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Soccer Capsules: U.S. loses to Denmark 3-1 in final match of 2009
Comments 0 | Recommend 0AARHUS, Denmark — The United States finished its 2009 schedule with a 3-1 loss to Denmark, losing its second straight match on a quick tour that was the last time Europe-based players will gather before March.
Jeff Cunningham gave the United States the lead with a 26th-minute goal, but substitutes Johan Absalonsen, Soren Rieks and Martin Bernburg beat goalkeeper Brad Guzan during the first 10 minutes of the second half.
The United States finished the year with 13 wins, eight losses and three ties, qualifying for its sixth straight World Cup and losing in the finals of the FIFA Confederations Cup and the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
"It kind of stinks that we ended it this way. You never want to go out on a loss," U.S. captain Carlos Bocanegra said. "Do we still have things to work on? Yeah. But heading into the World Cup, we have a lot of confidence and we'll be pushing forward."
After the World Cup draw on Dec. 4, the next time most of the U.S. squad will be together is March 3, when the Americans are likely to play an exhibition game at the Netherlands.
"2009 was still an excellent year," U.S. coach Bob Bradley said. "We'll always look for things as reminders of the work that still needs to be done, and when you end with a game like Denmark it provides the opportunity to look hard at things and remind players hard work is necessary to continue to be successful."
Edgar Castillo, who switched from Mexico's national team to the United States earlier this year, made his American debut when he entered in the 61st minute.
"It was a good experience for my first time," the 23-year-old defender said. "I was a little nervous but the nerves went away and I got excited when I was going to step on that field. I'm happy to be here and happy to be playing here."
Cunningham, Major League Soccer's scoring leader this year, put the U.S. ahead in the 26th minute after a poor clearance by Danish goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen. It was the first international goal in 12 appearances for Cunningham, who before last weekend's 1-0 defeat at Slovakia hadn't played for the U.S. since 2005.
He became the 21st player to score this year, an American record, and the ninth to get his first international goal, tying a U.S. mark set in 1993.
The Americans were missing Landon Donovan, who remained in the United States to play in this weekend's MLS Cup for the Los Angeles Galaxy, and several other regulars. Houston's Ricardo Clark and Stuart Holden started after being added to the roster when the Dynamo were eliminated from the MLS playoffs.
Denmark was without Jon Dahl Tomasson, Dennis Rommedahl, Daniel Agger, Soren Larsen and Nicklas Bendtner.
U.S. midfielder Benny Feilhaber of Aarhus, playing in his home stadium, had a seventh-minute shot that was deflected by a diving Sorensen. Cunningham put the United States ahead with a left-footed shot from about 26 yards.
Absalonsen, Soren Rieks and Martin Bernburg entered at the start of the second half, and all played key roles in Denmark's comeback.
Simon Kjaer looped a pass over Jonathan Spector in the 47th minute, and Absalonsen tied the score. Five minutes later, Absalonsen sent a low ball to Rieks, who pushed it past Guzan. Bernburg added the third goal in the 55th minute after the ball went between Bocanegra and Jonathan Spector.
"It would have been nice to finish off the year with two better results, but that's life," said midfielder Michael Bradley, son of the U.S. coach. "We'll get ourselves ready at the beginning of next year and make sure we're ready for a strong push at the World Cup."
Real Salt Lake gains financial partner
SALT LAKE CITY — The owner of Real Salt Lake is selling a stake in the soccer team to a Utah real-estate developer.
Team owner Dave Checketts is praising his new partner, Dell Loy Hansen, for making a "bold" commitment.
Terms of the deal weren't disclosed Wednesday. The Salt Lake Tribune says Hansen bought a 49 percent stake in the team.
RSL spokesman Trey Fitz-Gerald told The Associated Press that Checketts and Hansen are being referred to as co-owners and that the organization will not discuss specific figures or amounts.
Coach Jason Kreis has said the new capital can help RSL build a practice facility closer to its stadium in the Salt Lake City suburb of Sandy.
Checketts didn't address any financial goals or strategy in a news release on Wednesday.
RSL will play the Los Angeles Galaxy for the Major League Soccer championship on Sunday in Seattle.
DC United GK Josh Wicks has knee surgery
WASHINGTON — D.C. United goalkeeper Josh Wicks is recovering from surgery on his right knee, his second operation in less than three weeks.
