Terry ruled out of Club World Cup

LONDON — Chelsea captain John Terry has been ruled out of the Club World Cup because of an ongoing knee injury.

The defender damaged ligaments in his right knee a month ago, and Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez says the long flight to Japan wouldn't help his recovery.

"The inflammation during the flight will not be the best thing for him so he will not travel," Benitez said. "He wanted to go and to help, but it's better that he stays here.

"We don't know when he will play. We have to wait and see how he reacts."

Chelsea's first game at the Club World Cup is the semifinal match Thursday against either Ulsan Hyundai or Monterrey in Yokohama.

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Capello says Terry should be captain

ROME — Four months before he is due to coach England at the European Championship, Fabio Capello publicly criticized his employers on Sunday for going against his wishes and removing John Terry as captain.

Terry was stripped of the armband by the English Football Association on Friday, two days after his trial for racially abusing an opponent was scheduled to be held after the European Championship.

Capello told Italy's state broadcaster RAI that he "absolutely" did not agree with the decision to dump Terry before the Chelsea defender had his day in court.

F.A. chairman David Bernstein fired Terry because of the difficulty in holding the high-profile captaincy role at Euro 2012 — which runs from June 8 to July 1 — when the player's fate on criminal charges won't be known until after his trial starts on July 9.

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Happinets cut Terry following arrest

After being arrested for theft of alcoholic beverages at an Akita convenience store last weekend, veteran swingman Curtis Terry has been released by the Akita Northern Happinets, the bj-league team announced on Thursday.

Team president Yuki Mizuno has scheduled a news conference for Monday.

"I apologize to you the people of the prefecture, partner companies, team boosters, basketball and all the people concerned about the case," Mizuno said in a statement issued by the team.

Mizuno said Terry's departure from the team is regrettable, but added that the Happinets have a duty to be responsible role models.

"This is a scandal which loses the trust of a player who has received support from many people in the prefecture," Mizuno said. "A player should give a dream and a (positive) impression, and I have responded to this situation solemnly."

He said he'll issue further details about Terry's case during the news conference.

Terry, 26, averaged 11.3 points in 14 games (nine games) since joining the Happinets in November. His half-brother, Jason Terry, a longtime member of the Dallas Mavericks, has been a fixture in the NBA since helping the Arizona Wildcats win an NCAA championship in 1997.

The 193-cm Terry attended UNLV. He scored a season-high 36 points on Jan. 7 and had 18 a day later as Akita swept the visiting Toyama Grouses and claimed a share of first place in the East entering All-Star weekend.

According to a news release issued by the team, convenience store staff noticed Terry, who had entered the store with a foreign teammate not named in the release, had three cans of chuhai in his pocket as he left the store. The clerk ordered him to return to the store. Terry placed one can on the counter and left some coins on it before dashing out of the store.

That prompted the clerk to call the police, the news release said.

A few hours later, Akita police found Terry at a nearby restaurant, where he was placed under arrest.

The Happinets (15-9) begin the second half of the 2011-12 bj-league season tied for first place in the Eastern Conference. The team traveled to face the Chiba Jets in the series opener on Friday.

In other league news, a well-connected source told The Japan Times on Friday that the expansion Aomori Prefecture franchise probably won't join the league for the 2012-13 season as originally planned. The new franchise's likely decision to delay entry into the league, possibly until 2013-14, would leave the circuit with 21 teams, including a new Tokyo club and the expansion Gunma CraneThunders.

If the cash-strapped Oita HeatDevils and Takamatsu Five Arrows don't fold or suspend operations, the league could still have the difficult task of writing a schedule for an odd number of teams next season.

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Blues' Terry to face charges

LONDON — England captain John Terry will be the first soccer player to face a court in Britain on a charge of racially abusing an opponent, the most serious step yet in a crackdown on racism in the sport.

Prosecutors made the decision to charge Terry on Wednesday after studying footage that was broadcast live around the world in October, showing Terry apparently hurling abuse at Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand during a Premier League match.

Terry has said his comments were taken out of context and vowed to fight the charges, after prosecutors declared the defender had constituted a "racially aggravated public order offense."

Just a day earlier, Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, a Uruguay international, received an eight-match ban and ?40,000 ($62,000) fine from the F.A. for racially abusing a Manchester United player during another match in October.

Although Suarez's abusive conduct is yet to be investigated by the police, anti-racism campaigners are hailing the twin-pronged actions as evidence that new weapons are being deployed against racism in soccer.

"It's a very important point in the history of campaigning against racism in football," Kick It Out chairman Herman Ouseley said. "People who are very cynical — and a lot of black footballers have been right up until I think yesterday — think it's a waste of time (complaining about racism) because the campaign hasn't stopped these things from happening, it goes on, it's quiet, it's subtle and nothing ever gets done.

"It's quite important that (players) now feel a bit more confident that, although it has taken a while, due process with decisive action could well make a change."

Racial abuse in European soccer is nothing new, although most high-profile cases have involved abusive chants from supporters toward opposing players — not on-field incidents.

A wave of outrage was provoked by FIFA President Sepp Blatter last month when he downplayed the issue and suggested players involved in such spats should settle the issue with a handshake after the game.

"I think the problem has never gone away — it's just become more subtle and less obvious," said Ouseley, a member of the House of Lords. "I think there is an awareness that more has to be done."

The latest investigations in England come despite the country having made huge strides in largely eradicating the racial abuse of black players that blighted the game here in the 1970s and '80s.

Several black players in that era, including England and Liverpool winger John Barnes, faced racist abuse without the perpetuators being punished.

"It is easy for (the F.A.) to jump on the bandwagon now, but why didn't they do it in the '80s?" Barnes said. "That's what gripes me . . . now it's politically correct for them to get involved and make the right decision."

The F.A. has yet to issue a ruling on the Terry case, saying it will wait for the police investigation to be completed first. Police and prosecutors became involved after a member of the public made a complaint against the defender, having seen footage of his comments.

LONDON — Manchester United managed the rare feat this season of outshining Manchester City's goal-scoring prowess on Wednesday to keep the heat on its neighbor in the Premier League title race.

While City maintained its two-point lead over United with a 3-0 victory over Stoke, United routed Fulham 5-0 at Craven Cottage.

Such emphatic victories have been the norm for big-spending City this season, but for United it was the biggest in three months.

"It was very impressive, we've not scored as many as we'd like to but we'd been playing well," Giggs said. "The second part of the season we always kick on and put in performances and that's pleasing."

It was a tighter encounter at Aston Villa, with Arsenal relying on Yossi Benayoun's late goal to secure a 2-1 victory

Liverpool is two points behind Arsenal after a 0-0 draw at Wigan.

Newcastle contiued to fall with a 3-2 home loss to West Bromwich Albion extending the side's winless run to six games.

At Goodison Park, Leon Osman 's goal gave Everton, a 1-0 triumph over Swansea.

Sunderland overtook Queens Park Rangers just above the relegation zone after a 3-2 victory over QPR.

OSAKA — Gamba Osaka are set to appoint Brazilian Jose Carlos Serrao as their new manager for next season, sources familiar with the matter said Thursday.

The 61-year-old possesses a wealth of coaching experience with clubs such as Sao Paulo in Brazil and Suwon Bluewings in South Korea.

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