Celtic player Tonev banned for 7 games for racial abuse

GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) ― Celtic winger Aleksandar Tonev was banned for seven games on Thursday for using racist language toward an opponent during a Scottish league match. Celtic said Tonev will appeal against the ban. The Bulgarian international, who is on loan at Celtic from English Premier League side Aston Villa, was found guilty by the Scottish Football Association of “excessive misconduct by the use of offensive, insulting and abusive language of a racist nature” when he appeared in front

Oct. 31, 2014

S. Korea set to greet N. Korea's youth footballers

The South Korean government on Friday approved a visit by North Korea's teenage football players next week to join an international competition to be held in a border town in the South. A group of 32 athletes and officials is scheduled to arrive here on Sunday via Beijing and participate in the inaugural U-15 football games in Yeoncheon, 62 kilometers north of Seoul, according to the unification ministry.The three-day event slated to open Friday will draw five other teams from South Korea, Uzbek

Oct. 31, 2014

Man United gets last-gasp equalizer to thwart Chelsea

Robin van Persie rescued a point for Manchester United to keep Chelsea from moving eight points clear of defending champion Manchester City in the Premier League.Chelsea looked to have sealed the win thanks to veteran striker Didier Drogba’s header, but van Perise leveled in the fourth minute of injury time to secure a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.In Italy, league leader Juventus beat Palermo and in France Marseille missed the chance to notch a club record ninth straight win when it lost at Lyon, wh

Oct. 27, 2014

Belgium breaks into top four

ZURICH (AP) ― Belgium has moved into the top four of the FIFA monthly rankings for the first time and former World Cup winner Spain has dropped to 10th following a loss to Slovakia in a European Championship qualifier.The top three positions remained the same. Despite a tough start to its Euro 2016 qualifying campaign, World Cup winner Germany was first ahead of runner-up Argentina, then Colombia. Two-time defending European champion Spain slipped two places. Belgium’s rise coincided with the Ne

Oct. 24, 2014

Would soccer be richer without small clubs?

FREIBURG, Germany (AP) ― From a corner office of Freiburg’s homely stadium, club chairman Fritz Keller gazes over one of the loveliest views in football. Autumn’s reds, browns and golds streak the surrounding Black Forest. Buzzards wheel in the air above.But from a football business perspective, this beauty is sterile desert. Black Forest boars make for fine stews, but they don’t buy tickets to games. Thick woods aren’t good places to find young players who could become football’s next superstar

Oct. 24, 2014

Messi eyes record on anniversary of debut for Barcelona

MADRID (AFP) ― In the week that he marked the 10th anniversary of his competitive debut for Barcelona, Lionel Messi could become the all-time top scorer in the history of La Liga.The Argentine made his bow as a 17-year-old in a 1-0 win at city rivals Espanyol on Oct. 16, 2004. Now he is preparing to face Eibar at the Camp Nou on Saturday needing just two goals to equal Telmo Zarra’s all-time Spanish top-flight record of 251, set in the 1950s.Messi, who told fans he was “constantly trying to impr

Oct. 17, 2014

Ronaldo, O’Shea bag late goals

Cristiano Ronaldo scored in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time to give Portugal a 1-0 win over Denmark in a European Championship qualifier Tuesday night and put his team’s campaign back on track after a 1-0 loss at home to Albania.John O’Shea scored in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time of his 100th international appearance, lifting Ireland into a 1-1 tie at World Cup champion Germany, which lost 2-0 at Poland in its previous qualifier last weekend.In Belgrade, a small d

Oct. 15, 2014

Poland makes history with first win over Germany

In front of a sell-out crowd in Warsaw, Poland finally did it.The Poles beat World Cup winner Germany 2-0 for their first win in 19 meetings with the Mannschaft to move three points clear of its powerful rival in European Championship qualifying on Saturday.It was Germany’s first defeat after 18 competitive games, and its first loss in qualifying after 33 matches.Also in Group D, Robbie Keane’s hat trick helped Ireland thrash Gibraltar 7-0, taking his international goals tally to 65 and becoming

Oct. 12, 2014

Spain loses qualifier for first time in 8 years

Defending champion Spain lost a qualifying game for the first time in eight years Thursday, while England left nothing to doubt in the European Championship.Spain fell 2-1 at Slovakia in Group C for its first loss in a qualifier for the European Championship or World Cup since 2006.Paco Alcacer appeared to have sparked Spain’s comeback in the 82nd, only for Miroslav Stoch to catch its defense off balance with a counterattack with three minutes left.England had no such trouble against minnow San

Oct. 10, 2014

UEFA bans Italian chief for 6 months for racism

NYON, Switzerland (AP) ― UEFA banned Italian football federation president Carlo Tavecchio for six months on Tuesday following a racist comment during his election campaign.Tavecchio, a long-standing executive in Italian football, was elected president in August despite causing a stir over a reference to bananas when discussing the presence of foreign players in Italy.“Mr. Tavecchio will be ineligible for any position as a UEFA official for a period of six months starting from the communication

Oct. 8, 2014