FIFA begins appeals in World Cup corruption cases

ZURICH (AP): A FIFA appeals hearing for five officials suspended after allegations of corruption during the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding races began on Wednesday.

They included FIFA executive committee members Amos Adamu and Reynald Temarii who were barred from the Dec. 2 votes by the governing body's ethics committee.

Nigerian Adamu, who received a three-year ban from all football duty, became the most senior FIFA official ever sanctioned for bribery.

FIFA said its independent appeals committee, chaired by Bermuda Football Association president Larry Mussenden, opened the two-day hearings on Wednesday but gave no further details. Mussenden was a former attorney general in the Caribbean island's government.

Adamu, a former sports minister, has been quoted by Nigerian media this week saying he is confident of victory.

FIFA's ethics court found he sought bribes from undercover reporters who posed as lobbyists for a sting published by British newspaper The Sunday Times last October.

If cleared, Adamu could stand for re-election to the FIFA post he has held since 2006. He is a provisional candidate in a Confederation for African Football poll scheduled for Feb. 23 in Khartoum, Sudan.

Temarii, from Tahiti, was cleared of corruption but got a one-year ban for breaking confidentiality rules by speaking to the fake lobbyists.

He was replaced last month as a FIFA vice president and Oceania confederation president by his former deputy, David Chung of Papua New Guinea.

Three former members of FIFA's ruling panel are also appealing bans of up to three years.

Slim Aloulou, a Tunisian lawyer who chaired FIFA's disputes panel, is challenging a two-year ban.

FIFA referees committee member Amadou Diakite of Mali and Ahongalu Fusimalohi, chief executive of the Tonga federation, were each suspended for three years.

They reportedly advised the reporters how to bribe FIFA officials and how much to pay.

A sixth official, Ismail Bhamjee of Botswana, has not appealed his four-year ban.

Bhamjee was replaced by Adamu on FIFA's 24-member executive body after a ticket scalping scandal at the 2006 World Cup.

After Adamu and Temarii were suspended, a 22-man FIFA executive committee chose Russia to host the 2018 World Cup and Qatar in 2022.

  

AC Milan and Lazio draw 0-0 in Serie A

MILAN (AP) - A shot from AC Milan's Zlatan Ibrahimovic hit both posts but that was the closest either side came to scoring in a 0-0 draw between the Serie A leader and third-place Lazio on Tuesday.

Milan stretched its lead to five points ahead of Napoli, which visits Chievo on Wednesday. Lazio is seven points behind.

Milan dominated throughout and in the 51st minute Ibrahimovic's shot from just beyond the area ricocheted first off the left post, and then the right before bouncing away as the Sweden striker looked on incredulously.

"We had a lot of chances right up until the end. Lazio defended well but I don't think they ever shot on goal tonight," Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri said. "We played a good game and did some good things and I think we deserved to win. But that's football and we've got to accept it."

Already without 12 players due to injury and suspension, Milan took a further battering in central defense. Daniele Bonera exited following a first-half collision and his substitute Nicola Legrottaglie, who transferred from Juventus on Monday, had his forehead bloodied in a collision and was carried off on a stretcher in the 85th.

Ibrahimovic also had a chance in the 28th, but his header deflected wide off a defender. Newly-signed Dutch international Urby Emanuelson then set up Mathieu Flamini with a perfect cross but the Frenchman wasn't able to take advantage.

Ibrahimovic missed another attempt wide in the 53rd and Robinho had a shot cleared off the line by defender Giuseppe Biava in the 70th.

Crafty forward Antonio Cassano came on for Alexandre Pato in the 70th but didn't create much despite Lazio sitting back, apparently content with the draw.

In other matches Wednesday, Juventus visits Palermo and AS Roma hosts Brescia, while Inter Milan faces Bari on Thursday.

  

Arsenal comes back in 2nd half to beat Everton 2-1

LONDON (AP) - Laurent Koscielny headed a second-half winner as Arsenal came from a goal down to beat Everton 2-1 on Tuesday and keep the Gunners firmly in the Premier League title race.

