Soccer Capsules: Beckham returns to Man U team for Neville farewell
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — To chants of "Fergie sign him up," David Beckham made a one-off return to the Manchester United team on Tuesday to mark the end of best friend Gary Neville's career in a friendly against Juventus.
The Los Angeles Galaxy gave their star midfielder permission to miss the Major League Soccer match against the Houston Dynamo on Wednesday to return to Old Trafford.
The former England captain reprised his partnership on the right flank with defender Neville that worked so well for club and country, although United lost 2-1 to Juventus.
Manuel Giandonato and Simone Pepe netted for the Serie A side after Wayne Rooney's opener for the Premier League champions, who didn't lose at home all season.
Beckham left Alex Ferguson's United in 2003 to join Real Madrid, having graduated with Neville into the first team after winning the 1992 FA Youth Cup.
They both received the loudest cheers at Old Trafford, where in one late moment of drama Beckham helped to restrain a fan who invaded the pitch.
Beckham and Neville were also reunited with other members of the so-called "Fergie's Fledglings": Nicky Butt, who is without a team, Gary Neville's brother Phil, who now captains Everton, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs.
"It was great. I haven't been on a pitch with them for almost 10 years," Beckham said. "To be out there again on this field in front of this crowd with Sir Alex Ferguson as manager was a great occasion.
"Tonight was all about Gary. He got an amazing send-off from the fans but we all knew, even before tonight, how much they love him and how much he means to this club. He'll always be a part of this club and its history."
Giggs, like Rooney, whose goal he set up, played 30 minutes despite both being set to start in the Champions League final against Barcelona on Saturday.
"Barcelona are such a great football side, one of the best in the world, but if any club, and any manager, can beat them it is Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson," Beckham said.
The 37-year-old Giggs was in action a day after being named in the British parliament as the footballer at the center of a legal gag order.
Neville left the pitch to a standing ovation after 83 minutes, embracing Beckham and drawing a close to a United career that saw him play 602 first-team games for his boyhood club.
Neville won the Champions League, eight Premier League titles, three FA Cups, two League Cup titles, the Intercontinental Cup and the Club World Cup along the way.
"The most important thing for this club now is to go and win that (Champions League) trophy on Saturday," the 36-year-old Neville said.
Fire top Earthquakes in U.S. Open cup qualifying
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Orr Barouch and Yamith Cuesta scored second-half goals to force a tie, and Scott Sealy's game-ending miss in penalty kicks gave the Chicago Fire a 5-4 shootout victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Tuesday in U.S. Open Cup qualifying play.
Marco Pappa, Cristian Nazarit, Barouch, Dominic Oduro and Daniel Paladini scored for Chicago in the penalty-kick phase after the teams ended 120 minutes of play tied at 2-all.
Chris Wondolowski, Ramiro Corrales, Khari Stephenson, Brandon McDonald hit their PKs for San Jose, but Sealy's sixth-round attempt caromed off the crossbar, down the ground and bounced harmlessly away.
Chicago's Logan Pause drove his kick high to give San Jose hope in the second round of penalties, but Sam Cronin's response bounced off the crossbar and out of play to keep things level.
Seldom-used Ellis McLoughlin and Justin Morrow both scored first-half goals to give San Jose a 2-0 lead at intermission. But Barouch, a halftime substitute, tallied in the 61st minute, and Cuesta tied things in the 76th.
The Fire played a man down for the final 22 minutes of OT after defender Gonzalo Segares was given a red card as several players jawed with each other following a tough challenge by Stephenson in the 98th minute. It was the last of nine cards handed out on the evening by busy referee Daniel Radford.
But San Jose couldn't create many serious chances even with the advantage.
The win keeps alive the Fire's streak of 14 consecutive appearances in the U.S. Open Cup main draw. Chicago, a four-time winner of the tournament, will face a yet-to-be-determined opponent on June 28.
Red Bulls and Kia Motors America form partnership
HARRISON, N.J. (AP) — The New York Red Bulls and Kia Motors America, Inc. have announced a partnership that will make the automaker an official partner of the MLS team and Red Bull Arena.
The partnership will grant Kia intellectual property rights for the team, as well as Red Bull Arena and the Red Bulls Academy and Training Programs. Kia will be featured throughout the stadium, including branding on bench areas, in-stadium signage, presence at the arena's fan Interactive Zone, and hospitality. The automaker also will be involved in the team' Kicks for Kids program, which benefits various local charitable foundations.
In 2010, Kia Motors America recorded its best U.S. sales and 16th consecutive year of market share growth.
