Soccer Capsules: Alleged drug lord sheltered Cabanas' assailant
MEXICO CITY (AP) — An alleged drug lord being held by Mexican authorities says that for three months he hid the fugitive wanted in the shooting seven months ago of Paraguay footballer Salvador Cabanas.
Edgar Valdez Villarreal, known as "La Barbie," said in a transcript released by authorities that he sheltered Jose Jorge Balderas, who is the prime suspect in the shooting of Cabanas on Jan. 25 at a bar in Mexico City. Balderas remains at large.
Born in the border city of Laredo, Texas, Valdez was captured Monday and authorities say he is responsible for dozens of murders and drug-related violence.
Valdez said he scolded Balderas — one of his henchmen — over the shooting.
"They were friends those two," Valdez said. "But that day Cabanas was in a bad mood and they started to argue."
Valdez said he hid Balderas on the outskirts of Mexico City. He said he did not know the current whereabouts of Balderas.
Valdez, who got his improbable nickname from his fair complexion, is wanted in the United States for allegedly smuggling tons of cocaine. In Mexico, he is blamed for a brutal turf war that has included bodies hung from bridges, decapitations and shootouts as he and a rival fought for control of the divided Beltran Leyva cartel.
Cabanas survived the point-blank shooting in the head and still has a small bullet fragment lodged in his skull. Surgeons said at the time it was too dangerous to try to remove it.
Cabanas has been recovering in a Buenos Aires rehabilitation center and has regained much of his mobility. He played for Mexico club America and was to have starred in Paraguay's 2010 World Cup team in South Africa.
He has no memory of the shooting and told a judge last month that he does not know why he was attacked. Witnesses have said Cabanas and Balderas got into an argument when Balderas questioned the Paraguayan's performances for his club.
Jonathan Dos Santos gets warning from Mexico
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Barcelona midfielder Jonathan Dos Santos was warned by a top-ranking Mexico football official on Wednesday that his decision to skip upcoming friendlies with the Mexico national team could have consequences.
Dos Santos was the last player cut from the 23-man Mexico squad for the World Cup in South Africa. Since then, he declined to play for Mexico last month in a friendly against Spain and is skipping Mexico's match on Saturday against Ecuador in Guadalajara, and another on Tuesday against Colombia in Monterrey.
The 20-year-old Dos Santos has never played an official game for Mexico — only friendlies. He has a Spanish passport and his father was born in Brazil, which could give him eligibility to play for a country other than Mexico.
"His representative (agent) said he preferred to concentrate on his play with Barcelona," said Nestor De La Torre, the director of national team selections for Mexico. "Those are the facts. I said that facts and decisions at times generate positive things and negative things."
His older brother, Tottenham forward Giovanni Dos Santos, played with Mexico in the World Cup and will play in the matches against Ecuador and Colombia.
"Jonathan is a great player with a bright future. This is clear," De La Torre said. "But the national team and what it represents has a value and merits respect."
Sabah leads Monarcas Morelia to SuperLiga title
FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts (AP) — Miguel Sabah scored twice to help Mexico's Monarcas Morelia win the SuperLiga championship with a 2-1 victory over the New England Revolution on Wednesday night.
Sabah converted a penalty in the 65th minute and made it 2-0 in the 75th with a spectacular volley. Kevin Alston scored the Revolution in the 79th.
"We worked hard in the first half and had a lot of shots on goal," Monarcas coach Tomas Boy said. "In the second half, we became more precise."
Sabah took the penalty kick after Luis Gabriel Rey was pulled down inside the box.
Revolution coach Steve Nicol responded by making some attacking substitutions, with Zach Schilawski among them. But Sabah struck again.
"It was a beautiful goal," Boy said. "Sabah is an unpredictable goalscorer. He can score any kind of goal."
New England finally broke through when Alston latched on to Schilawski's pass to the corner of the box.
"It was bittersweet," Alston said. "It feels good to score, but we lost, so it really doesn't mean much."
U.S. Soccer
Sounders advance to US Open Cup final
TUKWILA, Wash. (AP) — Nate Jaqua scored twice, Fredy Montero added a goal and the defending U.S. Open Cup champion Seattle Sounders advanced to the title game with a 3-1 victory over Chivas USA on Wednesday night.
Jaqua scored in the 10th minute and again in second-half stoppage time, while Montero connected in the 58th minute. Jaqua has five goals in Seattle's three Open Cup games.
Steve Zakuani set up the first two goals with perfectly placed crosses from the left side into goalkeeper Zach Thornton's 6-yard box.
Jesus Padilla scored for Chivas USA in the 68th minute.
The Sounders will host the Columbus Crew in the championship game on Oct. 5 at Qwest Field.
Columbus, the team coach Sigi Schmid guided to the 2008 MLS Cup title before leaving to take the Seattle job, beat D.C. United 2-1 in overtime in the other semifinal.
The Sounders won last year's Open Cup by defeating United 2-1. If Seattle wins this one, it will be the first MLS team to win consecutive Open Cups.
"It's sort of ironic that it will be the team I'm coaching now against the team I used to coach," Schmid said. "I wish it was an easier opponent, because Columbus is a very good team. But we're going to want to win as equally bad as we would against anyone else."
Montero started the play that led to Seattle's first goal when he sent a through ball to Zakuani down the left sideline. Zakuani took it to the goal line, saved it from going out, and crossed it into the 6-yard box, where Jaqua was waiting to blast it into the back left corner past Thornton.
