..::Football III::..

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Manchester United should consider Rafa Benitez, says Hamann

Former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann argues that Manchester United should consider replacing David Moyes with Rafa Benitez.

The Scot left Old Trafford on Tuesday after just 10 months in charge of the Red Devils, with the club set for their lowest Premier League finish since 1989-90.

Benitez has previous Premier League experience, most recently with Chelsea, but also spent six years at United’s bitter rivals Liverpool, winning the Champions League with the Reds.

Goal understands that United's owners, the Glazer family, are due at Carrington on Friday to discuss Moyes's successor and Hamann feels that the Spaniard should be part of their talks.

"It is certainly a name they should consider," he told talkSPORT. "They need somebody with a track record who can work with the big players, who knows what is required to get in the Champions League and play a big role in it for years to come.

"Rafa Benitez is in Italy at Napoli but his family still lives in the North West and he has always made it clear that he would love to return to the Premier League at some stage."

Benitez famously clashed with then-United manager Sir Alex Ferguson during his time at Anfield but Hamann believes that he would do well at Old Trafford.

"The way it is going at Liverpool, I don't think he will be there any time soon and he has been at Chelsea so there are not too many clubs out there for him," the former Reds midfielder added.

"I don't think Arsenal will suit him. He and Manchester United would be a very good match. He had a few run-ins with Ferguson but he only pointed out a few facts, as he would say."

 

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UEFA Europa League Semi-Finals 1st Leg Fixtures 2014.04.24

UEFA Europa League Semi-Finals 1st Leg Fixtures 2014.04.24

Benfica Vs Juventus

Sevilla Vs Valencia

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The Class of '92

(Old times: All coaches along with Gary Neville and David Beckham were in the 1992 FA Youth Cup Final team.)

(Class of '92: (R-L) Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt, Phil Neville and Paul Scholes are on United's coaching staff.)

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Benfica 2-1 Juventus: Lima late show leaves Bianconeri on the brink

Lima scored a sensational late winner as Benfica earned a dramatic 2-1 victory over Juventus in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final at the Estadio da Luz on Thursday night.

The Brazilian striker picked the ideal time to strike in Lisbon, with his powerful 84th-minute finish giving the Eagles the upper hand heading into next week's return in Turin.

Benfica – who lost last season's final to Chelsea – took the lead in the third minute thanks to Ezequiel Garay's header.

Juventus had no shortage of motivation either, with this year's final to be held in Turin, and after a good second half, levelled proceedings when Carlos Tevez netted a well-taken finish with 17 minutes left.

The goal – Tevez's first in European competition since scoring for Manchester United in April 2009 – looked like it would give the Serie A outfit a crucial draw, but Lima had other ideas.

Benfica goalkeeper Artur Moraes then superbly kept out Claudio Marchisio as the hosts held on for a win that continues their push for a quadruple.

Having already sewn up the Primeira Liga title, Benfica have booked a spot in the Taca de Portugal final and will contest a Taca da Liga semi-final against Porto on Sunday.

It took less than two minutes for Jorge Jesus' men to take the lead as Garay powerfully headed in Miralem Sulejmani's corner from the left.

Slack marking from Leonardo Bonucci allowed Garay a free header, with the defender's decision to push his opponent, instead of challenge him in the air, sure to be questioned by coach Antonio Conte.

Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon could not keep the effort out, despite getting two hands to it, and he will have been pleased to see Sulejmani slice an effort wide after a quick Benfica counterattack in the 11th minute.

Juventus – missing star midfielder Arturo Vidal to a knee injury – struggled to make inroads despite a good spell of possession, with Tevez not troubling Artur with a tame 20-yard effort.

An excellent slaloming run from Tevez on the half-hour mark was indicative of Juve's first-half struggles, as the sharp build-up play amounted to nothing, and when they did create another chance, defender Stephan Lichtsteiner was in an offside position when he wasted a free header.

Juve came close to levelling proceedings 10 minutes into the second half, with Artur doing well to tip Paul Pogba's header wide after Marchisio's clever centre.

The Serie A leaders kept pressing, as Lichtsteiner's teasing ball across the face of goal had to be well cleared by Maximiliano Pereira before they were eventually rewarded by Tevez.

Marchisio's ball sent Kwadwo Asamoah free down the left and his cut-back to Tevez allowed the forward time before shooting. And he read the situation superbly, taking a touch to evade the sliding Luisao, before slotting through the legs of Artur to break his European drought.

