Animal World: Chameleon Caught Disguised As Egg

*Looking like it is still inside its egg 

SOMETIMES in life you just want to curl up and pretend the world outside your own little shell doesn’t exist.

This little chameleon was captured in a moment of confusion when it appeared oblivious it had left its shell.
Chameleon breeders and photographers Canvas Chameleons captured the moment, showing the young reptile wrapped up tight.
Who knew a baby lizard could be so adorable?
Owner of Canvas Chameleons Nick Henn told National Geographic he had used a cuticle clippers to help cut away the youngster’s egg when it appeared to get stuck while hatching. Henn expected the baby chameleon to be full of life and ready to start his adventure.
“You don’t get to catch that moment when they first come out,” said Henn.

 

Rohingya Refugees Buried In Mass Graves In Thailand

IN DOZENS of abandoned jungles camps, less than 500km from partying tourists in Phuket, lies the graves of hundreds of people who were tortured, held for ransom and then killed if their families couldn’t pay up.
Perhaps the most disturbing thing about the atrocities near the Thai border town of Padang Besar, is that they took place with the full knowledge of officials in surrounding townships, many of whom benefited from the misery of one of the most persecuted minorities in the world.
Four Corners reporter Mark Davis travelled to Thailand where he spoke to one young man who witnessed the horrifying treatment of the Rohingya in these jungle camps.
“If families didn’t pay the men were beaten to death, the women were raped to death in many cases, and the children were not spared,” Davis told news.com.au.
Davis visited an abandoned camp in the mountains near the Thai border with Malaysia, which was littered with “bamboo housing, pits, cages, the detritus of clothing and footwear”.
At some camps human remains have also been found but a former guard of the camp told Davis that the smugglers at this one were clever enough to bury the bodies elsewhere.
The former guard led Davis to a mass grave in the nearby town of Padang Besar where he had personally buried about 20 Rohingya bodies in a field of about 100 graves. The site was located behind a police station and overlooking this graveyard was the newly built mansion of one of the smugglers.
“It just shows the level of complicity, everyone was making a buck on the torment of these people,” Davis said.
Most of the people held in the jungle camps had willingly got on boats in Myanmar in the hopes of making it to Malaysia, an Islamic country, but were instead taken to these camps on the Thai border and tortured so the smugglers could extort money from their families.
“If their families pay the money they are released into Malaysia ... if they don’t pay them they’re dead — there are hundreds of graves up there, perhaps thousands, no one has any idea yet,” Davis said.
Smugglers were charging about $2000 per person for the promise of a new life. A deposit of about $200 could get someone on a boat.
“One boatload of 400 people, that’s $800,000, this was hugely profitable ... and there was no shortage of people putting their hands out,” Davis said.
Shockingly, most people around the camps must have known about their existence. Davis said the camps were not that remote.
“One guard said there were 50 camps that had thousands of people in them, these were surrounded by villages and roads, this has been happening on an industrial scale for the last three years,” Davis said.
Hundreds of people, sometimes 500 in one day, would be transported to these jungle camps in trucks and cars. “The idea that someone didn’t know about this is laughable now,” Davis said.
The mayor of Padang Besar and his deputy have recently been arrested for their involvement in the trade and a senior Thai general has also been arrested but Davis said this was just the tip of the iceberg of who was involved.
Driven out of the city and into these fenced in areas, there is only one way to escape — by sea.
“Quite literally the only door open to them is the sea. Traffickers basically cruise up and down from the mother ship, they say, ‘come with us and we take you to freedom’. No one else is saying that to them.”
Davis said that Myanmar had got away with the outrageous treatment of these unnecessarily tormented people.
“It denies any of this is happening and the world allows that, but we all pay the cost.”
Neighbouring countries such as Thailand and Indonesia were now trying to deal with the biggest refugee crisis since the Vietnam War.
The group drew international media attention last month after thousands of Rohingya were left stranded on boats in southeast Asia because no country wanted to claim them.
Even Australia has refused to help resettle Rohingya with only the US and a few other countries agreeing to take them.
“This is a refugee crisis that didn’t need to happen,” Davis said.
“It’s horrible and it’s utterly unnecessary. It could easily be solved. This is Myanmar’s problem and that is probably what is the most sickening aspect of it.”
Four Corners’ Journey to Hell airs tonight at 8.30pm.

WYC: Blame Coaches For Nigeria’s Elimination, Chukwuma

Felix Chukwuma, the former Nigeria Football Association first vice chairman, has said the ouster of the Flying Eagles in the World Youth Championship in New Zealand was expected because “coaches of the team had compromised on merit  in the selection of players for the squad. “We were represented by amateur players. Our best players were not selected by the coaches and the reason is simple. Quote me any day and anytime, our national team coaches collect money from players for inclusion in our teams.  Who else is in the team? This Flying Eagles team is typical example players for money in my mind,” he alleged. “I know that we went to New Zealand with very bad team composed of pure amateurs. Forget Iheanacho or Awomiyi. I run a club and I have seen better players in the league good enough for Flying Eagles and other categories of the national team. Because coaches go for money dump merit, the country’s interest is relegated to the background. Good players are in this country are having not been taken to represent us. About the World Youth Championship in New Zealand, amateurs who lack skills dominated the Flying Eagles team because coaches settled for mediocre packaged by football agents acting as fronts to field their players and at the end of the day  profit while the country suffers shame in the eye of the world. Until the NFF stops the racketeering going on, we will never get the best but poor result as it happened in New Zealand, he said.

Nigeria won just one gameagainst North Korea and lost to Brazil and Germany in the group stage of the FIFA World Youth Championship to leave the tournament.

Asked for solution, the Gabros FC proprietor said “NFF must make a law that any coach or coaches given national assignment that fail should be put in the cooler (kept away from national teams for a period of ten years. That way people can now sit up. No one would take a bad team to an international assignment, knowing fully repercussions for failure. That he or she will be out of job for ten years.

Meanwhile, Chief Chukwuma has commended the Nigeria Football Federation and the League Management Company for progress made in the operation of the domestic league saying “we have never had it as good as now. There is fewer rancors’ I urge both bodies to sustain the tempo and never let it fall below standard, the referees are handling games well and clubs have cause to belong to the community. It is just an indication we are getting things right,” he stated.

