Football: Barca snatch Clasico win over Madrid to strike title blow

BARCELONA, Spain -- Barcelona snatched a 2-1 Clasico win over Real Madrid with Franck Kessie's late goal Sunday to move 12 points clear at the top of La Liga.

The victory dents Madrid's ambitions of retaining the title and leaves the Catalans close to lifting the trophy for the first time since 2019.

Carlo Ancelotti's Real took the lead through a Ronald Araujo own goal but Barcelona pulled level when Sergi Roberto tucked home just before half-time.

Both sides had chances to win the game and Marco Asensio struck for Madrid, but the goal was ruled offside by VAR, before Alejandro Balde set up Kessie in the 92nd minute.

"We came from a Marco Asensio goal that we didn't know was offside and from losing, we scored Franck's goal, and the truth is it tastes a bit better, winning like that in the last minute," Sergi Roberto told Movistar.

"There are a lot of games left and you can never give Madrid up for dead. 12 points is a tricky distance to have to go, but it's up to us, and that is good."

The build-up to the match was overshadowed by Barcelona's corruption charge in the "Caso Negreira" refereeing scandal.

Madrid joined Spanish prosecutors' complaint against Barcelona last week and their president Florentino Perez snubbed the game for the first time in over 20 years, amid rising tensions between the two Spanish giants.

That fed the match's intensity, both on and off the pitch, in Xavi's sixth Clasico as Barcelona coach but only his first at Camp Nou.

Xavi asked fans to make the stadium a pressure cooker and they responded, selling it out, whistling Madrid in possession and conjuring one of the best atmospheres of the season.

Madrid did not manage a single shot on target in their Copa del Rey semi-final first leg defeat by Barcelona earlier in March, but Karim Benzema stung Marc-Andre ter Stegen's palms inside the first minute.

Robert Lewandowski responded at the other end by testing Thibaut Courtois as the veteran marksmen exchanged shots.

When Barcelona conceded the opening goal of the game, it was friendly fire. Araujo deflected Vinicius' cross in at the near post, with Ter Stegen helpless.

Araujo, playing at right-back to counteract the Brazilian, has enjoyed his duels with Vinicius in the past but this time the winger triumphed, albeit fortuitously. Barcelona supporters became enraged by his emphatic celebration in front of them.

It was the first goal from open play Barcelona have conceded at Camp Nou in La Liga all season long, and only the second strike at home and ninth overall.

- Comeback charge -

Barcelona complained defender Nacho, already booked, should have been sent off for a hand-off on Raphinha.

The hosts did not get their wish, but were building up steam and found the breakthrough just before half-time, from an unlikely source.

Selected in place of injured midfielder Pedri, Sergi Roberto was in the right place at the right time to control a loose ball in the box and arc it beyond Courtois.

Barcelona had significantly more possession than in their cup win over Madrid and significantly more chances.

Lewandowski sent a deflected piledriver narrowly wide as Madrid wobbled, prompting Carlo Ancelotti to roll the dice and bring on Rodrygo and Ferland Mendy.

It almost paid instant dividends as Madrid robbed Sergio Busquets and Rodrygo lashed inches over the bar.

Madrid substitute Asensio fired home what might have been the winner but the goal was ruled out for offside after a nervy wait for VAR instruction.

Barcelona seemed content with the draw but Kessie's last-gasp strike sparked wild celebrations at Camp Nou.

Asked if Madrid's hopes of defending the title were over, Courtois told Movistar: "Yes, we have to be honest, we will keep fighting until the end but it's (12 points) now, we have the better head-to-head, but they have to lose four games and we have to win them all.

"Nothing is impossible but it's very difficult."

Agence France-Presse

Football: Unbeaten Madrid defeat Barcelona in Clasico to top La Liga

MADRID, Spain -- Reigning champions Real Madrid beat Barcelona 3-1 in the Clasico to overtake their fierce rivals at the top of La Liga on Sunday.

Karim Benzema opened the scoring in the 12th minute by converting a rebound after Marc-Andre ter Stegen saved from Vinicius Junior, with Fede Valverde drilling home the second from the edge of the box before the break.

Ferran Torres pulled one back for Barcelona in the final stages after good work by Ansu Fati, but Rodrygo won and converted a late penalty to ensure Carlo Ancelotti's side inflicted Barcelona's first domestic defeat of the season.

Madrid ended the Catalans' seven-game winning streak in the league and added to the still-raw pain of their struggles in Europe, where they are on the verge of Champions League elimination.

