Soccer Capsules: Crew rallies for tie in Champions League
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Whether at the national team level or when two clubs playing in a regional tournament play there is always friction when the United States and Mexico get together.
It was no different Tuesday in Crew Stadium when Columbus of the MLS and Toluca of the Mexican first division played to a 2-2 tie in the testy opener of the two-game, total goals quarterfinal series of the CONCACAF Champions League.
Steven Lenhart scored two second-half goals to rally the Crew after Antonio Nelson Sinha and Antonio Rios put Toluca up at halftime.
Lenhart cut the 2-0 deficit in the 66th minute with a half volley 13 yards off goal and got the equalizer in the 84th minute from nearly the same spot on the right side of the penalty area — all while drawing the ire of Toluca coach Jose Manuel de la Torre.
"He spent most of the game provoking our defenders," de la Torre said. 'It's not his fault because the referee allowed it to happen."
Lenhart, a laidback Californian with a blond afro, wasn't fazed, "It's fine with me. Whatever. It's just another game."
The return match is March 17 at Toluca. It will be a daunting task for the Crew because away goals count as the tiebreaker. The Crew must win or tie while scoring at least three goals to advance. If the score is deadlocked at 2 the teams will play overtime to decide the series winner.
Major League Soccer teams have lost 10 of 11 knockout series to Mexican clubs in the tournament for 24 teams from regions representing North and Central America and the Caribbean.
"It will be a pretty hostile environment," Crew defender Danny O'Rourke said. "They gave us a little respect. Typically, Mexican teams don't have a lot of respect for the U.S. The (U.S.) national team has done well in recent years and that has given us some respect and hopefully MLS advancing in the Champions League will gain us more respect."
There were several skirmishes early in the second half and Crew defender Gino Padula elbowed Isaac Brizuela, opening a cut. Yet, there were only 17 fouls and three cautions.
"There were some questionable calls by the referee to allow a lot of aggression that benefitted them," de la Torre said. "Generally, I'm not one to make comments about the referee's performance but based on tonight referee's performance my players were at risk of injury."
Sinha scored in the 19th minute off a counterattack and Rios made it 2-0 in the 45th minute with a wicked one-timer off an errant clearance.
Lenhart responded with a quick shot after chesting the ball half then got the tying goal after taking a pass from Emilio Renteria.
The first goal was phenomenal and the second goal might have been better," O'Rourke said. "That's the type of guy Lenhart is. Talk about a resilient guy. He's a happy go-lucky guy, nothing gets him down. You can knock him down 15 times and the 16th time he'll get up and keep battling."
Mexico to face Angola on May 13 in Houston
MEXICO CITY — Mexico will face Angola on May 13 in Houston as part of its World Cup preparations.
The Mexico Football Federation announced the match on Tuesday as El Tri prepares to play France, South Africa and Uruguay in the first round of the World Cup.
Mexico meets Iceland on March 24 in Charlotte, N.C.; Ecuador on May 7 at East Rutherford, N.J.; and Senegal on May 10 at Chicago. Mexico then hosts Chile on May 16 in Mexico City before heading to Europe for more exhibitions.
U.S. Soccer
$200 million Red Bull Arena set to open March 20
HARRISON, N.J. — Shining like a silver spaceship across the Passaic River from Newark, Red Bull Arena is ready for soccer.
Discussed for a decade and approved in June 2004, the soccer-specific stadium is well past due to open but when it does — with an exhibition between the Red Bulls and Brazil's Santos on March 20 — the 25,000-seat stadium will immediately become the premier soccer venue in the nation.
After fumbling around Giants Stadium for 15 seasons, often playing before crowds of 10,000 in a 79,000-capacity venue, the New York area's professional soccer team will now have a $200 million home of its own.
"Unfortunately, for 15 years now we have not really been able to showcase the game to key media people, to key sponsors, to influential people from the financial community," MLS commissioner Don Garber said. "It didn't tell the right story about what we're trying to do in this country. And now finally, not only will we be able to showcase a fantastic soccer stadium, but we'll be able to showcase what I think is one of the best stadiums of its size in the world."
Delays in cleaning up the 200-acre site, where pipes and steel used to be made, postponed the start of construction on the stadium until January 2008.
By then, the team had been sold to an Austrian beverage company and the stadium, with a translucent roof added over the seats to make it more like a European ground than an American stadium.
The 120-by-75-yard grass field (109-by-68 meters) is surrounded by seats just 21 feet from the touchlines under the design by Rossetti Architects. The 17th row is the farthest from the field in the lower deck. There are 30 luxury suites with a bi-level lounge, about 1,000 club seats, a bar for longtime season ticket holders and five locker rooms — enough to hold a neutral doubleheader without having to open the Red Bulls' private player areas. Six broadcasts booths provide enough space to hold major World Cup qualifiers.
