Soccer Capsules: Puebla president held on fraud charges
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Francisco Bernat, the president and largest shareholder of Mexico first-division club Puebla, is being held in a prison in Mexico City following his detention on charges of fraud reported to involve 30 million pesos ($2.3 million).
Bernat was detained on Thursday and reports Friday said he would be held until Wednesday on the orders of an investigating judge.
Puebla coach Jose Luis Sanchez Sola said the detention followed a longstanding power struggle between Bernat and other club officials, notably Ricardo Henaine. The two men have been battling for control of the club for several years.
Bernat owns 51 percent of the club's shares and Henaine owns just over 40 percent.
"It's not about the money," Sanchez Sola said. "I wish it were. This is about power. Having a football club means power and only 18 people in the first division have it."
The Mexican Football Federation said it would not get involved in the matter.
General Secretary Decio de Maria said it was a dispute between members of the club and the federation had no reason to intervene in a legal issue.
Puebla is undefeated in its first four matches in the Mexico Apertura tournament with two victories and two draws.
League News
Drogba looks for third successive hat trick
LONDON (AP) — Didier Drogba will have ambitions of a third successive Premier League hat trick when Chelsea visits Wigan, the team it routed 8-0 to win the title on the final day of last season.
The free-scoring champion opened the defense of its crown with a 6-0 thrashing of West Bromwich Albion last weekend to go top of the table, with Ivory Coast striker Drogba scoring three goals to build on the 29 he ended last season with.
Wigan began this season with a humbling 4-0 home loss to newly promoted Blackpool but beat Chelsea 3-1 at the DW Stadium last September in one of the shock results of the campaign. It ended Chelsea's run of seven straight victories and was the first defeat of manager Carlo Ancelotti's reign.
"It is always hard to play at Wigan," Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka said. "It is going to be maybe even harder because they lost 4-0 there in their game last weekend.
"We have to come back with three points and also we have to play our game and to do the same as last week."
Anelka's favored position is as a striker but with Drogba showing ominous early form, the Frenchman is having to settle for a place on the right wing in Ancelotti's 4-3-3 formation.
Drogba was the top scorer in the Premier League last season and netted a 23-minute hat trick against West Brom to show he is one of the favorites to top the goalscoring charts this season, too.
The powerful striker has said he is playing with more freedom after recovering from surgery to cure a nagging hernia injury that has affected him for the past six years. And his treble last weekend came three months after the hat trick he scored against Wigan in the championship-clinching win at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea is in fine form going forward but also has been tight at the back, having gone 406 minutes without conceding a league goal.
Manchester United is again expected to be Chelsea's main challenger for the title but will have to do without Rio Ferdinand for another five weeks as the England captain recovers from medial ligament damage suffered just before the World Cup.
"We are still thinking the end of September for Rio," United manager Alex Ferguson said Friday. "It was a medial ligament problem rather than a cruciate, so the recovery time is exactly what we thought."
Midfielder Anderson, who is back in training after recovering from a cruciate ligament injury sustained in February, also will be absent when United plays Fulham away on Sunday, but Ferguson said the Brazil international is expected to return to first-team action at the start of next month.
United began the season with a 3-0 home win over Newcastle but has lost to Fulham at Craven Cottage the last two seasons, conceding five goals and not scoring a goal.
Manchester City and Liverpool both won 1-0 in Europa League playoff first legs on Thursday and meet at Eastlands on Monday looking to claim their first victories in the league this season, after opening-weekend draws.
City manager Roberto Mancini completed his summer signing spree with the capture of James Milner from Aston Villa on Wednesday for a reported 26 million pounds ($40.6 million) and the England midfielder could make his debut against Liverpool.
Italy forward Mario Balotelli, who made a dream debut for City by coming off the bench to score the winner in the 1-0 victory over FC Timisoara on Thursday, also could start.
Liverpool is without the suspended Joe Cole, who compounded his sending-off in the 1-1 draw against Arsenal on his league debut by missing a penalty in the club's 1-0 win at home to Trabzonspor in the Europa League.
