Sepp Blatter: 'We are not in a crisis'

With FIFA facing its worst scandal in its 107-year history, a seething Sepp Blatter denied his organization is in crisis Monday as he moved closer to a fourth term as president of soccer's ruling body and the crisis spread to the vote for the 2022 World Cup.
With his only challenger, Mohamed bin Hammam of Qatar, suspended along with FIFA Vice President Jack Warner because of bribery allegations, Blatter acknowledged two days before the election that the two had done "great damage" to soccer.
During an impromptu and sometimes raucous news conference at FIFA headquarters, Blatter gave staccato answers and lectured journalists to behave with "respect" and "elegance" when questioning his 13-year rule.

“ We are not in a crisis. We are only in some difficulties and these difficulties will be solved -- and they will be solved inside this family.
” -- FIFA president Sepp Blatter

"You are not in a bazaar here, you are in the FIFA house," Blatter scolded one reporter.
Blatter ended another turbulent day by promising to restore order, and dismissed evidence that FIFA's second in command had suggested Qatar "bought" the right to host the 2022 World Cup.
The 75-year-old Swiss executive spoke a day after bin Hammam and Warner were sidelined by an ethics committee over allegations that Caribbean soccer leaders were paid $40,000 each to back bin Hammam's now-abandoned presidential bid.
"Crisis? What is a crisis? Football is not in a crisis," Blatter said. "We are not in a crisis, we are only in some difficulties and these difficulties will be solved -- and they will be solved inside this family."
Highlighting the unease within a sport that has long learned to live with scandal, leading sponsor Coca-Cola joined sporting goods giant Adidas in criticizing the state of soccer.
Coca-Cola said in a statement to The Associated Press that the allegations are "distressing and bad for the sport," adding the company has "every expectation that FIFA will resolve this situation in an expedient and thorough manner."
To make matters worse, Blatter failed to come out in defense of FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke, who admitted he had written an email to Warner saying bin Hammam might have been thinking that "you can buy FIFA as they bought the WC."
When asked for a reaction, Blatter said, "I don't answer this question," before adding, "we will come back inside the FIFA on that."
Qatar's World Cup organizers swiftly and "categorically" denied Valcke's claim. They said they were "urgently seeking clarification" from FIFA and are "taking legal advice to consider our options."
Valcke attempted to clarify his remarks Monday, saying that by using the word "bought" he meant that Qatar was using the "financial strength" of an energy-rich nation to lobby for backing, but did not mean to claim any unethical behavior on its part.
"I have at no time made, or was intending to make, any reference to any purchase of votes," Valcke said in a statement about his email to Warner.
Bin Hammam said he would appeal his provisional suspension, saying the proceedings were "absolutely not compliant with any principles of justice" and had been "defined from the very beginning."
The 62-year-old Qatari, who is suspended from his role as president of the Asian Football Confederation, acknowledged on his personal website that he provided $360,000 for "travel and accommodations" of the 25 Caribbean Football Union members attending a May 10-11 meeting in Warner's native Trinidad.
The crisis was sparked by evidence submitted by Chuck Blazer, the American general secretary of the regional soccer group representing North and Central America and the Caribbean and a longtime FIFA executive panel member.
Blazer said there was "much more evidence" to come detailing what happened when bin Hammam and Warner arranged the May 10-11 meeting.
FIFA's suspension of bin Hammam has met with widespread anger in the Middle East. Yousuf al-Serkal, an Asian Football Confederation vice president and an ally of bin Hammam from neighboring United Arab Emirates, said he didn't believe the charges and saw them as a bid to remove him from the presidential race.
"Bin Hammam has been mistreated," al-Serkal said. "Bin Hammam is the right person who should have been elected."
"All the allegations were just from a report," he added. "I feel sorry for the person I have known for long time as a decent person."
Newspapers in Egypt were especially critical of Blatter. The Al-Dustour daily said bin Hammam had "surrendered to the tyranny of Blatter." Al-Gomhuria called Blatter a "sly fox who cannot be easily hunted" and compared him to that country's longtime president, Hosni Mubarak, who was ousted from office earlier this year.