SPORTS/Football: .Computer Data Seized At FIFA HQ

FIFA have handed over computer data to Swiss police investigating the 2018 and 2022 World Cup votes and suspended bidding for the 2026 tournament as it remained at the centre of a football corruption storm.Brazilian legend Zico, meanwhile, became the first person to officially declare himself a candidate to take over football's scandal-tainted world body from Sepp Blatter.

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FIFA said that computer data from its Zurich headquarters had been handed to Swiss prosecutors. Swiss authorities are investigating the 2010 FIFA vote that awarded the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 tournament to Qatar.
"FIFA today provided, as planned, data requested by the attorney general," said a spokesman for the global body. The BBC claimed that documents were seized from the offices of Blatter, FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke and chief financial officer Markus Kattner. Swiss prosecutors refused to reveal the identity of the individuals involved.
FIFA has been thrown into chaos by the Swiss inquiry and the parallel investigation into corruption by football officials which led to seven FIFA officials being arrested at a Zurich hotel last month.
Valcke said Russia had won the right to host the 2018 finals "honestly" and "one must be crazy to say that all hosting rights were bought." The draw for the Russian tournament will be held in St Petersburg on Jul 25.
Zico, a hero of Brazilian teams of the late 1970s and early 1980s and former sports minister, declared he would enter the race. "I feel I am capable. For sure, certain rules need to change," he told a press conference in Rio de Janeiro. "Much needs to change and much is going to happen"
Prince Ali bin al Hussein, who stood against Blatter in last month's election, has indicated he could also stand along with a former FIFA vice president Chung Mong-Joon of South Korea.
But UEFA president Michel Platini refused to discuss his plans at a Paris press conference to mark one year from the start of the European Championships in France. Platini only said it was a "good thing" the 2026 World Cup campaign had been halted. "There is no leadership at FIFA," he commented.
Wolfgang Niersbach, a Blatter critic, said the election should be held quickly. "With all due respect for his life's work, Sepp Blatter does himself, and football as a whole, no favours by drawing out his resignation," Niersbach wrote in a letter to German clubs and regional associations.
"A new president must be chosen quickly at an extraordinary congress to represent a compelling new beginning." He also called for "comprehensive reform" of the world body. "It must be our common goal to prevent unscrupulous people being enriched at the expense of football and tighter cash flows are needed."

- AFP

UCL Final:Juve's Journey From Shame Back To Reckoning

Juventus head to Berlin for European football’s elite fixture after a hard-fought 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu secured a 3-2 aggregate win over holders Real Madrid but just nine years ago they were relegated to Serie B in disgrace.
In the interim they returned to dominate Italy’s top flight, going unbeaten in 2011/12 and this month securing a fourth straight title - a run of domestic success they last enjoyed in the 1930s, in the infancy of the Agnelli family’s famed ownership.
So how has the ‘Old Lady’ of Italian football come such a long way in such a short space of time? The answer lies in long-term planning and a structure that can absorb the shock of losing key personnel.
ADVANTAGE
That, at least, is the view of Sky Italia presenter Valentina Fass, who argues that the decision to build their own stadium - at the time an unprecedented move at the top end of Serie A - has left their rivals scrabbling to catch up.
“It’s put them at a huge economic advantage over the other Serie A teams,” Fass told skysports.com. “They earn so much money from Juventus Stadium, not just from ticket sales, but merchandising, drinks and so on.
“That’s a lesson they learned from England. Before they decided to go ahead, they went to see the Arsenal stadium, for example. When they saw the mark-up on drinks was so high, it made them decide to go ahead.”
The stadium owes more to England than its merchandising policy - with no running track, the 41,000-odd regulars are right on top of the pitch - and Juve even invited English opposition to the opening. Notts County, whose black and white stripes inspired the famous Juventus kit, spoiled the party a little with a late Lee Hughes equaliser.
That was in September 2011, at the start of their ‘invincible’ season (Juve’s, not Notts County’s) and the Scudetto has not left Turin since.
Scandal
Andrea Agnelli, the fourth member of his family to take on the club’s presidency and the first since his father left the post in 1962, cannot take the credit for commissioning the new stadium.
But his 2010 inauguration, according to Fass, marked the introduction of a clearly-defined hierarchy and helped draw a line under the Calciopoli scandal that saw Juve stripped of two league titles and condemned to the second tier after club officials were found guilty of attempting to influence the appointment of referees.
RECENT HISTORY
2006 - demoted to Serie B, stripped of ‘05 and ‘06 titles
2007 - promoted despite nine-point deduction
2010 - Andrea Agnelli becomes president
2011 - Antonio Conte named boss
2011 - Juventus Stadium opened
2011/12 - go unbeaten on way to Serie A title, three more follow
Agnelli also recruited Giuseppe Marotta, the general director credited with overseeing a transfer strategy that has seen the discarded (Andrea Pirlo), the tainted (Carlos Tevez) and the impatient (Paul Pogba) brought in at relatively modest cost and with almost unqualified success.
“The society of management is very strong,” Fass says. “You know exactly who has what power. This change happened with Agnelli, who basically decided he wanted transparent men he could trust.
“Marotta is very good in the transfer market - he’s the guy who took Pogba from Manchester United. They understood he was unhappy with Sir Alex Ferguson and would not sign a new contract, and they only gave 300,000 euros to get him.
“They got Pirlo from Milan, who weren’t using him properly. It looked like it was the end of his career - look what he’s done since. They got Tevez, a difficult character, and managed to get him playing well.”
WINNERS
Several managers have come and gone since Juve’s relegation and immediate promotion, but not until former player Antonio Conte’s appointment in 2011 did they find one capable of moulding a title-winning team.
Fass says: “When he came, they already had a management structure but not an actual team. He changed the way of playing, gave them a winning attitude. They started winning.”
All the more reason for the concern, then, when Conte announced his shock departure after three years and three Serie A titles amid rumours key midfielder Arturo Vidal would be sold.
Vidal stayed, Conte left, and now his successor Massimiliano Allegri - unfancied by many supporters a year ago - has now taken the club to its first Champions League final in 12 years.
“He’s done well,” Fass, speaking before Wednesday’s triumph, said. “Conte had already built the team in a certain way, but he’s done well and a lot of merit has to go to him. Juventus traditionally were never very good in Europe - people in Italy make fun of them - but this year seems to be different.”

