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NEW YORK (AP)—Gold Cup organizers say Mexico will be allowed to replace five players who were dropped from the squad after testing positive for the banned substance clenbuterol.

The organizing committee said Sunday that Mexico will be allowed to name five new players ahead of Wednesday’s semifinal against Honduras, and those players will also be available for the final if El Tri makes it that far.

The banned players are PSV Eindhoven defender Francisco Rodriguez and locally based Edgar Duenas, Guillermo Ochoa, Christian Bermudez and Antonio Naelson.

The players and the Mexican federation have blamed the positive tests on contaminated meat.

Labels: banned, Mexico, players, replace

NYON, Switzerland (AP)—AS Roma’s Daniele De Rossi has been banned three games for his elbow to the face of Shakhtar Donetsk’s Dario Srna during a Champions League match.

European soccer’s governing body on Friday cited De Rossi for improper conduct. He will serve the ban in future Champions League or Europa League games. He can appeal the punishment within three days.

UEFA acted after referee Howard Webb missed what happened during Roma’s 3-0 loss and elimination in Ukraine last week. Webb then showed Srna a yellow card for protesting that De Rossi used his elbow.

Shakhtar advanced to the quarterfinals 6-2 on total goals.

Labels: banned, Daniele, Games, Romas, Rossi

Butt was banned for 10 years, five of which were suspended, and Asif for seven, with two years suspended, after being found guilty of being involved in spot-fixing last August. Mohammad Amir was hit with a straight five-year ban and plans to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport but both Asif and Butt are still to reveal their next move.

Sources close to the investigation have told The Daily Telegraph both players will have to make full confession and show appropriate remorse for their suspended sentences to be waived, conditions which may deter them from appealing to CAS.

A statement from Asif’s legal representatives, Addleshaw Goddard, on Monday read: “Mohammad Asif has co-operated fully with the International Cricket Council’s investigation and is very disappointed and upset by the decision it reached.

“Together with his legal representatives, he is now considering his response and will not be commenting further due to the ongoing criminal proceedings.”

The three players will today be handed the written judgments of the ICC disciplinary panel but the governing body may be unable to make them public due to a parallel criminal investigation being pursued by police in London.

Last Friday the Crown Prosecution Service said that the three players, as well as agent Mazhar Majeed, face criminal charges and have been summoned to appear before magistrates in London on March 17.

The ICC are taking advice from media law specialists after the CPS advised the board not to publish the judgment for fear of prejudicing any criminal trial.

The report could be published outside Britain but it would be hard to prevent it being accessed on the internet, which may persuade the ICC to keep it private until a later date.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has pledged to help the players with their rehabilitation over the next five years although their own anti-corruption methods have been subjected to a review by the ICC.

“The time since August last year, when the spot-fixing case came to light, has been an extremely painful one for Pakistan cricket. I now hope that this unfortunate saga is put to rest and we can concentrate on cricket,” said Ijaz Butt, chairman of the PCB.

“We will continue to work with the ICC on this sensitive matter. We will also see how we can help the three players with their education and rehabilitation programme.”

Labels: aposconfess, banned, Mohammad, Pakistanaposs, Salman, Telegraphcouk

Snoods have been put under any other business for when football's lawmakers meet on 5 March and, to the horror of some stars, may be banned.

Samir Nasri, Carlos Tevez and Emmanuel Adebayor are all fans of the winter fashion accessory.

"We want a debate whether it could be dangerous," said a Fifa spokesman.

"There may be a safety issue - if for example a player was running through on goal and an opponent grabbed his snood, that could pose a potential danger to his neck."

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has claimed snoods help prevent injury to his players, while his Manchester United counterpart Sir Alex Ferguson has banned his players from wearing them.

United centre-back Rio Ferdinand has said on social networking website Twitter: "You won't see a Man Utd player wearing a snood."

Former Old Trafford midfielder Roy Keane is also not a fan of snoods.

He said of players wearing the snood: "They've all gone soft. I don't know how they do it and focus on the game, it's weird. That's the way the game's gone."

On the subject of fashion, Fifa also wants to make sure that if a player wears tights then they are the same colour as their shorts.

The introduction of 'vanishing spray' - which allows the referee to mark out a line a defensive wall from a set piece should not cross - is also up for debate.

The spray is used in Brazil and South America and evaporates after a minute.

Labels: banned, Football, Snoods, Sport