Soccer Capsules: Inter, Guadalajara vie for Copa Libertadores title
PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil (AP) — Internacional will take a one-goal advantage into the second leg of the Copa Libertadores final against Guadalajara, which is attempting to become the first Mexican club to win Latin America's most important club competition.
The teams face off Wednesday with Internacional boosted by its home fans and a 2-1 first-leg win in Mexico last week.
Guadalajara, known as Chivas, will need to find a way to beat the Brazilians by two goals or more at Beira-Rio stadium to clinch the title and make history.
A one-goal victory by the Mexicans will send the match into extra time. If the teams remain level, a penalty shootout will be needed.
"We remain hopeful," Chivas coach Jose Luis Real said. "We know we can play better than we did in the first match in Guadalajara."
Internacional has won all six matches at Beira-Rio stadium this year, and hasn't lost there in 16 Copa Libertadores matches since 1993. It also has won all three matches it played against Mexican clubs in the competition.
Chivas players, however, remain optimistic.
"We can still do it," defender Miguel Angel Ponce said. "We haven't lost the match yet, it's not over. We had to go through a difficult situation in Chile too, but we were able to overcome it. This time it won't be different, we will attack from the start and bring the Copa to Mexico."
Chivas drew 1-1 at home with Universidad de Chile in the semifinals before recovering with a 2-0 victory to secure a spot in the final.
"There is no time for a letdown," midfielder Edgar Mejia said. "It's the most important final we have played and that's how we have to face it."
Internacional is wary of Chivas' previous good form on the road, though.
"We are all on alert, especially after what they did in Chile," left back Kleber said. "We know their team is not done yet. We know that we will have to defend well, Chivas has a lot of quality."
Three key Internacional starters had been in doubt because of injuries but trained normally on Tuesday and are likely to start. Striker Alecsandro and midfielder Tinga were nursing right thigh muscle injuries, while defensive midfielder Pablo Guinazu was recovering from a left ankle ailment.
"Right now they are in condition to play, but lets see how they are tomorrow (Wednesday)," Internacional coach Celso Roth said. "We'll have to wait and see."
Chivas coach Real is not expected to make any changes from the first leg, but he did not rule out the return of striker Alberto Medina, who has been nursing a right ankle injury.
"The idea is to play with the same team," Real said. "Maybe Medina will make it, but right now the idea it to go with the same team that played in Guadalajara."
Chivas is only the second Mexican club to reach the final since the country joined the Copa Libertadores in 1998. Cruz Azul lost the 2001 final to Boca Juniors.
Chivas began this year's competition in the second round after being forced to pull out of the 2009 edition because opponents were unable to travel to Mexico due the swine flu outbreak.
Internacional is trying to win its first Copa Libertadores title since 2006, when it also beat Barcelona in the final of FIFA's Club World Championship. It hadn't made the final of the Latin American club competition since then.
"It's a special match for us, there is no doubt," Roth said. "We will respect Chivas, but we have to focus on playing well and with caution to secure the title."
It is the fifth consecutive year that the decisive Copa Libertadores match is being played in Brazil, with the visiting team coming out on top in the last three. The last Brazilian home team to win the title in the second leg was Internacional, against Sao Paulo in 2006.
Internacional and Chivas met in the 2008 semifinals of the Copa Sudamericana, with the Brazilian club winning 2-0 in Mexico and 4-0 at the Beira-Rio in the decisive match. It eventually won the title against Argentina's Estudiantes.
Internacional is already guaranteed a spot in FIFA's Club World Cup to be played in December against the other continental champions because Mexican clubs are part of the North and Central American region and can't represent South America.
Guadalajara focused on improving from 1st leg
PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil (AP) — Guadalajara has a difficult task trying to overcome a one-goal disadvantage against Internacional in the Copa Libertadores final on Wednesday, and knows it will have to play better than in the first leg to have a chance.
A poor performance at home last week led to a 2-1 loss, and now it needs to beat Internacional by at least two goals at Beira-Rio stadium in southern Brazil to automatically win the title. A one-goal victory will send the match into extra time.
"It's a motivation to try to play at the level that we know we can play," defender Hector Reynoso said. "We need to try to erase the bad impression that we left in Guadalajara, that was painful."
