DANNY JORDAAN has southern Africa's endorsement for the FIFA Council "despite being trailed by allegations of rape and involvement in corruption to land South Africa the 2010 World Cup." The Council of Southern African FAs said after a meeting on Friday that Jordaan will be its "preferred candidate" when Africa's 54 full member countries vote at a Confederation of African Football general assembly in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, on Sept. 30 (AP, 9/9). ... Liberia President GEORGE WEAH played in an int'l friendly for his country on Tuesday at the age of 51. Weah, the first African footballer to win FIFA's World Player of the Year award, played for 79 minutes of a 2-1 home defeat by Nigeria in Monrovia (BBC, 9/12). ... Spain's anti-doping agency (AEPSAD) said that it is investigating the growth hormone injection allegedly given to footballer DENIS CHERYSHEV by La Liga side Villarreal. Cheryshev, who scored four goals in five World Cup games for Russia, "denied taking a banned substance following remarks attributed to his father" in a Russian publication last year (ESPN.com, 9/12).
