March 13th 2010
Sports Bites

Exiled Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson says he's experiencing "tough times'' a week after it was decided he would not return to the team and his wife filed for divorce. Iverson posted four messages Monday night on his Twitter account telling fans he expected to overcome the most recent obstacles in his life. "To my fans: You all know that my life isn't perfect. I am going through some very tough times right now, like I am sure that we all do from time to time,'' Iverson wrote. "However, I will stand tall like always with 'rhino' thick skin.''

Arsenal manger Arsene Wenger has his sights set on a revenge meeting with either Manchester United or Chelsea after clinically reaching the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League. The Gunners booked their place in the last eight of the competition with a 5-0 demolition of Porto in the second leg at the Emirates Stadium, a result which wraps-up a 6-2 aggregate victory over the two-time winners. And now Wenger, who has seen his side lose twice to Premier League title rivals Chelsea and Manchester United this term, insists he is now relishing the chance to gain revenge over either English club should they progress into the next phase on Wednesday night.

Pakistan duo Mohammad Yousuf and Younus Khan have been banned indefinitely from representing their country. The Pakistan Cricket Board's inquiry into the tour of Australia found the pair had been involved in "infighting which... brought down the whole team".
Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Shoaib Malik each face one-year bans and big fines. Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal also face heavy fines while their conduct will be strictly monitored during a six-month probationary period. Recent captains Yousuf and Younus, the two most experienced batsmen in the sides, face the most serious sanctions.

The Olympic Park will be a "stunning green oasis" to be proud of after the 2012 Games, Olympics minister Tessa Jowell has said. The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) announced details of work taking place to transform around 250 acres of former industrial land in east London. It will become one of the UK's largest new urban parks.
More than 4,000 trees will fill the park and temporary wildflower meadows are to be planted.

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