Fans can munch on Brazil- and Portuguese-themed food created by Seabras, a nearby restaurant in Newark's Ironbound district. Instead of driving, they can take commuter rail trains to a station right outside. Empty space outside the arena has been set aside for commercial development.
And no longer having to work around the NFL's Giants and Jets, college football and concerts, the soccer team is master of its own fixture list, choosing the optimum dates and times to create a schedule aimed at the league, fans and television partners. After a youth game Saturday and the exhibition, the first Major League Soccer game set for March 27 against the Chicago Fire
No more slipping around on garish artificial turf that often was marked up with both soccer the NFL lines, as if some Willem de Kooning drip painting were superimposed over a Jasper Johns.
A team that's largely stunk since the league started play in 1996, is hoping the stadium will spur it to a renaissance — or, perhaps more accurately, a naissance.
"It hasn't been hard for a visiting MLS team to come in and play. This we expect it to make it difficult on them," Red Bulls managing director Erik Stover said. "It helps us with a homefield advantage. It helps us with recruiting players. We think it will help our guys stay healthy."
MLS has tied its future to soccer-specific stadiums, and Red Bull Arena is the eighth to open, following Columbus Crew Stadium (1999); the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. (2003); Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas (2005); Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Ill. (2006); Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo. (2007); BMO Field in Toronto (2007); and, Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah (2008).
PPL Park in Chester, Pa., is slated to open later this year, and the Kansas City Wizards' stadium in 2011, when expansion teams move into renovated stadiums in Portland, Ore.; and Vancouver, British Columbia. That will leave only D.C. United, Houston, New England and San Jose exploring new homes, with Seattle happy following its first season at Qwest Field.
"We believe that every team needs their own home. They need a building that defines them and gives their fans a place which can celebrate the game in the local community," Garber said.
New York's modern era of professional soccer began with the Cosmos, who wandered from Yankee Stadium to Hofstra and Randall's Island before the 1975 signing of Pele sent them back to Yankee Stadium the following year and onto Giants Stadium in 1977 until the team's demise in 1985.
The MetroStars started play with MLS in 1996, then were renamed in 2006 when Anschutz Entertainment Group sold the team to Red Bull Co. Ltd.
The team has advanced past the opening round of the playoffs just twice and has never won a title. In an area where only winning has been acceptable, the Red Bulls have been an embarrassment. They were 5-19-6 in the league and 6-21-7 overall last year, going winless in 27 MLS regular-season road matches since May 2008. They averaged a club-low 12,491 fans for league home games, 12th among 15 teams.
Following Newark's Prudential Center (2007), new Yankee Stadium (2009) and Citi Field (2009), and preceeding the new Meadowlands Stadium (April) and Barclays Center (ground just broken), the soccer stadium is part of a sports building boom in the New York metropolitan area.
In an area where the Yankees charge up to $1,500 per seat per game, down from $2,500 last year, the Red Bulls priced their season tickets at $272 to $3,000 for 15 home games, although they reclassified 300 of their thousand pricey club seats down to "premium midfield" at $695 for the year. Emulating some European teams, they're replacing many paper tickets with smart cards for buyers of season plans.
And they're seeking to expand the fan base by bringing in other teams. The Czech Republic meets Turkey on May 22 in the first international match at Red Bull Arena, and Stover hopes Fox will allow the Red Bulls to show the European Champions League final on the high-definition video boards after the final whistle, which would encourage fans to stay.
"Hopefully some of them will come back occasionally for our matches," he said, "or even better become season ticket holders."
-- Ronald Blum
Copa Libertadores
Defending champion Estudiantes held in Bolivia
LA PAZ, Bolivia — Defending champion Estudiantes of Argentina was held to a 0-0 away draw by Bolivian club Bolivar in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores on Tuesday.
Racing of Uruguay and Deportivo Cuenca of Ecuador secured their first wins in this year's tournament, while the match between Chilean clubs Universidad Catolica and Universidad de Chile ended 2-2.
Estudiantes, which won last year's title by beating Cruzeiro in the final, struggled to create clear chances against Bolivar at high altitude in La Paz.
The draw moved Estudiantes to four points in Group 3 after three matches, two points behind leader Alianza Lima. Alianza has a game in hand and hosts Juan Aurich, also of Peru, on Wednesday.
