PARIS - Bordeaux coach Willy Sagnol has apologized for making disparaging comments about African players in football, although he still maintains they were misinterpreted against a backlash of widespread criticism. Adidas NMD R2 προσφορες .Sagnol, capped 58 times by France and a member of the team which lost the 2006 World Cup final, gave a question and answer session Tuesday to readers of Sud Ouest regional newspaper when the subject of African players was raised.The advantage of what I would call the typical African player is that he isnt expensive when you sign him, (he is) a player who is ready for combat, but football isnt just about that, Sagnol said.Explaining himself, he continued: Football is also (about) technique, intelligence. You need a bit of everything. You need Nordics too, Nordics are good.Speaking Thursday at a pre-match news conference ahead of Saturdays game with Lens, Sagnol tried to explain his comments.If by my lack of clarity, or my imperfect semantics, I may have shocked, humiliated or hurt people then I am sorry, Sagnol said. The interpretation that these people may have made does not reflect my way of thinking in any way or my humanist convictions.However, he said the comments made sense in a sporting context.When I spoke about the African (player) who is cheaper and ready for combat, I simply meant to talk about the young African player arriving in Europe with all of his will to win and often to escape from a precarious situation, Sagnol continued as he read from pre-prepared notes. Then, since we were in a debate about football, the intelligence I spoke of was obviously related to tactical intelligence. The forming of young players in Africa, probably because of a lack of financial means, or (lack) of infrastructure, isnt always as complete as whats available in Europe.Sagnol distanced himself from accusations that his viewpoint was offensive.In no way did I mean to talk about an individuals intelligence in the proper sense of the term. Regarding certain accusations of racism, Im 37 (and) Ive spent 32 of them in a football dressing room. Ive never had a problem with anyone, the former Bayern Munich player said.But Lens coach Antoine Kombouare, who was born in New Caledonia, is among those who felt offended by Sagnol.Lets make things clear: this is not a case of him being clumsy. Hes really messed up, Kombouare said. What he said is serious. Its unacceptable. Explaining that an African player is cheaper ... I felt humiliated and hurt.The International League against Racism and Anti-Semitism (LICRA) strongly condemned Sagnol, as did former Marseille president Pape Diouf, who called for African players to boycott one round of French league games in protest.French Football Federation president Noel Le Graet, who formerly employed Sagnol as coach of Frances Under-21 side, defended him, while former teammate Lilian Thuram — an active anti-racism campaigner — was more measured.I played alongside Willy, hes somebody I respect. I know him very well, Thuram told Sud Ouest. I dont think you should put Willy Sagnol on trial, but you should put prejudice on trial. Each one of us harbours some prejudice, which is why people working in football, who have a certain exposure to the media, should be educated on this subject.Sagnols captain at Bordeaux is Senegal international Lamine Sane, who called Sagnols comments clumsy before defending him, as did club president Jean-Louis Triaud.He doesnt have any twisted ideas. He believes in all the black players in the team, Sane told French radio. We believe in him and we hope to go very far with him.Bordeaux forward Henri Saivet, who is black, told RMC radio that Sagnol apologized.We all now pertinently well that the coach is not a racist, Saivet said. Its true that, at first, we asked ourselves a few questions. But he explained how it happened. He apologized to the players. That was very important. Adidas Superstar προσφορα . Inter moved five points behind fourth-place Fiorentina and eight points behind third-place Napoli, which visits relegation-threatened Sassuolo on Sunday. Adidas NMD R2 Greece . - Carter Verhaeghe scored the winner with 41 seconds to go as the Niagara IceDogs edged the North Bay Battalion 3-2 to even their first-round series at a game apiece in Ontario Hockey League playoff action on Sunday. http://www.nmdgreece.com/adidas-superstar-greece/i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i.html . -- Edwin Encarnacion hit a three-run homer, Colby Rasmus drove