GENEVA - Five officials, including three long-serving FIFA executive committee members, are being investigated in the corruption probe into the bidding contests for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Mikael Granlund Jersey .A person familiar with the cases confirmed the names Thursday to The Associated Press after the five were identified in European media reports. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the FIFA probe is confidential.The current FIFA board members under investigation are FIFA vice-president Angel Maria Villar of Spain, Michel DHooghe of Belgium and Worawi Makudi of Thailand.Villar and Makudi risk losing their FIFA seats within months as even provisional suspensions from all football duty can block them standing in scheduled confederation elections.The others under suspicion are German great Franz Beckenbauer and Harold Mayne-Nicholls of Chile.Beckenbauer was a FIFA voter when the board chose Russia to host the 2018 World Cup and Qatar secured the 2022 tournament. He was provisionally suspended during the World Cup in June for initially refusing to help Garcias probe.Mayne-Nicholls inspected the bids for FIFA ahead of the December 2010 polls, and reportedly sought placements for family members at Qatars influential Aspire youth academy.Last week, FIFA ethics committee chairmen Michael Garcia and Joachim Eckert said a number of formal cases had been opened against unidentified individuals.FIFA also filed a criminal complaint to Swiss federal prosecutors against unnamed individuals cited in Garcias investigation report, adding to a sense of disarray about the wider World Cup investigation.The probe was revived after Eckert tried to close the cases against Russia and Qatar — a decision Garcia quickly appealed to FIFA.On Thursday, FIFA said it cannot confirm or deny any such information about the five named, and referred questions to the ethics panel. The Kirkland & Ellis legal firm in Manhattan where Garcia is a partner was closed Thursday for the Thanksgiving holiday.Individuals were identified Thursday despite strict confidentiality rules in FIFAs code of ethics sealing details of who is under investigation, and for which alleged offences.FIFA President Sepp Blatter has backed Eckerts view that evidence in a 430-page report submitted by Garcias investigations team cannot be disclosed. They cited privacy rights to protect suspects and witnesses.Some members of FIFAs board who joined since the World Cup votes are calling for full disclosure. Garcia and UEFA President Michel Platini want appropriate publication with some redactions.Villar, who was elected to FIFAs ruling board 16 years ago, was a leader of the Spain-Portugal bid that was among four candidates in the 2018 contest. It lost despite a widely reported voting pact with Qatar, in breach of FIFA rules to prevent collusion.A former Spain player and chairman of FIFAs legal committee, Villar was previously identified in March as trying to remove Garcia from the investigation.One bidder was particularly unco-operative with Garcias requests, Eckert noted in his investigation summary. Only Spain-Portugal among nine bidders was not examined in Eckerts 42-page document.DHooghe, the longest tenured board member with 26 years service, previously acknowledged accepting a painting from a Russian former FIFA colleague during the campaign. He has said he voted only for his native Netherlands-Belgium bid in the 2018 contest.DHooghe, whose FIFA mandate expires in 2017, did not respond to messages requesting comment Thursday.Makudi joined FIFAs board in 1997 and was a longtime ally of Mohamed bin Hammam, the now-disgraced Qatari who was a key FIFA power broker.Makudi was alleged in Britains Parliament to have sought favours from Englands failed 2018 bid. He denied the claims, which a FIFA ethics panel dismissed in 2011 before Garcia and Eckert were appointed.Even if the FIFA prosecutions fail against Villar and Makudi, the cases could potentially remove them from high office.Garcia and Eckert typically impose provisional suspensions on football officials when cases are pending, and both board members are due for re-election.Villar has a late-January deadline to declare in UEFA elections for four of its eight delegates on the FIFA board. The vote of European football federations is March 24 in Vienna.Makudis latest four-year mandate from the Asian Football Confederation also expires soon. Those elections are expected in May.The FIFA board, likely including the implicated trio, meets Dec. 18-19 in Marrakech, Morocco, and could get the Garcia dossier to review.Amid the turmoil last week, Garcia and Eckert agreed that FIFAs independent audit and compliance official, Domenico Scala, should decide what evidence to give the board to help decide next steps in a saga that has dogged footballs governing body for more than four years. Alex Stalock Jersey . And on Sunday against the Houston