Guadalajara, known as Chivas, led 1-0 in the first half in Mexico, but was outplayed in the second and allowed two goals from headers that put the team in a difficult position for Wednesday's second leg.
"Those who know us in Mexico are aware that we didn't play as well as we could in the second half in Mexico," coach Jose Luis Real said. "That has to motivate us to play better in Brazil, play a more complete game, as Chivas normally plays. We know Internacional is a difficult opponent, but we also know that we can play better."
The Mexicans had to recover from a poor first match in the semifinals too, when drawing 1-1 at home with Universidad de Chile before rallying for a 2-0 victory in Chile to secure a spot in the final for the first time.
"That's what we have in mind, to play well as visitors," Reynoso said. "It wasn't only against U. de Chile, but we have played well in other matches as visitors too. That's what we have to do, to play one of our best games as visitors."
Internacional, the 2006 Copa Libertadores champion, has been tough at home, though, winning all six Copa Libertadores matches at Beira-Rio this year. It hasn't lost at the stadium in 16 Copa Libertadores matches since 1993.
"We made tactical mistakes in Guadalajara," Reynoso said. "But we analyzed them and talked about them. We know we can do things differently and attack more, which is something we didn't do in Guadalajara."
Chivas underwent its final practice on Tuesday at Gremio's Olimpico stadium, with coach Real making the final tactical adjustments before the final.
Chivas is trying to become the first Mexican club to win Latin America's most important club competition. It became only the second club from Mexico to reach the final since the country joined the Copa Libertadores in 1998. Cruz Azul lost the 2001 final to Argentina's Boca Juniors.
Chivas began this year's competition in the second round after being forced to pull out of the 2009 tournament because of the swine flu outbreak in Mexico.
-- Tales Azzoni
CONCACAF Champions: Monterrey wins opener
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Aldo De Nigris scored in the 25th minute to lift Mexico's Monterrey to a 1-0 victory over Saprissa on Tuesday in the opening Group C match of the CONCACAF Champions League.
De Nigris scored after a pass from Paraguay's Osvaldo Martinez. The victory gave the Mexican club three points in a group that also includes the MLS's Seattle Sounders and Marathon of Honduras.
The Costa Rica club has a chance to equalize in the 85th minute, but Walter Centeno's shot from outside the area was stopped by Monterrey 'keeper Jonathan Orozco.
League News
Bayern favorites in Germany despite no spending
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Bayern Munich coach Louis van Gaal has not spent any money on new players for the coming season, convinced his squad is strong enough to defend both German domestic titles.
Van Gaal's side kicks off the new Bundesliga season Friday against Wolfsburg, the 2009 champion that has been the biggest preseason spender, dishing out an estimated €23.4 million.
Other clubs have been busy as well, but the Bundesliga sides remain careful spenders despite the league continuing to boom.
Bolstered by Germany's World Cup success, the 18 clubs have reported record season ticket sales of 460,000, compared to 435,000 last season. Several clubs stopped sales early after reaching self-imposed limits.
The Bundesliga boasts the biggest crowds in Europe at its new stadiums, but the clubs are spending at a prudent level to foster long-term stability, and the sides are beginning to play a bigger role in European competitions.
The combination of these factors has made the Bundesliga more attractive for players, especially those able to move on free transfers.
Michael Ballack has returned to Bayer Leverkusen after being let go by Chelsea and Raul Gonzalez has become one of the new players at ambitious Schalke after leaving Real Madrid.
Still, Bayern remains the team to beat.
"I believe — and I don't think I'm the only one — that we can accomplish everything we accomplished last year: win the championship, the cup and perhaps even the Champions League," said Bayern's honorary president Franz Beckenbauer.
Bayern got off to a rocky start under van Gaal last season and the Dutchman came close to being fired before turning things around with a strong second half of the season.
Bayern went on to capture the domestic double and reached the final of the Champions League, losing to Inter Milan.
"The team has grown together," Beckenbauer said.
Bayern's handicap could be the absence of star winger Arjen Robben, whose torn hamstring will keep him out of the first two months of the season.
Robben reached the final of the World Cup with the Netherlands and was voted last season's top Bundesliga player. He led Bayern with 16 goals in the league.
Although Bayern may still decide to add a player or two before the transfer period ends at the end of the month, van Gaal seems pleased with his squad.