Barcelona, who spent heavily in the summer to try and catch up with their rivals, now trail them by three points. The Catalans had conceded just one league goal in eight games before the Clasico but shipped double that tally in the first half, leaving Madrid as the division's only unbeaten side.

"We knew there would come a time in the game where we had to suffer, because they move the ball well, and that's when each of us had to give more, defend well, and we did it," Madrid midfielder Luka Modric told DAZN.

"In attack we were convincing, we scored three goals and I'm very happy for our performance, I think we had a great game."

After a damaging draw with Inter Milan midweek that left Barcelona's European hopes hanging by a thread, Xavi made changes, including Jules Kounde returning in place of Gerard Pique.

Last season Barcelona's best moment came at the Bernabeu, as Xavi's side earned a surprising 4-0 win, but this visit found them at their lowest ebb since the Spanish World Cup winner took charge.

"The feeling I have right now is that we're in a negative dynamic where nothing is going for us," Xavi told DAZN. "I can't be happy with anything, losing in the Bernabeu 3-1 is very bad.

- Benzema on the money -

Vinicius probed in the opening stages down the left flank against the unconvincing Sergi Roberto and that was where Madrid's opening goal came from after 12 minutes.

The masterful Toni Kroos held off Sergio Busquets and threaded a neat pass down the wing, with Vinicius leaving Roberto for dead. Ter Stegen denied the Brazilian winger, but Benzema was on hand to slam home the rebound.

The French forward had gone five games without a goal, but ended his drought on the big stage, showing typically perfect timing as he is expected to win the Ballon d'Or in Paris on Monday.

Vinicius was booked for complaining about a push from Roberto as Barcelona began to earn a foothold in the game, but another individual error quickly pulled it away from them.

Eric Garcia's loose header found Vinicius in a dangerous area and Madrid toyed with Barcelona's defense, dragging them one way before Ferland Mendy passed the ball back across for Valverde to drill home from the edge of the area.

Madrid continued to push forward after the break and Benzema curled home a third, but it was ruled out for offside.

At the other end La Liga's top scorer Robert Lewandowski sent a free-kick into the wall and appealed for a penalty after Dani Carvajal collided with him in the box, but the referee was not interested.

Substitute Fati angled a strike wide from outside the area but Madrid were largely comfortable, sitting back and keeping Barcelona at arm's length until Torres struck.

Fati's brilliant run and cross for the Spanish winger gave Barcelona a lifeline, but Madrid sealed the win when Garcia trod on Rodrygo in the area and he beat Ter Stegen from the spot.

"We are very disappointed," Barca defender Kounde told DAZN. "I don't think we had a bad game but in the first half we failed where they are strong, on transitions.

"I think that for the first goal we should have committed a foul to stop the counter attack, and the second is quite similar. That's the strength of (their) team. Sometimes they don't have the ball, are suffering and then they score two goals."

Real Betis moved fourth with a 3-1 win over Almeria with William Carvalho netting a brace. Real Sociedad's 2-1 win at Celta Vigo takes them fifth and Espanyol earned a 1-0 victory over Real Valladolid.

Agence France-Presse

Football: Relentless Real beat Barca to take La Liga lead

MADRID - Real Madrid beat rivals Barcelona 2-1 at home in an entertaining, rain-soaked 'Clasico' on Saturday to stretch their winning run to six games in all competitions and go top of La Liga for the first time in three months.

Karim Benzema put the champions in charge at a soggy Alfredo di Stefano stadium with a delightful backheel in the 14th minute while a deflected Toni Kroos free kick doubled their lead in the 28th.

Barca hit back on the hour mark through Oscar Mingueza and the defender almost found the equaliser later on, while the Catalans had a huge penalty appeal waved away when Martin Braithwaite fell following a challenge by Ferland Mendy.

Real midfielder Casemiro was sent off in stoppage time for picking up two yellow cards in the space of a minute while Barca substitute Ilaix Moriba hit the crossbar in the fourth minute of added time.

The hosts survived the nail-biting finish to complete the double over Barca in a league season for the first time since 2008 and round off a sensational week after beating Liverpool 3-1 in a Champions League quarter-final first leg on Tuesday.

"This is a huge win for us, you could say that it was as important as a final but we'll have to keep on fighting for a while yet," said Real defender Nacho.

"We were excellent on the counterattack, we knew they would want the ball and could do us damage with it but we got a two-goal advantage which put us in a very strong position."

