NTUC Income-Yeo's S-League

Format: 12 clubs, three rounds of 11 matches each.

Teams and home stadiums

Albirex Niigata (Jurong East, Jurong East St 31)

Balestier Khalsa (Toa Payoh, Lorong 6 Toa Payoh)

Geylang United (Bedok, Bedok North Street 2)

Gombak United (Jurong West, Jurong West Street 93)

Home United (Bishan, Bishan St 14)

Korean Super Reds (Yishun, Yishun Avenue 1)

Liaoning Guangyuan (Queenstown, Stirling Road)

Sengkang Punggol (Hougang, Hougang Ave 2)

Singapore Armed Forces FC (Choa Chu Kang, Choa Chu Kang St 53)

Tampines Rovers (Tampines, Tampines St 82)

Woodlands Wellington (Woodlands, Woodlands Street 13)

Young Lions (Jalan Besar, Tyrwhitt Road)

Opening fixtures

Sunday: Home v Super Reds (Bishan)

Monday: Albirex v Balestier (Jurong East)

March 8: Gombak v Geylang (Jurong West)

March 9: Young Lions v Liaoning (Jln Besar)

March 10: Sengkang v SAFFC (Hougang)

March 11: Woodlands v Tampines (Woodlands)

News Today

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Girl shot by dad in 'honour killing'
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Britain fears serial letter-bomber at work
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'I feel like a WHORE'
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News Today

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Asia Quickly
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Natsteel's net profit jumps 89% to $132m
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Woods and Mickelson survive, but Els sinks in round one
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Singaporean jailed in JB for illegal entry returns home
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Recall Beckham? Experts can't agree

BY LEONARD LIM - DAVID Beckham's sizzling form in Spain has caused ripples in England.

The big question: Should England coach Steve McClaren, who dropped the player said to be the world's best crosser last year, welcome him back to the fold?

Yes, said three of the five football experts The Straits Times asked.

The detractors feel that Beckham's replacements, Aaron Lennon and Shaun Wright-Philips, are not ready yet for the big stage.

Former Singapore coach Barry Whitbread is among those who hope the Real Madrid midfielder will be given another chance.

'He shouldn't have been left out in the first place,' said Whitbread. 'When McClaren became the new manager, he wanted to send the message that he was in charge. But Lennon and Wright-Philips, are not ready at international level yet.

'Beckham can win a game with his set-pieces.'

The Englishman's view has the support of BBC sports news correspondent, Gordon Farquhar.

'He's on form for Real now,' said Farquhar. 'He's also always determined to do well for his country.

'I think he's still the best crosser in football, and probably one of the best four or five dead-ball specialists in the world.

'England will benefit from his return.'

The Football Association of Malaysia's technical director, Robert Alberts, said that Beckham's return could provide a psychological lift for the Three Lions, after their recent string of poor results.

England travel to Israel for a must-win European qualifier on March 24, on the back of four games without a victory.

The main reason for their poor form, according to Farquhar: Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard failing to gel in the team's engine room.

And this is where Beckham comes in.

Said Dutchman Alberts: 'He may not have the speed of Wright-Philips, but he can deliver a quality pass.'

But not every one feels the welcome mat should be laid out for Beckham. Among them is James Lawton, chief sports writer and columnist for The Independent, an English daily.

He said: 'Beckham is already over the hill. It's ridiculous to recall him when he's already 31.

'He has played in a few World Cups and European Championships, and been a failure in all. He's more hype than anything else.'

Sports journalist Spencer Robinson agreed, saying: 'McClaren should focus on developing the young ones like Lennon on the right wing.

'Beckham certainly is better than everyone else in the England team in terms of his dead-ball skills, but bringing him back means McClaren must change his style.

'If he decides to pump long balls to the forwards, then yes, use Beckham. But that approach won't get you anywhere internationally.

'McClaren should instead stick to building a young dynamic team with pace going forward, to make them real contenders for the World Cup.'

The British-born but Singapore-based scribe added that fleet-footed Wright-Philips, 25, and Lennon, 19, are both good at taking on defenders and getting to the byelines.

