ZURICH -- Former FIFA vice president Jack Warner peddled "inaccuracies and falsehoods" when he claimed last month that he got World Cup television rights for $1 in exchange for supporting Sepp Blatter's presidential campaigns, soccer's governing body said Friday.
FIFA confirmed Warner's claim that he received Caribbean broadcasting rights for $1 per tournament, though from 1986 and not -- as Warner said -- from 1998 when Blatter was first elected.
"Such rights were ceded in order to provide an additional source of revenue for football development in the CFU (Caribbean Football Union)," FIFA said in a statement. "This had nothing to do with the 1998 or 2002 election campaigns, or with any other election campaign.
"To imply the contrary is completely false," FIFA said.
FIFA said that, until 1998, World Cup rights were often sold for nominal sums to maximize coverage in developing nations, and provide soccer bodies with extra revenue from reselling rights to broadcasters.
Warner was expected to raise money for his home Caribbean region, which he led for more than two decades until resigning all his soccer duties last June to avoid a FIFA investigation into alleged election bribery.
FIFA said Warner detailed a television deal involving "his private company JDNG and Kirch Media" at executive committee meetings in late 2001. German media giant Kirch had acquired World Cup rights months earlier after FIFA's former marketing partner, ISL, collapsed into bankruptcy.
"Jack Warner explained that he then resold the rights to the Caribbean Football Union, subsequently ploughing the money back into football development in the Caribbean area," FIFA said in an extract of meeting minutes released in Friday's statement.
Warner continued to control Caribbean World Cup television deals beyond 1998, and held the 2014 rights until his resignation.
In October, FIFA revealed it had sold rights "across the Caribbean" for 2014 to broadcaster IMC after it terminated the long-standing agreement with Warner.
Warner made his claims last month, days after FIFA paid for Caribbean soccer leaders to attend a summit in Zurich aimed at rebuilding the CFU's reputation and structures after the turmoil caused by the bribery scandal.
After years of backing Blatter, Warner had switched sides ahead of last June's presidential election to support challenger Mohamed bin Hammam.
The two invited Caribbean voters to a May meeting in Warner's native Trinidad where delegates were offered $40,000 cash in brown envelopes.
Whistleblowers alerted FIFA to the conspiracy, and bin Hammam and Warner were provisionally suspended from soccer three days before the vote, allowing Blatter to win unchallenged.
Bin Hammam is challenging his life ban imposed by FIFA in a proceeding at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The scandal also revealed the CFU's financial problems, despite years of apparently benefiting from Warner's World Cup TV deals.
A presidential election conference to replace him last November was postponed because the CFU could not afford to stage the event in Jamaica.
Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United will both be looking to pull level on points with frontrunning Manchester City as English Premier League soccer betting action returns to the weekend spotlight beginning on Saturday morning (10:00 am Eastern).
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Tottenham, which is coming off a 2-0 shutout of Everton on Wednesday after opening 2012 with a 1-0 victory over West Brom, will play host to Wolverhampton on Saturday at White Hart Lane, with Spurs (-450) listed as heavy favorites against the underdog Wolves (+1150).
Goals by Aaron Lennon and Benoit Assou-Ekotto powered Spurs past Everton, extending their current unbeaten streak in EPL results to six games (4-2-0) since losing to Stoke on December 11. That Stoke setback marked Tottenham’s only defeat in 18 games since they suffered consecutive losses to City and United to open the current season, and they now sit at 14-3-3 alongside United in second place and just three points back of City (15-3-2).
Manchester United is heading in the other direction, however, as the Red Devils have lost their past two matches - against Newcastle and lowly Blackburn - heading into their clash on Saturday at Old Trafford against Bolton. The Wanderers (5-1-14) are currently languishing in danger of relegation in 18th spot in the table and are listed as longshot road dogs (+1800) to extend the misery another match for favored United (-700).
For its part, Manchester City will have to watch and wait for Monday (3:00 pm Eastern) when they will face Wigan Athletic at DW Stadium. City (15-3-2) will have its shot to regain lone possession of first place as big favorites (-275) against home underdog Wigan (+850).
In what promises to be a fascinating weekend of fixtures in English Premier League soccer betting action, a full slate of eight games on Saturday will be followed by four of the five top-ranked teams in the table doing battle against each other on Sunday.
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Third-place Tottenham (14-4-3) will kick off the Sunday showdowns beginning at 8:30 am (Eastern) when the Spurs take the pitch at Etihad Stadium against first-place Manchester City (16-3-2). Tottenham sits just five points behind City and will be looking for a much better showing than they put forth back in August in a 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Blues.
Hotspur is listed as +330 underdogs on the road to defeat Manchester City, which is listed as -120 favorites with draw odds of +265.
Shortly thereafter with kickoff scheduled for 11:00 am (Eastern) at Emirates Stadium, second-place Manchester United (15-3-3) will square off against fifth-place Arsenal (11-3-7). The Red Devils trail frontrunning City by just three points, and also decimated their Sunday opposition in their most recent matchup with an 8-2 rout of visiting Arsenal at the end of August.
