WORLD AT A GLANCE

Bafana drop in the rankings

BAFANA Bafana’s woes were compounded yesterday as they fell one place to 68th in the latest Fifa world rankings. The South Africans were held to a 1-1 draw by lowly Ethiopia last week, in their only match since the rankings were last updated in May. Bafana also dropped one position, to 15th, in the rankings among African nations. Ivory Coast, lying 16th overall, retained top spot in the continental list. World champions Spain remained at the summit of the global table.

Match-fixing to be investigated

THE Bulgarian Football Union are to ask the prosecutor’s office to investigate claims of match-fixing in a junior game that led to nine Lokomotiv Sofia players being released by the club. The match between Lokomotiv Sofia and Sportist Svoge last Thursday was abandoned in the closing stages after three men ran on to the pitch, threatened referee Adrian Petrov and hit junior team coach Nikola Dimitrov and one of the linesmen.

Strauss defends resting Anderson

ENGLAND captain Andrew Strauss has insisted resting James Anderson from the third Test against the West Indies will enable the strike bowler to play more international cricket in the long run. England, 2-0 up in the threematch series, have decided now is the time to give Anderson a break with a packed schedule in front of them. This match is also set to mark the start of star batsman Kevin Pietersen’s England career as only a Test player after the South Africa-born shotmaker retired from one-day international cricket when the management refused to let him play just Twenty20 matches and Tests and insisted he also, as per his contract, continued to make himself available for 50-over contests.

Schumi aiming for seventh heaven

MICHAEL Schumacher has won seven Formula One world championships, seven Canadian Grands Prix and has the number seven on his Mercedes. If it all falls into place for him in Montreal on Sunday, the 43-year-old German could also find himself in seventh heaven as the unprecedented seventh different winner in seven races so far this season. Fernando Alonso leads the standings on 76 points with Sebastian Vettel andMark Webber tied on 73.

Djokovic to fly Serbia flag

TENNIS star Novak Djokovic has said he will be Serbia’s flag-bearer at this summer’s Olympic Games in London, Beta news agency reported yesterday. “We are all very excited about the Olympic Games in London, such a magnificent sporting event, and it goes without saying what a great honour it is for me to carry the flag for Serbia,” Djokovic told the agency. Among 100 athletes in the Serbian delegation, the world tennis No 1 is one of Belgrade’s main hopes for an Olympic medal. Djokovic, the Wimbledon and US and Australian Open champion, is currently in Paris where on Tuesday he reached the French Open semi-finals.

‘GB athletes will know the anthem’

THE head coach of Britain’s athletics team says foreign-born athletes competing for the country at the London Olympics have been told to learn the words to the national anthem. Charles van Commenee says the athletes “know the words, or they will” know them. American hurdler Tiffany Porter was at the centre of the so-called “Plastic Brits” debate after she was named Britain’s captain for the indoor world championships in March. Porter was born and raised in the United States to a British mother and a Nigerian father. She’s held a British passport since she was a baby. Porter was asked if she knew the words to “God Save the Queen” and was then prodded to sing the country’s national anthem. She said it was unnecessary.

Beer will flow at the World Cup

BRAZIL’S President Dilma Rousseff yesterday signed into law a measure approving the sale of beer during 2014 World Cup matches, bowing to pressure from world governing body Fifa. The bill was passed last month by the senate after international football authorities balked over an alcohol prohibition in Brazil’s sports arenas that has been in force since 2003. Lawmakers in May passed a package of measures demanded by Fifa that include selling beer in plastic cups, despite concern from some lawmakers that allowing alcohol consumption could lead to rowdiness at the events. – Sapa-AP/DPA/AFP/ Reuters