Man United have mental edge over City, says Mancini

Manchester United have more of a winning mentality than their city rivals, Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini said on the eve of Saturday's Premier League derby.

With both sides of Manchester challenging for the title for the first time in many years, the meeting (1245 GMT) has taken on added significance with Mancini saying there is little between them apart from a confidence that comes with trophies.

"Maybe United has more than us a winning mentality because they (have) won (for) a long time, I think this is the difference," the City boss, seeking to bring the club their first league title since 1968 and first silverware since the 1976 League Cup, told a news conference on Friday.

"I think that when we start to win trophies it can change. But when you are a team that wins for 20 years your mentality is very strong -- when you don't play well you know that you are a strong team and if you don't concede a goal you can win.

"I think we are improving in this ... I think that for us it is very important to win something at the end of the season -- Europa League, FA Cup (or) Premier League."

United are seeking a record 19th league title and are moving towards it with a four-point lead over second-placed Arsenal at the top of the table. City are five points behind their city neighbours having played one game more.

City could be boosted by the return of striker Mario Balotelli, although he is pushing for a place on the bench rather than in the starting lineup after missing a month with a knee injury.

"I will decide if he can go on the bench. If he is not fit, maybe he will need another week," Mancini said.

Dutch midfielder Nigel de Jong is a doubt with an ankle injury after also missing last weekend's 3-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion and a midweek international friendly.

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Quang Liem leads Aeroflot event

Vietnamese International Grand Master (IGM) Le Quang Liem took the lead at the Russian International Chess Festival Aeroflot Open in Moscow after defeating China's Xiu Deshun in the second round on Thursday.

Taking two points from two rounds, Liem will meet IGM Slovakia's Luka Lenic in the third round.

Competitors have varying levels of skills and are taking part in three open tournaments, each of which is a nine-round Swiss system event.

Liem is among 130 candidates in Tournament A, the highest level, competing for a cash prize of 20,000 euros (US$29,300) for the title winner who also will be entitled to participate in a round-robin Super Tournament in Dortmund in the second half of July.

There will also be prizes for the best performance among seniors, women and juniors in all tournaments and a prize for the best result by an unrated player in Tournament C.

Ngoc Tu to compete for Gia Lai

Soc Trang's judoka Van Ngoc Tu is completing the necessary procedures to play for Gia Lai, after signing a VND10 million (US$500) a month contract.

Tu is nearly unrivalled at Southeast Asian (SEA) region following the 23rd SEA Games.

The four-time SEA champion officially ended her contract with Soc Trang provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism last December.

City to spend $350,000 on youth

HCM City will spend VND7 billion (US$350,000) to train young players this year, mainly in training and competing abroad.

Young talents will also be given top priority, with 16-year-old tennis player Nguyen Hoang Thien, who is competing at the 2011 Tennis Central 18&U ITF Summer Championships in New Zealand, set to receive $30,000.

Thien was ranked 241st in the world according to the latest world ranking table by the International Tennis Federation.

Woman striker hangs up her boots

Do Thi Ngoc Cham, the national women's football team's star striker, has announced her retirement from the sport at just 26 to pursue a coaching career.

Cham, who recently signed on as assistant coach of Ha Noi team, had helped the team win a gold medal at the National Games last December.

Winner of the Golden Ball in 2008, she was the main striker for the national and Ha Noi teams in recent years.

Ha Noi-born Cham began to play competitive football in 1999 when she joined the Soc Son District Sports Centre.

She began to play for Ha Noi in 2001 and a year later was named in the national team for the Asian Games. — VNS

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Vietnam yet to hand out cash awards to Asiad winners

Truong Thanh Hang wins silver medal at the women's 1,500m race at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2010

Until February 10, some Vietnamese athletes bagging medals at the ASIAD 16 in China in November last year have yet received any cash awards promised previously by the government.

Wrestlers and Wushu martial artists were handed rewards before Tet but track-and-field athletes like Vu Van Huyen, Truong Thanh Hang, Vu Thi Huong, and some others have received nothing by now.

“It’s the first time I have won the Asiad silver medal with a cash prize of VND25 million ($1,280). I was eager to receive it before Tet to support my family and enjoy a joyful Tet holidays but…,” an athlete, who wants to be anonymous, spoke to Tuoi Tre.

“Except my monthly salary of VND1 million, I get nothing.”

“We have set up an emergency budget worth around VND21 billion to award high-profile athletes,” said Nguyen Thi Kim Mai – deputy director of the Vietnam National Sports Committtee.