Striker Miroslav Klose returned to form at the World Cup and last season's discovery Thomas Mueller justified his call-up for Germany by becoming the tournament's top scorer and best young player. Mueller was second top scorer for the Bavarian club and the 20-year-old rising star could have an even bigger role while Robben recovers.
"We are not going to have any problems at the start like last season because now we know the system of our coach," Mueller said.
Bayern has already won a title this season by beating Bundesliga runner-up Schalke 2-0 in the Super Cup.
Schalke surprisingly finished second in Felix Magath's first year as coach and Magath has revamped the team by releasing costly veterans and adding Raul and former Germany defender Christoph Metzelder. Schalke are also in the Champions League and the burden of playing in both could undermine its championship hopes.
Leverkusen hopes the return of Ballack will add some leadership qualities to a talented team that keeps falling short of winning titles.
While some aging stars have arrived in the Bundesliga, a pair of young players that took Germany to third place at the World Cup have departed: Mesut Oezil of Werder Bremen and Sami Khedira of Stuttgart both have gone to Real Madrid.
The generosity of Wolfsburg's sponsor, the Volkswagen car company, has helped the club not only buy new players but also to keep striker Edin Dzeko and playmaker Zvjezdan Misimovic.
Wolfsburg also boasts the first English coach in the Bundesliga in Steve McLaren, who led modest Twente Enschede to the Dutch title last season.
Cult club St. Pauli and former champions Kaiserslautern return to the top flight.
-- Nesha Starcevic
Montpellier held 0-0 at Monaco in French league
PARIS (AP) — Montpellier was held 0-0 at Monaco on Tuesday to miss an opportunity to join Toulouse and Caen at the top of the French league.
The match was initially scheduled for last Saturday but heavy rains damaged the pitch at Stade Louis II, forcing a postponement.
South Korea forward Park Chu-young had the best first-half chance for Monaco with a header that hit the post in the 26th minute.
Monaco goalkeeper Stephane Ruffier saved a bicycle kick by forward Olivier Giroud in the 60th.
Montpellier slipped to seventh place with four points, while Monaco was 14th with two points.
On Sunday, Toulouse defeated Bordeaux 2-1 and Caenstunned last season's runner-up Lyon 3-2 to both move to six points. Paris Saint-Germain drew 0-0 with Lille and is fourth with four points.
On Saturday, it was: Valenciennes 3, Marseille 2; Nancy 0, Rennes 3; Brest 1, Auxerre 1; Lorient 1, Nice 2; Saint-Etienne 3, Sochaux 2 and Arles-Avignon 0, Lens 1.
World Cup
Russia will waive visas for World Cup participants
MOSCOW (AP) — Prime Minister Vladimir Putin told a FIFA delegation Tuesday that Russia will waive visa requirements for participants if it wins hosting rights for the 2018 or 2022 World Cup.
Nine candidates, including England and the United States, are seeking to host the competition in either year, and FIFA is currently touring the bidding nations ahead of a decision Dec. 2.
"We are ready to extend extra, governmental guarantees on visa-free entry for participants and guests of the World Cup," Putin told the visiting delegation at his residence outside Moscow.
Russia has axed visa requirements for sports events before, allowing Manchester United and Chelsea fans arriving for the 2008 Champions League final to simply show their tickets at passport control.
The head of the inspection committee, Harold Mayne-Nicholls, welcomed the idea as "extremely important."
Russia is vowing to construct all facilities from scratch, except the venue for the final at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium. Putin on Tuesday extolled the virtues of the clean slate approach, which also helped Russia secure the rights to host the 2014 Winter Olympics in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
The city's Olympic facilities, now half-built, were barely in blueprints when the International Olympic Committee granted Russia the hosting rights at a ceremony in Guatemala in 2007.
Putin also said the construction of world-class football stadiums will go ahead regardless of whether Russia is granted hosting rights, co-funded out of state coffers and private investment.
FIFA's visit to Russia ends Thursday, when the inspection team will have visited four potential host cities of St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kazan and Sochi.
Also bidding for either tournament are Belgium-Netherlands and Spain-Portugal. Australia, Japan, Qatar and South Korea are applying for 2022 only.
The inspection team has already visited Japan, South Korea, Australia and Belgium-Netherlands. England is next on the agenda, beginning Aug. 23.