Zakuani helped make it 2-0 when he again flew down the left side, took it toward the penalty area, deked his way around a defender and crossed it to Montero, who tucked it inside the left post from 2 yards in front.
Chivas cut it to 2-1 when the Sounders misplayed a ball deep in their own end. Padilla picked it up in the box and went in unmarked to beat goalkeeper Kasey Keller from 8 yards away. Then Jaqua clinched it during the first minute of stoppage time by knocking in a pass from Roger Levesque - again, from right in front.
"The first goal was all Zakuani — he made a great run," said Jaqua, who was injured for the first three months of the season. "He was able to find me, and it was a great ball by him. On the last one, Roger put a good ball in. It was just nice to be on the field and get a start and be able to play a whole game."
The victory — and the goals — were the first ever for the second-year Sounders against Chivas USA. The teams have played four times in the regular season, with two shutout victories for Chivas and two scoreless ties.
While Seattle capped its inaugural season by winning last year's U.S. Open Cup, Chivas was making a bid on Wednesday to play for its first cup of any kind since the team was founded in 2004.
Red Bulls defender Petke to retire
SECAUCUS, N.J. (AP) — The New York Red Bulls say veteran defender Mike Petke will retire at the end of the season.
Petke, a 13-year Major League Soccer veteran, has appeared in more than 300 MLS matches and is a three-time all-star. He has had two stints with the Red Bulls, totaling seven years. He's their all-time leader in games played with 167.
The 34-year-old from Bohemia, N.Y., thanked his family and teammates for their support throughout his career.
Petke was a first-round pick of the Red Bulls in the league's 1998 draft, when he was the eighth overall pick. He played five seasons with the team, then played for D.C. United and the Colorado Rapids before rejoining the Red Bulls in 2008.
League News
Spain and Germany start Euro 2012 qualifying
LONDON (AP) — Qualifying for the 2012 European Championship begins in earnest Friday when defending champion Spain and three-time winner Germany lead the continent's traditional powers into action.
Less than eight weeks after adding its first World Cup to the European title it won two years ago, top-ranked Spain is at lowly Liechtenstein in one of 22 qualifiers.
But while Spain, Germany and the Netherlands are seeking to maintain the high standards they set at the World Cup, other big sides continue their rebuilding programs while targeting a place at the tournament in Poland and Ukraine.
France has what should be a straightforward first competitive match under coach Laurent Blanc when is hosts Belarus, England hosts Bulgaria and Italy is at Estonia.
Although the match should be straightforward for a Spain team that has become only the third to hold the world and European titles at the same time, Carles Puyol's absence in central defense because of a left leg injury could be a problem.
Spain was rusty in last month's 1-1 friendly draw against Mexico and most of its players have played only one round of league matches since, so could be out of practice.
Coach Vicente Del Bosque recalled Osasuna defender Ignacio Monreal to take Puyol's place in the squad, but either Sergio Ramos or Carlos Marchena are likely to fill in for the Barcelona defender.
Monreal trained with the rest of the team on Wednesday, while striker Fernando Torres was limited to gym work.
But Spain's players insist they are going into Friday's game with the same attitude that took it to July's World Cup final win over the Netherlands.
"The first game is important. We're playing for three points and we want to start qualifying well," midfielder Sergio Busquets said Wednesday. "Sure, (a win) is more attainable against this rival but you can't be overconfident.
"You have to play as if you were going up one of the best teams. We have to start well."
Busquets said the 1-0 defeat to Switzerland in its opening World Cup match in South Africa was a wakeup call.
"We know it won't be easy and that what we have already achieved should be put aside," Busquets said. "After the first game at the World Cup we were the worst and then we went on to win and we're the best.
"We're starting a new stage and you have to work at it like any other national team."
Italy is also starting a new chapter after the humiliation of finishing last in a World Cup group featuring New Zealand.
With Amauri and Mario Balotelli both injured, Cesare Prandelli is hoping Antonio Cassano recovers from a back problem in time for his competitive debut as Italy coach.
Cassano started last month's 1-0 friendly loss to Ivory Coast and, after missing the start of training with the Azzurri this week, Cassano was back in the lineup during a training match Wednesday.
Cassano's Sampdoria teammate Giampaolo Pazzini and Fabio Quagliarella completed a three-man attack, while Alberto Gilardino is also in the squad.
"It's not going to be a walk in the park against Estonia," Prandelli said. "They're a decent squad and we've got to be attentive."
Andrea Pirlo appears fully healthy again after a left calf injury.
"Having Pirlo back is key. He changes the way we play," Prandelli said.
Bologna's 24-year-old goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano could get his first start with Gianluigi Buffon still recovering from back surgery.
Estonia leads Group C after a 2-1 win over Faeroe Islands last month, the only qualifier to be played so far. Israel plays Malta in Group E on Thursday before Friday's 22 games.
Blanc is trying to build a solid defense but Patrice Evra's five-game suspension for being a perceived ringleader in the World Cup training ground boycott is hindering the new coach.
"A team needs a spinal cord," Blanc said. "To have a good defense, you need a pair of center-halves who compliment each other, who are efficient and are equally good defensively or bringing the ball out from the back.
"It's not easy."
Blanc still has not decided who his new captain will be, but Florent Malouda is a strong contender.