Kia will mark the new partnership on June 10 when it is the presenting sponsor of the Red Bulls' match vs. New England.
Red Bulls D Albright has hernia surgery
HARRISON, N.J. (AP) — New York Red Bulls defender Chris Albright has had bilateral hernia surgery. The procedure was be performed in California on Tuesday. The MLS team said the expected recovery time is 6-8 weeks.
Albright has not appeared in a match this season. He started 18 games last season in being named the league's comeback player of the year.
The three-time MLS Cup winner was acquired on Jan. 14, 2010 from the New England Revolution in exchange for two draft picks.
League Capsules
Ferguson: Barcelona has improved since 2009
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Two years after Manchester United was outclassed by Barcelona in the Champions League final, Alex Ferguson believes the Spanish champions are even better going into Saturday's rematch.
Since Barcelona won its third European title in 2009, Pep Guardiola's club has won two Spanish titles and is often lauded as the best team in soccer history.
"They have more maturity about their team now because I think winning that European Cup was a big step forward for them as a team," Ferguson said Tuesday.
But that 2-0 loss was a humbling moment for Ferguson's club, which was overrun by Barcelona's midfield despite going into the final on the back of a third straight English Premier League triumph.
Samuel Eto'o scored after 10 minutes and Lionel Messi rounded off the win an hour later to give Barcelona its third European title, matching United's total.
"When we lost the first goal it was that sudden lapse of concentration in terms of regrouping after we'd lost the ball — that's what cost us really," Ferguson recalled at United's training ground. "Then after, they went through with Messi running midfield, which made it very difficult for us. So the concentration is going to be very important (on Saturday) in dealing with all the issues in terms of attacking and defending. That will be the key for us."
Messi remains Barcelona's most potent threat, netting 11 goals in the Champions League this season with 52 overall for the newly crowned domestic champions.
"We've played against Barcelona three times with Messi in the team and there's always a solution to every good player and we hope we can find a solution on Saturday," Ferguson said.
United is returning on Saturday to Wembley Stadium — the scene of its first European Cup win in 1968 when Matt Busby's team beat Benfica 4-1 a decade after eight players died in the Munich air disaster.
"It was a fantastic feat because, when you think about it and go back, he (Busby) lost most of his team in 1958 and rebuilt a team to win it 10 years later — it was incredible," Ferguson said. "Plus the fact that most of the players were homegrown from the 11 out there that night, so it was a fantastic achievement and the whole country was behind them."
Ferguson isn't so optimistic that will be the same this time.
"It's a different story with United these days, we live in a country of tribalism," the Scotsman said. "You've got Liverpool fans, Leeds United fans, fans from the north, south, east, there's a lot of tribalism in England so therefore you're never going to get unilateral support."
With a victory, Ferguson would equal former Liverpool manager Bob Paisley's record of three European Cup wins. He already won the Champions League in 1999 and 2008.
And it would be the 28th major trophy of Ferguson's 25-year Old Trafford reign. He won a 12th Premier League title this month, enabling United to surpass Liverpool's record of 18.
"The only thing you can do at this club is win — it's the only thing that matters," the 69-year-old manager said. "You have a responsibility and expectation we have to live up to and that will carry on into next season, too."
-- Rob Harris
Cerezo, Bunyodkor into Asian CL quarters
OSAKA, Japan (AP) — Cerezo Osaka upstaged its more illustrious crosstown rival Gamba Osaka 1-0 to book a place in the Asian Champions League quarterfinals, along with former champs Jeonbuk Motors and Al Ittihad on Tuesday.
In South Korea, a hat trick by Brazilian midfielder Eninho gave Jeonbuk a 3-0 win over China's Tianjin Teda in the round of 16. Al Ittihad downed Al Hilal 3-1 in an all-Saudi clash, with Portuguese midfielder Nuno Assis scoring a brace for the host. Meanwhile, in Iran, Foolad Sepahan was reduced to 10 men but still beat Bunyodkor of Uzbekistan 3-1.
Cerezo, which has largely lived in the shadow of 2008 ACL winner Gamba, secured the victory when Daisuke Takahashi scored with an angled shot in the 88th minute.
The highly experienced Gamba was the strong favorite at home, but it had only slightly the better of a tepid first half and was on the back foot for much of the second. It paid the price for a pedestrian performance.
Cerezo was rewarded when Takahashi fired home from the right edge of the penalty area, beating Tosuke Fujigawa at his near post, with the Gamba goalkeeper anticipating a cross rather than shot.
Gamba almost snatched an equalizer just as the clock ticked over to 90 minutes, but Takashi Usami's scrambled shot hit the post.
