South Korean footballer Cha Du-ri has filed for divorce from his wife, legal sources said Wednesday.The 33-year-old defender for FC Seoul applied for divorce mediation with the Seoul family court on March 12 against Shin Hye-seong, his wife of five years. In divorce mediation, two parties will cooperate with a neutral third party to amicably settle issues such as child custody and financial support. When the parties fail to reach an agreement, a formal divorce trial can take place.Cha, a former

LONDON (AP) ― Demba Ba sent Chelsea into the FA Cup semifinals with a 1-0 victory over Manchester United on Monday.The quarterfinal replay was decided four minutes into the second half when Ba hooked the ball over goalkeeper David De Gea to set up a Wembley Stadium meeting with Manchester City.There was little De Gea could do to keep out the winner.Juan Mata lobbed a pass over the United defense and Ba raced past Rio Ferdinand and hooked a volley over De Gea while almost sideways in the air.“It

After underachieving last year, the Suwon Samsung Bluewings in the K League Classic have won three of their first four games to rank third among 14 clubs early in the 2013 season.Suwon, though, has also been bitten by the dreaded injury bug and will be without two key players for an extended period, a tough break for a team that has looked poised to make a run for the league title.Last Saturday, Suwon defeated Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2-1 on the road. It was Suwon’s first win over Jeonbuk since Se

Legendary footballer Pele was watched by the Brazilian military during the country’s dictatorship era, records released on Monday showed.According to the files made public by the Sao Paulo state government, the junta government kept tabs on the football superstar’s activities, including money transfers and alleged attacks on his home in 1973.The military dictatorship, which ruled the South American country from 1964 to 1985, often probed potential opponents or those who were deemed leftists. It

LONDON (AP) ― Steven Gerrard’s tiebreaking penalty kick in the 60th minute helped Liverpool rally for a 2-1 win over relegation-threatened Aston Villa on Sunday, boosting its hopes of playing in the Europa League next season.Villa went ahead in the 31st minute on Christian Benteke’s 14th league goal of the season, but Jordan Henderson tied the score in the 47th minute.Luis Suarez tumbled in the area under a challenge from Nathan Baker, and Gerrard beat American goalkeeper Brad Guzan to convert t

GENEVA (AP) ― The ugly side of the beautiful game emerged Thursday as the U.N.’s top human rights official joined soccer officials and players in calling for an end to the “crime” of racism in sport.U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said racist insults and chants, Nazi salutes, petitions against players and denial of hiring based on color or ethnicity have no place in sports.“Sport, at its best, is inclusive, generous-hearted, and fundamentally multicultural, based on values su

Mario Balotelli scored a stunning goal as Italy came back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Brazil in an entertaining friendly in Geneva on Thursday.It looked as if Italy would pay for its missed opportunities when Brazil took a 2-0 halftime lead thanks to goals from Fred and Oscar.However, Daniele De Rossi pulled one back nine minutes after the interval and the in-form Balotelli leveled with a screamer from about 25 yards (meters) three minutes later, taking his tally to eight goals in eight

ZURICH (AP) ― FIFA president Sepp Blatter believes 2014 World Cup host Brazil will have the stadiums and infrastructure ready despite construction delays.So far, only two of six stadiums are ready for the Confederations Cup in June. The iconic Maracana in Rio de Janeiro has a deadline of April 27.“It’s all a question of trust and confidence,” Blatter said Tuesday after a meeting of FIFA’s World Cup organizing committee.FIFA has faith in Brazilian soccer and government authorities, Blatter said.“