EPL REF SUSPENDED
Rob Styles won't referee an English Premier League soccer match next weekend after he admitted the award of a penalty kick to Chelsea in A recent game at Liverpool was wrong.
"We do expect referees to get big decisions correct," Keith Hackett, general manager of Professional Game Match Officials Ltd., told Sky Sports News. "On this occasion it was wrong and therefore Rob will not be officiating next weekend."
Styles, who refereed Liverpool's 2-0 victory in the same fixture last season, ordered a spot-kick even though Chelsea's Florent Malouda appeared to barge Liverpool defender Steve Finnan in the second half at Anfield. Frank Lampard scored the penalty kick to tie the score at 1-1 and earn Chelsea a draw.
The result advanced Chelsea to second in the Premiership with seven points after three games, two behind leader Manchester City. Liverpool has four points from two games. Defending champion Manchester United is 16th with two points.
"In mistakenly awarding a penalty, I accept that I may have affected the result of the match," Styles said on the Sky Sports Web site. "For that I apologize."
FIRE INK NEW DEFENDER
The Chicago Fire signed Colombian defender Wilman Conde on Monday, reuniting him with manager Juan Carlos Osorio.
The 24-year-old defender, who had been with 13-time Colombian league champion Millonarios since the 2006 season, will be available to play pending work visa approval and an open roster spot.
Osorio left Millonarios — Colombia's most successful professional team — in July to become the Fire's manager.
Bogota-based Millonarios said last week that it had sold Conde's contract for an unspecified amount and that he had signed a 16-month deal with the Fire.
NO DEAL FOR HEINZ
Manchester United defender Gabriel Heinze failed in his attempt to force a move to its soccer archrival Liverpool after a Premier League arbitration panel dismissed his case today.
The 29-year-old, who can play in the center of defense or at fullback, said a June 13 letter he received from United gave him permission to discuss a move if any club met its asking price, which U.K. newspapers said is around 6.8 million pounds ($13.5 million).
United argued it told the Argentine he would not be allowed to join one of its rivals. No player has been transferred directly between the two teams since Phil Chisnall joined Liverpool in 1964.
The Premier League-appointed panel today said United's letter "was unambiguous in that it envisages only an international transfer."
Heinze hasn't played in any of United's opening three matches of its Premier League defense and started fewer than half its league games last season as manager Alex Ferguson favored Patrice Evra at left-back.
ROUGH START
The United States allowed two goals in the last eight minutes and lost to Tajikistan 4-3 at the under-17 World Cup on Monday in Changwon, South Korea.
The Americans opened the scoring but fell behind 2-1 before tying it just after halftime when Greg Garza latched onto Billy Schuler's lobbed pass in the 48th minute. Schuler made it 3-2 with his header from an Alex Nimo corner kick in the 53rd minute.
The U.S. was heading to victory until Nuriddin Davronov made it 3-3 shortly after coming on in the 81st minute and Fatkhullo Fatkhuloev scored the game-winner in the 86th minute.
Tajikistan, third in Asian qualifying, was making its debut at the under-17 tournament.