Lima responded in style for Benfica, though, with the forward hammering a first-time strike home from the edge of the penalty area into the top-right corner, after Ivan Cavaleiro's clever dummy.

Lazar Markovic then shot wide for Benfica and there was still time for Juve to draw level again, only for Marchisio to fire against Artur when played through, before defender Giorgio Chiellini also wasted a late chance.

The result will lift Benfica ahead of Sunday's crucial cup clash, while Juventus are likely to rest players in Monday's Serie A visit to Sassuolo.

 

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Sevilla 2-0 Valencia: Mbia & Bacca give Rojiblancos controversial advantange

Sevilla have one foot in the Europa League final after a quickfire first-half double proved enough to beat Valencia 2-0 at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

Stephane Mbia gave the hosts the lead with an improvised effort from close range, though the hosts were left to bemoan a controversial decision to rule the Cameroonian onside, before Bacca scored a matter of minutes later to secure a two-goal first leg advantage.

Valencia slowly came into the game, but lacked a focal point in attack and that enabled their La Liga rivals to record a valuable clean sheet, although only after Eduardo Vargas rattled the crossbar late on.

The victory was Sevilla's first over Valencia this season, but Emery will not be getting too carried away with the result heading into next week's second leg as their opponents came from 3-0 down in their quarter-final tie with Basel to progress to the last four.

A lively opening 15 minutes saw both teams enjoy periods of possession, with the hosts showing good pace in attack, but it was Valencia who had the better sight of goal as Paco Alcacer's long-range effort was pushed away by Beto.

It took until the 27th minute before Sevilla threatened the Valencia goal again as Federico Fazio and Bacca both fired just wide of Vicente Guaita's goal.

Sevilla made their pressure pay in the 33rd minute as MBia opened the scoring amid controversial scenes. Ivan Rakitic's free kick was flicked on by Daniel Carrico to the Cameroon international at the back post, who, despite being in an offside position, initially miscontrolled the ball before back-heeling it into the net.

Three minutes later, Sevilla doubled their lead as Bacca converted at the third time of asking. The Colombia striker exchanged passes with Vitolo on the edge of the penalty area before firing low past Guaita and into the bottom corner.

Fazio should have made it 3-0 just before the break as he met another Rakitic set-piece, but the unmarked defender saw Guaita get down well to save.Rakitic continued to shine in midfield at the start of the second period and created further chances for Fazio and Bacca, only for Guaita to make two more saves to keep his side in the tie.

Valencia burst into life just after the hour with Sofiane Feghouli and Vargas at the forefront of their good play, and the latter went close to halving the deficit with a curling effort that flew just wide.Juan Antonio Pizzi's men continued to search for an away goal and saw two fantastic chances go begging late on.

First, Beto saved from point-blank range to deny substitute Jonas and then Vargas hit the bar with a back-post header.

 

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Sevilla now favourites, enthuses Emery after victory over Valencia

Unai Emery believes Sevilla are now clear favourites to progress to the Europa League final after beating Valencia 2-0 on Thursday night.

First-half goals from Stephane Mbia - who appeared to be offside - and Carlos Bacca ensure that the Spanish side will travel to Mestalla next Thursday for the second leg of their last-four tie with a healthy advantage in hand ahead of a potential tournament decider against Benfica or Juventus in Turin.

With Valencia having overcome a three-goal first-leg deficit in the quarter-final to reach the last four this season, however, Emery is aware that his players still have work to do if they want to taste European success in 2013-14.

"It was 50/50, but now we are the bigger favourites, but with respect to boot," the head coach told reporters after the match.

"We're satisfied with the result and we will respect Valencia in the second leg of the game at Mestalla. We know we have to get ready to suffer to make the final.

"We know that they can overcome 2-0. We'll put in our best performance. For this game, we had worked on our strengths as well as our weaknesses.

"I think the result was pretty fair. They had chances, we had chances, but we had more success where it matters, in front of goal."

Benfica beat Juventus 2-1 at home to put themselves in the driving seat for the final, which would be their second in a row after last season's loss to Chelsea at the final hurdle in Amsterdam.

 

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Juventus honoured Italian football against Benfica, says Conte

Juventus coach Antonio Conte believes all of Italy can be proud of his side's performance in the 2-1 loss to Benfica in Lisbon.

