Arsenal, Liverpool prepare for Premier League showdown

 
Arsenal's Tomas Rosicky celebrates after scoring a goal during the Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur on February 26.

The Gunners gave their rapidly disintegrating season the kiss of life last weekend when they fought back from 2-0 down to thrash third-placed Tottenham 5-2 to regain their place in the top four, at the expense of Chelsea.

It remains to be seen though whether Sunday's dazzling win at the Emirates marks a significant momentum shift for Arsenal or whether it is the latest in a long line of false dawns for Arsene Wenger's men.

A victory at Anfield in Saturday's early kick-off would see Arsenal move to within four points of Spurs, who face a daunting home clash against second-placed Manchester United on Sunday.

However Arsenal's revival could be halted dead in its tracks by a Liverpool side brimming with optimism following their League Cup final win over Cardiff.

Liverpool desperately need all three points against Arsenal to keep alive their hopes of a top-four finish and a place in next year's Champions League.

Defeat to Arsenal would see Kenny Dalglish's men left needing to overhaul a 10-point deficit to realise the club's dream of a return to Europe's top table.

Liverpool winger Stewart Downing believes the club's push for Europe will be boosted by last Sunday's League Cup win over Cardiff, a victory which marked the end of a six-year trophy drought at Anfield.

"I think what the win does is makes you even more confident and it gives you an incentive to go on and try and win and play in more finals," Downing said.

"We are still going for a Champions League place with fourth position. There is a lot to play for and hopefully we can carry on doing well."

Meanwhile the race for top spot sees leaders Manchester City presented with another opportunity to pile the pressure on rivals United.

City face Bolton at Eastlands on Saturday knowing that victory will give them a five-point lead over United ahead of their game with Spurs 24 hours later.

So far reigning champions United have remained stubbornly on the coat-tails of City, most notably last weekend when they overcame a late equaliser to snatch a 2-1 win at Norwich which kept them within two points of the top.

According to striker Wayne Rooney, the win over Norwich reflected United's iron nerve forged over the course of countless league and cup triumphs.

"When I was a young lad and first at the club we might have been losing a game 1-0 or 2-1 and I've have been saying 'just put the ball in the box' and panicking a bit about losing the game," Rooney said.

"Now I'm older and more experienced you know to just keep playing your game because there's always a chance you'll get an opportunity to score. I think that comes from playing so many games and the experience you pick up along the way."

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas finds himself walking a tightrope yet again as his team travel to West Bromwich Albion for a game his side dare not lose.

Villas-Boas bought himself some fleeting breathing space after last weekend's home victory over Bolton but is back on the defensive after giving a radio interview this week in which he appeared to criticise the club's hierarchy.

The Portuguese manager admitted he could be sacked by owner Roman Abramovich and compared his current position to the situation faced by Carlo Ancelotti, who was unceremoniously dumped at the end of the season.

"We are now in the exact same moment as last year," Villas-Boas said. "It is an exact copy.

"The pattern of behaviour of the owner has led to a (manager's) downfall in similar situations or even 'better' situations.

"What will be the reaction? It will be one of the two, a continuation of the project and full support or just the cultural pattern that has happened before. We don't know."

But Villas-Boas's comments are reported to have angered senior Chelsea officials, with some newspapers claiming the 34-year-old could be fired if they fail to advance to the Champions League quarter-finals.

Fixtures (1500 GMT unless stated):

Saturday: Liverpool v Arsenal (1245), Blackburn v Aston Villa, Manchester City v Bolton, QPR v Everton, Stoke v Norwich, West Bromwich Albion v Chelsea, Wigan v Swansea.

Sunday: Newcastle v Sunderland (1200), Fulham v Wolves (1405), Tottenham v Manchester United (1610).

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Football: O'Neill ready for "massive" Tyne-Wear derby duel

NEWCASTLE, March 3, 2012 (AFP) - Sunderland will look to dent Newcastle's Europa League hopes and boost their own outside chances of playing in Europe next season when they travel to meet their local Premier League rivals Sunday.

