Romario returns after two-week absence
March 29, 2006Romario returned to Vasco on Wednesday after a two-week absence from the club, but his future with the four-time Brazilian champion was still uncertain. The veteran striker met with Vasco president Eurico Miranda to discuss his situation, but left without saying whether an agreement for him to stay with the club had been reached.
Thousands of police brace for Bucharest clash
March 29, 2006About 2,000 police are bracing for the UEFA Cup quarterfinal match between Rapid Bucharest and Steaua Bucharest, a volatile rivalry that threatens to engulf the biggest game in two decades of Romanian soccer.
Bolivian president to play in celebratory match
March 29, 2006Evo Morales, a president fond of playing soccer with his bodyguards, will take the field with several South American greats Thursday to fete one of Bolivia's heroes. The 46-year-old head of state has accepted an invitation to play in a match honoring retired Bolivian midfielder Marco Etcheverry, the Presidential Palace has confirmed.
Corinthians name Braga as coach on permanent basis (Reuters)
March 29, 2006Brazilian champions Corinthians named Ademar Braga as coach on a permanent basis on Wednesday.
Celtic assistant coach Burns has melanoma (Reuters)
March 29, 2006Tommy Burns, assistant coach at Celtic and with the Scottish national team, has been receiving treatment for melanoma, the Glasgow club said on Wednesday.
Inter edge Villarreal, AC Milan hold Lyon (Reuters)
March 29, 2006By Mitch Phillips
Pellegrini hopes away goal will count for Villarreal (Reuters)
March 29, 2006By Simon Evans
Villarreal coach pins hopes on away goal
March 29, 2006Villarreal coach pins hopes on away goal
by UEFA Champions League
Houllier promises improved Lyon at San Siro
March 29, 2006Houllier promises improved Lyon at San Siro
by UEFA Champions League
Manchester United 1 West Ham 0
March 29, 2006EPL: Ruud van Nistelrooy marked his Manchester United recall in the best manner possible by netting the only goal to settle an otherwise drab encounter. It was the Dutchman's 149th Red Devils strike, his 23rd of the season.
CL: Inter beats Villarreal 2-1 in first leg
March 29, 2006Champions League: Obafemi Martins scored the winning goal and Adriano broke out of his slump Wednesday in Inter Milan's 2-1 win over Villarreal in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals.
CL: Lyon held to scoreless draw by Milan
March 29, 2006Lyon drew 0-0 at home against six-time European champion AC Milan in a Champions League quarterfinal first-leg match at Stade Gerland Wednesday. Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko wasted three scoring chances and Lyon goalkeeper Gregory Coupet made several key saves. The return leg will be next Tuesday at Milan's San Siro stadium, where Lyon will welcome back influential playmaker Juninho from suspension.
Champions League gallery, Mar. 29
March 29, 2006
New anti-racism code announced by FIFA
March 29, 2006FIFA informed all of its member associations on Wednesday of its new rules to halt racist incidents at matches, bringing into effect harsher sanctions on teams whose fans engage in the behavior.
Chelsea anounce American link
March 29, 2006Chelsea have announced a unique link-up with AEG, one of the major forces in North American soccer, along with a special club-to-club relationship with the MLS champions Los Angeles Galaxy. Blues chief executive Peter Kenyon has been in the USA this week to complete the deal, which comes into effect in the summer of 2007.
Manchester United beats West Ham in Premier League (AP)
March 29, 2006Ruud van Nistelrooy scored a first-half goal Wednesday to lift Manchester United to a 1-0 victory over West Ham in the English Premier League, moving the Red Devils nine points behind league-leading Chelsea. Van Nistelrooy, benched for five games, started as manager Alex Ferguson's captain and scored during injury time.
Inter bounce back after early scare to edge Villarreal (AFP)
March 29, 2006Inter Milan recovered from the shock of going a goal down inside the first minute to beat Spanish side Villarreal 2-1 in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday.
FIFA informs members of anti-racism code (AP)
March 29, 2006FIFA informed its members Wednesday of tougher rules regarding racist conduct by fans. World soccer's governing body adopted the regulations two weeks ago, but said they would not take effect until all its associations and federations were notified. An official or fan behaving in a "discriminatory or contemptuous manner" that can be attributed to a certain team could cost the team three points for...