Gamba players collapsed onto the pitch at the final whistle and the fans looked stunned at losing for only the fifth time in history to its smaller neighbor, and this time on the larger continental stage.
Brazilian striker Adriano — who moved from Cerezo to Gamba this season — was largely contained but wasted a couple of good opportunities in the second half; heading wide while unmarked, and having a late shot smothered well by goalkeeper Kim Jin-hyun.
Jeonbuk's journeyman midfielder Eninho scored in the 33rd and 44th minutes and completed his hat trick in the 84th to put the 2007 champion into the last eight.
Tianjin was without two key imports due to suspension, captain and central defender Marko Zoric and Argentine forward Luciano Olguin.
Defeat for Arie Haan's side ended China's participation in this year's competition.
Sepahan, which lost to Jeonbuk in the 2007 final, was never really threatened by visiting Bunyodkor, the Uzbek league leader.
Sepahan midfielder Fabio Januario opened the scoring in the 27th from long range, and six minutes later forward Ibrahima Toure doubled the lead.
Seven minutes into the second half, Toure was sent off, and Bunyodkor took advantage in the 56th thanks to defender Sasa Dordevic. But Hadi Aghily, a veteran member of the 2007 final side, converted a penalty in the 68th to allow the new Iran Pro League champion to move on.
Al Ittihad gained a measure of revenge for losing out to its Jeddah rival for the Saudi league title by eliminating Al Hilal.
Assis opened the scoring in the 15th when he linked with Mohammed Noor. Two minutes later, Paulo George's cross found Abdelmalik Ziaya for 2-0.
Al Ittihad then put the match out of reach just before the hour mark after Assis took a pass in the area and lobbed a shot over the onrushing Al Hilal goalkeeper Hasan Al Otaibi.
Al Hilal earned a consolation score in the 82nd when Abdulaziz Aldawsari curled in a left-footed shot.
On Wednesday, it's: Al Sadd (Qatar) vs. Al Shabab (Saudi Arabia), Zobahan (Iran) vs. Al Nassr (Saudi Arabia), Suwon Bluewings (South Korea) vs. Nagoya Grampus (Japan), FC Seoul (South Korea) vs. Kashima Antlers (Japan).
Elsewhere
Maradona's ex-teammates deny knowingly using drugs
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Former Argentina teammates of Diego Maradona confirm his claims that there were no doping controls before World Cup playoffs with Australia in 1993, but said they had no knowledge of receiving performance-enhancing drugs.
Former Australia captain Paul Wade said in published comments on Wednesday that Argentina was under so much pressure to qualify for the 1994 finals that he would not be surprised if they had resorted to taking performance-enhancing drugs.
He added he was "absolutely gutted" after hearing of Maradona's comments.
Maradona said on Argentine television on Monday that the players were given an unspecified stimulant before the two-legged playoff to decide which team would qualify for the 1994 World Cup in the U.S.
"What happened is that to play against Australia we were given a speedy coffee. They put something in the coffee and that's why we ran more," Maradona told "The Football Show."
Maradona said Argentine Football Association President Julio Grondona knew about the doping. He said Argentina faced doping controls before every qualifier until the playoffs with Australia. "That's the cheat and Grondona knew about it," Maradona said.
Grondona has made no comment.
Argentina drew the first match in Sydney 1-1 and won the return 1-0 in Buenos Aires to secure a berth in the 1994 tournament.
Maradona's teammates agreed there were no drug tests before the matches but deny consciously taking any illegal substances.
"We knew there wasn't going to be any anti-doping control a few days before, but we didn't attach any importance to it," midfielder Hugo Perez told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "We just concentrated on playing, but what Diego said about there being no control is true."
Perez said it was difficult to give precise details about what happened because it was a long time ago, but remembers the players could drink either water or coffee.
Former defender Jose Chamot said it would be "illegal" to take illegal substances "even if there were no anti-doping control."
"I didn't need those things," Chamot told Libre newspaper on Tuesday. "Sometimes they gave us vitamins as supplements for the journeys, but nothing more than that. If there had been anything to make the team run faster, I didn't participate."
Fellow defender Jorge Borelli told the newspaper: "I didn't take any 'speedy coffee' ... I just drank tea and soft drinks."
Socceroos skipper Wade marked Maradona in both playoff matches.
"I remember when we went over there for the return match the president of Argentina said nothing less than a victory over Australia would be acceptable," he told The Australian newspaper. "He said there would be a national day of mourning if they lost.
"It wouldn't surprise me if they had taken those things (drugs). They were playing a relatively backwater football nation and if we had beaten them can you imagine what would have happened?"