UCL Final: The Stars To Watch From Barcelona And Juventus In Berlin

GIANLUIGI BUFFON
Goalkeeping great Gianluigi Buffon has won almost every trophy in a 20-year career - including the 2006 World Cup at the same stadium in Berlin as the Champions League final.
But he’s never won the Champions League. His one previous final, in 2003, was lost to AC Milan.
“It’s not my last year as a player so this won’t be my last chance,” Buffon said. “There’s always a chance while you’re playing, and while you feel inside yourself the desire to go out and perform because you know you still have the ability.”
Buffon, aged 37, keeps making astonishing saves, enough for coach Massimiliano Allegri to say his captain ought to receive the Ballon d’Or. He finished second to compatriot Fabio Cannavaro in 2006.
Shutting out Messi, Neymar, and Suarez would do his cause no end of good.
The world’s best goalkeeper has never been tested by the world’s best outfield player, as Buffon has never played against Messi.
He has faced Suarez twice, in the Europa League and at last year’s World Cup, and shut him out. Neymar scored once against Buffon, with a free kick for Brazil at the 2013 Confederation’s Cup.
ANDREA PIRLO
Like Buffon, Andrea Pirlo is returning to the scene of Italy’s World Cup triumph. However, unlike his Juventus and Italy teammate, Pirlo’s equally impressive haul of trophies includes two Champions Leagues won while at AC Milan.
Pirlo is one of the most admired midfielders in the world.
Having just turned 36, he no longer surges from midfield but still sets up goals with passes of breathtaking accuracy.
He is also so much of a free kick specialist that any such situation, within 30 yards of goal, is coined “Pirlo territory.”
PAUL POGBA
At the other end of the age scale to Pirlo is fellow midfielder Paul Pogba, who has become a mainstay since his move from Manchester United in 2012. Still only 22, the final is a chance for the world to admire the France international.
“It’s a dream come true,” said Pogba, who has been the subject of intense transfer speculation. “I’m very happy with how things have gone here. I don’t regret anything.”
After missing the quarterfinal against Monaco and the first leg against Real Madrid injured, Pogba put in some lethargic performances, and was criticized by Allegri for showboating.
“Sometimes my attitude looks ... it doesn’t mean I’m showing off, I’m just playing my football,” Pogba said. “What the coach is saying is the truth. I have to be focused 90 minutes.
“It may look like I’m taking things easy, but it’s not like that at all. When I hear these things, it gets to me. I want to prove that what people are saying or thinking is wrong.”
ALVARO MORATA
Morata helped Real Madrid last season to its 10th Champions League trophy then transferred from his boyhood club to Juventus.
The Spain forward scored in both legs of the semifinal against his old club but didn’t celebrate out of respect. That wouldn’t be the case if he netted against Barcelona.
“I would love to do so but I know how hard it will be,” he said. “It’s Barca, so it would be even more special for me, as it’s the eternal rival of Madrid. Of course I would celebrate, but what matters is to win, it matters little to me who scores.”
On the other side of the coin, the “best player in history” for his coach, an “extraterrestrial” for his rivals, Lionel Messi is the undisputed leading man of the Champions League final in Berlin on Saturday.
Facing Juventus, the Barcelona forward can become the first player to score in three Champions League finals as he tries to clinch Barcelona its second ever treble of titles in one season.
After a trophy-less 2013-14 season that included Argentina’s defeat in the World Cup final, Messi is playing better than ever, scoring seemingly at will, while also acting as Barcelona’s best playmaker after moving back to the right side of its attack.
If his highlight reel of one-of-a-kind goals doesn’t suffice, then here are the raw numbers for Messi with Barcelona: 23 titles, 77 Champions League goals, 58 goals this season, 20 goals in 23 career finals, four-time world player of the year, and a club record 412 goals in 481 appearances.
“Our dream is to win it all,” Messi said this week.
LUIS SUAREZ
Barcelona fans will have their fingers crossed that Luis Suarez will be on his best behavior in the final.
Just like last season, Suarez will end this campaign crossing paths with Juventus’ Giorgio Chiellini.
When they met at the World Cup, Suarez bit the Italian defender on the shoulder, earning the Uruguay striker a four-month ban from competition and another black mark on his resume.
Chiellini said this week he had “no problem” with Suarez, and that he would shake his hand, even hug his aggressor.
Suarez has yet to speak about the rematch with Chiellini.
Barcelona teammate Javier Mascherano said Suarez was focused only on winning the final.
“It’s a special match, but because it’s a final of the Champions League,” Mascherano said. “That (incident) for Luis is water under the bridge. It is not necessary to say anything to him.”
Suarez has 24 goals despite starting the season late while completing his suspension. Add Neymar’s 38 goals and Messi’s haul, and the three have combined for a staggering 120 strikes this season.
SERGIO BUSQUETS
Sergio Busquets gives Barcelona its center of gravity, linking its attack and defense.
From his hunting ground in the heart of the midfield, the holding midfielder excels at recovering the ball to start Barcelona’s attack, just when opponents finally thought it was safe to venture forward.
He also acts as the main passing outlet for his teammates to ping the ball back and forth before an incisive pass springs Messi, Neymar or Suarez into the area.
Busquets and fellow midfielders Andres Iniesta and Ivan Rakitic will likely go up against Juventus’ Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal, and Paul Pogba.
“We hope to win the battle in midfield,” Busquets said.
“Juventus have some important players such as Vidal, who is a very complete player. We will try to be better than him.”
GERARD PIQUE
With Dani Alves and Jordi Alba focusing on attacking from the wings, Barcelona’s defense is left to center backs Gerard Pique and Mascherano.
Solid even when he is the only man standing between an attacker and the goalkeeper, Pique is also one of his team’s most effective scorers.
He has netted seven goals, and is the team’s best weapon in set-pieces, a facet of its attack that coach Luis Enrique has improved this season.
MARC-ANDRE TER STEGEN
While all the attention will be on Barcelona’s illustrious strikers, its chances will also rest on 23-year-old goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
In his first season at Barcelona, the young German has played in the Champions League and the Copa del Rey, leaving Claudio Bravo to help reclaim the Spanish league crown.
Ter Stegen has shown aplomb beyond his years, helping Barcelona win the Copa del Rey last weekend, and he will oppose Juventus’ Gianluigi Buffon who, at age 37, has 95 Champions League appearances behind him.
“The Spanish cup was very important for me to have a rhythm,” Ter Stegen said. “This (final) is a great opportunity for me personally. We have to be proud of the whole season, and now finish it off in the best possible way.”

