Soccer Capsules: Red Bulls, MSG sign new multiyear TV deal
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Red Bulls have signed a multiyear agreement with the Madison Square Garden Network, ensuring it will continue as the local television home of the MLS team.
MSG has held the television rights to the Red Bulls/MetroStars since 1996. It will telecast 24 of the team's 32 regular-season games this season as part of the new deal.
MSG will also continue to produce pre and postgame shows for select games telecast on the network. The first game to air this season will be April 5 against the Chicago Fire.
Shep Messing will return as the game analyst for his eleventh season and Steve Cangialosi will return for his fourth as play-by-play announcer. Sideline reporter Tina Cervasio will be back for her fourth season.
Copa Libertadores
Penarol beats Godoy Cruz to close on last 16
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — Penarol moved closer to a spot in the Copa Libertadores final 16 on Thursday after Andre Freitas scored the decisive goal in a 2-1 win against Godoy Cruz of Argentina.
Juan Manuel Olivera scored off a corner to give Penarol the lead just before halftime, but Dario Rodriguez scored an own goal to bring Godoy Cruz level in the 58th. Freitas then scored the winner with a low shot in the 71st.
The win moved Penarol to the top of Group 8 with nine points in five games, ahead of Godoy Cruz which has seven points. Ecuador's Liga De Quito has six points and Independiente of Argentina four points, but both have played only four games.
"For us, it was very important to win because now we have our fate in our own hands in the last match against Independiente," said Penarol's Antonio Pacheco.
The top two clubs in each of the eight, four-team groups qualify for the knockout round of Latin America's top international club competition.
So far, only four clubs have been guaranteed a place in the last 16: Estudiantes of Argentina, Cruzeiro of Brazil, Libertad of Paraguay and Atletico Junior of Colombia.
League News
Title race resumes as Man United visits West Ham
LONDON (AP) — Premier League leader Manchester United resumes its bid for a record 19th English title by returning to the scene of its heaviest defeat this season.
United was routed 4-0 by West Ham in the quarterfinals of the League Cup in November, one of only four defeats inflicted on the northwest team this entire campaign.
Alex Ferguson's side returns to Upton Park on Saturday having arrested its recent slide and with captain and defensive rock Nemanja Vidic available again after a calf problem.
United still has injury problems to contend with at the back as it looks to consolidate a five-point lead over second-place Arsenal, which has a game in hand and hosts struggling Blackburn on Saturday.
Defenders Rio Ferdinand, Rafael da Silva, Jonny Evans and John O'Shea are all out, making United's bid to emulate its treble-winning exploits of 1999 all the more harder.
"It is going to be more difficult than it was in 1999," Ferguson said. "We didn't have the injuries we do now.
"There is a great desire to do it but we have so many injuries to defenders at present. We will never give in, though. No matter what happens, you always feel Manchester United will score in the last minute. We must have a chance (of winning the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup) but it is more difficult than it has ever been."
Three defeats — to Wolverhampton Wanderers, Chelsea and Liverpool — in a five-game span in the league for United has brought Arsenal back in the title race.
Even reigning champion Chelsea, which is over its midseason slump and hasn't been defeated since Feb. 6, could yet catch the top two. The London team is four points behind Arsenal in third.
Chelsea visits midtable Stoke on Saturday, with Spain striker Fernando Torres still searching for his first goal for the club since his move from Liverpool on Jan. 31 for 50 million pounds ($81 million).
Arsenal, which has let United off the hook by drawing its last two league matches, could give a second debut to 41-year-old goalkeeper Jens Lehmann at Emirates Stadium this weekend.
The former Germany international came out of retirement to rejoin the Gunners this month and played 90 minutes for the reserves on Tuesday. With current No. 1 Manuel Almunia under the microscope after making a mistake that led to one of West Bromwich Albion's goals in the 2-2 draw with Arsenal last time out, Lehmann could be handed the goalkeeper jersey.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said star striker Robin van Persie should be fit despite returning from international duty with the Netherlands with a bruised knee.
With Cesc Fabregas, Alex Song, Theo Walcott and Abou Diaby all available again after injury problems, Wenger's squad suddenly looks in good shape for the run-in.
Fourth-place Manchester City is at home to Sunderland and Tottenham, which is fifth and four points behind City with a game in hand, visits bottom side Wigan.
Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish could welcome back captain Steven Gerrard after almost a month out with a groin injury when his sixth-place team plays West Brom away.
"I'm hoping to be in full training on Thursday and available for selection for the weekend," Gerrard said. "It's up to Kenny whether he thinks I'm ready or not."
Liverpool is four points behind Tottenham and five points further back is Bolton, which is away to second-bottom Birmingham on Saturday. Other games that day see Everton host Aston Villa and Wolves go to Newcastle.
Fulham is at home to Blackpool in Sunday's other match.
There are only six points separating 11th-place Newcastle with Wigan in a congested lower half of the table.
-- Steve Douglas
Barcelona, Madrid wait on Messi, Ronaldo injuries
MADRID (AP) — Barcelona and Real Madrid head into Saturday's Spanish league matches waiting on injury worries to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Barcelona travels to third-place Villarreal with a five-point lead over Madrid but with Messi nursing a minor right leg problem that was discounted as serious by medical scans taken Thursday.