"If between now and Friday there is one player who stands out because of his personality, his charisma and who is irreproachable in terms of his mentality, he will be captain," Blanc said. "At the moment, he is good in every sense of the word.
"He's been a mainstay of the Chelsea team for two or three seasons. He's a logical candidate."
Blanc called up Blaise Matuidi from Saint-Etienne as midfield cover for Lille's Yohan Cabaye, with Real Madrid's Lassana Diarra pulling out.
Malouda is certain to start, but Loic Remy, newcomer Kevin Gameiro and Guillaume Hoarau are all in contention for a place up front.
Injuries and a hostile press mean England's Group G opener against Bulgaria at Wembley could be tricky.
Coach Fabio Capello is under pressure after the team slumped out of the World Cup with a 4-1 defeat against Germany and will be without John Terry, Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard because of injury.
Germany is at Belgium, Croatia is at Latvia, Greece hosts Georgia and the Netherlands is at San Marino.
-- Stuart Condie
Zaccheroni starts with observation role for Japan
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — For new Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni, Friday's friendly against Paraguay will give him a glimpse of what he's got to work with at the Asian Cup.
Unfortunately for the former AC Milan and Juventus coach, he'll have to watch from a distance while Japan Football Association technical director Hiromi Hara takes charge as an interim manager for the Paraguay match and another friendly against Guatemala in Osaka three days later.
The 57-year-old Zaccheroni was appointed as head coach Monday on a two-year deal to take over from Takeshi Okada, but is yet to receive a work permit for Japan. So, the first Italian to coach Japan faces some hurdles in his first major task of preparing a squad for Asian Cup group matches against Saudi Arabia, Syria and Jordan in January.
Japan, the three-time Asian Cup champion, reached the second round of the World Cup in South Africa before losing in a penalty shootout to Paraguay. Just nine weeks later, the teams meet again in Yokohama.
"We must finish in the top three of the Asian Cup," Zaccheroni told reporters after his appointment this week, already dismissing thoughts of World Cup revenge. "Japan certainly have the strength to do it, and we must do it."
His aim after that is a quarterfinal place at the 2014 World Cup.
Japan was fourth at the 2007 Asian Cup, missing out on an automatic qualifying spot for the 2011 edition. Iraq was a surprise winner, beating Saudi Arabia in the final, while South Korea was third.
The South Koreans have lined up a friendly in Seoul next week against Iran, which plays China three days earlier.
In the last meeting, in June 2009, a late goal from Manchester United's Park Ji-sung ended Iran's dreams of qualification for the 2010 World Cup.
Park is one of 14 overseas players summoned for the clash at the same Seoul World Cup Stadium to take on Iran, with young Ajax striker Seo Hyuk-jun receiving a first call-up from new coach Cho Kwang-rae.
There will be a familiar figure preparing the opposition squad in the shape of Iran's Afshin Ghotbi. Ghotbi has been Iran's head coach since March 2009, though made his name with spells as South Korea assistant at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups.
The two Asian powerhouses are hoping to end continental droughts. South Korea lifted the last of its two Asian Cup titles in 1960, while Iran picked up its third trophy in 1976.
"My aim is for Iran to make it to the final after 35 years and become champions. We will do our best to make 75 million Iranians happy," Ghotbi said. Iran is grouped with Kuwait, Uzbekistan and hosts Qatar at the Asian Cup.
Australia, preparing for only its second Asian Cup, will play Switzerland at St. Gall on Friday, a match between two teams that fell at the first hurdle in South Africa.
New coach Holger Osieck is ready for his first match since his appointment in August.
His squad has not been as fresh as some would like with 16 out of the 23 who went to South Africa making the 20-man squad.
Osieck, who was assistant coach to Franz Beckenbauer with the West Germany team which won the 1990 World Cup, is taking things slowly as he prepares for the continental tournament and games with South Korea, India and Bahrain.
"You can't make radical changes with players you don't even know," he told the Australian media. "I saw the Socceroos live at the World Cup and I want to give those players the first opportunity.
"I want to go there (Asian Cup) with a team that has the definite option to be successful and probably finish on top.
"If you have players with the experience of two World Cups, who play in decent competitions, then the likelihood of achieving that is better than if you have 19- and 20-year-old boys."
Osieck has quickly been confronted with the realities of international football with the withdrawals of Harry Kewell, Josh Kennedy and Michael Beauchamp due to injury for the next friendlies.
Four days after the Switzerland match, Australia travels to Krakow to take on Euro 2012 co-hosts Poland.
Hosts of the 2011 Asian Cup, Qatar take on Bahrain and Oman in other friendlies this week. On Sept. 8 in New Delhi, two English coaches go head-to-head.
Former England and Manchester United captain Bryan Robson will guide Thailand against India, led by ex-Fulham midfielder Bob Houghton.
Houghton, former coach of China and Uzbekistan, is preparing India for its first appearance at the Asian Cup since 1984.
-- John Duerden
Vuvuzelas banned from Euro 2012, Champions League
GENEVA (AP) — The honking plastic horns that caused such an uproar at the World Cup have been shut out of Champions League and European Championship qualifying matches.
UEFA issued a ban Wednesday that prevents fans from bringing vuvuzelas into the stadium at any match it organizes in the continent's 53 football nations. The governing body of European football said it made the decision to protect the culture and tradition of fans singing at matches from the "negative effect" of South Africa's signature musical contraption.