Elsewhere, Cuenca beat Morelia of Mexico 2-0 at home to register its first points in three matches. A 30-yard shot from Gabriel Mendez brushed the crossbar to open the scoring in the 59th minute, before Luis Escalada added a second with a low shot in the 83rd.
Racing had a 2-1 win at home against Cerro Porteno of Paraguay to move level with Corinthians of Brazil atop Group 1.
Mathias Mirabajes gave Racing the lead in the 19th minute and Martin Cauteruccio got the second in the 69th, while Luis Caceres pulled a goal back for Cerro in the 84th.
Cerro finished the match with ten men after Javier Villarreal was sent off in the 78th minute.
Edson Puch scored a stoppage time equalizer to salvage a point for Universidad de Chile against compatriot Universidad Catolica in Group 8.
Juan Manuel Olivera put Universidad de Chile in front in the 19th minute, but goals by Matias Rubio in the 22nd and Francisco Silva in the 70th gave Catolica the lead until Puch equalized again with a near post header from a corner.
World Cup
Brazil president plans for World Cup final
BRASILIA, Brazil — President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is he's so confident of Brazil's chances in the World Cup that he is already planning to be at the final on July 11.
"I'm so optimistic that when I was in Mexico with President (Felipe) Calderon and he asked me if I was going to the opening game of the World Cup, I said I'm not going to the opener — I'm going to the final," Silva said in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Of course, Silva said he would have to attend the final match in Johannesburg anyway — at least for ceremonial reasons — since Brazil will be the host country for the 2014 World Cup.
Silva is a big fan of Brazil coach Dunga, who has emphasized team play and defense for the five-time World Cup champions. Silva said he also supports Dunga's decision to leave AC Milan star Ronaldinho off the team in the runup to the World Cup.
"If there's one thing I like about Dunga, it's that he's called up the players who are in the best form," Silva said. "He also instills confidence. It's not enough that a player is good, you also have to know that a player will follow the tactics the manager wants to use."
He said Dunga also gave the team "moral authority."
"It's important to recall that in 1990 (in Italy's World Cup), Dunga was blamed for the failure of the Brazil team," he said. "In 1994 he came back as the captain and won the World Cup."
Asked why Dunga was receiving criticism despite Brazil having qualified as No. 1 from South America for the World Cup, Silva replied: "Every one of us in Brazil is a coach. Brazil has 190 million coaches. Everyone is convinced they know everything about football."
He said during the June 11-July 11 World Cup he would make a five-nation tour of Africa, ending in South Africa for the deciding game.
He also continued to talk up Brazil as host of the next World Cup.
"Brazil is preparing to organize the 2014 World Cup, the most incredible you have ever seen," he said.
In relation to security for the World Cup and the 2016 Olympics, Silva said the government was spending heavily in slum areas to give people options other than drugs and crime.
"The problem of security isn't only a police problem," Silva said. "The security problem is the presence of the state in the community. The state is bringing in education, bringing in culture, bringing in health care, bringing in work, and the people are realizing that the state is offering opportunities for survival."
He said the police forces were also being beefed up.
"We are on the right path," he said. On the question of security, we're dealing with it a lot more efficiently. We're betting on intelligence. We're betting on the hiring of more federal police, we're betting on the PRONAF (anti-violence program) and establishing policies of vigilance and community security. This is being put in place in various regions of Brazil."
-- Marco Sabaja
Paraguay to play South Africa in WCup warmup
ASUNCION, Paraguay — Paraguay will face South Africa in a World Cup warm-up match on March 31 in the national capital Asuncion.
Juan Angel Napout, president of the national federation, announced the match on Tuesday. South Africa also has several friendlies scheduled in the next few weeks in neighboring Brazil. Paraguay coach Gerardo Martino did not specify if he would use exclusively local players or call up some based outside the country.
Paraguay is appearing in its fourth straight World Cup and plays in Group F in South Africa against defending champion Italy, Slovakia and New Zealand.
Champions League
Arsenal, Bayern make Champs League quarterfinals
LONDON — Arsenal dismantled FC Porto 5-0 on Tuesday to reach the Champions League quarterfinals along with Bayern Munich.
Nicklas Bendtner scored the first hat trick of his career to help Arsenal overcome a first-leg deficit in the Champions League for only the second time, while Bayern advanced past Fiorentina on away goals despite a 3-2 loss in Italy that made it 4-4 on aggregate.
Arsenal and four-time European champion Bayern are the first sides through to the March 19 quarterfinal draw in Nyon, Switzerland. Manchester United, AC Milan, Real Madrid and Lyon will try to join them on Wednesday and the other four spots will be decided next week.
