UEFA has "deducted one point from Croatia in their European Championship qualifying group after a swastika was painted on the field" before the qualifying match against Italy. Croatia must also play its next two home qualifiers "in an empty stadium." The Croatian football federation must also pay a €100,000 ($109,835) fine (AP, 7/23). ... Chelsea Manager Jose Mourinho is "open to the idea" of Premier League matches being played in the U.S. after Chelsea's friendly against Paris St. Germain drew a "big crowd in Charlotte." Chelsea "may reportedly have to leave" its Stamford Bridge home for three seasons while it "undergoes a radical redevelopment," and Mourinho believes the level of support for the game in the U.S. could "allow his side to potentially play competitive fixtures there in future." He said, "Maybe when we don't have Stamford Bridge for a couple of years we can come here and play a couple of matches in the Premier League" (ESPN, 7/26). ... AS Roma has expressed its "frustration" after five of its players, including former Arsenal forward Gervinho, "were refused entry into Indonesia" for the latest stage of the club's preseason tour. After arriving in Jakarta for what was billed as "AS Roma Indonesia Day 2015," Gervinho, Adem Ljajic, Seydou Doumbia, Victor Ibarbo and Antonio Sanabria were "all denied entry by customs officials and put on a plane back to Rome." The Serie A club "did not specify why the five were not allowed into the country" (REUTERS, 7/25).