"The good news is that he has no muscle injury, though he will have physiotherapy until Saturday, when a decision will be made on his availability for the La Liga game against Villarreal," the club said on its website.
The Argentina forward isn't the only player in danger of missing out on what could prove to be a decisive game in the league title race. Barcelona and Madrid meet on April 16 at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, with Madrid hoping to cut the points deficit before then.
"I spoke with Messi and he has a good feeling about it," Barcelona backup goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto said Thursday. "He feels good despite the small problem he's suffering from."
Defenders Carles Puyol and Maxwell as well as forwards Pedro Rodriguez and Bojan Krkic are recovering from injuries that risk leaving the Catalans without a full squad at El Madrigal stadium. Midfield maestro Xavi Hernandez is also out due to suspension, while Eric Abidal continues to recuperate after an operation to remove a liver tumor.
Villarreal is on target for a record number of points in a season but Madrid's hopes it can snatch all three from the two-time defending champions could be wishful considering Barcelona is unbeaten on the road this campaign. It can set a club record 27th straight league game without defeat at Villarreal, after matching the original mark from 1974.
"We'll have to pretty much play perfectly to have a chance of beating them," Villarreal and Spain forward Santi Cazorla said. "Xavi and Puyol's absences are notable but they have enough players to fill in.
"I prefer to play against Messi because you always enjoy playing against great players. I just hope he doesn't have a typical day against us."
Villarreal is battling Valencia for third and the last automatic Champions League qualifying spot. The pair are tied on points, with Valencia at Getafe on Saturday.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, continues to be bothered by a lower left leg injury and Madrid coach Jose Mourinho may not risk the Portugal forward against Sporting Gijon with a Champions League match against Tottenham coming up on Tuesday.
Madrid is also likely to be without Karim Benzema, which leaves Emmanuel Adebayor as the most likely starting striker even though Gonzalo Higuain could make his return from injury. Argentina striker Higuain has been recovering from back surgery and is unlikely to be available for a full 90 minutes, after being sidelined since November.
Madrid will honor former player and recently retired Brazil striker Ronaldo at the Santiago Bernabeu.
New Hercules coach Miroslaw Djukic makes his debut in Sunday's game at Real Sociedad after the last-place club fired Esteban Vigo on March 20. Hercules — the only team to beat Barcelona this season — hasn't scored an away goal in 11 matches and has lost nine of 11 to sit four points from safety with nine rounds to play.
The 30th round of games are being played as originally scheduled after a Madrid judge squashed a potential matchday work stoppage on Wednesday.
In Sunday's other games, it's: Deportivo La Coruna vs. Mallorca; Espanyol vs. Racing Santander; Levante vs. Malaga; Sevilla vs. Zaragoza; and Osasuna vs. Atletico Madrid. On Monday, Almeria hosts sixth-place Athletic Bilbao.
-- Paul Logothetis
Milan derby highlights big Serie A weekend
ROME (AP) — The Milan derby on Saturday could potentially decide which side wins Serie A, and that's not the only big game in Italy this weekend.
Third-place Napoli, which is also still in the title hunt, faces fifth-place Lazio and sixth-place Roma hosts seventh-place Juventus in a matchup of two clubs desperate to get back into the Champions League.
To top it all off, there's also the always heated Sicilian derby between Catania and Palermo.
Still, it's the match at the San Siro that counts the most.
AC Milan holds a two-point lead over Inter Milan but is without suspended striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Boosted by its come-from-behind win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League, Inter is on a roll and aiming to take the lead from its city rival.
It's a big turnaround from just a few months ago. When Leonardo was hired to replace Rafa Benitez as Inter's manager during the winter break, Inter trailed Milan by 13 points.
"Entering the derby two points behind was one mission, and now we're starting a new mission," Inter midfielder Dejan Stankovic said. "The derby can change an entire season, it gives us a chance to gain back something that was impossible three months ago."
Milan is on a three-match winless streak, having followed its elimination from the Champions League by Tottenham with a draw against Bari and a loss in Palermo.
"This derby is important but it's not decisive, because afterward there will still be seven matches with 21 points up for grabs," Milan vice president Adriano Galliani said. "Whoever wins will have an advantage — it will be a significant lead if we win, a little less so if Inter does because they would go in front by just one point. But there's also still Napoli and Udinese."
Milan leads the league with 62 points, followed by Inter with 60, Napoli with 59 and Udinese with 56. As Galliani pointed out, Inter plays its penultimate match at Napoli and Milan finishes the season at Udinese.
"The season is going to be decided at the finish," Galliani said.
Ibrahimovic's ban for punching Bari defender Marco Rossi in the stomach was reduced from three to two matches, but he's still out this weekend, leaving the attack to Brazilian teammates Alexandre Pato and Robinho, plus Italy international Antonio Cassano. Andrea Pirlo is still likely out in midfield due to a right knee injury.
Ibrahimovic scored when Milan beat Inter 1-0 in the season's opening derby in November.