On Saturday, Arsenal hosts Blackpool, Birmingham is home to Blackburn, Wolverhampton goes to Everton, West Brom hosts Sunderland and Tottenham travels to Stoke.
Newcastle is at home to Aston Villa in Sunday's other match.
-- Steve Douglas
Bayern edges Wolfsburg 2-1 after late winner
BERLIN (AP) — Bastian Schweinsteiger scored in injury time to give defending Bundesliga champion Bayern Munich a 2-1 victory over Wolfsburg in the opening match of the new season on Friday.
Schweinsteiger pounced at the far post, knocking home a long ball from France's Franck Ribery.
Thomas Mueller had given Bayern an early lead before Edin Dzeko equalized in the 55th minute.
"We didn't play so well in the second half and we didn't have so many chances, we could have conceded another goal," Schweinsteiger said.
Bayern got off to a good start and Mueller, the top scorer of the World Cup, played a one-two with Toni Kroos before driving the ball home on the turn.
Steve McClaren, making his debut as the first English coach in the league, left Wolfsburg playmaker Zvjezdan Misimovic on the bench in the first half.
But the former England manager brought Misimovic in at the start of the second half and the Bosnian soon made a difference.
After new signing Mario Mandzukic had hit the post in the 47th, Dzeko rose above the Bayern defense in the 55th to head home a cross from Misimovic.
"We were not in the game at all in the first half," Dzeko said. "We saw in the second half how important Misimovic is for us."
Misimovic said he had to respect McClaren's decision, "but I don't know why I did not start."
The playmaker nearly scored just before Wolfsburg's goal but keeper Joerg Butt made a save with his foot, before later denying Mandzukic in the 67th minute.
Wolfsburg, the 2009 champion, had further chances before Bayern's late surge.
While Bayern did not spend any money on new players, Wolfsburg invested more than €20 million ($25.42 million).
-- Nesha Starcevic
Barcelona's World Cup winners return for Supercup
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona will count on its World Cup-winning core when it looks to overcome a 3-1 deficit to Sevilla in the return leg of the Spanish Supercup on Saturday.
The eight Barcelona players who helped Spain to World Cup victory last month were unavailable for the first leg, leaving an under-strength starting lineup playing at the Copa del Rey winner.
Saturday's game at Barcelona's Camp Nou could see David Villa make his debut for the Spanish champion after a €40 million ($50 million) transfer from Valencia, as the Catalan club vies for a record ninth victory in the matchup between league and domestic cup winners.
Coach Pep Guardiola still wasn't sure how the World Cup would affect his players.
"A lot depends on the desire of the players, too," Guardiola said. "We need to get our rhythm back little by little and if we can do it with a title, better."
Goalkeeper Victor Valdes, defenders Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique, midfielders Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets and forward Pedro Rodriguez are all available alongside Villa after four players made their debut in the first leg, when Barcelona blew a 1-0 lead.
"We've all arrived in good physical shape, in optimal conditions," said Pique, who enjoyed a one-month break like his Spain teammates following the World Cup. "I personally feel better than I expected."
Barcelona has been relatively quiet in the summer transfer market with only Adriano joining from Sevilla. Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are also available.
"The team we have is very good for quality and quantity," Pique said. "We were just champions so the squad showed it has the capabilities."
Sevilla, meanwhile, is coming off a 1-0 defeat to Braga in the Champions League.
But the Andalucian side can count on defender Sebastien Squillaci back after the Frenchman was kept out of the team for the European match in Portugal as the club weighs up a bid from Arsenal for the center back.
"They've got great potential and they're going to make us work," Sevilla coach Antonio Alvarez said. "It's a game we know we've got the lead and the control. We've got to try and play all the way through."
Barcelona and Real Madrid have won eight Supercups each, while Sevilla has won the trophy once, in 2007.