At the 1994 World Cup, Maradona was suspended for testing positive for stimulants after a first-round match against Nigeria.
Although Maradona's footballing prowess was on the wane and his drug problem was an open secret, Argentina lost its last-16 match against Romania and was eliminated.
FIFA subsequently banned Maradona for 15 months.
The feud between Maradona and Grondona first erupted when Grondona decided not to renew Maradona's contract as Argentina coach after the 2010 World Cup.
Maradona called for the 79-year-old, who has led the AFA for 32 years, to retire and make way for younger candidates.
"I'm old, but healthy," Grondona was quoted as saying. "Not like others who aren't (healthy) and not because of natural problems, but because of created problems."
Those comments infuriated Maradona, who interpreted them as thinly veiled references to his much-publicized battle with drugs.
Maradona claimed he has been clean for more than seven years and pledged to sue Grondona. He also admonished the Argentine government under Cristina Fernandez for protecting Grondona because of a television deal with the AFA to broadcast national league matches for free.
Argentine cabinet chief Anibal Fernandez rejected the idea that Grondona had any special protection. "Nobody is looking after anybody," he said on Monday.
Another teammate of Maradona's said it was time for the mudslinging to stop.
"It's craziness that this has happened, it's all a political question," said Carlos Mac Allister, in remarks quoted by Clarin newspaper on Tuesday.
"They want to get rid of Grondona and they don't realize that they are involving and dirtying many people. History will tell who is who," Mac Allister added.
Rummenigge accuses FIFA of neglecting clubs
GENEVA (AP) — FIFA is neglecting the needs of clubs while Sepp Blatter seeks a fourth term as its president, according to European Club Association chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
Rummenigge told The Associated Press on Tuesday that FIFA is "doing everything" for the national federations, which can vote Blatter back into power on June 1.
He said the contest between Blatter and Qatari rival Mohamed bin Hammam has focused too much on FIFA finances and World Cup bids, and ignored football issues affecting clubs, players and fans, such as the international match calendar.
"Today we have no democracy in FIFA," said Rummenigge, the former West Germany great who leads the 197-member ECA.
"FIFA is doing nothing in favor of the clubs. It's clear that they are doing everything in favor of the FAs to convince them to go ahead with Blatter or whatever," he said in a telephone interview.
At the same congress in Zurich where the presidential vote will take place, FIFA is also set to dismiss clubs' objections by unveiling a "9-plus-9" player quota rule restricting foreign players in top-tier matches worldwide, Rummenigge said.
Club vs. country tensions between FIFA and the ECA, representing the best and wealthiest teams from Europe's 53 football nations, have increased in the past year.
Rummenigge, who is also the executive board chairman of Bayern Munich, said he wrote to Blatter telling him that clubs could not accept the status quo.
"It was pointed out quite clear in the wording that now we have arrived at a point where we don't accept to go forward," he said.
FIFA's latest proposal to regulate clubs' freedom to select players from abroad seems sure to widen the divide.
The replacement for Blatter's failed "6-plus-5" plan — which was nationality-based and broke European labor laws — appears on congress papers as a "first-registered players" scheme.
Rummenigge said the so-called "9-plus-9" would require one half of a club's 18-man squad to have been trained "before the age of 18" within the national association.
FIFA's proposal would diminish club football by restricting a coach's ability to pick his best players, and encourage "child hunting" of teenage talent around the world, he claimed.
"The European Club Association has explicitly rejected it. I am convinced FIFA and UEFA have not thought this through in detail," Rummenigge said.
FIFA has rules controlling the transfer of minors, albeit with exemptions allowing cross-border signings in some circumstances.
Rummenigge said he preferred UEFA's existing "homegrown" rule which requires eight players in a 25-man squad to have been trained in the club's home country.
FIFA angered clubs by last June adding international fixture dates to their players' workload without consulting them. Blatter also suggested that smaller league sizes — cutting club fixtures and income streams — would keep stars fresher for the World Cup.
Blatter then upset ECA members by talking freely of a winter 2022 World Cup in Qatar which would disrupt league schedules. And he resisted club requests to spend World Cup profits insuring players' salaries for injuries sustained on national team duty.
Rummenigge said talks with FIFA in March did not help, and seemed to harm clubs' previously "relaxed and smart" dialogue with UEFA and its president Michel Platini.
"UEFA did not accept that we (should) speak to FIFA regarding the calendar," the ECA chairman said.
Rummenigge hopes relations will improve after the electioneering is over.
"I hope there will be a change of policy, respecting that the clubs are a very important part of the football family," he said.
