Rangers defender Dominic Ball has had to disappoint his friends ahead of his Old Firm debut after admitting he could not get them tickets. Gerard Gumbau Barcelona Jersey . The on-loan Tottenham youngster is looking forward to his first taste of Glasgow derby action when Mark Warburtons side face Celtic in Sundays Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden Park, live on Sky Sports. Former Celtic manager Neil Lennon explains his infamous bust up with ex Rangers boss Ally McCoist at the Old Firm derby The 20-year-old has already helped the Light Blues win the Scottish Championship, as well as claiming silverware in the Petrofac Training Cup final with a 4-0 win over Peterhead.But Ball has been unable to accommodate all those eager to attend the Old Firm contest, such has been the demand for tickets.Sunday is probably going to be the biggest game of the season - the biggest game of my life - so I am going to relish it and go out and do a job, he said. As soon as the draw was made I had 40 or 50 people asking me for tickets. I had to say I would see what I could do but my family comes first and I couldnt promise them anything.Everyone wants special people around them to be there and for me that is my family, my girlfriend, my close friends. I think I will have enough to satisfy those needs but not everybody.Rangers boss Mark Warburton looks set to hand Ball the responsibility of anchoring Gers midfield in the hope he can curb Celtics threat from deep. Former Rangers player and manager Graeme Souness explains why the Old Firm derby against Celtic is the most intense fixture in world football Patrick Roberts will be one of the Hoops players he will have to keep an eye out for, with the on-loan Manchester City entertainer having made a big impression in recent weeks.I have seen little bits of Celtic this season when they are on and we are not playing and I think we have a real good chance, he added.I think Ive played against Patrick Roberts in a reserve game when he was back at Manchester City. He is a very good player but we have got very good players as well, so we will see. Former Rangers captain David Weir looks back on his memories of his Old Firm derby against Celtic I have seen them have good games, I have seen them have bad games, so I guess whatever team up turns up or not on the day will be the team that wins.Spurs trainee Ball also feels Celtic will push Rangers in ways they have not experienced on their way to the second-tier crown title this season.I just think it is that intensity, that constant pressure they will bring, added the 20-year-old.Sometimes it gets to 70 minutes at 0-0 and we know we are going to win because the other team is going to drop off.But I think that is going to be different, they will be as fit as us and it is going to be the challenge of quality now.Ball may not have experienced the white-hot heat of an OId Firm scrap before but he knows the importance of keeping emotion in check as Gers bid to land a trophy treble. Souness: Celtic big favourites Graeme Souness believes Celtic are favourites to beat Rangers in the Scottish Cup semi-final It is important to deal with our emotions individually and as a team, he said. You dont want anyone sent off. We just want to go out and play our football, get our job done and win.I won two medals in the space of five days last week and that is why I came to Rangers. It is a big club.Our targets were set at the start of the season and to now have two trophies too is brilliant. But we want a third.Watch Rangers v Celtic on Sunday. Coverage begins on Sky Sports 2 HD at 11am. Also See: Warburton: Derby just the start Forrester misses Old Firm clash Vote: Celtic, Rangers greatest Rangers fixtures Matias Fernandez Chile Jersey . Each day, TSN.ca provides the latest rumours, reports and speculation from around the NHL beat. Keeping The Captain? Brian Giontas agent Steve Bartlett told La Presse on Tuesday that the Montreal Canadiens want to keep their captain - an unrestricted free agent on July 1 - in the fold, while sources tell the paper that the two sides will start talks this week. Xavi Hernandez Barcelona Jersey . Dumont, a fifth round draft pick of the Canadiens in 2009, has four assists and 20 penalty minutes in 12 games with the Bulldogs this season. The 23-year-old split last season between Hamilton and Montreal, recording 16 goals and 15 assists in 55 regular season games with the Bulldogs. SOCHI, Russia -- IOC President Thomas Bach accused world leaders Tuesday of using the Sochi Olympics as a political platform "on the backs of the athletes," and of snubbing the games without even being invited. Three days before the opening of Russias first Winter Games, Bach used a hard-hitting speech to call out politicians for using the Olympics to make an "ostentatious gesture" serving their own agendas. Without naming any individuals, Bachs comments appeared directed at President Barack Obama and European politicians who have taken stands against Russias law banning gay "propaganda" among minors. The Olympics, Bach said, should not be "used as a stage for political dissent or for trying to score points in internal or external political contests." "Have the courage to address your disagreements in a peaceful direct political dialogue and not on the backs of the athletes," he said at a ceremony attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin. "People have a very good understanding of what it really means to single out the Olympic Games to make an ostentatious gesture which allegedly costs nothing but produces international headlines. "In the extreme, we had to see a few politicians whose contributions to the fight for a good cause consisted of publicly declining invitations they had not even received." The buildup to the Olympics has been overshadowed by Western criticism of the anti-gay law and Russias record on human rights and other issues, making Sochi among the most politically charged games in years. Obama and key European leaders are shunning the Olympics. Obama, in a clear message against the anti-gay laws, has sent a delegation to Sochi made up of three openly gay athletes -- tennis great Billie Jean King, 2006 Olympic hockey medallist Caitlin Cahow and figure skater Brian Boitano. For the first time since 2000, the U.S. delegation to an Olympics will not include a president, vice-president or first lady. Former Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano leads the delegation. German President Joachim GGauck and French President Francois Hollande are also not coming to Sochi. Carlos Carmona Chile Jersey. Neither is British Prime Minister David Cameron. Bach reiterated again that Putin had given the IOC assurances that the Olympic Charter would be upheld during the games and that homosexuals would not be discriminated against. Bach said Olympic values stand against any form of discrimination, including on grounds of sexual orientation. But he stressed the IOC must be "politically neutral without being apolitical" and that athletes must not use the Olympic Village and venues for "political demonstrations." The IOC has come under criticism for not doing more to fight the anti-gay law, but Bach said the committee was a sports organization with limited responsibilities. "We are not a supra-national government," he said. "We are not a superior world-parliament. We do not have a mandate to impose measures on sovereign states." Bachs speech was delivered at a ceremony marking the opening of the IOCs three-day session, or general assembly, ahead of the games. The Germans sharp comments marked a strong contrast with the relatively anodyne, diplomatic speeches of his predecessor, Jacques Rogge. Bach, winner of a fencing gold medal at the 1972 Olympics, was elected in September to succeed Rogge, who served for 12 years. Bach acknowledged there had been "a lot of skepticism in and outside the IOC" when Sochi was awarded the Olympics in 2007. "Now, seven years later, we can see that Sochi, that Russia has delivered," he said. Putin lauded the IOCs decision to bring the games to the Black Sea resort. "We realize what a difficult decision this was to hold the games in a city that barely had 10 to 15 per cent of the necessary infrastructure," he said. "You believed in us, you believed in the Russian character which can overcome all difficulties." "In the space of five years," Putin added, "we built world-class sports venues and city infrastructure that normally takes decades to build." Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '