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sports Diahuebs 6 Mei 2021

Solskjaer urges United fans to be 'civilized' with protests

Manchester United man- aged to breach the biosecure Super League, the protesters
ager Ole Gunnar Solsk- perimeter of the stadium and have renewed their demands
jaer called on the team's get on the field ahead of the that the owners sell United.
fans to be more "civilized" Liverpool game, causing it There has been long-held fan
with their protests after to be postponed. Six police disgruntlement at the debt
violence marred a dem- officers were injured, with that has been loaded onto the
onstration against the one sustaining a fractured club following the 2005 take-
club's American owners eye socket and another a fa- over by the Glazers, costing
that forced the postpone- cial wound after glass bottles United more than 1 billion
ment of a Premier League were thrown. pounds ($1.4 billion) in 16
match with Liverpool. years along with dividends to
"We have to listen, we have the owners.
Acting again as United's to hear the fans' voices," Sol-
spokesman on Wednesday skjaer said. "It's everyone's Co-owner Joel Glazer said in
amid continuing silence by right, but it has to be in a an open letter to fans he was
the Glazer family, Solskjaer civilized manner, though, a "committed to rebuilding
defended the right of sup- peaceful manner. trust with our fans" and Sol-
porters to protest and ac- skjaer said work has started
cepted there needs to be bet- "Unfortunately when you behind the scenes to open
ter dialogue between the fans break in, when police officers some dialogue.
and United's leadership to get injured and scarred for
rebuild their frayed relation- life, that's too far. And when "You don't need to be a rock-
ship. it gets out of hand like this, et scientist to see we have municating with fan groups, League scheme, "which is a
it is a police matter. It's not challenges and frictions and which is going to be massive start. Let's continue."
Solskjaer, though, said things about showing your opinions things that have to be dealt for us going forward."
went too far on the con- anymore." with, with communication," United is waiting to discover
course outside Old Trafford Solskjaer said. "Other indi- "They have all accepted it if the club will be punished
on Sunday when baton- Angry at the Glazer family's viduals than me have started came out wrong and was the for the game getting post-
wielding police clashed with involvement in a plan to set already — we have discussed wrong thing to do," Solsk- poned. A new date for the
fans, some of whom man- up a breakaway European with the fans, we are com- jaer added about the Super fixture has yet to be set.

FIFA president gets legal win, special prosecutor removed

GENEVA (AP) — In a big legal The court cited a series of four news Lauber was ousted as Switzerland's
win for FIFA president Gianni releases issued by Keller's office be- Swiss lawmakers asked Keller last attorney general last year. He was
Infantino, a special prosecutor tween December and March that jus- year to look at criminal complaints found to have misled and obstructed
investigating his meetings with tified removing him. filed by Swiss residents not formal- the oversight office monitoring fed-
Switzerland's former attorney ly identified against then-attorney eral prosecutors which sought more
general has been removed from In those documents, Keller had said general Michael Lauber for possible information about the Infantino
the case, a federal court said Infantino should face a criminal in- abuse of public office. Lawmakers meetings.
Wednesday. vestigation into disloyal management later gave Keller a mandate to inves-
for using a FIFA-booked private jet to tigate, with Infantino suspected of in- In March, Infantino won a previous
The Swiss federal criminal court said fly from Suriname to Switzerland in citing Lauber. decision from the federal criminal
it upheld a complaint by Infantino to 2017. court against Keller. It ruled the pros-
have prosecutor Stefan Keller recused Lauber and Infantino had three un- ecutor should not have interviewed
from his investigation for biased con- Keller had no authority to open his documented meetings in 2016 and an associate of the FIFA president
duct. It did not shut down the inves- own proceedings against Infantino, 2017 during a wider federal investi- about the private flight.
tigation. and the Swiss federal prosecution of- gation into international soccer offi-
fice quickly said it did not have a case cials. Both men later claimed not to The latest ruling awarded Infantino
"(Keller) not only violated the pre- open. recall details of the meetings which 5,000 Swiss francs ($5,500) from the
sumption of innocence, but also were revealed by media reports. Swiss federal prosecution office.
communicated misleading and factu- FIFA said it welcomed the court's
ally incorrect information," the court ruling that "emphatically declared Infantino was elected FIFA presi- FIFA said Infantino was "fully avail-
said in a 27-page document. that the bias of Mr. Keller, as demon- dent in February 2016 in fallout from able to cooperate with the authori-
strated by his various media releases, American and Swiss corruption in- ties, whether that concerns meetings
The prosecutor's personal office did repeated procedural errors, and con- vestigations that forced predecessor that the FIFA President had with the
not immediately respond to a request sistent denial of rights, could not Sepp Blatter out of office. former Attorney General of Switzer-
for comment. guarantee a fair process." land, or anything else."

Only home fans allowed for final 2 rounds in Premier League

LONDON (AP) — Only the Premier League has rear-
home fans will be al- ranged its schedule to ensure "This marks a key step to-
lowed into games when each of its 20 teams plays at wards full stadiums, includ-
the Premier League wel- least one game at home in ing away fans, from the start
comes back spectators to front of fans. of the 2021-22 season," the
stadiums for the final two league said in a statement.
rounds of the season. The league said away sup-
porters would not get tick- The next-to-last round of
Supporters will return in a ets for those matches "due games will take place on May
reduced capacity from May to varying operational chal- 18-19. The final round is on
17, subject to the British gov- lenges" and to maximize the May 23.
ernment easing lockdown opportunity for home fans to
restrictions as planned, and attend.