Astros they were pleased to see his work finally pay off with his first win since May 24. Ryan Suter Jersey .com) - Pittsburgh Steelers running back LeVeon Bell, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Elvis Dumervil and New England Patriots punter Ryan Allen were selected as the AFCs top players for Week 14 of the NFL season. http://www.authentichockeyshopwild.com/adidas+daniel+winnik+wild+jersey . -- Syracuse was dangerously close to letting another less talented opponent pull off the upset when C.Toronto FC has experienced considerable drama over the franchises eight year existence. This time the drama isnt of Toronto FCs own doing. Michael Bradley has become the central figure in a public spat of which he never asked to be a part. The Toronto FC midfielder has done no wrong or said anything out of place. Bradley has conducted himself to the highest professional standard representing club and country. Yet, he now serves as a big named pawn amidst the struggles of US Soccers coming of age. The combatants are Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber and US Men’s National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann. The long and short of the dispute: Klinsmann doesn’t publicly support big-named American players returning home from Europe to play for ‘inferior’ teams in MLS, while Garber sees Klinsmann’s public position as “very, very detrimental” to the league and personally infuriating. Bradley is central to the argument simply based on the fact he decided to come home to play in North America. That’s it. That’s all. His play for the USMNT hasn’t wavered and he remains one of the most important players on the US team. It is hardly fair on the 27-year-old to be in the middle of this mess between the two power brokers. A philosophical disconnect is to blame with Garber reaching his boiling point after Klinsmann issued another warning shot Monday towards players like Bradley and Clint Dempsey. “I made it clear with Clint’s move back and (Bradley’s) move back that it’s going to be very difficult for them to keep that same level that they experienced at the places where they were, said Klinsmann. It’s just reality. It’s just being honest.” Bradley has been the particular target of these types of warnings. Its not easy for Michael, and its not going to be easy in the future ... He has to prove that he hasnt lost a bit. Lost a bit? Does a player lose form less than a year after switching clubs, going from competing for a spot in a team to playing every day? Seems a bit of a reach. Every International manager will have his opinions on what the preferential situation should be for his players to thrive internationally. Klinsmann, from firsthand experience, understands the benefits of playing overseas and rates the individual progress one can make playing in an alternative environment preferable to the current standards in North America. He is entitled to that opinion. Top European leagues are better than MLS at the highest level, but what makes for a better National team player has to be based on a case by case basis, not by sweeping generalizations. Publicly questioning a player with 91 caps and a lynchpin in the team is hardly progressive. Taking unnecessary shots at the quality of MLS only further complicates matters. A strong domestic league with proper team set-ups across MLS is essential to the continued growth of the USMNT program and Canadian Soccer alike. Ironically enough, Klinsmann and his consulting company were hired by Toronto FC in 2010 to help set the franchise in the right direction and any criticism of MLS seems out of place as, just four months ago, nine current MLS players started for the US in an all-important World Cup match against his native Germany. MLS is doing just fine as home for America’s best and will continue to be the breeding ground for future generations. So why is Klinsmann so worried about Bradley in particular? Bradley brushed off Klinsmanns comments and assisted on Jozy Altidores goal in a 1-1 draw with Honduras on Tuesday. If Klinsmann were honest, hed acknowledge Altidore is better off returning to MLS to play regular minutes with his compatriots, rather than wasting away on the bench at Sunderland. Bradley is not a problem for Klinsmann. He is reliable as they come. As for Dempsey, he was arguably the US top player in Brazil. So there’s that. When you speak with Bradley, you understand how much he and his family love Toronto and the lifestyle that comes along with his new city. He and his young family are settled. This is where he wants to grow, personally and professionally. If thats not good enough for Klinsmann, then so be it, but there is little evidence to suggest the USMNT has better options than the Toronto FC midfielder and there is even less evidence to suggest he wont continue to be a top contributor for his country. Klinsmann should be concerned with Bradleys fitness, form and