Briefs: Ahli in Wembley Cup EGYPTIAN football club Ahli have confirmed their participation in the inaugural Wembley Cup to be staged in England in July. Ahli, dubbed the African club of the century, will play in an event that includes Spanish giants Barcelona, home side Tottenham and Celtic of Scotland. The two-day competition to be staged at National Stadium will consist of two matches each day. The opening games will be staged on 24 July when the defending African champions take on Celtic while Tottenham play Barcelona. The second matches will be played two days later with Ahli taking on the Spanish side while Tottenham face Celtic. The champions of the Wembley Cup will be decided on goals and points. Ahli confirmed they had signed to play in the tournament. According to board member Khaled Mortagi, "This is also an excellent opportunity for us to continue to expose our club and players to the world." Ahli Chairman Hassan Hamdi was invited by the event's organisers to attend a press conference in England on 6 May. Hamdi will also be attending the semi-final of the European Champions League between Manchester United and Arsenal. Ahli will hold their own press conference in Cairo on 20 May. First for Giggs MANCHESTER United midfielder Ryan Giggs has won the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year award for the first time in his career. The 35-year-old Welshman beat teammates Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Cristiano Ronaldo and Edwin van der Sar as well as Liverpool's Steven Gerrard. Despite winning a host of honours, including 10 Premier League titles, the PFA award had eluded Giggs until now. Aston Villa forward Ashley Young took the Young Player of the Year award. He beat his Villa team-mate Gabriel Agbonlahor, Manchester United duo Jonny Evans and Rafael Da Silva, Aaron Lennon of Spurs and Manchester City's Stephen Ireland. Since making his League debut against Everton at Old Trafford in March 1991 aged 17, Giggs has been a key figure in Sir Alex Ferguson's teams. As well as the league crowns, Giggs has also won four FA Cups, three League Cups and two Champions League winner's medals as well as two PFA young player awards. He has only started 12 league games this season but has been a regular in the squad for all competitions and if he lines up against Arsenal in their Champions League semi-final first-leg on Wednesday, it will be his 800th club appearance. Giggs was also one of six United players named in the PFA divisional team of the year but Wayne Rooney missed out. The team also includes Liverpool duo Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard, Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka, who was in goal scoring form until the votes were cast but has not found the net since February and Portsmouth right-back Glen Johnson. John McDermott, the former Grimsby player who spent 20 years at the club, was given the Merit award for his services to the game. Usual Nadal RAFAEL NADAL clinched his fifth successive Barcelona Open title with a 6-2 7-5 win over David Ferrer. In a repeat of last year's final, the world number one took an imposing lead when he broke compatriot Ferrer in the first and fifth games of the first set. The second set saw both players twice broken on serve, with Ferrer countering Nadal's powerful groundstrokes. But the 22-year-old broke Ferrer in the 11th game before sealing his 35th singles crown a game later. Nadal had struggled with his serve during the tournament and although he broke Ferrer in the first game of the match, his opponent hit back to level the scores in the next game. But the fourth seed's serve became more erratic, making four double faults, and Nadal capitalised with two breaks to seal the first set. Both players faltered on serve in the second set, reaching 5-5 before Nadal made the vital break in the 11th game, securing his service game for the match in one hour and 49 minutes. The victory, the fourth all-Spanish final in the Calatan city in the past five years, maintains the Mallorcan's dominance on clay. After seven years JERRY KELLY took advantage of a late collapse from Charles Howell to win the Zurich Golf Classic in New Orleans, his first US Tour victory in seven years. Kelly was three strokes clear going into the final round but fell three behind after 10 holes. However, birdies at the 11th and 14th and four closing pars were just enough to give the 42- year-old the title. Howell started with six birdies in his first 11 holes but bogeyed the 15th and 17th to slip down to joint second. South African Rory Sabbatini, who finished alongside Howell on 13 under, one stroke behind Kelly, also had chances over his closing holes. He had been lying two behind the leaders at the 16th but his chip for eagle -- and a share of the lead -- slipped out before missing a three-foot birdie attempt and bogeying the 18th. Sabbatini gave himself another eagle chance on the last, but had to settle for birdie while Korean Charlie Wi also took a share of second after missing a 13-foot birdie putt on the final hole. It was Kelly's 200th US Tour event since his last success. Only last week, troubled by a dislocated rib and flu, he walked off the course on the second day of the Vertizon Heritage after taking a 10 on one hole. Ian Poulter finished as Europe's leading golfer in a tie for 13th on eight under, but Brian Davis, Greg Owen and Scot Martin Laird were all disappointed to finish just behind him -- and not just because they closed with bogey sixes. Davis had climbed to joint second with four birdies in the first eight holes, but bogeyed three of the next seven. Laird played the last eight in four over after standing joint sixth and Owen, having also covered the first 11 in three under, also dropped back. Impressive cycling LUXEMBOURG'S Andy Schleck produced a powerful solo breakaway to beat a strong field and win the Liege-Bastogne- Liege one-day classic. The 23-year-old Saxo-Bank rider beat Spain's Joaquim Rodriguez into a distant second place, while Italy's Davide Rebellin finished third. Schleck, the best young rider in last year's Tour de France, broke clear of his rivals with 20km to go. And nobody could live with his pace as he won by more than a minute. Philippe Gilbert had made much of the running, but the Belgian had no answer when Schleck, who finished fourth last year, decided to make his move in the late stages. Schleck crossed the line in a time of six hours, 34 minutes and 33 seconds, with Rodriguez one minute 11 seconds behind.