This time around Arsenal is listed at +180 to earn a home victory with United listed at +150 to secure the win, and draw odds of +240.
The full Saturday slate includes Chelsea (-175) at Norwich City (+500), Blackburn Rovers (+550) on the road against Everton (-200), Fulham (EVEN) playing host to Newcastle United (+275), Wigan Athletic (+280) traveling to Queens Park Rangers (EVEN), West Brom (+300) at Stoke (-110), Sunderland (-130) at home to Swansea City (+375), Aston Villa (+180) visiting Wolverhampton (+150), and Liverpool (-170) at Bolton (+260).
Midfielder Brek Shea will be squarely in the spotlight for the United States during its first international friendly match of the 2012 soccer betting season, as Venezuela pays a visit to the University of Phoenix stadium in Glendale, Arizona to take on a young American side on Saturday night (9 pm ET, ESPN3).
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With World Cup qualifying action on the horizon later this year, manager Jurgen Klinsmann will be taking a close look at Shea and other rising MLS players against Venezuela in the absence of American stars such as Landon Donovan (Everton) and Clint Dempsey (Fulham) who are unavailable for this weekend’s friendly due to club commitments.
Shea, 21, emerged as a breakout star with FC Dallas by scoring 11 goals (including five game-winners) this past MLS season, and is considered a key piece of the puzzle for the future of the American midfield.
Klinsmann, who has compiled a record of 2-4-1 since replacing Bob Bradley at the helm of the national team, will also continue to tinker with team tactics against the Venezuelans in a bid to find the winning formula that will help the United States contend in their World Cup qualifying matches in June. The Americans are in a group with Antigua and Barbuda, Jamaica, and Guatemala.
Venezuela has been unable to defeat the United States in three previous matches, falling by identical 2-0 scores in exhibition matches at Cleveland in 2006 and Seattle in 2003, and playing to a 3-3 draw in Ecuador back in 1993.
Venezuelan veteran Alejandro Moreno, who stars at forward for Chivas USA in the MLS, is expected to test the mettle of the American back line on Saturday.
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Lawmakers, industry groups and Gov. Pat Quinn’s office are exploring ways to expand gambling in Illinois without putting slot machines at horseracing tracks, possibly including a casino subsidy of the racing industry.
Andrew Mack, a public relations executive who represents the Illinois Harness Horseman’s Association, said horsemen still prefer to have slot machines at the racetracks, but they are open to other ideas.
However, horsemen also doubt that casinos have much interest in helping the horseracing industry.
“The horsemen are not closing the door on impact fees or revenue sharing, but there would have to be an ironclad method in getting that money to the horsemen,” Mack said.
One reason horsemen prefer to see slots at racetracks is that past attempts to share revenue have failed. The state has been unreliable in appropriating money owed to the industry from revenues of the state’s 10th casino, which just opened in Des Plaines, Mack said. As of Dec. 31, the state owed the industry $27 million, he said.
Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie, the Illinois House’s point man on gambling issues, said progress is being made on a possible gambling deal, but slots at the tracks remain the main hangup.
“If the racetracks didn’t get slots at tracks, what could they get in return?” he said. “I do not believe there will be a bill unless the horse racing industry has permanence and consistent revenue to keep them afloat.”
Other people involved in a meeting last week on the issue included Sen. Terry Link, D-Vernon Hills, Sen. Matt Murphy, R-Palatine, and representatives of Gov. Pat Quinn’s office, the Illinois Casino and Gambling Association, and the horseracing industry.
Discussions, not negotiations
Lang described the meeting as being more of a discussion of concepts, rather than negotiations over potential legislation
Expanding gambling in Illinois has become the equivalent of assembling a house of cards. Certain provisions are necessary to ensure the support of certain lawmakers, and if those provisions are removed, the whole thing collapses.
Rep. Raymond Poe, R-Springfield, said he can’t support a gambling expansion that does not address the horseracing industry’s financial health.
“We have to enhance those purses in some way, and gambling would help that,” Poe said.
Mack said adding slot machines at tracks would put Illinois on a level playing field with other states.
“With the slot machines, it raises the purse level,” Mack said, and that’s what horsemen race for.” When top horse trainers take their best horses to out-of-state tracks with better purses, it affects other areas of the industry as well, like breeders.
Kenneth Walker, owner and operator of Walker Standardbreds, a commercial horse breeding operation in Sherman, said he supports adding slot machines to racetracks.
The drop in registered stallions, as well as the number of mares bred at his stable and the prices they sell for, reflect the industry’s failing financial health, he said.
Threat to casinos?
Quinn staunchly opposes putting slot machines at racetracks, saying it would create a “top heavy” gambling expansion package and that tracks then might cannibalize casino revenues.
The governor’s argument echoes that of the state’s existing 10 casinos. Tom Swoik, executive director of the Illinois Casino and Gaming Association, said he is not opposed to adding casinos in the right market, but existing casinos are already seeing their revenues drop.