'Wright-Philips has also shown in his Manchester City days what a great dribbler and finisher he is,' he said. 'Lennon and Theo Walcott went to the World Cup last year. We've got to continue using and blooding them.

'They are England's future.'

Lawton laid the blame for England's poor run on McClaren.

'He doesn't have a clue in terms of tactics, look at the recent matches' he said, pointing to McClaren's 4-3-3 formation against Spain on Feb7, when England lost 0-1.

'Don't bring Beckham back. Why not move Gerrard out on the right? Apart from being explosive, he also scored 20-plus goals for Liverpool last season from that position.' SHOULD Steve McClaren recall David Beckham to the England squad?

Log on to http://epl.stomp.com.sg to vote and air your views.

Manchester United fans complain that police reaction was over the top

MANCHESTER United supporters were caught in a crush scare during Tuesday's 1-0 Champions League win over Lille.

Riot police fired tear gas into the overcrowded away section of the Stade Felix-Bollaert early in the game.

Some visiting fans appeared to be crushed against a 3m-high metal fence. They then accused the police of beating them with batons.

At least two supporters, one a schoolboy, were lifted over the barrier. Security officials slammed shut a gate which had been pushed open by United supporters trying to relieve the pressure.

United fan Mark Harrison, who saw police hitting supporters with batons, said: 'One young woman fell forward and was crushed against the fence.

'She was crying and tried to climb over the fence. When all the other fans saw this, they started to panic and did the same thing.

'The police reaction was well over the top. They started spraying us with pepper spray. My eyes were streaming and I couldn't breathe.'

United have confirmed goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar suffered double vision as a result of the tear gas.

Another United fan told The Guardian that the overcrowding was caused by Lille officials' slapdash admissions policy.

'They weren't checking tickets, just waving everyone in,' he said.

'I travelled with a few guys who didn't have tickets and they got in. That's why we ended up with more people in there than seats.'

The incident sounded similar to the 1989 Hillsborough disaster in Sheffield, England.

Police at the English FA Cup semi-final allowed fans into an already-crowded terrace section, and 96 people were crushed to death along the perimeter fence.

United want to hear from fans who may have been involved before submitting a report to Uefa.

Uefa spokesman Rob Faulkner told the BBC: 'We cannot say now what action the disciplinary committee will take. But, if they find against Lille, it could well be severe.'

Tuesday's incident follows others earlier this season.

In Italy, there was the death of a police officer in Sicily at a Serie A match.

In Germany, a riot injured dozens of police.

In France, a police officer was shot to death while protecting a fan from rioters at a Paris Saint-Germain game.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS

Sats chief exec to take up senior post at SIA

SINGAPORE Airport Terminal Services (Sats) president and chief executive (CEO) Ng Chin Hwee will soon leave the company to take up a senior position at its parent, Singapore Airlines (SIA).

Mr Ng, who joined mainboard-listed Sats in January 2004, will be promoted to his an as-yet-undisclosed new position 'at a date to be announced in due course', said Sats in a statement yesterday.

A search committee has been set up to look for a successor to Mr Ng, who will stay on to oversee the businesses of Sats until his replacement has been found.

Mr Ng has been with the SIA group of companies since 1985, when he joined as a cadet administration officer.

During his 18-year stint with the group, he handled a broad range of responsibilities such as marketing, ground services and country management.

As divisional vice-president of ground services based in Singapore, he had worldwide responsibilities for airport operations.

Mr Ng had earlier served overseas stints in Germany, Australia and Myanmar. He was also based in Los Angeles for a period as senior vice-president overseeing SIA's business in the Americas.

During his tenure as CEO of Sats, Mr Ng has spearheaded its expansion overseas into booming markets including India, the Middle East and China, forging joint ventures with overseas players to offer the company's inflight catering and ground handling businesses at a number of foreign airports.

He had earlier directed the restructuring of the company into a leaner outfit. In September 2004, Sats, which handles about 80 per cent of ground handling at Changi Airport, shed more than 10 per cent of its workforce to slash costs and boost its competitiveness against new players entering its home turf.

Mr Ng graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Engineering.

He later did further studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he received a Master of Management Science (Sloan Fellow) degree.

GRACE NG

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