Players To Watch In Canada

Marta, Brazil 
There are few things more coveted in world football than wearing the No. 10 jersey for Brazil, and that honour remains as such in women's football. Now considered a veteran of the Selecao at 29, Marta will still be one of the players to light up this tournament and will be one of the most recognisable names to viewers. She is a five-time FIFA World Player of the Year and has been nominated for the award for the past 11
years, making it hard to deny that she is the greatest ever to have played the game. Her style of play is an advertisement for the eye-catching style of football for which Brazil is synonymous - Joga Bonito. In past tournaments, her pace left opponents in her wake and while she may not be as quick as she was in her early 20s, her awareness and technique has improved well beyond that of yesteryear. She's an artist in attack and the ability to make the impossible seem easy.

Louisa Necib, France 
So highly rated is the star of the rising powerhouse of women's football that is France that Louisa Necib is affectionately known back home as the "female Zidane". While such monikers are often made in good spirits, this one has good reasoning behind it. Not only is she a product of Marseille and born to Algerian parents, but there is an undeniable similarity in the incredible passing range, ball control and dribbling to "Zizou". In fact, it goes one further, she's dubbed "Ziza" but this tournament she might go one further and shake off that tag from fans and cement her own name with sports fans around the world. Primarily an attacking midfielder, Necib may be deployed on the wing in a 4-3-3 formation in the World Cup, which will free her of defensive burdens and allow her entertaining attacking flair to flourish.
Abby Wambach, US 
At 35, Abby Wambach will lead the attack of the most popular team at the tournament in what will surely be her swansong.  Her inclusion, however, is far from sentimental. She remains an incredible goalscorer, the world's best in terms of international games across both genders. She's scored an incredible 182 goals in 242 appearances for the USWNT and was listed by Time as one of the 100 most influential people on the planet and one of the main reasons tens of thousands of American are travelling north for this tournament. There is no striker better in the air than Wambach or a more natural goalscorer and if the US  go far, she'll take them there.
Dzsenefir Marozsan, Germany 
Their forwards Celia Sasic and Pauline Bremer might steal the attention of the World Cup favourites but if Germany are to go all the way then that will largely rest on the performance of Dzsenifer Marozsan. In the absence of reigning World Player of the Year Nadine Kessling due to injury, Marozsan will be heartbeat of this German side. She is a good mover of the ball, hard worker in the midfield and reliable goalscorer with a ratio most forwards would envy, let alone midfielders.  She was the youngest player to debut in the women's Bundesliga and score in Germany's top tier but the 2015 tournament will be where she raises her profile from one of the most promising players into a genuine star.  Now 23, there is little doubt she will do that in Canada .

Top Five: UEFA Champions League Finals

An even contest which gains a spot on this list due to one absolute moment of brilliance from Zinedine Zidane. After Raul's early goal was cancelled out by Lucio, just moments before half-time the French midfielder unleashed a rasping volley with his weaker foot into the top corner of Hans-Jorg Butt's net (who, funnily enough, was also on the losing end for Bayern Munich in 2008). It was Real Madrid's ninth combined Champions League/European Cup win, but most people remember this season for Bayer Leverkusen's horrible luck - where they went from a potential treble to winning nothing at all in a couple of catastrophic weeks. Star player Michael Ballack was then part of the squad who would lose the World Cup final a month later. Ouch. 
Number Three: 2012 - Chelsea 1-1 Bayern Munich (4-3 on penalties)
Chelsea's journey to becoming the Kings of Europe was so unlikely that I can still hardly believe that happened. They looked down and out against Napoli, they looked down and out against Barcelona and with three minutes to goal in the final, they looked down and out against Bayern Munich. Thomas Muller had put the Germans ahead in the 83rd minute and Bayern had been so dominant throughout the match that it looked impossible to imagine the Blues coming back - but nobody told Didier Drogba. The Ivorian's late equaliser followed by Petr Cech's penalty save of Arjen Robben in extra time set up a penalty shootout...and after Bastian Schweinsteiger missed the fifth penalty for his team - Drogba stepped up and potted the winner.
Number Two: 1999 - Manchester United 2-1 Bayern Munich
"And Solksjaer has won it!!"
Perhaps the most iconic line of football commentary ever uttered. Like or loathe Manchester United, it's impossible to not regard the last couple of minutes of this game as the stuff of fairytales. Facing a 1-0 deficit at Barcelona's Camp Nou, the Red Devils won a corner in the first minute of stoppage time - and with the entire team, including keeper Peter Schmeichel, thrown forward, Beckham's ball in wasn't cleared before a shot from Ryan Giggs was scuffed, but steered into the net by Teddy Sheringham. Less than 90 seconds later, another corner came in from Beckham, and history was made by the Norwegian substitute.
Number One: 2005 - Liverpool 3-3 AC Milan (3-2 on penalties)
Could there be any other number one? All of the drama of 1999 was crammed into 120 seconds of unbelievable scenes, but six years later, when United's biggest rivals lifted the trophy for the fifth time, it was 75 minutes of utter bewilderment. After going down 3-0 thanks to a double from Hernan Crespo and a first-minute goal from Milan skipper Paolo Maldini, the Reds looked dead and buried at half-time. In what has become known as Steven Gerrard's finest moment Liverpool refused to lie down and mounted one of the most stunning comebacks in sporting history, completed with Andriy Shevchenko's penalty being saved by Polish goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek in the most unlikely of victories. It's hard to believe that was 10 years ago.