“We’ve seen a 34.5 percent decrease in our revenues since 2007,” Swoik said. “When the 10th license opened in Des Plaines, they are doing very well, but it has affected the revenues of other casinos.”
An attempt last spring to increase the number of Illinois casinos and install slots at racetracks, including the Illinois State Fairgrounds, failed in the face of Quinn’s opposition. A scaled-back proposal then fell short in the General Assembly in the fall.
Lang said there’s no indication that Quinn has changed his stance, but he does believe there is some wiggle room.
“The governor is a reasonable man,” Lang said. “There are things that can be done to seem as if he hasn’t gone back on his word. There’s all kinds of ways to talk about how to make this happen.”
An election year
“I think people are interested in getting to a resolution,” Lang said. “But some people at the table are only interested in a resolution that benefits 100 percent them.”
Lang, Murphy and Swoik all acknowledged that gambling expansion will be a tough vote this year, when every member of the General Assembly is up for re-election.
“It took 20 years to pass the bill that passed the House and Senate that the governor didn’t sign,” Murphy said. “Betting against a gaming bill passing is never a bad bet.”
However, he also said the state desperately needs more revenue, and more gambling would be one way to raise it.
Lang agreed that the state’s budget mess could serve as an incentive for lawmakers to pass some sort of gambling legislation.
More revenues can’t come too soon for Walker. He said he’s considering “a big sale” of his horses.
“We’ve had to cut back on employees, and we don’t have as many mares of our own like we used to,” Walker said. “We keep trying to survive, hoping we’ll get slots at the racetrack or an impact fee.”
A pair of undefeated rivals that have yet to allow even a single goal against will meet to decide first place in Group B as Mexico takes on the United States in a soccer betting showdown at the CONCACAF 2012 Women’s Olympic Qualifying tournament on Tuesday night (10:30 pm Eastern) at BC Place in Vancouver.
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Both the United States and Mexico have thoroughly dominated their respective opponents in Group Stage play heading into their clash on Tuesday night, with the Americans recording the most lopsided rout in Olympic qualifying history.
Led by forward Abby Wambach, who on Friday was named the US Soccer Federation’s female athlete of the year for a record-tying fifth time, the American side has not been tested while blasting an overwhelmed Dominican Republic squad by an historic 14-0 margin last Friday, before pummelling overmatched Guatemala by a 13-0 score on Sunday night.
Amy Rodriguez scored five goals in one half of play in the American win over the Dominican Republic, while Sydney Leroux also scored five times after coming on for just the second half against Guatemala.
Mexico, meanwhile, has also looked strong in their first two outings of this qualifying tournament, blanking Guatemala 5-0 last Friday night before cruising to a 7-0 victory over the Dominican Republic on Sunday. Maribel Dominguez scored three goals in the win over Guatemala, while Anisa Guajardo contributed three second-half strikes in the rout of the Dominican Republic.
Regardless of the outcome on Tuesday night, the United States and Mexico will be the two teams that advance to the CONCACAF region semi-finals on January 27 from Group B. Canada and Costa Rica will move on as the top two teams from Group A, with two of those four remaining teams advancing to play in the Olympics in London, England this summer.
After edging Venezuela 1-0 on a late goal by Ricardo Clark on Saturday night, the United States returns to the pitch for another friendly exhibition match against Panama in soccer betting action Wednesday night (8:30 pm Eastern) at Estadio Rommel Fernandez in Panama City.
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Clark’s header off a corner from Jermaine Jones seven minutes into injury time at the end of the match was enough to lift the Americans past Venezuela in its first friendly of the 2012 soccer betting season, as manager Jurgen Klinsmann continues to evaluate talent in preparation for the World Cup qualifying matches his troops will face against Antigua and Barbuda, Jamaica, and Guatemala in June.
Klinsmann had activated Clark via substitution with only four minutes remaining in the second half, and the move proved prescient as Clark’s decisive header boosted the new manager’s record at the helm of the Team USA to 3-4-1 heading into the clash with Panama.
The American rivalry with Panama gained new vigor last summer during CONCACAF Gold Cup competition when the United States was upset 2-1 by Panama during Group Stage play at the tournament, before rebounding to vanquish the Panamanians with a 1-0 victory in the semi-final.
Veteran striker Luis Tejada is once again expected to provide a stiff challenge for the American backline on Wednesday night, as he will bring his vast arsenal of experience that includes 34 goals in 65 international appearances for Panama into action against the United States.
Tejada was credited with the first goal in Panama’s Gold Cup victory last June, which was the first-ever defeat suffered by the United States in Group Stage play at that tournament.
I placed my first bet at the Saratoga flat track when I was 9 years old. My mother booked the bet for me and then promptly laid it off on NYRA. It was $2 that she had paid me for mowing our lawn, and I went all in.
I made that bet more than 50 years ago, and gambling in New York has been legal every day since. It started with parimutuel betting at thoroughbred and harness tracks spread across the state from Long Island to Batavia. Those venues were then supplemented in the 1970s, by the creation of regional Off Track Betting corporations. Eventually, hundreds of OTB parlors dotted the state.
