MONDAY, JULY 3, 2017 SPORTS Disgraced Blatter regret at overstaying FIFA tenure GENEVA: Disgraced former FIFA presi- “I should have stopped myself earlier,” times it’s written that the product can be contract dispute. But FIFA assured last and Cornel Borbely were replaced in dent Sepp Blatter, forced out as head of Blatter said in an interview published by consumed beyond this date if it’s stored month “no investigation” had been May at the annual FIFA Congress, with world football’s governing body amid a Swiss newspaper SonntagsBlick, adding in a cool place,” Blatter said. opened into Infantino after sources said Borbely calling the decision “a setback in corruption scandal in 2015, admitted that his ousting as FIFA boss was “a Blatter was also asked about a report his role in the Confederation of African the fight against corruption”. yesterday he regretted not stepping relief”. Blatter, who was re-elected for a in German newspaper Der Spiegel that Football’s presidential elections was Blatter also spoke out against the down earlier. fifth term in May 2015 before promptly current FIFA chief Gianni Infantino had being looked into. “I don’t know about introduction of the video assistant The 81-year-old was banned over announcing his plans to resign, recalled feared being dismissed as the subject of that, I only know that former FIFA col- review (VAR) system, currently being tri- ethics breaches, bringing an end to his the editor-in-chief of a Swiss magazine another ethics committee investigation. leagues addressed themselves because alled at the Confederations Cup in 17-year reign as FIFA chief, following a warning him the role of FIFA president Infantino was cleared last year by of him to the ethics committee and that Russia. “The game loses attractiveness... suspect two million Swiss franc ($2 mil- had an expiration date. FIFA of ethics violations after investigat- three or four weeks later, they were You have to leave referees to make mis- lion, 1.8 million euro) payment to ex- “‘At your place the date is 2014’, he ing him over his use of private jets, per- thrown out of FIFA,” Blatter said. takes, what FIFA are doing is delicate UEFA president Michel Platini. told me, and I said to him that some- sonal expenses, hiring methods and a Ethics chiefs Hans-Joachim Eckert and dangerous,” he said. — AFP Sundowns, Esperance, Etoile reach last eight JOHANNESBURG: Title-holders Mamelodi Esperance have nine points, Sundowns Sundowns of South Africa and Esperance eight, Saint George five and V Club four and Etoile Sahel of Tunisia became the first with the South Africans assured of a top- qualifiers for the CAF Champions League two finish on head-to-head records. quarter-finals Saturday. Etoile Sahel drew a third consecutive Gangling Liberian Anthony Laffor scored Group A game, but the 1-1 stalemate with five minutes from time to earn Sundowns a Ferroviario Beira in Mozambique was suffi- 1-0 Group C victory over Saint George of cient to ensure a quarter-finals berth. Ethiopia in a packed 30,000-capacity Addis Chelito Omar gave Ferroviario a 72nd- Ababa stadium. minute lead and Slim Ben Belgacem Saint George, the first Ethiopian side to equalised by converting a penalty six min- reach the group stage of the premier utes from time. African club competition, wasted a great In the other match in the group, a chance to take the lead on the stroke of Mohamed Abdel Rahman brace gave Al half-time. Merrikh a 2-1 victory over Al Hilal in a clash Sundowns defender Anele Ngcongca of Sudanese giants. handled the ball inside the box, but a Former champions Etoile have nine timidly struck penalty from leading 2017 points, Merrikh seven, Ferroviario five and Champions League scorer Saladin Said was twice runners-up Hilal four. parried to safety by Denis Onyango. There is a gripping three-club Group D Esperance led and trailed against V Club struggle for two last-eight places after of the Democratic Republic of Congo in Zanaco of Zambia and Al Ahly of Egypt Kinshasa during a 2-2 draw in which home drew 0-0 and Wydad Casablanca of player Makwekwe Kupa was red-carded Morocco won 2-0 at Coton Sport of just before the hour. Cameroon. Tunisian Taha Yassine Khenissi contin- Goals from Achraf Bencharki in the first ued hot form for club and country by scor- half and Naim Aarab in the second gave ing on 10 minutes in the Stade des Martyrs, Wydad victory and Coton finished with 10 one of the most intimidating African foot- men after Abdoulaye Alingar was red-card- ball cauldrons. ed. Zanaco have 11 points, Wydad nine and Tady Etekiama, who