-- Graham Dunbar
Bin Hammam criticizes English FA over FIFA vote
DOHA, Qatar (AP) — FIFA presidential candidate Mohamed bin Hammam has urged the English Football Association to reconsider its decision to abstain from the election, saying that it is "forfeiting" its right to improve the sport by choosing not to take part.
Bin Hammam, who is the lone challenger to FIFA President Sepp Blatter in the June 1 election, wrote on his website Tuesday that he respects the FA's position but is disappointed that a national association has decided "not to try to affect change from the inside."
"The FA, with its status as the oldest association in the world and England's position as the birthplace of the modern game, is one of the most important institutions in world football," he wrote. "As a result, they should be working with FIFA and the rest of the global game to improve and enhance football. By choosing to abstain, the FA is, sadly, forfeiting that right."
The FA announced last week that it wouldn't vote for Blatter or bin Hammam. Both men have been tainted by a corruption scandal involving bids for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
Six members of FIFA's executive committee have been accused of receiving or demanded bribes during bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Bin Hammam helped deliver the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, which is alleged to have paid two FIFA executives $1.5 million each.
The allegations came from evidence the Sunday Times submitted to a British parliamentary inquiry. Blatter has announced FIFA will investigate the claims and that a former bid employee who was a source for some of the allegations would be interviewed Wednesday.
The Qatar Football Association on Monday welcomed an investigation into allegations of corruption but insisted that the evidence presented so far was false and unsubstantiated. It said the whistleblower is probably a former employee "with a significant axe to grind."
In its one-page letter released to the media, Qatar offered no fresh evidence to refute the claims, but attempted to cast doubt on the Sunday Times allegations, suggesting the methods it used to build the case calls into question the "credibility of the reporters, their motivations and extent to which ... the evidence in any way can be relied upon."
Meanwhile, Blatter has declined an invitation to testify about World Cup bidding before a British Parliamentary committee. FIFA informed the Culture, Media and Sport Committee that it is focusing on its own investigation.
-- Michael Casey
Man United manager tells aide to ban AP reporter
LONDON (AP) — Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has told an aide to ban an Associated Press sports writer after he asked a question about midfielder Ryan Giggs.
Ferguson was speaking at a news conference Tuesday ahead of Saturday's Champions League final against Barcelona when the AP's Rob Harris asked him a question about Giggs, who was named in the British parliament on Monday as the soccer star at the center of a high-profile privacy case.
A judge granted an injunction preventing media from publishing allegations that the player had an affair with reality television contestant Imogen Thomas, but Giggs' name spread all over Twitter and other websites. On Monday, Member of Parliament John Hemming identified Giggs as the player embroiled in the case during a House of Commons debate.
At Tuesday's news conference with Ferguson, Harris asked about the importance of 37-year-old Giggs to Manchester United. "The most experienced Champions League player in the team is obviously Ryan Giggs. How important is he for the team on Saturday?" Harris said.
"All of the players are important, every one of them," Ferguson replied curtly.
Broadcaster Sky News later broadcast Ferguson's whispered comments to a club media officer. He was heard saying, "the guy that asked the question about Giggsy ... at the press conference."
She replies: "Which one?"
Ferguson responds: "Him that asked the question ... who?"
The press officer replied: "Oh yeah, I'll tell you later."
Minutes later, Ferguson is heard to ask: "Is he coming on Friday?"
The press officer asks: "The guy with the laptop?"
Ferguson replies: "Aye. Then we'll get him. Ban him on Friday."
It was unclear which event on Friday Ferguson was referring to, although he is due to hold a news conference on the eve of Saturday's game.
Ferguson has a famously prickly relationship with the British media. He has refused to speak to the BBC for several years after a program was broadcast about his son's business activities and several individual journalists have been banned from attending Manchester United events. Lou Ferrara, the AP's Managing Editor for Sports, defended Harris.
"Rob was doing his job as a journalist by asking a question," Ferrara said. "Our expectation is that he'll ask more questions, and be afforded the ability to do so, as he covers the world's most popular sport."
Giggs, who is married with two children, was absent from the club's open training session on Tuesday, one of several United players who did not train in front of the media ahead of the final at London's Wembley Stadium.
In suburban Manchester, police said that news photographers' cars parked outside Giggs' home were deliberately damaged on Tuesday afternoon. Officers "discovered at least six cars had been vandalized after a group of offenders arrived in a Ford Transit van and attacked the vehicles," police said in a statement.
-- Simon Haydon
Dubai's Al Wasl makes bid for Forlan
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Dubai's Al Wasl has made a bid for Atletico Madrid striker Diego Forlan and is awaiting a response from the Spanish side.