By: http://www.espn.go.com/

Samuel Eto'o keys Inter in Italian final

Samuel Eto'o scored two goals to lift Inter Milan to a 3-1 win over Palermo in the Italian Cup final on Sunday.
His goals either side of halftime set Inter on its way to the defense of the last of its remaining trophies from the three it won in 2010 and gave the Cameroon striker 37 in all competitions this season.
"It is an enormous win," Inter coach Leonardo said. "It has been a strange year for me and a strange year for Inter, but it was a good game and an important win for us.
"It was a very difficult game, but I am delighted with the attitude of our team. We didn't stop working and didn't stop fighting."
Palermo had a number of chances in both halves, but was unable to find a way past Inter goalkeeper Julio Cesar, until Ezequiel Munoz pulled a goal back with two minutes to go.
Munoz was then sent off and in injury time Diego Milito put the seal on the win when he sidefooted in from close range.
The loss meant the 35,000 Palermo fans who flocked to the Olympic Stadium will have to wait another year for a chance to see their team win its first ever trophy, but could content themselves with Europa League action next season.
"We have grown and done some fantastic things over the last four years," Palermo midfielder Giulio Migliaccio said. "We showed how we could play tonight. It was always going to be difficult against Inter, but we can go home with our heads held high."

France

PARIS -- Seven-time French champion Lyon booked a place in Champions League qualifying by beating Monaco 2-0 on the last day of the French league season with goals from Pape Diakhate and Lisandro Lopez.
Lyon's win also sent 18th-place Monaco into the second division for the first time since 1976. Lens and last-place Arles already were demoted.
Third-place Lyon ended the championship with 64 points, four more than Paris Saint-Germain, and will play Champions League soccer for the 13th straight year.
Lille, which secured its first title since 1954 last weekend, celebrated in front of its home fans with a 3-2 win over Rennes courtesy of a hat-trick from Moussa Sow, the league's top scorer.
Second-place Marseille was held to a 2-2 draw at Caen.
PSG needed a win at Saint-Etienne to keep some hope of playing the Champions League, but Antoine Lombouare's team was held to a 1-1 draw at Geoffroy-Guichard and will have to be content with Europa League participation.
Auxerre made sure it will stay in the first division next season with a 2-1 win at Lorient.

Germany

SINSHEIM, Germany -- Mario Gomez and Andre Schuerrle scored in the first half and Germany held on to beat Uruguay 2-1 in an exhibition game.
Uruguay has not beaten Germany since their first meeting in 1928, with Germany winning eight and drawing two since.
The match was a replay of the third-place playoff at last year's World Cup in South Africa, which Germany won 3-2.

Ireland

DUBLIN -- Robbie Keane scored in the 23rd minute to give Ireland a 1-0 win over Scotland and victory for the host nation in the inaugural Nations Cup.
The Tottenham striker took a pass and surged forward to beat goalkeeper Allan McGregor from the edge of the penalty area.
The victory gave Ireland a boost ahead of Saturday's 2012 European Championship qualifier against Macedonia.
Wales and Northern Ireland were the other teams in the Nations Cup tournament.

Germany's Miroslav Klose out

Striker Miroslav Klose will miss Germany's 2012 European Championship qualifiers against Austria and Azerbaijan because of bruised ribs.
The German soccer federation says Klose had severe pains Monday morning and that a scan determined he would not be able to train for several days. Germany plays Austria on June 3 and the Azeris four days later.
Klose was injured in Germany's 2-1 victory over Uruguay in a friendly on Sunday.
Klose has scored 61 goals in 109 games for Germany. His eight goals in five qualifiers so far have helped Germany to a perfect 5-0 record in Group A.

By: http://www.espn.go.com/

Barca players parade through city

Barcelona players rode through the Catalan capital in an open-top bus Sunday, showing off the Champions League trophy they won by beating Manchester United in the final.

Thousands of fans greeted the players as the bus -- decked out in the club's red and blue colors with the word "Champions" on the sides -- wound its way through the city.
The players later were introduced one by one before a packed crowd of more than 90,000 fans at Barcelona's Nou Camp stadium, with coach Pep Guardiola carrying the trophy onto the field.
Lionel Messi, who scored in the 3-1 win at Wembley on Saturday night, told the crowd: "I don't have much to say other than to thank you all for your support during this amazing year. Hopefully, there will be many more to come. Long live Barca and long live Catalunya."
The parade came hours after street parties turned violent early Sunday. At least 18 people were hospitalized and more than 80 arrested after revelers attacked officers with bottles, flares and other objects, and destroyed park benches and bus stops.