"UEFA feels that the instrument's widespread use would not be appropriate in Europe," the organization said in a statement.
South Africa's response? A respectful rejection of European values.
"We believe that UEFA has the right to decide what goes on in their games, but we believe that they are wrong," World Cup organizing committee spokesman Rich Mkhondo told The Associated Press.
"They should not be so rigid about the future ways in which people like to express themselves," Mkhondo said in a telephone interview from South Africa. "We will forever cherish the way South Africans and Africans and even the visitors who came from around the world embraced vuvuzelas."
South Africa's defiant stance was backed by FIFA, which defended vuvuzelas as an important part of the host nation's football culture.
"I have always said that Africa has a different rhythm, a different sound," FIFA president Sepp Blatter said in a Twitter message on the fourth day of the World Cup. "I don't see banning the music traditions of fans in their own country."
FIFA refused to ban vuvuzelas despite repeated calls from players, who said on-field communication was lost in the din, and broadcasters who feared viewers were turned off by the low-pitch drone likened to a swarm of buzzing bees.
Yet the UEFA embargo follows bans issued by organizers of basketball's world championship and baseball's Little League World Series, plus most English Premier League clubs.
UEFA did at least acknowledge Wednesday that vuvuzelas have a place in world football culture, if not Europe's.
"In the specific context of South Africa, the vuvuzela adds a touch of local flavor and folklore," the organization said.
"(However) the magic of football consists of the two-way exchange of emotions between the pitch and the stands, where the public can transmit a full range of feelings to the players," UEFA said. "UEFA is of the view that the vuvuzelas would completely change the atmosphere, drowning supporter emotions and detracting from the experience of the game."
The ban will take effect when qualifying for Euro 2012 begins on Friday, and when the group stage of the Champions League and Europa League starts in two weeks.
European broadcasters, many of whom developed sound filters during the World Cup to try to control the vuvuzela noise, will likely be delighted by the ban. Valuable television rights deals help to ensure that the Champions League earns more than €1 billion ($1.28 billion) in commercial revenue each season.
The European Broadcasting Union, a Geneva-based umbrella group of mainly state-owned channels, declined comment on Wednesday.
Vuvuzelas also have been opposed on health as well as taste grounds.
FIBA cited medical advice when it banned them from the basketball world championship, which is currently being played in Turkey. It said the "controversial instruments" emitted a 120-decibel noise in indoor arenas which could permanently damage the hearing of players and spectators, and have a "direct negative impact" on the game by making it difficult for referees to communicate.
In South Africa, Mkhondo pointed to the inclusion of "vuvuzela" in the Oxford Dictionary of English as proof of a global phenomenon.
"This World Cup will be remembered in many ways," Mkhondo said. "One will be the emergence of vuvuzelas as celebratory instruments."
-- Graham Dunbar
Commentary
Football's transfer windows are a bore
PARIS (AP) — Rejoice, European football's summer transfer window has closed. What a relief.
Until someone invents a better system or wins a major legal challenge against the current one, both of which may never happen, the ugly process of football clubs trading players like cattle during a few designated months each year is here to stay.
Which doesn't mean that we have to like it. Transfer windows are a bore, among the most repellent aspects of the football industry. Here are a few reasons why:
THE MONEY: With the exception of Manchester City, where financial logic seems to have taken a lemming-like leap out of the window, the era when European clubs were prepared to break the bank for players and splurge beyond all rhyme and reason seems to have been tamed or, at least, is on temporary hold until European economies pick up again.
European football governing body UEFA likes to think that its campaign to curb silly spending is forcing clubs to be more reasonable. Maybe. UEFA certainly showed mettle in excluding Mallorca from the Europa League because of the Spanish club's financial woes, which included reported debts $79 million. But UEFA has not been as tough with other far more famous clubs with far larger debts like Barcelona or Manchester United.
Although spending by European clubs is generally down, indecently large amounts of money are still changing hands for players. That clubs should be compensated for players they found, trained and nurtured is undoubtedly reasonable and an important source of revenue for some of them. But that top footballers carry such outsized price tags is absurd. The estimated $538 million that Premier League clubs spent this summer surely would have done more good had it gone on training young players, better facilities or lowering ticket prices.
"It's a rat-race with no winners," says Theo van Seggelen, secretary general of the players' union FIFPro. "It is a ridiculous thing but we have to live with it."
How sad is that?
THE TIMING: It is irritating and untidy that the transfer window remains open even after competition in leagues around Europe has resumed. French clubs, for instance, were already four games into their season when this transfer period closed on Tuesday. That overlap between the business of football and action on the pitch is unsettling. It distracts from the sport and leads to situations like that of Jose Manual Jurado. On Monday night, the 24-year-old midfielder scored the first goal in Atletico Madrid's 4-0 defeat of Sporting Gijon in the Spanish league. The next day, he moved to Schalke in the German Bundesliga.
It would be better if such transfers were concluded before European seasons resume. That would ensure that the focus stays on football when competitions start and not on the silly sagas about which players might be leaving for a fat check.
SILLY SAGAS: Rule No.1 of the transfer window: Believe little or nothing of what you read in the newspapers. Buy two different papers and you get two different versions of which player might be moving to which club, why and for how much. The constant speculation keeps journalists in business but is an almighty bore.