The Black Cats make the short trip to the renamed St. James Park aiming to avoid falling victim to a league double by their North-East neighbours, who won by the only goal at the Stadium of Light at the start of the campaign.

A 52,000 sell-out, the Tyne-Wear derby is new ground for Martin O'Neill, the Sunderland manager, who has presided over a remarkable up-turn in fortunes since taking over from Steve Bruce in December.

Despite the 4-0 reverse at West Brom last time out, the Wearside club have won 10 of the Irishman's 16 games in charge. It's seen them through to the last eight of the FA Cup while climbing out of the Premier League bottom three to sit ninth, 10 points behind Newcastle, who are sixth. Both clubs have 12 fixtures left to play.

Former Celtic manager O'Neill tasted the unique atmosphere of Glasgow's Old Firm derby on several occasions and said: "I've never experienced a North-East derby in terms of Sunderland versus Newcastle. By reputation, this one is right up there with the biggest in Britain. For generations, this area has been a hotbed of football this is a massive game, one I'm looking forward to.

"It's a ferocious derby which I'm sure will be played at a great pace. We'll be be ready for it, and if we perform to our capabilities we can win."

Sunderland haven't won at their arch rivals' for the last six visits, stretching back to November 2000. O'Neill added: "It's a big occasion and a big game and we've got to be ready for it by applying the same approach which has seen us do relatively well over the last couple of months."

Newcastle, written-off by many before the start of the campaign for a season of struggle, have lost just twice at home this term to see them greatly over-achieve in their continued bid to return to European competition for the first time since 2006.

Alan Pardew is keen to atone for the disappointing 2-2 home draw with struggling Wolves last time out, and the Newcastle manager said: "We just want to get four points from the two home games, and on the back of the run we've had at home, that would constitute a success."

Sunderland have emerged victorious just once in the last 14 meetings with their local rivals, and were humiliated 5-1 on their most recent visit to Tyneside 16 months ago.

Pardew warned his side not to rest on their laurels, and he added: "It doesn't matter what's gone on before, that's irrelevant. What it will be about is the day itself and how we play."

Newcastle will make a late check on the forward Papiss Cisse, who pulled out of international action with Senegal in midweek with a groin problem.

The recent arrival, who has scored twice in three games since a £9m move from German side Freiburg, is expected to be passed fit to take his place up front alongside compatriot and 16-goal top scorer Demba Ba.

Sunderland are set for a defensive reshuffle due to the absence of Phil Bardsley, the Scotland international who is ruled out by a calf muscle problem.

Egyptian Ahmed Elmohamady could come in at right-back, or O'Neill could opt to switch John O'Shea there, with recent loan arrival Sotirios Kyrgiakos slotting into central defence.

Fraizer Campbell, the forward who made his senior England debut in the 3-2 friendly defeat to Holland at Wembley in midweek, is pushing for a recall to the Sunderland starting line-up.

Reserve goalkeeper Keiren Westwood is out with a wrist problem, so Craig Gordon, who hasn't played in the Premier League for more than a year owing to injury, returns to the bench as back up to Simon Mignolet.

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Football: Giggs loses damages claim against The Sun

 

LONDON, March 2, 2012 (AFP) - A damages claim lodged by Manchester United midfielder Ryan Giggs against The Sun newspaper was dismissed by a High Court judge in London on Friday.

Giggs claimed the Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid "misused" private information and argued that he was entitled to claim damages for distress and breach of a right to privacy enshrined in human rights legislation.

But lawyers for The Sun argued that Giggs's claim - made after the newspaper published an article about a relationship with reality television star Imogen Thomas - was "dead in the water".

Hugh Tomlinson, acting for Giggs, argued at a hearing last month that The Sun misused private information in the article, in which the Wales international was not identified.

