FC Seoul, Jeonbuk look to go deeper

Two South Korean teams will look to maintain their dominance at the premier Asian club competition this week, as they enter knockout-stage action against regional rivals.FC Seoul and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors are the two K League Classic teams that have advanced to the round of 16 at the AFC Champions League. Two other South Korean clubs, Suwon Bluewings and Pohang Steelers, were eliminated from the group stage last month.The K League Classic has produced three of the past four AFC champions.FC Seo

May 13, 2013

Old Trafford salutes Man United manager Ferguson

As red-and-white ticker tape flew into the rainy sky at Old Trafford, a beaming Alex Ferguson hoisted up the Premier League trophy for a 13th and final time.Behind Britain's most successful football manager stood his jubilant squad of players, dancing to a soundtrack of “Champions, Champions” being belted out by more than 76,000 fans.It was the end of an era at Manchester United on Sunday as Ferguson took charge of his final home match of a club he has led for nearly 27 years. And he had a 38th

May 13, 2013

Football: PSG end 19-year wait for French Ligue 1 title

Paris Saint-Germain sealed their first Ligue 1 title since 1994 with a 1-0 win at Lyon on Sunday.Marseille's 2-1 win over Toulouse on Saturday, their fourth success in a row, had ensured PSG would have to keep the champagne on ice until after their own game.But former AC Milan winger Jeremy Menez scored the only goal of the game against a limp Lyon side and that proved enough to deliver the silverware."I am very happy, especially because it is not easy to win here," said PSG coach Carlo Ancelott

May 13, 2013

Man United names Moyes as manager

MANCHESTER, England (AP) ― The job of coaching one of football’s most iconic teams has been granted to David Moyes, a former professional player who will have to step into the shoes of fellow Glaswegian Alex Ferguson. Manchester United chose an unglamorous coach to take over from the 71-year-old Ferguson, seeking long-term success by awarding Moyes a six-year contract on Thursday. Moyes and Ferguson come from identical backgrounds and were raised on the tough streets of Scotland. Both have reput

May 10, 2013

Chelsea held to 2-2 draw

LONDON (AP) ― Gylfi Sigurdsson scored in the 80th minute, and Tottenham twice came from behind for a 2-2 tie at Chelsea on Wednesday night that left Spurs needing other teams to drop points in the race for England’s final two Champions League spots.Oscar put Chelsea ahead in the 11th minute, but Emmanuel Adebayor tied the score in the 26th with a 22-yard shot following a run from inside his own half.Ramires’ 39th-minute goal looked to have earned Chelsea three points that would virtually have se

May 9, 2013

Real Madrid trounces Malaga 6-2 in Spanish league

Real Madrid delayed Barcelona's claim to the Spanish league title by trouncing 10-man Malaga 6-2 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.Had the Spanish powerhouse dropped a point, Barcelona would have lifted its 22nd league crown, its fourth in five seasons.Instead, a determined-looking Madrid went on a goal rampage, opening the scoring when Raul Albiol headed inside the far post from a corner launched by Luka Modric in the third minute.Roque Santa Cruz equalized in the 15th minute when he bounce

May 9, 2013

Ferguson to retire from United

Alex Ferguson will retire as Manchester United manager at the end of this season, the English Premier League champions announced Wednesday, bringing down the curtain on one of the most successful careers football has known.Ferguson, 71, has been in charge at Old Trafford for 26 years, guiding United to 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League crowns.It was not until Tuesday that rumours of Ferguson's shock retirement started circulating but he said it was a decision he had been consider

May 8, 2013

Striker Son coveted by U.K., German teams: report

Hamburg SV striker Son Heung-min is attracting interest from European soccer clubs including Arsenal and Tottenham of the English league and Dortmund of Germany, according to news reports.The speculation grew that the 21-year-old South Korean may end his tenure at Hamburg after reports indicated that several teams are showing interest in him. Son’s contract with Hamburg expires after the 2013-04 season.Hamburg’s sporting director Frank Arnesen said that the club would be forced to sell Son if th

