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.France captain Thierry Henry said he understood why fans were jeering him after persistent booing from the home crowd during the 2-0 loss to Spain in a World Cup warmup match at the Stade de France on Wednesday.
France, in its first game since Henry’s infamous handball against Ireland in a World Cup play-off in the same stadium last November, was outclassed by the European champions and the 32-year-old captain was the main focus of French fans’ wrath even before Spain opened the scoring.
“I understand people who were eager for us to play well against Spain and, when you don’t play well, you have to expect being jeered at.
“It’s the same story as usual and it’s not the first time I’ve experienced that kind of situation at the Stade de France,” he said.
“I absolutely had no pace. I don’t know if I deserved that but there is nothing I can do.
Coach Raymond Domenech, who had been a firm supporter of France’s all-time topscorer until Wednesday night, expressed his concern at Henry’s present state. .
“[His situation] raises some questions but we’ve not reached the point yet when it has become alarming.
“Obviously, everybody knows Titi has performed better in the past and it’s obvious that it is becoming a problem for him to play high level games such as this one while he’s got less playing time [at Barcelona],” Domenech, the only man French fans booed more than Henry, said.”
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.Real Madrid has become the first team in any sport to post revenues in excess of 400 million euros ($602 million) in a single year, according to an annual survey of the richest soccer clubs by accountancy firm Deloitte.
In its survey released today, Deloitte said the figure of 401.4 million euros had been helped by high broadcast revenue.
European and Spanish champion Barcelona overtook Manchester United, which was hit by the weak pound, into second position.
Real topped the “Football Money League” report, which ranks the 20 biggest clubs by revenue, for the fifth consecutive year. The club’s revenue rose by 57 million euros to 366 million euros.
Barcelona posted the largest absolute increase in the Deloitte report, from the 2008-09 season.
“Real Madrid and FC Barcelona have created a clear revenue gap between themselves and their European competitors, and look set to contest the top two positions in the Money League for the foreseeable future, particularly if the pound doesn’t strengthen against the euro,” Alan Switzer, director in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, said in a statement.
The combined revenue growth for the 20 clubs slowed compared with previous years to over 3.
Top clubs weathered the worst economic crisis in decades thanks to their loyal fan bases and large broadcast audiences, according to the report.8 billion).9 billion euros ($5.
The top 20 was little changed from last year, with Werder Bremen and Manchester City replacing VfB Stuttgart and Turkish club Fenerbahce.
“However, it will not be until 2009-10, the season currently in progress, before we see the full impact on clubs’ revenues,” said Paul Rawnsley, director in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte.
The list was again dominated by European clubs, with seven English clubs, four from Italy, and two each from France and Spain.
The list was again dominated by European clubs, with seven English clubs, four from Italy, and two each from France and Spain. (1) Real Madrid (ESP) 341.
Rankings (position, last year’s position, club, country, revenue in millions of pounds, revenue in million of euros):
1.4
2.9, 401.7, 365. (3) FC Barcelona (ESP) 311. (2) Manchester United (ENG) 278.93.0 4.5, 327.6, 289.6, 289.5 5. (6) Arsenal (ENG) 224.0, 263.06. (5) Chelsea (ENG) 206.4, 242.3 7. (8) Liverpool (ENG) 184.8, 217.0 8. (11) Juventus (ITA) 173. .29. (10) Inter Milan (ITA) 167.4, 196.510. (7) AC Milan (ITA) 167.4, 196.511. (15) Hamburg SV (GER) 124.9, 146.712. (9) AS Roma (ITA) 124.7, 146.413. (12) Lyon (FRA) 118.9, 139.614. (16) Marseille (FRA) 113.5, 133.215. (14) Tottenham Hotspur (ENG) 113.0, 132.716. (13) Schalke 04 (GER) 106.0, 124.517. (n/a) Werder Bremen (GER) 97.7, 114.718. (20) Borussia Dortmund (GER) 88.1, 103.519. (n/a) Manchester City (ENG) 87.0, 102.220. (17) Newcastle United (ENG) 86.0, 101.0 -

.Emerging teen star Melanie Oudin has sealed the United States’ passage to the semi-finals of the Fed Cup with a 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 win over Julie Coin, as the Americans eased through 4-1.
