THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2015 SPORTS Qatar cash powers PSG women to new heights PARIS: The Qatari revolution which has Tight budgets and erratic training to happen.” have never won the Ligue 1 title, finish- national coach Philippe Bergeroo’s 23- pushed Paris Saint-Germain’s men’s sessions have given way to a sleek pro- She added: “In Berlin there won’t be ing runners-up in three of the last four player France squad, with five Frankfurt team to the brink of a third consecutive fessional setup with more backroom just the 25 players and staff, there will years to consecutive nine-time champi- players on Silvia Neid’s Germany roster. Ligue 1 title has also lifted their staff, plush hotels and training camps - be all of PSG behind us, because it’s his- ons Lyon, the 2011 and 2012 Having finished third in the women’s women’s team to new heights. the latest in Qatar just two weeks ago. toric and because people believe in the Champions League winners whom the Bundesliga behind winners Bayern PSG head to Berlin for their first ever “When we arrived in the hotel in women’s team.” Parisians eliminated en route to the final Munich and Wolfsburg, Frankfurt have Women’s Champions League final on Qatar we said to ourselves ‘Wow, what along with two-time defending champi- missed out on qualifying for next sea- Thursday with French hopes high three has happened in four years’,” Delannoy GERMAN DOMINATION ons Wolfsburg. son’s Champions League and want to weeks ahead of the FIFA World Cup in said in an interview with French sports Winning the Champions League The clash should also provide a pre- bow out with a fourth European title Canada. daily L’Equipe. crown would be an exploit for the view ahead of the World Cup between having won the trophy in 2002, 2006 Since being taken over by Qatar “Without the arrival of the Qataris I Parisians against experienced German teams from two countries-top ranked and 2008. Sports Investments (QSI) in 2011 the don’t know where I would be today,” side Frankfurt, winners of a record three Germany and France ranked third by “We want to enjoy the game and are French club has been transformed, and admitted the 28-year-old defender who titles and competing in a sixth final. FIFA who are among the favorites. focused on a fourth title, we want to nowhere more than their previously was at the club for seven years before German clubs have won eight of the Germany are former two-time win- make sure we dominate, ever if our impoverished women’s setup, explains they turned professional in 2012. 13 editions of the elite European tour- ners while France have never won a recovery time has been short,” said PSG captain Sabrina Delannoy who will “I thought we would have a bit more nament and their national team have major tournament but got to the 2011 Frankfurt’s English coach Colin Bell. His be among seven players from the club resources with foreign players beefing been reigning European champions World Cup and 2012 Olympic semi- side drew 1-1 at home to second-placed also competing for France in the World up the group but I didn’t expect a revo- since 1995 as well as lifting two finals. Wolfsburg on Sunday in their final Cup from June 6 to July 5. lution .. I didn’t expect what was going Women’s World Cups. PSG by contrast PSG players make up the bulk of league game of the season.—AP Former FIFA VP banned in 2022 World Cup case GENEVA: In a ruling that could lead to the “In all cases, persons bound by this code downfall of more high-level soccer officials, shall not offer to or accept from anyone FIFA banned a former vice president for within or outside FIFA cash in any amount eight years for taking money from or form,” the FIFA ethics code states. Mohamed bin Hammam, one of the key Although the ethics code was updated in backers of Qatar’s successful World Cup bid. 2012, FIFA granted powers to apply it Reynald Temarii breached five sections retroactively. of FIFA’s ethics code when he accepted In October 2010, British newspaper The 305,640 euros ($343,000) to pay legal costs Sunday Times reported widespread corrup- in a fight against FIFA from Bin Hammam in tion and vote-buying offers in the World January 2011, the governing body said yes- Cup contests. The resulting fallout, which terday in announcing its ethics committee’s damaged the reputation of FIFA and the verdict. integrity of the votes, persists today. The length of the ban shows that the Temarii’s colleague at FIFA, Amos FIFA ethics committee could act tough in Adamu of Nigeria, was also barred from the potentially dozens of pending cases of