For Leonardo, the derby will mark the first time he coaches against the team he managed last season and played with for five years.
Leonardo will also have to do without a key player, as defender Lucio is ruled out due to accumulated cards. Fellow center back Andrea Ranocchia appears ready to play again after getting released from Italy's training camp with a knee injury, although Cristian Chivu has a calf problem.
While Diego Milito could return from injury and gain a spot on the bench, Inter's attack should once again fall to Samuel Eto'o and Giampaolo Pazzini, who has scored six goals in 10 matches since transferring from Sampdoria in January.
Pazzini also scored three goals with Sampdoria against Milan over the past two years.
Inter midfielder Thiago Motta has also shown he's in form, scoring in Italy's 1-0 win over Slovenia in European Championship qualifying last week.
However, Inter might want to hold some of its players in reserve, with the opening leg of the Champions League quarterfinals against Schalke slated for three days after the derby.
Meanwhile, Lazio coach Edy Reja will also be facing his former squad this weekend.
Reja guided Napoli for five seasons between 2005-09, leading Diego Maradona's former squad back up to Serie A from the third division.
Roma has a had a tumultuous week, dominated by negotiations for the sale of the club to a group of American investors led by Boston executive Thomas DiBenedetto, with the deal expected to be signed by mid-April.
Juventus captain Alessandro Del Piero was being examined for a leg muscle injury that occurred during training Thursday, possibly leaving the Turin club's attack to Alessandro Matri and Luca Toni.
In addition, Juventus announced that center back Giorgio Chiellini will be out 30 days after tearing a muscle in his right leg during Italy's friendly in Ukraine on Tuesday.
Also this weekend, it's: Brescia vs. Bologna; Cesena vs. Fiorentina; Chievo Verona vs. Sampdoria; Genoa vs. Cagliari; Lecce vs. Udinese; and Parma vs. Bari.
-- Andrew Dampf
Borussia Dortmund plays Hannover after setbacks
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — With only one point from its last two matches, Borussia Dortmund has seen its once massive Bundesliga lead cut to seven points.
Dortmund will be looking nervously over its shoulder at approaching Bayer Leverkusen when it hosts Hannover, which is enjoying its best season and has lost only one of its last seven games in Dortmund.
Hannover is looking to hold on to third place, which secures a slot in qualifying for the Champions League, ahead of defending champion Bayern Munich.
Leverkusen travels to relegation-threatened Kaiserslautern, also Saturday.
Dortmund defender Neven Subotic, cleared to play after picking up a foot injury on international duty for Serbia, is not worried about his team losing pace.
"Even when we haven't played that well this year, we were at least even or slightly better than the opponent," Subotic said. "We were unfortunate in some recent games."
Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp said there were "certain things that we didn't do right" but that he wasn't nervous.
"I am sure that we've found the right response," Klopp said.
Hannover lost at home to Dortmund 4-0 but the team that narrowly escaped relegation last season could make this ending interesting again if it manages to upset the leaders. There are seven games left.
"That would be nice for the fans but we really want the points for ourselves," Hannover defender Christian Schulz said. "It's a top game and we've worked for it."
Hannover is two points ahead of Bayern Munich, which is also trying to reach a Champions League slot and hosts last-place Borussia Moenchengladbach.
"This match is a great challenge," Hannover coach Mirko Slomka said. "We want to defend our position."
Hannover has been one of the success stories this season and Slomka said a change in attitude is responsible for the turnaround.
"Last season we only reacted and looked out for what the opponents were doing. Now we have our own strategy and we are capable of implementing it," Slomka said. "We don't allow many chances and we are good in the air."
Schulz said the team has become much more stable.
"We are difficult to beat," he said.
Leverkusen plays its first match since coach Jupp Heynckes announced that he would be leaving at the end of the season to take over at Bayern.
Heynckes is in a strange situation — trying to deny his future club of a place in the Champions League.
"I want to take the club (Leverkusen) directly into the Champions League," Heynckes said.
Leverkusen can mathematically still win the title, but it's second place that is their goal at the moment.
"We have to keep Hannover and Bayern behind us," Leverkusen striker Stefan Kiessling said. "That's our job. What happens with Dortmund is outside our control."
Bayern will be without central defender Daniel van Buyten, who injured his right hamstring while playing for Belgium. But winger Arjen Robben is back from a similar injury.
Two coaches will be making their debuts at new clubs at this late stage of the season — Ralf Rangnick in his return to Schalke and Christoph Daum at Eintracht Frankfurt.
Schalke kicks off the round Friday at St. Pauli. Eintracht visits Wolfsburg on Sunday, with both clubs battling against relegation. Wolfsburg, the 2009 champion, recently hired Felix Magath after his firing from Schalke.
Also Saturday, Werder Bremen hosts Stuttgart, Mainz plays Freiburg and Hoffenheim meets Hamburger SV, while Nuremberg visits Cologne on Sunday.
-- Nesha Starcevic
Lyon needs Gourcuff to inspire title challenge
PARIS (AP) — Yoann Gourcuff needs to find his form again if Lyon is to get back in the French title race, with games running out and a six-point deficit on leader Lille.
