America Fires Lapuente After Missing Playoffs

Club America of Mexico will have a new coach long before it plays English champion Manchester United at the Coliseum on July 27.

That was assured Monday when Mexico’s wealthiest team fired Manuel Lapuente as coach after he had failed to take it into the Mexican league playoffs less than a year after he had led it to the championship. A 1-0 loss to UNL on Saturday sealed Lapuente’s fate.

Javier Perez, the club’s president, told the Televisa network that owns the Mexico City club that Lapuente’s style “was not congenial with what the administration wanted” and that there was a “divorce between the team and fans.”

Celebration Sours

An unidentified stadium announcer at the Mexican club Cuernavaca could conceivably be joining Lapuente in the ranks of the unemployed after he announced incorrect scores Saturday and set off celebrations among Cuernavaca’s players, who went on a lap of honor, and among fans, who carried Argentine midfielder Jorge Jerez to the center circle on their shoulders.

Based on the scores announced, the players and fans believed that the team had successfully fended off relegation to a lower division. But journalists pointed out the error and the celebration fizzled fast.

Political Clout

Marc Wilmots, the popular striker who scored 28 goals in 70 matches for Belgium and represented his country in four World Cup tournaments, has won election to his country’s senate in his first try for political office.

Wilmots, 34, retired from international competition after Korea/Japan ’02 and became player-coach of the German Bundesliga team Schalke 04. He will resign that position at the end of the season, and take his seat in the senate after receiving 79,437 votes Sunday.

Ajax Cancels

Dutch soccer club Ajax Amsterdam canceled its June 4 exhibition match against Moroccan club Raja Casablanca because of safety concerns.

On Friday, 14 suicide bombers killed 29 people in Casablanca in five almost simultaneous attacks.

“In light of the recent attacks Ajax think it is not safe enough to travel to Morocco,” the club said on its Web site.

Quick Passes

South Africa’s soccer federation said Coach Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba would return to his post after Thursday’s game against England in Durban, South Africa. Mashaba was temporarily relieved of the position in a dispute over player selection.... Juan Ramon Carrasco, who will make his debut as Uruguay’s coach on Wednesday against Argentina at La Plata, Argentina, has ignored Uruguay’s European-based stars and selected 25 domestic players for his roster, with striker Sebastian “Loco” Abreu the most experienced of the group.... Referee Lubos Michel of Slovakia has been chosen to officiate Wednesday’s UEFA Cup final between Celtic of Scotland and FC Porto of Portugal in Seville, Spain.... Manchester City Coach Kevin Keegan is trying to lure goalkeeper David Seaman away from Arsenal as a replacement for retired Peter Schmeichel, but Seaman, 39, also has an offer of become Arsenal’s goalkeeping coach.... As punishment for violent behavior by their respective fans, the Greek teams Olympiakos and Panathinaikos have been ordered to play some of their scheduled home games on the road. The Greek league’s disciplinary committee ordered Olympiakos to play four home games at its opponents’ stadiums and told Panathinaikos to play two home games away.