A late Lima goal saw the Portuguese champions triumph in Lisbon, after Carlos had cancelled out Ezequiel Garay's third-minute opener in what proved a tightly contested Europa League semi-final first-leg clash at the Estadio da Luz.

However, Conte was left to rue the final score after his side responded well to Ezequiel Garay's early goal but feels that his side did Italian football proud.

"There is great result for this unjust result," he told Sky Sport Italia.

"The game didn't start in the best way, as we conceded a couple of minutes from a set play. However, after that we took control and allowed Benfica practically nothing.

"We felt from one moment to the next they would capitulate, but instead their goal arrived out of nowhere. It's a shame. At that moment we were pushing for a second but we fell alseep at the back.

"The semi-final is open and the Juventus Stadium can match the extraordinary atmosphere in Lisbon.

"This performance gives me confidence. We didn't come and play like a stereotypical Italian team, we attacked and kept up the tempo. We kept up the honour of Italian football tonight."

 

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Butt 'proud' to be part of Giggs's coaching team at Manchester United

Nicky Butt says he is "proud" to be part of Ryan Giggs's coaching team at Manchester United.

Following the sacking of David Moyes on Tuesday, Giggs has been placed in temporary charge of the first team while Butt and Paul Scholes are assisting the 40-year-old, with Phil Neville retained as part of the coaching staff.

United host Norwich City at Old Trafford on Saturday with four members of the 'Class of '92' in the dugout and Butt admits it will be an incredible situation for him and his former team-mates.

"It will be massive for us, a proud moment for us all," Butt told MUTV. "To be there together is a bit of a surreal thing.

"We walked in here together when we were 12 and to be here now - I'm not 40 yet but Giggsy is, and myself and Scholes are nearly there too. So for us and Phil to be there together is a very proud moment.

"We're here to try to help the club and get the results that we want from now until the end of the season. What happens after that, who knows?"

Despite the fact United will register their worst ever finish in the Premier League era this season, Butt insists the club possess "hard-working" players and the former midfielder has challenged the squad to recover from last Sunday's 2-0 defeat to Everton.

"We've got some amazing players at this club, good lads who care about the club, who are really positive about United and want the best for the club,” said Butt.

"Saturday is a massive occasion, not only for Ryan, but for the staff, the fans and the players as well because they know that we've underachieved as a club this year.

"The players in that changing room know how good they are. They look round, look left and look right at the players next to them and know that they are very proud, hard-working lads. I'm sure we'll see that on Saturday."

 

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Jesus: I would have preferred a 1-0 win against Juventus

Benfica coach Jorge Jesus was delighted with his side's 2-1 Europa League victory over Juventus but admitted that he would have preferred to have won by the same margin but without conceding.

The Portuguese champions had led for much of the clash prior to Carlos Tevez's 73rd-minute equaliser, but Lima did at least a late winner to give the Eagles a slender advantage ahead of next week's second leg in Turin.

"It was important to win, although a 1-0 would have been better than 2-1," Jesus is quoted as saying by Record.

"We knew that we were going to play against a strong team who usually score. We had to be perfect and we almost were. It was a great individual goal from Tevez.

"It was their first defeat in the Europa League and they showed their strength here. We always knew that nothing would be decided.

"It's all open but let's do better in Turin."

Lima, meanwhile, was delighted with the result but urged his side to finish the job in the second leg.

"The win is important but it doesn't guarantee anything," the Brazilian pointed out. "It's only the first leg.

"We didn't want to concede a goal but it was another victory and it is important to go to Italy with the confidence of winning the game."

 

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Klopp warns Leverkusen: Dortmund will play to win

Jurgen Klopp has warned Bayer Leverkusen to dispel any thoughts they have of Borussia Dortmund treating this weekend's Bundesliga clash between the two sides in any way lightly.

BVB currently sit second in the standings, 10 points clear of their fourth-placed hosts at the BayArena on Saturday, meaning qualification for next season's Champions League is already in the bag.

Given Dortmund also have a DFB-Pokal final against champions Bayern Munich to look forward to next month, it has been suggested that Klopp's men might take their foot off the gas for their three remaining Bundesliga games.

However, the BVB boss says that he is anticipating a typically "intense" performance from his troops against Leverkusen, who will be desperate to, at the very least, maintain their one-point advantage over fifth-placed Wolfsburg in the battle for Germany's fourth and final Champions League berth.

"We don't have the feeling that the season is over already," Klopp told reporters on Thursday. "We've still got nine points to compete for.

