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NEW YORK, June 19 (Reuters) - Mexico have been given permission to replace the five players who were suspended from the CONCACAF Gold Cup for failing out-of-competition doping tests.

The Mexican Football Federation (Femexfut) has denied their players did anything wrong, saying they tested positive for a banned anabolic agent after eating contaminated meat, and asked that they be replaced for the rest of the tournament.

The CONCACAF Gold Cup Organising Committee announced on Sunday it had agreed, after consulting with the sport’s world governing body, that Mexico be allowed to replace the players while the case is continuing.

“Based on the specific facts of this case, and on FIFA’s advice on the matter, the situation at hand is a case of force majeure as contemplated in the competition regulations,” CONCACAF said in a statement.

“Therefore the Mexican national team shall be permitted to replace the five …. players with up to five other players for the remainder of the competition.’

Goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, defenders Francisco Rodriguez and Edgar Duenas, and midfielders Sinha and Christian Bermudez all tested positive for clenbuterol and were suspended from the regional tournament.

Femexfut attributed the positive results to ingestion of clenbuterol in meat eaten by the players when on a training camp in Mexico to prepare for the Gold Cup and has conducted independent tests they hope will exonerate them.

Despite being five players down since the opening match of the tournament, Mexico remain undefeated and are safely through to the semi-finals, against Honduras, in Texas this week. (Reporting by Julian Linden; Editing by Peter Rutherford; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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Labels: cleared, CONCACAF, Mexico, players, replace, Reuters, suspended

* Dempsey scores day after attending family wedding

* Americans to play Panama in Wednesday’s semi-final (Corrects clarifying this match was a quarter-final in para 6 and deleting reference to Landon Donovan as U.S. captain)

WASHINGTON, June 19 (Reuters) - The United States scored twice in the second half to beat a 10-man Jamaica squad 2-0 on Sunday and advance to the CONCACAF Gold Cup semi-finals.

Jermaine Jones broke the deadlock with his first goal for his country four minutes into the second half after his shot took a deflection off Jamaican defender Jermaine Taylor, giving goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts no chance of making the save.

“I thought we played a good game today,” U.S. coach Bob Bradley said. “It took a while to get the goal and the second goal, but certainly as far as establishing our game today I thought we did an excellent job.”

Jamaica, which did not concede a goal in the pool stages, were reduced to 10-men when Taylor was red-carded for tripping Jones as he was bearing down on goal.

American striker Clint Dempsey, who rejoined the team on Sunday after missing three days to attend his sister’s wedding in Texas, put the result beyond doubt in the 80th minute, side-stepping an advancing Ricketts and tapping the ball into an open net after a low cross from Juan Agudelo.

Landon Donovan, who also missed three days of training to attend his sister’s wedding in California, started the game on the bench.

“There are times that players come to you with personal requests,” Bradley said. “Ultimately, after speaking at different points with Clint and Landon, I knew how important both of these days were for them. You always try to do what’s best for the team and you make tough decisions.”

The U.S. have reached the semi-finals in each of the last six editions of the tournament for North and Central America and Caribbean teams and play Panama on Wednesday in a repeat of the 2005 final, which the Americans won on penalties.

Panama, who beat the U.S. in the group stage, sealed their place the hard way, scoring in the 90th minute of regular time to tie El Salvador 1-1 before winning 5-3 on penalties.

Mexico and Honduras will play in the tournament’s other semi-final.

The winner of the tournament will represent North and Central America and the Caribbean at the 2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil.

“As the tournament goes on, you start to build team unity. It doesn’t happen right away,” said Donovan. “We’re starting to play as a team. Tonight was a really good performance.”

(Reporting by Julian Linden in New York; Editing by Frank Pingue; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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ZURICH (AP)—CONCACAF’s acting president has asked Chuck Blazer to explain why he turned over evidence that sparked one of the worst corruption scandals in FIFA’s 107-year history.

Lisle Austin also wants CONCACAF, which represents North and Central America and the Caribbean, to cease dealings with John P. Collins, the former federal prosecutor who investigated Blazer’s allegations of wrongdoing.

Jack Warner, longtime CONCACAF president and a FIFA vice president, and Mohamed bin Hammam were suspended Sunday over allegations they tried to bribe Caribbean football leaders for their votes in this week’s FIFA presidential election.

Bin Hammam, a Qatari who leads Asia’s football confederation, had been Sepp Blatter’s only challenger in Wednesday’s election.

Labels: Acting, Blazer, CONCACAF, explain

By Simon Evans

MIAMI, May 30 (Reuters) - The soccer controversy that led to the banning of two leading FIFA officials has taken another twist with CONCACAF’s new interim president taking aim at his general secretary Chuck Blazer.

Barbadian Lisle Austin, appointed interim president on Monday in place of suspended Trinidadian Jack Warner, moved quickly by issuing Blazer with a demand to explain himself and to stop working with the U.S. lawyers who presented evidence against Warner.

It was Blazer’s report to FIFA’s Ethics Committee, which included allegations of bribery against Warner and Asian soccer chief Mohammed Bin Hammam of Qatar, that led to this week’s explosion of accusations and counter-accusations at world football’s governing body in Zurich.

In a letter to Blazer seen by Reuters, Austin gave the American 48 hours to explain by what authority he appointed Chicago-based lawyers Collins and Collins to conduct investigations into the members of CONCACAF, the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football.

The letter also asks Blazer to produce minutes or documentation to show the decision was taken by the confederation’s executive committee and to stop Collins and Collins from “conducting any business” including legal advice or representation for CONCACAF.

Lawyer John Collins has had a long-standing relationship with CONCACAF and with the U.S. Soccer Federation.

Blazer was not immediately available for comment but the letter indicates the new post-Warner CONCACAF is unlikely to make a harmonious start.

On Sunday FIFA’s Ethics Committee suspended Warner and Bin Hammam pending full investigations of the charges made by Blazer.

A report by FIFA executive committee member Blazer said there had been possible violations of the FIFA ethics code in a meeting between Caribbean officials, Warner and Bin Hammam in Port of Spain this month.

Bin Hammam, who has now withdrawn his bid to take on incumbent Sepp Blatter in this week’s FIFA presidential election, and Warner denied any wrongdoing.

On Monday FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke produced an email from the president of the Puerto Rico Football Association who stated he had been offered a $40,000 inducement, which he accepted, reported and was sending to soccer’s governing body.

(Editing by Tony Jimenez. To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

Labels: Blazer, Chief, CONCACAF, Reuters, turns