Soccer News

MADRID (AFP) - The crisis at Barcelona over its poor season deepened Friday as two club members launched a censure motion against the management of the Spanish club that seeks the ouster of is president, Joan Laporta, and his board of directors.

BIRMINGHAM (AFP) - Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill has accused Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez of "disingenuous" behaviour in his courting of Villa's England midfielder Gareth Barry.

LONDON (AFP) - Tottenham star Dimitar Berbatov looks set to play his last game for the club against Liverpool at White Hart Lane on Sunday in what promises to be a farewell fixture for a number of players on both sides.

MANCHESTER (AFP) - Sven-Goran Eriksson has publicly admitted for the first time that he could be leaving Manchester City at the end of the season.

NYON, Switzerland (AFP) - The Football Association (FA) have been awarded an extra place in the first qualifying round of next season's UEFA Cup after finishing first in UEFA's Fair Play competition, European football's governing body announced on Friday.

MADRID (AFP) - Inter Milan's midfielder Luis Figo, who played for Barcelona for five seasons, says the Spanish club's newly appointed coach, former team captain Pep Guardiola, has what it takes to manage the team.

LISBON (AFP) - FC Porto president Jorge Pinto da Costa has been suspended for two years and Boavista relegated to the second division for their part in match-fixing, the Portuguese league (LPFP) said on Friday.

MADRID (AFP) - Newly proclaimed Spanish league champions Real Madrid will travel to Riyadh in Saudia Arabia to face local side Al-Nasr in a friendly on May 20, the club said Friday.

ROME (AFP) - Brazilian goalkeeper Doni has signed a contract extension at Italian Cup finalists AS Roma until June 2012.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has waived entry visa requirements for fans with a valid ticket for the May 21 Champions League Final in Moscow, a match organizer told Reuters on Monday.

SAO PAULO, Brazil - Brazilian star Ronaldo says he's sorry, embarrassed and ashamed about his highly publicized encounter a week ago with three cross-dressing prostitutes, calling it the biggest mistake of his life.

ROME (AFP) - AS Roma and Inter Milan will battle each other for silverware on two fronts after the capital-based club reached the Coppa Italia final on Thursday.

MADRID (AFP) - Atletico Madrid's formidable South American strike pair of Kun Aguero and Diego Forlan fired them one win away from the Champions League with a 2-0 victory over Espanyol on Thursday.

MADRID (AFP) - Less than 24 hours after their humiliating 4-1 defeat to Real Madrid in El Clasico Barcelona have announced that the club's reserve team coach Pep Guardiola, a former player, will take over from Frank Rijkaard at the end of the season.

LONDON (AFP) - Liverpool have slapped a 15-million-pound (30-million-dollar) price tag on unsettled England striker Peter Crouch while Tottenham have indicated that they are resigned to losing Dimitar Berbatov at the end of this season.

MADRID (AFP) - Barcelona's Ivorian midfielder Yaya Toure said Thursday his side have had a "mediocre" season after the Spanish giants failed to win a trophy for the second straight year.

WARSAW (AFP) - Poland's Dutch coach Leo Beenhakker on Thursday released a 26-player list from which he plans to draw his final 23-member squad for Euro 2008, the country's first ever European championships appearance.

MOSCOW (AFP) - Russians wanting to attend the May 14 UEFA Cup final between Zenit St Petersburg and Glasgow Rangers in Manchester will be able to receive visas for free, Britain's embassy in Moscow said on Thursday.

MADRID (AFP) - Barcelona's Brazilian international defender Sylvinho will miss the rest of the season after he injured his right knee during the club's 4-1 loss to Real Madrid, the Spanish club said Thursday.

LUSAKA (AFP) - Frenchman Herve Renard will sign a two-year contract next week to coach Zambia, the national football association said Thursday.

PARIS (AFP) - Lyon's Juninho Pernambucano scored the only goal of the game against Sedan at the Gerland stadium on Wednesday to set up a French Cup final against Paris Saint Germain at the Stade de France later this month.

GLASGOW (AFP) - Rangers reduced Celtic's Scottish Premier League lead to four points with a nervy 1-0 victory at home to Motherwell on Wednesday.

BERLIN (AFP) - French midfielder Franck Ribery and Germany striker Lukas Podolski fired Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich to a 2-0 win over Arminia Bielefeld on Wednesday, but the German giants show no sign of easing up.

MADRID (AFP) - Former defender Fernando Giner and his Valencia teammates received a "substantial" cash incentive from Barcelona to perform well against Deportivo La Coruna in a 1994 Spanish league match.

BUCHAREST (AFP) - Five people were arrested here Wednesday after police found a suitcase containing one million euros in cash reportedly put up by Steaua Bucharest in a bid to help them win the title.

ROME (AFP) - England coach Fabio Capello will be tried for false testimony and obstructing the course of justice by Rome judicial authorities, Italian news agency Ansa reported on Wednesday.

ADELAIDE, Australia (AFP) - Japan's Gamba Osaka and Iranian giants Saipa secured their places in the AFC Champions League quarter-finals Wednesday, as Adelaide, Kashima Antlers, and Beijing Guoan all inched closer.

PRAGUE (AFP) - The Czech Republic's injured captain Tomas Rosicky announced Friday that he will not be taking part in next month's European Championships due to a recurring knee injury.

MANCHESTER, England (AFP) - Sir Alex Ferguson has claimed that title rivals Chelsea's final fixture of the season will be against a Bolton side that has "been out celebrating all week" and hit out at claims Manchester United will have it easy at Wigan.