World Cup
England 2018 World Cup bid team hires Octopus Paul
LONDON (AP) — The octopus that achieved fame by predicting correctly the result of each of Germany's matches at this year's World Cup has switched allegiance to England.
Paul has been appointed as an ambassador to England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup.
Germany beat England 4-1 in the second round of the World Cup in the most recent installment of the nations' ongoing soccer rivalry, but the switch is a natural one for Paul.
Although he became famous by calling Germany's results and the Spain-Netherlands final from an aquarium in Oberhausen, Germany, Paul is English born. He hatched at Weymouth Sea Life Center on England's south coast in 2008.
Paul made his predictions by opening the lid of one of two clear plastic boxes, each containing a mussel and bearing a team flag.
"Paul has spent the last two years of his life in Germany, but he is definitely a proud Englishman," Weymouth Sea Life Center manager Nicola Hamilton said. "We have had a number of football approaches from around the world, but Paul was only ever going to choose his homeland."
With his eight tentacles, Paul is more adept at shaking hands than sweet-talking FIFA's 24-man executive committee that will vote in December on which nation gets to host the tournament.
But his role is simply to bring extra publicity to a country competing with the United States, Russia and joint bids by Belgium-Netherlands and Spain-Portugal.
"Paul the Octopus is undoubtedly one of the biggest names in football," former England winger John Barnes said. "Huge numbers of people will follow Paul's lead and back the bid."
Imitators sprang up all over the world, including Mani the parakeet in Singapore and Lorenzo the parrot in Hannover, Germany.
The latest is a saltwater crocodile named Dirty Harry, who predicted Spain's World Cup final win and this week called the result of Australia's general election by snatching a chicken carcass dangling beneath a caricature of Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
-- Stuart Condie
Elsewhere
Chinese investor Huang withdraws bid for Liverpoo
LONDON (AP) — A Chinese investor withdrew his bid to buy Liverpool on Friday despite claiming that his takeover plans would have provided the Premier League club with money for transfers and a new stadium.
Kenny Huang, through his investment company QSL Sports, was the first bidder to publicly declare an interest in buying Liverpool after the financially troubled club was put up for sale by co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr.
Huang announced he was "withdrawing from the ongoing sales process" a week after Liverpool's board reviewed several bids and indicated the prospect of any of them succeeding was uncertain.
"Over the past few months we learned firsthand that Liverpool has a very special place in the hearts of millions of fans around the world," Huang said in a statement. "We concluded that a plan that properly capitalizes the business and provides funds for a new stadium and player related costs would allow Liverpool FC to provide its great fans with the success they deserve.
"Our strategy and unique ability to expand the fan base in Asia would also have been of benefit to all. We regret that we will not have the opportunity to implement this strategy. We thank the many Liverpool fans who expressed support for our efforts and wish the club great success in the years to come."
Hicks and Gillett hired a new chairman, Martin Broughton, in April to search for a buyer in conjunction with Barclays Capital bank. The Americans had bought Liverpool three years earlier in a deal valued then at about $431 million, but the leveraged takeover led to debts of about $540 million in the last published accounts.
The only other publicly known declaration of interest is from a consortium fronted by Syrian businessman Yahya Kirdi.
Having pulled out of the running for the Merseyside club, Huang said: "I am now considering my future options and will be making no further comment at this time."
Huang already owns a Chinese basketball team and invested this year in the previously obscure Chinese National Basketball League. With Marc Ganis, a partner in QSL who runs Chicago-based company Sportscorp, Huang represents the New York Yankees in China.
Ganis said earlier this month that he was willing to pay off Liverpool's debts, invest heavily in the team and its players, and build the long-delayed new stadium to replace Anfield.
Though five-time European champions, Liverpool's fortunes have waned recently and it could only manage a seventh-place finish in the Premier League last season amid injury problems and a lack of investment in the squad.
Liverpool has won 18 English league titles, the last coming in 1990, and its record has been matched by Manchester United.
