LONDON — Tottenham appointed Mauricio Pochettino as its new manager on a five-year contract Tuesday. Pochettino was tipped to take charge at White Hart Lane following the recent sacking of Tim Sherwood and the Premier League club confirmed it has persuaded the former Argentina defender, who had earned widespread praise during his time as Southampton boss, to quit his post at St Mary's and move to north London. Pochettino, who will work under Spurs director of football Franco Baldini, admitted he was delighted to be given the opportunity to manage a club of Tottenham's stature. The 42-year-old pledged to stay faithful to the club's philosophy of attacking play, while also fulfilling its desire to play in the Champions League on a regular basis. “This is a club with tremendous history and prestige and I am honored to have been given this opportunity to be its Head Coach,” he said. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy made his approach to Pochettino after finally ruling out an offer for Carlo Ancelotti, who had been on his wanted list before the Italian's Champions League triumph with Real Madrid made him an impossible target. Palestine beats Afghanistan Palestine took a step toward qualification for next year's Asian Cup in Australia with a 2-0 win over Afghanistan in the semifinal of the AFC Challenge Cup in Male Tuesday. Ashraf Al-Fawaghra scored both goals, either side of half time, as Palestine continued its unbeaten run in the eight-nation tournament. Palestine will play the winner of Tuesday night's second semifinal between the Philippines and host Maldives in the final Friday. The champion will secure a place in the Asian Cup. Suarez recovery on track Uruguay's star striker Luiz Suarez is “evolving well,” the national team's doctor said Monday following knee surgery last week. Suarez is believed to have picked up the knock in Liverpool's last league game of the season and had an operation last Thursday. Doctor Alberto Pan refused to rule the striker out of the World Cup but couldn't give the assurances that he would be fit to play in Brazil. “Luis is evolving very well, but it's still premature to give out times for his return to training,” Pan said at a news conference held at the team's complex in Montevideo. “Today, Luis is not feeling any pain; he's working on his muscles and putting only the essential pressure on his leg.” For now, Suarez will work on his recovery from his home in Montevideo and he will later continue therapy at a sports complex, Pan said. Uruguay plays its World Cup opener against Costa Rica on June 14. The team then faces England on June 19 and Italy on June 24. Costa out for 15 days A doctor treating Diego Costa for a hamstring injury says the striker has a muscle tear that needs to be reassessed in 15 days, raising doubts about his chances of making Spain's World Cup squad. Pedro Guillen of the Cemtro clinic said in an interview with the Cadena Cope radio station that the 25-year-old Brazil-born player had a “grade one tear to the femoral biceps of his right leg,” and would need 15 days convalescence before his injury could be re-evaluated. Spain's opener in Brazil is June 13 against the Netherlands. Old food at hotels A Brazilian consumer defense agency said it's found past-expiration food in the hotels where national soccer teams from Italy and England will stay during the World Cup. The Rio de Janeiro state agency said on its website late Monday that the inspections were part of an effort to enforce food safety codes ahead of next month's tournament. At the Hotel Portobello where Italy will stay, inspectors discovered 55 pounds (25 kilograms) of pasta, shrimp, salmon and margarine kept past its expiration date. Inspectors there tossed another 53 pounds (24 kilograms) of food because there was no visible safe date on its label. Team England will stay at the Royal Tulip Hotel. A search there turned up 4.5 pounds (2 kilograms) of butter, Parma ham and salmon too old for consumption. — Agencies