 

Juventus, Barcelona Chase Rare Trebles In Champions League Final

Both Juventus and Barcelona are looking to cap fantastic seasons by completing rare trebles when they meet in the Champions League final at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin on Sunday.
Juventus are appearing in their first Champions League final in 12 years as they look to win the European Cup for the third time, but Barcelona, inspired by Lionel Messi, are the favourites to win a fifth European Cup and fourth in the last decade.
Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri and his Barcelona counterpart Luis Enrique have already enjoyed excellent debut seasons in charge of their respective clubs, both winning domestic league and cup doubles, and both are now within touching distance of making it a glorious treble.
For Barcelona, it would be a second such treble following their fantastic first season under Pep Guardiola in 2008-09, but such an achievement is very rare indeed.
Only six other clubs have ever won a domestic league and cup double and the European Cup in the same season, with Celtic's Lisbon Lions of 1967 the first.
Since then, Ajax (1972), PSV Eindhoven (1988), Manchester United (1999), Inter Milan (2010) and Bayern Munich (2013) have repeated the feat.
Barcelona can therefore become the first club to do it twice, and their current team contains several members of that 2009 vintage under Guardiola.
"We are still a young team. There are still quite a few players from the Guardiola era," Enrique said. "This could turn out to be an historic season for us."
Juventus, meanwhile, will either join that elite group of clubs or become the first club to have lost six European Cup finals.
The Italian champions' main task is to blunt Barcelona's razor-sharp attack of Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez, which has sliced through defences on the road to Berlin.
The South American trio have scored a stunning 120 goals between them this season, compared to the 103 managed by the entire Juventus team.
With 58 goals in all competitions, four-time world player of the year Messi is in the best form of his illustrious career, but Juventus can ill afford to focus on containing his talents alone.
Messi destroyed Guardiola's Bayern Munich with two goals in the first leg of their semi-final before setting up Neymar for the third at the Camp Nou.
But in the return it was Suarez and Neymar who did the damage, combining for two first-half goals at the Allianz Arena, which put the tie beyond Bayern.
To make Juve's task even harder, centre-back Giorgio Chiellini was ruled out of the final after tearing a calf muscle in training.
But Juventus have neither flown to Berlin just to witness Messi's magic first hand nor do they wish to see him become the first player to score in three Champions League finals.
"This is the game of our lives," said Juve goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, their sole survivor from their last Champions League final, the loss to AC Milan in 2003.
"I would always want to be starting off as a favourite, but we have our weapons to try and make Barcelona's job more difficult," added Buffon, who along with Pirlo won the World Cup at the same stadium with Italy in 2006.
Juve, who reached the final by knocking out holders Real Madrid 3-2 on aggregate in their semi-final, welcomed Italian international defender Andrea Barzagli back to training on Wednesday after a spell out with a thigh strain.
AFP

Williams Skips Practice Ahead Of French Open Final

Serena Williams is skipping practice on the eve of the French Open final as the world number one battles with illness, organisers said on Friday.
The American was unwell during her semi-final win over Swiss Timea Bacsinszky on Thursday.
Williams is due to play the final against Czech 13th seed Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic on Saturday.
- Reuters

Women World Cup: Brazil Expects success In Canada

Brazil have slipped down the world rankings in recent years and in a bid to recapture the form that took them to the semis in 1999 and 2007, they have adopted an all-or-nothing approach for the Women's World Cup.
Twenty-five of Brazil's best players have been ensconced in a training camp since January and the focus is firmly on preparing themselves tactically and physically for the month-long tournament in Canada.
"The national side is our life right now," manager Vadao told Reuters. "When you're playing for a club, you go home at the end of the day but here you train and you go to the hotel with the team and the backroom staff.
"It can be tiring but the girls know what the objective is. We can be contenders. We are all together and we believe that we can challenge."
Brazil are currently ranked seventh in the world, slightly better than last year's eighth place, their lowest ranking since the system was inaugurated in 2003.
They will play in Group E at the World Cup against South Korea, Spain and Costa Rica.

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As usual, they have a collection of talented individuals – marshalled by greats such as Cristiane, Formiga and of course Marta, a five-time world player of the year.
But their Achilles heel is their fitness and organisation.
With no year-round league and no nationwide system for bringing through younger players – many girls train with men's clubs because there are no female teams nearby, Vadao said – Brazilian players cannot test themselves week-in, week-out.
"Our strong point is we have players who are individually excellent," he said. "But we didn't have the infrastructure or games or leagues to help us prepare.
"Germany are better prepared and better organised and we are together right now trying to overcome that, to work on the physical side of things and the tactics that we never had time to work on before."
Brazil won the Copa America last September, losing just once in seven matches while scoring 22 goals and conceding only three. But they struggled when stepping up a level at the Copa Algarve in March, finishing a lowly seventh.
Anything less than a World Cup semi-final place in Canada will be a disappointment, but only time will tell if Vadao's total immersion strategy pays off.

Sepp Blatter, who is resigning as president of world football's embattled governing body FIFA, will not
attend an International Olympic Committee meeting next week, the IOC said.
"He informed the IOC president some time ago he will not be attending," an IOC official told Reuters.

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The IOC is holding an executive board meeting as well as a meeting for the 2022 winter Olympic bid cities between June 7-10 in Lausanne.
Blatter, as head of FIFA, is an IOC member.
FIFA said in a statement that the decision had been taken in April, before the current crisis erupted at football's governing body.
"Back in April the FIFA President informed the IOC that he would not be attending in person the session in Lausanne. His plans have not changed," said FIFA.
"Future travel plans of the FIFA President will only be confirmed in due course."
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Ossian Shine/Sudipto Ganguly)

- Reuters

Brown Ideye, On Vacation In Ghana With Wife, Sons

Nigerian international striker, Brown Ideye is currently enjoying a end-of-season break in Ghana.
The West Brom forward who last week jetted out of England with his family is now in the Ghanaian capital Accra with his family.
The striker posted a photo of himself and his family and wrote, ‘#Accrastreetlife’.
It seems the striker left the vacation plans for his wife, Damaka as he thanked her in another Instagram post.
“Thanks to my Rib for this wonderful place, I really like it thanks love,” he wrote alongside the photo of himself and his wife.
Ideye’s two sons, Junior and Andriy Ideye are with their parents for the trip.
Ideye will have full rest this summer as he was left out of the Super Eagles squad to face Chad in the 2017 African Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Super Eagles striker, Brown Ideye is currently enjoying a end-of-season break in Ghana.
The West Brom forward who last week jetted out of England with his family is now in the Ghanaian capital Accra with his family.
The striker posted a photo of himself and his family and wrote, ‘#Accrastreetlife’.
It seems the striker left the vacation plans for his wife, Damaka as he thanked her in another Instagram post.
“Thanks to my Rib for this wonderful place, I really like it thanks love,” he wrote alongside the photo of himself and his wife.
Ideye’s two sons, Junior and Andriy Ideye are with their parents for the trip.
Ideye will have full rest this summer as he was left out of the Super Eagles squad to face Chad in the 2017 African Cup of Nations qualifiers.
- See more at: http://ghanasoccernet.com/super-eagles-striker-enjoys-vacation-in-ghana-with-wife-sons/#sthash.AAr0GAXw.dpuf

