FIFA President has been called racist

Former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner has severely criticized the governing body's president Sepp Blatter.

Trinidadian Warner, who resigned from his position at FIFA in June,accused Blatter of "megalomania, covert racism and discrimination."

Blatter apologised last month after being widely condemned for suggesting racism could be settled by a handshake.

Prior to his resignation, Warner had been suspended pending an investigation into bribery allegations. FIFA executive committee member Chuck Blazer, the general secretary of Concacaf - the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football - had alerted FIFA with allegations that Asian Football Confederation boss Mohammed Bin Hammam colluded with Warner in a plan to pay £600,000 in bribes to Caribbean associations. Bin Hammam was banned from football for life in July, a decision he appealed against last month, meaning Blatter was re-elected unopposed.

Warner's statement came following a meeting between FIFA and Caribbean Football Union officials about the future of football governance in the Caribbean.

The statement berating Blatter continued: "The FIFA president must not be allowed to continue the demeaning of people of color without someone raising a voice to tell him enough is enough."

"The FIFA president cannot continue faux pas after faux pas ...

Rick Pitino to Quit Louisville When Contract Ends

Rick Pitino said Tuesday that he won't coach past the 2016-2017 season when his current contract ends at Louisville.

"When you're 59, you're realistic that you don't have a whole lot of years left," Pitino said at a news conference before the No. 4 Cardinals play Georgetown on Wednesday. "My contract's going to run out in 2017. I'm not coaching any more after that."

The former Providence and Kentucky coach has guided the Cardinals to a 12-0 record so far this season.

Louisville's Athletic Association granted Pitino, the only men's coach to lead three different programs to the Final Four, a four-year contract extension in August. He'll make $3 million in base salary until the end of the 2013 season, followed by $3.9 million a year.

Pitino didn't use the word `retire,' but has said in the past that Louisville would be his last coaching stop. He's 253-96 in his 11th season at Louisville, which reached the Final Four in 2005.

The Cardinals will host the Hoyas in their Big East Conference opener before traveling to face rival and No. 3 Kentucky on Saturday.

Pitino said Louisville hasn't started preparing for Kentucky.

"One thing I've learned ...

Mayweather Given 90-Day Jail Term

Boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. is a perfect 42-0 in the ring and has dodged significant jail time several times in domestic violence cases in Las Vegas and Michigan.

But his courtroom streak came to an end Wednesday when a Las Vegas judge sentenced him to 90 days in jail after he pleaded guilty to a reduced battery domestic violence charge and no contest to two harassment charges.

The case stemmed from a hair-pulling, punching and arm-twisting argument with his ex-girlfriend Josie Harris while two of their children watched in September 2010.

"Punishment is appropriate," Justice of the Peace Melissa Saragosa said after a prosecutor complained that Mayweather has been in trouble before and hasn't faced serious consequences.

"No matter who you are, you have consequences to your actions when they escalate to this level of violence," she said.

Good behavior could knock several weeks off Mayweather's sentence. but he will likely serve most of the sentence set to begin Jan. 6, said Officer Bill Cassell, a Las Vegas police spokesman.

Mayweather and his manager, Leonard Ellerbe, declined comment outside the courtroom.

The jail time raises doubts about a possible showdown between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, ...

64-42: Previously Unbeaten Xavier Falls to Oral Ro...

All the three players could do was sit and watch one of the worst moments in Xavier's recent history.

Dominique Morrison scored 19 points Sunday, leading Oral Roberts to a 64-42 victory over previously unbeaten Xavier, which couldn't do much with three of its starters sitting on the bench because of suspensions.

The ninth-ranked Musketeers (8-1) didn't have point guard Tu Holloway, shooting guard Mark Lyons or freshman forward Dez Wells, who account for 40 percent of their points. The trio was suspended for a brawl eight days earlier against crosstown rival Cincinnati.

The players began paying the price on Sunday -- their first loss of the season.

"We just weren't ourselves today on both offense and defense," coach Chris Mack said.

The depleted lineup couldn't get in sync or keep up with the experienced Golden Eagles (8-4), who start three seniors and two juniors and knew they had a good opportunity with Xavier so short-handed.

"Full-strength it might have been a different game, but they weren't here to play so we don't know," Morrison said. "We can't control what happened last week. We could only control what happened on the court today."

They were fully ...

Sources: Magic Not Trading Dwight Howard

The Orlando Magic abruptly pulled Dwight Howard off the trade market Wednesday in the midst of discussions with other teams, according to sources close to the process.

Sources told ESPN.com that the Magic have decided that none of the various offers they've received, most notably from the New Jersey Nets and Los Angeles Lakers, is worth executing.

So the Magic, sources said, began informing teams Wednesday that they're no longer fielding calls for the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Earlier Wednesday, ESPN.com reported that the Nets and Magic were in advanced discussions on a multi-team deal that would have paired Portland Trail Blazers swingman Gerald Wallace with Nets center Brook Lopez as the two main players Orlando would have received in a trade package for Howard in addition to future draft considerations and the right to shed the long-term contracts of Hedo Turkoglu and Chris Duhon.

Yet sources say that Magic officials, after consultation with ownership Wednesday, decided to stick to their belief that they can still win Howard over and convince him to extend his contract despite Howard's repeated vows to opt for free agency in July. New Magic ...

Cincinnati, Xavier Both Suspend 4 Players After Br...

Cincinnati forward Yancy Gates got a six-game suspension on Sunday for throwing punches during a brawl with No. 8 Xavier in the closing minute of their annual crosstown rivalry game.

Gates punched Xavier's Kenny Frease in the face, causing a nasty gash below his left eye, and hit at least one other Musketeer during the fracas on Saturday, which prompted the referees to call Xavier's 76-53 win with 9.4 seconds left.

As the fight wound down, Gates stood by the Cincinnati bench with fists raised in a boxing pose.

The Bearcats also gave Cheikh Mbodj and Octavius Ellis six-game suspensions. Ge'Lawn Guyn was suspended for one game.

The suspensions will affect only one Big East game, the Bearcats' league opener at Pittsburgh on Jan. 1.

Xavier planned to announce its discipline later in the day. Freshman Dez Wells threw a punch and is expected to be suspended.

"We want to deal with this in a prompt and direct manner and send the message that we will not tolerate this from those who have the privilege of representing the University of Cincinnati," athletics director Whit Babcock said.

The annual rivalry game features trash talking, technical fouls and ...