Wicks had shoulder surgery on Oct. 29. The club said Wednesday that his recovery time remains unchanged from its original estimate of four to six months.
Wicks dislocated his shoulder after colliding with a player during the Sept. 27 game against San Jose.
World Cup Qualifying
France qualifies for World Cup on contentious goal
LONDON — France qualified for its fourth consecutive World Cup when officials missed a double handball by captain Thierry Henry that led to the extra-time goal in a 1-1 draw with Ireland on Wednesday.
Greece, Slovenia, Portugal, Algeria, and Uruguay also advanced to next year's tournament in South Africa on the final day of qualifying, completing the 32-team field.
The teams will be drawn into eight groups on Dec. 4 in Cape Town, and the first World Cup on the African continent opens on June 11.
France avoided a penalty shootout at Stade de France with help from Swedish referee Martin Hansson, who failed to catch Henry slapping the ball with his hand to stop it going out of play and again to set it up for a cross that William Gallas headed in in the 103rd minute to secure the draw and a 2-1 win on aggregate against Ireland.
"He almost caught it and walked into the net with it," said Robbie Keane, who had put the Irish ahead in the 33rd minute.
Henry admitted the handballs were intentional, and refused to apologize or express any sympathy for Ireland.
"I will be honest, it was a handball. But I'm not the ref," Henry said. "I played it. The ref allowed it. That's a question you should ask him."
Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni was livid and had to be calmed by officials. Irish fans chanted "Cheat! Cheat!" at Henry.
"I'm not only disappointed tonight, I'm also very sad," Trapattoni said. "The referee should have asked Henry, I'm sure he would have admitted there was a handball."
In the other European playoffs, Greece won 1-0 at Ukraine on Dimitrios Salpigidis' 31st-minute goal for a 2-1 aggregate victory to appear in its first finals since 1994.
"I can't find words to describe the atmosphere in the dressing room," Greek Football Federation chairman Sofoklis Plavios said. "This triumph is unbelievable. No one is saying anything. They're just celebrating and hugging each other."
Slovenia upset visiting Russia 1-0 behind Zlatko Dedic's 44th-minute goal to leave the aggregate 2-2 and advance on away goals;
"My guys became immortal," Slovenia coach Matjaz Kek boasted.
Portugal won 1-0 at Bosnia-Herzegovina on Raul Meireles' second-half goal for a 2-0 aggregate win that gave FIFA player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo a World Cup trip.
Algeria qualified for its first World Cup since 1986, beating Egypt 1-0 in a tiebreaker playoff at Khartoum, Sudan, on Antar Yahya's goal in the 39th minute. Yahya scored with a right-footed volley that beat goalkeeper Essam El Hadary.
Uruguay, a former two-time champion, earned the final World Cup berth, drawing with visiting Costa Rica 1-1 to win 2-1 overall. Sebastian Abreu scored for Uruguay on a header in the 70th minute, but Walter Centeno equazlized in the 74th.
Costa Rica will miss the World Cup for the first time since 1998. The Ticos were seconds from qualifying last month when they allowed an injury time goal in a 2-2 draw against the United States, dropping them behind Honduras into fourth place in North and Central America and the Caribbean.
Egypt, whose only World Cup appearances were in 1934 and 1990, forced its playoff by beating Algeria 2-0 with an injury-time goal in Cairo last Saturday that left the Pharaohs even atop Africa Group C and set off several violent outbursts.
The embassy and sites of Egyptian businesses such as Egypt Air and telecom group Orascom were attacked on Saturday. Several Algerian players had been injured before the match in Cairo as Egypt fans pelted Algeria's team bus with rocks.
Security was stepped up near the Egyptian Embassy in the Algerian capital, Algiers, but there were no signs of violence. The streets of Algiers quickly filled with celebrating citizens, some setting off fireworks. Traffic came to a standstill in the center of town, and Algerians also hit the streets in Paris, Marseille and the Gaza Strip.
Qualifiers Spain, the Netherlands and Italy were among the teams in friendly action, while Germany drew 2-2 with Ivory Coast in its first game since the suicide of goalkeeper Robert Enke last week.
David Villa scored twice to lead European champion Spain to a 5-1 win at Austria, Giorgio Chiellini earned Italy a 1-0 win over Sweden and the Netherlands drew 0-0 with Paraguay.
