Brazilian player criminally charged with racially insulting opponent (AP)
April 12, 2006Prosecutors on Wednesday charged a Brazilian soccer player with racism, a crime in Brazil, for insulting an opponent in a match last month. Prosecutors in the southern Rio Grande do Sul state charged Juventude defender Antonio Carlos after TV images showed him shouting "monkey" during a state league match on March 5.
PREVIEW-Soccer-Stuttering Lyon still on course to make history (Reuters)
April 12, 2006By Jean-Paul Couret
Mexican rivals America, Toluca draw 0-0 in first leg of Champions Cup (AP)
April 12, 2006Mexican teams Toluca and America drew 0-0 in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup final Wednesday in a game marked by effective and organized defensive play from both sides. The teams will play the second leg next Wednesday in America's Azteca stadium to decide the title and earn a berth in December's FIFA Club World Championship in Japan.
Mexico players try to ignore Blanco controversy (Reuters)
April 12, 2006Mexico's players tried to ignore the controversy over the exclusion of forward Cuauhtemoc Blanco as they began a pre-World Cup training camp on Wednesday.
Espanyol lift King's Cup with sparkling 4-1 win (Reuters)
April 12, 2006(Adds Lotina quotes)
Arsenal draw 1-1 at lowly Portsmouth (Reuters)
April 12, 2006(adds quotes)
Breakaway rebels FC United win promotion
April 12, 2006Breakaway rebels FC United win promotion
by England
Espanyol crush Zaragoza to win Cup final
April 12, 2006Espanyol crush Zaragoza to win Cup final
by Europe
Rennes, Nantes through to French semis
April 12, 2006Rennes, Nantes through to French semis
by Europe
Roma beat Palermo to meet Inter in final
April 12, 2006Roma beat Palermo to meet Inter in final
by Europe
FAC: Middlesbrough 4 Charlton 2
April 12, 2006FA Cup: Middlesbrough's cup exploits show no sign of abating as they booked their second semi-final place in the space of a week, after reaching the last four of the UEFA Cup last Thursday with the most astonishing of comebacks against Basel.
English Roundup, Apr. 12
April 12, 2006EPL: Portsmouth held Arsenal to a 1-1 draw on Wednesday, denting the London club's bid to finish fourth in the English Premier League and qualify for next season's European Champions League.
Security officials prepare for World Cup threats
April 12, 2006Officials are bracing for two different threats when more than a million people stream into 12 German cities in less than two months for the World Cup: hooliganism and terrorism.
Blatter expresses confidence in security
April 12, 2006FIFA president Sepp Blatter said Wednesday he is confident adequate security measures are in place for this year's World Cup in Germany. Blatter said he did not think stadium construction problems or hooliganism would cause a major disruption at world soccer's biggest event. "FIFA has confidence in the German organization concerning security," he said. Blatter said Berlin's Olympic Stadium, where the final is to take place on July 9, meets safety requirements.
Santander fined over racist taunting of Eto'o
April 12, 2006Racing Santander was fined an undisclosed sum Wednesday after its supporters racially taunted FC Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o during a recent Spanish league game. Barcelona-based newspaper Sport said on its Web site that the fine was about US$7,260.
Soccer bigots create climate of hate in France
April 12, 2006Warming up on the sideline, a black player jogs toward fans at the Parc des Princes soccer stadium. As he gets closer, a barrage of monkey chants explodes - "OOOH! OOOH! OOOH!"- and racist insults fill the air.
Attention focuses on excluded striker
April 12, 2006As Mexico prepares for World Cup in Germany, soccer fans are most excited about a player who won't make the trip: Cuauhtemoc Blanco, the bad-boy star of the country's most popular team.
WC: Demonstrators demand Blanco's inclusion
April 12, 2006World Cup: About 200 demonstrators marched through Mexico City on Tuesday to demand that Club America striker Cuauhtemoc Blanco be added to Mexico's squad for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
Middlesbrough beat Charlton 4-2 to reach FA Cup semis (Reuters)
April 12, 2006Middlesbrough beat Charlton Athletic 4-2 in their FA Cup quarter-final replay on Wednesday and will meet West Ham United in the last four.
Arsenal held to 1-1 draw by lowly Portsmouth (Reuters)
April 12, 2006Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw by relegation-threatened Portsmouth on Wednesday as their hopes of finishing fourth in the Premier League suffered a blow.
AEK to meet Olympiakos in Greek Cup final (Reuters)
April 12, 2006Third division Agrotikos Asteras achieved an historic 1-0 win over AEK Athens on Wednesday but were unable to prevent the first division club from advancing to the Greek Cup final.