"You don't need to have a Bundesliga title on the line to produce an intense performance.

"We're ready to push Leverkusen to the limit. They boast quality, both collectively and individually.

"It's going to be a difficult game for both teams."

 

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Messi contract situation shocking, fumes former Barcelona president Laporta

Former Barcelona president Joan Laporta has described Lionel Messi's contractual situation at Camp Nou as "shocking".

The Argentina international signed a deal with the Blaugrana in February of last year that bound him to the Catalan club until 2018.

There has been talk of an extension in recent weeks but current Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu revealed last Sunday that the club are merely planning "a modification to his existing contract", namely improved terms.

Laporta, though, is staggered that the Blaugrana have yet to tie their four-time Ballon d'Or winner down to a deal that would keep him at Camp Nou for the rest of his career.

"It’s shocking the Messi situation still hasn’t been resolved," the ex-Barca supremo told Cuatro. "If it were down to me, Leo would be a cule forever.”

Laporta also argued that last summer's star signing, Neymar, should not take any blame for his difficult first season in Spain, given his transfer from Santos is the subject of an ongoing investigation that prompted Sandro Rosell's resignation as president.

"[Neymar] is the victim of bad management by the current board," he declared.

When pressed on the possibility of running for re-election, Laporta added: "At the end of the season I’ll voice my intention regarding Barca."

 

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Rossi will be fit for Coppa Italia final - agent

Giuseppe Rossi's agent has revealed that the Fiorentina forward will be available for selection for next month's Coppa Italia final against Napoli.

The Italy international has been out of action since suffering knee ligament damage in January that had initially sparked fears that he would not only miss the rest of the season, but also this summer's World Cup in Brazil.

However, Rossi's representative, Andrea Pastorello, says that his client is already fit to play some part in the May 3 meeting with Napoli at the Stadio Olimpico, claiming that the 26-year-old could, at a push, even make his eagerly-awaited comeback in Fiorentina's Serie A clash with Bologna this weekend.

"If we're talking about him being available for Saturday, it'd honestly be rushed but not impossible," the agent told the Gazzetta dello Sport.

"I see him more likely being called up for the Coppa Italia final. Indeed, that was the fixed target after the injury and that target will be met.

"Giuseppe will be ready for Rome. But then it will fall on him and [Fiorentina boss Vicenzo] Montella to determine the amount of time he can play.

"Right now, he has 30 minutes in his legs; in 10 days, it will be 45. Obviously it will ultimately have to be up to Montella to decide how suitable he is for such a game, but [the coach] knows that this is a player that can give a lot even in just a few minutes."

Pastorello also dismissed doubts that Rossi will not be match fit for the World Cup, which kicks off on June 12.

"If Giuseppe's progress continues as smoothly as it has done from January until today, I'd say that he will possibly arrive at the World Cup in a better physical condition than many others; better rested and with very high motivation," he argued.

Rossi, who had forced his way back into the Italy squad last year after recovering from two previous knee injuries, had been in sensational form before his latest setback, netting 14 times in Serie A for the Viola.

 

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Chelsea midfielder Ramires handed four-game ban

Chelsea's Brazilian midfielder, Ramires, has been handed a four-game ban after accepting an FA charge of violent conduct during the Blues' defeat to Sunderland.

The former Benfica man hit Sebastian Larsson in the face in an incident that was not spotted by referee Mike Dean and will now sit out the remainder of the season.

An FA statement read: "Chelsea midfielder Ramires has accepted a charge of violent conduct following an off-the-ball incident that was not seen by the match officials but caught on video.

"The incident occurred during Chelsea's Premier League fixture against Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, April 19.

"Ramires receives a four-match ban which will start with immediate effect.

"The ban includes three games for this offence plus an additional game for his sending-off at Villa Park last month."

Manager Jose Mourinho and his assistant, Rui Faria, have until Monday to respond to their own charges of misconduct, with the Blues boss facing one for his comments to the media on referees and Faria two for his behaviour on the touchline.

 

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Messi won't find another club like Barcelona, says Iniesta

Andres Iniesta says Lionel Messi would fail to find another club like Barcelona if he chose to leave Camp Nou this summer.

The Argentina star has cut a frustrated figure at times this season and produced several underwhelming displays as the Blaugrana's campaign has stuttered in recent weeks.

Reports have even suggested Messi could be tempted to seek a move elsewhere as a result of his unhappiness with his current contract, but Iniesta has warned his team-mate against making a hasty decision.