-- David Nowak
Elsewhere
Man City recruit Balotelli says he's no 'bad boy'
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Even as new signing Mario Balotelli was being presented by Manchester City on Tuesday, the Premier League's big spenders were finalizing the addition of James Milner that will take their outlay since last season beyond $180 million.
City hopes such lavish spending will end a 35-year title drought but it was described as "kamikaze" by Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, who is investing far smaller sums in emerging talent.
City's spending since being bought by a member of Abu Dhabi's ruling family two years ago has forced out some players.
Craig Bellamy had to go out on loan to Cardiff on Tuesday because there was no space for the striker in City's 25-man Premier League squad under manager Roberto Mancini.
Balotelli, one of Bellamy's replacements up front, arrives at City with a similar stormy reputation as the Wales striker.
The Italy forward had a fiery relationship with Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho last season, but still declared after joining City on a five-year deal last week that he would have preferred to stay in Italy.
"I am no bad boy — that's what they say in Italy," Balotelli said Tuesday. "But I am just a normal guy, not particularly bad or good, just a normal guy, so I don't see what the fuss is all about ...
"I was sorry to leave my family and friends behind in Italy, but not for professional reasons."
Mancini, Mourinho's predecessor at Inter, believes being reunited with Balotelli will help him make a fresh start in England.
"All of us were said to be bad boys when we are young, but I have worked with Mario before and he is a normal person," Mancini said. "Mario has everything to become a fantastic player for the future because he is young, he has a good technique. He is strong in the air, goes quickly, he has everything to become one of the best players in the world in the future."
Balotelli could make his debut on Thursday in City's Europa League playoff against Romanian side Timisoara, but Milner may not play until Monday's Premier League match with Liverpool.
Mancini expects the England midfielder to complete his move from Aston Villa by Wednesday, with Stephen Ireland set to move in the opposite direction.
Goalkeeper Shay Given could also be on the way out after Joe Hart was selected to start Saturday's league opener against Tottenham and then produced several outstanding saves in the 0-0 draw.
"I hope (Given) will stay with us because we are in four competitions," Mancini said. "But I respect his wishes if he wants to leave."
City has not won a major honor since the 1976 League Cup and is chasing its first league title since ending Manchester United's decades of dominance in 1968.
United has won three of the last four Premier League titles despite meager spending in the transfer market compared to its neighbor.
"Over the last two or three years, we have seen very wealthy owners become part of football clubs and therefore go on this kamikaze effort to spend their money," Ferguson said. "It is amazing the amounts of money that are being bandied about in the present-day game.
"Some people may think it could be dangerous. But if they have that kind of money, they are certainly using it. I don't see it abating. The kind of spending we are seeing at the moment will be here for two or three years, until such time as they understand you can't necessarily achieve all the time by spending."
Craig Bellamy joins Cardiff on loan from Man City
CARDIFF, Wales (AP) — Wales striker Craig Bellamy dropped into English football's second tier Tuesday after big-spending Manchester City told him he would not make its Premier League squad, joining Cardiff on a season-long loan.
The 31-year-old forward returned to the city of his birth after a decade in the topflight, forced out of City by a new Premier League rule restricting clubs to a 25-man squad.
But Bellamy said he did not take a pay cut despite Cardiff being deep in debt, raising speculation that City agreed to keep paying his salary to facilitate the move to a club it does not consider a rival for honors.
Bellamy had previously claimed that he had been frozen out by City manager Roberto Mancini, but said Tuesday that he wished Mancini well and had no ill feeling toward the Italian.
City has spent more than 100 million pounds ($157 million) reinforcing its squad since Tottenham edged it to fourth place last season and England's final Champions League qualifying spot.
"I was bought to take the club on to the next stage and I feel I played a big part in doing that," Bellamy said. "The players they're signing are incredible. The next couple of years I'm sure they'll get the Premier League title, and I hope they do."
The arrival of Mario Balotelli and David Silva meant that City had a surfeit of forwards but was unwilling to let a rival for honors sign a player who scored 10 Premier League goals last season.
Bellamy has said he turned down the chance to join German club Wolfsburg in the offseason, while Premier League clubs Tottenham, Sunderland and Fulham were also linked with a player known for his outspokenness and short temper as much as his talent.
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp said publicly that City had refused to loan Bellamy to him.
