Swansea City manager Garry Monk has escaped sanction from the FA after accusing referee Michael Oliver and Stoke City winger Victor Moses of cheating in his team’s 2-1 Premier League defeat at the Britannia Stadium.
Oliver awarded Stoke a penalty just before half-time, which Charlie Adam converted, when Moses went to ground after what appeared to be minimal contact from Swansea’s Angel Rangel.
“He (Moses) should be punished for diving,” Monk had said.
“It was a clear dive which is cheating. He has cheated the ref, and the ref has cheated us in terms of giving a decision that never was.”
Swansea said Monk had spoken to the FA about the incident but that was as far as it would go.
Braunschweig next for Bayern in Cup
Holders Bayern Munich will face second tier club Eintracht Braunschweig in the German Cup round of 16 as they look to successfully defend their domestic double this season.
League leaders Bayern beat Hamburg SV 3-1 earlier on Wednesday to seal their spot in the next round of the competition.
Last season’s finalists Borussia Dortmund take on third division club Dynamo Dresden, who eliminated Schalke in the first round.
Leverkusen, who needed penalties to beat fourth division’s Magdeburg will host Kaiserslautern.
Matches will be played on March 3 and 4.
Raul joins Cosmos
Former Real Madrid and Spain forward Raul has joined New York Cosmos for the 2015 season on a “multi-year” contract pending a medical.
As part of the deal, the terms of which were not disclosed, Raul, 37, will also become a technical adviser for the club’s youth academy, which he will take over on a full time basis when he retires from playing, Cosmos said.
“Everyone throughout the soccer world knows the Cosmos name and the legacy of the players that played for this team previously,” Raul said.
“They helped establish soccer in America and I’m honoured to follow in their footsteps.”
Doha to host Italian Super Cup final
The Italian Super Cup between last year’s Serie A champions Juventus and Italian Cup winners Napoli will take place in Doha on Dec. 22, Serie A confirmed yesterday.
It will be the seventh time the annual match will take place abroad and organisers may hope for a friendlier encounter than the same teams served up in Beijing two years ago.
On that occasion, Juventus won 4-2 after extra time when the game was marred by two red cards for Napoli, who refused to take part in the post-game ceremony.
Donadoni upbeat after another loss
Parma coach Roberto Donadoni insists he can see promising shoots of recovery despite watching his team slump to a sixth straight Serie A defeat on Wednesday.
A first-half goal from Matteo Darmian earned Torino all three points from their 1-0 win at the Stadio Olimpico, but left Parma rock bottom of the table ahead of daunting fixtures against high-flyers Inter and Juventus.
Donadoni said: “We deserved to draw but instead we’ve come home empty-handed again.
“The lads did everything they could, especially in the second half, and we have lots of chances to score goals and almost did.
“I liked what I saw from my team after the break and the way we played against Torino in the second half gives me confidence.”
Meyiwa’s hometown to host qualifier
South Africa have moved their African Nations Cup qualifier against Sudan from Nelspruit to Durban, the hometown of slain goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa, in honour of the former national team captain.
The fixture on Nov. 15, where victory will see South Africa qualify for the finals in Morocco in January, will now be played at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, which hosted seven matches during the 2010 World Cup.
The stadium will also be used for Meyiwa’s funeral tomorrow after the original venue in nearby Umlazi was deemed too small by organisers, who expect mourners to come from across the country for the popular player.
Meyiwa captained South Africa in their first four Nations Cup qualifiers over the last two months without conceding a goal.
Cavani happy at Paris St Germain
Edinson Cavani has insisted he is happy at Paris St Germain, despite speculation linking the Uruguayan with a move away from the Ligue 1 champions.
The striker had voiced his frustration last season as he was used more sparingly in support of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and is reportedly a transfer target for Premier League clubs, including Arsenal.
But the 27-year-old, a more regular feature for PSG this season, said his problems in Paris were in the past.
“This year everything is fine,” he said.
“I am in Paris, the city is beautiful and the club supports me.”