By: http://www.espn.go.com/

Alex Ferguson wants reporter banned

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has told an aide to ban an Associated Press sports writer after he asked a question about midfielder Ryan Giggs.
Ferguson was speaking at a news conference Tuesday ahead of Saturday's Champions League final against Barcelona when the AP's Rob Harris asked him a question about Giggs, who was named in the British parliament on Monday as the soccer star at the center of a high-profile privacy case.
A judge granted an injunction preventing media from publishing allegations that the player had an affair with reality television contestant Imogen Thomas, but Giggs' name spread all over Twitter and other websites.
On Monday, Member of Parliament John Hemming identified Giggs as the player embroiled in the case during a House of Commons debate.
At Tuesday's news conference with Ferguson, Harris asked about the importance of 37-year-old Giggs to Manchester United. "The most experienced Champions League player in the team is obviously Ryan Giggs. How important is he for the team on Saturday?" Harris said.
"All of the players are important, every one of them," Ferguson replied curtly.
Broadcaster Sky News later broadcast Ferguson's whispered comments to a club media officer.
He was heard saying, "the guy that asked the question about Giggsy ... at the press conference."
She replies: "Which one?"
Ferguson responds: "Him that asked the question ... who?"
The press officer replied: "Oh yeah, I'll tell you later."
Minutes later, Ferguson is heard to ask: "Is he coming on Friday?"
The press officer asks: "The guy with the laptop?"
Ferguson replies: "Aye. Then we'll get him. Ban him on Friday."
It was unclear which event on Friday Ferguson was referring to, although he is due to hold a news conference on the eve of Saturday's game.
Ferguson has a famously prickly relationship with the British media. He has refused to speak to the BBC for several years after a program was broadcast about his son's business activities, and several individual journalists have been banned from attending Manchester United events.
Lou Ferrara, the AP's managing editor for sports, defended Harris.
"Rob was doing his job as a journalist by asking a question," Ferrara said. "Our expectation is that he'll ask more questions, and be afforded the ability to do so, as he covers the world's most popular sport."
Giggs, who is married with two children, was absent from the club's open training session on Tuesday, one of several United players who did not train in front of the media ahead of the final at London's Wembley Stadium.
In suburban Manchester, police said that news photographers' cars parked outside Giggs' home were deliberately damaged Tuesday afternoon. Officers "discovered at least six cars had been vandalized after a group of offenders arrived in a Ford Transit van and attacked the vehicles," police said in a statement.

Julio Grondona admits lack of tests

Julio Grondona, head of the Argentine Football Association, confirmed Wednesday that doping controls were done away with during the World Cup qualifying playoff against Australia in 1993, a move he says was aimed at protecting Diego Maradona and other players.
The acknowledgment of the lack of testing was Grondona's first statement following charges by Maradona in a television interview Monday that the powerful FIFA vice president knew about the arrangement and allowed it to happen.
Maradona also has charged that players were given a "speedy coffee" to perform better during the playoff. Grondona made no comment on those accusations in an interview published Wednesday by the Buenos Aires daily Clarin.
"Maradona didn't play in other qualifying matches, and he came (into these matches) after having problems with drugs," Grondona said in the published story.
Argentina drew the first match in Sydney 1-1 and won the return 1-0 in Buenos Aires to secure a berth in the 1994 tournament.
Maradona and Grondona have been publicly feuding since last year's World Cup, when Grondona declined to renew Maradona's contract as national team coach. Grondona had hired Maradona despite his lack of coaching experience.
The 79-year-old Grondona also has made previous comments about Maradona's well-publicized battle with cocaine and alcohol. Maradona has claimed during the mudslinging that he has been clean for seven years and has promised to sue Grondona.
"Who knows if incorrectly -- out of fear that things might happen -- I tried to do away with doping controls because players came that I don't have in my country and one can't know what they are taking -- or just stopped taking," Grondona was quoted as saying.
Grondona said there were no doping tests for either match, and he said Australia officials had agreed to the deal.
In an earlier interview, Maradona said "we would not have gone to the World Cup" if there had been doping tests.
At the 1994 World Cup in the United States, Maradona was suspended for testing positive for stimulants after a first-round match against Nigeria. FIFA subsequently suspended him for 15 months.
Grondona, who has led the AFA for 32 years, declined to apologize for what happened.
"First of all, I don't have to repent because the majority of the Argentine people accept me." Grondona said. "This is my main motive. I don't feel defrauded. The only thing I think is that in life I look for excellence."
Several of Maradona's teammates have confirmed there were no drug tests for the matches.
Former Australia captain Paul Wade said in published comments Wednesday that Argentina was under so much pressure to qualify for the 1994 finals that he would not have been surprised if they had resorted to taking performance-enhancing drugs.
He added he was "absolutely gutted" after hearing of Maradona's comments.
The feud has even reached Argentina president Cristina Fernandez.
Maradona has criticized Fernandez for allegedly protecting Grondona because of a multimillion dollar television deal under which the national broadcaster shows all national league matches.
To help cash-strapped clubs, the Argentine Football Association in 2009 tore up contracts with its TV rights holders and transferred the package to state-run television. The deal, which offers every league match on free TV, was initially valued at $600 million, but recent reports suggest it was closer to $1 billion.
The arrangement gave clubs such as Boca Juniors and River Plate a much-needed income boost and likely will be a vote-winner for Fernandez, who is expected to seek re-election in October.

