, Ramaal Lewis (Jamaica Tallawahs).

The six players that have been selected are:

Barbados Tridents: Steven Taylor – USA

Guyana Amazon Warriors: Shimron Hetmeyer, Guyana

Jamaica Tallawahs: Ramaal Lewis, Jamaica

St Kitts & Nevis Patriots: Nikhil Dutta, Canada

St Lucia Zouks: Gidron Pope, St Vincent

Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel: Mark Deyal, Trinidad

Tom Moody, CPL Director of Cricket, said: “Competition for a place in the CPL squads has been fierce. The coaches have been very impressed with the quality of young players on show, so it was hard to narrow it down to one player per squad. These six guys have a fantastic opportunity to make a name for themselves on the big stage, and we wish them all the best for CPL 2015.”

The Biggest Party in Sport kicked off on Saturday with defending champions, Barbados Tridents, defeating Guyana Amazon Warriors at Kensington Oval in a repeat of last year's final. At the Hero CPL, global superstars including Kevin Pietersen, Jacques Kallis and Shahid Afridi will join the Caribbean's finest cricketers, like Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo, and exciting up-and-coming local talent.

Fans have been given an even greater reason to be at the games this year with the CPL's recently announced ‘Catch a Million' competition, the biggest ever sports promotion in the Caribbean. The first fan at every match who catches a six, one-handed, will earn US $1,000 on the spot, as well as the chance to go to Trinidad for the final. If they catch another six, one-handed, in the final, they will be presented with US$1 million!

CPL 2015 runs from 20th June to 26th July. Last year's tournament attracted a global audience in excess of 65 million and this year is set to be even higher as fans across the world continue to be drawn to the high quality action on the pitch and the unique party atmosphere off it.

Messi, Aguero part of Copa America team of group stage

Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero in Copa America 2015 team of the group stage

• Arturo Vidal crashed his Ferrari under influence of alcohol during tournament
• Chile star swore at police when he was arrested near Santiago
• Official Copa America website makes no mention of his misdeeds in team of the group stage article
• Vidal is the competition’s top scorer with three goals for Chile
• Lionel Messi and Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero also make the team 

Lionel Messi (right) and Sergio Aguero have been included in the Copa America team of the group stage

Barcelona star Lionel Messi and Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero lead the official Copa America team of the group stage, alongside controversial Chile midfielder Arturo Vidal.
Vidal crashed his £230,000 red Ferrari while under the influence of alcohol during the group stage, before reportedly shouting and swearing at the officer who put him in handcuffs.
But he is the competition's top goalscorer and is named by the competition’s official website as the group stage’s ‘most influential player’.

Arturo Vidal has been selected in the Copa America team of the group stage, despite a drink-driving offence

Vidal’s red Ferrari after his crash on a highway south of Santiago on the night of Tuesday June 16

Vidal will donate his Copa America tournament fee to charity to help make amends for drink-driving incident

Sanchez is a key player for Chile, who have five players in the team, but did not make the cut himself

COPA AMERICA: TEAM OF THE GROUP STAGE 

Bravo (Chile); Silva (Brazil), Gimenez (Uruguay), Medel (Chile); Aranguiz (Chile), Lobaton (Peru), Sanchez (Colombia), Vidal (Chile); Aguero (Argentina), Barrios (Paraguay), Messi (Argentina) 

No mention of his drink-driving offence is made in the article, which excludes Brazil captain Neymar from the team, despite his dominating performance in the country’s first game, in which he contributed a goal and a marvelous assist.
But the Barca forward was sent off after the second game and banned from the rest of the tournament, a crime which sees him out of the team of the group stage, with Paraguay’s Lucas Barrios preferred.
Elsewhere Aston Villa midfielder Carlos Sanchez and former Cardiff City man Gary Medel are also selected, along with Barcelona goalkeeper Claudio Bravo and PSG centre half Thiago Silva.
There is no space in the team for Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez, despite the Chile side that he spearheads being the best represented, with five players.

Big bonus for Chinese women

Women World Cup

China rewards World Cup women with ‘highest ever’ bonus

China will pay their women’s football team the “highest ever” bonus as a reward for reaching the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Canada, state media reported Monday.
The bonus of around one million yuan ($160,000) will be paid to the players who made it to the quarter-finals by beating Cameroon 1-0 on Sunday, the official Xinhua news agency reported, citing Yu Hongchen, vice president of the Chinese Football Association.
“The World Cup bonus will be the highest ever in women’s national team history,” Yu said, according to the Xinhua report. But the bonus is still far less than incentives offered to the men’s team, Xinhua said.
The move is designed to increase popularity of the sport among women, where most of the players on the national team earn about 3,000 yuan ($485) a month, below the national average of 4,100 yuan, Xinhua said.
China have reached the last eight for the sixth time in their history, but it will be the first quarter-final appearance in eight years after failing to qualify for the 2011 tournament.
China will next face either the United States or Colombia, who clash Monday, for a place in the semi-finals.