The lawyer said Giggs was claiming damages for the re-publication of information in other newspapers and on the Internet which had generated "a large media storm", and his claim should go to trial.

Tomlinson said the point of the claim was to "provide effective protection" for Giggs's right to privacy as enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights.

But Richard Spearman, a lawyer for The Sun's publisher News Group Newspapers, said the article reported Thomas's relationship with a Premier League player and did not identify Giggs.

The paper had therefore behaved "properly" and was not to blame for what happened after the article appeared.

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Hungary football chief commits suicide after fraud scandal

BUDAPEST, March 2, 2012 (AFP) - The director of Hungarian second-division side REAC, which has been mired in a match-fixing scandal, has committed suicide, his club announced Friday.

"Our club director chose on March 1 his death. The void he leaves behind will never be filled," the club said in a statement, expressing its "profound pain."

Police said Robert Kutasi, 47, threw himself from the window of a building in Budapest.

Rakospalotai EAC, REAC for short, made headlines in Hungary following the arrests this week of six of its players in connection with a match-fixing affair between 2007 and 2009.

Kutasi had long fought match-fixing and in an interview with the daily Nemzeti Sport on Thursday immediately before his death, he said: "My life is over. The product of my struggle (against fraud) has been ruined."

"I was betrayed by people I trusted... I fought machine guns with a slingshot and I admit I lost," he added.

The prosecution said it had 19 suspects in the scandal, four of which have been detained, while some have been released from custody.

The players are alleged to have received between 500 and 2,500 euros ($660 and $3,300) for each match that was fixed.

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Football: Ribery France's best-paid sportsperson

 
Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery

PARIS, March 2, 2012 (AFP) - Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery was France's best-paid sportsperson in 2011, according to a study set to be published by weekly magazine L'Equipe Mag on Saturday.

Ribery's gross annual income of 11.4 million euros ($15m) meant that he succeeded former France team-mate Thierry Henry, who had occupied the position for the previous four years.

Ribery's 833,000 euros monthly salary is believed to make him the best-paid player in the German Bundesliga.

The 28-year-old leads the league table of French sport's highest earners ahead of San Antonio Spurs basketball player Tony Parker (11.2m euros in 2011) and Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema (11m euros).

New York Red Bulls striker Henry, who earned 9.2m euros in 2011, slipped to fourth place.

The top 10 best-paid French sportspeople in 2011 (L'Equipe Mag)

1. Franck Ribery (football), 11.4 million euros, 2. Tony Parker (basketball), 11.2m, 3. Karim Benzema (football), 11m, 4. Thierry Henry (football), 9.2m, 5. Eric Abidal (football), 7.5m, 6. Samir Nasri (football), 7.3m, 7. Sebastien Loeb (rally), 7.2m, 8. Yoann Gourcuff (football), 6.8m, 9. Boris Diaw (basketball), 6.1m, 10. Patrice Evra (football), 6m

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Football: English Football League table after Friday's match

LONDON, March 2, 2012 (AFP) - English Football League table after Friday's match (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points):

Championship

Southampton 33 18 8 7 61 32 62

West Ham 32 18 7 7 51 32 61

Reading 32 17 6 9 41 27 57

Blackpool 34 15 11 8 57 44 56

Birmingham 32 15 9 8 51 30 54

Cardiff 32 14 11 7 50 39 53

Brighton 33 15 8 10 39 33 53

Middlesbrough 32 14 11 7 38 34 53

Hull 32 15 7 10 32 26 52

Leeds 33 14 7 12 52 48 49

Burnley 33 14 5 14 45 40 47

Leicester 32 12 9 11 43 37 45

Crystal Palace 32 11 11 10 33 30 44

Barnsley 33 12 6 15 45 52 42

Derby 32 12 6 14 33 42 42

Ipswich 32 12 4 16 50 60 40

Watford 33 10 10 13 36 50 40

Peterborough 32 10 8 14 51 52 38

Millwall 33 8 10 15 34 45 34

Nottm Forest 32 9 4 19 28 50 31

Bristol City 33 8 7 18 28 52 31

Coventry 33 7 7 19 29 46 28

Portsmouth 32 9 9 14 33 34 26

Doncaster 31 6 7 18 27 52 25

Note: Portsmouth deducted 10 points for entering administration

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Football: Spurs game key for United, Ferguson says

Sir Alex Ferguson is looking forward to facing Spurs. 'It's always an interesting game, and it's very, very important for us.'