Rennes win 5-3 in extra time thriller to reach semis (Reuters)
April 12, 2006Ligue 2 club Montpellier's Jerome Lafourcade hit a hat-trick but still finished on the losing side as Stade Rennes won 5-3 after extra time in their French Cup quarter-final on Wednesday.
Rangers fined 13,000 euros over Villarreal crowd trouble (Reuters)
April 12, 2006Rangers were fined 13,000 euros ($15,800) for crowd incidents during their Champions League first knockout round tie against Villarreal.
Barcelona to make three-game U.S. exhibition tour (AP)
April 12, 2006Barcelona will make a three-game preseason exhibition tour to the United States in August. Barcelona will play Mexican teams in the Los Angeles area on Aug. 6 and Houston on Aug. 9, then face Major League Soccer's New York Red Bulls at East Rutherford, N.J., on Aug. 12. Barcelona has an 11-point lead in the Spanish League and is in the European Champions League semifinals, where it faces AC Milan.
Portsmouth 1-1 Arsenal: Gunners fall short
April 12, 2006Portsmouth 1-1 Arsenal: Gunners fall short
by England
Boro 4-2 Charlton: Hammers await in semis
April 12, 2006Boro 4-2 Charlton: Hammers await in semis
by England
Chelsea still considering leaving the Bridge
April 12, 2006Chelsea still considering leaving the Bridge
by England
Rangers fined for Villarreal bus attack
April 12, 2006Rangers fined for Villarreal bus attack
by UEFA Champions League
Blackburn loses court ruling over Dahlin
April 12, 2006English club Blackburn Rovers lost a High Court claim against insurers on Wednesday over 4 million pounds (US$7 million; €5.7 million) in compensation for a back injury that prompted the end of former Sweden international Martin Dahlin's career.
Valencia's Aimar in hospital
April 12, 2006Valencia forward Pablo Aimar is under observation in hospital after missing training due to flu symptoms, news reports said Wednesday.
ACL: Chonbuk Motors downs Danang
April 12, 2006Colombia's Milton Rodriguez scored midway through the first half Wednesday to spark South Korea's Chonbuk Motors to a 3-0 thrashing of Danang of Vietnam in Group E of the Asian Champions League.
ACL: Gamba Osaka trounces Dalian Shide
April 12, 2006Brazilian striker Magno Alves scored twice Wednesday to lead Japan's Gamba Osaka to a 3-0 win over Dalian Shide of China in Group E of the Asian Champions League.
Blatter: Sponsorship for 2010 WC up 25%
April 12, 2006Sponsorship deals for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa already are 25 percent more lucrative than for this year's tournament in Germany, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said Wednesday.
Chelsea abandons stadium search (SportsTicker)
April 12, 2006LONDON (Ticker) - Chelsea has abandoned its search for a new stadium site and now will concentrate on raising the capacity at Stamford Bridge to 55,000.
Barcelona to play three games in U.S. this summer (SportsTicker)
April 12, 2006NEW YORK (Ticker) - American soccer fans will get three chances this summer to personally witness the best player in the world.
Blackburn Rovers lose Dahlin insurance claim (Reuters)
April 12, 2006Blackburn Rovers have lost a High Court battle to win multi-million pound damages over a career-ending back injury to Swedish striker Martin Dahlin.
Confident Brazil fans reserve charters for Berlin final (Reuters)
April 12, 2006Confident Brazilian fans have reserved slots for charter flights to Berlin before the World Cup final on July 9, a spokesman for the capital's airports said on Wednesday.
Gamba edge towards breaking Japan's Asian jinx (Reuters)
April 12, 2006Japan's Gamba Osaka overpowered Chinese side Dalian Shide 3-0 at home to move closer to breaking the country's Asian Champions League jinx on Wednesday.
Hiddink to become Russia's coach after World Cup (SportsTicker)
April 12, 2006MOSCOW (Ticker) - Guus Hiddink announced Tuesday he was taking the helm of Russia's national side and now the country's soccer union have confirmed his appointment.
Sri Lanka reaches AFC Challenge Cup final (Reuters)
April 12, 2006Sri Lanka reached the final of the inaugural AFC Challenge Cup on Wednesday by beating Nepal 5-3 in a penalty shoot-out.
Ballack close to Blues deal
April 12, 2006Ballack in advanced talks with Chelsea
by England
Boro making plans for McClaren exit - Cooper
April 12, 2006Boro making plans for McClaren exit - Cooper
by England
Head injury puts end to Pogatetz's season
April 12, 2006Head injury ends Pogatetz's season
by England
Fire crews called to Old Trafford blaze
April 12, 2006Fire crews called to Old Trafford
by England
Security officials prepare for WC threats
April 12, 2006Security officials are bracing for two very different threats when more than a million people stream into 12 German cities in less than two months for the World Cup: hooliganism and terrorism.