-- Rob Harris
Zanetti, Cambiasso, D'Alessandro return
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Javier Zanetti, Esteban Cambiasso and Andres D'Alessandro, all high-profile players left out of Argentina's World Cup squad under former coach Diego Maradona, have been called up by his interim replacement Sergio Batista for a friendly on Sept. 7 in Buenos Aires against World Cup winner Spain.
The 23-player list was announced Friday by the Argentine Football Association.
Zanetti and Cambiasso, key members of the Inter Milan team that won the Champions League three months ago, were shock absentees from Maradona's World Cup squad. D'Alessandro is a key midfielder for Brazil club Internacional, which won the Copa Libertadores on Wednesday.
Two other players who were bypassed for the World Cup also got a call — Real Madrid midfielder Fernando Gago and Barcelona defender Gabriel Milito.
The core of the squad contains many players from the World Cup and several who appeared in the 4-0 quarterfinal loss to Germany. They include: Barcelona's Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez of Manchester City, Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano and Gabriel Heinze of Marseille.
The game against Spain is followed by two other friendlies to finish the year: against Japan in Tokyo on Oct. 8 and Brazil in Qatar on Nov. 17.
Batista, named interim coach last month, was in charge for Argentina's 1-0 victory last week over Ireland. Strong showings against Spain and Japan could increase his chances of landing the full-time job. It is unclear if he will coach against Brazil.
The Argentine federation is expected to pick a full-time coach after a selection committee meets in late October. Other candidates include Alejandro Sabella, Carlos Bianchi, Miguel Angel Russo, Claudio Borghi and even Maradona.
Argentina has also lined up a match on Feb. 9 against England, to be played in Denmark or Norway.
The federation said Friday it would play in the United States between March 22-28. Matches would be against the U.S. and perhaps Mexico. Venues were not mentioned.
In another friendly, Argentina will face 2006 World Cup winner Italy on June 1. No venue was specified.
Argentina is the host nation for the Copa America, the South American championship which is set for July 3-24. The 10 South American members will be joined by Japan and Mexico.
-- Vicente L. Panetta
Batista to stay on to face Japan
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Sergio Batista will have at least one extra match in charge to prove himself as Argentina's national team coach.
The country's football association said Friday it will play a friendly against Japan on Oct. 8 in Tokyo. Batista, named interim coach last month to replace Diego Maradona, was in charge for Argentina's 1-0 victory last week over Ireland. He will remain in the post to face World Cup champion Spain on Sept. 7 in Buenos Aires.
The Argentina federation is expected to pick a full-time coach after a selection committee meets in late October. Other candidates include Alejandro Sabella, Carlos Bianchi, Miguel Angel Russo, Claudio Borghi and even Maradona.
The AFA also said it would face Brazil on Nov. 17 in a friendly in Qatar, the final match of 2010.
Argentina has lined up a match on Feb. 9 against England, to be played in Denmark or Norway. It also said it would play against in the United States between March 22-28. Matches would be against the U.S. and perhaps Mexico. Venues were not mentioned.
In another friendly, Argentina will face Italy on June 1. No venue was specified.
Argentina is the host nation for the Copa America, the South American championship which is set for July 3-24. The 10 South American members will be joined by Japan and Mexico.
Marseille signing Remy has heart problem
MARSEILLE, France (AP) — Marseille's new striker Loic Remy has a heart problem and will not make his scheduled debut on Saturday.
Marseille, which also said it is set to sign France striker Andre-Pierre Gignac from Toulouse, made the announcement on Friday — just a day after Remy joined for a reported €15 million ($19 million) fee from Nice.
"We've decided to not play Loic Remy tomorrow (against Lorient) because MRIs yesterday evening showed a small problem," Dassier said. "The news this morning is encouraging but we made this decision because the player's health is what matters most."
The medical examination revealed a heart "abnormality," explained Christophe Baudot, the club's doctor.
"It's a mechanical problem," Baudot said. "More tests are scheduled for Monday so that we can give clear answers to Loic. He will play only when all the doubts are removed."
Remy, who has a five-year contract with his new club, said he never felt any specific pain throughout his career.