May 8, 2013

Juventus beats Palermo 1-0 to clinch 29th title

Juventus clinched its second successive Serie A title on Sunday with a controversial 1-0 win over Palermo to secure the team's 29th league crown with three rounds remaining.Arturo Vidal gave Juventus the lead shortly before the hour mark, firing home a debatable penalty after Massimo Donati was adjudged to have pushed over Mirko Vucinic.The goal sparked great celebration among the home fans, who had been momentarily silenced when Palermo captain Fabrizio Miccoli hit the post.“It has been a trium

May 6, 2013

QPR cancels visit to Korea

English soccer club Queens Park Rangers have canceled their planned trip to South Korea this summer to focus on rebuilding for next season, British papers have reported.Two local papers ― the Fulham & Hammersmith Chronicle and London24 ― reported online that Tony Fernandes, the chairman of the London-based club, has decided to scrap the July visit to South Korea. Last week, Gyeongnam FC, a first-division South Korean club in the K League Classic, had announced that it would host QPR for an exhib

May 3, 2013

Spanish league investigates possible match fix

The Spanish football league is investigating a game between topflight teams Levante and Deportivo La Coruna for possible match-fixing.League spokesman Juan Carlos Santamaria confirmed Spanish media reports to The Associated Press on Friday that the league was examining Deportivo's 4-0 win at Levante on April 13.Following the loss, Levante forward Jose Barkero apparently accused some of his teammates of a lack of effort in the match. He later publicly retracted his accusations.“I only want to mak

May 3, 2013

Sheik Salman elected chief of Asian soccer

KUALA LUMPUR (AP) ― Sheik Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa of Bahrain was elected president of the Asian Football Confederation on Thursday, replacing longtime rival Mohamed bin Hammam.Sheik Salman comprehensively beat bin Hammam allies Yousuf al-Serkal of the United Arab Emirates and Thailand’s Worawi Makudi in voting by 46 member federations.Sheik Salman received 33 votes on the first ballot, two more than needed for outright victory. Makudi got seven votes and al-Serkal six.The Bahraini royal wa

May 2, 2013

Two Korean clubs advance

Two of the four South Korean teams at Asia’s premier club competition have advanced to the knockout phase, hoping to maintain the country’s recent run of dominance at the annual tournament.FC Seoul and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors of the K League Classic are through to the round of 16 at the AFC Champions League. The group stage concluded earlier this week, and with FC Seoul having qualified for the next round a week earlier, Jeonbuk also made it to the knockout stage with a 0-0 draw against Guangzhou

May 2, 2013

Bayern Munich lines up CL final with Dortmund

Barcelona star Lionel Messi watched from the sideline as Bayern Munich completed its dismantling of the Spanish side with a 3-0 win on Wednesday, lining up the first all-German Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund.With its all-time leading scorer out after he aggravated a right hamstring injury, Barcelona failed to seriously threaten Bayern's goal _ much less an epic comeback after its 4-0 first-leg defeat.Bayern, meanwhile, humbled a team that has been the envy of European football

May 2, 2013

Two S. Korean clubs advance in AFC Champions League

Two of the four South Korean football teams at Asia's premier club competition have advanced to the knockout phase, hoping to maintain the country's recent run of dominance at the annual tournament.FC Seoul and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors of the K League Classic are through to the round of 16 at the AFC Champions League. The group stage concluded earlier this week, and with FC Seoul having qualified for the next round a week earlier, Jeonbuk also made it to the knockout stage with a 0-0 draw against

May 2, 2013

'Clumsy' Sepp Blatter cleared of any wrongdoing

Despite being labeled “clumsy” for his part in one of FIFA's biggest corruption scandals, Sepp Blatter was cleared of any criminal or unethical wrongdoing in a case involving millions of dollars in bribes for World Cup contracts.The reputation of Blatter's predecessor as FIFA president, Joao Havelange, was further damaged, however. The 96-year-old Brazilian, who led FIFA from 1974-98, was forced to step down as honorary president due to his involvement in the case.A report issued Tuesday by FIFA

May 1, 2013