Zinedine Zidane's side joined Atletico Madrid on 66 points and moved top of the table, although Atletico can reclaim first place when they visit Real Betis on Sunday.

Barca, who lost for the first time in the league since early December, dropped to third on 65.

"We kept on trying until the end to equalise and we'll keep on fighting for the title," said Barca defender Sergi Roberto.

"We had our fate in our own hands before now but not anymore, so we have to win the games we have left and hope the others drop points."

SUBLIME BACKHEEL

Barca looked to dominate possession but were powerless to control Real's counterattacks and went behind when Federico Valverde hurdled a Jordi Alba tackle to shuttle down the pitch, feeding Lucas Vazquez whose low cross was turned in by Benzema's sublime backheel.

Real caught Barca out on the break again when Vinicius Jr. raced on to a Luka Modric pass and was felled by Ronald Araujo. The free kick was in perfect range for Kroos, whose shot bounced off the back of Sergino Dest to wrong-foot Barca keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Real were inches away from scoring a third when Valverde again tore down Barca's left-hand side and smacked the far post, Vazquez pouncing on the rebound but shooting straight at Ter Stegen.

Barca barely caused Real any trouble until the end of the first half, when Lionel Messi hit the far post straight from a corner. The Argentine had a better chance moments later from inside the area but could not beat Madrid's Thibaut Courtois.

Koeman took decisive action at halftime, throwing on Antoine Griezmann for Dest and the French substitute helped pull Barca back into contention, playing a dummy which led to Mingueza scoring.

The torrential rain caused Messi to change his soaked shirt late in the game and the slippery conditions helped set up the frantic finish, but Real weathered the storm.

(Reporting by Richard Martin Editing by Toby Davis)

-reuters-

Football: Messi unable to inspire Barca winner as Madrid hold on for draw

BARCELONA -- Real Madrid gained a measure of redemption at the Camp Nou by holding Barcelona to a 1-1 draw on Wednesday and taking the upper-hand in the semi-final of Copa del Rey. 

Neither Lionel Messi nor Gareth Bale were named in the starting line-ups for this first leg but their replacements filled the void as Malcom's curling shot cancelled out an early opener from Lucas Vazquez. 

After an impressive opening 20 minutes, Madrid were largely second best in a compelling, if unspectacular, Clasico but the result leaves them well-placed heading into the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu on February 27. 

For Santiago Solari's side, a resilient, gutsy display will also help erase the memory of their humiliation here in October, when they were thrashed 5-1, a result that caused Julen Lopetegui to be sacked the following day.

"Comparisons are unhelpful," said Solari. "But this result shows how hard the team is working."

Messi, who had been struggling with a thigh problem, and Bale, who faces a fight for place after recovering from a calf injury, both came on after the hour but neither could inspire a winner. 

Instead, it was Vazquez, and two youthful Brazilians that took centre stage. Vazquez scored but Vinicius Junior, the youngest Real Madrid player to feature in a Clasico this century, was his team's greatest threat until the 18-year-old departed in the second half. 

"I'm not surprised by how he plays because I've known him since he arrived," said Solari. "But an 18-year-old boy playing and developing in this way, that is a surprise."

Malcom was just as unpredictable and in the end, it was the 21-year-old's intervention that keeps Barca on level terms. 

"The tie is in the balance," coach Ernesto Valverde said. "A draw is a fair reflection," said Sergio Busquets.

Barely 10 seconds had passed before Toni Kroos snapped into Ivan Rakitic, setting the tone for what was a dominant opening spell from Madrid. 

Vinicius led the way. He was fearless, full of imperfections and erratic decisions but delivering moments of clarity too when Madrid were at their most threatening. 

- Benzema sets up Vazquez -

He jinked inside Nelson Semedo and teed up Kroos before producing the cross that created the goal, an arching ball over the head of Jordi Alba, which Karim Benzema tucked back for Vazquez to poke in. 

Rakitic and Philippe Coutinho were both careless in possession but Vinicius lacked precision to capitalise, first scuttling into Benzema and then misreading the Frenchman's run. 

Barca had been just as frantic, with Luis Suarez even tripping over his own feet. But they improved and after half an hour, were in the ascendancy. 

Malcom missed a one-on-one and then became their best player for a period, crossing for Rakitic to head against the bar and teeing up Suarez to sting the hands of Keylor Navas. 

The home fans called Messi's name at the start of the second half and when he jogged up the touchline shortly before the hour, they roared as if for a goal. 