But this Asiad saw more medal winners than in the previous games, so the budget still falls short of around VND 4 million, she added.

“The rest of the athletes are expected to receive reward money from now to the end of this month,” she promised.

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Vietnam in easy group at Olympics football qualifiers

The Vietnamese national senior women’s football team have been drawn in an easily-breathing group at the 2012 Olympics Games pre-qualifiers when they join group A together with Thailand, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Vietnam will encounter Hong Kong on March 18 before taking on Myanmar March 20, Thailand March 25 and Taiwan March 27. Two top teams will advance to later round.

On the FIFA ranking table, Vietnam women’s football is ranked 34th, right after Thailand at 33rd. Taiwan stand at 36th and Hong Kong 67th.

The qualification system for the London Olympics varies by continent and world governing body FIFA has yet to publish full qualifying documentation, but the broad outline is in place.

In Asia, only one best team will survive the two rounds of the pre-qualifiers and seal a ticket to join with five best giants – Japan, China, South Korea, Australia, and North China – in the qualifiers.

Asia, and Africa, each have two berths at the Games to fill, North and Central America will send two teams from a qualifying event planned for Canada in 2012, and Oceania supplies a final team alongside hosts Britain.

Vietnam’s coach Chow Yun Fat will convene his training camp on Sunday.

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Vietnam-Thailand exhibition of modern art opens

An exhibition showcasing almost 80 modern works of art made from
different materials commonly found in Vietnam and Thailand has
opened at Thailand ’s National Gallery in the capital Bangkok .

The event is organised under the 2010 Memorandum of
understanding on cooperation in organising exhibitions for artists from
11 universities in Vietnam and Thailand .

The
Vietnamese universities include the Vietnam Fine Arts
University , the Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts University and Hue
’s Arts University . Thailand is represented by Thammasat
University , Silpakorn University , Chiang Mai University ,
Ragiamagala Technology University and Khon Kaen University .

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Associate
Professor and Dean of the painting, sculpture and graphic arts
department at Silpakorn University , Parinya Tantisuk said that the
exhibition will strengthen relations and mutual understanding between
the two nations as well as artists from the universities taking part.

According to Truong Cong Nguyen, Dean of the painting
theory and history department at the Vietnam Fine Arts University, many
of the Vietnamese artists had won national awards, ASEAN awards and
several international awards./.

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Poetry Day set for next week

The annual Poetry Day will take place on Feb. 17 in Ha Noi, Nghe An and HCM City.

Huu
Thinh, chairman of the Vietnam Writers Association, said the occasion
would also be used to mark the 100th anniversary of Ho Chi Minh who left
the country in 1911 to seek ways for national salvation from the French
colonists.

"There will be a soil and water procession at Hanoi's
Temple of Literature," Thinh said. "A delegation of writers from the
central region will bring some soil from President Ho's home in Sen
Village to the temple."

They will also bring some water from the
source of the historical Pac Bo Cave's Lenin Stream, where the president
lived and worked in the 1940s, in the northern province of Cao Bang to
the temple.

The soil and water will be housed at the association's museum in Hanoi.

Poetry readings will take place in President Ho's homeland, Nghe An province, and at Nha Rong Wharf in HCM City.

At Hanoi's Temple of Literature the busts of 30 famed writers will be displayed.

Lanterns bearing 100 verses will also adorn the temple.

The first Poetry Day was held in 2003 at the Temple of Literature./.

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RoK’s football star to play in VN charity match

The Republic of Korea (RoK)’s football star Park Ji-sung is planning to play in a charity match in Vietnam.

Park,
who plays for Manchester United, will line up alongside fellow
teammates Patrice Evra and Edwin Van de Sar along with former Juventus
hitman Pavel Nedved and Manchester City's Carlos Tevez.

The
match, which is scheduled for June 15, has received support from the
Vietnam Football Federation who also said they were making detailed
plans in preparation for the event.

Park's agent company is
looking into a suitable venue for the game and money raised through
ticket sales will be given to the VFF to develop the nation's junior
football movement.

Park, who played a key role in RoK’s World Cup
2010 campaign, also introduced his JS Foundation that focuses on
charitable activities in Southeast Asia on Feb. 9.

Park said goodbye to the national team in January after winning his 100th cap in a match against Japan during the Asian Cup.

Park
has played in three World Cups, scoring in each tournament, and is one
of the greatest Asian players ever to put on a football shirt./.

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