MANCHESTER, March 2, 2012 (AFP) - Sir Alex Ferguson believes Manchester United's trip to Tottenham on Sunday will prove pivotal to his side's hopes of securing a 20th league title.

United trail leaders Manchester City, who host struggling Bolton on Saturday, by two points going in to the weekend - but will have Wayne Rooney back to bolster their challenge.

Spurs' own push for the top has come unstuck in recent weeks but they still represent a major test to United.

Ferguson believes a win at White Hart Lane and keeping up with City at this stage could prove decisive, with United facing a game at City in the third last fixture of the season.

He said: "It's a very, very important game for us. If you look at the rest of the season you would certainly say that building up to a game that could turn out to be the decider against Manchester City later in the season, Tottenham is our hardest away game but we'll be looking to navigate it.

"I'm looking at Manchester United. We realise how important it is on Sunday to maintain our challenge.

"We're not interested in anyone else's challenge but to maintain our challenge we need to win on Sunday."

Ferguson feels that Tottenham managing to fight off Chelsea's interest in Croatian midfielder Luka Modric last summer has been key to their successful campaign.

The playmaker insisted he wanted to leave but Spurs rejected a string of offers from Chelsea.

Ferguson said: "I think it swung the players around too that they decided to hold on to Modric against what we thought was a big Chelsea bid and it's an indication that they mean business.

"It's worked because they've had a great season and up until about three weeks ago they were playing the best football in the league.

"They've hit a little bit of a plateau at the moment but we know that going down there on Sunday is a big game for us and it's the most important game for us so far."

Ferguson has a doubt over defender Chris Smalling, who sustained a head injury in England's 3-2 friendly defeat to Holland in midweek.

But Rooney, who missed the Dutch clash and sat out two United games with a throat infection, will play, Ferguson confirmed.

"Wayne is fit," said the Scot, adding that "Chris is our only doubt. There was no concussion but he got quite a nasty cut and it is something we need to tread carefully with."

Antonio Valencia and Tom Cleverley remain on the sidelines but Michael Owen has returned to training after being out since November with a thigh injury.

Ferguson added: "Michael Owen has started training which is good news. Hopefully the lad has a bit of luck because he's not had much at all.

"When he gets an injury it's always a long-term one but hopefully he's back for the rest of the season which will help us."

Ferguson believes that the contribution of Michael Carrick has once again been vital to United's title challenge.

Carrick, 30, joined from Tottenham in 2006 and has won four league titles in his five seasons at Old Trafford as well as helping United to three Champions League finals in four years.

Ferguson has always claimed that Carrick is a slow starter but feels the player's renewed partnership with Paul Scholes has been key to United keeping pace with City.

"Michael's form for quite a while now has been absolutely superb. He always does better in the second half of the season and I know he always disagrees with me on that but I feel the second half sees him at his best and we're seeing that at the moment.

"He's not a guy that seeks publicity a lot. He's a quiet lad and goes about his life in a similar way to Scholes and (Ryan) Giggs and that doesn't mean to say that he's not recognised by us.

"You get players like that and Denis Irwin was much the same. He wasn't the type to trumpet his achievements and it's quite refreshing in the modern game to have players that can rely on their ability and not by promoting or projecting themselves."

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Football: Blatter impatient for goal-line technology

LONDON, March 2, 2012 (AFP) - FIFA president Sepp Blatter said on Friday that he is desperate to see goal-line technology introduced to football as quickly as possible.