The New York state Division of the Lottery was created in 1967 and currently has 16,700 licensed vendors. In 2001, New York allowed the installation of video lottery terminals at its operating harness tracks and at Finger Lakes and Aqueduct thoroughbred tracks.
The terminal installations were conducted under the supervision of the Division of the Lottery and were a catalyst for the expenditure of more than a billion dollars by racetrack owners to create New York's racetrack casinos.
Today, the nine racetrack casinos operate 17,557 video lottery terminals. From 2004 through December 2011, New York's racetrack casinos have contributed approximately $3 billion in aid to education in New York, over $605 million in support of agribusiness by purse supplementation and breeder awards, an additional $605 million in support of the Division of Lottery's operations, and other gaming technology support.
That's more than $4 billion returned to the state. These revenues were realized without adding a single new gaming outlet or the expenditure of any state money or subsidies. More than 5,000 New Yorkers work at well-paying jobs at our racetrack casinos. New York's partnership between the Division of Lottery and VLT operators and vendors is the envy of other states.
New York does gambling the right way. Gaining venues are sensibly located, thoughtfully regulated, and operated in a socially responsible, economically reliable way that promotes the interests of all of New York citizens. This state is already the national leader in revenue from gambling, having received $2.7 billion, primarily directed to education aid, in 2010 alone.
The state has also taken steps to help those who shouldn't gamble by providing referral information to the state's 24-hour hot line (877-8 HOPE NY) and creating programs to address problem gambling. We are all committed to ensuring that gambling is conducted in a socially responsible way.
Now Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposes an improved gaming landscape with a constitutional amendment that would allow full commercial gaming, including table games. If it is executed in a thoughtful and intelligent way, it will only add even more positive elements to the New York model.
The governor recognizes that the improvements are essential. New York loses between $3 and $5 billion gaming dollars to surrounding states like Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut and soon Massachusetts. That money is lost primarily because although you can go to a casino in New York and gamble, the kind and types of games you can play in the racetrack casinos are artificially and arbitrarily limited by the state constitution. You can, for example, play roulette but only if the ball is rolled electronically and not by a real person, someone who today might be unemployed and trying to find a way to support his or her family.
Allowing table games to be deployed at the nine racetrack casinos would:
1. Recapture a large portion of the New York dollars that are spent in and taxed by other states.
2. Trigger at least a $2 billion investment in facility upgrades. The investment would come entirely from the private sector with no contribution by or expense to New York taxpayers.
3. Create over 8,000 permanent jobs.
4. Create over 15,000 construction jobs.
5. Contribute approximately $300 million more a year in aid to education.
6. Increase support of agribusiness by $60 million a year.
7. Contribute $60 million more a year to lottery operations.
8. Add no additional gambling outlets.
Oh, yes, that bet?
I won! It paid $3.80.
I don't believe in long shots, and neither should New York. Enhanced gaming should be executed by trusted partners in known locations without disruption.
Let's join the governor and the state legislative leaders and make the New York way even better.
The right combination of results in soccer betting action this weekend could conceivably lead Manchester United to the top of the English Premier League table, but the Red Devils will first have to secure three points from their ancient Merseyside rivals as Liverpool visits Old Trafford on Saturday morning (7:45 am Eastern) in the marquee matchup of the weekend.
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Despite their pedestrian record of 10-9-5 which has them sitting in seventh place in the current EPL standings, Liverpool figures to be a dangerous foe as the Reds are coming off a scoreless draw with third-place Tottenham a week ago and a 3-0 victory over lowly Wolverhampton just prior to that. Liverpool also eliminated Manchester United from FA Cup play two weeks ago with a 2-1 victory at Anfield on a late game-winning goal by Dirk Kuyt.
Manchester United, which is 17-4-3 and sitting just two points behind first-place Manchester City, is listed as the -125 betting favorite to defeat Liverpool, which is currently sitting as a +360 underdog. Earlier this season United needed a late equalizer from Javier Hernandez to secure a 1-1 draw back in October at Anfield. Steven Gerrard converted a free kick for the Reds in that match.
United is coming off a stirring 3-3 come-from-behind draw at Chelsea last weekend and haven’t lost in five EPL matches since dropping a 3-2 decision at home to Blackburn on January 31.
The rest of Saturday’s EPL slate: Queens Park Rangers (+185) at Blackburn (+140), Wigan Athletic (+250) visits Bolton (EVEN), Chelsea (+130) is at Goodison Park to tangle with Everton (+200), Stoke City (+260) is at Fulham (EVEN), Sunderland will play host to Arsenal (+110), Swansea City (-115) is at home to Norwich City (+300), and Newcastle United (+550) travels to White Hart Lane to face Tottenham Hotspur (-220).
There are two fixtures scheduled for Sunday with West Brom (+200) at Wolverhampton (+130), and Manchester City (-150) on the road for an encounter with Aston Villa (+450).