in two runs and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Detroit Tigers 9-4 on Saturday.DALLAS -- By the time Ben Smith got his first chance in an NHL shootout, the Blackhawks and Stars were locked up in the leagues longest tiebreaker in almost three years. Despite his lack of experience, Smith calmly won it. The 25-year-old forward scored in the 11th round of a wild shootout Friday night and Chicago finally beat Dallas 2-1 for its fifth straight victory. "It was fun," Smith said. "A great opportunity. It was awesome. I just knew I was going to try and keep it simple, shoot the puck. I was fortunate that it went in." Smith, who has seven goals in 39 games over four NHL seasons, beat Kari Lehtonen into the upper right corner of the net. "I had a lot of confidence in Ben," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "His lines been very effective. I think they had another good game. You look in the last four wins, theyve been outstanding." Chicagos Patrick Sharp and Dallas Rich Peverley had the only goals through the first 10 rounds of the tiebreaker. Each of them scored in regulation, too. It was the longest shootout in the NHL since Tampa Bay beat the New York Rangers in 11 rounds on Dec. 23, 2010, according to STATS. The Lightning won that game 4-3 with a 3-2 edge in the tiebreaker. Sharp tied it 1-all at 7:21 of the third period. Peverley scored at 16:40 of the first. "I was happy to make a bunch of good saves. Just not the last one," said Lehtonen, who stopped 25 shots. Stars defenceman Stephane Robidas broke his right leg in the second period. He was wheeled off the ice on a stretcher and taken to the hospital. While helping to kill off a Dallas penalty, the 36-year-old Robidas slid hard into the boards beyond the goal line. He stayed down on the ice holding his leg just below the knee. "It didnt look good," Stars coach Lindy Ruff said. "Hes been playing real well. Thats the only real negative from this game." Robidas is in his 11th season with the Stars, the longest tenure on the team, and his 14th NHL season. In his absence, Dallas played only five defencemen. "Definitely getting on their D and putting more pressure just created more opportunities. That definitely showed in the third," Smith said. Chicago has won six straight againsst the Stars, outscoring them 27-9, and five in a row at Dallas dating to Oct. Adidas NMD R2 φθηνα. 7, 2011. Duncan Keith set up Sharps goal with his 21st assist. In the first period, Shawn Horcoff beat Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford to a loose puck behind the net and passed to Peverley skating down the slot. Crawford recovered from that goal, stopped Alex Chiasson on a penalty shot early in the second and blanked Dallas the rest of the way en route to his 100th NHL win. "Its a key situation in the game. Its important if we go down by two goals. I was just trying to come up with a save and keep our team in it," said Crawford, who finished with 28 saves. Crawford moved toward the left post, leaving Chiasson little room. His shot caromed off the post. "With the score 1-0, that penalty shot could have put them away. If you lose like that and come away with a point, you can take something from it," Ruff said. "To use a football analogy, we got inside the red zone a few times, but didnt put it away." Crawford and Lehtonen combined to stop 16 consecutive shootout attempts until Smith found the net. The game was a defensive struggle. Neither team put a shot on goal until 2 minutes into the game. Lehtonen later stopped point-blank attempts by Brent Seabrook and Smith. Dallas best scoring chance was on a backhand by Jamie Benn at the 13-minute mark until Peverley put the Stars ahead. Dallas had an 11-9 advantage in shots during the first period. After the penalty shot, the Stars had another good chance 10 1/2 minutes into the second. Crawford reached up to catch Ryan Garbutts drive before it reached the upper right corner of the net. "We needed to get a break, but they got the break on (Sharps) goal. It tipped off a stick and went in another direction," Ruff said. No one went to the penalty box until Peverley was called for tripping at 11:31 of the second. Each team had one shot on goal in overtime, which ended with Dallas shooting a puck wide right. NOTES: Sharps goal was his fifth point in two games against the Stars this season. He had four assists at Dallas on Nov. 9. ... At times, a large contingent of Chicago fans in the sold-out arena chanted "Lets go Hawks!" ' ' '