You can't trust players or managers, either. After moving, players will trumpet how happy they are at their new club and claim to be fulfilling a long-held dream, when really they just came for the money. And managers will complain about other clubs trying to poach their players even as they do the same thing.
Players moan that their managers won't let them move. Managers moan that players who want to move are acting sulkily because they can't get their way. None of this makes football look good.
THE VERDICT: Transfer windows are a necessary evil. Clubs need to recruit players to replace those others who retire, move elsewhere or simply aren't up to scratch. And it does make sense that the trading of players is limited to certain periods of the year, so that clubs can build stable teams and compete without having to worry whether a player will quit midseason.
Even so, that doesn't mean that we have to like it.
Now, back to the football.
John Leicester is an international sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jleicester@ap.org.
World Cup
FIFA delegation assesses Portuguese WCup venues
LISBON, Portugal (AP) — A FIFA delegation is examining locations in northern Portugal which are part of the country's joint bid with Spain to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup.
Officials are touring a congress center near Porto where the qualifying draw would be held and visiting FC Porto's Stadium of the Dragon, one of the proposed match venues, on Wednesday.
The delegation is due to travel to Lisbon on Thursday to view Benfica's Stadium of Light and Sporting's Jose Alvalade Stadium.
All three stadiums were built to host the 2004 European Championship.
The delegates arrived in Spain on Monday for the seventh and final inspection tour of World Cup bidders in Europe. Only the United States and Qatar remain to be visited.
Elsewhere
Zidane returns to help boost France team's morale
CLAIREFONTAINE, France (AP) — Zinedine Zidane made an appearance at France's training camp on Wednesday to help coach Laurent Blanc restore the beleaguered national team's confidence following its poor performance at the World Cup.
Zidane lunched with the players at the Clairefontaine camp and watched videos of his France team winning the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship. He also signed autographs and briefly showed off his ball skills.
France hosts Belarus on Friday before traveling to Bosnia on Tuesday in qualifying for Euro 2012.
"I wished them good luck for what's fast approaching," said Zidane, who last visited Clairefontaine when preparing for his final tournament, the 2006 World Cup. "They're a new generation and they have important things ahead of them. The France team is the ultimate level you can reach."
Blanc wanted the presence of Zidane and former France goalkeeper Fabien Barthez to help boost the team's low morale and instill some core values that were lost in South Africa.
France's entire squad went on strike during a practice at the World Cup in protest after Nicolas Anelka was sent home for swearing at then-coach Raymond Domenech.
France left the World Cup in South Africa without winning a single game — the second straight first-round exit for Domenech after the poor Euro 2008 campaign.
A gifted playmaker, Zidane played 108 times for France and was the undisputed star of a teams that also included Barthez and Blanc, a stylish defender who played for Inter Milan and Manchester United.
Things have gone badly wrong for France in the decade since Zidane, Barthez and Blanc won the Euro 2000 trophy.
"I explained to them that the most important thing is to start winning again," Zidane said. "Because a team is judged solely on its results."
Poor performances on the field under former coach Raymond Domenech paled into comparison compared to the scenes during the training ground boycott. Patrice Evra led the players onto the team bus and drew the curtains, moments after he had a heated argument with the team's fitness coach. One furious French football official then resigned on the spot.
As punishment for being the perceived ringleaders of the training strike, Evra, Franck Ribery and Jeremy Toulalan were all suspended by the French Football Federation. Anelka was given a massive 18-game ban.
Toulalan received only a one-game ban, ruling him out of the Belarus game, but Blanc did not pick him anyway.
Evra was banned for five games and Ribery, a former vice captain, was suspended for three matches. Both players have been ruled out the opening two qualifiers.
Zidane predicts Blanc will turn France into a successful team again.
"Laurent is the right man for the job because of his experience and the player he was," Zidane said. "Because the team is starting from scratch, they can do some extraordinary things together."
-- Jean-Luc Corthial
France's Matuidi called up for qualifiers
CLAIREFONTAINE, France (AP) — France called up Saint-Etienne midfielder Blaise Matuidi on Wednesday to cover for injured midfielder Yohan Cabaye, and doubts remained whether striker Karim Benzema will play in European Championship qualifiers against Belarus and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
France coach Laurent Blanc summoned the uncapped Matuidi as a replacement for Cabaye, who left the Clairefontaine training center because of a small tear to his left thigh.
Benzema also underwent medical tests on Wednesday after he received a knock on his right ankle during training earlier this week.
"Karim Benzema's medical checks are reassuring," France spokesman Philippe Tournon said. "We will make a decision on whether he can play on Friday."
Five other players — Loic Remy, Adil Rami, Guillaume Hoarau, Mamadou Sakho and Abou Diaby — trained apart from the rest of the squad without a ball.
Blanc will be without Real Madrid midfielder Lassana Diarra, who picked up a hamstring strain last weekend, and the injured Samir Nasri for its Euro 2012 qualifying opener against Belarus on Friday.
France then plays at Bosnia-Herzegovina on Sept. 7.
Lyon playmaker Yoann Gourcuff is not allowed to play after being sent off at the World Cup while Nicolas Anelka, Patrice Evra, Franck Ribery and Jeremy Toulalan are unavailable after they were suspended by the French federation following the squad's training strike in South Africa.
Matuidi was selected for a friendly against Norway last month but didn't play.
About 300 fans attended France's training session, which was marked by Zinedine Zidane's return at the team's training ground.
Zidane lunched with the players and they watched videos of France's 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship title wins.