AC Milan hold Lyon to goalless draw (Reuters)
March 29, 2006By Pierre Serisier
Honours even as Lyon hold Milan to draw in quarter-finals (AFP)
March 29, 2006French league leaders Lyon held Serie A giants AC Milan to a goalless draw in their Champions League quarter-final, leaving the Italians marginal favourites to go through.
Lilly, Scurry, Wambach in U.S. team's training camp (AP)
March 29, 2006World Cup stars Kristine Lilly, Briana Scurry and Abby Wambach were among 25 players invited to the U.S. women's team's residency training camp, which begins April 2. The six-month residency will lead up to the fall qualifying tournament for the 2007 Women's World Cup. The team will average three weeks of training per month, with one week off, through the summer.
Martins and Adriano give Inter advantage (Reuters)
March 29, 2006(Adds detail, byline)
Lyon 0-0 AC Milan: Wasteful Shevchenko
March 29, 2006Lyon 0-0 AC Milan: Wasteful Shevchenko
by UEFA Champions League
Inter Milan 2-1 Villarreal: Martins seals comeback
March 29, 2006Inter Milan 2-1 Villarreal
by UEFA Champions League
Man Utd 1-0 West Ham: Ruud on the mark
March 29, 2006Man Utd 1-0 West Ham: Ruud on the mark
by England
Capello: Arsenal were lucky
March 29, 2006Juventus coach Fabio Capello has claimed that Arsenal were "lucky" to beat his side at Highbury on Tuesday night in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal. The Gunners secured a well-deserved 2-0 victory.
Henry hails dogged defense
March 29, 2006Arsenal skipper Thierry Henry was delighted with his side's miserly defending after they held firm against Juventus.
CL: Arsenal 2 Juventus 0
March 29, 2006Patrick Vieira's much hyped return to Arsenal was ruined by Arsene Wenger's new generation of young stars.
Another bad stroke of Luque
March 29, 2006Albert Luque's hopes of regaining his place in the Newcastle side were dealt a blow as he suffered yet another injury setback.
Milan teams tread new ground
March 29, 2006Milan teams tread new ground
by UEFA Champions League
Agent - Spurs losing race for much-wanted Mido
March 29, 2006Agent - Spurs losing race for Mido
by England
Ex-Galactico Figo brands Real Madrid 'a circus'
March 29, 2006Ex-Galactico Figo brands Real Madrid 'a circus'
by Europe
Liverpool confirm chairman may sell stake
March 29, 2006Liverpool confirm chairman may sell stake
by England
Chelsea announce deal with US giant AEG
March 29, 2006Chelsea announce deal with US giant AEG
by England
Big Sam set to offer Okocha new Bolton deal
March 29, 2006Big Sam set to offer Okocha new Bolton deal
by England
Football League propose new rules for agents
March 29, 2006Football League propose new rules for agents
by England
Romanians ready for UEFA Cup derby showdown
March 29, 2006Romanians ready for UEFA Cup derby showdown
by Europe
Chelsea announce deal to break into US market (AFP)
March 29, 2006Chelsea have signed a ground-breaking deal with an American sports conglomerate that they hope will help them become the most popular European football club in the United States.
Chelsea announce link-up with owners of U.S. teams (Reuters)
March 29, 2006Chelsea have announced a long-term partnership with the owners of four Major League Soccer clubs which will involve the English champions playing in a biennial tournament in the United States.
Cesc is absolutely Fabregas says Henry (AFP)
March 29, 2006Arsenal skipper Thierry Henry has hailed 'amazing' Cesc Fabregas, the Spanish teenager instrumental in plotting Juventus' downfall at Highbury.
Defiant Deisler calms career fears (AFP)
March 29, 2006German international midfielder Sebastian Deisler claims his career is not over following the serious cruciate ligament injury that has ruled him out of the World Cup in June and July.