Copa Libertadores Roundup, Apr. 11
April 12, 2006Copa Libertadores Wrap: Sebastian Gonzalez scored twice and Mexico's Tigres played to a 2-2 draw with Colombia's Deportivo Cali to keep alive their hope of advancing. Also, Velez Sarsfield won to advance and Union Espanola drew with Newell's Old Boys.
Ref blast won't cost Jewell
April 12, 2006Wigan boss Paul Jewell will not face any formal disciplinary action by the Football Association, despite describing referee Phil Dowd as "incompetent".
South Africans balk at cost of hosting 2010
April 12, 2006Alarm and indignation hang heavy over the manicured greens of the 110-year-old Metropolitan golf course, which looks set to be devoured by a 68,000-seat stadium to be erected in the heart of Cape Town for the 2010 World Cup.
A Quite Interesting Gossip
April 12, 2006Ash Cole going to Germany and then Chelsea, plus all the other rumors
Chelsea dominate PFA nominations
April 12, 2006Chelsea players dominated the nominations for the Professional Footballers' Association player of the year award. John Terry, Frank Lampard and Joe Cole were on the list, along with other stars in England like Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and Thierry Henry.
Ballack in advanced talks with Chelsea, agent says (Reuters)
April 12, 2006Germany captain Michael Ballack is in advanced negotiations with Chelsea about a move to London, his agent Michael Becker was quoted as saying on Wednesday.
Six Croatian top-flight sides fail licence requirements (Reuters)
April 12, 2006Only six out of 12 Croatian Premier League teams meet UEFA'S licensing criteria to play in the top-flight next season, the Croatian Soccer Association (HNS) said on Wednesday.
Allianssi says out of Finnish league, bankruptcy next (Reuters)
April 12, 2006Allianssi will file for bankruptcy after a second appeal to have their league licence returned was rejected by the Finnish football association, chairman Erkki Salo said on Wednesday.
Barca's Messi a serious doubt for Milan clash (Reuters)
April 12, 2006Barcelona forward Lionel Messi is a serious doubt for next week's Champions League semi-final, first leg against AC Milan after being ruled out of Friday's Primera Liga match against Villarreal.
Hiddink confirmed as Russia coach (Reuters)
April 12, 2006(adds detail, background)
Russia names Hiddink as national team coach (Reuters)
April 12, 2006Dutchman Guus Hiddink will take over as coach of Russia's national soccer team after this year's World Cup, the Football Union of Russia said on Wednesday.
Keane will play at Celtic next season - Strachan
April 12, 2006Keane will play at Celtic next season - Strachan
by Europe
Barca's Messi a serious doubt for Milan clash
April 12, 2006Barca's Messi a serious doubt for Milan clash
by UEFA Champions League
Jewell in clear over Dowd 'incompetent' slur
April 12, 2006Jewell in clear over Dowd 'incompetent' slur
by England
Blues trio head PFA Player of the Year nominees
April 12, 2006Blues trio head PFA Player of the Year nominees
by England
'Diarra more expensive than Essien', say Lyon
April 12, 2006'Diarra more expensive than Essien'
by Europe
Wenger confident of Gunners dual success
April 12, 2006Wenger confident of dual success
by England
Race for places has helped United - Brown
April 12, 2006Race for places has helped United - Brown
by England
Rested Bent raring to go, Curbs warns Boro
April 12, 2006Rested Bent raring to go, Curbs warns Boro
by England
Poll: Diving clampdown would have backlash
April 12, 2006Poll: Diving clampdown would have backlash
by England
Easter will 'make or break' West Brom's season
April 12, 2006Easter will 'make or break' West Brom's season
by England
England contender Allardyce committed to Bolton
April 12, 2006England contender Allardyce committed to Bolton
by England
Russia confirm Hiddink as national team coach
April 12, 2006Russia confirm Hiddink as national team coach
by Europe
CTL: Tigres draw Deportivo Cali
April 12, 2006Copa Libertadores: Sebastian Gonzalez scored twice Tuesday and the Tigres played out a 2-2 draw with Colombia's Deportivo Cali to keep alive the Mexicans' hope of advancing in the Copa Libertadores. The draw gives the Tigres seven points in Group 4, three less than the joint leaders.
Olsen grabs his chance in US friendly draw (Reuters)
April 12, 2006By Gene Cherry
U.S. ties Jamaica in World Cup tuneup (SportsTicker)
April 12, 2006CARY, North Carolina (Ticker) - The United States men's national soccer team continued its tuneup for the World Cup with a 1-1 tie Tuesday against Jamaica.