Blatter is in England for a meeting of the rule-making body the International FA Board (IFAB), which is due to receive reports on the testing of various goal-line systems ahead of a final decision in July.

The FIFA supremo had been opposed to goal-line technology, but a goal by England midfielder Frank Lampard that was controversially not given against Germany at the 2010 World Cup was enough to change his mind.

"We don't want a repeat of the last World Cup," he said.

"I think I can convince the IFAB board that we must go forward with technology. We cannot afford to just wait and see what happens."

UEFA president Michel Platini has expressed a preference for extra officials behind either goal-line, but Blatter is determined to press ahead with more high-tech alternatives.

"Platini doesn't want it but I wouldn't want to be at a World Cup again and witness another situation," he said. "I would die."

The IFAB is made up of FIFA, who have four votes, and representatives from the Football Associations of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

FIFA say the new system must pass strict accuracy criteria and deliver an instant verdict to the match referee on whether or not the ball has crossed the line.

One of the systems being considered by IFAB has been developed by British company Hawkeye, whose technology is already used at major tennis and cricket events.

The issue of goal-line technology hit the headlines again earlier this week after AC Milan midfielder Sulley Muntari was not awarded a goal despite his header clearly crossing the line in his side's 1-1 draw with Juventus in Serie A last weekend.

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Football: Indonesia FA denies graft in 10-0 rout

Bahrain players (above) consoling each other on Wednesday after learning that their 10-0 victory over Indonesia would not be enough for their team to advance in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.

JAKARTA, March 2, 2012 (AFP) - Indonesian football authorities on Friday denied any foul play in the national team's 10-0 thrashing by Bahrain, after world governing body FIFA announced an inquiry and fans expressed outrage.

The Gulf side needed to win Wednesday's match in Manama by nine goals to have any hope of making the last round of Asian zone qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup, while Indonesia had already been eliminated from the tournament.

Indonesia's football association (PSSI) has long been mired in graft scandals, but the head of its disciplinary committee Bernhard Limbong told AFP there was "no way" corruption was involved in the remarkable scoreline.

"I know because I was involved in organising the match. If anyone did that, they would be a traitor to Indonesia.

"I would like to apologise to the whole nation for the defeat and for making Indonesia look like a total loser."

Before the game the teams had a head-to-head record of two wins apiece and two draws, but Indonesia were humiliated in Manama by a flurry of goals after their goalkeeper was sent off two minutes into the match.

Bahraini players Mohammed Tayeb and Sayid Dhiya both scored hat-tricks, delighting their manager Peter Taylor, a former England international and caretaker coach of the national team.

FIFA said it was mounting its investigation "given the unusual outcome in relation to the results-expectation and head-to-head history and in the interests of maintaining unequivocal confidence in our game".

Limbong said: "We welcome FIFA to carry out the required investigation on the matter. If there is any evidence to prove that corruption was involved, please let us know. But please don't jump to conclusions."

He added that the PSSI would complain to FIFA about their goalkeeper's sending-off.

In the event the result was academic, with Bahrain's rivals Qatar going through with a goal four minutes from time in Tehran earning them a 2-2 draw with Iran.

But the drubbing stirred ridicule in Indonesia, with many taking to Twitter to deride the national team.

"Wait, 10-0 Bahrain vs Indonesia. Is this football as in 'soccer', right? Not 'American' football," avianto tweeted in English.

The PSSI has come under fire in recent years over corruption allegations, leadership tussles and most recently a breakaway elite league that prompted threats of sanctions by FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

AFC general secretary Alex Soosay attributed Wednesday's freak result to Bahrain being the better side.

"I have read the media reports about suspicions of match-fixing. I am confident that none of our teams are involved in this. Bahrain were the better team both tactically and technically," he said in statement late Friday.