"I can't wait to be done with this and show on the pitch how proud I am to be here," Remy said.
Meanwhile, Dassier said Marseille had an agreement in principle with Toulouse over the transfer of Gignac. The 24-year-old Gignac was the top striker in the French league in the 2008-09 season with 24 goals. A groin injury hampered him last season as he scored only eight league goals.
"I consider him the player in the French league with the greatest potential up front," Marseille coach Didier Deschamps said.
Toulouse currently leads the French league after winning its first two games while Marseille is yet to win a point.
Gignac will undergo a medical this weekend.
Marseille had been keen to strengthen its attack after the summer departures of Fernando Morientes, Bakari Kone, Mamadou Samassa and Senegal forward Mamadou Niang, the top striker in the French league last season.
Marseille set to sign France striker Gignac
MARSEILLE, France (AP) — Marseille is set to sign France striker Andre-Pierre Gignac from Toulouse, but Loic Remy's debut for the French champion has been put on hold after a medical examination revealed a heart problem.
Marseille president Jean-Claude Dassier said on Friday that the club reached an agreement in principle with Toulouse over the transfer of Gignac.
However, the news was overshadowed by health concerns over Remy, who signed a five-year contract on Thursday after moving from Nice in a deal worth a reported €15 million ($19 million).
"We've decided to not play Loic Remy tomorrow (against Lorient) because MRIs yesterday evening showed a small problem," Dassier said. "The news this morning is encouraging but we made this decision because the player's health is what matters most."
The medical examination revealed a heart "abnormality," explained Christophe Baudot, the club's doctor.
"It's a mechanical problem," Baudot said. "More tests are scheduled for Monday so that we can give clear answers to Loic. He will play only when all the doubts are removed."
Remy said he never felt any specific pain throughout his career.
"I can't wait to be done with this and show on the pitch how proud I am to be here," Remy said.
The 24-year-old Gignac was the top striker in the French league in the 2008-09 season with 24 goals. A groin injury hampered him last season as he scored only eight league goals.
"I consider him the player in the French league with the greatest potential up front," Marseille coach Didier Deschamps said.
Toulouse currently leads the French league after winning its first two games while Marseille is yet to win a point.
Gignac will undergo a medical this weekend.
Marseille had been keen to strengthen its attack after the summer departures of Fernando Morientes, Bakari Kone, Mamadou Samassa and Senegal forward Mamadou Niang, the top striker in the French league last season.
Former Netherlands midfielder Davids joins Palace
LONDON (AP) — Former Netherlands midfielder Edgar Davids joined English club Crystal Palace on Friday, two years after last playing professional football.
The 37-year-old Davids will be paid only for the games he plays for the League Championship side, easing the burden on a second-tier side that has had financial problems for several years.
Davids has not played since leaving Ajax in 2008 but has been training with the Dutch club in an effort to stay fit. He almost joined Leicester last year but could not agree to contract terms.
"I just want to enjoy football and show the best I can do," Davids said.
Davids played 74 times for the Netherlands in a career that also took him to AC Milan, Juventus, Barcelona, Inter Milan and Tottenham.
He made the first of four appearances in the Champions League final when he won the tournament with Ajax in 1995. After winning three Dutch league titles with Ajax, he spent a year at Milan before winning three Italian league titles with Juventus.
A dynamic midfielder capable of destroying opposition attacks, Davids then spent a half season on loan at Barcelona, won the Italian Cup with Inter and played for two years in the Premier League with Tottenham for his only experience of English football.
Although slowing by this point, Davids helped Tottenham finish fifth in 2006 and '07 for its highest league position since 1990. He returned to Ajax in January 2007 on an 18-month contract.
"We spoke to Edgar and had a meeting with him earlier in the week," Crystal Palace manager George Burley said. "He has been training with Ajax but now it's good to see us agree terms with him."
