Usain Bolt wants Man U trial

Via ESPN-It may or may not have been said with his tongue firmly in his cheek but Olympic sprint superstar Usain Bolt has called on Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson to hand him a trial.

Bolt cemented his position as the fastest man on the planet when defending his Olympic 100m title on Sunday. The Jamaican has been musing about his next move, with a step up to 400m a possibility.

But he is not short of confidence and has often claimed he has the skill to make it as a footballer.

He is a huge United fan, has met Ferguson and the players in the past, and has put out a call for a trial.

"People think I am joking, but if Alex Ferguson called me up and said, 'OK let's do this, come and have a trial', it would be impossible for me to say no," Bolt is quoted as saying in the Sun.

"I would not take up the challenge if I didn't think I was good enough. I am a very accomplished player and know I could make a difference.

"I would be the fastest player in the team - but I can play as well."

He added: "I am in Britain for a few more days. If Alex Ferguson wants to give me a call he knows where I am."

Photo: Reuters

Abidal expects Barca return

PARIS -- Barcelona defender Eric Abidal expects to return to the pitch this year as his recovery from a liver transplant continues to go well.

"I have started working in the gym and I feel fine. I'm progressing and let's see if I can play before December," the 32-year-old Abidal said Saturday after making the honorary kickoff in Barcelona's friendly at PSG.

"I'm better than three months ago. I am sticking to the program the doctors have given me and the truth is that I feel well. I can travel, enjoy football, the team and the atmosphere."

Abidal underwent the transplant in April. Previously, the France international had a liver tumor removed in March 2011.

Barcelona, which had defender Carles Puyol back after recovering from knee surgery in May, won on penalties following a 2-2 draw in regular time.

Barcelona has yet to make any big offseason signing but may rely on Abidal's return as it tries to unseat Spanish champion Real Madrid this season.

"(Abidal) is very important for us," Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova said. "It makes all the players very happy
to see how he is coming along. It is comforting."

Abidal joined Barcelona from Lyon in 2007 and has helped the club win two Champions League titles and three Spanish league crowns.

Barcelona next plays Manchester United in a friendly on Wednesday.

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press

Photo Via

Urso autopsy results

Sorry for all the depressing stories as of late.  Unfortunatly there are some very sad moments in our sport and the last few days have been all to full of them. I promise to try to get a little more light hearted going forward.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A coroner said signs pointed to "an apparent natural death" pending results from toxicology tests and on other tissue after an autopsy performed on Columbus Crew midfielder Kirk Urso on Monday.

The 22-year-old Urso was pronounced dead at 1:50 a.m. Sunday at Grant Medical Center after collapsing at a downtown Columbus bar and restaurant.

Franklin County Coroner Jan Gorniak said toxicology tests will not be finalized for four to six weeks.
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"It's leaning toward an apparent natural death, but we don't know why," Gorniak said.

She said the autopsy revealed no trauma to Urso's body, along with no blood clots. In addition to toxicology tests, the coroner's office will also take a closer look at what Gorniak referred to as "heart changes."

"What that means is we saw some changes with his heart but we don't know what it is until we examine it underneath the microscope," she said. "So it could be something or it could be nothing. But it's not definitive as a cause of death right now."

Urso played in six games with the Crew and was rehabbing from a sports-groin injury sustained in May. He did not travel to the game at D.C. United on Saturday night.

In a 9-1-1 call provided by police to The Columbus Dispatch, an unidentified female says, "Officers are with him. It's a very drunk person who fell down and now he's unconscious."

It is unclear if the speaker is affiliated with police, fire or an emergency crew or if she is a bystander.
Major League Soccer observed a moment of silence at both of its games on Sunday.

"We are deeply saddened by the death of Columbus Crew player Kirk Urso," MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in a statement. "Major League Soccer mourns his death and sends our condolences to his family."

Urso, an Illinois native, played for and was the captain at North Carolina last fall when it won the NCAA championship.

On the Tar Heels soccer team's website, North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham said Urso's former teammates and friends were devastated by the news of his death.

"In the very brief time I spent with Kirk it became evident that he was a natural leader," Cunningham said.

"His enthusiasm was contagious to all who knew him. He had a positive and inspirational impact on his team, and many other student-athletes at Carolina."

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press

Tulcea forward dies of heart attack on field

Via Sky Sports-Delta Tulcea's Henry Chinonso Ihelewere suffered a fatal heart attack during Sunday's friendly against FC Balotesti, doctors in Romania have confirmed.

The 21-year-old Nigerian forward collapsed with no other player near him, around 15 minutes after entering the field as a half-time substitute for the Liga II side.

He was attended to by ambulances from the Mobile Emergency Service for Resuscitation and Extrication (SMURD - Serviciul Mobil de Urgenta, Reanimare si Descarcerare) but was pronounced dead at the scene.

Dr. John Tanase, a SMURD doctor at the scene, told prosport.ro: "The patient was always in cardiopulmonary arrest. He was found in cardiopulmonary arrest and attempts were made at resuscitation until 13.12. The first aid crew arrived within three to four minutes after the call."

A statement on the club's official website expressed condolences to the player's family and added: "Thank you for everything you did for our team and we will not forget Henry Chinonso Ihelewere."

The collapse of Ihelewere, who scored 14 goals in 37 appearances for Delta, shocked club president Haralambos Meregiu.