The Germany players paid tribute to Enke in an open letter before the game, calling him a "good friend whose death brought us a little bit closer together."
Enke killed himself eight days ago after suffering for years from depression. Germany canceled another friendly against Chile last week out of respect.
Also Wednesday, Denmark rallied to beat the United States 3-1, Serbia ended South Korea's 27-match unbeaten run with a 1-0 win in neutral London, and Bulgaria won 4-1 at Malta.
-- Stuart Condie
Henry admits using his hand to qualify France
SAINT-DENIS, France — France striker Thierry Henry admits he intentionally handled the ball to set up William Gallas' equalizing goal, sending France to the World Cup at Ireland's expense after an intense 1-1 draw on Wednesday.
With Ireland leading 1-0 and the match level on aggregate deep into the first period of extra time, France won a free kick and Henry twice handled the ball — stopping it going out of play, then controlling it — in setting up Gallas for a header.
After the match, the Barcelona striker said Swedish referee Martin Hansson was the main culprit for not spotting the infringement.
"I will be honest, it was a handball. But I'm not the ref," Henry said. "I played it. The ref allowed it. That's a question you should ask him."
Henry, who enjoyed huge popularity while playing for Arsenal in the Premier League, will be vilified by the English press, who were quick to draw comparisons between Henry's handball and the famed 'Hand of God' during the 1986 World Cup, when Diego Maradona punched the ball into the net over goalkeeper Peter Shilton to knock England out of the quarterfinals.
The online version of leading tabloid newspaper The Sun called it "Le Hand of God," adding "Cheat Thierry does a Maradona."
The incident will also re-ignite heated debate as to whether video technology should be used in football to help referees, like similar technology is used in rugby.
Both FIFA president Sepp Blatter and UEFA president Michel Platini are against technology, preferring instead to experiment with five officials — one additional official behind each goal — during this season's inaugural Europa League.
Ireland captain Robbie Keane was furious with Henry, and said goalkeeper Shay Given had a clear view of the incident.
"We knew anyway. When you see the reaction of Shay, he's two yards away from it. You don't get a reaction like that (otherwise). (Henry) almost caught it and walked into the net with it," Keane said. "He's an absolutely top player and has been for a long time, but it was a clear handball. He actually dragged it in from going out. I wouldn't expect it from anybody."
After winning 1-0 in Dublin on Saturday, France won 2-1 on aggregate, and will play in its fourth straight World Cup.
Ireland failed to qualify, as in 2006. But Henry would not express any sympathy for the dejected Irish, preferring instead to pinpoint his own team's recent problems.
"We suffered for two years, we have been having some problems with our press, our fans, with other people," Henry said. "It would have been better to do it in another way, but as I said, I'm not the ref."
France struggled over both games, winning 1-0 at Croke Park with a deflected goal from Nicolas Anelka, and Henry praised Giovanni Trapattoni's resilient team.
"If they had got through it wouldn't have been robbery (lucky). We have a lot of respect for this team," Henry said. "We knew they play long and like a physical battle. You saw tonight that they are a very good team. I played eight years in England and I can tell you they are."
-- Jerome Pugmire
Angry Keane blasts FIFA over seedings
SAINT-DENIS, France — Ireland captain Robbie Keane blasted football's governing body for using seedings in the World Cup playoff draw, and claimed FIFA president Sepp Blatter will be delighted France qualified.
Keane's clinical first-half goal put Ireland ahead at Stade de France, but William Gallas equalized in extra time and sent the French through 2-1 on aggregate on Wednesday after their scrappy 1-0 win in Dublin.
Although angry at Thierry Henry's handball in the move leading to Gallas' goal, Keane was livid over the decision to make France one of the four seeded teams in the playoff draw, whereas Ireland was not seeded.
Keane said Blatter and UEFA president Michel Platini, who is French, would rather see France than Ireland playing at next year's World Cup in South Africa.
"Of course it is an easy decision to do the seedings," Keane said. "They're probably all clapping their hands, Platini sitting there on the phone to Sepp Blatter, texting each other, delighted with the result, with France (getting through)."
Keane, who had an outstanding match but should have added to his 41st international goal, believed Ireland was the far better team overall. Nicolas Anelka's scrappy goal decided Saturday's match at Croke Park.
