Former German President Christian Wulff on Monday "rejected allegations" by FIFA President Sepp Blatter that Wulff tried to "exert political pressure before the World Cup was awarded to Russia and Qatar." Wulff's office said in a statement, "The statement by Mister (Sepp) Blatter regarding former President Christian Wulff is false." Blatter said that Wulff and former French President Nicolas Sarkozy had "tried to influence their voting representatives." There was "no immediate reaction from Sarkozy's office" (REUTERS, 7/6). ... Two people were killed and "several others injured" in Santiago when a car "slammed into street revelers celebrating host Chile's triumph" in the Copa América, local radio Bio-Bio reported on Sunday. Chileans "streamed into the streets, squares and bars after their team won its first ever major trophy on Saturday," beating Argentina 4-1 on penalties (REUTERS, 7/5). ... FIFA has banned the official "it chose to inspect 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosting candidates for breaking ethics rules." FIFA said that Harold Mayne-Nicholls of Chile is "barred from any kind of football-related activity at national and international level" for seven years (AP, 7/6).