Arsenal trailed 2-1 from the first-leg match in Portugal but drew level on aggregate when Bendnter scored in the 10th minute. The Premier League side never looked like falling behind again.
"It will give us a lot of confidence," Bendtner said. "We want to win the Champions League. It's something we haven't done."
Samir Nasri and Andrey Arshavin ran an attacking display that more than compensated for a defense shaky without the injured William Gallas, while Bendtner improved on a display that included several missed chances in Saturday's 3-1 Premier League win over Burnley.
"I hope it will not give him too much confidence," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. "He played well on Saturday but missed chances. Today he had less chances and scored more goals. I hope it gives him the desire to work even harder."
Nasri's pass through the middle cut open the visiting defense and, although Arshavin's attempt to get to the ball was blocked by defender Jorge Fucile and goalkeeper Helton, it fell to Bendtner just inside the area for the Denmark striker to sweep it in for the opener.
Fucile then tried to save a corner deep in Porto's half and instead gave the ball away. Arshavin dodged Fucile's sliding attempt to retrieve the ball and weaved between another two defenders before slipping the ball across the six-yard box for Bendnter to tap in completely unmarked for 2-0 after 25 minutes.
Nasri made it 3-0 in the 63rd with a solo effort — beating three defenders, two of them twice, to twist into the area and score with a swerving shot across Helton and in at the far post — before substitute Eboue rounded off a swift counterattack three minutes later.
Arsenal won possession in its own area and Arshavin carried the ball into the opposition half, where he slipped it to the charging Eboue.
Eboue took one touch to take it around the goalkeeper and another to bury it.
That matched the score between the sides in last season's group stage, but Bendnter completed his hat trick with an injury-time penalty.
Porto coach Jesualdo Ferreira said he believes Arsenal can win the tournament.
"Arsenal is a team that scored the most goals in the first phase of the competition," Ferreira said. "It's a team with great players."
The Gunners advanced 6-2 on aggregate and could be joined by Premier League rival United if last season's runner-up manages to protect its 3-2 lead against visiting Milan on Wednesday. Lyon leads record nine-time European champion Madrid 1-0 ahead of the teams' second-leg meeting in Spain.
Bayern was on the verge of elimination after Juan Vargas and Stevan Jovetic had put Fiorentina 3-1 ahead but Arjen Robben scored a decisive goal for the German side in the 65th at the Artemio Franchi stadium.
The Netherlands winger struck a precise shot from 25 meters (yards) to deflate a home crowd still cheering Jovetic's second goal just a minute earlier.
Vargas had put Fiorentina in front in the 28th and Jovetic made it 2-0 before Mark van Bommel scored Bayern's first goal in the 60th with a long shot from Franck Ribery's cross.
-- Stuart Condie
Asian Champions League
Kashima beats Jeonbuk 2-1 in ACL
TOKYO — Substitute Yasushi Endoh scored a last-minute goal for Japan's Kashima Antlers in a 2-1 win over South Korea's Jeonbuk Motors on Tuesday in a match between domestic league winners in the Asian Champions League.
Eninho gave Jeonbuk the lead just before halftime, but Koji Nakata equalized midway through the second half. Endoh, on the field for five minutes, netted the winner with seconds to go.
The victory kept Kashima unbeaten in Group F.
Also in the group, Chinese club Changchun Yatai routed Indonesian visitor Persipura Jayapura 9-0. Gao Jian and Johnny Woodly Lambert scored hat tricks, Liu Weidong added two more and Wang Bo put in a late goal for Changchun.
"The goal frenzy today was not that exciting and important. This was just a new beginning for us in the ACL," Changchun coach Shen Xiangfu was quoted as saying on the Asian Football Confederation's Web site.
Beijing Guoan and South Korean club Seongnam Ilhwa won again to make an early break in Group E.
Beijing defeated Kawasaki Frontale 3-1, and Seongnam beat Melbourne Victory 2-0. Both winners have six points from two matches, while both losers have no points.
Australian striker Joel Griffiths scored in the 36th minute to give Beijing a 1-0 lead, but Kosuke Kikuchi leveled just four minutes later.
Wang Changqing, who went on at the start of the second half, then gave Beijing a 2-1 lead in the 65th and put the result out of reach with his second goal four minutes from time.
Melbourne fielded a depleted lineup only two days after losing in the A-League semifinals, and conceded the first goal in the 40th to Seongnam defender Sasa Ognenovski. Yun Young-sun headed in a corner five minutes from the end.
In the west division, Uzbek club Bunyodkor had a 2-1 win over United Arab Emirates club Al Wahda with Brazilian Denilson scoring two valuable away goals on either side of half time in their Group B clash.