"Of course, over the two legs we were certainly the better team. I can't recall them having many chances tonight. We caused them many problems. But at the end of the day they're through," Keane said. "We can keep our heads up, in the manner that we played. As captain I am very proud to be part of this team, I'm just gutted we didn't make it to the end."
Keane played many times for Tottenham against Henry when the Frenchman played for Arsenal until joining Barcelona two years ago, and was seething that Henry used his hand to guide the ball into his feet and then onto Gallas.
"Devastated to be honest with you. The way we played we deserved to win the game, there's no question about that," Keane said. "We saw it (on the replay). We knew anyway. When you see the reaction of goalkeeper Shay (Given), he's two yards away from it. You don't get a reaction like that (otherwise). He almost caught it and walked into the net with it."
Still, Keane felt he should have won the match, missing a great chance late in the second half when France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris forced him wide and Keane pushed the ball out of touch as he tried to get the ball under control.
"My touch let me down, I should have taken it round the 'keeper. I'm absolutely devastated," Keane said.
Lloris foiled Keane in the first half by diving at his feet, just as he did late on in Saturday's match at Croke Park.
-- Jerome Pugmire
Coach refuses to say Ireland robbed by handball
SAINT-DENIS, France — Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni refused to say his team was robbed of qualifying for the World Cup by a controversial France goal, preferring to praise his players for their great display on Wednesday.
France booked its place at next year's tournament in South Africa by beating Ireland 2-1 on aggregate after William Gallas scored a contentious equalizer in extra time.
Asked if he had the feeling his team was robbed after France captain Thierry Henry handled the ball before serving up his former Arsenal teammate Gallas, Trapattoni answered it was for reporters to make comments.
"Everybody saw the goal," Trapattoni said without elaborating. "But the referee should have asked Henry, I'm sure he would have admitted there was a handball."
One of the most successful coaches at club level, Trapatonni has never won a trophy with a national team, and failed to lead Ireland to its fourth World Cup.
The Irish players, who will miss the showcase event for a second consecutive time, haven't won an away game against a team ranked higher than them since 1987.
"I'm not only disappointed, I'm also very sad," the former Juventus coach said. "We always speak about fair play, which is a concept very important in everyday life. I always spoke about fair play with young kids. And tonight there is this situation. I would have preferred to lose on a penalty shootout."
The 70-year-old Italian coach said he was not angry against Henry but that referee Martin Hansson should have taken more time to ask both the striker and the lineman before making his decision.
Trapatonni, who wished France "all the best in South Africa," added his team was the better one on the pitch and bravely bounced back after losing the first leg 1-0 in Dublin last week.
"We played well and we would have deserved to win the game," he said.
Trapatonni didn't lose a single game in the qualifying campaign before facing France in a two-leg playoff.
"I'm happy because at every game we discovered new players and we managed to build a good team," he said. "I want to congratulate my players because this evening I saw a great team. We have to keep this mentality and continue to play with the same confidence."
-- Samuel Petrequin
Uruguay grabs final World Cup berth
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay — Uruguay claimed the final spot in next year's 32-team World Cup in South Africa by drawing with Costa Rica 1-1 to take the two-leg playoff 2-1 on aggregate on Wednesday.
Substitute Sebastian Abreu gave Uruguay a 1-0 lead on a header in the 70th minute, and Walter Centeno leveled in the 74th on a 16-meter strike. Uruguay won the first match 1-0 on Saturday in Costa Rica.
"It was a tough game," Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez said. "Our opponents really made us work.
"Right now I want to see these guys celebrate. Really, the achievement is theirs. At one moment we were almost out of the qualifying and now we can enjoy making it."
Uruguay won the 1930 and 1950 World Cups. It beat Australia in a playoff to reach the 2002 World Cup, and lost a playoff to Australia to miss out in 2006. Costa Rica was trying to reach its third straight finals.
Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Argentina had already advanced from South America. The United States, Mexico and Honduras are the qualifiers from the North and Central American and Caribbean region.
Uruguay had most of the early chances including dangerous strikes from Diego Forlan and Nicolas Lodeiro, which forced key saves from Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas.
Victor Nunez had Costa Rica's first threatening shot after about 25 minutes. Costa Rica's best chance until its late goal was a shot by Cristian Bolanos from long range that was turned away by Uruguay keeper Fernando Muslera.