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Y (Noon Eastern), as headliners Real Madrid hit the road for the first leg of their quarterfinal series against CSKA Moscow at Luzhniki Stadium.
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The runaway leaders of the Spanish La Liga are listed as massive -250 favorites on the soccer betting odds to open their Round of 16 series with a road victory over the underdog Russian side (+700) with draw odds of +330. The Whites won Group D with the most impressive record in Group Stage play, winning all six fixtures and giving up just two goals against while scoring 19.
Real Madrid (11/4 odds to win the Champions League) is also coming off a 4-0 victory over Racing Santander on Saturday in league play that was constructed on a pair of goals by Karim Benzema and one each from Cristiano Ronaldo and Angel Di Maria. Di Maria suffered a leg injury during that match, however, and will not be available for Tuesday’s Champions League fixture against CSKA Moscow (250/1 odds).
Also Tuesday, Premier League side Chelsea will take on Napoli with kickoff scheduled for 2:45 pm (Eastern) at San Paolo. Napoli (40/1 odds to win the Champions League) is listed at +135 odds to earn the victory over visiting Chelsea (14/1 odds), which is the underdog for their first matchup at +190 odds.
There are also a pair of games on Wednesday, with FC Bayern Munchen at -200 to win on the road at FC Basel (2:45 pm Eastern, St Jakob Park) which is at +550, and Internazionale a +250 road dog at Olympique Marseille (2:45 pm Eastern, Stade Velodrome) which is at +110.
All eyes will be fixed on Emirates Stadium on Sunday morning (8:30 am Eastern) for an intense English Premier League soccer betting matchup when Tottenham Hotspur takes on Arsenal hoping to inch a little closer to the top of the table.
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Tottenham currently sits comfortably in third place with a record of 16-5-4, just five points back of second-place Manchester United and seven behind Manchester City after 25 fixtures, while Arsenal has fallen back in fourth place at 13-4-8 and sits level on points with Chelsea – ten points in arrears of Tottenham.
Hotspur striker Emmanuel Adebayor, himself a former Gunner, is hopeful of returning from injury in time to bear the brunt of disenchanted Arsenal supporters, having told the world via his personal Twitter account on Tuesday: "Just finished training, really happy with the progress, knee is looking much better. Working on my fitness for Sunday."
Tottenham, which defeated Arsenal 2-1 at White Hart lane back in October thanks to young Kyle Walker’s 25-yard blast just 17 minutes from time, is currently listed at +185 odds to earn another victory while Arsenal is at +135. That encounter marked Adebayor’s first match against his former team, and the jeering he endured that day from the visiting Arsenal backers is sure to pale in comparison to the reception he’ll receive on Sunday at Emirates Stadium.
There are two other games scheduled for Sunday, with second-place Manchester United (-200) taking on Norwich City (+500) at Carrow Road, and Stoke City (+105) playing host to Swansea City (+255).
The full slate of Saturday games includes Chelsea (-450) at home to Bolton Wanderers (+1100), Wolverhampton Wanderers (+500) at Newcastle United (-175), Fulham (+155) paying a visit to Queens Park Rangers (+165), West Bromwich Albion (+125) welcoming Sunderland (+215), Aston Villa (+150) at Wigan Athletic (+180), and Blackburn Rovers (+1600) hitting the pitch at Etihad Stadium to challenge front-running Manchester City (-550).
The FA has imposed tough new rules to stop Premier League stars gambling on football.
All players and club staff including part-timers have been banned from betting on a huge range of matches.
The rules – which also affect teams in the Championship, League 1 and League 2 – are aimed at making sure the game in England is not hit by the type of betting and match-fixing scandals that have tainted other countries and rival sports such as cricket.
Footballers and officials have been stopped from gambling on any league match, even if their team is not involved.
And they can’t bet on a game in a cup competition their club has been entered in, even if they have been knocked out.
They can’t even have football bets with friends. There is also a gambling ban on football topics such as which teams will be relegated and who will become the next manager of a club.
In the introduction to its new betting guide, the FA says the rules are to ensure players always have “a clear motivation to win the game, without any conflicting objectives”.
It adds: “It is vital for football to protect, and be seen to protect, the integrity and reputation of the game.”
Manchester United’s human resources chief has written to all staff, warning: “With immediate effect there is now a strict prohibition on betting on any match in any competition in which we will, are or have played in this season or future seasons.”
It adds that any breach of the rules could result in disciplinary action.
This month 80 Zimbabwean footballers were suspended due to alleged involvement in match-fixing betting scams. In Turkey nearly 100 people are on trial accused of match-fixing.
The rising power that is the United States men’s soccer team faces its most imposing challenge of the Jurgen Klinsmann era to date when the Americans square off against Italy in an international friendly soccer betting matchup on Wednesday afternoon (2:45 pm, Eastern) in Genoa, Italy.
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Under the guidance of Klinsmann, the former star player with Germany who was named manager of the United States national team last July, the Americans have registered three consecutive victories in their most recent exhibition matches – defeating Slovenia by a 3-2 count back in November and also winning by identical 1-0 margins over Panama and Venezuela earlier in 2012. Overall the United States has posted a record of 4-4-1 since Klinsmann was hired.
