■ Soccer
Mourinho dismisses rumors
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has dismissed speculation that he will leave the Premier League champions at the end of the season. "I don't have to be confident I am staying. I have a contract until 2010, which is important," he told the BBC before Chelsea's 3-0 FA Cup win over Nottingham Forest on Sunday. "I am manager today, I am the manager until the end of the season and I believe I will be the manager until the end of 2010," he added. "If I believe what I read in the press there are 11 candidates for my job, but I don't get influenced by that. "I just want to do my work well -- the best I can," he said. "The players feel that I am exactly the same -- with the same desires and motivation," he said.
■ Soccer
Argentina earn Olympic berth
Lautaro Acosta headed in the winner just before the final whistle on Sunday at the under-20 South American championships in Paraguay as Argentina's under-20 team beat Uruguay 1-0 to earn a berth at the 2008 Beijing Olympics along with Brazil. Acosta scored from a corner by Maxi Moralez, after a back-and-forth game with few scoring chances. Brazil, prior to their final match, had eight points at the championship, the same as Argentina. Uruguay finished with seven points, Paraguay with six points and Colombia had one entering its match against Brazil.
■ Rugby Union
Former Wallaby captain dies
Former Australia rugby captain Trevor Allan died on Saturday at the age of 80. The Australian Rugby Union said yesterday that Allan died peacefully at his Sydney home after a long battle with cancer. Allan played 14 Tests for Australia between 1946 and 1949 and captained the Wallabies 10 times. He was made skipper on the 1946-47 tour of Britain aged just 21, the second youngest man to captain the Wallabies. "There are certain characters who will always hold a special place in the game's history, and Trevor Allan was one of them," Australian Rugby Union chief executive Gary Flowers said in a statement.
■ Cricket
Tait called into Aussie squad
Shaun Tait has been called into the Australia squad for the final two tri-series one-day matches against England and New Zealand to beef up the team's fast bowling stocks. With the Australians already guaranteed of a place in the finals, the national selectors called up paceman Tait to give him the chance of pressing his claims for selection in the World Cup squad. "We are taking the opportunity to add Shaun Tait with a view to looking at him ahead of Cricket World Cup squad selection," Australia's chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch said in a statement.
■ Soccer
Thailand make Asean final
Thailand are through to the final of the Asean Football Championship after a goalless draw with Vietnam in the second leg of the semi-final in Bangkok on Sunday. The home side put in a disappointing performance in front of 35,000 fans, but it was enough to guarantee their place in the final after a 2-0 win in the opening match in Hanoi last week. Sarayoot Chaikamdee missed an early opportunity 14 minutes into the game when he blasted the ball over the bar. Then as the first half drew to a close Thailand almost scored when Sarayoot fed the ball out right to Suchao Nutnum, whose cutback across goal was fired wide by Datsakorn Thonglao. A 69th-minute diving header from substitute Pipat Thonkanya was the Thais' best chance. Thailand will face Singapore, who beat Malaysia on Saturday.
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