He told Sport: “The club will never have a player like Messi, but Messi will also never find a club like Barca. I therefore hope that he ends his career at Barca."

The reigning La Liga champions lost to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals before being beaten by Real Madrid in the final of the Copa del Rey last week.

The club's quest to retain their league title is also now out of their hands, as they trail the two Madrid clubs in the table, but Iniesta says their footballing philosophy must remain the same.

Iniesta said: “Style is non-negotiable, but you can make changes. The league is very difficult because it does not depend on us, but it is not impossible.”

 

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Bartra: I owe Martino

Barcelona’s Marc Bartra says he owes Gerardo Martino and is desperate for him to still be in charge of the club beyond this season.

Martino’s position at Camp Nou is reportedly unstable following the Blaugrana’s Champions League and Copa del Rey defeats to Atletico and Real Madrid.

Barca are also reliant on both Madrid sides dropping points in their remaining fixtures to have any chance of retaining their La Liga crown.

"If Tata does not continue then for me it is not good news,” said Bartra.

He added: “This maturity I have gained, being involved in this team I owe it to him. It would be a sad news, I hope he can follow, the whole team can trust him and move forward."

The 23-year-old has featured in every game since Gerard Pique’s injury in the Champions League quarter-final, and feels his game is progressing with each outing.

Bartra continued: “I’ve matured a lot thanks to my team-mates and the coach, both bad and good experiences have helped make me very strong. Nothing changes tactically. I can play with Puyol, Pique and Mascherano, I feel very comfortable.”

The defender then issued a rallying cry and insisted the squad have not given up hope of a dramatic finish to their league season.

"We are well aware that the four remaining games are final, the best we can do is play them with the same joy as we did against Athletic,” he added.

“I think the victory was not just for us but for people to see that we do not throw the league for nothing, that we give all of our heart. We played on the back of elimination from the Champions League and it was a good performance.

"The desire of the team was seen, the ambition and that we have not thrown the league, we are going all-out to win it."

 

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Martinez: Moyes will bounce back from Manchester United sacking


Roberto Martinez admits he was surprised to hear about David Moyes’ dismissal at Manchester United and has tipped him to make a return to management sooner rather than later.

Martinez, who replaced Moyes in the Goodison Park hot seat, believes the much maligned Scotsman has the mental strength to “bounce back straight away” from his recent disappointment and prove his critics wrong.

“It’s not a nice situation when a manager loses his job especially when he has such strong links to this football club,” he told reporters at Everton's Finch Farm training complex on Thursday.

“But we know David Moyes will look forward to the next footballing chapter and we know he is a very successful man, he’s got a real strong winning mentality and he will be ready to bounce back straight away”.

The former Everton and Preston boss was sacked by the Old Trafford club just 10 months into the six -year contract that he signed last summer. Failure to land any silverware and secure champions League football ultimately left the United board with little option but to part company with Moyes but Martinez remains confident that he won’t be short of offers to return to top flight management.

“It’s very difficult to get the amount of years that he has been working at the highest level and the know-how that he has is a real strength and I’m sure he’ll be ready to get into another job as quickly as he can and he won’t have the lack of opportunities or offers,” he added.

In contrast to his predecessor, Martinez has been a revelation since taking over at Everton and has his side on the verge of earning a place of their own in next season’s Champions League.

The Toffees are currently fifth, just one point behind Arsenal, but the Spaniard believes that three wins from their next three fixtures will secure that coveted fourth spot.

“We are well aware that anything around the 72 to 75 point mark is Champions League football and we are desperate to try and get those figures,” he said. “I will go as far to say if we get the nine points and don’t get Champions League we can be very proud and very happy so that is the target we have set for the rest of the season.”

Everton have been dealt a blow in their bid to reach that target as Kevin Mirallas has been ruled out for the rest of the season after picking up an injury in the 2-0 win over United, while Martinez is also sweating over the fitness of Sylvain Distin.

 

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Ancelotti will not leave Madrid for United, says Calderon

Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon is confident Carlo Ancelotti would snub Manchester United if the Premier League outfit were to approach him this summer.

The Old Trafford side are in the market for a new manager following the sacking of David Moyes earlier this week and Ancelotti has been mentioned as one of the candidates, although Louis van Gaal appears to be sitting in pole position to take the United job.

However, Calderon expects the Italian to stay with Madrid even if last season's Premier League champions make him an offer.