They did that soon after too, after an equaliser of chaos and quality in equal measure. Navas rushed out to block Alba before Suarez curled a brilliant shot that beat the diving Sergio Ramos but not the post. 

It spilled to Malcom and he still had work to do, 20 yards out with white shirts in front. He found a gap. 

Messi came on, along with Arturo Vidal, Bale and Casemiro. Vinicius was among those to make way, his bright start fading with fatigue. 

Neither side seemed sure how much to commit for a winner. Messi twice weaved through but the best chance fell to Bale, who received from Benzema after Marc-Andre ter Stegen's skewed clearance. The goal was open but Bale's touch was heavy and Semedo made a crucial block.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

LA LIGA: Messi's 500th Barca goal sinks Real Madrid in thriller

MADRID - Lionel Messi scored his 500th Barcelona goal with the last kick of the game to snatch a stunning 3-2 win at Real Madrid and put the two teams level on points at the top of La Liga on Sunday.

James Rodriguez appeared to have rescued a point for the hosts with an 86th-minute strike to make it 2-2 after goals by Messi and Ivan Rakitic had overturned Casemiro's opener.

Madrid captain Sergio Ramos was sent off for a two-footed lunge on Messi in the 77th minute and that left Barcelona in a strong position, until Rodriguez fired home at the near post.

But Messi’s second goal in the final minute of added time earned Barca a vital win in the title race that leaves both sides with 75 points, although Madrid have a game in hand.

“We are first now but Madrid have an extra game," said Barcelona coach Luis Enrique. "It will be tight down till the end. We got the result we came here for.

“This is a season that weighs (on us) like five. So many things have happened, good things, not so good things, things I’ve already forgotten.

"The 2-2 (goal) was a terrible blow but players were able to come back in the last breath -- the happy ending that we all wanted at Barcelona.”


The match was a thriller which will go down as one of the best Clasicos in history, with end-to-end action from the off.

Cristiano Ronaldo was furious when Samuel Umtiti tripped him in the box and referee Alejandro Jose Hernandez waved away his appeal, but Barcelona were complaining afterwards when Marcelo got away with an elbow on Messi.

The Argentine came in for harsh treatment throughout, with Casemiro lucky not to be sent off for multiple hacks on him after picking up an early booking for a foul.

The Brazilian opened the scoring for Madrid in the 28th minute, tapping home at the back post after Ramos had fired Marcelo’s cross against the post.

Five minutes later Barcelona were level and it was Messi who finished it, dancing away from Dani Carvajal and slotting the ball beyond Keylor Navas.

Gareth Bale went off injured towards the end of the first half and was replaced by Marco Asensio. The youngster set up Ronaldo in the second period but the Portugal international blasted over from close range.

Rakitic made him pay with a long-range strike that flew beyond Navas and then Ramos was dismissed as he lunged in on Messi recklessly.

Rodriguez levelled the score after he reached Marcelo’s near-post cross but Messi had the final say, blowing the title race wide open.

Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said his team were still in control and the result would not upset their title charge.

“Nothing changes now. Maybe after today the league will be more open,” he said. “But we still depend on ourselves."

(Editing by Ken Ferris and Clare Fallon)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

LA LIGA: Ramos rescues Real to maintain six-point lead

BARCELONA, Spain -- Sergio Ramos's stoppage-time equalizer maintained Real Madrid's six-point lead at the top of La Liga as the European champions salvaged a 1-1 draw at Barcelona in Saturday's El Clasico.

Luis Suarez looked to have breathed new life into the title race when he headed home the opener from Neymar's free-kick eight minutes into the second half.

Neymar and Lionel Messi then passed up huge chances to add to Barca's advantage, and the hosts were made to pay when Real captain Ramos met Luka Modric's free-kick with a powerful header to stretch Madrid's unbeaten run in all competitions to 33 games.

"I have to once again highlight the heart of this team, they believed until the end and got the draw which is important," said Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane.

Barca coach Luis Enrique lamented his side's luck, but also blamed a lack of efficiency in front of goal as, for a fourth time in seven home league games, the Catalans dropped points.

"The performance of the team was better than the opponent in my opinion. Football has been unfair to us," said Enrique.

"It is a huge blow for all of us but we have only played 14 games in the league and there is a long way to go.

"We have to improve our performance and get better results, especially at home, because we are miles off where we want to be."

Before kick-off both sides came together to pay homage to the 71 victims that wiped out almost the entirety of Brazilian side Chapecoense's squad in a plane crash in Colombia earlier in the week.