Al Wasl, which hired Diego Maradona as coach this month, said in a statement on Tuesday it made an "improved bid" of a one-year loan to Atletico after its initial offer to purchase Forlan was rejected.
Al Wasl did not provide details of how much it was willing to pay for the 32-year-old striker from Uruguay, who won the Golden Ball award as the best player of the 2010 World Cup.
The club has insisted it plans to bolster the squad now that Maradona has signed on for two years. The 50-year-old Maradona has been out of coaching since he led Argentina to the 2010 World Cup quarterfinals. It has said that players from the Middle East and Europe have offered to come play since the Maradona announcement but Forlan was the first the club was actively courting.
"Diego Forlan ... has expressed his desire to join Al Wasl Football Club and is impressed with the club's vision and forward thinking strategy especially after appointing Maradona as coach," the club said.
The Atletico player has said repeatedly that he wants to leave the Spanish club. Forlan has twice won the Golden Boot award as Europe's leading scorer, and last season led Atletico to its first trophy in 14 years in winning the Europa League.
But this year, his goal tally has fallen off and in the second half of the season he was repeatedly benched by coach Quique Sanchez Flores in favor of strikers Sergio Aguero and Diego Costa.
The club rebuffed interest in Forlan in January reportedly from Juventus and other European clubs. There was nothing about the Al Wasl offer on Atletico's website.
If the sale goes through, it would be the biggest name signed to play in the UAE Football League, which is in its third season.
Last year, Dubai club Al Ahli signed former Juventus captain Fabio Cannavaro, who has struggled with injuries in his first season.
Finland to charge Singapore man with match-fixing
HELSINKI (AP) — A Singaporean man being held in jail in Finland will be charged with bribery in a widening match-fixing scandal in the Nordic country, a prosecutor said Tuesday.
Wilson Raj Perumal, who was arrested in February after arriving with false identity papers, is suspected of bribing players at three Finnish clubs in 2008-2011, Maija Mononen from the Lapland Prosecutor's Office said.
"He is linked to nine former players from Rovaniemen Palloseura who are suspected of accepting bribes and two AC Oulu players who were found guilty of taking bribes," Mononen.
Mononen declined to give more details about Perumal and the other cases until charges are formally read in court next month.
The third Finnish club was not named but the league season opened this month without three-time champion Tampere, which was suspended for links to suspected fixers from Singapore. It was kicked out after Tampere officials acknowledged accepting €300,000 from a Singaporean company but were unable to explain why they took the money and claimed they could not trace the company when trying to return it.
On May 6, a Finnish court convicted two Zambian brothers from AC Oulu of taking €50,000 ($72,500) in bribes to influence the outcome of a game last year. Donewell and Dominic Yobe received suspended sentences after confessing to playing "below their normal level" during a 5-0 loss against TPS.
The Finnish match-fixing investigation began after the arrest of Perumal, who is believed of having first contacted football players in Finland in 2008. He is suspected of bribery in at least 10 games, investigators said. If found guilty, Perumal faces a two-year prison sentence.
FIFA, which has pledged to track down organized crime leaders responsible for a wave of match-fixing and betting scams in football, believes Perumal organized an infamous match last September when a fake Togo team traveled to Bahrain for a friendly that the unwitting host easily won 3-0.
Perumal also has links to fixing involving Zimbabwe national team matches played in the Far East.
-- Matti Huhhtanen
Ferguson confirms interest in goalkeeper De Gea
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United is close to signing goalkeeper David De Gea from Atletico Madrid to replace Edwin van der Sar. Manager Alex Ferguson confirmed on Tuesday that the English champions have been tracking Spaniard De Gea with the 40-year-old Van der Sar retiring after the Champions League final against Barcelona on Saturday.
"He's a young goalkeeper, very quick, good composure, presence, and an outstanding replacement for Van der Sar," Ferguson said on United's website. "We were looking for the same type of qualities as Edwin, because the one great quality Edwin always had was his composure and organizational ability. With David De Gea, he is very similar that way."
Atletico president Enrique Cerezo said neither the 20-year-old De Gea nor Man United had informed them about a transfer, while insisting: "We don't want to sell."
"We don't know a thing," he added. "The player is here and he'll have to go through a medical checkup ... (De Gea) knows well he can negotiate (with others) but they always have to stick to the (buy out) clause."
De Gea, who is yet to play for Spain, won both the Europa League and European Super Cup in 2010 with Atletico.
Giggs absent from open training
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United midfielder Ryan Giggs was absent from the club's open training session a day after being named in Parliament as the player at the center of a gag order.