By: http://espn.go.com/

Julio Grondona admits lack of tests

Julio Grondona, head of the Argentine Football Association, confirmed Wednesday that doping controls were done away with during the World Cup qualifying playoff against Australia in 1993, a move he says was aimed at protecting Diego Maradona and other players.
The acknowledgment of the lack of testing was Grondona's first statement following charges by Maradona in a television interview Monday that the powerful FIFA vice president knew about the arrangement and allowed it to happen.
Maradona also has charged that players were given a "speedy coffee" to perform better during the playoff. Grondona made no comment on those accusations in an interview published Wednesday by the Buenos Aires daily Clarin.
"Maradona didn't play in other qualifying matches, and he came (into these matches) after having problems with drugs," Grondona said in the published story.
Argentina drew the first match in Sydney 1-1 and won the return 1-0 in Buenos Aires to secure a berth in the 1994 tournament.
Maradona and Grondona have been publicly feuding since last year's World Cup, when Grondona declined to renew Maradona's contract as national team coach. Grondona had hired Maradona despite his lack of coaching experience.
The 79-year-old Grondona also has made previous comments about Maradona's well-publicized battle with cocaine and alcohol. Maradona has claimed during the mudslinging that he has been clean for seven years and has promised to sue Grondona.
"Who knows if incorrectly -- out of fear that things might happen -- I tried to do away with doping controls because players came that I don't have in my country and one can't know what they are taking -- or just stopped taking," Grondona was quoted as saying.
Grondona said there were no doping tests for either match, and he said Australia officials had agreed to the deal.
In an earlier interview, Maradona said "we would not have gone to the World Cup" if there had been doping tests.
At the 1994 World Cup in the United States, Maradona was suspended for testing positive for stimulants after a first-round match against Nigeria. FIFA subsequently suspended him for 15 months.
Grondona, who has led the AFA for 32 years, declined to apologize for what happened.
"First of all, I don't have to repent because the majority of the Argentine people accept me." Grondona said. "This is my main motive. I don't feel defrauded. The only thing I think is that in life I look for excellence."
Several of Maradona's teammates have confirmed there were no drug tests for the matches.
Former Australia captain Paul Wade said in published comments Wednesday that Argentina was under so much pressure to qualify for the 1994 finals that he would not have been surprised if they had resorted to taking performance-enhancing drugs.
He added he was "absolutely gutted" after hearing of Maradona's comments.
The feud has even reached Argentina president Cristina Fernandez.
Maradona has criticized Fernandez for allegedly protecting Grondona because of a multimillion dollar television deal under which the national broadcaster shows all national league matches.
To help cash-strapped clubs, the Argentine Football Association in 2009 tore up contracts with its TV rights holders and transferred the package to state-run television. The deal, which offers every league match on free TV, was initially valued at $600 million, but recent reports suggest it was closer to $1 billion.
The arrangement gave clubs such as Boca Juniors and River Plate a much-needed income boost and likely will be a vote-winner for Fernandez, who is expected to seek re-election in October.

By: http://espn.go.com/