The move prompted Scottish club Motherwell to new its threat of legal action against Cardiff over an unpaid transfer fee.
Cardiff failed to make a payment of 100,000 pounds ($155,800) due in January on last year's signing of Motherwell fullback Paul Quinn and then missed another 75,000 pound ($116,900) installment in the current transfer window.
Motherwell issued a writ against Cardiff in a Scottish court on Friday but said Cardiff has not responded.
"We have given Cardiff every chance to do the right thing," Motherwell chief executive Leann Dempster said Tuesday. "The board now believe that Cardiff's position is untenable given their activity in the transfer market.
"Given all these circumstances and with legal and moral weight behind us, Motherwell FC have no option but to immediately pursue all legal routes to ensure this significant sum paid to us as quickly as possible."
Motherwell said it could ask the court to seize Cardiff's assets or send bailiffs to the club's stadium to take cash from ticket sales.
Quinn, a former Motherwell captain, played 22 league appearances last season to help Cardiff reach the semifinals of the League Championship playoff.
Bellamy, the Wales captain, could make his debut for Cardiff against Doncaster in the League Championship on Saturday.
"I don't mind dipping into the championship for a year but hopefully I want to bring this club back to the Premier League," Bellamy said. "I've always watched Cardiff whenever I've had an opportunity. I have been able to train here and Cardiff have always kept the door available to me.
"I know the setup, so it's just a very happy time for me."
One of three Welsh clubs playing in England's 92-team professional league system, Cardiff has not been in the topflight since 1962. Cardiff's best finish was runner-up in 1924 and it became the only non English side to win the FA Cup when it beat Arsenal 1-0 in the 1927 FA Cup final.
Bremen sells Oezil to Real Madrid
MADRID (AP) — Midfielder Mesut Oezil has become the second member of Germany's third-place World Cup squad to move to Real Madrid.
Madrid said on Tuesday it had agreed to a deal with Werder Bremen for Oezil, subject to a physical on Wednesday.
Werder and Madrid confirmed the deal, but gave no details. Oezil was traveling immediately to Madrid.
"We are respecting Mesut's wish to make the next step in his career," Werder business manager Klaus Allofs said.
The two clubs hurried to complete the deal before Bremen's Champions League qualifying game on Wednesday against Sampdoria. Oezil would not have been eligible to play for another club in the competition if he had been in Werder's lineup.
The 21-year-old midfielder will join Germany teammate Sami Khedira at Madrid under its new coach Jose Mourinho. Khedira formerly played for Stuttgart.
The move had been expected, and media in both countries have said Madrid made an improved offer for the son of Turkish immigrants after Werder rejected the initial bid as inadequate.
"We reached a deal today, quite simply because Real offered more money," Allofs said, declining to give any figures. "Werder can never ignore the economic factor."
Oezil arrived in Bremen in January 2008 from Schalke. He won the German Cup in 2009 with Werder and scored 12 goals in 71 games.
Although he could have played for Turkey, Oezil chose to represent Germany and was a prominent member of Joachim Loew's young team that exceeded expectations by finishing third at the World Cup in South Africa.
Oezil is expected to help Madrid overcome the four-month absence of Brazil midfielder Kaka after a knee operation.
Anelka scoffs at 18-game France ban
PARIS (AP) — Nicolas Anelka has scoffed at his 18-match suspension from France's national football team, saying it has him "dying of laughter."
The French Football Federation suspended the Chelsea striker Tuesday for his profane tirade against then coach Raymond Domenech at the World Cup, which saw him sent home, prompting a player strike.
In an interview in France Soir newspaper Wednesday, he called the suspension a "masquerade to not lose face."
"These people are real clowns ... I'm dying of laughter," the report quoted Anelka as saying.
The 18-match ban is expected to last for nearly two years, meaning that by the time he's again eligible to play for "Les Bleus," Anelka will be 33 years old and unlikely to be recalled.
"Who said I wanted to play again in blue," he asked, adding "for me, after the World Cup in South Africa, the French team is now history."
All 23 players on France's World Cup squad boycotted a training session in South Africa to protest Anelka's expulsion after he insulted Domenech during a 2-0 loss to Mexico.