Despite their recent run of success the United States is listed as a big underdog at +550 odds to upset the Italians who are favored at -200, with draw odds of +280. Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley will be expected to play a major role for the Americans if they are to have any chance of upsetting Italy.
Midfielders Landon Donovan (illness), Jermaine Jones (calf) and Jose Torres (hamstring) are not available for the game, nor is defender Tim Chandler (hamstring). Brek Shea and Sasha Kljestan have been added to the American lineup.
Fabio Borini, the 20-year-old sensation who plays for AS Roma in the Serie A, will make his national team debut for Italy. Borini, who has scored seven goals in 15 games already this season, will dress for the Azzurri instead of Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli.
Manchester United takes on Tottenham Hotspur in the marquee soccer betting matchup this weekend, as a showdown between two of the top teams in the English Premier League seizes the Sunday spotlight (12:10 pm Eastern) at White Hart Lane.
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Sitting in second place after 26 games with a record of 19-4-3, the defending EPL champions will be looking to keep the heat on front-running rivals Manchester City (20-3-3) when United faces a Tottenham squad that ranks third in the table with a record of 16-5-5. City is just two points ahead of United entering the weekend fixtures, while Hotspur is ten points behind City.
Manchester United defeated Tottenham 3-0 in their most recent encounter back in August and are listed at +150 odds to earn another victory on Sunday, with Tottenham at +185 and draw odds of +230. Danny Welbeck (61st minute), Oliveira Anderson (76) and Wayne Rooney (87) struck for United in that early-season win, with David De Gea earning the clean sheet.
Manchester City will already have their weekend result in the books come Sunday, as the Citizens are heavily favored at -700 odds to easily dispatch the lowly Bolton Wanderers (+1600) on Saturday.
Other Saturday fixtures include Arsenal (+275) at Liverpool (EVEN), Aston Villa (+170) at Blackburn Rovers (+140), Everton (+130) at Queens Park Rangers (+200), Norwich City (+300) at Stoke City (-115), Chelsea (-120) at West Bromwich Albion (+320), and Swansea City (+175) at Wigan Athletic (+150).
There are two other games scheduled for Sunday with Sunderland (+250) at Newcastle United (+105) and Wolverhampton Wanderers (+500) at Fulham (-180).
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After David Beckham signed a new two-year deal in January to return to midfield with the Los Angeles Galaxy, the reigning MLS Cup champions opened yesterday as the heavy favorites to win their fourth league title with soccer betting futures at 15/8.
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Beckham, 36, was a key reason in the Galaxy's win against the Houston Dynamo in the MLS Cup final match last November as the English star combined with Irish national Robbie Keane to set up American stalwart Landon Donovan for the only goal in a 1-0 victory at the Home Depot Center.
That win completed a remarkable season for the Galaxy (19-10-5) in which they were undefeated at home and earned their second straight Supporters’ Shield as the MLS regular-season champions.
Donovan led the club with 15 goals which ranked second-overall, along with Thierry Henry of New York Red Bulls, just one strike behind the total of 16 posted by co-leaders Dwayne De Rosario of DC United and Chris Wondolowski of San Jose Earthquakes. Beckham and Brad Davis of Houston tied for the league lead in assists with 14. De Rosario was named MLS MVP ahead of fellow finalists Brek Shea of FC Dallas and Davis.
The Seattle Sounders (18-9-7) finished second overall behind the Galaxy and are expected to provide a stiff challenge again during the 2012 season at 5/1 odds to win the MLS Cup, along with another Western Conference team in Real Salt Lake (15-8-11) at 7/1 odds.
The top-rated Eastern Conference team is Sporting Kansas City (13-12-9) which is tied at 8/1 odds along with FC Dallas (15-7-12). Houston and New York are then listed at 12/1 odds, along with the Colorado Rapids.
The 2012 season kicks off on March 10 with five games on the Saturday night schedule including Real Salt Lake at Los Angeles to take on the Galaxy.
Arsenal faces long odds of survival as the second and decisive leg of the Round of 16 in UEFA Champions League soccer betting action begins to unfold this week with a pair of matches scheduled for both Tuesday and Wednesday.
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First up on Tuesday afternoon is a matchup between the Gunners (+115) and AC Milan (+110) at Arsenal Stadium, with the Italian side looking all but certain to advance after posting a runaway 4-0 victory in the first leg on February 15.
A pair of goals by Robinho and solo tallies by Kevin-Prince Boateng and Zlatan Ibrahimovic provided the comfortable cushion, with AC Milan now listed at 10/1 odds to win the Champions League crown on the updated soccer futures and Arsenal at 250/1.
Also on Tuesday it will be Benfica (-160) playing host to Zenit Saint-Petersburg (+450) with the Portuguese club in dire need of a home victory in order to advance, after Zenit utilized two goals from Roman Shirokov including a late game-winner to nip visiting Benfica 3-2 in their first leg.