Fourth-place Lyon — which won seven consecutive titles between 2002 and 2008 — travels to Nice on Sunday with 10 games remaining to overtake Rennes, Marseille and Lille.
Gourcuff's performances have fallen way below the massive expectation generated by his €22 million ($27.8 million) move from Bordeaux early into the season.
Some critics question whether he should even be in Claude Puel's team, let alone if he is still a match winner.
For now, he still has the support of his teammates, with defender Pape Diakhate saying Gourcuff will bounce back in time to spark Lyon's title challenge.
"A player can have highs and lows," Diakhate said. "At the moment he's a little off form, but it will come back."
Diakhate thinks Gourcuff has come in for some overly harsh treatment.
"There is a plot against 'Yo' (Gourcuff) that is not worth it," Diakhate told RMC radio. "Sometimes the press are a bit sadomaso(chistic). They have a very good player, they now want to criticize him and put everything on his back."
Gourcuff's price tag, and the fact he is a pale shadow of the player who lit up the league with spectacular goals during Bordeaux's title run two seasons ago, are both working against him now.
"He hasn't asked for what is happening to him. The notoriety he has is not his fault," Diakhate added. "He is not superhuman."
Gourcuff still scores the odd goal for France, like he did against Luxembourg last Friday.
But even the support of France coach Laurent Blanc, his coach when Bordeaux won the title, has failed to revitalize him. A return of two league goals in 22 games this season has done little to silence the doubters.
The theory often offered by Blanc — that Gourcuff's confidence took a huge blow after France's awful World Cup campaign — is also wearing thin seeing as that was now nine months ago.
Diakhate, however, insists Gourcuff can still get back to his best.
"Every day in training he is doing the right things," Diakhate said. "The fact he scored for his country against Luxembourg will do him some good."
But with Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas running out of patience with Puel's stuttering title bid, the next few weeks will be crucial in determining the future of the coach and his star player.
Meanwhile, Lille hosts Caen on Saturday as it defends a four-point lead over second-place Marseille, which goes to struggling Lens on Sunday.
Rennes is five points behind Lille in third spot, while Paris Saint-Germain is 10 points back in fifth.
Marseille plays for the first time since Brandao joined Brazilian club Cruzeiro on loan, hoping the media frenzy surrounding the striker will dissipate.
Brandao is facing accusations of rape, after an investigating judge filed preliminary charges against him this month and then released him from custody pending further investigation.
Marseille president Jean-Claude Dassier said this week it would be impossible for Brandao to continue playing in France for the remainder of the season, and his long-term future also remains unclear.
PSG's title bid took a huge blow after the 2-1 defeat at Marseille two weeks ago, and veteran goalkeeper Gregory Coupet says failure to beat Lorient on Saturday will hamper PSG's chances of qualifying for the Champions League.
"We have had a very bad month and it is time to pick up points, especially at home," Coupet said. "We have to stay in the race for third place, and for that we have less and less room for mistakes."
In Saturday's other games, it's: Arles-Avignon vs. Monaco; Nancy vs. Bordeaux; Rennes vs. Auxerre; Sochaux vs. Brest; and Toulouse vs. Montpellier.
Sixth-place Saint-Etienne hosts Valenciennes in Sunday's other match.
-- Jerome Pugmire
Elsewhere
Maracana needs new roof
SAO PAULO (AP) — Maracana needs a new roof before the 2014 World Cup, possibly delaying the stadium's readiness by one year to 2013.
The stadium was expected to be ready by the end of 2012, but Brazilian football federation president Ricardo Teixeira told local channel SporTV that it possibly won't be in shape before 2013. He said the goal remains to have Maracana prepared for that year's Confederations Cup.
Maracana will host the World Cup final, just as it did when Brazil organized the tournament for the only other time in 1950.
The stadium hasn't been used since last September because of the renovations. Teixeira said late Wednesday that a new roof was necessary because of "unexpected" problems with the current roof.
In January, Rio de Janeiro city officials found deterioration in some materials used in the roof's structure, but at the time there wasn't enough evidence to confirm it was compromised. The full extent of the problem was discovered after a study by the city department in charge of revitalizing the venue.
According to Teixeira, engineers said it was easier to build a new roof than to fix it. The initial project included keeping the original roof.
It wasn't announced how the changes would affect the renovation cost, which originally was estimated at about $430 million. Some local media reports said it could surpass $600 million now.
Maracana underwent extensive renovation in 2005 to make it ready for the 2007 Pan American Games hosted by Rio de Janeiro.
Teixeira's announcement of problems with Maracana's roof came just days after FIFA President Sepp Blatter criticized Brazil's preparations for the 2014 World Cup. He urged officials to speed up construction work for the monthlong tournament, including at stadiums.
Teixeira denounced Blatter's criticism on Wednesday, but acknowledged that some host cities were facing difficulties.
"We have problems in Sao Paulo and Natal because the stadiums there haven't started being built yet," Teixeira said.
The stadium in Sao Paulo is expected to host the opening match.
