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Argentina’s Cufre Facing Punishment

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From the Associated Press

Argentina defender Leandro Cufre faces a disciplinary panel and German players or officials could also be punished over the fracas that followed the host team’s shootout win in the World Cup quarterfinals.

FIFA communications director Markus Siegler said Saturday that the “legal procedure will be started as is normal in the case of a red card.”

At least one German player was injured and several players and staffers were involved in a skirmish that followed Friday’s game at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. The match was tied, 1-1, after overtime and Germany won on penalty kicks, 4-2.

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Cufre, an unused substitute who plays for AS Roma, was given a red card by referee Lubos Michel after the match. Siegler said the disciplinary panel would review the video to check to see whether other people would be sanctioned.

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Police detained about 100 mostly English soccer fans in Gelsenkirchen after England lost in the World Cup but reported no major clashes after the quarterfinal match against Portugal.

About 50 English fans were taken into custody when police cleared a bar in Gelsenkirchen’s old town on Saturday evening, police spokesman Thomas Weise said. Officers moved in after fans got unruly and started throwing glasses, Weise said. Thirty more English fans and 20 Germans were also detained in the course of the day.

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Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann had an assist when he beat Argentina’s penalty-kick takers.

Before the penalty kicks, the coaching staff slipped Lehmann a piece of paper that included the names of Argentina players likely to take the kicks and the direction in which they usually shoot.

Lehmann kept the list in his right sock, discreetly consulting it between the penalties, and Germany eventually won.

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Italy defender Alessandro Nesta is still recovering from a right thigh injury and remains in doubt for Italy’s World Cup semifinal against Germany. Nesta has sat out Italy’s last two games.

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NOW YOU KNOW

Petit, a midfielder from Portugal, is the only player among the final four teams who will be suspended for the semifinals because of an accumulation of yellow cards. The players who are carrying one yellow card in the elimination phase:

* France -- Frank Ribery, Willy Sagnol, Louis Saha, Lilian Thuram, Patrick Vieira, Zinedine Zidane.

* Germany -- Arne Friedrich, Torsten Frings, David Odonkor, Lukas Podolski.

* Italy -- Gennaro Gattuso, Fabio Grosso, Gianluca Zambrotta.

* Portugal -- Ricardo Carvalho, Louis Figo, Maniche, Ricardo, Nuno Valente.

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