Brazil Soccer in Turmoil
The president of Brazil’s soccer confederation should be prosecuted for overseeing a sport crippled by corruption, mismanagement and personal graft, a congressional report said Tuesday.
The 1,600-page report calls for the prosecution of Ricardo Teixeira and 16 other top officials, including congressman Eurico Miranda, who runs the Vasco da Gama team.
Relieved only days ago by drawing what many consider an easy group in the 2002 World Cup--China, Costa Rica and Turkey--soccer fans began to gripe as investigators revealed how the soccer confederation (CBF) ran up debts of more than $10 million from 1995-2000.
Alvaro Dias, who presided over the yearlong investigation, blamed “the irrational and criminal way the confederation’s funds were managed to the benefit of certain people.”
Dias told senators that investigators found Teixeira was “implicated in a range of crimes against the financial system.” He specifically listed money laundering through the transfer of players, illicit enrichment and tax fraud.
The investigation’s general secretary, Geraldo Althoff, said Teixeira--the son-in-law of former FIFA president Joao Havelange--Miranda and another 15 federation and club bosses should be prosecuted.
“There was disorganization and wrongful appropriation of CBF funds,” Althoff said, explaining the irregularities were committed “by action and omission, with a total disrespect for CBF statutes and the law.”
The exhaustive report recorded “inadmissible expenses” run up by Teixeira--such as monthly salaries as high as $14,000--$2,000-a-day limousine rentals in New York, and more than $12,500 in restaurant bills on another trip.
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Penn State’s Christie Welsh, who led the Big Ten Conference in scoring for the second consecutive year, was honored with the Hermann Trophy, awarded to nation’s top female college soccer player.
Welsh, who had 25 goals and 18 assists this season, was last year’s runner-up. She is the first Penn State woman to win the trophy, which has been given since 1988.
Welsh, a forward, broke the Penn State and Big Ten career records for goals, assists, points and game-winning goals in her junior season.
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The San Jose Earthquakes, the champion of Major League Soccer, will open the CONCACAF Champions Cup against CD Olimpia of Honduras.
Among the other matchups are D.C. United against CSD Comunicaciones of Guatemala, the Chicago Fire playing CSD Municipal of Guatemala and the Kansas City Wizards taking on W Connection FC of Trinidad and Tobago.
Teams must complete their first-round, home-and-home series by March 24.
Miscellany
Oregon women’s assistant coach Allison McNeill was selected coach of the Canadian national basketball team, becoming the second consecutive Oregon alum to get the job.
McNeill is an assistant for Bev Smith, who stepped down as Canada’s coach in June when she was hired at Oregon.
The Dallas Desperados selected lineman Ramando Stallings from the Avengers with the top pick in the Arena Football League expansion draft.
The Desperados, owned by Jerry Jones, begin play next spring. Stallings started on the defensive line for the Xtreme in the XFL after spending the 2000 season with the Edmonton Eskimos and BC Lions of the Canadian Football League.
Charges against ESPN founder William Rasmussen were dismissed by a judge in Naples, Fla., in a corruption case involving a proposed golf course stadium.
The judge also tossed out conspiracy charges against developers Robert Paul Hardy and Renee Tolson, development attorney Leo Salvatori and former Commissioner John Norris.
Judge Lauren Miller called the charges vague but left in place racketeering and influence-peddling counts against Norris, the lone public official left in the case.
Passings
Eddie “Pop” Popowski, a player, manager, coach and instructor in the Boston Red Sox organization for more than 60 years, died on Tuesday in Sayreville, N.J. He was 88.
Popowski, who had been with the organization since 1937 and was third-base coach for the Red Sox for seven seasons, died after a short illness, team spokesman Kevin Shea said.
