The FA said on Thursday that EPL side Aston Villa has been fined $315,060 for "failing to control" its fans following a pitch invasion after the FA Cup quarterfinal against West Bromwich Albion. Villa has also been "severely warned" as to its future conduct (REUTERS, 5/14). ... Former Asian Football Confederation General Secretary Peter Velappan said he was "shocked" by revelations about his "friend and successor," Alex Soosay. He said that the Kuala Lumpur-based body needed a "thorough investigation by independent experts following various allegations of cover-ups, embezzlement and theft." Velappan: "There should be an independent professional investigation into this ... it's in the interests of everybody to do that" (SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST, 5/14). ... After a "wretched season littered with racist incidents and fines," Torpedo Moscow President Alexander Tukmanov, whose "cash-strapped club is on the verge of relegation," has written it all off as a "series of isolated episodes and misunderstandings." Despite being bottom of the Russian Premier League, Torpedo has been making headlines this season, "having been punished by the Russian Football Union (RFS) on a number of a occasions due to their supporters' racist behaviour." Tukmanov: "We have had a misunderstanding with a group of people, who call themselves Torpedo supporters" (REUTERS, 5/14).