LIFE: Woman Pregnant With Fourth Set Of Twins in Five Years

IT sounds incredible, but Emma Uhila says she’s blessed to be pregnant with her fourth set of twins in five years.
Emma Uhila is one very busy mamma.
She has a six-year-old son, three sets of twin daughters and is seven months pregnant with another set of twins.
Yep, you read that right …
Emma and her husband, Loma, are parents to Micah (born in 2008), Ava and Lily (born 2010), Isla and Eden (born 2011), and Indie and Emme (born 2013). They will welcome their fourth set of twins to the family in July.
Happy, not harrowing, news
Having nine children under the age of six sounds harrowing, but the New Zealand mum insists: “We are incredibly blessed — it’s like we’ve won lotto.”
“Micah was 11 months old when we found out we were expecting our first set of twins,” Emma tells Porse. “I was in complete shock because we had no twins on either side of our families. From there it was all on and life became normal with three under three at home. The second set of twins arrived a year and four days later.”
By the third set of twins — all conceived naturally — Emma admits she and Loma were almost expecting the news, so they got an early eight-week scan to confirm it. And sure enough …
Their survival secret
How do they cope? Emma says the key is strict eating and sleeping routines.
“We’ve got a really good routine now where the kids know exactly what’s happening each day and what’s coming next. At night it’s dinner, bath, story, brushing teeth, prayers, bed — they all know the routine and if we forget something they’ll be the first to tell us.”
It also helps that Emma’s parents and aunty live with them, while her sister Victoria works as her porse nanny.
“It’s wonderful having my sister as my nanny,” she says. “I couldn’t think of anyone better to help me raise my children. She knows exactly the way I want to parent. We have the same routines and disciplinary approach so it works really well.”
“We’re just so blessed that our family is such a huge part of our lives. They say it takes a village to raise a child — we’ve got a tribe and we have our entire village helping out. The bonds my children have with my mum, dad, aunties, cousins and Victoria is amazing and you can see that when any of them walk in the room they light up.”
Feeding so many little mouths
Dada Loma, a youth worker, admits that it can be hard making ends meet.
“I have no idea what our grocery bill comes to,” he tells the New Zealand Herald. “We get support from Angel Food, they provide us meals — then there are spaghetti-and-eggs-on-toast weeks. The more the kids grow, the more they eat. One chicken just isn’t enough anymore.”
But they wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Having twins means twice the hugs and kisses and double the love, fun and blessings,” Emma says.
This article was originally posted on kidspot.com.au

SPORTS/Football: FIFA Strategises To Restore Credibility

Deep in the bowels of FIFA's Zurich headquarters, three floors underground in a room lined with black granite walls and beyond the reach of mobile phones, lies the powerful core of international football.
Here, the 24-member executive committee of football's governing body meets to plot the biggest decisions in a sport that has been rocked over the past week by sweeping U.S. corruption charges, arrests of top officials and now the shock announced departure of FIFA President Sepp Blatter. Blatter's announcement of his intended resignation on Tuesday immediately led to speculation over who will stand to replace him, but without significant reform to the executive committee it may not make much difference who steps into his shoes.
Although the 79-year-old has taken much of the blame for the scandals that have buffeted FIFA under his leadership, both he and outside observers have pointed out that he is in some ways at the mercy of a committee that he does not choose.
The committee is made up of six continental confederations such as Europe's UEFA and Africa's CAF which, paradoxically, are not themselves members of FIFA. They grew up to organise international competitions in their respective continents but have now mushroomed to become a potent force in themselves.
Announcing his decision to step down, Blatter made clear he blamed the secretive committee for his federation's problems.
"The executive committee includes representatives of confederations over whom we have no control, but for whose actions FIFA is held responsible," he said.
Blatter does have a seat on the committee, but with only one vote could not control its decisions.
Nobody knows how much the executive committee members are paid, some of them have held their position for 25 years and others make a point of not talking to the media.
It was the executive committee that made the hugely controversial choice of Russia and Qatar as hosts of the 2018 and 2022 respectively, a decision which led to accusations of bribery and an investigation by FIFA’s own ethics committee.
UEFA President Michel Platini, one of Blatter's chief critics and a possible contender to replace him, has admitted he was among those who voted for the Gulf state with almost no football tradition and which is now under fire for its treatment of migrant workers in the construction industry.
In the last five years, nine members of the executive committee have either been banned for corruption or resigned after being put under investigation.
They included Jeffrey Webb, president of North American, Central American and Caribbean confederation CONCACAF, who was among the seven people arrested in a dawn raid last week on the luxury lakeside Zurich hotel where FIFA regularly pampers its visitors.
PROUD BOAST
FIFA proudly boasts that it has 209 member associations - more than the United Nations - who have the power to choose the president. They do not, however, choose the executive committee members.
After the controversy over the 2018/2022 World Cup host decisions, the 2026 tournament will be decided by the full Congress of associations, but the shortlist will still be drawn up by the executive committee.
The committee also decides on the hosting of other FIFA tournaments and has the power to suspend national associations.
Domenico Scala, head of FIFA's audit and compliance committee, said on Tuesday he planned to make the executive committee a central target of reforms planned in the wake of Blatter's announcement.
Scala said there should be a term limit for the president and executive committee members and that their wages should be published. The structure of the committee and its members are "at the core of the current issues that FIFA is facing," he said.
"Nothing will be off the table, including the structure and composition of the executive committee and the way in which members...are elected," said Scala.
Scala pointed out that the confederations had blocked one of the key reforms proposed following Blatter's re-election in 2011 - independent integrity checks on potential executive committee members.
"Confederations' actions must be consistent with their speech," he added, in an apparent reference to UEFA, which has become FIFA's sternest critic among the confederations.
The confederations are not expected to relinquish their power lightly. Scala would have to propose reforms to the FIFA Congress, which would then vote on them.
Blatter will stay in power until his successor in chosen, possibly as late as next March, and believes he can use his last months in the job to instigate real reform.
"I have fought for these changes before and, as everyone knows, my efforts have been blocked. This time, I will succeed," he said on Tuesday.