The Uzbek club leads the group with six points, two ahead of Iran�’s Zob Ahan, which held 2009 runnerup Al Ittihad to a 2-2 draw.
"I am happy with six points from two games and our initial target is to first reach 12 points which I feel should be enough to advance to the next round," Bunyodkor manager Luis Felipe Scolari, the former Brazil, Portugal and Chelsea coach, was quoted as saying.
In Group A, Qatar's Al Gharafa beat Saudi club Al Ahli 3-2 and Esteghlal was held to a scoreless draw at home UAE's Al Jazira.
In Wednesday matches, Iran's Sepahan hosts Al Ain and Pakhtakor hosts Al Shabab in Group C, while in Group D it's Alai Ahli vs. Al Sadd and Al Hilal vs. Mes Kerman.
J-League club Gamba Osaka hosts Henan Jianye and Singapore Armed Forces is at home to Suwon Bluewings in Group G.
League News
Bent gives Sunderland 1st win since November
LONDON — Darren Bent hit a hat trick Tuesday to give Sunderland a 4-0 win over Bolton and its first Premier League victory since November.
Sunderland had slipped into danger of relegation after 14 matches without a win but went ahead after 44 seconds through Fraizer Campbell and sealed the victory with Bent's three second-half goals.
The win hoisted Sunderland to 13th place and six points above the three-team relegation zone. The Black Cats are 11 points ahead of last-place Portsmouth, which lost 2-1 to visiting Birmingham in Tuesday's other match.
Campbell scored from Lorik Cana's early cross but it was his fellow former Tottenham striker who did most to earn a crucial victory.
Bent made it 2-0 in the 64th minute when he outpaced defender Sam Ricketts and shot past goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen, and stretched the advantage 10 minutes later by winning and converting a penalty.
Ricketts, who had already been booked for a first-half foul on striker Kenwyne Jones, was sent off for pushing over Bent and the England international beat Jaaskelainen with his kick.
He then completed his first hat trick for Sunderland and took his season tally to 19 with a finish from Campbell's 88th-minute cross.
Portsmouth beat Birmingham at the weekend to reach the FA Cup semifinals but trailed 2-0 to the same team before halftime on Tuesday.
Portsmouth started with a three-man attack of Frederic Piquionne, Aruna Dindane and Danny Webber but Cameron Jerome and Christian Benitez combined twice for Birmingham.
Jerome scored with a low shot from Benitez's 16th-minute pass and then collected a back-heeled pass from the same player to score with a shot under diving goalkeeper David James.
Nwankwo Kanu finally got a goal back for the home side in the last minute, heading in Jamie O'Hara's right-wing cross.
-- Stuart Condie
Rangers restores 13-point lead in Scottish league
GLASGOW, Scotland — Rangers restored its 13-point advantage at the top of the Scottish Premier League with a 2-0 win at Kilmarnock on Tuesday.
Fullback Steven Whittaker hit his 11th goal of the season in the 55th minute before striker Kenny Miller made it 2-0 to the defending champions at Rugby Park.
Rangers had several chances before Whittaker shot into the bottom corner from a narrow angle when the visiting defense failed to clear Sasa Papac's cross.
It was 2-0 six minutes later when Cameron Bell blocked an effort to give Miller the chance to score with a high shot into the net.
Rangers has 67 points to Celtic's 54 after 28 games. Motherwell is another nine points back in fifth after a 0-0 draw with lowly St. Mirren in Tuesday's other match.
Elsewhere
No nerves for Milan’s Beckham on return to United
MANCHESTER, England — Despite being unlikely to start, David Beckham’s mere presence at Old Trafford could boost AC Milan’s attempt to overturn a 3-2 deficit against Manchester United in the Champions League.
Unusually, United’s home fans are likely to warmly welcome an opposition player.
The 34-year-old Beckham hasn’t played a club match at Old Trafford since his acrimonious departure in 2003. United midfielder Paul Scholes believes the home fans will be pleased to see him again.
"United fans still love him for what he did for this club and he will get a fantastic ovation," said Scholes, who made the United first-team alongside Beckham in the 1990s. "He will need to be watched though. If you give him time and room on the ball, there is no doubt he will pick players out. From free kicks, as well, his delivery is as great as ever."
With such encouraging words, it’s little wonder that Beckham isn’t apprehensive about returning to the club he helped win six Premier League titles and the 1999 Champions League.
"I’m not nervous, I’m happy because for the first time after seven years I will return to Manchester and go on the pitch," Beckham said. "If I play on Wednesday, I won’t be frightened, but I will be excited in any case because I played in that stadium for many years."