Also advancing were holders Italy, who waltzed past host Ukraine 4-1 in Kharkiv as the sister act of Alona and Kateryna Bondarenko failed to disturb Francessa Schiavone and Flavia Pennetta before Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci carried off the doubles for good measure.
“This victory is very important for me as I lost the decisive match against Italy in the final.
In the absence of the Williams sisters the American contingent has shown its strength in depth and Oudin, who looked a little out of her depth in last year’s final loss to Italy, was delighted to prove her own worth in bagging the all-important point at Lievin.
“Then I got into my game. I was tense to begin with but Julie was also making things tough for me as she was serving very well,” Oudin said.
Oudin, breaking crucially in the fifth game of the second set to steady herself, made headlines last year with an exciting run to the US Open quarters, having reached round four at Wimbledon, shocking former world number one Jelena Jankovic en route. I’m really happy to have helped my team win this match in France,” said the 18-year-old from Georgia, ranked 53 on the WTA computer as she took her country’s Fed Cup record to 11-1 against the French.
Here, she beat Pauline Parmentier in straight sets in the second singles rubber after 140th-ranked Bethanie Mattek-Sands had started the ball rolling with a 7-6 (9-7), 7-5 win over Alize Cornet.
At Flushing Meadows, she then defeated fourth seed Elena Dementieva and another former number one, Maria Sharapova.
But she was unable to prevent Oudin, taking her tournament record to 3-3, from sealing the decisive point which takes the USA through to the semi-finals as it hones in on an 18th title.
That loss being Cornet’s sixth loss in as many Fed Cup starts, team captain Nicolas Escude withdrew her from the firing line and sent in Coin.
Serbia kept in the clash thanks to the impeccable Jelena Jankovic, who made it two singles rubbers out of two when she beat former US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.
In the semis, the Americans will play Russia, which edged Serbia 3-2 in a thrilling tie.
Elsewhere, the Czech Republic edged out Germany 3-2 at Brno in a thriller which went down to the final rubber.
However her team-mate Ana Ivanovic’s woeful form continued as she lost to Alisa Kleybanova in straight sets and then she and Jankovic had no answer in the decisive doubles as they were steam-rolled in straight sets.
But the 24-year-old was unable to complete a hat-trick in the doubles as, after seeing off Petra Kvitova early in the day, she and Tatjana Malek went down in straight sets to Lucie Hradecka and Kveta Peschke.
The Czechs, beaten semi-finalists by the USA last year and chasing a sixth title to go third in the historical rankings ahead of Spain, saw Anna-Lena Groenefeld bag two points for the Germans.

.The amateur archaeologist who first discovered a World War I mass grave in the French town of Fromelles says it was “wonderful” to see the first soldier from the site laid formally to rest at the weekend.
Gunshots rang out across the frozen cemetery on Saturday as the first of the 250 unknown British and Australian soldiers, who all died in the 1916 Battle of Fromelles, was lowered into an individual grave.
“It was wonderful to see the services and that’s what it’s all been about – dignity, and in time, identity for the soldiers of Pheasant Wood,” he said.
Lambis Englezos, whose work was central to bringing the Pheasant Wood grave to light, said he was moved watching the burial at the weekend. And hopefully in time we can give as many of these soldiers as possible their identity.
“Seeing the Army burying their own – our own – was really quite moving.”
The full military honours burial took place in a specially-built cemetary just metres from where the grave was discovered.
“For me, it’s wonderful to see the burial of that soldier and to know that our boys are in good hands in the village of Fromelles.
The final soldier will be buried and the cemetery will be dedicated on July 19, the 94th anniversary of the battle.
The fallen soldiers, who remained undisturbed for over 90 years, are being buried without headstones as a panel aims to identify as many as possible.
“I think we’ve got a moral obligation to recover our war dead, I think the Australian Army has to be congratulated, having established and maintained a process which has brought us to this point,” he said.