Teixeira also said the lack of upgrades in the country's outdated airports remains a big concern, but added the government was aware of the difficulties and was working to solve the problems.
-- Tales Azzoni
Bierhoff: Germany can top weary Spain at Euro 2012
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Germany general manager Oliver Bierhoff hopes Spain's players will be too tired after a grueling club season to defend their European Championship title next year, when he expects his squad to reach its peak.
Germany's vibrant, young side reached the semifinals at last year's World Cup before losing to Spain, which followed its Euro 2008 triumph by capturing the global crown.
But Bierhoff, who oversees the development of the national game in Germany, doesn't anticipate the Spanish being as strong at Euro 2012.
"Spain is for sure at the moment the best team in the world," Bierhoff said on the sidelines of the SoccerEx conference in Manchester. "Hopefully, perhaps in another year, the players having success with Barcelona and other teams are getting a little bit tired, a little bit older.
"We have a very young team, but we know that when you start a tournament you start from scratch."
The fact that more than 50 percent of players in the Bundesliga have come up through club youth systems has created a greater competition for places for the national team, which also reached the 2006 World Cup semifinals.
"I can see the difference in our players from 2006 to 2010, the young players coming now are better technically educated, more used to the media, physically much better," Bierhoff said. "In 2006 we still had problems with a lack of speed and technical issues. With these young players you can see they have had a good education in the clubs' technical centers."
But Bierhoff, whose goal clinched Germany's win in the Euro '96 final, is concerned that the Champions League has overtaken the World Cup as the "pinnacle" for players.
"Financially, 20 years ago it was more important for a player to play in the national team than now," the former AC Milan striker said. "Now he gets very well paid by his club and the club has a huge interest in him not getting injured, the Champions League is becoming more and more important.
"(The national teams) don't pay our players anywhere near what they get for their clubs so it is more a matter of pride at being selected among the 20-23 best players in the country."
Players are also too focused on making money out of commercial deals.
"They get more tired psychologically — we see it with our players now with all these things around; media, personal sponsors, club sponsors," Bierhoff said. "The peak for the top players is becoming narrower and narrower. Once you had a 10-year career at the top and the brilliant players did it at the World Cup.
"Now, after three or four or five years, it seems like the player is gone. Look at Ronaldinho, Ronaldo (of Brazil) and other players."
Bierhoff along with coach Joachim Loew introduced a disciplinary code designed to stop players becoming "spoilt brats."
"After training they would just come in and throw their dirty shirts and socks and shorts down and leave it for the kit man to tidy up," he said. "Now they do it themselves. They turn their shirts inside out, they put all the socks and shorts together.
"We needed to change the atmosphere after Euro 2004. It had seemed to the people that the players didn't want to play for the team, that it was not fun. But in Germany the national team is an icon, it is the property of the people so we needed the players to be able to bond together. We helped them develop responsibilities to help them grow as people because we wanted them to respect not only their fellow players but the staff who worked with them."
Germany was beaten on Tuesday for the first time since last year's loss to Spain at South Africa 2010, with Australia winning the friendly 2-1.
"The strategy of the coaches is to try to introduce younger players at a moment when you are not forced to introduce them so they have time to grow and develop," Bierhoff said.
-- Rob Harris
Ajax board quits in dispute over Cruyff reforms
AMSTERDAM (AP) — As a precocious teenager plucked from the streets of a low-rent Amsterdam neighborhood, Johan Cruyff almost single-handedly turned Ajax into a European football giant.
Now, as a revered elder statesman of the game, he wants to do it again. But just as he did in his playing days as a mercurial attacking midfielder, he can't help clashing with authorities. After being asked to draw up a plan of action to return the four-time European champions to their former glory, Cruyff insisted his reform agenda be carried out in full or not at all.
Key to Cruyff's vision is installing a nucleus of respected former-Ajax stars — Wim Jonk, Dennis Bergkamp and current coach Frank de Boer — to oversee the first team and the club's legendary youth academy, based at a training facility called "The Future."
Cruyff wants all three to get actively involved in training youth players, focussing more on their individual skills than on team play at the early stages of their development.
Cruyff was known for his brilliant skills and dribbling but also his vision and ability to release teammates with perfect passing.
The club was silent Thursday, the day after its board of directors quit and accused Cruyff at an emotional news conference of strong-arm tactics in insisting that several key staff, including assistant coach Danny Blind, be fired as part of his master plan.
Leaving the club late Wednesday, Cruyff said he had "stuck his neck out" in drawing up the plan.
"It's clear what has to happen," he said. "We are ready."
Earlier in the evening, outgoing chairman Uri Coronel told reporters that Cruyff had threatened to "take down" him and other board members if his plans were not accepted.
"This process, especially the continuing unrest around the club, is extraordinarily damaging for Ajax," Coronel said after announcing his resignation.
He said nobody could tell the club's leadership who to fire, "not even Cruyff."
Cruyff denied Coronel's claims, as did Jonk and Bergkamp, two of the former-Ajax stars Cruyff hand-picked to lead the club out of the wilderness.
