London 2012 SUPPORT for the London 2012 Olympic bid is lower in the capital than elsewhere in Britain, according to a BBC Radio Five Live poll. The poll, which was conducted by ICM, interviewed 1,390 adults across the country between 5-11 November. The survey found that overall backing for the bid was at 75 per cent but in London the figure was 69 per cent. The poll shows that Scotland is warming to the bid, with support increasing from 64 per cent to 71 per cent since May. People in the north of England have remained consistent in their backing with a broad 76 per cent approval, the same figure as in a BBC/ICM poll taken six months ago. Public support will be one of the criteria used by the International Olympic Committee to decide whether London, Paris, New York, Madrid or Moscow should host the Games. When the IOC conducted its own poll in May, London scored lowest of the five for public opinion with 67 per cent of Londoners supporting the bid. Main rival Paris had 72 per cent and Madrid was top with 85 per cent. Monday was the last day to submit the bidding files. The cities must hone their sales pitch for the IOC inspection visits in February and March, and then keep fingers crossed that things go their way in the final vote on 6 July. Johnson accuses FORMER Olympic champion Michael Johnson has accused Britain's top sprinters of lacking pride and ambition. "At the moment, the biggest factor on the mind of British sprinters is to be No 1 in Britain," the world 200m and 400m record holder told Five Live. "Athletics at the moment is all about international competitions and they need to show a little more pride." But Linford Christie countered: "It's easy to criticise when you haven't gone through the system here." Johnson was involved in a verbal spat with Britain's Darren Campbell earlier this year. The American had cast doubt on Campbell's claims he had torn a hamstring in the wake of his failure to reach the Olympic 100m and 200m finals. And the American remains highly critical of aspects of British sprinting. "The only time you see British sprinters getting upset or riled is when there is a debate as to which one is better than the other," he claimed. "Athletes here have to compete more outside the UK. Their focus has to be on being the best in the world and not just on being the top British sprinter." Speaking at an elite coaches' conference in Birmingham, Johnson also argued that although there has been more investment in the sport in Britain, it had not necessarily reaped the rewards. "You can't fix everything with money," he admitted. "You contrast the situation here to that of some US athletes who have no funding. Those who aren't funded might be hungrier and more motivated because their road to success is a lot more difficult and challenging. So when they get to the top they are more appreciative." Smith hot favourite WALTER SMITH will hold talks about taking over as Scotland manager after this week's friendly against Sweden. The former Glasgow Rangers and Everton boss has now been contacted by the Scottish Football Association (SFA) about the job. Smith is hot favourite to succeed Berti Vogts, who resigned after a poor start to Scotland's World Cup campaign. Vogts' assistant Tommy Burns is in temporary charge for the game against Sweden at Easter Road. The SFA's move confirms Smith is first-choice to take over from Vogts and rebuild the country's international reputation. Smith is likely to want to take his long-time assistant Archie Knox with him to work within the international set-up if talks go well. Smith already has the backing of many pundits and fans, including former Scotland manager Craig Brown and Newcastle boss Graeme Souness. Souness told BBC Sport : "He fits the bill because of his knowledge and understanding of the Scotland team and football. He is experienced and has been successful." Death blow FOOTBALL in Lesotho has been dealt a massive blow with the death of the country's Football Association President Thabo Makakole. Makakole, 46, died in a car accident in the capital Maseru after a commuter taxi collided with his vehicle, officials said. Colleagues paid tribute to the long-standing administrator, who was the driving force behind the game in his country. COSAFA President Ismail Bhamjee said his death was "tragic" while his close friend, South African Football Association President Molefi Oliphant said "it was a great loss for the continental and the sub-region." "He was always there for football and dedicated to improving the game in his country," said Bhamjee. Oliphant said Makakole was seen as one of the new generation of African soccer administrators. "He had the potential to go up the ranks of CAF and FIFA. "He was a prominent citizen in his country and the role that he played in their development was massive." Issa Hayatou, the president of CAF also paid tribute to Makakole. "It is a sad day for the whole African football family. Makakole was cheerful gentleman and always smiling," he said. Out for now CAMEROON's Modeste Mbami has decided to temporarily quit the national team because of differences with coach Winfried Schaefer and skipper Rigobert Song. Schaefer accused the Paris St Germain player of indiscipline after the Indomitable Lions' 3-2 loss in a 2006 World Cup qualifier against Egypt in September. As a result, the 22-year-old was relegated to the bench for the game against Sudan in October with Schaefer demanding that Mbami apologises to the team. The player, however, said that his problems started when he criticised the Schaefer's tactics in the game against Egypt. "Rigobert Song and the coach (Schaefer) work together to impose incompetent players in the team," he said. Mbami's comments seem to confirm the rumours that some players are not happy with Schaefer and Song, despite recent denials from the Football Association of such a rift. Mbami said he was surprised to learn in Sudan that some people within the Indomitable Lions set-up felt he was responsible for Cameroon's poor results in the 2006 World Cup qualifiers so far. "Consequently, I have decided to suspend my participation in the Indomitable Lions team, until the issues are resolved," Mbami said. Mbami will be replaced by Marcus Mokake from French side Sedan. Mbami's announcement is the latest in a string of problems for Schaefer, who most recently was forced to change his squad by the Ministry of Sport while fans and the media have been calling for his resignation. Not to be SERENA WILLIAMS ended Amelie Mauresmo's hopes of finishing the year as world No 1 with victory in the semi-finals of the Tour Championships. The American fought back from a set and 3-1 down to win 4-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 in front of her home Los Angeles crowd. Mauresmo needed to win the tournament to overtake Lindsay Davenport for the No 1 ranking. Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova beat fellow Russian Anastasia Myskina 2-6 6-2 6-2 in the other semi-final. Mauresmo quickly went two breaks up against Williams, but faltered before serving out the set. Williams looked in trouble when she dropped serve immediately in the second set but took advantage of a string of Mauresmo mistakes by breaking back. The American raced through the tie-break before claiming the key break at 3-3 in the decider. Mauresmo said: "I was playing some good tennis and she really raised her level a lot. I felt like I forced her to play her best level and really make some passing shots and make some unbelievable saves." Williams, who has won only two titles all season, was delighted with her form. "I'm doing in the match what I do in practice, so for me that's really important," she said. "I'm really excited about myself. I'm going to be a force to be reckoned with next year. And I'm really happy for Lindsay. She's had a few tough years. To come back as No 1 kind of motivates me because I know she had a big knee injury as well." French Open champion Myskina said Sharapova would have to raise her game if she wanted to repeat her Wimbledon triumph. "If Serena plays like she did today, I don't think Sharapova has any chance," said Myskina Sharapova countered: "I'm so excited to be in the final, I don't care about my chances. She is obviously going to want her revenge. And I am in the finals of the championships, so I want it badly, too."