– ‘Moral obligation’ –
Mr Englezos said while it would have been preferable for families to be present to witness the individual burials of their loved ones, the sheer scale of the operation meant this was impossible.
“But having said that, Pheasant Wood and the work there, it’s not blood specific, there’s a general ownership of the Pheasant Wood work, and it’s just been remarkable to see this.
“However I would have hoped that maybe the panel of identification could have sat prior to the burial, so that families could have been given the opportunity to be there.
In 24 hours Australian forces suffered over 5,000 casualties as troops charged German trenches in broad daylight.”
The 1916 Battle of Fromelles was the first offensive involving Australian troops on the Western Front.
Veterans’ Affairs Minister Alan Griffin described the Battle of Fromelles as “the bloodiest 24 hours in our military history, before, or since.
The end of the offensive, which had been deemed unnecessary days earlier by senior commanders, found the Australian troops forced back to their original positions. .”
– Task ahead –
While identifying the soldiers has been central to the recovery process, DNA consultant Dr Peter Jones says many gravestones may remain nameless.
But the organiser of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, David Richardson, says he is hopeful the team will be able to put names on some of the headstones.
“At the very, very best, with everything working completely perfectly, the most we’re likely to match up is about 100,” he said.
“There are so many cemeteries here in France and Belgium and all over the world where we work, where there are unknown soldiers, so I think individual burials for us are just fantastic.
“I think, in a way, that’s a little bit of a bonus,” he said.”
Mr Richardson says it is a relief to see the soldiers reburied.”
Mr Richardson says it is a relief to see the soldiers reburied.
“I’ll be more relieved at the end of February when we’ve buried the full 250, but it’s great to see the cemetery fit for burial,” he said.
“It’s the first new cemetery since World War II, but to build something from scratch on a brand new site in a limited time scale in a wet field in northern France has posed some challenges.”

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French cartoonist Jacques Martin, creator of the popular comic book hero Alix and a collaborator on the Tintin books, has died aged 88.
Martin collaborated with Tintin creator Herge for 19 years on numerous cartoon books featuring the famous boy reporter and his faithful dog Snowy. .
Enjoying success in his own right after his creation Alix sprang from the pages of Tintin to become its own brand, Strasbourg-born Martin plundered Imperial Rome, Egypt and the Napoleonic era for the backdrops to his stories.
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He died on Thursday (local time) in Switzerland

.Stade Francais prop David Attoub has been hit with a mammoth 70-week ban from rugby union for gouging after what the disciplinary chief who imposed the penalty labelled “the worst act of contact with the eyes that I have had to deal with”.
The ban, which has been backdated to start on December 18, means, as things stand, Attoub cannot play rugby again until April 22, 2011 ruling him out of the remainder of the current European season and most of next term’s campaign.
Attoub, 28, was cited for gouging Ulster lock Stephen Ferris during a stormy European Cup clash on December 12 in Belfast that the Irish province won 23-13.
It is the second-most severe suspension to have been handed out for a gouging offence in the professional era, exceeded only by the two-year ban handed to Richard Nones, a prop with French club Colomiers, in 1999.
Judge Jeff Blackett, the disciplinary supremo at England’s Rugby Football Union (RFU), who heard Attoub’s case said it was the IRB directive and the player’s previous history of gouging, which included a suspension for contact with the eye/eye area in a European match in the 2004/05 season, that saw him impose a penalty which has the potential to end the forward’s career.
Eye gouging is regarded as one of the worst acts of foul play in the 15-man game and the International Rugby Board (IRB), the sport’s global governing body, have instructed disciplinary authorities to come down hard on those found guilty of the offence.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Blackett said: “This is the worst act of contact with the eyes that I have had to deal with: it is a case of deliberate eye gouging”.
Blackett, who found Attoub guilty of the offence on Friday but only passed sentence when the disciplinary hearing reconvened on Monday, determined his action was “in the top-end in the level of seriousness for an offence of contact with the eye/eye area”.
But Blackett’s ruling made clear he accepted the images were genuine and he delivered a damning indictment of Attoub’s conduct.
The initial hearing on December 18 was adjourned until January 15 to allow for more evidence to be gathered after doubts were cast on the veracity of photographs which showed the incident. .
