Juventus reacted with fury on Tuesday after Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho implied the club received favourable treatment from referees.

Mourinho made the comments at a press conference which saw him allude to the controversy which ensued following the Serie A leaders’ 3-3 draw with AS Roma – a match in which his men recovered to bag a point with the aid of a contested spot kick.

Mario Balotelli netted the penalty but Roma boss Luciano Spalletti was livid and accused Balotelli of diving.

Juventus coach Claudio Ranieri – like Mourinho a former Chelsea coach – saw fit to back Spalletti and that angered the Inter coach, who promptly insinuated that Juve received preferential treatment from referees.

“While Ranieri says he is behind Spalletti, I am on the side of coaches who have dropped points against Juve – and also on the side of those who are going to meet Juve in the coming weeks,” Mourino said ahead of Wednesday’s Italian Cup semi-final meeting with Sampdoria.

Juve Furious Amid Mourinho Claims Of Ref Favours … read more »

UEFA president Michel Platini said on Tuesday that Kosovo could not join the organisation until it was recognised by the United Nations.

“The situation is very simple, UEFA, FIFA do not go in for politics… the only thing UEFA can do at the present is to respect the statutes of UEFA and the statutes clearly say that to be affiliated with UEFA it is necessary to be recognised by the United Nations,” Platini told reporters in Belgrade.

Kosovo, which unilaterally declared independence from Serbia a year ago, has been recognised by more than 50 countries, including the United States and most of the European Union countries.

However, Serbia and its traditional ally Russia, a permanent member of UN Security Council, have rejected the move and consider it illegal.

During his visit to Belgrade Platini met Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Ivica Dacic to discuss the fight against hooliganism at stadia.

“We discussed what measures should be taken to fight against hooligans, racism and xenophobia,” Platini said.

Early global 2010 World Cup ticket applications are strong but South African hosts have been slow in securing seats to the curtain-raiser Confederations Cup, organisers said Tuesday.

More than 506,000 worldwide online applications for World Cup tickets had been made since ticket applications opened on February 20.

“The tremendous response is extremely exciting and gives us a great deal of confidence,” said Irvin Khoza, chairman of the local organising committee.

“It is now even more important for us to ensure that the Confederations Cup will be a success,” he said.

Only 170,000 of the 646,000 available tickets for the Confederations Cup, traditionally seen as a curtain-raiser to the world’s top football event, have been sold ahead of the eight nation tournament’s kick-off on June 14.

“The Confederations Cup is a important appetiser for the World Cup, the rate at which South Africans are buying tickes is very slow,” said Khoza.

“We encourage South Africans to go and apply for tickets now,” Khoza told reporters. “South Africans must ensure that they fill the stadium so that they are given a test before the World Cup,” he added.

South Africa Slow To Buy Confeds Cup Tickets But WC2010 Sales Strong … read more »

France international midfielder Franck Ribery has criticised his Bayern Munich team-mates over on-pitch tactics, the German media reported on Tuesday.

“I complained to the coach (Jurgen Klinsmann) about the fact that I never have enough support when I want to attack on the left side,” Ribery told the tabloid daily Bild. “The coach said I had a point.”

Ribery, who has been repeatedly linked with a big-money move away from the club, was speaking in reference to Bayern’s disappointing 0-0 draw against Werder Bremen on Sunday, which left the reigning champions fifth in the Bundesliga table.

His remarks come at a time when speculation about his future is mounting, with his agent having recently suggested that he could be set for a move to Spanish league leaders Barcelona.

German football legend and former Bayern hero Franz Beckenbauer has expressed his frustration with the situation.

“It’s always a problem when a player wants to leave and holds a gun to his club’s head because he has only a slim chance of leaving,” Beckenbauer told Bild.

“Regarding Ribery, it seems that these statements are targeted,” he added. “Bayern have been dependant on him for a long time.”

Ribery Criticises Team-mates As Transfer Rumours Mount … read more »

Real Madrid have decimated Barcelona’s 12-point lead at the top of the Primera Division standings after reeling off ten successive league wins. “We have reduced the gap to just four points and it would seem as though our job is done, but in fact, it has only begun,” he said in an interview with AS.

“Anyone who thinks we have successfully hunted down Barcelona is gravely mistaken. Of course, I am thrilled that we have cut down their lead, but we are not done harassing them.

“There’s still a long way to go with a lot of games to be played. There’s every chance that we can stumble ourselves one day and they will recover their advantage