He also gave assurances that the AFC was able to tackle the scourge of corruption that has undermined Asian football.

"We are very serious about stamping out this menace. We are very vigilant," he added.

Indonesia's former PSSI chairman Nurdin Halid, who had been implicated in several graft cases, was ousted from his post in a no-confidence vote last year, leaving the feuding football body without leadership for months.

FIFA was forced to intervene and threaten Indonesia with sanctions until it elected a new head.

Indonesian football was again plunged into disarray in November when a breakaway elite league, Liga Super, was revived triggering a row with the official Liga Prima.

The AFC has given Indonesia until March 18 to resolve the issue or face a suspension.

Indonesia's coordinating minister for the economy Hatta Rajasa said he hoped the national side's mauling on Wednesday would embarrass the troubled sporting body to reform.

"Indonesian football needs to be better managed and better regulated," Rajasa said. "It's sad to see a score of 10-0. It's not basketball, it's football."

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Football: Villas-Boas braced for defining month

LONDON, March 2, 2012 (AFP) - Chelsea coach Andre Villas-Boas admitted on Friday that March will define the club's season and shrugged off specualation that Jose Mourinho is poised for a dramatic return to Stamford Bridge.

The under-pressure Portuguese coach faces two crucial Premier League games in the coming weeks and an FA Cup fourth-round replay, as well as trying to overturn a 3-1 Champions League last-16 deficit against Napoli.

"They are key just because we can be out of or continue in two competitions," he said ahead of Saturday's league game at West Bromwich Albion.

Asked if March was a defining month, he added: "It can define a 'trophyless' season for Chelsea, yes."

Adding spice to life at Chelsea this week were reports that Real Madrid coach Mourinho was spotted in London house-hunting.

But Villas-Boas insisted he was unconcerned about rumours linking his mentor with a return to the London club.

"The only place where Jose's shadow isn't lurking is Barcelona. It's everywhere else in the world," said Villas-Boas.

"If you can train a manager to be the best in the world, everyone wants him."

He added: "There is a doubt over the future that lies in every single job in our lives, in mine and in yours.

"Everybody is more or less under threat with positive or negative results."

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Football: English league result on Friday

LONDON, March 2, 2012 (AFP) - English league result on Friday:

Championship

Blackpool 1 Hull City 1

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Boxing: Klitschko out to disprove Mormeck's glass-jaw theory

Wladimir Klitschko poses with his heavyweight title belts

BERLIN, March 2, 2012 (AFP) - World champion Wladimir Klitschko may suffer from a lack of genuine heavyweight challengers, but he plans to prove his jaw is not made of glass by knocking out France's Jean-Marc Mormeck on Saturday.

World champion Klitschko defends his IBF, IBO, WBO and WBA titles against Mormeck, who stepped up from cruiserweight just over two years ago, in Dusseldorf.

The pair were scheduled to meet last December, but kidney stones forced Klitschko to postpone the fight which will be the 60th of his career and he wants to make Mormeck his 50th knock-out.

Likewise, the Frenchman is planning to become his country's first world heavyweight champion and to test the strength of the champion's jaw.

"Klitschko has something that I want and I need to smash his face in order to get it," said the 39-year-old Mormeck.

"I know that he is not happy getting hit. I've already said it and mean it - he has a glass jaw."

The 35-year-old world champion has not been beaten since April 2004 when he suffered a fifth-round technical knock-out to Lamon Brewster.

Elder brother Vitali, the WBC champion, holds the only other title in the division and Klitschko makes no apologies for the Ukrainians dominating the division.

David Haye, from whom Wladimir took the WBA title in Hamburg last July, has branded the champion "a Ukrainian robot" and "a fraud" for taking only fights against perceived less able fighters.

But the Briton ignores the point that Klitschko has beaten all obvious challengers and Klitschko refuses to apologise for making his so-called "easy" fights look one-sided.

