Sports-World Cup

David Beckham claims Thierry Henry did not deliberate handle the ball and has leapt to the defense of the France striker after claiming he is not a cheat.

Four years is a long period of time, but for players like Shay Given, Robbie Keane and the rest of Ireland's national soccer team, it may as well be 40 years.

Striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is confident that Barcelona will overcome its Champions League wobbles and beat Inter Milan to seal its progress as Group F winners.

ZURICH FIFA suspended Iraq from soccer because of political interference in the national federation.

FRANKFURT German prosecutors investigating match-fixing in soccer say 15 people in Germany and two in Switzerland have been arrested and about 200 games in Europe are under suspicion.

Even though French soccer star Thierry Henry has admitted to a handball during France's World Cup-clinching aggregate win over Ireland on Wednesday and has called for a replay to the game, soccer's international federation shot down the idea on Friday.

LONDON Thierry Henry denied Friday that he was a cheat but said the "fairest solution" would be to replay the France-Ireland World Cup playoff that was decided by his hand ball.

BELGRADE, Serbia Serbian police say they have arrested another suspect in the fatal attack on a French soccer fan in Belgrade two months ago.

PARIS France coach Raymond Domenech says he and his players see no reason to apologize for the Thierry Henry handball against Ireland that put the team into the World Cup.

LONDON There will be no rematch.

LONDON Irish soccer officials accused Thierry Henry of damaging the integrity of the game when he blatantly handled the ball to set up the goal that booked France's place at next year's World Cup in South Africa.

PARIS Soccer players just can't be trusted to be honest and Thierry Henry proved that by choosing to play volleyball against Ireland, blatantly handling the ball for the goal that sent France to the World Cup.

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany David Beckham won't be coming to Kaiserslautern.

SALT LAKE CITY The owner of Real Salt Lake is selling a stake in the soccer team to a Utah real-estate developer.

DUBLIN Ireland appealed to France and FIFA on Thursday to replay their World Cup playoff after an obvious hand ball by Thierry Henry set up the deciding goal.

FRANKFURT German police have arrested an undisclosed number of people suspected of fixing matches in major European soccer leagues.

DENVER NBC might have a partner in the cable company that wanted to be its Olympic rival.

JOHANNESBURG The flags of the 32 nations that qualified for the 2010 World Cup are flying in Johannesburg.

SAINT-DENIS, France France qualified for its fourth consecutive World Cup when officials missed an obvious hand ball by Thierry Henry that led to William Gallas' overtime goal in a 1-1 tie against Ireland on Wednesday night.