English FA chief executive Mark Palios was praised by FIFA president Sepp Blatter on Sunday for his firm handling of this month's crisis in which England's players threatened to strike in support of Rio Ferdinand.
Blatter, who also promised that world soccer's governing body would step up its fight against drug cheats in the sport, said he had spoken to Palios and told him he was "happy he had reacted the way he had done."
Earlier, in his opening address, Blatter had referred several times to the recent controversy in England where defender Ferdinand was left out of the national squad after failing to attend a mandatory drugs test.
The Manchester United player, who was tested two days later and found to be negative, said he forgot to have the test.
Blatter told reporters Palios had congratulated the FIFA president on the success of the Extraordinary Congress on Sunday and he had, in turn, congratulated Palios "on the way, the week before, he had dealt with the national players."
Blatter added: "I was very happy he reacted this way. We need understanding and respect for our institutions in football and proper discipline and respect is very important. It is paramount for the future."
The England players threatened to strike and boycott their European Championship qualifying decider against Turkey on Oct. 11, but they later backed down and played out a goalless draw that saw the team reach next year's finals in Portugal.
Blatter said their actions were deplorable and warned that "one doping case would be one too many. We must keep our sport clean."
Palios said leaving Ferdinand out of the England squad was a "policy decision" and said the outcome of the case against Ferdinand would only be known when all the due and necessary procedures had been completed.
He declined to comment further after learning of Blatter's praise for his position in the dispute with the England players.
During the congress, neurologist professor Jiri Dvorak reported that FIFA had recorded only one positive dope test out of 2,390 taken at its competitions since 1994.
The positive test was taken by Diego Maradona of Argentina during the 1994 World Cup finals.
Blatter praised the clean bill of health from all 32 teams at last year's World Cup finals and other tournaments but warned FIFA did not agree with World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) demands for a mandatory two-year suspension in all cases.
SSC Napoli will have to wait one more week to seal the Serie A title after on Sunday being held to a goalless draw at Parma, while closest rivals Inter drew 2-2 in a dramatic game with SS Lazio. Antonio Conte’s team stayed one point ahead of Inter and were unfortunate not to win after twice striking the woodwork through Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Matteo Politano, while Scott McTominay also had a free-kick tipped onto the crossbar. The away side thought they would be handed a chance to take the points from the penalty spot in the 96th minute when David Neres
Omar Marmoush’s stunning long-range strike on Tuesday upstaged Kevin de Bruyne on the Manchester City great’s Etihad farewell. Marmoush let fly from about 30m to put City ahead in their 3-1 win against AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League. The victory moved Pep Guardiola’s team up to third in the standings and left qualification for the UEFA Champions League in their own hands heading into the last round of the season. “It’s really important. To be in the Champions League after what happened [this season] will be really nice,” the City manager said. De Bruyne was making his final home appearance for City before
TIGHT FINISH: Napoli only needed to do the same as or better than Inter, who won their game against Como 2-0 on the same day, leaving Napoli with a one-point lead The two players who Antonio Conte wanted more than any others secured Napoli their second Serie A title in three years on Friday. Scott McTominay scored with an acrobatic bicycle kick before halftime and Romelu Lukaku doubled the lead with a solo goal after the break in the decisive 2-0 home win over Cagliari. Conte became the first coach to win the Italian championship with three different teams. “Everyone contributed to this — but the coach most of all,” Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo said. “Napoli needed him to get back on top. He’s phenomenal.” Comparing it to his three Serie A titles won
Brighton & Hove Albion’s Jack Hinshelwood on Monday sealed a dramatic 3-2 victory against Liverpool to leave the English Premier League champions without a win since clinching the title. Arne Slot’s side took the lead through Harvey Elliott’s early opener before Yasin Ayari equalized at the American Express Stadium. Dominik Szoboszlai restored Liverpool’s advantage just before halftime, but Brighton staged a late fightback as Kaoru Mitoma leveled before Hinshelwood came off the bench to net with his first touch. Liverpool have taken just one point from their three matches following the title-clinching rout of Tottenham Hotspur on April 27. The Reds have lost at
RSS