Giggs was among several United players who did not train in front of the media on Tuesday ahead of the Champions League final Saturday against Barcelona at Wembley.
The 37-year-old Giggs, who is married with two children, was identified by Member of Parliament John Hemming during a House of Commons debate on Monday as the player involved in a high-profile privacy case.
A judge granted an injunction preventing media from publishing allegations that the player had an affair with reality television contestant Imogen Thomas, but Giggs' name had been spread all over the Internet and Twitter.
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson was curt Tuesday when asked about Giggs' importance for Saturday's game. He said "all the players are important to us."
-- Rob Harris
Mellberg, Majstorovic back in Sweden squad
STOCKHOLM (AP) — Central defenders Olof Mellberg and Daniel Majstorovic are back in the Sweden squad for its 2012 European Championship qualifiers against Moldova and Finland.
Mellberg of Olympiakos missed the team's last game against Moldova in March because of a suspension, while Celtic's Majstorovic was out with an injury.
AC Milan forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic was also included in the team.
Sweden coach Erik Hamren said Tuesday that Racing Santander striker Magnus Rosenberg won't take part in either of the games because he "wasn't sure he'd have (enough) energy" after the Spanish season.
Backup goalkeeper Par Hansson was included only for the match against Moldova in Zimbru on June 3. Sweden plays Finland at home in Stockholm on June 7.
Leeds goalie Schmeichel makes debut for Denmark
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Leeds goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel has been called up to the Denmark squad for the first time for its 2012 European Championship qualifier against Iceland. Coach Morten Olsen says Schmeichel will be the third-choice goalie behind veteran Thomas Sorensen and Stephan Andersen.
Olsen says the former Manchester City keeper should get "a taste" of the national team. He is the son of former Denmark and Manchester United great Peter Schmeichel, who earned 128 caps in a 14-year career — and scored once.
Olsen picked 23 players for the June 4 game in Reykjavik, including Nicklas Bendtner, William Kvist, Dennis Rommedahl and Simon Busk Poulsen. Other key players on Olsen's list were Christian Poulsen, Lasse Schone, Christian Eriksen and Mads Junker.
Croatian FA leader appeals UEFA fine over gay slur
NYON, Switzerland (AP) — Croatian soccer federation president Vlatko Markovic has appealed to UEFA against his $14,100 fine for making anti-gay remarks.
European soccer's governing body says it expects to schedule the appeal hearing next month after Markovic challenged his sanction for an "inappropriate statement" to the press.
UEFA acted after the 74-year-old Markovic said in an interview last November that a gay player "certainly" would not play for Croatia while he was national federation president. He said he never met a gay player because "only healthy people play football."
One month later, Croatian officials elected Markovic to a fourth four-year term.
Markovic serves on FIFA's soccer committee and is expected to attend the governing body's congress in Zurich next week.
Convicted Serbian fans deported from Italy
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Police say a Serbian fan convicted for instigating a riot at a European Championship qualifier in Italy in October has been deported from Genoa.
Ivan Bogdanov, sentenced by an Italian court to three years and three months in jail, and another Serb fan leader were on Tuesday immediately sent to a Serbian prison amid fears that they could repeat the offense.
UEFA awarded Italy a 3-0 win over Serbia after the Oct. 12 match which was stopped in the seventh minute with the score 0-0 because of fan riots.
Wearing a black mask, 29-year-old Bogdanov climbed onto a barrier separating fans from the field, used a wire cutter to slice apart a mesh fence, and launched fireworks onto the field as he encouraged other Serbian fans to do the same.
Swedish match stopped after fan attacks goalkeeper
MALMO, Sweden (AP) — A Swedish league match between Malmo FF and Helsingborg was abandoned after a spectator went on to the field and pushed Helsingborg goalkeeper Par Hansson on Tuesday.
Moments earlier, a firecracker thrown from the stands went off next to Hansson, who was kneeling down when the fan approached from behind and pushed him off balance. The fan was wrestled to the ground by police. The referee ordered all players off the field after the attack.
It's the second Swedish league match abandoned due to crowd trouble this season. A match between Syrianska and AIK was stopped when a linesman was hit by a firecracker. Syrianska was awarded a 3-0 default win.
The incident in Malmo happened when Helsingborg went up 1-0 after half an hour.
Valencia gives coach Emery 1-year extension
VALENCIA, Spain (AP) — Valencia has signed coach Unai Emery to a contract extension that keeps him tied to the Spanish league club through next season.
The 39-year-old Basque coach will take charge of Valencia for a fourth consecutive season after guiding it to third place behind Spanish champion Barcelona and Real Madrid. Valencia finished 25 points behind Barcelona and 21 back of Madrid.