once served a two- record eight-time champions Ahly eight year ban for falsifying his age and using a while Coton are pointless after five straight MOSCOW: Portugal’s midfielder Adrien Silva (L) scores a penalty during the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup third place football match between fake passport, bagged a brace within eight defeats. A 1-1 draw between Al Ahly Tripoli Portugal and Mexico at the Spartak Stadium in Moscow yesterday. — AP minutes and V Club led 2-1 at half-time. of Libya and USM Alger of Algeria means Needing maximum points to keep alive both clubs and Zamalek of Egypt and CAPS hopes of squeezing into the quarter-finals United of Zimbabwe, who meet in Harare SOCCER after the final round next weekend, V Club today, can advance from Group B. were hit by a double blow. USM and Ahly Tripoli have eight points Kupa was sent off and Esperance lev- from five matches and five-time African elled almost immediately when Khenissi champions Zamalek five and CAPS three Portugal beat Mexico to converted a penalty. from four. —AFP finish third at Confed Cup Dwyer scores in debut MOSCOW: Adrien Silva scored an extra-time star was released from the squad to return byline floated beyond Carlos Vela and Patricio, as US beat Ghana 2-1 penalty as Portugal recovered from a goal home to meet his newborn twins. with Zenit St Petersburg centre-back Neto down to beat Mexico 2-1 in yesterday’s third- Portugal and Mexico drew 2-2 in the open- unwittingly turning the ball home. place play-off at the Confederations Cup in ing game of the group stage, when Hector Portugal went in pursuit of an equaliser and EAST HARTFORD: Dom Dwyer volleyed in affiliation to the US She has 35 goals in 75 Moscow. Moreno salvaged a last-gasp point for the Gold Gelson Martins-replacing Ronaldo in attack-was a go-ahead goal in the 19th minute of his international appearances and helped the Luis Neto bundled into his own net to hand Cup winners, but were left fighting for a conso- denied by an excellent save from Ochoa with international debut, ran to the corner flag Americans win a gold medal at the 2012 Mexico a 54th-minute lead, but Pepe stabbed lation prize in the Russian capital. just over an hour played. and did a double back flip that would make Olympics and the title at the 2015 Women’s home a stoppage-time equaliser to force an Portugal should have gone in front in the But Ochoa was beaten in the first minute of a gymnast proud. World Cup. They met when she was training extra 30 minutes at Spartak Stadium. drizzling rain on 17 minutes when Andre Silva injury time as Pepe lunged to get on the end of Back home in Missouri, wife Sydney with the national team in Kansas City and Silva then struck his first international goal was upended by 38-year-old Rafael Marquez, Ricardo Quaresma’s curling right-wing cross to Leroux was overjoyed. The goal made were introduced by a mutual friend. “We after a handball inside the box on 104 minutes, with the video assistant referee stepping in to force extra time. Dwyer and Leroux the first husband-and- just kind of hung out. We were buddies, and while both sides finished with 10 men as award the spot-kick. But Mexico goalkeeper Silva, on as a substitute, then grabbed the wife couple to score for the United States, then we started to hit it off,” he said. Nelson Semedo was dismissed for Portugal Guillermo Ochoa flung himself superbly to his winner just before the end of the first period of which beat Ghana 2-1 on Saturday in an before Raul Jimenez saw red for Mexico. right to tip Andre Silva’s low spot-kick round extra time, burying a penalty after Miguel exhibition ahead of the CONCACAF Gold COMPETITION World champions Germany face Copa the post. Rui Patricio produced a sharp stop to Layun handled in the box. Semedo was then Cup. “I’m very proud of Sydney and what Dwyer and Leroux announced on America holders Chile later in the final in Saint deny Javier Hernandez, Mexico’s all-time lead- sent off on 106 minutes after picking up a sec- she’s achieved and still achieving in the Valentine’s Day 2015 that they had married Petersburg. ing scorer, from close range on the half hour, ond yellow card, but Mexico’s numerical advan- national team,” Dwyer said. “I’ve got quite a a month earlier. She wears No. 2 and he European champions Portugal were without but the Portugal keeper was beaten shortly tage was swiftly wiped out when Jimenez few caps to catch up to her, and a few No. 14. Of course, the home is filled with captain Cristiano Ronaldo after the Real Madrid after the break.