Everton striker Louis Saha opened the scoring in the 24th minute with a contentious goal, after Seamus Coleman threaded a ball behind Arsenal's defense.

TV replays indicated that Saha was standing at least a meter offside before he supplied the finish. However, the goal was allowed to stand as the ball had come off Koscielny as the defender tried to clear, before it reached Saha.

Two goals in the space of six minutes turned the game around, though, for the home side.

Andrei Arshavin equalized in the 70th when captain Cesc Fabregas floated a ball toward the area. Everton midfielder Jack Rodwell's backheader landed in the path of the Russian and he fired past Tim Howard.

Koscielny supplied the winner in the 76th after being left unmarked when Robin van Persie whipped in a corner, with the center back rising above the Everton defense to head past Howard.

Rodwell nearly scored an equalizer in the 83rd, but his header from a corner flashed just wide of the far post.

The openings stages of the first half lacked rhythm, but Arsenal was starting to gain a foothold in the match right before Saha's goal. Arsenal nearly scored in the 16th when Van Persie's clever back heel while running away from goal inside the area found Fabregas, but the captain shot wide.

Theo Walcott was through on goal in the 22nd, but his shot from close range was saved by Howard with his feet.

Arsenal began the second half with more a cutting edge; Tomas Rosicky, Van Persie and Abou Diaby all coming close. But with the finishing lacking precision, Everton appeared to be on the brink of its first away win against Arsenal since a 2-1 victory at Highbury in 1996.

Arshavin and Koscielny changed that to send Everton to only its second defeat since November.

Arsenal remains in second place, five points behind Manchester United, after the leaders beat Aston Villa 3-1.

  

Rooney scores 2 as Man United beats Villa 3-1

MANCHESTER, England (AP) - Wayne Rooney's first-half double guided unbeaten Premier League leader Manchester United to a convincing 3-1 win over Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Tuesday.

The England striker opened the scoring after just 48 seconds and added a second on the stroke of halftime to set United on its way to a 12th win in 13 home matches this campaign.

New signing Darren Bent reduced Villa's deficit in the 58th minute but Nemanja Vidic secured the points for United in the 63rd, keeping the 18-time champions five points clear of second-place Arsenal.

The goals were Rooney's first in open play at Old Trafford this season, moving him onto five in total in the league.

"Goals always help strikers," United manager Alex Ferguson said of Rooney. "He's always had a great appetite to play. It's inbred in the boy and he got his rewards eventually."

The win equaled United's club record of 29 straight league matches unbeaten.

"What happens in the run-in is that you keep knocking off the games," Ferguson said. "What we have to do is keep the momentum going."

Former United States goalkeeper Brad Friedel, at the age of 39 years and 259 days, was celebrating becoming the oldest player in Villa's history, overtaking 1940s player Ernie Callaghan. It was also Friedel's 253rd consecutive appearance in the Premier League.

But the first thing he did in the match was pick the ball out of the back of the net following Rooney's early goal.

A clearance by Edwin van der Sar, United's own veteran keeper, cleared Villa defender Richard Dunne and was excellently brought down by Rooney, who took the ball on and lashed a shot past Friedel from 20 meters.

It was only the striker's second goal at Old Trafford this season - his other came from the penalty spot against West Ham in August - and United was intent on doubling the lead.

Portugal winger Nani shot over before unleashing a powerful drive that was superbly saved by Friedel.

United midfielder Darren Fletcher was forced off with a facial injury, and was replaced by Anderson, but it didn't halt the team's momentum.

Patrice Evra and top scorer Dimitar Berbatov wasted further chances before Rooney pounced for his second moments prior to halftime, getting on the end of Nani's cross to slot home.

Villa pulled a goal back through Bent, who joined the central England club this month for a fee that could rise to 24 million pounds ($39 million), when he tapped in a cross by Stewart Downing.