SPORTS/Football: Benitez Signs Three-Year Deal At Real

FOOTBALL’s worst kept secret is out, Champions League-winning manager Rafael Benitez has signed a three-year deal at La Liga giants Real Madrid.
FOR the first time in 41 years Real Madrid will have a Madrid born and raised coach as Rafael Benitez’s career comes full circle after being officially appointed on Wednesday.
The 55-year-old has spent more than a decade away from his native land having swapped Valencia for Liverpool in 2004, but despite an indifferent record in recent times the job he always dreamed of has finally come around.
“When he started out his career in management, this was the job he always dreamed of getting,” one of
Benitez’s former charges at Liverpool Jamie Carragher told the Daily Mail last week.
“I know how much it means to him because he used to come up to me every couple of months at Melwood and say ‘Madrid have made me an offer’!”
Those offers came at a time when Benitez’s stock was at its highest having followed up two La Liga titles with Valencia in three years with the Champions League in his first campaign at Liverpool.
At the same time Madrid were suffering a barren spell in Europe. Unable to get beyond the last 16 of the Champions League for six straight seasons between 2004 and 2011.
However, expectations are now even higher than at the Madrid Benitez took his first steps in management as the B team coach in the early nineties.
He is the 10th Madrid coach to serve under president Florentino Perez in his two spells in charge of the club with none of them lasting more than three years.
Perez’s decision to get rid of the affable Carlo Ancelotti last week just a year after he won the Champions League and delivered a club record four-trophy haul in a calendar year was his most criticised since ditching Benitez’s former mentor Vicente del Bosque in 2003.
However, with Perez having assembled the most expensive squad in football history, Ancelotti’s failure to deliver a major trophy was considered a sacking offence.
Skepticism has been the principal reaction to Benitez’s appointment in the Spanish capital.
Despite having won trophies at Liverpool, Inter Milan, Chelsea and Napoli, Benitez hasn’t landed a league title since he left Spain.
Moreover, a 4-2 defeat to Lazio in his last game in charge of the Napolitans that saw them miss out on the Champions League confirmed the sensation Napoli had regresssed in his two years in charge.
Perez’s decision seems based in his tendency to follow an ego massaging boss that will get on well with the dressing room with a more disciplinarian approach when things start to go wrong.
Jose Mourinho replaced Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini under similar circumstances in 2010.
It is also expected that following Barcelona’s example this season, Benitez’s penchant for rotating his squad should ensure Madrid get to the end of next season in far better physical shape than the drained group that ended this campaign.
The doubts over his appointment mean Benitez won’t get much time to prove himself at the Bernabeu, but no coach under Perez does no matter how successful.
As Carragher added: “With Real Madrid, every manager ends up sacked, so the only issue for Benitez is how many trophies he can collect before the inevitable happens.”

EDUCATION: Teacher Takes Pupils To A Sex Shop

A TEACHER angers some parents after taking middle and high-school students to an adult store as part of sex education. They even bought condoms.
Starri Hedges, director of Gaia Democratic School in Minneapolis took about a dozen students to the Smitten Kitten sex shop last week.
Hedges, who teaches the school’s sex education class, told the Star Tribune that she wanted to provide a safe environment for students to learn about human sexual behaviour.
Besides offering adult books, videos, toys and other products, the store also has educational workshops, which the students attended.
“What I saw happening on our trip, I thought it was beautiful because kids could talk to these sex educators without any shame, without any fear,” Hedges said. Some of her students bought condoms, she said.
The small K-12 school has a motto that promises academic freedom, youth empowerment and democratic education. Parents say it has about 25 students. Tax records show the school, housed in a Unitarian church, has an annual budget of about $100,000.
Parent Lynn Floyd’s 11 and 13-year-old daughters were on the field trip. Floyd says the trip was “a major breach of trust” and has withdrawn his children from the school. Floyd said he is most troubled that parents were never notified before the trip.
“I just struggled to think that I wasn’t involved in that,” he said.
Hedges said that she “unfortunately didn’t communicate well enough with parents ahead of time” about the trip. Pornographic items were off limits to the children, Hedges said, but sex toys and other products were visible.
“The sexual health aspect, there is no right age for all kids,” Hedges said. “You can’t say, ‘All kids should know this at this age.’ There are students that are already going through puberty at 10 or 11.”
Smitten Kitten owner Jennifer Pritchett said the store is an educational resource about sex and sexuality. “We leave it up to the discretion of parents and guardians as to when, if, and in what capacity they seek resources from our educators,” she said.
Minnesota Department of Education spokesman Josh Collins said the state has no authority over the school because it is private. “I don’t think anybody would think that going to the Smitten Kitten is a great idea,” he said.
It is not clear whether the field trip broke any laws. A city ordinance said those younger than 18 should not be exposed to “sexually provocative written, photographic, printed, sound, or published materials deemed harmful to minors.”
Minneapolis City Attorney Susan Segal said inspectors visited the store Tuesday and plan to issue a violation notice for failing to comply with the city ordinance and for not complying with a zoning ordinance. She said the store can reconfigure its space or cover the items to comply. Pritchett, the store owner, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Hedges said she probably would not take another class to the store.
“It was certainly the first time we have taken that kind of field trip and it will probably be our last, which I feel bad (about) because the kids had so much fun,” Hedges said.

Putin Congratulates Blatter On Re-election

Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a telegram to FIFA President Sepp Blatter congratulating him on his re-election, the Kremlin said on Saturday.
"The head of the Russian state expressed confidence that experience, professionalism and high authority will help (Joseph) Blatter in future encourage the spread in the geography and popularity of football in the whole world," a Kremlin statement said.
Russia was interested in co-operating with FIFA in general and in particular in preparation for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, it said.

Lazio stun Napoli to clinch Champions League berth: Juve Get Set For Barca

Late goals by Ogenyi Onazi and Miroslav Klose rubber-stamped Lazio's third-place finish in Serie A on Sunday after a thrilling 4-2 win at Napoli that secured a place in next season's Champions League playoffs.

Champions Juventus finished the season with 26 wins and just three defeats from 38 games after being held 2-2 by Verona on Saturday in a match which saw Toni score once.
With their first double in 20 years already secure following a Cup final win over Lazio, Juventus will now set their sights on beating Barcelona in the final of the Champions League.
Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri hinted after a comparatively shaky performance by his side that his players' minds are already turned towards next week's showpiece in Berlin.
"We played well in parts, at other times we were less focused and made technical mistakes. We handled our lead badly, missing a penalty, and not seeing out the final few minutes," said Allegri.
"We'll rest Sunday and get to work on the game from Monday onwards. It's not every day you get to play a Champions League final and we need to prepare for it calmly."

Willian And Filipe Luís Set To Miss The Start Of Chelsea's Pre-Season

Jose Mourinho has said he is willing to give Filipe Luís and Willian time off at the end of this summer when they return from the Copa America.
The two Brazilians will be in Chile during June and July to compete in the 44th edition of South America's most prestigious competition. Mourinho has said it is important for the pair to rest as they will be vital for Chelsea's Premier League defence next year.
"They need a vacation. It is very important to have a good rest. The team's players have physical and mental limits. Players who play in the Copa America will have a vacation after this competition and will not start the season with us."

 

Mourinho Enjoys Repartee With Sydney FC Coach Arnold

IT wasn’t supposed to be like this. There were too many smiles, too many jokes, too much mutual respect and appreciation. When the world’s two grumpiest coaches came face to face, we expected a standover contest and ended up with stand-up comedy.
Sydney FC’s Graham Arnold came into the room first, his face promisingly furrowed with a frown that suggested someone had told him a referee had just bought the house next door. Then Jose Mourinho followed, with an apologetic little wave and a smile of acknowledgement for those present from Chelsea’s triple EPL-winning coach.
The Chelsea coach described his “responsibility to play well, to play our best players, to try to win, and to give the supporters a good experience.” Back came Arnold. “We’ll give it our best shots but Jose, you don’t have to play your best team,” he said. “We’re good hosts but we’re not that good.”
Then Mourinho was asked, tongue in cheek, if the prospect of an away game in front of such a sizeable crowd meant he was tempted to “park the bus” and load up his defence.
“When the opponent has the ball you have to park the bus all the time,” he said grinning hugely. “If the opponent doesn’t score goals you have more chances to win. But I can give already a tip to the coach Arnold. My three attacking players will be [Loic] Remy, Diego Costa and Eden Hazard. So even if you park the bus - with these three guys, be careful.”
Ah, replied Arnold. “Can we have a double decker bus.”

FIFA president Sepp Blatter said Saturday he was "shocked" at the way the US judiciary has targeted football's world body and slammed what he called a "hate" campaign by Europe's football leaders.Blatter said he suspected the arrest of seven FIFA officials this week under a US anti-corruption warrant was an attempt to "interfere with the congress" at which he was elected to a fifth term on Friday.
He also denied he was the FIFA official that US investigators say authorized a $10 million payment to a disgraced former FIFA vice president.
"There are signs which cannot be mistaken: the Americans were candidates for the 2022 World Cup and they lost," he told Swiss television channel RTS.
"I am not certain, but it doesn't smell good."
He also said the United States was the "number one sponsor" of Jordan, home country of his challenger for the FIFA presidency, Prince Ali bin al Hussein.
The Jordanian, who had the backing of European football body UEFA, withdrew from Friday's race after the first round of voting.
He also condemned comments about FIFA made by senior members of the US judiciary, including Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who lamented the "rampant, systemic and deep-rooted" corruption in football. Another official spoke of a "World Cup of fraud."
"Of course I am shocked," Blatter responded. "I would never as FIFA president make comments about another organisation without being certain of what has happened."
Blatter told a press conference Saturday he had been hurt by the corruption scandal.
"I have been affected by what has happened and I have been hurt by the attacks," he said.
He played down the significance of the attacks for FIFA and also denied having authorized a payment to disgraced former FIFA vice president Jack Warner, one of those indicted.
The US indictment says in 2008 a "high ranking FIFA official" authorized a 10 million dollar payment to Warner, a former head of the North and Central American confederation, which was money intended as a bribe.
Blatter said: "I don't go into these allegations. If such a thing is under investigation let it go (on) and definitely that's not me."
Blatter also hit out at UEFA and its president, Michel Platini, who had called for his resignation over the corruption scandals.
"It is a hate that comes not just from one person at UEFA, it comes from the UEFA organisation that cannot understand that in 1998 I became president," he added in the interview.
Asked whether he would forgive Platini, Blatter said "I forgive everyone but I do not forget."
His re-election marked a dramatic end to a bitter campaign dominated by corruption allegations.
Blatter vowed to leave a "strong" FIFA when he leaves in four years.
"I'm not perfect. Nobody is perfect. But we will do a good job together," he said.

Sharapova Knocked Out Of French Open

Defending champion Maria Sharapova was knocked out of the French Open in the fourth round following a 7-6(3) 6-4 defeat by Czech 13th seed Lucie Safarova on Monday.

The Russian second seed had played the last three finals at Roland Garros, winning in 2012 and 2014.

Ruthless Germany crush Fiji 8-1 at U-20 World Cup: Brazil Down Nigeria 4-2

Germany subjected Fiji to an 8-1 thrashing to spoil the tiny Pacific nation's under-20 World Cup debut on Monday as Honduras prevailed in a seven-goal thriller over Uzbekistan.
A record 28 goals - 12 more than the opening two days of the tournament combined - flowed from the four matches in New Zealand, which also saw Brazil and Hungary emerge easy winners in two Group E scoring sprees.
"This game, that goal, meant so much for the country," Fiji coach Frank Farina, a former Australia boss, remarked.
Honduras also rejoiced madly in the late contest at the same venue after edging Uzbekistan 4-3 in a pulsating match featuring two goals in second half injury-time.

Brazil were 4-2 winners over Nigeria in New Plymouth, while Hungary belted North Korea 5-1 in a late game at the same venue.