Valencia has improved its league position each year under Emery, who has returned the club to the Champions League for a second straight season after a two-year absence.
Alfredo Di Stefano was the last coach to lead Valencia for at least four seasons, with the Argentine playing great in charge from 1970-74.
Cudicini signs new one-year contract with Tottenham
LONDON (AP) — Veteran goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini has signed a one-year contract with Tottenham to extend his stay with the Premier League club until he is almost 39.
Cudicini started eight matches in this season's Premier League and two in the Champions League after recovering from wrist and pelvis injuries from a November 2009 motorcycle accident. The son of AC Milan great Fabio Cudicini, the former Chelsea keeper has played a total of 25 times for Tottenham. He started the last three matches of the season, helping Spurs finish fifth.
Cudicini has mostly been backup to Heurelho Gomes in his 2½ years with Tottenham but the erratic Brazilian has reportedly spoken with PSV Eindhoven sporting director Marcel Brands about returning to the Dutch club.
Euro 2012 arena not ready for Poland-France game
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland's friendly against France next month has been moved from Gdansk to Warsaw because the stadium under construction for the 2012 European Championship will not be ready in time.
Legia Warszawa spokesman Michal Kocieba said Tuesday the club's stadium is being readied for the game on June 9. Poland's football federation said on its website that the Gdansk stadium is still a construction site with no access for firefighters or ambulances and that it lacks a monitoring system needed to ensure security.
Poland is co-hosting next year's Euro 2012 tournament with Ukraine and has drastically stepped up security requirements after hooligans damaged a stadium in Bydgoszcz following a domestic cup match last month.
Barca travels to London Tuesday to avoid ash havoc
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona will travel to London on Tuesday, two days earlier than planned, to avoid having its Champions League preparations disrupted by an erupting Icelandic volcano for the second year running.
Barcelona says on its website the team will fly to London at 10 p.m. (2100 GMT) local time, four days ahead of Saturday's final against Manchester United at Wembley. Dense ash from the erupting Grimsvotn volcano had already forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights Tuesday.
Barcelona traveled to Italy by bus for last year's Champions League semifinal at Inter Milan after an eruption at a different volcano closed European airspace. Barcelona lost the first leg and was eventually knocked out in the semifinals.
UEFA sells Spanish Euro 2012 TV rights to Mediaset
NYON, Switzerland (AP) — Spanish fans will watch their team defend its title at the 2012 European Championship on the Telecinco and Cuatro channels of broadcaster Mediaset Espana.
UEFA says it has sold exclusive Spanish rights for all 31 matches to the network, which is majority owned by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's Mediaset group. The value of the deal was not disclosed.
Spain won Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland when matches were broadcast at home by Canal+ and Cuatro. Euro 2012 is played June 8-July 1 in Poland and Ukraine. Spain has won its first five qualifying matches and leads its group.
Man United tops Premier League broadcast revenue
LONDON (AP) — Manchester United received $97.6 million in Premier League broadcast revenue this season when it won a record 19th English championship.
A quarter of domestic revenue is distributed according to how many times a team's games are broadcast and another quarter split according to team standings in the league. That made United likely to take most cash because of its status as the most popular and successful of England's 20 topflight clubs.
Blackpool took a league-low $63.2 million as its debut season ended in a 19th-place finish and relegation. Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore calls the distribution "the most equitable of Europe's major football leagues."
Croatia's Gabric injured in car crash
SPLIT, Croatia (AP) — Doctors say Croatia midfielder Drago Gabric remains in a coma on Tuesday after brain injuries he sustained in a car crash. The crash happened on Monday on a rain-drenched highway near Split on the Adriatic coast.
Doctors say Gabric, who plays for Ankaragucu in the Turkish Super League on loan from Trabzonspor, sustained a fractured skull and has been unconscious since he was transported to a hospital in Split. A passenger in the car driven by Gabric suffered minor injuries.
The 25-year-old Gabric has played five matches for Croatia since 2009, scoring once. He was in Croatia's squad for the European Championship qualifier against Georgia on June 3 in Split. He is the son of former Croatian goalkeeper Tonci Gabric.
Pirlo signs three-year deal with Juventus
TURIN, Italy (AP) — Italy midfielder Andrea Pirlo has signed a three-year contract with Juventus. The Turin club made the announcement Tuesday after Pirlo decided to end his 10-year stay at AC Milan.
Milan vice president Adriano Galliani said he would have liked to keep Pirlo, but wasn't willing to sign him to a long-term contract since Pirlo turned 32 last week.