Ajax is currently third in the Dutch league, six points behind leader PSV Eindhoven, and has been knocked out of Europe. The only chance for silverware this season is the Dutch Cup, and the club needs to finish second in the league to enter next year's Champions League.
Cruyff remains immensely popular and influential at Ajax and has frequently commented on the club in his weekly column for top-selling Dutch daily De Telegraaf.
Another Dutch newspaper, De Volkskrant, said Coronel had painted "a Mafia-esque picture" of Cruyff's dealings with the club in "a fight that will have no winners."
Over the years, the Ajax academy has been a production line of talent, turning out the likes of Cruyff, Bergkamp, Wesley Sneijder and Patrick Kluivert, and allowing the small Amsterdam club to excel in Europe.
It is still nurturing stars of the future — such as promising Ajax right back Gregory van der Wiel — but it has been seen as in decline since Ajax won the Champions League in 1995 with a team built around academy stars like Kluivert, Edgar Davids and Clarence Seedorf and Frank Rijkaard.
Where Ajax's academy was once seen as the blueprint for rearing talent, the mantle has now been taken over by Barcelona — the other football love of Cruyff's life and widely regarded as the best team in the world at the moment.
He joined the Catalan club in 1973 after leading Ajax to three successive European Cups, the predecessor the Champions League, and helped Barcelona win its first Spanish league title since 1960 that season. He also managed Barcelona to a European title in 1992, the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1989 and four Spanish league titles.
Even in his playing days, Cruyff's assertive personality led to run-ins with authorities. He famously wore a Netherlands shirt made by Adidas with two stripes down the arms instead of the company's usual three because he had a deal with rival company Puma.
Despite being the country's greatest footballer and one of its most successful managers, he has never coached the national side because of differences of opinion with the Dutch football association.
The standoff at Ajax will likely lead to a meeting of its members to either endorse or reject Cruyff's vision. The supervisory board already has begun looking for replacements for the board of directors.
Cruyff says he is not a candidate, preferring to remain an unofficial adviser and mentor to Jonk, Bergkamp and De Boer.
"I'm not the type to become chairman," he said.
-- MKike Corder
Liverpool sponsor wants Asian players on club
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — The bank that sponsors Liverpool wants the club to bring in high-profile Asian players.
Standard Chartered executive Gavin Laws outlined his hopes for Liverpool in an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday, saying the bank sees great potential for the club to increase its exposure in the Asian market — where it does most of its business.
"The real power for what Liverpool could do for us, and I think for the English Premier League, is if there was a way they could nurture foreign players from Asia ... a great Asian player — you see what Park Ji-sung does for Manchester United," Laws, the bank's head of corporate affairs, said at the SoccerEx conference.
"The markets in Asia and the Middle East are so nationalistic, they are very proud about their countries. (Matches) become huge events. One appearance from a player, say from Dubai in the Premier League, and you'd have the whole of Dubai watching it."
Liverpool is sixth in the Premier League, four points behind fifth-place Tottenham, which is in the Europa League spot and has played a game less.
It means the five-time European champions are set to miss out on competing in the more lucrative Champions League for the second successive season.
For Standard Chartered, the European competitions are of less interest than the Premier League.
"The Champions League for us as a sponsor is not that important for us," Laws said. "By the time the games are played, the major markets we are interested in, everyone is asleep and in bed."
And it's in those Asian markets where Standard Chartered wants to be selling more shirts with its brand across them.
"The market is saturated in Europe with so many clubs, how many more merchandise sales are they going to create over the next 10 years?" Laws said. "If the clubs want to do merchandise sales going at an exponential rate you've got to be in China, you've got to be in Korea, really getting all the people excited about the game."
-- Rob Harris
EPL cracks down on abuse of refs
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Highly paid footballers are becoming increasingly isolated from the real world, the head of the English Premier League said on Thursday while announcing a crackdown on bad behavior toward referees.
The 20 topflight clubs agreed to launch a campaign before next season to clean up the game in a bid to eradicate unacceptable criticism and abuse of referees by players and managers.
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson is still serving a five-match ban for questioning referee Martin Atkinson's integrity after losing at Chelsea this month.
And United defender Rafael da Silva was fined after confronting and appearing to swear at referee Mike Dean when he was sent off at Tottenham in January.
"Tensions and passions have been running high and there have been some very competitive games out there," said league chief executive Richard Scudamore. "There have been some things in those games that we don't like to see."
While Scudamore insisted the initiative isn't about "demonizing" players, he warned them to act more responsibly.
He also reminded players of a duty to fans who pay to watch matches during "austere times when most of the country is going through with necessary cutbacks to get the economy of the country back on its feet."
"The behavior seems it might have gotten worse because people expect more of the privileged, professional sports stars than in the past," Scudamore said.
"The contrast between what is happening in their world and what is happening in the rest of Britain, and indeed most of the world, is getting starker. Whether it is realistic or not they can't entirely be perfect role models, they are young males and boys who can behave badly from time to time. But there is a point where extra responsibility comes with the territory ... the mood is that things could improve."
While bookings for dissent have decreased in the last two seasons, the perception remains that players are still out of control on the pitch and Scudamore wants them to "raise the bar" with their conduct.
