Football

AFP, Rome :Former Argentina superstar Diego Maradona on Tuesday blasted FIFA president Sepp Blatter and his UEFA counterpart Michel Platini, who is bidding to succeed the Swiss as head of world football, as two of a kind.“I’m outside all that because someone called Blatter closed all doors on me,” former Argentina great Maradona told Naples television station PiuEnne.“But I’m not a thief. Blatter did a lot of harm to football and with Platini it’s a farce. They pretend to be...

AFP, Angeles : A goal by Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez and an impressive performance from goalkeeper Jesus Corona lifted Mexico to a 1-0 friendly win over Ecuador on Saturday.In front of 90,000 fans at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum-a venue where Mexico enjoy strong support-Hernandez scored the lone goal in the 14th minute, ending his four-month scoring drought.The 26-year-old striker’s last goal for club or country had come in Amsterdam on November 12 in Mexico’s 3-1 win over the Dutch....

AFP, Shanghai :Chinese Super League (CSL) top-scorer Wu Lei, who has been linked with a transfer to Wolverhampton Wanderers, says he would move abroad for the right offer.The 27-year-old was named CSL player of the year on Wednesday after hitting 27 goals to help Shanghai SIPG to their maiden league title. The Chinese international was linked over the summer with Premier League side Wolves, who are owned by the Chinese conglomerate Fosun International....