Boo boys are now turning Japanese

Japan's soccer chief wants disgruntled fans to continue jeering the national side in the hope of toughening them up before this year's World Cup. Japan's players were booed from the pitch after last Saturday's 0-0 home draw with China in the East Asian championship, piling more pressure on coach Takeshi Okada. The Blue Samurai copped similar flak from fans after their goalless draw with Venezuela in a friendly in Kyushu four days earlier. Japan Football Association (JFA) president Motoaki Inukai told Sunday's Sports Hochi, "I want the supporters to boo their hearts out. It's good for the players." Okada has come under fire since his declaration that Japan's target at this year's World Cup was the semi-finals. Japan has never won a World Cup finals game on foreign soil and face the Netherlands, Cameroon and Denmark in the group stages in South Africa in June.

Obama is the biggest swinger in town

US President Barack Obama has played golf 32 times since he took office, more than his predecessor George W Bush did during his entire presidency.

He most recently played last Sunday, when the volcanic ash cloud over Europe forced him to cancel plans to attend the funeral of Poland's president. The golfing figures were compiled by Mark Knoller of CBS Radio, the unofficial White House statistician.

Bush, who played 24 times, was mocked for his fondness of the game and was filmed on a golf course in August 2002, where he denounced a suicide bombing in Israel. He called on "all nations to do everything they can to stop these terrorist killers", then pausing before saying: "Thank you. Now watch this drive." Bush said he gave up playing golf in 2003 in the wake of the bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad.

Golf Digest has ranked Mr Obama eighth among the list of golfing presidents, behind Bill Clinton but ahead of Ronald Reagan, who was known for practising putting in the aisle of Air Force One. John F Kennedy, widely considered the best golfing president, took great pains to ensure he was never photographed on the course.

Annan shows a bit too much bite in the tackle

Ghana midfielder Anthony Annan has been accused of biting an opponent three times on the stomach during a Norwegian league game.

Annan, who plays for Rosenborg, scuffled with Aalesund striker Tor Hogne Aaroy, who later claimed that he had been bitten by the midfielder, saying, "He nibbled my chest."

Aalesund manager Kjetil Rekdal was furious with Anna's behaviour, saying: "He pulled at one of our players' undercarriage and he bit others. This sounds more like the kind of treatment players get from female shop-assistants in nightclubs at the weekend than from opposing players on a matchday." Norway's football chiefs are looking into the matter. Annan was voted the player of the year by his club's supporters last season and is expected to travel to South Africa with Ghana for the World Cup.