Chelsea announces alliance with MLS (AP)
March 29, 2006English Premier League leader Chelsea is aligning itself with the Los Angeles Galaxy and the Major League Soccer team's parent company, the Anschutz Entertainment Group. Chelsea said in a statement Wednesday that it expects the alliance "will cover programs and exchanges on young players, medical and coaching." Chelsea said it will be part of a tournament staged by hosting an MLS team every other...
Barca's Xavi poised for return to full training (Reuters)
March 29, 2006Barcelona midfielder Xavi says he is on the verge of returning to full training after almost four months out of action because of a serious knee injury.
Real want revenge on Barcelona for Bernabeu humiliation (Reuters)
March 29, 2006Real Madrid are desperate for revenge for a humiliating 3-0 defeat by Barcelona earlier this season when they play their arch-rivals on Saturday.
DO'L set for double boost
March 29, 2006Aston Villa captain Olof Mellberg and leading scorer Milan Baros are set to give manager David O'Leary a double boost by being fit for Saturday's Premiership clash with his former club Arsenal.
Ferguson wants refs to red card diving cheats (AFP)
March 29, 2006Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson believes referees should be given more power to punish diving cheats.
Injured Vicente pessimistic about his World Cup chances (Reuters)
March 29, 2006Valencia winger Vicente is pessimistic about his chances of recovering from injury in time to make the Spain squad for the World Cup finals in Germany.
We must beat Australia, says Japan's Zico (AFP)
March 29, 2006Japan coach Zico admits the Asian champions are under huge pressure to defeat Australia in their first World Cup match, in a tough group that also includes Brazil and Croatia.
English leagues to propose new rules for players agents (Reuters)
March 29, 2006By Darren Ennis
Liverpool confirm talks with investors (AFP)
March 29, 2006Liverpool have confirmed they are in discussions with potential investors which may lead to the sale of the club.
Beckenbauer ends marathon World Cup welcome tour (AFP)
March 29, 2006Germany icon Franz Beckenbauer concluded his marathon FIFA World Cup welcome tour when he arrived at Frankfurt airport following a 24-hour return flight from Australia.
Capello confident Juventus can overturn deficit (Reuters)
March 29, 2006Juventus coach Fabio Capello insists his side can overcome a 2-0 first leg deficit against Arsenal to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League.
Liverpool confirm possible takeover talks
March 29, 2006Liverpool confirm possible takeover talks
by England
Beckham backs Sven for Bernabeu hotseat
March 29, 2006Beckham backs Sven for Bernabeu hotseat
by Europe
Capello confident Juventus can overturn deficit
March 29, 2006Capello confident Juventus can overturn deficit
by UEFA Champions League
'We will finish off Juventus', vows Wenger
March 29, 2006'We will finish off Juventus', vows Wenger
by UEFA Champions League
Koeman expecting more of the same in Barcelona
March 29, 2006Koeman expecting more of the same in Barcelona
by UEFA Champions League
Larsson rues Barca's missed chances against Benfica
March 29, 2006Larsson rues Barca's missed chances against Benfica
by UEFA Champions League
Sir Alex demands consistency from United
March 29, 2006Sir Alex demands consistency from United
by England
FA hit back over Fergie's compliance unit attack
March 29, 2006FA hit back over Fergie's compliance unit attack
by England
Vieri out for up to four weeks with knee injury
March 29, 2006Vieri out for up to four weeks with knee injury
by Europe
Becks: Sven can handle Real job
March 29, 2006David Beckham believes England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson is the "obvious choice" to take over at Real Madrid after this summer's World Cup. The Swede is one of seven potential Real managers named on a shortlist by Bernabeu president Fernando Martin.
Mexico, Paraguay practice for WC tuneup
March 29, 2006Mexico and Paraguay practiced Tuesday at the University of Illinois-Chicago in preparation for a World Cup tuneup game to be played Wednesday at Soldier Field. Mexico coach Ricardo Antonio Lavolpe has brought along, amongst other regular starters, veteran defender Claudio Suarez.
The 'Is This It?' Gossip
March 29, 2006But frankly, that's all there is...
PREVIEW-Soccer-Romanians ready for UEFA derby showdown (Reuters)
March 29, 2006By Clare Lovell