The purpose of Zidane's visit, and that of former France goalkeeper Fabien Barthez, is Blanc's way of showing the young players how proud they should be to represent their country after the debacle in South Africa.
"It can't do them any harm," Zidane said. "I spoke to them about my experiences with the France team."
Blanc had asked his former France teammate to join the players at training to give them some extra motivation.
"Everyone knows what he achieved during his career but not everyone knows the man himself," Blanc said. "He is an interesting character and the players will be able to get up close to him."
Blanc and Zidane were part of the France team which won the 1998 World Cup and the Euro 2000.
On Friday, France will play its first home game since its World Cup fiasco.
-- Jean-Luc Corthial
Ibrahimovic hails signing of 'magician' Robinho
STOCKHOLM (AP) — Zlatan Ibrahimovic hailed AC Milan's last-minute signing of Robinho from Manchester City, saying the Brazil winger would add a touch of magic to the Italian team.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday in Stockholm, the Swedish striker also blamed coach Pep Guardiola for his own early exit from Barcelona.
"I think the signing of Robinho is a fantastic signing because he's one of the great players in the world," Ibrahimovic said. "I think he's a fantastic player, he can give a lot to the team. He's like a magician."
Robinho reportedly cost Milan 15 million euros ($19 million), and his arrival on Tuesday came just four days after Ibrahimovic's acrimonious departure from Barcelona.
The striker, who left the Spanish champions after only one season, criticized Guardiola, who he said had yet to give him a reason for freezing him out of the team.
"My first six months (at Barcelona) was fantastic. I played my game, everybody was happy and then somewhere in March, something happened. I don't know what," Ibrahimovic said. "I'm still looking for the answer but he (Guardiola) doesn't want to give it to me."
Ibrahimovic said he places the blame for his exit squarely on Guardiola, who has publicly criticized the Swede.
"You shouldn't blame the club and the other players I had in Barcelona for what one person did, because the problem was one person — not the club and not the players," Ibrahimovic said. "The bad picture shouldn't be on the club and the players — the bad picture should be on the philosopher."
Ibrahimovic made his return to the national team in the recent friendly win against Scotland after 10 months of self-imposed exile after Sweden failed to qualify for the World Cup.
"We are more than glad that he's back and not only that, we're glad that he's back and he looks really motivated and that's the key thing for us," said Marcus Allback, Sweden's assistant manager.
Allback refused to be drawn on Ibrahimovic's fallout with Guardiola, but said that the striker's attitude both in and out of training had been exemplary.
"We have a lot of young players in the squad, and for them to see this big star acting like he does, it's of big importance for us," Allback said.
Sweden gets its qualifying campaign under way against Hungary on Friday and San Marino on Tuesday.
Striker Ola Toivonen said that the return of Sweden's most famous player had given the team a boost.
"We get confidence with Zlatan. I think the opponent also concentrates more on Zlatan than the other players," Toivonen said.
Toivonen, who was linked with a move from his club PSV Eindhoven to Liverpool before the transfer window closed, said he was flattered by the English team's interest.
"But PSV did the job for me, saying no they don't want to sell me," said Toivonen, before adding that "of course" he would be interested if the opportunity to move to Liverpool was to present itself.
"Liverpool is a big club, especially in Scandinavia where there's a lot of fans," Toivonen said.
-- Keith Moore
English-born Sutter happy to opt for Switzerland
GENEVA (AP) — Born and raised in England, Scott Sutter is sure he made the right choice by opting to play international football for his father's native Switzerland.
Sutter has been promised an international debut by coach Ottmar Hitzfeld in a friendly against Australia on Friday. Four days later, Switzerland opens its European Championship qualifying program against England.
Just four years ago, that would have posed a problem. Then a Swiss under-21 player, Sutter revealed he was still an England fan and hoped to switch allegiance from the adopted home where he arrived at age 16 to begin his professional career.
Today, his loyalty runs deeper.
"I see Switzerland as my home now," Sutter told The Associated Press after his first national team training session on Tuesday evening. "When I made the decision before about England, and not playing for Switzerland again, obviously I was a younger player. I'd only been in Switzerland for four years.
"Now I've been here for eight-and-a-half years and things look a lot different," the 24-year-old Sutter said.
His father, Werner, and mother Irena — who is English with Polish roots — will travel from their home in north London to see their son play at St. Gallen on Friday. They plan to be at Basel's St. Jakob Park next Tuesday where he will likely begin on the bench.
Sutter said his father is very proud, because "he's Swiss as well."
Elevation to international status continues Sutter's stunning season, which took off when his club Young Boys scored a shock 1-0 victory in Istanbul to eliminate Fenerbahce from Champions League qualifying.
Young Boys was then paired with Tottenham, and upset Sutter's boyhood favorite team 3-2 in Bern — having led 3-0 after 28 minutes — before losing the return match 4-0.
"The last three weeks has been amazing," he said. "When you play against teams like Fenerbahce and Tottenham you can measure yourself. It's interesting for myself as a player to know where I stand among players like that, and I don't think the difference was too big."
Sutter was told of his call-up by a club official and spoke with Hitzfeld for the first time Tuesday.
The veteran German — who led Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich to become European champions in a five-year spell — invited his new recruit to a welcoming chat at the team hotel in Feusisberg.
"He just wanted to find out about me as a person," revealed Sutter, who has learned to speak fluent German. "Not just my football but where I come from, how my life is.
