Two dead in Germany after World-Cup related shooting

Two dead after World Cup-related shooting

German police say two Italian men died after being shot following an argument at a bar in Hannover that apparently centered on the World Cup records of Italy and Germany.

Both victims were taken to a hospital with head wounds after the Monday morning shooting.

A 47-year-old Italian man died shortly afterward and police said Tuesday his 49-year-old friend died of his injuries overnight.

Police say the two men stopped in the bar after leaving the Italian restaurant where they worked. They then got into the argument with a German man over the past World Cup successes of three-time champion Germany and four-time winner Italy before the shots were fired.

Police are still looking for the 42-year-old suspected gunman.

DEFAMED AUSSIES: Football Federation Australia launched defamation proceedings Tuesday against The Age newspaper in Melbourne over a story concerning Australia’s bid for the 2022 World Cup.

FFA started the action in the Supreme Court of New South Wales, saying articles published by The Age contained serious defamatory allegations regarding the way the bid has been conducted.

The articles referred to the FFA’s accounting practices and its use of taxpayer funds in its bid to win the right to host the 2022 Cup.

Australia is competing with the United States, Japan, Qatar and South Korea for the 2022 tournament. FIFA’s executive committee is due to decide on Dec. 2 where the 2018 and 2022 World Cups will be staged.

TV AUDIENCE: One in three German residents watched the national team’s victory over Argentina in the World Cup quarterfinals. FIFA said Tuesday that 27.7 million viewers watched the German television broadcast of the 4-0 win on Saturday.

The match attracted 90 percent of all people watching television in Germany at that time.

Germany plays Spain in a semifinal match on Wednesday.

OSORIO SIGNING: Defender Ricardo Osorio, whose error helped Argentina defeat Mexico 3-1 in the World Cup round of 16, signed with Mexico club Monterrey after playing last season with German team Stuttgart.

Monterrey announced the signing Tuesday.

Osorio played with Cruz Azul in Mexico before signing in 2006 with Stuttgart.

Osorio acknowledged the error which led to Mexico’s ouster from the tournament. On the play, Osorio was under no pressure but passed the ball directly to Argentina’s Gonzalo Higuain, who scored in the 33rd minute to give Argentina a 2-0 lead.

NO APPROVAL: CONCACAF has withdrawn approval of the men’s and women’s soccer competitions in the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games in Puerto Rico because of a lack of suitable facilities.

After review of inspection reports, the ruling body for the sport in the region deemed decided the conditions of the tournament to be held in Mayaguez do not meet the minimum standards required for an international event. CONCACAF dropped any assistance for tournament organizers and will not send staff and match officials.

YOU’RE IT: The Spanish players looked loose during their workout before Wednesday’s semifinal against Germany. They joked around while playing tag in warmup drills, with David Villa among those punished with push-ups for losing out. Three young children scaled a fence to watch the practice on the outskirts of Durban, with cries of “Villa!” ringing out over the field.