Both squads are considered long shots to chase down Champions League glory with Benfica at 50/1 odds and Zenit currently at 66/1.
The Wednesday fixtures will feature the dynamic Lionel Messi and title chalk FC Barcelona (5/4 odds) taking its 3-1 first-leg advantage from mid-February to the pitch at Camp Nou against Bayer 04 Leverkusen (500/1). Barca is heavily favored at -700 odds to win the second match, with the Germans prohibitive underdogs at +1400.
Also Wednesday, plucky underdog APOEL Nicosia (250/1) will try to overcome Olympique Lyonnais (50/1) in Cyprus after dropping the first fixture 1-0 to the French side on a goal by Alexandre Lacazette. Lyon is at +125 to advance with a second victory, while APOEL is at +200.
David Beckham and the defending-champion Los Angeles Galaxy begin their quest for a fourth MLS Cup title beginning this Saturday night (10:30 pm Eastern) in North American soccer betting action, as another exciting Major League Soccer season kicks off on several different fronts this weekend.
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The star-studded Galaxy will field a lineup which also includes homegrown star Landon Donovan as well as Ireland’s Robbie Keane and Brazilian midfielder Juninho when they open as -110 favorites at The Home Depot Center against +290 underdog Real Salt Lake.
Donovan, Keane and Mike Magee scored the goals last November which powered Los Angeles to a 3-1 victory over Real Salt Lake in the Western Conference final, as the Galaxy went on to cap their season with a 1-0 victory over Houston in the MLS Cup final to win their third league crown after earning the Supporters’ Shield for the second year in a row.
Los Angeles, which was undefeated at home last year with 12 wins and five draws, is the betting favorite at 5/2 on the soccer futures to win the 2012 MLS Cup, with Seattle sitting second at 5/1 odds, and Real Salt Lake listed along with Houston as the third choice at 7/1 odds.
The other games featured on the opening Saturday night of the regular-season schedule include Montreal (+225) at Vancouver (+110), Columbus (+110) at Colorado (+225), Kansas City (+175) at DC United (+135) and New England (+290) at San Jose (-110).
On Sunday the New York Red Bulls (+195) are at FC Dallas (+125), and the Houston Dynamo (+175) are at Chivas USA (+135). The lone Monday matchup will see the Philadelphia Union (+220) travel to Portland to tackle the Timbers (+115).
Bundesliga powerhouse Bayern Munich has its back against the wall as another round of decisive second fixtures in the Round of 16 of UEFA Champions League soccer betting action takes the spotlight this week beginning Tuesday afternoon (3:45 pm Eastern) at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.
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Valentin Stocker struck for the lone goal in the 86th minute as FC Basel stunned Bayern Munich with a 1-0 victory at St. Jakob Park back on February 22, stifling the likes of Mario Gomez and Franck Ribery in the opening leg of their series.
Nonetheless, the German side is listed as a -400 home chalk to prevail in the second leg on Tuesday, with the Swiss club listed as +800 underdogs to earn a second consecutive victory and eliminate Bayern Munich - which is a strong contender at 8/1 on the soccer futures to win the Champions League. Despite their current advantage in the Round of 16, FC Basel is a longshot at 150/1.
Also on Tuesday it will be Internazionale (EVEN) playing host to Olympique Marseille (+275) in Milan, with the Italians trailing by a goal after Andre Ayew headed in the lone marker in injury time to provide Marseille with a 1-0 win in the opening leg.
Inter Milan is currently listed at 40/1 odds to win the Champions League, with the French side listed even further back at 80/1.
The Wednesday fixtures will feature Chelsea (25/1 odds) trying desperately to overcome a 3-1 deficit when they face Napoli (18/1) before a supportive crowd at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea is favored at -140 odds to win the second match, with the Italian side listed as road dogs at +350.
Also Wednesday, CSKA Moscow (400/1) will push for a shocking elimination of Real Madrid (5/2) after stunning the Serie A titans with a 1-1 draw in the opening match in Moscow. Real Madrid is heavily favored at -750 odds to advance with a win on Wednesday afternoon in Madrid, with the Russian squad prohibitive underdogs at +1600.
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Tottenham Hotspur will hit the pitch at Stamford Bridge to tangle with favored Chelsea in an intriguing English Premier League soccer betting matchup this Saturday morning (8:45 am Eastern), with both teams coming off a taste of midweek disappointment on Wednesday.
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Chelsea (14-7-8) allowed a couple of late goals to fall 2-1 to Manchester City at Etihad Stadium on Wednesday after Gary Cahill provided a go-ahead goal in the 60th minute, while Tottenham (16-6-7) required a last-second strike in injury time by Rafael van der Vaart in order to secure a 1-1 draw with Stoke City.
Meanwhile Arsenal was able to blank Everton 1-0 as well on Wednesday, which pushed the Gunners past Tottenham into third place in the table heading into this weekend’s soccer betting action. Queens Park Rangers defeated Liverpool 3-2 in the only other match.