"I believe Carlo Ancelotti will be with Real Madrid next season,” Calderon told talkSPORT.

"He’s got a contract.

"We don’t know what’s happening with Manchester United."

Calderon then went on to stress that United had no other choice but to part ways with Moyes following their poor performances this term.

"It’s always a pity when you have to sack a coach. I had that problem with Fabio Capello.

"Sometimes you have to take those decisions though. Manchester United’s results have not been normal so it’s a decision they had to take."

 

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Fifa urged to tackle corruption allegations over 2018 and 2022 World Cups

Fifa has been told it must resolve allegations of corruption in the selection of hosts for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups if it is to fix its ailing reputation.

AAP and the Guardian report that the Independent Governance Committee (IGC) has told Fifa that only a full and frank review of the voting process which led to Russia and Qatar being awarded the right to host the finals tournaments will satisfy outsiders.

The warning comes as part of a 15-page report collated by the IGC, which was assembled to advise Fifa in the aftermath of a series of corruption allegations against members of the world governing body. And the committee chair, Swiss law professor Mark Pieth, has pulled no punches in instructing the organisation to tackle the scandal with the utmost transparency.

"The ethics committee should not rest until there is a conclusive answer," Pieth wrote in the report. "If Fifa is to emerge from the scandals of recent years it must now produce a convincing and transparent answer to any issues relating to hosting decisions, either to confirm that the suspicions are, sadly, well founded or to demonstrate that they are groundless."
Pieth told the governing body that the formation of a new independent ethics committee had been a step in the right direction, but Fifa board members recently attempted to oust the head of its investigatory chamber, former US attorney Michael Garcia, from the case.

"The IGC's view was that only appointing a competent and experienced professional outsider to this role would enable Fifa fearlessly to investigate allegations of corruption at the heart of Fifa," Pieth added in support of Garcia. "Fifa and all involved individuals must therefore fully and unconditionally cooperate with Mr. Garcia's investigation."

The IGC probe gave Fifa a total of seven recommendations as part of its attempts to clean up its reputation, but the awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar remains president Sepp Blatter's primary issue, according to Pieth.

"[The report's brief] explicitly included allegations in relation to World Cup hosting decisions and the IGC singled out this issue including the decision to award the tournament to Qatar as one that required further investigation."

A large percentage of the executive committee members who voted on the 2018 and 2022 hosting decisions have now left their posts, with some exiting after corruption allegations.

The IGC's findings come ahead of the 2014 Fifa Congress in Sao Paulo in June, during which Blatter is expected to announce whether he intends to run for a further term as Fifa president.

 

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Benzema: Madrid confident of reaching final

Karim Benzema is confident that Real Madrid will reach the Champions League final at the expense of Bayern Munich following their 1-0 win in the first leg of their semi-final tie at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.

The Bundesliga champions dominated the majority of possession in the Spanish capital, but failed to beat Iker Casillas, meaning Benzema's first half goal made the difference for the hosts.

"The return leg is going to be just as difficult as tonight. Having said that, we are confident we can win," Benzema told Uefa's official website.

"It was a special night. Bayern are a great team but we played a very good game and we won. We were good going forward and in defence.

"We grouped together and broke out to attack like always. It was especially important that we play that way against Bayern.

"We had three brilliant chances in the first half and while they had just one. The important thing was for us to win and now we will look to continue in this form for the second-leg."

The return will take place at the Allianz Arena on April 29.

 

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Klopp: There are 1000 reasons to stay at Dortmund

Jurgen Klopp says there are "1000 reasons" for him to stay at Borussia Dortmund and reject the advances of Manchester United.

The German coach has been repeatedly linked with the role at Old Trafford since the departure of David Moyes on Monday, but Klopp dismissed the speculation, adding that he has had no contact from the United hierarchy.

"It's a bit uncomfortable to give someone a rejection if no request has come,” said Klopp, talking to a press conference. “But it must indeed be made apparent anyway.”

Klopp, who coached Mainz before taking over at Dortmund in 2008, signed a new contract in October that commits him to the club until 2018, and the 46-year-old was clear-cut about his future despite labelling Manchester United as a “really great club”.

“There are about 1000 reasons why I am super happy to work with this club,” Klopp said.

Dortmund take on Bayer Leverkusen at the BayArena on Saturday, with BVB currently sitting in second place in the Bundesliga, 17 points behind champions Bayern Munich.