"When you just chat with him face-to-face you just think, 'This is Ottmar Hitzfeld that I'm talking to, like, one-on-one talking about my family!' It's a bit surreal. It's special."
When Hitzfeld names his team to play England, Sutter expects the right-back to be established starter Stephan Lichtsteiner, the Lazio player who was a standout in World Cup qualification and played every minute of Switzerland's three matches in South Africa.
Sutter began at under-21 level as Lichtsteiner's deputy, and now is reunited with former colleagues like goalkeeper Diego Benaglio, left-back Reto Ziegler and midfielder Gokhan Inler.
They form his extended football family more than the England players coming to Switzerland, none of whom he recalls facing in youth football stints with Millwall, Barnet, Aston Villa and Charlton Athletic.
Sutter wants to play in England's Premier League one day, but right now he wants to impress Switzerland's coach, players and fans.
"Obviously you don't know really where you stand," Sutter said, "but it's just important to show a bit of confidence and know what I can do."
-- Graham Dunbar
Mourinho warns Madrid fans he's no 'Harry Potter'
MADRID (AP) — Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has warned his team's supporters who are hoping he will help end its two-season title drought that they shouldn't expect any miracles, saying "I'm a coach — I'm not Harry Potter."
Madrid opened its Spanish league campaign last weekend with a scoreless draw at Mallorca as title favorite and fierce rival Barcelona started with a 3-0 win at Racing Santander.
"At FC Porto and Inter Milan, I also started with a draw. At Porto, I went on to win four titles. And at Inter, I won two in the first season and three in the second. It's not how you start — it's how you finish," Mourinho said in Wednesday's edition of newspaper AS. "The first games are always very strange."
"I'm a coach — I'm not Harry Potter. He's a magician, but in reality magic doesn't exist. Magic is fictitious and I live in football, which is real," said Mourinho, who once described himself as The Special One while at Chelsea.
Mourinho said international breaks haven't allowed him to train enough with a full team, while new German international signings Mesut Oezil and Sami Khedira have proven hard to incorporate into the team as they spoke no Spanish and little English.
The team also carried a number of injuries into the season, Mourinho said, including playmaker Kaka. Cristiano Ronaldo was hurt against Mallorca and will be out for up to three weeks.
While pleased with his players' defensive effort against Mallorca, Mourinho said it will take a lot of work to supplant Barcelona, which has captured the league two years running since Madrid won in 2008 for its last title.
"We lack so much, so much," Mourinho said. "We could have continued playing as we did last year with the same structure we had. That would have been an easier way to start the season, but that would have brought a misleading result. That's not the direction I want to go in. Not at all."
A year after spending more than €250 million ($343 million) on superstar players like Ronaldo, Kaka and Xabi Alonso, Madrid decided to invest in Mourinho after having bowed out of the Champions League early for the past six years as it seeks its 10th title.
Mourinho said he is the perfect person for that task.
"My profile is a lot different to what Madrid has had (as coach) over the past years. If things go badly here and I have to leave, I'll have another club to go to the next day," Mourinho said. "And it won't be the Gava or Palmeiras of my city — I'll have one of the world's biggest clubs waiting for me again.
"That stability allows me to say I'm the ideal person to be at Madrid because I don't fear anybody. Madrid needs stability and I'm here to give it to it."
Loew says Ballack remains Germany's captain
BERLIN (AP) — Michael Ballack will remain Germany captain but he must regain his pre-injury form to earn his place on the team, coach Joachim Loew said Wednesday.
Loew announced his decision ahead of Friday's match against Belgium, moving to defuse a situation that threatened to become a distraction to the World Cup semifinalists as they embark on their 2012 European Championship campaign.
Ballack, a 33-year-old Bayer Leverkusen midfielder, missed the World Cup due to injury. Bayern Munich defender Philipp Lahm led Germany to third place in South Africa and said he wanted to stay on as captain.
Lahm will be Ballack's deputy and wear the armband in the Euro 2012 qualifiers in Brussels on Friday and against Azerbaijan on Sept. 7 in Cologne, Loew said.
The coach said he had told Ballack that he is "not in a position to strengthen the team right now" and will have to work hard to win back his position.
"I told him quite openly that I do not yet see him in condition to help us and that this World Cup brought about a new situation," Loew said.
He added that Bastian Schweinsteiger and Sami Khedira, who recently moved to Real Madrid, both had "outstanding" tournaments for Germany in the midfield.
Ballack was injured in the FA Cup final in May while still at Chelsea. He returned to former club Leverkusen but hasn't yet returned to his old form.
Loew also said Schalke goalkeeper Manuel Neuer would remain No. 1 with Leverkusen's Rene Adler and Werder Bremen's Tim Wiese as replacements.
He cautioned against underestimating Belgium, which he said he counts along with Turkey and Austria as a contender to finish top of Germany's group and earn a direct berth for the 2012 tournament in Poland and Ukraine.
"We are going to be up against a highly motivated team," Loew said.
Van der Vaart's move to Spurs from Madrid approved
LONDON (AP) — Rafael van der Vaart's move to Tottenham from Real Madrid was ratified by the Premier League on Wednesday, giving the Netherlands midfielder a chance to revive his club career in England.
The deal was hit by technical difficulties as the transfer window was closing Tuesday, and the league's board had to determine whether to sanction the move.
