soccer – Adomonline.com

Sepp Blatter grab my ass – Soccer Star alleges

Adwoa Agyeman — Sun, 12 Nov 2017 11:00:50 +0000

US soccer star Hope Solo says former FIFA president Sepp Blatter grabbed her buttocks as they prepared to take the stage at an awards ceremony in 2013, the Portuguese newspaper Expresso reported.

In an interview posted online, Solo was asked whether sexual harassment had been normalized.

“I had Sepp Blatter grab my ass,” Solo said. “It was at the Ballon D’or one year, right before I went on stage. … It’s been normalized.”

The Ballon D’or is an annual award given to the best footballer in the world. Solo presented the FIFA’s women’s player of the year award in January 2013 and shared the stage with Blatter, who then was president of the world governing body of soccer.

A spokesman for Blatter dismissed the allegation as “ridiculous” in a statement provided to British newspaper The Guardian and to Expresso.

CNN has reached out to Blatter for comment and has not received a response. Hope Solo’s representatives told CNN she doesn’t want to talk to CNN about the incident.

Blatter was FIFA president from 1998 until he resigned in 2015 after FIFA investigated him and other organization officials on bribery and corruption allegations. He was suspended from all football-related activities in September 2015.

Solo, a goalkeeper, is one of the best-known American soccer players. She led the women’s team to gold at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics and appeared on the television show “Dancing With the Stars.”

She also generates controversy. In 2016 the US Soccer Federation suspended her for six months after she described Swedish players as “a bunch of cowards” for what she viewed as their defensive tactics in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

In 2014 she was arrested on domestic violence charges but the case was dropped the next year.

Sulley Muntari reveals why he walked off over racist abuse in Italy

Dorcas Abedu-Kennedy — Tue, 02 May 2017 12:05:26 +0000

Pescara midfielder Sulley Muntari says he left the Serie A match against Cagliari after the referee failed to take action to halt alleged racist chanting from the stands.

Muntari was booked late in his team’s 1-0 loss at Stadio Sant’Elia, apparently for dissent after confronting the match official.

The former Ghana international, who responded by walking off before the final whistle, has since claimed his premature departure was an act of protest following his perceived mistreatment at the hands of sections of the home crowd.

“They were chanting against me from the start, then in the first half I saw in the group there were some children and the parents said nothing,” Muntari is quoted as saying by Sky Sport Italia.

“So I turned to the parents and gave them my jersey, to set the example. In the Curva, the issue continued with another group of fans.

“I was trying to reason with them, but the referee told me to leave them alone. That’s when I got angry. Because rather than stop the game, he decided to punish me?

“The fans were wrong, but the referee had to act differently, not accuse me of causing trouble. I am the victim here. If the officials begin actually stopping games when this happens, I am convinced it won’t happen again.”

Pescara coach Zdenek Zeman agreed with his player’s interpretation of the events.

“Muntari heard racist chants and asked the referee to intervene,” he said. “There is so much talk about what we should do, but then we do nothing and shrug it off.

“Muntari left us down to 10 men, he left of his own volition when we could’ve still had our say in the final minutes. The Cagliari fans constantly hurled racist chants at him and he asked the referee to intervene.

“Sulley therefore decided to leave in protest.”

Elsewhere on Sunday, Roma director Frederic Massara claimed defender Antonio Rudiger, sent off late in the 3-1 derby defeat to Lazio, had also been subject to abuse.

“I’d like to say that today he was very angry with the racist chanting we had to put up with,” he said.

“It’s a shame you still hear these things.”

All Stars skipper Hafiz Adams fit to face Asante Kotoko

Dorcas Abedu-Kennedy — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 09:07:10 +0000

Huge boost for Wa All Stars as skipper Hafiz Adams is fit and ready to face Asante Kotoko on Sunday in Wa.

Adams who is yet to play a match in this season’s league joined his colleagues in training last week after recuperating from a foot injury.

The former Wa Anokye featured prominently across the 2016 season en route to the ultimate trophy but unfortunately picked an injury in the CAF champions league on February 12 at the Tamale Stadium in a 1- 3 defeat against Al Ahly Tripoli.