“When he was shown the incriminating photographs and asked to explain what he saw or what was happening he replied that he did not know,” Blackett said.”
The ban follows a 24-week ban given to Attoub’s team-mate and scrum-half Julien Dupuy who also gouged Ferris in the same match.
“It was this evasiveness which satisfied me that his account was less than truthful and that he knew that he had deliberately attacked the eyes of an opponent but was trying to evade responsibility.
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.Lance Armstrong and Johan Bruyneel have defended their conduct within the Astana team during last year’s Tour de France after criticism from Alberto Contador.
Armstrong and Contador were team-mates at Astana last year, with Bruyneel their director.
Contador won his second Tour and Armstrong, the record seven-time champion, was third in his comeback year.
While Contador remains at Astana, Armstrong and Bruyneel are now at new American team RadioShack.
But there were clearly tensions within the team and Contador has since criticised Armstrong and Bruyneel, who have worked closely together for more than a decade.
“I’m a bit frustrated by the comments that he didn’t have any help.
“[Last year] was a clear example of a team working as a team, no matter whom they had to work for,” Bruyneel said on Saturday.
“That was absolutely not the case.
“The tension . …
“It was sometimes stressful, intense, but not close toly close to what has been written or said. was a lot less than everyone thinks,” he said.
“I just assumed from the start that the Tour de France is the hardest race in the world.
“I just assumed from the start that the Tour de France is the hardest race in the world.
“That’s why you have a head coach in sport, you don’t go off and make your own plan and do your own thing,” he said.”
Armstrong said the first person he listened to in the team during the Tour was Bruyneel, not Contador.
“Mentally he’s almost unbreakable – there were times in the Tour last summer that you saw that he had to be fractured mentally, because of things that were done in the race and the perception among the people, the fans and the peloton,” he said.
But the American has also praised Contador ahead of their head-to-head battle at this year’s Tour de France.”
– AAP

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“He never [cracked], he was always very, very tough – he’s a strong-minded young man

.Thieves have stolen about 30 paintings, including a work by Spanish master Pablo Picasso, from a private villa in the south of France, police say.
The haul, which also included a painting by post-impressionist Henri Rousseau, was worth about one million euros ($1.59 million), a judicial source said.
The owner was on holiday in Sweden at the time and has since returned to France to help the investigation, police said.
The theft was discovered on Thursday by a caretaker at the house in the Provencal village of La Cadiere d’Azur. .
It was the second major art theft in southern France in recent days, although there was no indication the two crimes were linked.
Police said the pastel work, The Chorus, was worth an estimated 800,000 euros.
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.Ferrari’s 2007 Formula One world champion Kimi Raikkonen has announced his switch to rallying after agreeing to a one-year deal with Citroen.
The French manufacturer said the 30-year-old Finn would take part in 12 of the 13 championship events in 2010 for its Red Bull-backed junior team.
“I always wanted to compete in rally, especially in the world rally championship at some point in my career,” Raikkonen said.
“For the moment we have a one-year contract and we will see how it goes for the future.
“This is a new but very exciting challenge.”
Raikkonen, winner of 18 grands prix, had already said he planned to take a year out of Formula One after being replaced at Ferrari by Spain’s double world champion Fernando Alonso.
“I am really looking forward to testing and taking the start of the first rally.
The Finn refused to contemplate joining any Formula One team that would not be competitive for the championship.
Britain’s Button has moved to Raikkonen’s former team McLaren alongside 2008 champion and compatriot Lewis Hamilton. .
Citroen’s French driver Sebastien Loeb has won the last six world rally titles and Raikkonen will have one of the most competitive cars in the C4.
Raikkonen has previous world rally championship experience, having competed in this year’s Finnish round in a Fiat after also entering three non-championship events, but his new challenge is a big step up. France’s rising hope Sebastien Ogier will drive the junior team’s other car.
The team said Raikkonen’s co-driver will be compatriot Kaj Lindstrom, who partnered now-retired Tommi Makinen to four successive world titles in the 1990s.
They will not compete in New Zealand.
They will not compete in New Zealand.
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