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp claimed he was only alerted to Van der Vaart's availability for 8 million pounds ($12 million) two hours before the transfer deadline.
Details of the contract weren't revealed by Spurs, but the 27-year-old Van der Vaart announced in Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf that he had signed a four-year deal.
"The interest from Tottenham only became concrete (on Tuesday) but after that things moved very quickly," Van der Vaart said. "I didn't have to think about it for long. But I just want to play football again and, if possible, every week with a beautiful club. I'm totally happy."
Van der Vaart, who was part of the Netherlands team that lost to Spain in the World Cup final in July, struggled to establish himself at Madrid in his two years at the club.
Van der Vaart will be able to play Champions League football again with Spurs having reached the group stage for the first time.
Domenech set to leave French football federation
CLAIREFONTAINE, France (AP) — After a tumultuous World Cup, former France coach Raymond Domenech is now likely to lose his job as a French football federation employee.
Domenech was replaced by former Bordeaux coach Laurent Blanc after the World Cup, but he kept his job at the federation. French federation president Fernand Duchaussoy, however, says he met with Domenech last week and that a gentlemen's agreement was likely to be found within a month.
French newspapers reported after the World Cup that Domenech could receive up to €2 million ($2.5 million) in severance.
France failed to advance past the first round in South Africa, and Domenech was criticized for his passive attitude.
UEFA fines Debrecen for using ineligible player
NYON, Switzerland (AP) — UEFA has fined Debrecen €15,000 ($19,200) for fielding an ineligible player in the Europa League, but rejected a protest by opponent Litex Lovech to kick the Hungarians out of the competition.
UEFA says its disciplinary panel agreed that Peter Mate should not have played last Thursday in the second leg of the playoffs. But UEFA says Debrecen used Mate in good faith as a substitute in Bulgaria when it led 4-1 on aggregate.
UEFA says Debrecen had "no interest in fielding this player for the three last minutes of additional time, when the score was so clearly in its favor."
Litex can appeal the ruling before Debrecen opens group play on Sept. 16 at home against Ukrainian club Metalist Kharkiv.
Injured Hargreaves makes Man United's league squad
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Owen Hargreaves has been included in Manchester United's 25-man Premier League squad despite struggling to recover from a series of knee problems.
The England midfielder made one brief substitute appearance in May to end a 19-month absence from the game, during which time he had surgery on both knees to treat persistent tendinitis.
But the pain returned during preseason training and Hargreaves went back to Colorado to see specialist Dr. Richard Steadman.
Manager Alex Ferguson doesn't know when Hargreaves will be able to play again, saying that he "continues to battle for full fitness."
The Canadian-born Hargreaves joined United from Bayern Munich in July 2007.
Cannavaro inspires Dubai club to victory
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Former Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro inspired his Dubai-based club Al Ahli to its first victory of the season, a 4-1 win over cross-town rivals Al Wasl that eases some pressure on the team after it lost its season-opener.
The 36-year-old defender, who led Italy to the 2006 World Cup title but retired from international duty after the team's dismal performance in the 2010 tournament in South Africa, is the club's biggest signing. He has been tasked with reviving the fortunes of the club which finished in the bottom half of the pro-league in 2009 after winning the league title in 2008.
Cannavaro, the team's captain, was criticized for a sluggish performance after the team was upset in its opening match last month 2-0 by Al Dahfra.
-- Michael Casey
Cisse unhurt after car crash outside Athens
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Panathinaikos star striker Djibril Cisse has been involved in a car crash on his way to training outside Athens but suffered no injuries.
The Greek club says the Frenchman's Bentley was hit by another car Wednesday morning near the Panathinaikos training ground at Peania. Neither driver was hurt, but both vehicles were damaged.
The 29-year-old France international was able to take part in the training session, the club said.
Defending champion Panathinaikos next plays Aris Thessaloniki on Sept. 12 in its second match of the season for the Greek league. Two days later, the club will play Barcelona in the Champions League.
Alberto Malesani hired as Bologna coach
BOLOGNA, Italy (AP) — Alberto Malesani has been named Bologna coach, after Franco Colomba was fired a day before the club's Serie A opener.
Malesani has coached a long list of clubs, including Chievo Verona, Fiorentina, Parma, Verona, Panathinaikos, Udinese, Empoli and Siena.
Bologna president Sergio Porcedda fired Colomba on Sunday and youth squad coach Paolo Magnani managed the team to a 0-0 draw against five-time defending champion Inter Milan on Monday.
Jeffren out 2 weeks with leg muscle injury
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona winger Jeffren Suarez will be out for two weeks after injuring his left leg.
Jeffren was diagnosed with the muscle tear on Wednesday and the Spanish champions say the player will return from the Spain under-21 team's training base to begin his recovery.
Jeffren scored two goals in 16 appearances during his first full campaign for Barcelona last season, when he was often selected ahead of Thierry Henry.
Fan dies after being run over by Corinthians bus
SAO PAULO (AP) — Authorities say a 21-year-old woman has died after being run over by a bus carrying Corinthians players at a party in Sao Paulo to celebrate the Brazilian team's centenary.
The fan died in a hospital early Wednesday. Officials said it appeared she slipped near the bus' back wheel as it passed near supporters trying to get a glimpse of the players.
Police said about 100,000 fans gathered at a city plaza for the festivities commemorating the anniversary of Brazil's second most popular club behind Flamengo.