Starting on Wednesday, though, appears unlikely.
"There’s no denying it’s a big event for him to come back to where he achieved so much," Milan coach Leonardo said. "I’m sure his presence as it is in any game will be important for us. He is timeless and very professional. And for the group he is very important — independent of what happens tomorrow."
United manager Alex Ferguson hasn’t been preparing for Beckham to start and thinks only his ability to deliver an accurate ball is the danger.
"David’s strength has always been his crosses, and if he plays tomorrow that will be threat against us, and his set-piece play," Ferguson said.
Beckham’s hopes of reaching the Champions League quarterfinals were helped by Clarence Seedorf reducing the first-leg deficit with a late goal two weeks ago.
Milan had led through Ronaldinho’s early goal, but Scholes tied it before Wayne Rooney added two more in United’s first win at San Siro.
"That was a landmark victory for us, and it was a psychological thing winning there," Ferguson said. "European football is one of a changing nature every year and the challenge to me seems to get different because it’s a varied tournament in terms of club form. The Italians have not been as good as the Spaniards or English teams, but there is a sense they are better now."
United will have Rooney — its top scorer this season with 28 goals — back in the team after he recovered from a knee injury that kept him out of Saturday’s league win over Wolverhampton.
"Rooney has become a fixed point of reference in the United team," Leonardo said. "It is incredible to see the way he has developed, grown and matured as a player. Maybe it has had something to do with Cristiano Ronaldo leaving, because it meant he needed to step up."
Milan also could welcome back top scorer, Alexandre Pato, as well as Seedorf. They missed the 0-0 tie at AS Roma on Saturday.
"We are very focussed — the first leg has given us a good opportunity to come here and achieve something," Milan captain Massimo Ambrosini said. "But we know it will be a huge battle and a huge achievement if we pull it off."
United has never been eliminated in European play after winning an away first leg. It has reached the last two Champions League finals, beating against Chelsea on penalty kicks in 2008 and losing last year to Barcelona.
"I don’t think we are very good at defending leads," Ferguson said. "We shouldn’t be confused by the score of 3-2 being a bye in the next stage. We have got to accept this is a very difficult game for us tomorrow and one we need to win."
-- Rob Harris
FA investigates secret recordings of players
MANCHESTER, England — England’s Football Association is investigating security surrounding the national team after conversations between coach Fabio Capello and his players allegedly were secretly recorded.
FA lawyers have moved to ensure that clandestine recordings made during a team meeting remain confidential and are trying to obtain a copy of the tapes from the Daily Star, which first reported details of the bugging.
The secret recordings apparently were made at a hotel north of London last week before England’s exhibition game against Egypt. An unidentified individual reportedly tried to sell them to newspapers.
"Preparation involves discretion and secrecy," Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson said Tuesday. "Capello may have been discussing important issues about the team, then all of a sudden someone else has got them. So it’s a concern."
Media organizations have been warned publication of the contents of the recordings would be illegal and a breach of the Data Protection Act and Press Complaints Commission rules.
FA lawyers also are ready to act if they are published online or by media outlets outside of Britain.
The incident is another distraction for Capello as he prepares the team for its World Cup opener against the United States on June 12.
Unrelated to the England bugging case, an extensive security operation will be put in place at all hotels being used by the 32 World Cup teams in South Africa.
"The enthusiasm of some fans, ever-present nature of international terrorism and intensively competitive nature of the World Cup necessities that the OC (organizing committee) and government should ensure that the most effective measures of security are implemented," according to a FIFA document obtained by The Associated Press.
It says that "security services will monitor the floors occupied by the teams on 24-hour basis," with access to hotels strictly limited to individuals with the appropriate accreditation.
"Cameras will be installed in the passages of the dedicated floors of hotels," the document says. "There will also be a static protection on these dedicated floors."
It would also be very difficult for security devices to be planted on the transport used by teams.
"Coaches will be checked and cleared onsite by SAPS (South Africa Police Service) explosive units before each journey," the FIFA dossier says.
England will be based at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Campus near Rustenburg.
England team venues in England and abroad already are subject to security measures, while English champion Manchester United sweeps for listening devices on a regular basis after its dressing rooms were discovered to have been bugged four years ago.
Capello’s World Cup plans already have been shaken by off-field issues and injuries in the last month. The Italian coach dropped John Terry as captain following allegations the defender had an affair with teammate Wayne Bridge’s ex-girlfriend.
Just as left back Bridge announced he was quitting the team as a result, starting let back Ashley Cole broke his left ankle.