soc- World Cup vote and served a three-year cer officials from Asia and Africa taking ban. Adamu told reporters posing as lobby- cash gifts from the now-disgraced Bin ists it would influence his vote if they paid Hammam. Temarii, then the president of him hundreds of thousands of dollars in the Oceania Football Confederation, was cash, saying it was to create artificial fields originally found guilty of breaking confi- in his home country. Four former FIFA exec- dentiality and loyalty rules by discussing utive committee members also served the World Cup hosting contest with under- bans in the case. cover reporters. He was banned for one Bin Hammam was a leading campaigner year and barred from voting in the 2018 for Blatter in the FIFA president’s first two and 2022 World Cup bid contest. election wins, in 1998 and 2002, but chal- The Tahitian appealed, a move that lenged his former ally in 2011 after Qatar ensured Oceania could not take part in the was awarded the 2022 tournament. bid contest. The regional body was man- The Qatari businessman withdrew days dated to support Australia, one of Qatar’s before the presidential vote when implicat- four rivals in the 2022 contest. ed in bribing voters in the Caribbean. Russia and Qatar, respectively, were Although Bin Hammam overturned a life- picked to host those tournaments by the time ban imposed by FIFA, he was later FIFA executive committee in December expelled in 2012 for mismanagement of 2010. The latest ban comes because Bin Asian Football Confederation finances. KIEV: Napoli players attend a training session at the Olympiyskiy national stadium in Kiev. Napoli will play against Dnipro in a Europa League Hammam agreed to fund Temarii’s legal Last year, The Sunday Times reported it semi-finals, second leg soccer match today. —AP fight. FIFA said yesterday that Temarii met had evidence from a huge cache of Bin with Bin Hammam, then president of the Hammam’s emails that he paid about $5 Asian Football Confederation, in Kuala million to dozens of African soccer offi- Lumpur, Malaysia, in November 2010 cials to further his FIFA ambitions. Sevilla on brink of return before pursuing his appeal. Temarii broke Because the FIFA ethics committee does rules relating to accepting gifts, conflicts of not give details of ongoing cases, it is interest, loyalty, confidentiality and general unclear how many people are under to Europa League final rules of conduct, FIFA said. investigation in that case. —AP PARIS: Holders Sevilla are on the brink of a return to the Europa League final as they take a 3-0 lead to Italy for the second leg of their semi- Bayern, Guardiola final against Fiorentina today. It would take a remarkable turnaround in Florence for Unai Emery’s side to miss out on at crossroads reaching the final again as they look to retain the trophy they won by defeating Benfica on MUNICH: Bayern Munich and Pep Guardiola stays on to oversee the project penalties in Turin 12 months ago. A brace by Guardiola have reached a crossroads after beyond 2016 or chooses to leave, one thing Aleix Vidal and a Kevin Gameiro strike last week Tuesday’s Champions League exit to is certain-his grace period in Munich ended have the Spanish side in control and Sevilla are a Barcelona, with the team in need of renew- on Tuesday.—Reuters team in form too, having lost just once in 18 al and the Spanish coach under growing games in all competitions, with that loss coming pressure to deliver European silverware. at the hands of Real Madrid 10 days ago. Guardiola’s arrival two years ago was Currently fifth in La Liga with two games left, supposed to herald another great three points adrift of Valencia in the fourth and European era for the Bavarians after their final Champions League qualifying berth, win- 2013 treble. They had reached the ning the Europa League may be their more likely Champions League final in 2010, 2012 and route into the continent’s elite club competition 2013 before signing him. for next season. The 44-year-old has so far failed to take Emery named goalkeeper Beto, who has the side beyond the semi-final stage in his been on the sidelines with a shoulder problem, two seasons in charge, Tuesday’s 3-2 win in a squad of 22 for the match at the Stadio not enough to give them a place in next Artemio Franchi, where Sevilla right-back Coke is month’s final. expecting the hosts to throw the kitchen sink at And while Bayern won the domestic them. ITALY: Sevilla’s coach Unai Emery meets the media during a news conference ahead of today’s double last season and the league this time “It is going to be a long 90 minutes.