West Brom signs Nigeria striker Peter Odemwingie
WEST BROMWICH, England (AP) — West Bromwich Albion signed Nigeria striker Peter Odemwingie from Lokomotiv Moscow on Friday to boost its lightweight attack.
The Premier League newcomer paid an undisclosed fee for the 29-year-old forward, who automatically qualified for a work permit to play in Britain because he has played in 75 percent of Nigeria's matches over the past two years.
Odemwingie signed a two-year contract to join a squad without an experienced topflight striker.
"Peter has got great pace, is two-footed, scores goals and has good experience at a very high level," West Brom manager Roberto Di Matteo said. "We've brought him in as a striker but he can also play out wide, which gives me options."
Odemwingie played against Argentina and Greece at the World Cup. Nigeria was knocked out in the first round.
Di Matteo also strengthened his midfield Friday with the signing of Cameroon international Somen Tchoyi from Austrian champion Salzburg.
The 27-year-old Tchoyi also signed a two-year contract and cost an undisclosed fee.
Di Matteo said West Brom had been following Tchoyi for two years and completed the move when the Football Association endorsed its work permit application following the club's appeal against an earlier rejection.
"It's been a drawn out process due to circumstances out of the club's control but all the hard work has paid off and I'm delighted to welcome Somen to the club," Di Matteo said. "He is a powerful midfielder who will bring a physical presence to our team and also be a real threat at set pieces."
Aquilani cleared by Liverpool to go out on loan
LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson wants Alberto Aquilani to return to Italy on loan so the midfielder gets some much-needed playing time.
Aquilani joined Liverpool from AS Roma last summer for 20 million pounds ($31 million) but he has struggled to break into the first team because of problems with his fitness and form.
"At the moment we are considering possibly loaning him to an Italian club," Hodgson said. "It's very important he plays regular football, every week as the No. 1 man on the team sheet. I can't promise him that here."
The 26-year-old Aquilani was not included in Liverpool's squad for the Europa League playoff first leg against Trabzonspor on Thursday, making it possible for him to play for another club in Europe this season.
The Italy international was signed by former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez as a replacement for Xabi Alonso, and arrived at Anfield with a big reputation.
But he missed the start of last season through injury and only played 28 matches in all competitions, 14 of those as a substitute.
Hodgson said he hoped a spell away from Liverpool would help Aquilani rediscover his old form.
"It would certainly be what he needs, it would certainly protect the value of the player and when he does return to Liverpool, no doubt we will see the Aquilani that we signed before he came here injured last year," Hodgson said.
Liverpool has added midfielders Joe Cole and Christian Poulsen to its squad for this season, making Aquilani's first-team chances even more remote.
Ireland omit Wilson, Folan for Euro qualifiers
DUBLIN (AP) — Ireland omitted defender Marc Wilson and striker Caleb Folan from its squad on Friday for next month's European Championship Group B qualifiers against Armenia and Andorra.
Otherwise, the 25-man group contained the same players who were called up for the 1-0 friendly defeat by Argentina earlier this month.
The squad was announced by assistant coach Marco Tardelli, who took charge of Ireland against Argentina while manager Giovanni Trapattoni was recovering in hospital after undergoing surgery for an abdominal complaint.
Trapattoni is still recuperating but remains hopeful of taking charge of the team for the two games in Armenia on Sept. 3 and at home to Andorra four days later.
"We go into this double header of qualifiers well prepared and confident, having held a successful training camp in May and played a number of competitive and challenging friendly matches over the summer," Tardelli said.
Brazil coach Menezes turns to youth
SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil coach Mano Menezes called up more young players Friday for a week of training with the national side.
Menezes announced 18-year-old midfielder Philippe Coutinho has been added to the squad that will train in Spain Sept. 2-8.
Brazil's Football Confederation had hoped to arrange for a friendly during that period, but failed to find an opponent. As a result, Menezes opted to use only those players who are already playing in Europe.
Inter Milan midfielder Coutinho will join 18-year-old striker Neymar and 20-year-old striker Alexandre Pato of Milan.