Uruguay seemed to have the World Cup berth wrapped up after Abreu's goal, but Centeno's quick strike gave Costa Rica hope and opened up the match.
-- Vicente Panetta
Algerians celebrate 1st World Cup berth since '86
ALGIERS, Algeria — Algerians burst onto streets in celebration after the national team earned its first World Cup berth since 1986 with a 1-0 victory over bitter rival Egypt on Wednesday.
The Algerian flag was brandished by women in hijabs, a rare sight in this North African nation, as fans set off fireworks and traffic came to a standstill in the center of Algiers.
Algeria will appear in only its third World Cup, after reaching football's showcase finals in 1982 and 1986.
The one-off playoff in neutral Khartoum, Sudan was necessary after Algeria and Egypt were tied atop Group C in African qualifying.
It was sweet revenge for the Algerians, who were eliminated in 1989 when Egypt won 1-0 at home in a make-or-break qualifying game that propelled it to the 1990 World Cup.
Algeria's celebrations were in marked contrast to Saturday, when Egypt won 2-0 in Cairo to force the tiebreaker playoff.
Before that match, three Algerian players received facial cuts when Egyptian fans pelted Algeria's team bus with rocks. After the defeat, the Egyptian Embassy and high-profile Egyptian businesses in Algiers were attacked.
Security was stepped up on Wednesday near the embassy but there were no signs of violence.
The jubilant atmosphere crossed the Mediterranean to Marseille and Paris, where there are large Algerian populations. Youths hanging from cars, honking horns and brandishing the Algerian flag made victory laps down Paris' Champs-Elysees.
Algerians also partied in Gaza City.
"This team beat Germany in 1982 and will remind us again of these victories at the World Cup 2010," said fan Muayad Al-Meskhal. "They represent now all Arab countries and all Arab countries are standing behind the Algerian team now."
-- Aomar Quali
Elsewhere
Eduardo commits himself to Arsenal until 2014
LONDON — Croatia striker Eduardo da Silva signed a new deal committing himself to Arsenal until 2014 and said he is finally back to full fitness after recovering from a career-threatening injury.
There were fears that Eduardo, who joined on a four-year deal in July 2007, would never play again after breaking a leg in February 2008.
Since returning after a year out, the 26-year-old Eduardo has played sparingly but is expected to be used more because of injuries to Robin van Persie and Nicklas Bendtner.
Eduardo is now tied to Arsenal until the end of the 2013-14 season, a person familiar with the situation said on condition of anonymity. The club was only officially describing it as a "long-term" contract.
"I hope to stay at Arsenal for as long as I can," Eduardo said. "This period is good for me now. I feel strong in my body and I feel ready to play 90 minutes every three days if it's needed."
Eduardo has scored 18 goals in 48 matches for Arsenal since joining from Zagreb.
"Eduardo is a special player with huge talent and natural goalscoring ability, and we're all so happy that he has committed his future to Arsenal," manager Arsene Wenger said. "We have also seen in his comeback from injury, Eduardo is a human being full of courage, bravery and commitment.
"His full recovery from this injury is a testament to Eduardo's character. We all look forward to enjoying Eduardo's performances in an Arsenal shirt for a long time to come."
Eduardo is yet to win a trophy with Arsenal, but his side is second in the Premier League standings, five points behind Chelsea with a game in hand.
"I went to Croatia last week and everybody was telling me Arsenal play the best football in Europe at the moment," he said. "I agree with that. We feel we are strong now this season and we're all going to give everything to win trophies."
Arsenal also received positive news Wednesday over Kieran Gibbs' injury, with the defender set to return to action inside two weeks.
Gibbs bruised his right foot playing for England in an under-21 match at Lithuania on Tuesday but should now be fit for Arsenal's match against Chelsea on Nov. 29.
-- Rob Harris
Barcelona's Milito plays for 1st time in 18 months
BARCELONA, Spain — Barcelona defender Gabriel Milito returned from a serious knee injury to play his first game in 18 months on Wednesday.
Milito played in Barcelona's 4-1 friendly win over Bolivian club Bolivar on Wednesday. It was the Argentina defender's first match since he injured his right knee in a Champions League semifinal against Manchester United in April 2008.
Milito said he'd recovered those "old feelings" after playing the first half of the match.