But Vidic calmed any nerves United may have had by smashing home a volley in the 63rd after Rooney laid the ball off to the Serbia defender.

There was still time for Villa winger Ashley Young to hit the bar while Friedel palmed the ball away to deny Rooney a hat trick in the closing stages.

  

Chelsea beats Sunderland 4-2 in Premier League

SUNDERLAND, England (AP) - Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka responded to the signing of Fernando Torres by scoring one goal and setting another up in the defending champions' 4-2 Premier League win at Sunderland on Tuesday.

The former France striker, whose place in the starting team could be under threat following the British-record purchase of Torres on Monday, rounded off the scoring in injury time to cap a superb individual display in Chelsea's third straight league win.

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard canceled out Phil Bardsley's fourth minute goal before Salomon Kalou put the Blues in front in the 23rd after running onto Anelka's pass.

Kieran Richardson equalized for the hosts in the 26th but second-half goals by John Terry and Anelka earned Chelsea maximum points.

The win kept Carlo Ancelotti's side 10 points adrift of unbeaten leader Manchester United, which beat Aston Villa 3-1 on Tuesday.

Torres, who joined from Liverpool for a reported fee of 50 million pounds ($81 million), wasn't registered in time to play. Neither was Brazil defender David Luiz, who also moved to Chelsea on deadline day from Benfica.

Sunderland's 3-0 win at Stamford Bridge in November sparked Chelsea's mid-season freefall and the northeast club caused the defending champions problems early on in the return match between the sides.

Bardsley's rampaging run down the left ended with him cutting in, past John Obi Mikel, and firing in a shot that dipped past wrong-footed Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech.

The visitors quickly settled and after Ahmed Elmohamady fouled Ashley Cole in the area, Lampard stepped up to send Craig Gordon the wrong way from the penalty spot.

A dominant period by the Blues saw them score a second goal eight minutes later, with Kalou running onto the sprightly Anelka's through-ball and slipping his finish past Gordon, who had raced off his line in an attempt to clear.

That goal only stirred Sunderland back into action and Richardson equalized by drilling a low free kick underneath Chelsea's defensive wall and past the motionless Cech.

Michael Essien had a powerful shot saved and Branislav Ivanovic crashed an effort against the crossbar as Chelsea finished the first half well, without retaking the lead.

The action was just as end to end after the break and Gordon got down well in the 52nd to push away a shot from Lampard.

Another long-range effort by Lampard was then parried away by the Scotland goalkeeper but the ball fell to Terry, who prodded it into the roof of an unguarded net from 10 meters.

Chelsea was looking irresistible going forward and Kalou was unfortunate not to make it 4-2 when his shot smashed against one post and flew across the line before hitting the other.

Anelka got the goal his performance deserved in the dying seconds, latching onto substitute Florent Malouda's cross to turn in a finish.

  

Torres says he is joining one of the world’s top clubs

LONDON: Fernando Torres joined Chelsea for a record £50mil – then had a pop at Liverpool.

The Spain international sealed his deal minutes before the transfer window slammed shut and then, in an obvious dig at Liverpool and boss Kenny Dalglish who had earlier attacked him, he said he was leaving for a top club.

The striker said: “The target for every player is to play for one of the tops clubs in the world and I can do it now, so I’m very happy.”

Torres, 26, had earlier passed a medical and finalised his British record deal with just minutes to spare before the 11pm deadline.

His £50mil fee surpassed that set earlier in the day by Liverpool when they signed Andy Carroll for £35mil, which in turn had beaten Manchester City’s £32.5mil capture of Robinho in 2008.

Torres’ departure will anger Liverpool fans, who idolised him during his 3½ seasons at Anfield.

Reds boss Dalglish also hit out at Torres and insisted no player was bigger than the club itself.

Dalglish said: “Players leave the club and players come in, though more have come into this club than gone. It’s no different now. People move on.

“The most important thing is the club. More important and bigger than any individual, no matter who has been through it previously and who will in the future.

