| Liverpool are in crisis, says former defender Mark Lawrenson • BBC pundit says Liverpool's decline is 'officially a crisis'• 'The mediocrity in the squad is being exposed'Mark Lawrenson believes his former club Liverpool are at crisis-point.Defeat to Blackpool at Anfield on Sunday has left them in the bottom three of the Premier League and with poor performances matching the results, Lawrenson says the players have to accept responsibility."I really didn't think Liverpool, even in these trying times, would plummet to these depths," he wrote in his Liverpool Daily Post column. "I really thought that a game against Blackpool at home would be the perfect chance to get things back on an even keel and I imagine most supporters saw it that way too."So for them to come to Anfield and win comfortably and outplay a Liverpool side lacking so much in desire means it is officially time to worry. It's officially a crisis."What is even more depressing is, I'm not even sure what can be done about it. It's not like you can sign a couple of players to turn things round any more. Which is a shame because the new players here aren't doing it and some of the old players aren't up to it."It's clear that Liverpool have been relying on their top stars for too long, and now the mediocrity in the squad is being exposed."Liverpoolguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Liverpool's Torres has adductor strain Liverpool striker Fernando Torres sustained an adductor strain at the weekend and could miss the derby match against Everton on Oct. 17. cbc.ca |
Fifa provisionally suspend members caught up in World Cup vote claims • Nigeria's Amos Adamu and Tahiti's Reynald Temarii banned• Ethics committee to meet again in November over scandalThe two Fifa executive committee members implicated in a bribery scandal concerning the vote for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups have been provisionally suspended pending a full hearing next month.Nigeria's Amos Adamu and Tahiti's Reynald Temarii were caught out by a Sunday Times undercover investigation. Four other Fifa officials – Slim Aloulou, Amadou Diakite, Ahongalu Fusimalohi and Ismael Bhamjee – have also been provisionally suspended from taking part in any football-related activity.The ethics committee will meet again in mid-November to take a final decision ahead of the World Cup vote on 2 December."The decision to provisionally suspend these officials is fully justified and should not be put in question," said the Fifa ethics committee chairman, Claudio Sulser."The evidence that has been presented to us today has led us to take this provisional measure, as we considered that the conditions were definitely met to take this decision and we deem that it is crucial to protect the integrity of the 2018 and 2022 Fifa World Cup bidding process."We are determined to have zero tolerance for any breach of the code of ethics."Fifa's president, Sepp Blatter, said the world governing body is not corrupt but that there were "devils" within football as in society. Blatter told a news conference in Zurich: "It is a sad day for football because it's a sad day in life and you cannot have always sunny days."Our society is full of devils and these devils you find them in football. We have to fight for fair play, we have to fight for respect and especially we have to fight that the people in charge of Fifa behave as they should do and if this is not the case then we have to intervene."As the president of Fifa I appeal to and I expect all members not only of the Fifa executive committee but all members of the Fifa family to behave in an honest, sincere and respectful manner because football is based on discipline, respect, fair play and solidarity."These rules have to be abided by everybody in the football family. We have the necessary tools to intervene when necessary and that is what we have done today."I was a little bit surprised that you say is Fifa corrupt? Ladies and gentleman Fifa is actually in the world of sport a well recognised organisation and institution and if there are some activities that are against the ethics and the morals that's why the ethics committee came in."So let us do our job and clarify the situation and bring back credibility to football, and we do it now, we try to do it but you can never avoid in a game that have more than one billion fans that everybody behaves like we would like."Trust us and you will see confidence will be restored."FifaWorld Cup 2018Football politicsguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
FIFA suspends 2 officials over bribery probe FIFA has provisionally suspended two top officials in a World Cup vote-selling scandal, and will continue investigating the pair. cbc.ca |
Liverpool Fans Hurt In Clashes Before Napoli Game NAPLES, Italy (Reuters) - Two Liverpool fans have been injured overnight in clashes ahead of Thursday's Europa League game with Napoli, police sources said. feeds.nytimes.com |