BRISBANE: Australian wicket-keeper Ian Healy insisted Sri Lanka would be ill-advised to drop Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga from their Test team.

``He has to be in the side -- he's a world class player,'' said Healy, who was once involved in a highly publicised on-field spat in Sydney with Ranatunga.

``I get on very well with Arjuna and he and I will certainly catch up with each other in Sri Lanka,'' he added.

IOC strikes back

LAUSANNE: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) hit back at accusations by Danish doctor Jens Sandahl Christiansen that they have simply shelved a test which could detect the use of performance-enhancing drugs by athletes.

Christiansen, part of a four country IOC-funded research team into drug testing techniques, claimed that the IOC has put on the back burner a test they discovered which could detect growth hormones and epo, which increases the number of red blood cells in the system.

Soccer request

LOS ANGELES:A World Youth Championship for girls comparable to FIFA's under-20 or under-17 World Cups for boys was one of the top recommendations from delegates at a two-day women's football symposium that concluded here.

A 10 per cent increase in women playing in national federation-sanctioned events over the next four years and promoting women within the decision-making levels also were set as goals for the international soccer community in the symposium's Los Angeles Declaration on Womens' Football.

No FIFA role in Man United withdrawal

LONDON: Soccer's world governing body FIFA insisted that they played no part in Manchester United's decision to withdraw from next season's FA Cup.

United pulled out of the competition in order to play in FIFA's inaugural World Club Championship in Brazil in January.

However, speaking on BBC radio from Los Angeles, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said he regrets the club's decision not to defend the trophy they won last season.

United ultimatum

SYDNEY:Manchester United has been told to bring honeymooning star David Beckham on its down under tour or lose half of its A$4 million (about Rs 11 crore) fee.

But while promoters Rivkin Entertainment are complaining about the strength of the European champion's squad, United will face a severely weakened Australian team in their two-match series next week.