“I will never forget that and anyone who does is being a wee bit stupid and irresponsible.”

However, Torres appears to have rubbed Liverpool’s noses in it by insisting he is joining a bigger club than the five-time European champions.

“It has been two hard days for me, leaving Liverpool, but I’m a Chelsea player and I’m happy.

“It is one of the biggest steps forward in my career. It is a great club with a great responsibility. People will be expecting big things for me but I am ready for the challenge.

“It is the kind of team I like to play against because that motivates me and the kind of team I want to play for. It is always very tough to play against a team like Chelsea.

“They are one of the best teams in Europe and always fighting for everything – and that is a step forward.”

Meanwhile, Liverpool have completed their deal to sign Uruguay striker Luis Suarez from Ajax for a fee rising to £22.6mil on Monday.

Suarez agreed a five-and-half-year contract with the Reds after passing a medical just hours before the January transfer window closed.

The 24-year-old will wear the iconic Liverpool number seven shirt made famous by the likes of current Reds boss Kenny Dalglish, Kevin Keegan and Peter Beardsley.

“Luis Suarez has today completed his transfer from Ajax to Liverpool FC and signed a five and a half-year-deal that will keep him at Anfield until 2016,” a statement on Liverpool’s website confirmed. — Agencies

BRITISH RECORD TRANSFER

Here is a list of the top 10 British deals:

FERNANDO TORRES (Liverpool to Chelsea) £50mil.

ANDY CARROLL (Newcastle to Liverpool) £35mil.

ROBINHO (Real Madrid to Man City) £32.5mil.

ANDRIY SHEVCHENKO (AC Milan to Chelsea) £30.8mil.

DIMITAR BERBATOV (Tottenham to Man United) £30.75mil.

RIO FERDINAND (Leeds to Man United) £29.1mil.

JUAN SEBASTIAN VERON (Lazio to Man United) £28.1mil.

WAYNE ROONEY (Everton to Man United) £27mil.

EDIN DZEKO (Wolfsburg to Man City) £27mil.

JAMES MILNER (Aston Villa to Man City) £26mil.

  

Chelsea positive despite £70.9m loss

LONDON: Chelsea said they were in a strong position to meet UEFA’s new financial rules on Monday despite announcing an overall loss of £70.9mil (US$113.7mil) in the year ending June 30, 2010.

The west London club, who won the league and FA Cup double last season, said they had become “cash positive” for the first time since Russian oligarch Roman Abramovic bought it in 2003 and turned them into title winners on the back of a raft of big-money transfers.

The club’s latest figures, disclosed on the day Chelsea were poised to break the British transfer record to sign Liverpool’s Spanish striker Fernando Torres, showed a positive cash flow of £3.8mil compared to a net outflow of £16.9mil in the previous year when they also posted an operating loss of around £72mil.

“The reduction in operating losses and increased sales in 2009/10 shows that we are moving in the right direction especially when viewed against the difficult macro-economic environment,” chief executive Ron Gourlay told the club’s website (www.chelseafc.com).

“The club is in a strong position to meet the challenges of UEFA ‘financial fair play’ initiatives which will be relevant to the financial statements to be released in early 2013.”

Chelsea’s turnover rose £2.5mil to £205.8mil “despite the economic situation” the club added.

UEFA’s new financial “fair play” rules are designed to stop clubs spending more than their income.

  

Woodgate poised for return after long layoff

LONDON: Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp could give injury-plagued Jonathan Woodgate his first start for more than a year today after the defence suffered another blow with news that Ledley King needs surgery.

The 30-year-old King, who struggles to train because of knee problems, will have a groin operation and is “nowhere near being able to play” according to manager Redknapp.

A club spokesman confirmed yesterday that King would have surgery but said no date had yet been fixed.

With Michael Dawson suspended after his red card against Fulham, Younes Kaboul requiring knee surgry and William Gallas doubtful, Redknapp may have little option but to pick former Real Madrid player Woodgate in the Premier League at Blackburn Rovers in what would be his first start since November 2009.