Messi tackles James

Messi vs James again - now in Copa America quarter-finals

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) -- Lionel Messi and James Rodriguez are about to meet again. They've left their clubs behind - Barcelona and Real Madrid - and this time Messi is wearing Argentina's blue and white and Rodriguez the red, blue and yellow of Colombia.

Of the four quarter-finals this week in the Copa America, Argentina vs. Colombia on Friday is the most compelling. Argentina has won this title 14 times and, with Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero, has the most talented attack in the game.
Colombia has won this title only once. But it's probably South America's fastest rising power, has an Argentine coach in Jose Pekerman and its own set of talented scorers including Rodriguez, Radamel Falcao and Jackson Martinez.
In other quarterfinals it's Chile vs. Uruguay on Wednesday, Bolivia vs. Peru on Thursday and Brazil vs. Paraguay on Saturday.

The South American championship is a mini-World Cup. Five of the quarter-finalists reached the last 16 in Brazil's World Cup. Three reached the quarterfinals and Argentina was the losing finalist against Germany.

Here's a quick look at the matchups:

ARGENTINA vs COLOMBIA

Neither Argentina nor Colombia has put it together in group play. Argentina blew a two-goal lead, drawing 2-2 with Paraguay. It has 1-0 victories against Jamaica and Uruguay, and was fortunate after Uruguay dominated the late play.

Argentina coach Gerardo Martino knows many players are spent from long European seasons. The Champions League final between Barcelona and Juventus - with Messi on one side and Tevez on the other - was played just five days before the Copa America began.

''The failure to score and secure the outcome, it obviously beginning to generate some uneasiness,'' Martino said.
Colombia barely advanced, although it did beat Brazil 1-0 for its only group victory.

''When you play poorly, you pay'' said Rodriguez, who goes almost exclusively by his given name James, which he pronounces using Spanish phonetics - HA-mace.

CHILE vs URUGUAY
Host Chile is the sentimental favourite, and has been the most entertaining as it seeks its first Copa title. Chile has scored 10 goals, twice as many as anyone else. The only blot is star midfielder Arturo Vidal, who wrecked his red Ferrari while driving drunk last week. He got a four-month driving ban, but coach Jorge Sampaoli - another Argentine - kept him on the team.
Defending champion Uruguay has not been the same without Luis Suarez, who is banned from the tournament for biting Italian Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup. This leaves the attack to Edinson Cavani, who has been largely ineffective in the three group matches.
BRAZIL vs. PARAGUAY
Brazil is without Barcelona star Neymar, who was banned for the rest of the tournament after losing his temper after a 1-0 loss to Colombia. He kicked the ball at a Colombian player, appeared to try head-butting another and then accosted the referee, grabbing his arms and swearing at him. Brazil decided Monday not to appeal the four-match ban.
Brazil defeated Venezuela 2-1 on Sunday and played better than it had with Neymar, using Robinho and Philippe Coutinho in attack.
Brazil coach Dunga is bracing for Paraguay.
''It will be like a final,'' Dunga warned.
Paraguay was the losing finalist four years ago against Uruguay and has improved under Argentine coach Ramon Diaz, another Argentine.
''It's an important team, and we've shown that right from the first match,'' said Argentina-born Lucas Barrios. ''We are stronger than ever.''

BOLIVIA vs PERU
These are the two big outsiders. But the winner will make the semi-finals against Chile or Uruguay in the weaker half of the draw. This bodes well for Chile, which has already beaten Bolivia 5-0. Peru has been better than expected, losing 2-1 to Brazil, drawing Colombia 0-0 and beating Venezuela 1-0.
NO BRASS
Most executives of CONMEBOL, the governing body of South American soccer, have been keeping a low profile at the tournament. Several, including CONMEBOL president Juan Angel Napout, have stayed away so far, fallout from the FIFA corruption scandal.
Venezuelan soccer head Rafael Esquivel remains in jail in Switzerland with six other FIFA officials, including two vice presidents. Former Brazilian soccer head Jose Maria Marin is also among those in jail in Switzerland awaiting extradition to the United States.