"We do need to concentrate on the player and manager relationship with the referee this time, as every one of us knows that there have been elements of unacceptable behavior," he said. "As to what we think is unacceptable; it's vitriolic abuse towards match officials and that has on occasions gone unpunished, the surrounding of referees is unacceptable, the goading of referees into trying to get opponents sanctioned we think is unacceptable, and also the undue criticism, where it spills over into questioning the referee's integrity or his honesty is also unacceptable."
The Premier League will consult with the English Football Association as well as the bodies that represent players, managers and referees.
"We can't alter anything about the refereeing or disciplinary process over the next eight matches but we can start now planning for next season," Scudamore said. "We would hope, by the time we get to Aug. 13 to have plans in place that will see a reduction in ... incidents."
-- Rob Harris
Neymar says he wants to stay in Brazil for now
SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil striker Neymar says he is happy in Brazil and has no intention of leaving the country to play abroad.
Neymar said in an interview with Bandeirantes TV on Thursday that he doesn't know what the future holds for him, but at the moment his desire was to keep playing for Santos in Brazil, near his family and friends.
"Happiness is everything, so when you are happy there is no reason to change anything," Neymar said. "This is my country, my family is here, I have no intention of leaving."
The 19-year-old Neymar is one of the most talked-about youngsters in Brazilian football and several European clubs reportedly have been trying to sign him. Last year, he rejected a multimillion euro (dollar) offer from Chelsea.
Interest only grew after he scored both goals in Brazil's 2-0 win over Scotland in London last Sunday. He acknowledged that after the match he had dinner with a Chelsea representative, but said transfer talks never came up and said the dinner took place only because his agent was a friend of the Chelsea representative.
"I don't know if I'll play abroad," he said. "But right now I have a contract with Santos (until 2015) and I want to stay."
Neymar said he was proud to have his name linked to teams such as Chelsea and Barcelona, and doesn't deny that eventually he would like playing for such great teams.
The striker complained he was racially taunted by Scotland supporters when a banana was thrown near him at the Brazil match, but he later downplayed the issue and said it's already in the past.
Officials dismissed the allegations of racist taunts, saying that a German tourist in the Brazilian fan section threw the banana. London police said they received no official reports of racism, and the Scottish Football Association on Thursday requested an apology from Neymar and Brazil.
Neymar didn't talk about the apology request and the Brazilian football federation said it would not immediately comment.
Last year, Neymar helped Santos win the traditional Sao Paulo state championship and the Brazilian Cup, along with playmaker Paulo Henrique Ganso, who is another Brazilian player being talked-about abroad. The two are expected to lead Brazil when it hosts the 2014 World Cup.
The 21-year-old Ganso, who has just recovered from a left knee injury that sidelined him for several months, reportedly is already negotiating with Inter Milan and AC Milan. Unlike Neymar, Ganso is yet to renew his contract with Santos.
-- Tales Azzoni
Scottish FA wants Neymar apology after race claims
GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — The Scottish Football Association requested an apology Thursday from Brazil striker Neymar for accusing Scotland fans of racism during a friendly between the two countries.
Neymar complained he had been racially taunted by Scotland supporters after a banana was thrown in his direction from the crowd while he celebrated scoring the second of his two goals in Brazil's 2-0 win at Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
With a German tourist admitting to throwing the banana and London police saying they received no official reports of racist taunts, the SFA asked for an apology "either from the player involved, or the Brazilian FA."
"Scotland's supporters were genuinely upset and annoyed that the unfounded allegations leveled against them threatened to sully their reputation as fair, good-humored and respectful spectators," SFA chief executive Stewart Regan said. "As the matter has been resolved, and Scotland supporters cleared of any involvement, we felt it was only right that we acted on behalf of our supporters."
Regan added he was disappointed the episode "threatened to overshadow an entertaining match, played amidst a real carnival atmosphere created by supporters of both teams."
A Scotland fan group previously said any jeers directed toward Neymar were in response to what supporters saw as the Santos striker faking injury. The officer in charge of police at the stadium, which is the home of Premier League club Arsenal, backed the Scotland fans.
"The Scottish fans' behavior was first class," match commander Mark Sheeran said Monday. "There were no issues at all inside the stadium."
The banana was apparently thrown by the tourist from the North Stand, which was occupied by Brazil fans.
Arsenal said there was no sinister motive behind the incident and will not be taking any further action.
Egyptian FA has 'renewed confidence' in Shehata
CAIRO (AP) — The Egyptian Football Association on Thursday pledged to keep under-pressure coach Hassan Shehata in charge of the struggling national team through the rest of its African Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.
Following an emergency board meeting called by president Samir Zaher, the EFA said in a statement it had "renewed confidence in Hassan Shehata, coach of the national team, and his staff to lead the team through the next phase (of qualifiers)."
Seven-time African Cup winner and three-time defending champion Egypt is bottom of its qualifying group and looks set to miss out on next year's continental championship in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
A 1-0 loss to South Africa last weekend left Egypt with one point from three games in Group G and piled the pressure on the experienced Shehata.