--Rob Harris
Chile looks to host 2015 Copa America
BARCELONA, Spain — Chile wants to host the 2015 Copa America tournament as it looks to rebuild after a devastating earthquake.
Brazil is set to host the South American tournament that year but Chilean football federation president Harold Mayne-Nicholls said talks are under way to move it to Chile.
"We have been looking, with Brazil, to try and see if we can organize the Copa America in 2015," Mayne-Nicholls told The Associated Press from the Global Sports Forum conference. "We would love to because that would give an extra boost to all of the rebuilding of sports infrastructure which is needed."
Brazil president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has already said he would be happy to cede the tournament to Chile, which is due to hold it in 2019.
"If we don't manage to get it, we'll organize the 2019 Copa America as we're supposed to," he said.
Mayne-Nicholls believes hosting the tournament would help Chile redevelop infrastructure after an 8.8-magnitude earthquake and tsunami left nearly 500 confirmed dead.
Chile will focus more on playing attractive football than winning at this summer's World Cup, according to Mayne-Nicholls, who hopes the tournament will provide a welcome distraction after at least 30 cities and towns were badly damaged, leaving more than 500,000 homes uninhabitable.
"The World Cup will certainly be a moment of great enthusiasm in the country," said Mayne-Nicholls, who believes style is more important than results in South Africa.
"The main objective is to play good football and entertain our people, so that that they can say that is it was really worth watching Chile," he said. "If we could add some positive results to that, we would be happy, but we don't want positive results from renouncing our style of play, which is pro-entertainment — first comes entertainment, then results.
"Any other way, we would feel like we were betraying ourselves."
Mayne-Nicholls believes Argentine coach Marcelo Bielsa is the perfect man to deliver that in South Africa.
"I think he is most popular person in Chile, irrespective of nationality," Mayne-Nicholls said. "Actually, he is the second most popular, after our president, (Michelle) Bachelet."
-- Ben Hayward
Halilhodzic feels he was sacrificed by Ivory Coast
PARIS — Vahid Halilhodzic believes he was sacrificed by political authorities after being fired as coach by the Ivory Coast football federation just months before the World Cup.
Halilhodzic, who was expected to lead the Elephants in South Africa, was dismissed after his team lost to Algeria in the African Cup of Nations quarterfinals. This loss was Halilhodzic's first in 24 matches.
"Our goal was to win the CAN and politicians started to put the pressure on us," Halilhodzic said Monday. "That was the president's message. We absolutely had to win. I don't really know why (they fired me), but they had to sacrifice somebody. And they were not going to sacrifice the players or officials from the team. It was the coach."
Last January in Angola, Ivory Coast wasted a 2-1 lead in injury time before losing to Algeria 3-2 after extra time.
"Until then, I was the best coach in the history of Ivory Coast," Halilhodzic said. "Eight minutes changed everything. But I knew perfectly well that it could happen when I accepted the mission."
The Bosnian coach also told L'Equipe TV channel that the deadly attack on Togo's national team that left two people dead before the African Cup distracted his players from their quest to win the tournament.
"The team was really touched," Halilhodzic said. "Some players couldn't sleep anymore, others stopped eating. It was confusing."
Halilhodzic added he was not ready to start training again even if he received a three-year offer "from an English club" during the CAN.
Ivory Coast is now chasing Guus Hiddink for the upcoming World Cup. Hiddink, who guided Russia to the semifinals of the 2008 European Championship, coached South Korea at the World Cup in 2002 and Australia in 2006.
In Tokyo, media reports say that former Japan coach Philippe Troussier is set to take over as coach.
The 54-year-old Troussier has also been in charge of Nigeria, Qatar and Morocco and currently serves as general manager of Japan Football League team FC Ryukyu.
On Tuesday, Sven-Goran Eriksson's agent said the former England coach was unlikely to take charge of the Ivory Coast team at the World Cup.
"I don't think the Swedes need to get very excited about the link to the Ivory Coast. I don't think he (Eriksson) will coach them this summer," Athole Still told Sweden's TV4 Web site. "It's correct that we met the Ivory Coast association. But we were there to see their match against South Korea, and we met their association, too. So this has been blown up from nothing."
The Elephants will play in the same group as Brazil, Portugal and North Korea at the June 11-July 11 tournament.
Man United defender Wes Brown out for 4 to 6 weeks
MANCHESTER, England — Manchester United defender Wes Brown will be sidelined for up to six weeks with a foot injury but should be fit for England's World Cup campaign.
The right back, who can also play in the center of the defense, broke a bone in his left foot during Saturday's Premier League victory over Wolverhampton.