So the stage is set for a crucial matchup between fifth-place Chelsea and fourth-place Tottenham on Saturday morning, with the Blues currently listed as -110 favorites to win at home over underdog Hotspur at +290, and draw odds of +240. Chelsea and Tottenham played to a 1-1 draw on December 22 at White Hart Lane.
Other Saturday fixtures include Wigan Athletic (+1100) at Liverpool (-400), Aston Villa (+700) at Arsenal (-250), Blackburn Rovers (+205) at Bolton Wanderers (+130), Queens Park Rangers (+350) at Sunderland (-130), Everton (+220) at Swansea City (+120), Wolverhampton (+350) at Norwich City (-130) and Manchester City (-175) at Stoke City (+450).
The Sunday spotlight will shine on Newcastle United (+185) at West Bromwich Albion (+140), while on Monday Fulham (+1100) travels to Old Trafford to tackle Manchester United (-400).
Championship chalk Barcelona will square off as -380 favorites on the soccer betting odds against underdog AC Milan on Tuesday afternoon (2:45 P.M. Eastern) as the decisive second legs of quarterfinal action in the UEFA Champions League unfold this week on four different fronts.
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Following a scoreless draw in the first leg of their quarterfinal soccer matchup, Barcelona will look to advance to the UEFA Champions League semifinals with a home victory at Camp Nou over AC Milan.
With only eight teams remaining in the hunt, Barca is currently listed as the betting favorite at 6/5 on the soccer futures to win the UEFA Champions League, while AC Milan is back at 20/1.
Also Tuesday (2:45 P.M. Eastern), Bundesliga titans Bayern Munich take their 2-0 first-leg advantage to the home pitch as hefty -380 favorites against big underdogs Marseille (+1000).
Bayern is listed as the third choice at 9/2 odds behind only Barcelona and Real Madrid (2/1) to win the UEFA Champions League as quarterfinal play concludes this week.
Real Madrid (-1400) will face upstart APOEL Nicosia (+3300) as overwhelming home chalk on Wednesday with the Spanish team holding a 3-0 edge on their Cypriot counterparts heading into the decisive second leg of their quarterfinal series.
The lone remaining Premier League team is Chelsea, which will tackle Benfica at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday afternoon as relatively modest -160 chalk against the Portuguese club at +450 with the Blues carrying a slight 1-0 first-leg advantage into their match. Chelsea is a value pick at 9/1 to win the Champions League, while Benfica is a longshot at 100/1.
ZURICH -- Former FIFA vice president Jack Warner peddled "inaccuracies and falsehoods" when he claimed last month that he got World Cup television rights for $1 in exchange for supporting Sepp Blatter's presidential campaigns, soccer's governing body said Friday.
FIFA confirmed Warner's claim that he received Caribbean broadcasting rights for $1 per tournament, though from 1986 and not -- as Warner said -- from 1998 when Blatter was first elected.
"Such rights were ceded in order to provide an additional source of revenue for football development in the CFU (Caribbean Football Union)," FIFA said in a statement. "This had nothing to do with the 1998 or 2002 election campaigns, or with any other election campaign.
"To imply the contrary is completely false," FIFA said.
FIFA said that, until 1998, World Cup rights were often sold for nominal sums to maximize coverage in developing nations, and provide soccer bodies with extra revenue from reselling rights to broadcasters.
Warner was expected to raise money for his home Caribbean region, which he led for more than two decades until resigning all his soccer duties last June to avoid a FIFA investigation into alleged election bribery.
FIFA said Warner detailed a television deal involving "his private company JDNG and Kirch Media" at executive committee meetings in late 2001. German media giant Kirch had acquired World Cup rights months earlier after FIFA's former marketing partner, ISL, collapsed into bankruptcy.
"Jack Warner explained that he then resold the rights to the Caribbean Football Union, subsequently ploughing the money back into football development in the Caribbean area," FIFA said in an extract of meeting minutes released in Friday's statement.
Warner continued to control Caribbean World Cup television deals beyond 1998, and held the 2014 rights until his resignation.
In October, FIFA revealed it had sold rights "across the Caribbean" for 2014 to broadcaster IMC after it terminated the long-standing agreement with Warner.
Warner made his claims last month, days after FIFA paid for Caribbean soccer leaders to attend a summit in Zurich aimed at rebuilding the CFU's reputation and structures after the turmoil caused by the bribery scandal.
After years of backing Blatter, Warner had switched sides ahead of last June's presidential election to support challenger Mohamed bin Hammam.
The two invited Caribbean voters to a May meeting in Warner's native Trinidad where delegates were offered $40,000 cash in brown envelopes.
Whistleblowers alerted FIFA to the conspiracy, and bin Hammam and Warner were provisionally suspended from soccer three days before the vote, allowing Blatter to win unchallenged.
Bin Hammam is challenging his life ban imposed by FIFA in a proceeding at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The scandal also revealed the CFU's financial problems, despite years of apparently benefiting from Warner's World Cup TV deals.
A presidential election conference to replace him last November was postponed because the CFU could not afford to stage the event in Jamaica.
Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press