“He’s not played a game of any note but he’s in my mind because he’s such a fantastic player,” Redknapp said of the 31-year-old who was not even named in the club’s 25-man squad at the start of the season because of a groin injury.

“I’m dreaming he can come in and be somewhere near what he was straight away, but it’s not going to be easy and I’ll have to think about that one today.

“He’ll be involved in some way but I’ve got a mind to throw him in at the deep end.

“I’ll think about it (starting him) today and see how he looks this morning, but it’s a big ask for him.”

It is quite a turnaround for Woodgate who travelled to the United States and Australia in a bid to remedy the groin problem which limited him to three appearances last season and cast doubts on his career.

Tottenham, who are desperate to stay in touch with the top four, are also without Gareth Bale for the trip to Ewood Park because of a back injury. 

  

Striker Aguero commits to Atletico until 2014

MADRID: Sergio Aguero ended speculation linking him to the Premier League on Monday by signing a contract extension that commits him to Atletico Madrid until 2014.

Tottenham reportedly lodged a club-record £38.5mil for the Argentina striker, who agreed to a two-year deal.

Last week, Atletico said it turned down big-money offers from Chelsea and Real Madrid for the 22-year-old Aguero.

Aguero said his desire to remain with one of the world’s best clubs inspired the extension, but wouldn’t close the door on a future move.

“If I wanted to leave the club I wouldn’t have re-signed with only 11 months until my contract expired, when I could have left for free,” Aguero said from Vicente Calderon stadium. “I’ll leave Atletico when I want to leave.”

Aguero nor the club revealed the price of his buy-out clause.

“Now is not the time to talk about that. Like I always said, the day that I want to leave the club I’ll take the decision, not my club nor my agent,” Aguero said. “I’m happy here. What’s going through my head is to keep on doing things well so we can take points, which is what we need.”

Nicknamed “El Kun,” Aguero has been one of Atletico’s few standouts in another inconsistent campaign.

The former Independiente striker who joined the club in 2006 has scored 13 goals this season. — AP

Results

South America Under-20 World Cup qualifying: Uruguay 1 Colombia 0, Argentina 0 Ecuador 1, Chile 1 Brazil 5.

Turkish Div 1: Eskisehirspor 1 Konyaspor 0.

Leading standings: Trabzonspor 43, Bursaspor 41, Fenerbahce 39, Kayserispor 36, Besiktas 31.

  

Schalke swoop for Karimi and Charisteas

BERLIN: Schalke 04 struck late in the transfer window to sign Iran midfielder Ali Karimi and former Greece striker Angelos Charisteas on short-term deals until the end of the season, the Bundesliga club said on Monday.

The 32-year-old Karimi, who has won 112 international caps and once had a two-year spell at Bayern Munich, joins from Iran’s Steel Azin Teheran FC.

Schalke coach Felix Magath was in charge of Bayern when the 2004 Asian Footballer of the Year played for the Bavarian club. Karimi also played in the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Charisteas, 30, without a club since leaving French top-flight strugglers Arles-Avignon in November, will boost an impressive Schalke frontline that already includes Spaniard Raul and Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.

The Greek, who has also played for Ajax Amsterdam, Werder Bremen and Bayer Leverkusen, scored the winner in his country’s surprise Euro 2004 final victory over Portugal. 

  

Faltering Juve loan Matri and offload Amauri

MILAN: Juventus revamped their forward line on Monday’s transfer deadline day, loaning Alessandro Matri from Cagliari and sending misfit striker Amauri to Parma.

The fallen Turin giants finished seventh in Serie A last term and are in the same position this season after a series of insipid displays undermined by injuries and a lack of confidence among their forwards.

A statement said Matri had signed on loan until the end of the season, with the club having an option to buy for 15.5mil.

Matri, 26, has bagged 11 Serie A goals this season for the modest Sardinians but is not the big-name signing most Juve fans wanted to see to try to arrest their slide.

