Barca needs late goal in victory

BARCELONA (AP) ― Barcelona needed a stoppage-time goal by Sergio Busquets to secure a 1-0 win at Valencia on a day Spanish football was rocked by the death of a fan after a violent clash between rival supporters.A 43-year-old fan of Deportivo La Coruna died of injuries sustained Sunday in a street fight that broke out between Deportivo and Atletico Madrid supporters hours before their match in Madrid.Elsewhere in Europe, the defending champions in England and Italy both earned victories.Manchest

Dec. 1, 2014

Top football league to retain same format for 2015

The national governing body of professional football said Monday it will retain the same structure for the top-flight competition next season, with clubs to be divided into two tiers in the fall.The K League said the 12 teams in the first-division K League Classic will each play 38 matches. They will first play 33 games from March 7 to Oct. 4, and then they will be split into the upper tier, or Group A, and the lower tier, or Group B, based on their records at that point.Teams will then play fiv

Dec. 1, 2014

Veteran striker Lee Dong-gook voted S. Korean pro football MVP

 Veteran striker Lee Dong-gook of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors was voted the MVP of South Korean professional football on Monday. The 35-year-old garnered 101 out of 112 votes to claim the top individual award in the first-division K League Classic, easily beating out FC Seoul defensive back Cha Du-ri, with six votes, and Suwon Bluewings' forward Santos, who had five. Lee finished second in the league to Santos with 13 goals and helped Jeonbuk win their third championship in six seasons.   Lee became

Dec. 1, 2014

Jeonbuk runaway champ as pro football season ends with late drama

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors were the runaway champion as the 2014 K League Classic football season ended last weekend with some late drama.The 12 clubs each played 33 matches before they were divided into upper and lower tiers. They played five more matches within their group, and Jeonbuk clinched their championship on Nov. 8, with three matches remaining on the schedule.Jeonbuk finished with 81 points on 24 wins, nine draws and five losses, a whopping 14 points ahead of the runner-up, Suwon Bluewing

Dec. 1, 2014

Tottenham advances in Europa League

MANCHESTER, England (AP) ― Tottenham was among nine teams to qualify for the knockout stage of the Europa League on Thursday after beating Partizan Belgrade 1-0 in a match that was briefly suspended because of three separate pitch invasions.Inter Milan and Napoli also advanced to ensure there will be at least three Italian clubs in the last 32 of Europe’s secondary competition. Spurs’ victory, secured by Benjamin Stambouli’s 49th-minute winner, was overshadowed by a succession of pitch invasions

Nov. 28, 2014

Pele denies rumors of serious ill health

SAO PAULO (AP) ― Brazilian great Pele said Thursday he is not seriously ill, easing fears that his health deteriorated while being treated for a urinary tract infection.The 74-year-old Pele used his official Twitter account to deny widespread reports that said his condition worsened and that he was put in intensive care.“I want to take this opportunity to let you know that I am doing fine,” he said. “I was not put into intensive care today, I was simply relocated to a special room within the hos

Nov. 28, 2014

U.K. mulls criminal probe into FIFA bids

LONDON (AP) ― A criminal investigation into allegations of World Cup bidding corruption could be opened in Britain, with authorities urging whistleblowers to come forward with information.The Serious Fraud Office is pursuing “every reasonable line of inquiry, including working closely with appropriate overseas authorities,” the government department said according to a letter sent to a British legislator.The Swiss attorney general has already received a criminal complaint from FIFA against possi

Nov. 27, 2014

Messi gains record with hat trick

Lionel Messi added the Champions League career scoring record to the La Liga mark he set last weekend, getting his 28th Barcelona hat trick in a 4-0 win Tuesday night at APOEL Nicosia.Sergio Aguero scored three goals ― including the winner in stoppage time ― to lead Manchester City over Bayern Munich 3-2 and preserve the English champion’s hopes of advancing.Chelsea (3-0-2) won 5-0 at Schalke on goals by John Terry, Willian, Didier Drogba and Ramires plus an own goal by Jan Kirchhoff to advance

Nov. 26, 2014

FIFA to review report on WC corruption

GENEVA (AP) ― FIFA will further review the 2018 and 2022 World Cup corruption investigation, putting the status of hosts Russia and Qatar back in question.The head of FIFA’s auditing committee will examine the full 430-page confidential report by American prosecutor Michael Garcia into impropriety during the bid process, reviving a probe which seemed closed one week ago.Domenico Scala, a Swiss businessman who serves as the soccer body’s audit panel chairman, will then decide whether to turn over

Nov. 21, 2014

Blatter hits back at demands to publish World Cup report

PARIS (AFP) ― FIFA president Sepp Blatter on Wednesday rejected demands to publish the potentially explosive report into long-standing allegations of corruption surrounding the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids.Greg Dyke, the head of the English Football Association, wants the report compiled by former U.S. federal prosecutor Michael Garcia to be made public.But Blatter insists that to do so would compromise Swiss privacy laws. “FIFA would violate not only its own rules and regulations but also Swiss

Nov. 20, 2014

FIFA files criminal ...complaint over bids

GENEVA (AP) ― The latest twist in FIFA’s World Cup bid corruption case has landed on the desk of Switzerland’s attorney general.FIFA filed a “criminal complaint” against unnamed individuals on Tuesday, calling on Swiss federal prosecutors to investigate money transfers connected to the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding contests that were won by Russia and Qatar.The unexpected move comes five days after FIFA had welcomed a “degree of closure” on the case.“In particular there seem to be grounds for

Nov. 19, 2014