"Maybe it looks simple and one-sided for you guys, but it's demanding a lot of work and concentration and you have to be right on the ball," he said in a press conference.

"It doesn't matter what kind of mood you are in, what kind of physical shape you are in, you need to show your best performance on Saturday night.

"If our fights were kind of sloppy and we were getting punched in the face, probably that would be exciting for the fans."

Klitschko said the brothers will dominate the heavyweight division as long as they keep having fun, but his coach Emmanuel Steward admits the dearth of challengers is a concern.

"It is frustrating to me, but there's not a lot we can do about it," said the .

"It's unfortunate we don't have any heavyweight challengers in America, and it's not their fault."

This will be only Mormeck's fourth heavyweight bout and it will be a considerable upset if he becomes the new world champion.

Klitschko has a considerable height advantage and all bar three of Mormeck's 40 fights have been at the lighter weight, including a technical knock-out at the hands of Haye at cruiserweight in 2007.

The Frenchman has still enjoyed 22 knock-outs in 36 victories, but has suffered four defeats in his career.

"Wladimir is a great boxer in every way, but I've been preparing for years for this moment," said Mormeck, who turns 40 in June.

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Boxing: Mayweather finished talking about Pacman

HOLLYWOOD, March 2, 2012 (AFP) - For once, Floyd Mayweather had nothing to say about Manny Pacquiao, deflecting questions on the Filipino fight king Thursday at a news conference to promote his fight against Miguel Cotto.

Two days after he said Pacquiao wasn't "one of the sharpest knives in the drawer," Mayweather insisted he just wanted to talk about his super welterweight world title fight against World Boxing Association champ Cotto coming up on May 5.

Mayweather was also reluctant to discuss New York Knicks star Jeremy Lin but said he had no regrets about recent tweets in which he said rising NBA star Lin was getting "all the hype because he's Asian."

"I never regret anything," Mayweather said. "I am not here to talk about Jeremy Lin. I am not fighting Jeremy Lin.

"It is not Mayweather versus Pacquiao or Mayweather versus Jeremy Lin, it is Mayweather versus Miguel Cotto."

Mayweather was criticized for his Lin comments, but the 35-year-old said he doesn't plan to change his outspoken ways.

"I thought this country had freedom of speech," he said. "Jeremy Lin I said was a good player ... Anything Mayweather says finds the front page of the media. I get dragged through the mud but it doesn't stop me."

Mayweather criticized Pacquiao at a news conference in New York on Tuesday, saying Pacquiao's demands on a purse split were unreasonable.

"Just speaking to Pacquiao on the phone, I mean, he's not one of the sharpest knives in the drawer," Mayweather said on Tuesday. "He faces Floyd Mayweather, he's not getting 50/50. No one is getting 50/50."

Mayweather (42-0, 26 knockouts) was in negotiations with Pacquiao for a mega-fight in May or June but talks fell through and Mayweather decided to fight Cotto instead on May 5 at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao now plans to fight on June 9 in Las Vegas against American Tim Bradley.

Pacquiao said last month that he called Mayweather to try and broker a deal but felt insulted when Mayweather offered to give him a $40 million lump-sum payment if Pacquiao agreed to let Mayweather keep the pay-per-view television earnings -- which some have estimated could be as high as $160 million.

Mayweather and Cotto entered Thursday's news conference at historic Grauman's Chinese Theatre to a trumpet blast.

Mayweather then took his seat on an elaborate throne, while the champion sat in a smaller chair to his left.

Mayweather is coming off a controversial victory over Victor Ortiz in his last fight in September.

After a head butt in the corner, Ortiz dropped his hands and tried to apologize when Mayweather seized the moment and decked Ortiz.

"Ortiz was looking for the KO and he got KO'd," Mayweather said. "With or without the fourth round punches he was going to get KO'd."

Cotto (37-2, 30 knockouts) is coming off one of the most impressive victories of his career.

In December, he stopped Antonio Margarito in the 10th round, avenging his defeat by the Mexican fighter three years earlier.