  

Match suspended in Paraguay after keeper hit by stone

ASUNCION: Paraguay’s league season got off to a sorry start when Guarani’s match was suspended before kickoff because the home side’s goalkeeper was hit by a stone thrown from the visiting Cerro Porteno sector in the crowd.

The Paraguayan Football Association (APF) said on Monday it would rule this week on the incident in which Guarani’s Uruguayan keeper Pablo Aurrecochea was the victim, needing two stitches in a deep head wound and unable to take the field.

“We’re waiting for the referee’s report. The disciplinary tribunal must rule on the incident,” a APF spokesman said.

Guarani are claiming the points while Cerro Porteno, unhappy with referee Ulises Mereles’s decision to suspend Sunday’s match at the Feliciano Cceres Stadium in the city of Luque, want it rescheduled.

It was the second violent incident in Paraguayan football in January after Cerro Porteno hooligans rioted at a South American Libertadores Cup preliminary match against Venezuela’s Deportivo Petare last Thursday.

Cerro are claiming Guarani, whose team had walked off urging Mereles to suspended the match, were looking to get back at them over the controversial transfer of key Argentine-born midfielder Jonathan Fabbro, who went to court to obtain his release from Guarani to join Cerro this season. 

  

Mourinho’s men aim for King’s Cup final after losing in league

MADRID: Reaching the King’s Cup final is of even greater importance than usual for Real Madrid following a demoralising setback in La Liga.

Jose Mourinho’s side defend a 1-0 lead in their semi-final second leg at home to holders Sevilla today knowing their chances of overhauling league leaders Barcelona suffered serious damage with a shock 1-0 defeat at Osasuna.

That result left them seven points adrift of Pep Guardiola’s champions, who visit struggling Almeria with a healthy 5-0 first-leg advantage in the other semi-final.

“We always have to focus on the next game and give nothing up as lost,” Real Madrid captain Iker Casillas said. “Now we have to lift ourselves and think about the cup because we are only one step from the final.”

Mourinho is expected to have Xabi Alonso back to provide a steadying influence in midfield after recovering from flu and new loan signing Emmanuel Adebayor will have had more time to get to know his new team-mates.

Real, who last lifted the cup in 1993, have won every home game this season.

Sevilla showed grit to come back from two goals down and draw 3-3 with 10-men at Deportivo Coruna on Saturday. They could be tempted to throw new signings Ivan Rakitic and Gary Medel into the fray.

Jesus Navas and Ndri Romaric should be available again after missing the Depor trip.

Barca are expected to field fringe players against Almeria, who are second-bottom of La Liga and have never reached the cup final, and will probably be without Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta who has a shoulder strain.

  

Valencia spoil Racing party with late equaliser

MADRID: Valencia grabbed a late equaliser to draw 1-1 at Racing Santander in La Liga on Monday, putting a damper on the festive atmosphere at the Sardinero following their takeover by an Indian businessman over the weekend.

Ahsan Ali Syed has bought the majority shareholding in the north-coast club and could be seen celebrating in the stands when striker Ariel nodded them in front after a corner in the 32nd minute.

Racing were seeking their first win in 2011 and had already hit the post earlier on, but Valencia have made a habit of scoring late goals recently and steadily improved in the second half.

Tino Costa levelled 12 minutes from time with a fierce shot into the top corner and the visitors had Ricardo Costa sent off in the 89th minute.

Racing’s Medhi Lacen was also sent off soon after in the frenetic closing stages, but the hosts held on to end a run of five consecutive wins for Valencia.

The visitors strengthened their hold on fourth place and the last Champions League qualification slot with 41 points from 21 games. Racing are 17th with 21 points.

Barcelona top the standings with 58 points, seven ahead of second-placed Real Madrid after notching their 15th consecutive victory with a 3-0 win at Hercules on Saturday.

Real were surprise 1-0 losers at Osasuna on Sunday.