Argentina legend Diego Maradona lashed out at "bribes" within FIFA, demanding action against those involved in corruption claims linked to Qatar's World Cup bid, in remarks published Sunday."There are huge bribes" in the world football governing body, UAE-based Maradona told Abu Dhabi daily, Al-Ittihad. "Those behind them must be held accountable, especially in regards to the latest events related to awarding Qatar the 2022 World Cup."Where has this money gone, who received it, and why," must al

LONDON (AP) ― FIFA’s decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar came under further scrutiny as a British newspaper published new allegations that Mohamed bin Hammam used his wealth and top level contacts to buy support for the oil-rich country’s successful bid.The Sunday Times, which last week claimed that the former FIFA vice president made payments totaling $5 million to senior football officials to seal support for Qatar, also accused Bin Hammam of using $1.7 million to secure key Asian vo

NYON, Switzerland (AP) ― FIFA vice president Michel Platini has criticized a British newspaper for linking him to corruption claims about Qatar’s 2022 World Cup bid.The Daily Telegraph led Tuesday’s edition reporting that Platini secretly met with his FIFA board colleague Mohamed bin Hammam of Qatar “shortly before” the World Cup vote in December 2010.The claim follows the rival Sunday Times alleging that bin Hammam, who FIFA expelled in 2012, paid soccer officials millions of dollars to support

GOIANIA, Brazil (AP) ― Thousands of fans watched Brazil’s final training session Monday before its World Cup warm-up game against Panama.Fans arrived early at the Serra Dourada Stadium to get a glimpse of the players who will try to win the World Cup at home beginning next week.Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari made reference to 20,000 people watching on, but initial estimates by police said between 5,000 and 10,000 supporters were at the stadium. Attendance at the 50,000-capacity Serra Dourada had been

South Korea’s Group H opponents at the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Brazil have collectively gone undefeated in their prep matches for the big tournament, providing a glimpse into what can be expected in games that will matter later this month.Belgium and Russia have played two matches in the past week, and Algeria has played one match in the buildup to the World Cup.Belgium is the top-ranked nation in Group H at No. 12 and is favored to win the group in Brazil. The Belgians routed Luxembourg 5-1

SAO PAULO (AP) ― FIFA Secretary-General Jerome Valcke expressed his concern about three of the 12 World Cup stadiums during his final inspection of host cities.During a two-week trip that ended on Thursday, Valcke sent warnings to organizers in Natal, Porto Alegre and Sao Paulo, which will host the World Cup’s opening match in two weeks.He said it was a “race against the clock” in Natal and there was a lot “yet to be done” in Porto Alegre. In Sao Paulo, FIFA requested a second test event at the

LONDON (AP) ― Physicist Stephen Hawking has turned his brilliant mind toward perhaps his toughest challenge yet ― helping England win the World Cup.Britain’s most famous scientist, known for his theories on physics and the universe, has been commissioned by a betting company to analyze data from every World Cup that England qualified for since winning the tournament in 1966 in the hope of coming up with a winning formula.His conclusion: Roy Hodgson’s team has the best chance of winning in Brazil

LONDON (AP) ― Winning the soccer World Cup can bring instant rewards to that country’s stock market investors. But they better be quick as the post-victory rally doesn’t last long.That’s the conclusion of investment bank Goldman Sachs, which published a wide-ranging report on the World Cup and its economic impact.Goldman Sachs analysts found “a clear pattern of outperformance by the winning team in the weeks after the World Cup final.” On average, the victorious country’s stocks outperform the g