For Tuesday's hearings, the French federation summoned the five players who played a leading role in the mutiny. Anelka and Franck Ribery did not attend, sending lawyers instead. Ribery, who was vice captain at the World Cup, was prevented from traveling to the hearing by his club Bayern Munich ahead of its opening Bundesliga match on Friday.
The French federation's disciplinary commission handed former captain Patrice Evra a five-match ban, Ribery a three-match ban and Jeremy Toulalan a one-match suspension. The players can appeal.
Eric Abidal, the fifth player summoned to the four-hour hearing, escaped any sanction.
Ferguson signs Bebe without having seen him play
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson agreed to the signing of Bebe even though he had never seen footage of the young Portuguese striker.
Bebe became United's third recruit of the offseason last week when he joined the Premier League side from Portuguese club Vitoria Guimaraes for 7 million pounds ($11 million).
"Normally I see plenty of video footage, but our scouting department is very good and sometimes you have to go on instinct," Ferguson said on Tuesday.
"On this occasion, I didn't watch him. It is the first time I have done it."
The 20-year-old Bebe was playing in the Portuguese third division 12 months ago and joined United only five weeks after signing a five-year contract with Vitoria.
He was unknown outside Portugal before United made its surprise move following recommendations from both the club's scout and its former assistant manager, Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz.
"Our scout in Portugal was adamant we must do something quickly," Ferguson said. "You look at the material. You look at their age and whether they're bringing pace, balance, desire to play.
"You've got to trust your staff at times."
Bebe could struggle for first-team opportunities at Old Trafford this season, with Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Owen and another new signing, Javier Hernandez, expected to be ahead of him in the list of strikers.
Two Ukrainian clubs fined for match-fixing
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Two top Ukraine clubs have been deducted points and fined for fixing a league match in 2008 and the general director of the country's Premier League has been suspended, the Ukrainian Football Federation said Tuesday.
Metalist Kharkiv and Karpaty Lviv were each deducted nine points and fined $25,000, and all Karpaty players had penalties of $5,000 to $10,000 imposed, said a Ukraine Football Federation statement.
The federation also gave life bans to Metalist director Yevhen Krasnikov and Karpaty defender Sergei Lashchenkov.
Oleksandr Yefremov, the general director of the Ukrainian Premier League, has been banned from taking part in any activities connected to football for the next six months.
Lashchenkov was sent off during the 4-0 win for Metalist on April 19, 2008. Lashchenkov, who now plays for Azerbaijani team Olimpik Baku, admitted match-fixing, the federation said.
Metalist president Oleksandr Yaroslavskiy, however, denied the allgeations and called the ruling an "openly repressive decision," in a statement posted on his club's website.
Metalist and Karpaty are fifth and sixth, respectively, in the current season, which is six rounds old. The points deduction would see them drop to the foot of the standings. They also both feature in Europa League playoffs this week.
Pfister applies for vacant Zimbabwe coaching role
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Former Cameroon and Togo boss Otto Pfister has applied to become Zimbabwe's new coach.
"We are really delighted to have someone of his caliber showing interest in the job," Benedict Moyo, the Zimbabwe Football Association board member responsible for national teams, said on Tuesday.
The 72-year-old Pfister is vastly experienced in African football, having also managed the national teams of Ghana, Ivory Coast and Senegal, plus Egyptian club side Zamalek.
He led Ghana to the final of the African Cup of Nations in 2002 and repeated the feat with Cameroon two years ago. In between, the German coach took charge of Togo in its first World Cup at Germany 2006.
Moyo said the new Zimbabwe coach will be announced by the end of next week, but the successful candidate will not be in charge when Zimbabwe opens its 2012 Cup of Nations qualifying campaign away to Liberia on Sept. 4.
The Zimbabwe coaching post was left vacant after former captain Sunday Chidzambwa quit in protest. He is suing ZIFA for unpaid salaries of $60,000, although president Cuthbert Dube said on Tuesday that it now had the resources to hire a high-profile coach.
-- Enock Muchinjo
Javier Clemente appointed Cameroon's soccer coach
YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AP) — Former Spain coach Javier Clemente was hired as Cameroon's national soccer coach Tuesday after a World Cup where the Indomitable Lions lost all three first-round games.
Clemente succeeds Paul Le Guen, who resigned in June. Clemente was Spain's coach from 1992 to 1998 and guided the country on a 31-game unbeaten run. He also coached Serbia's national team.
