SAO PAULO, Brazil -- Former Germany great Franz Beckenbauer was banned from football for 90 days by FIFA on Friday for not co-operating with an investigation into the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids.
[b]Ron Schock Jersey[/b] . FIFA said the suspension was requested by ethics prosecutor Michael Garcia, making Beckenbauer the first person to be punished as a result of the case. Beckenbauer refused "repeated requests for his assistance, including requests that he provide information during an in-person interview or in response to written questions provided in both English and German," FIFA said in a statement. It was unclear whether the FIFA suspension would prevent Beckenbauer -- who won the World Cup as both a player and coach -- from attending the tournament in Brazil. FIFA suspensions relating to "any football-related activity, at any level" typically include attending matches and meeting other football officials. Beckenbauer was a voting member of FIFAs executive committee in December 2010 when it chose Qatar, and Russia as 2018 World Cup host. He said last week that he rejected two attempts by Garcia to speak with him, claiming he was no longer active in football. Beckenbauer still holds top-level positions in world football, after serving on FIFAs board from 2007-11. He joined after leading Germanys organization of the 2006 World Cup. He is an adviser to FIFAs football committee and a global ambassador for German champion Bayern Munich. Garcia, a former U.S. Attorney has said that next month he will deliver a dossier on the World Cup case, which FIFA critics hope will order a redo of the votes. Beckenbauer was named in reports this past weekend by The Sunday Times, which has alleged widespread corruption linked to Qatari official Mohamed bin Hammam and the 2022 bidding campaign. The newspaper said Beckenbauer took paid consultancies in 2011 with German firms seeking contracts for World Cup related projects in the gas-rich emirate. Like most FIFA board members, Beckenbauer has not publicly revealed who he voted for. Qatar defeated the United States 14-8 in the fourth round of voting, FIFA President Sepp Blatter has previously said German and French business and political interests influenced the FIFA vote. FIFA said its independent ethics judge, Munich-based Joachim Eckert, was not involved in the decision to suspend Beckenbauer, who faces further sanctions. "The case is now the subject of formal investigation proceedings being conducted by investigatory chamber member Vanessa Allard as chief of the investigation," FIFA said. Garcia could still seek to interview Beckenbauer, though he closed the investigation phase of his probe on Monday. On Wednesday, Garcia addressed FIFAs 209 member countries in Sao Paulo and stressed that football officials are obligated to co-operate with his work. "And it makes real penalties available to all those who fail," the American lawyer said then.
[b]Marty Mcsorley Jersey[/b] . City has reached new heights under manager Manuel Pellegrini as they transition from big spending/immediate impact to perennial contender. Yaya Toures seeming discontent Tuesday may complicate that, as does the little issue of Financial Fair Play.
[b]Penguins Jerseys China[/b] . Huntington doesnt want to help run the club unless Hurdle is in the dugout. The combination thats returned the franchise to respectability will remain intact for years to come.MIAMI -- Their big early lead was gone, the Miami Heat were trailing with 3 minutes remaining and the two-time defending champions seemed very much in trouble. They didnt let Boston score again. Thats how to snap a defensive slump. LeBron James scored 11 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter, Chris Bosh added 16 and the Heat beat the Celtics 93-86 on Tuesday night -- finishing the game on a 9-0 run after trailing 86-84 with 3:08 left. "Its difficult doing what we do," Bosh said. "But thats why were the champs, to do the difficult thing again and get the job done. Tonight was a good start. We just have to build off of it." Chris Andersen scored 13 points and made all five of his shots for Miami, which had given up at least 100 points in four of its last six games. The Heat are 25-1 when allowing less than 100 points; 5-11 otherwise. Brandon Bass scored 15 points, Kris Humphries had 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Jeff Green had 12 points for the Celtics, who enjoyed a 46-33 edge in rebounds but shot only 39 per cent. And when it was over, Celtics coach Brad Stevens had a simple assessment of the final 3 minutes. "LeBron James happened," Stevens said. James made seven free throws in the final 2:33, the only other points down the stretch coming on a jumper by Ray Allen that put the Heat up for good. James did the rest, while the Celtics missed their final four shots. Rajon Rondo, still coming around after returning from knee surgery, missed all eight of his shots, plus a pair of free throws with the Celtics down four with 44.4 seconds remaining. Avery Bradley, the Celtics other starting guard, was lost in the second quarter with a sprained right ankle. "LeBron got a bunch of calls down the stretch," Bass said. "We expect that. We just wished we could have kept him off the line." The Celtics rallied from a 10-point deficit to win 111-110 in their first trip to Miami this season. They seemed poised for a bigger comeback this time, steadily chipping away at a big Miami lead by getting it down to 11 by halftime, then four entering the fourth. And a dunk by Humphries with 3:08 left -- about a half minute after JJames tried a reverse dunk that rimmed out -- put the Celtics on top for the first time since the opening minutes.
[b]Brandon Tanev Jersey[/b]. Thus ended Bostons offence for the evening. "Its the only way were going to be able to win games, if we defend," James said. As if playing without Dwyane Wade isnt difficult enough for Miami -- he was out for the 12th time this season -- the Heat found themselves facing a sticky situation at his position just 71 seconds after tip-off. Allen, who started in Wades spot, was called for two fouls in a span of 11 seconds. But the Heat rolled the dice and left him in until 4.3 seconds remained in the opening quarter, a move that paid off two ways. One, Allen didnt get in any deeper foul trouble. Two, Michael Beasley made those 4.3 ticks on the clock count. Without even time to work up a droplet of sweat, Beasley banked in a 35-footer at the horn of the first quarter to give Miami a 29-15 edge. And another beat-the-clock 3 -- this one by Bosh, with 2.0 seconds left and somewhat less dramatic than Beasleys -- put Miami up 51-40 at intermission. Boston used a 13-2 run to get to 42-35 late in the second. Thats when Greg Oden made his first home-court impact with the Heat. Oden -- playing in Miami for the first time since Nov. 12, 2008 -- blocked a dunk attempt by Green, then after a timeout had a follow slam of a miss by James to help snuff out the Boston rally. The Celtics just kept coming back. The Heat, though, had the final answer. "Erik sits over there and its been a long stretch for them, a hard stretch for them," Stevens said of Spoelstra. "Im sure the last 5 minutes he feels really good about what he can build on moving forward because that teams really good and they didnt even have Wade." NOTES: The Heat are 24-6 when Wade plays, 6-6 when he doesnt. ... Former Heat C Joel Anthony, who was traded to Boston last week, got a video tribute on the scoreboard and a standing ovation during the first quarter. The ovation was slightly less robust when he hit a jumper in the second quarter, though some still stood and clapped. ... James got his trophy for being Eastern Conference player of the month for December at halftime. ' ' '
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