"When he beat me in 2008, he took from me a lot of things, including my confidence," the Puerto Rican said. "Then when I beat him, I got those things back."

Cotto, 31, said he would take that added confidence into the ring against Mayweather. Although he's the champion, Cotto is a heavy underdog, with many feeling Mayweather possesses superior speed and counter-punching ability.

"When I fought Shane Mosley in 2007, people said the same thing - that he is faster than me," Cotto said. "But I beat him at his own game and I plan to pressure (Mayweather)."

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Football: Montpellier out to continue hot streak at Dijon

PARIS, March 2, 2012 (AFP) - Montpellier, flying high at the top of the French league, are out to retain control of the Ligue 1 summit at lowly Dijon on Saturday.

The season's surprise packages owe their lofty standing in no small part to striker Olivier Giroud, whose 16 goals for his club have put him top of the French scorers chart.

The in-form Giroud played a starring role in France's eye catching 2-1 international friendly defeat of Germany in Bremen on Wednesday.

Les Bleus took the lead after a superb run from Marseille's Mathieu Valbuena, who found Giroud unmarked to bury his shot into the back of the German's net.

That was Giroud's first ever goal for his country after earning a starting place in Montpellier old boy Laurent Blanc's side following injury to Real Madrid's Karim Benzema - Blanc coincidentally is Montpellier's all time top scorer with 84 goals.

Giroud had a pivotal part in France's second goal too when he played the ball into substitute Florent Malouda.

Whether he will be staying at Montpellier next season is debatable as he is reportedly a target for Bayern Munich. Despite a comtract running until 2014 he has a 16 million euro get out clause.

Giroud was on cloud nine after the Germany game, saying: "First start, first goal and we beat Germany, FIFA's second top ranked team. I will savour this in the days to come."

"I've also been quite successful with Montpellier," he added modestly.

Montpellier are gunning for their first ever league title, their highest placing up to now being their third place finish in 1988.

Montpellier took control of the league last weekend with a 1-0 defeat of Bordeaux as nearest rivals Paris Saint Germain were held to a 4-4 draw at Lyon, with Carlo Ancelotti's men grabbing an unlikely point after a 94th-minute equaliser by Guillaume Hoarau.

PSG, one point shy of Montpellier, will be hoping for a more straightforward encounter than they experienced at the Stade Gerland when Corsica side Ajaccio come calling on Sunday.

That was PSG's third stalemate on the trot.

Defensive midfielder Christophe Jallet told the club's official website: "Montpellier have just taken over the lead again, they're a very good side, but we'll focus on ourselves. We're one point off first place, and the pressure is on the first four or five teams as the final sprint approaches."

Of Sunday's game he said: "We're at home and we can't afford to let more points slip from our grasp. Victory is essential., any other result will be a disappointment."

Didier Deschamps' Marseille, lying in eighth place 14 points shy of Montpellier but with a game in hand of the teams above them, face a tough assignment with the visit of Toulouse, one point ahead of them in seventh.

Marseille's Champions League qualification ambitions were held in check last weekend with a 1-0 loss at Brest.

The club's star Ghana striker Andre Ayew is struggling with a painful shoulder complaint.

"If I have to undergo surgery my season's over, so I'll grit my teeth and try and hold it off as long as possible," said the forward who grabbed a late winner in Marseille's round of 16 first leg defeat of Inter Milan at the Velodrome last month.

Defending champions Lille, seven points off the pace in third, are at home against Auxerre with fourth-placed Saint Etienne, three points further back, taking on Evian.

Fixtures

Saturday

Dijon v Montpellier, Lille v Auxerre, Marseille v Toulouse, Nancy v Lyon, Saint Etienne v Evian, Sochaux v Valenciennes, Bordeaux v Nice

Sunday

Caen v Brest, Paris Saint Germain v Ajaccio, Lorient v Rennes

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