The Cameroon soccer federation said Clemente agreed to a two-year contract that he will sign in the nation's capital no later than Sept. 28.
Clemente's first test with Cameroon will be to qualify the four-time African champion for the 2012 African Cup of Nations. The country's next international game is a qualifier in Mauritius on Sept. 4.
Former Cameroon players Francois Omam Biyik and Jacques Songo'o will be part of Clemente's coaching staff.
Clemente played for Athletic Bilbao and coached the team to Spanish league titles in 1983 and 1984 — the first of three stints in charge of the club.
He has been a coach for 15 years and most recently coached Real Valladolid where he replaced Onesimo Sanchez in April. He was unable in eight games to prevent the team from relegation from Spain's top division.
Blackburn bidder says club will talk only to him
BLACKBURN, England (AP) — The Indian businessman trying to buy Blackburn says he has signed an agreement with the Premier League club that guarantees him exclusive negotiating rights.
Ahasan Ali Syed's comments come hours after Blackburn confirmed that club officials met with his Bahrain and Swiss-based investment firm. The club did not say when it expected a takeover to be completed.
Ali Syed says he has followed the northwest England club for about 10 years and that he has set aside at least 80 million pounds ($125 million) for manager Sam Allardyce to buy new players.
He told Sky Sports News that he will pay cash for the club and not borrow the necessary finance.The summer transfer window closes Aug. 31.
New Zealand to play Paraguay, Honduras in October
AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand will play Honduras and Paraguay in international friendlies in October, New Zealand Football has confirmed.
New Zealand Football chief executive Michael Glading said Tuesday the All Whites will play Honduras on Oct. 9 in Auckland and Paraguay on Oct. 12 at Wellington.
They will be the first matches played by New Zealand since the team left the World Cup in South Africa at the group stage. New Zealand had three draws in South Africa, including a 1-1 result with 2006 champion Italy and a scoreless draw with Paraguay.
Juan de Dios Castillo is new Honduras coach
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — Juan de Dios Castillo is Honduras' new national team coach, replacing Reinaldo Rueda, who guided the Central Americans at the recent World Cup.
Honduras' soccer federation said Tuesday that Castillo's contract would run through Dec. 31, 2011.
The 59-year-old Mexican will debut with the national team on Sept. 3 in a friendly against El Salvador in Los Angeles. Castillo has won club championships in Honduras with Real Espana and Olimpia.
Striking Uruguay referees get new salary offer
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — The Uruguayan Football Association has given referees a new salary offer to try and end their strike which has delayed the start of the season.
The new Apertura was postponed last weekend when referees refused to work.
The Association of Football Referees was initially asking for $250 per game, up from the $150 they had been earning. It was not clear on Tuesday how much the Uruguayan association was offering.
The referees' association has until Thursday to respond to the offer.
Zhang arrives for Jets in A-League
SYDNEY (AP) — Chinese striker Zhang Shuo has arrived for duty with the A-League's Newcastle Jets but may not play for several weeks due to an undisclosed injury.
The 26-year-old Zhang, who has 10 caps for China, had his arrival delayed while he waited for a visa. He last played on July 28 for his former Indonesian club Persik Kediri.
Jets coach Branko Culina had initially hoped to have Zhang available for Saturday's trip to Perth, but said Tuesday that the new player would need time to recover from an existing injury and build up his fitness.
The Jets have had draws in their opening two matches of the season and are in fifth place in the 11-team league.
Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni leaves hospital
DUBLIN (AP) — Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni has been released from the hospital a week after undergoing surgery following abdominal pain.
The 71-year-old Trapattoni was admitted to a Dublin hospital last Tuesday and had surgery on Wednesday. The discomfort was being caused by minor scar tissue from a previous procedure.
The Football Association of Ireland announced in a statement Tuesday that Trapattoni was discharged.
Nuremberg releases Charisteas to Arles
NUREMBERG, Germany (AP) — Nuremberg has released Greece striker Angelos Charisteas on a free transfer to the promoted French first division club Arles-Avignon.
Charisteas helped Greece win the European Championship in 2004. But the 30-year-old striker was no longer required by Nuremberg coach Dieter Hecking.
Charisteas scored eight goals in 57 games over three years for the Bundesliga club.