However, once the action got underway old hostilities were renewed as Madrid screamed for a penalty less than two minutes in.

Lucas Vazquez went down under Javier Mascherano's challenge, but referee Carlos Clos Gomez waved play on.

Barcelona enjoyed the majority of possession, but with captain Andres Iniesta left on the bench on his return from a two-month injury layoff, lacked the creativity to break down Madrid before the break.

At the other end the spotlight was on Cristiano Ronaldo more than ever in the absence of the injured Gareth Bale and following allegations of grand scale tax avoidance published by a series of European media organisations on Saturday.

The Portuguese came to life towards the end of the first-half as he had Madrid's first shot on target that was turned behind by Marc-Andre ter Stegen eight minutes before half-time and the German stood firm to deny another driven Ronaldo effort moments later.

- Suarez strikes -

However, Barca started the second-half on the front foot and got the goal they badly needed to kickstart their title defence when Neymar's free-kick from the left found Suarez somehow unmarked to head home from point blank range.

Iniesta was then introduced to a hero's welcome and teed up Neymar for a huge chance to seal the three points 21 minutes from time.

The Brazilian skipped past Dani Carvajal, but blasted over the bar with the goal at his mercy.

Iniesta then produced a sublime pass to lay the chance Messi had been waiting for all afternoon on a plate, but the Argentine pulled his effort wide of the far post with just Navas to beat.

And Barca were made to pay for their profligacy as Ramos rose unmarked to power home Modric's free-kick as the game entered stoppage time to silence the Camp Nou.

Barca still had one final chance to snatch all three points, but Sergi Roberto's looping header was cleared off the line as a first La Liga title in five seasons edged closer for Real.

A fine night for Real was rounded off as Atletico Madrid remain nine points back in fourth after being held to a 0-0 draw at home by Espanyol.

Indeed, the Champions League finalists were thankful to goalkeeper Jan Oblak for even a point as he made brilliant saves from Gerard Moreno and Leo Baptistao.

Third-placed Sevilla also slipped to defeat as Granada moved off the bottom with their first win of the season 2-1 at Nuevo Los Carmenes.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Suarez, Neymar humiliate Real in 4-0 'Clasico' romp

MADRID - Barcelona dealt a stinging blow to Real Madrid's title hopes when Luis Suarez and Neymar continued their scintillating form to fire the champions to a stunning 4-0 victory in the La Liga 'Clasico' on Saturday.

Suarez struck twice either side of goals from Neymar and captain Andres Iniesta as Barca humiliated their arch rivals with an imperious performance at the Bernabeu.

They surged six points clear at the top with 30 from 12 matches and ratcheted up the pressure on under-fire Real coach Rafa Benitez who had the luxury of fielding the trio of Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema but to little effect.

Barca's dominance in the 231st meeting between the two teams, which prompted the angry Real fans to roundly whistle their own players and chant for president Florentino Perez to step down, was all the more remarkable considering coach Luis Enrique had started with a fit-again Lionel Messi on the bench.


The Argentina captain, who has been out for nearly two months with a knee injury, came on for Ivan Rakitic just before the hour and promptly sent Suarez clear to score the European champions' fourth.

An utterly dominant Barca could easily have added to their tally in the closing stages and Real's humiliation was complete when substitute Isco was shown a straight red card for a wild lunge at Neymar six minutes from time.

"We played what was quite honestly a complete match in every sense," Iniesta, who was given an ovation by the home fans when he was substituted late on, told Spanish television.

"There is a long way to go, it's not decisive at all but we are going away very, very satisfied," added the Spain playmaker.

A giant French flag was unfurled in the stands and the Marseillaise played during a minute's silence before kickoff to honour the victims of the Paris attacks and security was tight for the clash in the Spanish capital.

In an ominous sign for the home side, Barca had the first clear chance of the game when Suarez laid the ball off to Neymar in the seventh minute but the Brazil forward fired wildly over.

Sergi Roberto burst through the middle and played Suarez in on the right of the penalty area to open the scoring in the 11th minute with a clinical finish.

James Rodriguez had Real's only dangerous shot of the first half in the 28th minute before Iniesta slipped a pass through for Neymar to make it 2-0 five minutes before the break.

Marcelo had to clear a Suarez effort off the line moments before halftime after brilliant work from Neymar and as the players trooped off, a cacophony of whistles rang out around the stadium mixed with chants for Perez to go.