"It was a very special day for me. I recovered those old feelings," Milito said after his return at Barcelona's Joan Gamper training ground. "I played the first half just as the coach planned."
The 29-year-old Milito underwent two operations on the knee — which he had previously injured eight years ago — during the period he was out.
Milito said that he gained much "confidence, security and optimism" by training with the first team for the past month before getting his first taste of action.
"I'm making very important steps but I'm still in the midst of the recuperation phase," said Milito, who joined the club from Zaragoza in 2007. "I'm still not ready to play an official game. How long (before I am)? I'm not sure yet but there's still some time to go."
Dane to pay for interrupting Euro 2008 qualifier
COPENHAGEN — A court has ordered a Danish man to pay 900,000 kroner ($180,100) in compensation for interrupting a European Championship qualifier between Denmark and Sweden.
The Copenhagen City Court said Wednesday Ronni Noervig was responsible for the financial loss the Danish football federation sustained after he stormed the pitch in an attempt to attack German referee Herbert Fandel on June 2, 2007. The match was abandoned, and Sweden was awarded a 3-0 win.
The federation had sued Noervig for 1.6 million kroner ($320,180) in decreased ticket sales and extra expenses after Denmark was banned from playing its next two qualifiers in its national stadium in Copenhagen.
In its ruling, the court said Noervig should pay less because of "insufficient security" at the stadium.
At the opening of the trial on Oct. 21, Noervig said none of the stadium's guards had stopped him as he jumped onto the pitch.
The Parken stadium has since decided to erect a new fence, hire more guards for major football matches and stop drunken fans from attending the matches.
Noervig wasn't at the court on Wednesday. Defense lawyer Finn Bachmann said his client "was really sad and couldn't understand" why he had been ordered to pay the compensation. Bachmann said they had not decided yet whether to appeal the ruling.
Noervig, who lives in neighboring Sweden, was earlier sentenced 20 days in jail for attacking Fandel after he awarded a penalty to Sweden in the final minutes, with the score tied 3-3. He admitted that he was drunk and that he entered the pitch illegally, but rejected the violence charge.
-- Jan M. Olson
Ex-Man. U, Ajax star to work with Melbourne Hearts
MELBOURNE, Australia — Ex-Manchester United and Ajax winger Jesper Olsen has signed as an assistant coach with new Australian club Melbourne Hearts, which will enter the A-League in the 2010-11 season.
The club announced Wednesday that the 48-year-old former Danish international and Ante Milicic, a former Socceroo forward and assistant with Australia's national team, will work under head coach John van't Schip in the club's first season.
"I am excited to be working alongside Ante and Jesper. They bring qualities to the table, which are important to build a successful football club, and will help us into the future," Van't Schip said.
"Ante's knowledge of youth football, development and the A-League will prove important, while Jesper's experience in the Dutch system will reinforce the football style and philosophy I hope to integrate."
Olsen, who won 43 caps for Denmark, is moving into the coaching ranks for the first time. After making his name with Ajax and Manchester United, he had spells with French clubs Bordeaux and Caen before retiring as a player in 1992.
He was a former teammate of van't Schip at Ajax.
J-League club Oita to receive financial assistance
OITA, Japan — Struggling Oita Trinita will receive as much as $6.7 million in financial assistance from a special J-League reserve fund after revenue and sponsorship fell well below expectations this season.
Oita, which was relegated to the second division, will become the first team to use the J-League fund set up for clubs in financial difficulties.
J-League officials estimate Oita's cumulative losses at more than $11 million.
"Oita was close to financial collapse," J-League Chairman Kenji Onitake said Tuesday. "A management shakeup will definitely be needed for Oita,"
Many sports teams in Japan are feeling the pinch amid the global financial crises.
Yamaha Jubilo rugby club is releasing all its professional players as part of cost-cutting measures by the team's owners Yamaha Motors.
Two weeks ago Toyota, the world's largest automaker, withdrew its team from Formula One. Honda pulled out of F1 a year ago, while Subaru and Suzuki withdrew from the World Rally Championship ahead of the 2009 season.
Endo nominated for Asian player of the year award
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Yasuhito Endo has been shortlisted again for the Asian Football Confederation's Player of the Year award.
