SAO PAULO (AP) ― FIFA’s top official in charge of the World Cup is returning to Brazil to inspect host cities as the country continues to struggle to finish its stadiums just four months before the tournament begins.FIFA said Wednesday that Secretary General Jerome Valcke will visit three venues beginning Sunday, and will help decide whether the southern city of Curitiba will remain in the showcase event amid delays in stadium construction.One of Valcke’s stops will be in the jungle city of Mana

BARCELONA (AP) ― Lionel Messi scored two goals and set up another to lead Barcelona to a 4-1 comeback victory at Sevilla on Sunday, moving the defending champions into a three-way tie for the Spanish league lead.Despite Barcelona showing the same vulnerability in defense, Messi’s best performance since returning from a lengthy injury layoff ensured that his side bounced back from a defeat by Valencia in the previous round. Barcelona is now level with Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid at the top of

LONDON (AP) _ Manchester United and Chelsea have joined a national campaign against homophobia in football that is aiming to win the support of at least half of England's professional clubs.Eleven Premier League clubs including Arsenal and Manchester City have joined the 2014 Football vs. Homophobia program so far, pledging to speak out against homophobia and to support the campaign's activities.West Ham captain Kevin Nolan says that the month-long campaign, which is backed by Sports Minister He

(AFP) - Recently crowned Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo will miss Real Madrid's next three league games after being sent-off in his side's 1-1 draw against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.   The score was already tied at 1-1 when Ronaldo was shown the eighth red card of his career after clashing with Athletic midfielder Ander Iturraspe 15 minutes from time.   The Spanish Football Federation handed the Portuguese the normal one game ban for a straight red card, but also added an extra two games f

A poor American tour has South Korea football fans worried about the team’s prospects in this year’s World Cup, even if a similarly bad tour in 2002 was followed by the nation’s best-ever World Cup finish.In 2002, South Korea played five games in the United States, losing three and drawing two against the likes of Canada, Costa Rica and Cuba, but five months later it made the semifinals of the World Cup.Twelve years on, fans are not optimistic about a repeat.The recent tour started with a 1-0 wi

MANCHESTER, England (AP) ― Despite a pair of victories over Manchester City, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho thinks the northern rival is the class of the Premier League.Branislav Ivanovic scored in the 31st minute, and Chelsea neutralized England’s most potent attack with a 1-0 win at City on Monday night in a key Premier League showdown.Chelsea had defeated City 2-1 at Stamford Bridge in October.“We beat them twice but they are the best team,” said Mourinho, the Chelsea manager. “It’s two horses

MADRID (AFP) ― Cristiano Ronaldo was sent-off as Real Madrid lost ground in the La Liga title race with a 1-1 draw away to Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.Atletico Madrid became outright leaders for the first time since their double winning season in 1996 earlier in the day with a 4-0 win over Real Sociedad on Sunday.The draw moves Real level with Barcelona, who suffered a shock defeat at home to Valencia on Saturday, three points behind Atletico.It could have been so much better for Madrid as after a

Arsenal’s South Korean striker Park Chu-young has signed with Watford on a loan deal until the end of the season, subject to English Premier League clearance, the London-based football club said Saturday.The 29-year-old played for FC Seoul and AS Monaco before joining the Gunners, and he spent the last season on loan at Celta Vigo in Spain. While the South Korean has scored 23 goals in 61 international matches for his country, the talented but much-maligned forward has made only seven appearance

Arsenal's South Korean striker Park Chu-young has signed for Watford on a loan deal until the end of the season, subject to English Premier League clearance, the London-based football club said Saturday.The 29-year-old played for FC Seoul and AS Monaco before joining the Gunners, and he spent the last season on loan at Celta Vigo in Spain.While the South Korean has scored 23 goals in 61 international matches for his country, the talented but much-maligned forward has made only seven appearances