The three are part of Brazil's effort to reinvigorate the side following a disappointing World Cup in South Africa, where the team was eliminated by the Netherlands in the quarterfinals.
Former Arsenal defender Gallas set to join Spurs
LONDON (AP) — William Gallas is close to joining Tottenham on a one-year contract, two months after leaving Spurs' fierce north London rival Arsenal.
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp says the former Arsenal captain will have a medical examination Friday.
Redknapp denied that the veteran defender was asking for a large salary and says "the wages are more than reasonable."
Gallas won two Premier League titles with Chelsea before spending four years at Arsenal. He left the Gunners when his contract expired at the end of last season.
Gallas would provide cover for the injury-prone Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate in central defense. The France international would become only the sixth player to join Spurs after also playing for Arsenal.
Levski Sofia attacked by hooligans after AIK match
STOCKHOLM (AP) — UEFA charged Stockholm club AIK with "lack of order and security" Friday for fan violence after a Europa League playoff match against Levski Sofia.
AIK hooligans attacked the Bulgarian team's bus with rocks and bottles after the scoreless draw Thursday at Rasunda Stadium.
Levski owner Todor Batkov said he and two players were hit and the windshield of the bus was damaged. No serious injuries were reported.
A UEFA disciplinary panel will hear the case on Sept. 23.
AIK, which has a history of crowd problems, deplored the attack and said it expects "hard punishment" from UEFA. The club was $20,000 for fan violence during a July 28 Champions League qualifier against Rosenborg.
Vidic signs new contract at Man United
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United says defender Nemanja Vidic has signed a new four-year contract, tying him to the club until the summer of 2014.
United says the 28-year-old Serbia centerback has signed a deal to commit his long-term future to the club after agreeing on terms a month ago.
Vidic, who joined United from Spartak Moscow in January 2006 and has become one of the team's integral players, says "during my time here we have had a lot of success and I look forward to continuing that success in the coming seasons."
United manager Alex Ferguson said Friday that Vidic's new deal killed all the "silly speculation" surrounding the player's future over the last few months.
Rabotnicki fined for fans' abuse vs Liverpool
NYON, Switzerland (AP) — UEFA has fined Macedonian club Rabotnicki €10,000 ($12,700) after its fans aimed offensive abuse during a Europa League match against Liverpool.
UEFA said Friday that its disciplinary panel found Rabotnicki supporters were guilty of "discriminatory conduct" during a third qualifying round, first-leg match in Skopje on July 29.
It did not give details of the behavior, but British media reported that Liverpool's black players were the targets of allegedly racist abuse.
Liverpool won the match 2-0, and the return leg by the same score to advance to the Europa League playoff round.
Striking Uruguay referees return to work
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — Striking referees in Uruguay are going back to work and will be on the pitch this weekend when the country's Apertura season opens a week late.
Referees went on strike before the season started looking for higher wages, travel expenses and payment of late salaries. Terms of the settlement that was announced by the Uruguyan Football Association were not immediately clear.
The one-year contract awards referees compensation if a weekday match forces them to miss time in their regular jobs.
Bremen signs Brazilian midfielder Wesley
BREMEN, Germany (AP) — Werder Bremen has signed Brazilian midfielder Wesley from Santos on a four-year contract.
The 23-year-old Wesley is expected to take up the role of Mesut Oezil, who has moved to Real Madrid. His move however had been in the works even before Oezil's departure.
The Brazilian is expected in Bremen next week and will not play in the return leg of the Champions League qualifying against Sampdoria. Werder takes a 3-1 lead to Genoa.
Mainz takes striker Rasmussen on loan from Celtic
MAINZ, Germany (AP) — Denmark striker Morten Rasmussen has joined Bundesliga club Mainz on a one-year loan from Scottish club Celtic.
Mainz says it also has an option to buy the 25-year-old Rasmussen, who passed a medical on Thursday. Rasmussen's arrival comes after Burkina Faso striker Aristide Bance left Mainz to join Al Ahli in Dubai.