Brown, who sustained a similar injury last year, is likely to miss Premier League matches against Fulham, Liverpool, Bolton and Chelsea. The injury will also rule him out of the Champions League quarterfinals if United protects a 3-2 lead over AC Milan on Wednesday.
"It's just unfortunate," United manager Alex Ferguson said Tuesday. "He has had a career blighted by injury and they've all been long ones, and now he has another. He'll be out for four to six weeks. I hope to get him back for some of the season."
Ferguson will have to chose between captain Gary Neville and Rafael da Silva in Brown's absence.
The recovery time-scale should give Brown playing time before Fabio Capello names his squad for the World Cup. England's campaign opens against the United States on June 12.
Swiss uphold tax-free status for FIFA, UEFA
BERN, Switzerland — The Swiss parliament has upheld FIFA and UEFA's tax-free status in Switzerland.
The National Council on Tuesday rejected a proposal to force the football bodies to pay taxes on profits from events like the World Cup, the European Championship and the Champions League. The vote was 116-58, with 10 abstentions.
The bill was proposed by Protestant People's Party lawmaker Ruedi Aeschbacher.
He said the status was unfair after the Swiss provided 200 million francs for co-hosting Euro 2008 with Austria.
Other lawmakers said sports bodies were playing an important role in the country.
The International Olympic Committee, as well as the governing bodies for volleyball, cycling, swimming and gymnastics are based in Switzerland.
Barcelona to appeal Guardiola, Ibrahimovic bans
BARCELONA, Spain — Barcelona will appeal against the one-game suspensions given to coach Pep Guardiola and striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Guardiola was sent from the touchline for arguing with one of the linesman during Saturday's 2-2 draw at Almeria, while Ibrahimovic was sent off on the hour mark.
Both are set to miss Sunday's game against third-place Valencia at the Camp Nou stadium unless the bans are overturned.
Spanish champion Barcelona and Real Madrid both have 62 points, with Madrid top of the table on goal difference.
Steven Pienaar pleads guilty to drunk driving
LIVERPOOL, England — South Africa international Steven Pienaar has been banned from driving for 12 months and fined 1,000 pounds ($1,496) after pleading guilty to drunk driving.
Pienaar was also ordered to pay a 100 pound ($150) fine on Tuesday for failing to obey a traffic signal.
The 27-year-old Everton midfielder was stopped by police on Feb. 21, the day after his club's 3-1 win over Manchester United at Goodison Park. He was found to be nearly twice the legal limit.
The South African starred in Everton's 5-1 win over Hull City on Sunday and is expected to be a key member of the host's team at the 2010 World Cup later this year.
Romario fined for refusing breathalyzer
RIO DE JANEIRO — Authorities say former Brazil striker Romario was fined $530 for refusing to take a breathalyzer test during a traffic stop.
Brazil's state government says in a statement that Romario was asked to take the test early Monday as police randomly checked for drunk drivers. Romario gave no reason for refusing, but was forced to call a friend to come and drive his car home for him.
Romario — who led Brazil to the 1994 World Cup title and was voted the world's best player that year — has seen other trouble of late. Last July he spent a night in jail for failure to pay child support. In the same month, he was convicted of tax evasion.
Rooney fit for Man U’s match against Milan
MANCHESTER, England — Wayne Rooney is fit to play in Manchester United’s Champions League match against AC Milan on Wednesday.
The club’s top scorer this season missed United’s Premier League victory over Wolverhampton with a knee injury.
United manager Alex Ferguson said there had been a "a rapid improvement" with the injury.
Struggling Nice sacks coach Olle-Nicolle
NICE, France — Relegation-threatened Nice says it is parting ways with coach Didier Olle-Nicolle due to the team's poor performance in the French league.
The club said Tuesday in a statement that Olle-Nicolle will have a meeting with club officials next week to finalize his departure.
The club said Nice will be coached by Eric Roy, Rene Marsiglia and Frederic Giorgia until further notice. The trio of coaches led Monday's training session.
Nice has won just one of its last 15 games and is 17th in the standings, five points above the relegation zone. Eleven rounds are still to be played in the French league. Nice travels to struggling Le Mans on Saturday.
Mario Gomez takes over Argentine club Tucuman
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Last-place Atletico Tucuman has hired Mario Gomez to take over the struggling Argentine team, which has only five points from the first eight Clausura tournament games.
Gomez replaces fired coach Osvaldo Sosa, who was dsimissed after Sunday's 0-0 draw with Banfield. Gomez will debut on the bench in Friday's match against second-place Godoy Cruz.
Independiente leads the competition with 17 points. Tucuman has five draws and three losses.