Egypt — the continent's most successful team — now has to win against South Africa in a return fixture in Cairo in June to keep its failing campaign alive.
Thursday's statement also said there was "agreement" within the EFA that Egypt's domestic football league would recommence on April 13 after it was postponed in early February because of the protests that removed long-serving president Hosni Mubarak from power.
Zaher had called the emergency meeting of the association's board of directors on Monday to discuss the position of the national team in qualifiers for the 2012 tournament following Saturday's loss to an injury-time winner by South Africa striker Katlego Mphela.
It was the first time the Pharaohs have lost a competitive international to South Africa.
Egypt was also beaten away in Niger and drew at home to Sierra Leone to put it in danger of missing out on the competition it has previously dominated.
Inter president questioned in 2006 title case
MILAN (AP) — Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti was questioned for three hours by the Italian football federation's prosecutor on Thursday regarding a case that could see the club stripped of the 2006 Serie A title.
Inter was awarded the 2006 title when Juventus was stripped of the honor for its role in that year's match-fixing scandal. Juventus was also stripped of the 2005 title, which was not reassigned.
Inter was not sanctioned in the scandal, but last year new phone-tap conversations leaked to local media allegedly revealed that Moratti conferred with referee selector Paolo Bergamo about match officials, prompting Juventus to demand that Inter be stripped of the title, and federation prosecutor Stefano Palazzi to open a new inquiry.
"I'm very sure about my position, but that doesn't take away the freedom of justice, which is up to them," Moratti told the ANSA news agency, adding that the case resembled something out of a book by Franz Kafka.
Federation president Giancarlo Abete said he would like to see the case closed by the end of this season. The questioning came two days before the Milan derby, although Moratti said he didn't think it would affect Inter's performance.
Mika-Matti Paatelainen appointed Finland coach
HELSINKI (AP) — Mika-Matti Paatelainen was appointed as Finland's national football team coach Thursday, on a five-year contract. The Finnish Football Association said the 44-year-old Finn, previously manager of Scottish Premier League club Kilmarnock, will replace Stuart Baxter with immediate effect. Baxter's two-year contract ended in November and was not renewed.
Assistant coach Olli Huttunen took over temporarily in November but Finland has managed only one win — over San Marino — in a tough Euro 2012 qualifying group that includes Netherlands and Sweden. Paatelainen said the position of Finland coach was "a dream," which he had worked hard for. "It's great to accept such a challenge," he said.
Before coaching, Paatelainen had a 20-year career playing for nine different clubs in four countries. He played mostly for Scottish teams Dundee United, Aberdeen, Hibernian, St. Johnstone and St. Mirren. Paatelainen scored 18 goals in 70 appearances for Finland's national team.
Champions League helps Tottenham's income soar
LONDON (AP) — Tottenham's debut in the Champions League has helped the club's income soar by almost 50 percent. The Premier League club's interim results for the six months to Dec. 31 showed its revenue increased to 79.8 million pounds ($128 million) compared to 53.3 million ($85.6 million) for the same period last year.
Spurs posted a profit of 4.2 million pounds ($6.75 million) compared to the 6.1 million ($9.8 million) loss made in the final six months in 2009.
Chairman Daniel Levy says that "our first-half figures reflect a strong performance, buoyed by ... our participation in the Champions League."
Tottenham qualified for the competition by finishing fourth in the league last season and face Real Madrid in the quarterfinals.
Adriano says he wants to play for Brazil again
SAO PAULO (AP) — Adriano says he begins his stint with Corinthians with the ultimate goal of returning to play for Brazil. Adriano was officially introduced by Corinthians on Thursday, saying "he knows" that he is able to regain a spot in the national team. He says, "It's up to me to show on the field what I can do."
The 29-year-old striker played in the 2006 World Cup but missed last year's tournament in South Africa despite leading Flamengo to the Brazilian league title the year before.
Adriano signed with Corinthians after ending his contract with Roma following a disappointing season with the Italian club. Adriano was greeted at Corinthians by former Brazil teammate Ronaldo, who retired from the club this year.
Lille coach Rudi Garcia signs new contract
LILLE, France (AP) — Lille coach Rudi Garcia has signed a new contract with the French league leader until 2014. Garcia has guided Lille to within reach of its first league title since the 1953-54 season. His side is currently four points clear at the top with 10 games of the season remaining.
Lille announced the deal on its website Thursday. Garcia also played for Lille for six seasons during his playing career.
Several Lille players have also signed new contracts recently, including midfielder and captain Rio Mavuba, goalkeeper Mickael Landreau, defender Mathieu Debuchy and highly rated Belgium playmaker Eden Hazard.
Bayern extends contract of midfielder Kroos
MUNICH (AP) — Bayern Munich has extended the contract of midfielder Toni Kroos until 2015. The 21-year-old Germany international has agreed a three-year extension to his contract, that was originally set to expire in 2012.
Bayern says the extension is "another step" in building for the future. Bayern's coach Louis van Gaal is leaving at the end of the season and will be replaced by Jupp Heynckes. Heynckes coached Kroos when he was on loan to Bayer Leverkusen during 2009 and 2010.