FULL BLAST

Real came out fighting after the break and Marcelo and Rodriguez each went close before Neymar sent a backheel into Iniesta's path in the 53rd minute and he hammered the ball past Keylor Navas into the top corner.

Isco came on for Rodriguez shortly after and initially gave Real some much-needed zip in attack, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema largely anonymous.

Suarez's second effort in the 74th minute was the 20th he and Neymar have scored between them out of Barca's last 21 goals in La Liga.

After the whistle, thousands of Real fans waved anything white they could get their hands on in the traditional sign of discontent with the board of directors while the music came on full blast to drown out any more embarrassing chants.

Chasing a sixth La Liga title in eight years, Barca have 30 points, with Real, who lost 3-2 at Sevilla in their previous outing, on 24.

Atletico Madrid can climb back to within four points of Barca and leapfrog Real into second with a win at promoted Real Betis on Sunday.

Valencia missed a chance to move above Celta Vigo into fourth when they lost the lead in a 1-1 draw at home to Las Palmas as Celta lost 2-0 at Galician rivals Deportivo La Coruna. Valencia have 19 points while Celta remain on 21.

Goals from Imanol Agirretxe and Xabi Prieto gave Real Sociedad coach Eusebio Sacristan a winning start in a 2-0 success at home to stuttering Sevilla.

(Additional reporting by Jesus Aguado, editing by Clare Fallon, Ken Ferris and Ian Chadband)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

FOOTBALL: Security measures increased for 'El Clasico'

Stiff security measures in place for 'El Clasico'

Tim Hanlon, Reuters

Security measures will be increased significantly for 'El Clasico' between Real Madrid and Barcelona on Saturday in the aftermath of the Paris attacks, Spain's secretary of state for security Francisco Martinez said.

The decision was made at a special meeting of top sporting and security officials on Wednesday ahead of the high-profile match that will be watched by around 80,000 fans at the Bernabeu and millions more around the world.

"There will be at least 1,000 police from the national force, which is double what is normal for a game like this, 1,400 private security guards and on top of this there will be the municipal police," Martinez told reporters.

"We are on anti-terrorist alert four (with five a very high risk) and there will be extensive security so as to guarantee that the match takes place with complete normality."

Chile football chief resigns, heads to U.S. to meet FBI

Anthony Esposito, Reuters

The president of Chile's ANFP national football association Sergio Jadue has resigned from his post and gone to the United States to talk to the FBI about corruption at soccer governing body FIFA, local media reported on Wednesday.

Chile's investigative police had served Jadue a subpoena on Friday, hours after he announced he would take a 30-day leave for medical reasons, as part of what the ANFP said was an investigation into how it allocates salaries.

The ANFP said Wednesday evening that it had accepted Jadue's resignation as president of the association.

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Prince Ali confident he can win open FIFA election

Mike Collett, Reuters

The Jordanian prince beaten in May's FIFA presidential election says he can win the race to become president next February because the old order which led world soccer's governing body into crisis is being swept away.

Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein of Jordan is one of five men seeking to replace Sepp Blatter in February's special elective vote. He told reporters in London he was optimistic of doing better than in May, when he was beaten by 133-73 votes by Blatter at the FIFA Congress in Zurich.

"I am confident that I can win the election because I believe I have the best ideas for what the future of FIFA should be and I have full faith and confidence in our national associations.

"I feel much more confident with the national associations now because I can see they feel that a weight has been lifted off their shoulders.

"Under the terms of the election, unlike before, the electoral body has stipulated there can be no block voting by confederations, forcing them how to vote, as we used to see in the past and I believe I have support from all over the world."

As well as Prince Ali, former FIFA official Jerome Champagne of France, Swiss Gianni Infantino, UEFA's general secretary, South African businessman Tokyo Sexwale and Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa of Bahrain are also standing.


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Messi looking sharp but still a Clasico doubt, says Suarez

Tim Hanlon, Reuters

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi is looking sharp in training but remains a doubt for Saturday's 'El Clasico' against Real Madrid, team mate Luis Suarez said.

Messi is in a fitness battle having returned to training on Monday following a knee injury he picked up at the end of September.

"Whether he plays or not is down to the coach, the medics and how he feels but he has been looking sharp in training. However, it is the type of injury where there are risks for the future," Suarez told a news conference on Wednesday.

"Messi is a player that makes a difference in all games and in Clasicos he has always made a big impact but we will have to see if he is ready."

In the absence of the four times World Player of the Year, Suarez and Neymar have excelled and propelled Barca to a three-point lead over Real at the top of La Liga.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com