He told Liga2.ro: "His last review was made on July 27 this year. He had no heart problems, the ECG was okay.

"He fell as if he was cut down but there was no one near him, no one attacked him. It all occurred out of the blue.

"I told someone to give him first aid, he called the ambulance and SMURD came in eight or 10 minutes. As it was a serious case, a few minutes later a second vehicle came from SMURD.

"The medical staff arrived and tried hard to bring Henry back to life. I have nothing to reproach them for."

Ihelewere's death came less than 24 hours after that of 22-year-old Columbus Crew midfielder Kirk Urso in the United States.


Photo Credit: Telecinco.es

Why is this man NOT in jail yet?

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- The acting president of Asian soccer has called on its 46 federations to cooperate in the ongoing corruption investigation of suspended president Mohamed bin Hammam.

Zhang Jilong said in a statement Monday that the Asian Football Confederation's disciplinary committee has asked the secretariat to hire former FBI director Louis Freeh's agency to assist in the investigation.

Bin Hammam is accused of enriching himself and handing out tens of thousands of dollars to supporters during his nine-year reign.

Freeh led a FIFA probe against bin Hammam into allegations that he attempted to bribe voters during his presidential campaign against FIFA president Sepp Blatter. It initially resulted in a lifetime ban last year but was overturned last month by the Court of Arbitration for Sport because of a lack of conclusive evidence.

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press

RIP Kirk Urso

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Columbus Crew midfielder Kirk Urso died Sunday morning at a central Ohio hospital, and no cause of death has been determined, a county coroner said.

Urso, 22, was pronounced dead at 1:50 a.m. at Grant Medical Center in Columbus, Franklin County Coroner Dr. Jan Gorniak said. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday.

Police were called to a bar in the city at about 12:50 a.m., and Urso was taken from there to the hospital, The Columbus Dispatch reported. Police officials did not immediately return messages from The Associated Press seeking details on the circumstances.

Urso played in six games this season and was sidelined by groin surgery in May. He was not with the team Saturday for its 1-0 loss to D.C. United in Washington, team spokesman Marco Rosa said.

The team withheld detailed comment, and the hospital said privacy laws ruled out any comment.

"The thoughts and prayers of the entire Columbus Crew and Hunt Sports Group are with the Urso family in this time of need," a team statement said.

Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber said the league would hold a moment of silence at games Sunday.

"Major League Soccer mourns his death and sends our condolences to his family," he said.

Urso was in his first season with the Crew. In a team profile last month of Crew rookies, he said he was frustrated with injuries.

"To go from getting picked up late in the draft, to starting and contributing, and then to be out completely and hurt -- it's really frustrating. Injuries are just a part of (soccer)," he said.

A native of Lombard, Ill., Urso played on North Carolina's NCAA title-winning team last fall and for the U.S. under-17 World Cup team in 2007.

With the NCAA title, Urso said it helped erase years of frustration for him and the other UNC seniors.

"My whole college career has been awesome, but there was something extra about this team," Urso said.
"To cap it off with this is something I'm going to remember the rest of my life."

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press


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Celtic, Anderlecht, and some teams you've never heard of opened 3rd round Champs League qualifying.

LONDON -- Scottish Premier League champion Celtic rallied to beat HJK Helsinki 2-1 at Celtic Park on Wednesday in one of 12 first-leg matches in the third round of qualifying for the Champions League.

Second-half goals from forward Gary Hooper and defender Charlie Mulgrew gave the home side the lead after HJK forward Rasmus Shueller opened the scoring in the 47th minute.

Belgium champion Anderlecht romped to a 5-0 victory over Ekranas of Lithuania in Brussels, while Slask Wroclaw was beaten at home 3-0 by Helsingborg of Sweden.

Elsewhere: Copenhagen 0, Club Brugge 0; Fenerbahce 1, Vaslui 1; AEL Limassol 1, Partizan Belgrade 0; BATE Borisov 1, Debrecen 1; Cluj 1, Slovan Liberec 0; Kiryat Shmona 4, Neftci 0; Maribor 4, Dudelange 1; Molde 0, Basel 1; Sheriff 0, Dinamo Zagreb 1.

Return legs will be played Aug. 7-8.

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press

A THIRD Cleavage Edition in three days? Oh yeah!

Three Cleavage Editions in three days?? How the hell can something THIS amazing happen you ask?? Because I love you and I care about your well being.. Your welcome.

Gabon v Mexico recap: Cleavage style!!

Once again the lovely Jessica Kardashian impresses us all with her.....commentary. Here's her breakdown and thoughts on the Gabon v Mexico game. Enjoy!!

Why do sports coaches even allow players to Tweet??

Via ESPN-Arsenal's Emmanuel Frimpong has been fined £6,000 for improper conduct in relation to recent comments made on Twitter.

Frimpong, 20, was involved in a minor Twitter altercation with a fan of a rival team in July after the fan tweeted abuse aimed at the Arsenal player. The player's reply was quickly deleted.

The midfielder was charged with improper conduct by the Football Association last month and has now admitted to the charge, with the governing body warning him about his future conduct.

A statement on the FA's website read: "Arsenal's Emmanuel Frimpong has been fined £6,000 and warned as to his future conduct after admitting an FA charge under FA Rule E3 for improper conduct in relation to recent comments made on Twitter.

"Frimpong posted comments amounting to improper conduct and/or which brought the game into disrepute, which included a reference to faith."