The AFC released the final five nominees on Thursday, with Gamba Osaka's Endo joining fellow Japanese player Kengo Nakamura of Kawasaki Frontale. Bahrain's Sayed Mohamed Adnan from Qatari club Al Khor, Hadi Aghily of Sepahan and Iran, and Syria captain Firas Al Khatib of Kuwait club Al Qadsia were also in the running for the award.
The winner will be announced Nov. 24.
Endo, a 29-year-old creative midfielder who has won 80 caps for Japan, is the only candidate who was also nominated in 2008, when Uzbek veteran Server Djeparov won the continental award.
To be eligible for the award, players must be contracted to an Asian club.
Former Spain coach Aragones seeks new job
MADRID — Former Spain coach Luis Aragones has put his name into the coaching market, saying he is looking for a new job.
Aragones, who led Spain to the 2008 European Championship title, has said he wants to work again after being fired by Turkish club Fenerbahce after one season.
The 71-year-old Aragones said he was physically and mentally well and would likely coach abroad.
He dismissed the likelihood of replacing Real Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini, but said if the opportunity there became available "you can't say no."
Aragones formerly coached Atletico Madrid and Real Betis after a successful playing career.
Germany team pays tribute to Enke
GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany — Germany players paid tribute to the late goalkeeper Robert Enke before the friendly with Ivory Coast, saying they were playing for their country, for the fans "but above all for you."
In an open letter released before the game, Enke's teammates called him a "good friend whose death brought us a little bit closer together."
Enke killed himself eight days ago after suffering for years from depression. He had not been selected for the game Wednesday because of a recent illness.
This is Germany's first game since Enke's death. Another friendly against Chile last week was canceled.
Inter defender Santon set for surgery
MILAN — Inter Milan defender Davide Santon will undergo knee surgery after being injured in Italy's under-21 match with Luxembourg.
Inter said Wednesday that tests revealed a tear in Santon's right meniscus.
Santon has struggled to get playing time with Inter lately and he was demoted from Italy's national team to the under-21 side.
Santon will likely be out at least a month.
Greece league match postponed over player death
ATHENS, Greece — The Greek league has postponed a league match between Larissa and Ergotelis following the death of Mexican striker Antonio De Nigris.
The 31-year-old Larissa player died Monday. Preliminary autopsy findings indicated heart problems but club officials say a conclusive report is not expected until next week.
The postponed match, delayed at Larissa's request, will instead be played on Dec. 2.
Larissa club spokesman Christos Tsoumaris says De Nigris' brother Alfonso is in the central Greek city to collect the body, which is expected to be flown to Mexico on Friday.
Cyprus soccer fans will need IDs for tickets
NICOSIA, Cyprus — Soccer authorities in Cyprus say all fans will need to show state identity cards to buy tickets for domestic league matches in a bid to curb violence at games.
Wednesday's announcement follows weekend clashes between fans of rival Nicosia clubs APOEL and Omonia that left a 20-year-old man critically injured.
The Cyprus Football Association says ID card numbers will be printed on tickets starting late this month as a means of identifying hooligans and enforcing banning orders.
The association also says visiting fans at matches that are marred by violence will be given 18-month bans from buying tickets for matches between the two teams involved.
English soccer team sells Katy Perry-inspired top
LONDON — West Ham is selling lingerie after singer Katy Perry wore a top made out of three jerseys at this month's MTV Europe Music Awards.
The American singer wore a claret-and-blue corset with the Premier League club's badges on the chest at the Nov. 5 show in Berlin as a tribute to her boyfriend, British comedian and Hammers fan Russell Brand.
West Ham says it is responding "to huge demand" for the outfit.
Designer Siobhan Dillon says she "thought it would be cool to try and make the shirt as football-oriented as possible." Dillon will initially make 50 of the tops, to be sold for around $500 each.
Police step up security at Egyptian embassy
ALGIERS, Algeria — Algerian police have increased security near the Egyptian embassy before a crucial playoff match to determine which of the two country's teams will make it to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Violence erupted following Algeria's 2-0 loss to Egypt over the weekend that forced a playoff match in Khartoum, Sudan.
Authorities are bracing for more violence which targeted the embassy and the sites of Egyptian businesses such as Egypt Air and telecoms group Orascom.
Some Egypt fans pelted Algeria's team bus with rocks and several players were injured before Saturday's clash in Cairo.
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