Man Utd and Chelsea join anti-homophobia campaign

LONDON (AP) _ Manchester United and Chelsea have joined a national campaign against homophobia in football that is aiming to win the support of at least half of England's professional clubs.Eleven Premier League clubs including Arsenal and Manchester City have joined the 2014 Football vs. Homophobia program so far, pledging to speak out against homophobia and to support the campaign's activities.West Ham captain Kevin Nolan says that the month-long campaign, which is backed by Sports Minister He

Feb. 5, 2014

Football: Ronaldo banned for three league games

(AFP) - Recently crowned Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo will miss Real Madrid's next three league games after being sent-off in his side's 1-1 draw against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.   The score was already tied at 1-1 when Ronaldo was shown the eighth red card of his career after clashing with Athletic midfielder Ander Iturraspe 15 minutes from time.   The Spanish Football Federation handed the Portuguese the normal one game ban for a straight red card, but also added an extra two games f

Feb. 5, 2014

Korea frets of poor form heading into World Cup

A poor American tour has South Korea football fans worried about the team’s prospects in this year’s World Cup, even if a similarly bad tour in 2002 was followed by the nation’s best-ever World Cup finish.In 2002, South Korea played five games in the United States, losing three and drawing two against the likes of Canada, Costa Rica and Cuba, but five months later it made the semifinals of the World Cup.Twelve years on, fans are not optimistic about a repeat.The recent tour started with a 1-0 wi

Feb. 5, 2014

Chelsea beats City in showdown

MANCHESTER, England (AP) ― Despite a pair of victories over Manchester City, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho thinks the northern rival is the class of the Premier League.Branislav Ivanovic scored in the 31st minute, and Chelsea neutralized England’s most potent attack with a 1-0 win at City on Monday night in a key Premier League showdown.Chelsea had defeated City 2-1 at Stamford Bridge in October.“We beat them twice but they are the best team,” said Mourinho, the Chelsea manager. “It’s two horses

Feb. 4, 2014

Madrid held as Ronaldo sees red, Atletico go top

MADRID (AFP) ― Cristiano Ronaldo was sent-off as Real Madrid lost ground in the La Liga title race with a 1-1 draw away to Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.Atletico Madrid became outright leaders for the first time since their double winning season in 1996 earlier in the day with a 4-0 win over Real Sociedad on Sunday.The draw moves Real level with Barcelona, who suffered a shock defeat at home to Valencia on Saturday, three points behind Atletico.It could have been so much better for Madrid as after a

Feb. 3, 2014

Arsenal’s Park joins Watford

Arsenal’s South Korean striker Park Chu-young has signed with Watford on a loan deal until the end of the season, subject to English Premier League clearance, the London-based football club said Saturday.The 29-year-old played for FC Seoul and AS Monaco before joining the Gunners, and he spent the last season on loan at Celta Vigo in Spain. While the South Korean has scored 23 goals in 61 international matches for his country, the talented but much-maligned forward has made only seven appearance

Feb. 2, 2014

Arsenal's Park Chu-young joins Watford on loan

Arsenal's South Korean striker Park Chu-young has signed for Watford on a loan deal until the end of the season, subject to English Premier League clearance, the London-based football club said Saturday.The 29-year-old played for FC Seoul and AS Monaco before joining the Gunners, and he spent the last season on loan at Celta Vigo in Spain.While the South Korean has scored 23 goals in 61 international matches for his country, the talented but much-maligned forward has made only seven appearances

Feb. 1, 2014

Hong hopes Park story won’t distract team

LOS ANGELES (Yonhap) ― Addressing the potential return of former captain Park Ji-sung to the men’s national football team, head coach Hong Myung-bo said he hopes to resolve the issue before it becomes a distraction for his squad.Speaking to reporters in Los Angeles, where the national team has been training since last week, Hong said he hasn’t changed his mind about wanting to speak to Park, 32, about joining him for the big tournament in Brazil.Park, who retired from international play in Janua

Jan. 28, 2014

Asian Cup expansion sparks debate

A proposal to expand the Asian Cup to 24 teams has sparked a debate among the region’s football bodies, with commercial and developmental considerations on one side, and on the other a fear that it will dilute the quality of the competition.The Asian Football Confederation’s Competitions Committee recommended on the weekend that the quadrennial tournament be expanded from 16 to 24 teams.Advocates say it will increase the likelihood that big commercial markets like China, India and Southeast Asia

Jan. 28, 2014

Chelsea rolls past Stoke 1-0

LONDON (AP) ― A superb free kick from Oscar gave Chelsea a 1-0 win over Stoke in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday while Fulham needed an equalizer 15 minutes from time to draw 1-1 with third-tier strugglers Sheffield United, who were down to 10 men.The Brazil midfielder scored in the 27th minute at Stamford Bridge with a curling 20-meter shot that ended in the top corner as Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic dived in vain.Dangerous on the break and dominant in midfield, Chelsea almost double

Jan. 27, 2014

S. Korean footballers enjoy first full day off after win over Costa Rica

After beating Costa Rica in its first international football match of the year, South Korean men's national football team received its first full day off during its ongoing training camp in the U.S. on Sunday.South Koreans edged out Costa Rica 1-0 in Los Angeles on Saturday on an early goal by striker Kim Shin-wook. Head coach Hong Myung-bo gave his charge well-deserved rest, with a match against Mexico in San Antonio scheduled for Wednesday.South Korea set up its pre-World Cup camp in Brazil, t

Jan. 27, 2014

S. Korea blanks Costa Rica in pre-World Cup friendly

South Korea defeated Costa Rica 1-0 thanks to an early goal in their pre-World Cup tune-up match in Los Angeles on Saturday.Striker Kim Shin-wook's goal in the 10th minute stood as the winner at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, as South Korea enjoyed an encouraging start to its preparation for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Brazil.South Korea's record improved to four wins, four losses and three draws under head coach Hong Myung-bo.This was the first international match of 2014 for South Korea and

Jan. 26, 2014