where he plays on the field and how that works with his international role, not for which club team hes playing. Just as his decision to come home shouldnt come intto the conversation, neither should his $6. Zach Parise Jersey. .5 million per year salary. Players all over the world try to maximize their earning potential. It is no different than any of us in other walks of life. Its how one responds and continues to grow that matters. Toronto FC missing the playoffs shouldnt matter either. DaMarcus Beasley, Brad Davis and Chris Wondolowski are all USMNT players on struggling MLS teams. Newcomer to the national team set-up, Miguel Ibarra, plays in the NASL. Any astute observer of the game understands that more than one player determines the success and/or failures of a team. Toronto FCs failures having nothing to do with Bradley and everything to do with the collective. He joined a team building from the ground up. A club record for wins and points in a season should not be overlooked. It matters. And Bradley was part of that. The build towards a winner starts with Bradley. He is the foundation. Perhaps Klinsmann knows Bradley is immune to criticism and is using the player to put forward his own agenda. Klinsmann already flexed his muscles in keeping Landon Donovan out of his World Cup squad, a fact that Garber still believes is an item of contention. There are no sacred cows. Lines have been drawn in the sand. Klinsmann holds an incredible amount of power and it seems that there is little Sunil Gulati, president of the United States Soccer Federation, is willing or able to do to influence his golden child. Klinsmann has expertly carved himself out as a popular and all-important figure in American soccer. His bravado and self-confidence screams Americana. More American soccer fans will relate to Klinsmann and his past footballing exploits and current standing as head coach of a loveable team than they relate to Garber. Perception is everything. Garber remains an all-important figure for a league experiencing incredible growth, but yet to crack the mainstream audience that the sport has already touched on the international level. His most influential work takes place behind the scenes. Klinsmann performs in front of the camera. Wednesdays spur-of-the-moment teleconference with Garber suggests a power struggle: two men with differing approaches. It all came across as rather personal. The feelings of discontent are genuine, but the bottom-line is that Garber sees development and top talent acquisition as key to the success of the business, while Klinsmann is in the business of winning. “Jurgen’s comments are very, very detrimental to our league,” Garber said. “They’re detrimental to the sport of soccer in America and everything we’re trying do north of the border. And not only are they detrimental, I think they’re wrong.” Garber continued, I think [Klinsmann] needs to think very hard about how he manages himself publicly.” Critics were quick to hit out at the commissioners chosen method and delivery of his message. It begs the question why this conversation didn’t play out face-to-face between Klinsmann and Garber, rather than an impromptu conference call with the media. The stage and platform to defend his league and its players, with CBA negotiations on the horizon, was apparently too grand to pass up. Make no mistake, an ongoing PR-battle is being waged. Its being fought because of the growth potential in North American sport, MLS trying to improve its global standing, and the continued efforts to win over the American public. There is much at stake. Again, none of this has anything to do with Bradley. He will continue to play for the USMNT as long as hes good enough, no matter for what club or what league he plays. What Bradley did not need is Garber going to bat for him. Bradley has dealt with criticism before. He has never given excuses, even when battling through injury. What he needs is this story to go away. He doesn’t need to be pulled into this situation and Garber may have made things worse. Klinsmann and Garber need to keep the players out of it. They should be more concerned with the governance of the game and getting US Soccer leaders on the same page. This is critical to sustained growth. Infighting has been detrimental to the cause across this continent, stunting the growth of the game, especially here north of the border. It’s not about picking sides. There is no right or wrong here. There is substance to what Garber and Klinsmann are both preaching and hearts are in the right place. What shouldn’t be the case is Michael in the middle. Bradley has bigger battles ahead that have nothing to do with public relations. White NFL Jerseys Cheap Youth NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys 2020 Stitched NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Autographed Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Discount Jerseys ' ' '