The NBAs life ban for Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling won swift support in Europe but also produced calls for soccer to show similar resolve against racism. FIFA president Sepp Blatter and UEFA president Michel Platini, via his spokesman, both voiced approval on Wednesday. Blatter tweeted: "Sport says no to racism. I fully support (at)NBAs decision to ban (at)LAClippers owner for life after his racist words." Patrick Vieira, a 1998 World Cup winner with France, also tweeted: "Well done to (at)NBA, another organisation dealing with racism in exactly the right way. I say again - zero tolerance." NBA Commissioner Adam Silver wants Sterling to sell as part of a series of sanctions brought against the leagues longest-tenured owner in response to racist comments in a recorded conversation. Silver banned Sterling for life, fined him $2.5 million, and said he will press the other team owners to support his desire to make Sterling sell. For some in Europe, the NBAs resolve was in stark contrast to soccer leaders failure to eradicate racism that has dogged stadiums and marred matches for decades. Just last weekend, a Villarreal season-ticket holder racially taunted Barcelona defender Dani Alves by throwing a banana at him. Retired British NBA player John Amaechi noted that players, executives and owners in the American league appeared united in their rejection of Sterling. "If they can do that to respond to a hateful private utterance, why the hell cant football do that to respond to repeated instances of hate-mongering?" Amaechi said in a phone interview with The Associated Press. "Its time that we started looking at some of the owners within other parts of sport," outside the NBA, he said. "Theyre exactly the type of plantation mentality people who dont mind having black people working for them ... But God forbid that they want to come up to the big house." Amaechi said he doesnt expect the NBAs exemplary punishment of Sterling will jolt soccer into meaningful change. And Blatters tweet of support for the NBA was "not enough," he added. "If there was a poster-person for the words impotence and apathy, it would have his face on it," Amaechi said. "You know what theyre going to do? Theyre going to produce another pretty poster with platitudes plastered all over it. Theyre going to produce another campaign that has a black player stood next to a white player," he said. "Nothing substantive." FIFA and UEFA, the European authority, have toughened their sanctions for discrimination in the past year and prosecuted cases more quickly. A turning point in awareness of widespread problems with offensive abuse at matches came in January 2013 when Kevin-Prince Boateng, then playing for AC Milan, led teammates walking off the field to protest racist insults during an exhibition against a fourth-tier Italian side. FIFA and UEFA have ordered national and club teams to play matches in empty or partly closed stadiums as punishment for racial abuse incidents, but no World Cup or Champions League team has yet had points deducted or forfeited a match. Among the most severe judgments, FIFA has banned Croatia defender Josip Simunic for 10 matches -- including the 2014 World Cup -- for leading fans in chanting a Nazi-era nationalist slogan after a playoff victory against Iceland last November. Simunic has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Roberto Perez Jersey . Grimes signed a $32 million, four-year contract to remain with Miami. The deal, which includes $16 million guaranteed, rewards Grimes for his recovery from an Achilles tendon injury that forced him to miss almost all of the 2012 season. Oscar Mercado Indians Jersey . He chirped to the caddie of Brandt Snedeker about their money game, a Mickelson tradition at the majors. Lefty was in good spirits Monday at the British Open, except for having to return the claret jug. https://www.cheapindiansonline.com/1818u...ey-indians.html. Maximilian Arnold put Wolfsburg ahead in the eighth minute, when the stationary Fallou Diagne allowed him to guide Patrick Ochs cross beyond the helpless Freiburg goalkeeper, and Ivica Olic doubled the lead three minutes later after Luiz Gustavo did well to set him up. Albert Belle Jersey . JOHNS, N. Steve Olin Indians Jersey . Spieth again showed game well beyond his 20 years with a 9-under 63 on the North Course, giving him a one-shot lead over Stewart Cink going into the weekend at the Farmers Insurance Open.Major League Soccer President and Deputy Commissioner Mark Abbott met with the media in Portland on Tuesday ahead of the leagues All Star Game against German giants Bayern Munich (Wednesday night - live on TSN at 9:30pm et). Abbott was the leagues first employee back in 1993. He discussed many of the big issues surrounding MLS at the moment including comments made by FIFA President Sepp Blatter in Toronto on Monday. Blatter said MLS is pressing ahead with plans to realign its schedule with the FIFA calendar, but Abbott maintains the leagues stance has not changed: "We looked at it last fall and concluded that at this point in time it is not a change we could make," he said. "There is nothing imminent." Here are some of the other highlights from Abbotts meeting with the media: On a big summer for soccer: "It has been a great week so far for us in a Portland and part of a tremendous summer for us. The World Cup had a breakthrough in cultural relevance that we hadnt really seen before. It showed how big the fan base is." On finding new buyers for Chivas USA: "Weve been spending a lot of time talking to potential buyers. I am very optimistic we can find a wonderful ownership group. I dont have a specific timetable yet but it is an area of high focus for me. I anticipate in a reasonable period of time we will have a new buyer for that club. We have been looking at USC as a potential site for a stadium. Our focus is on a central LA location. We are not going to publicly negotiate the price but it will be more than was paid by Orlando." On the stadium situation in Miami: "Clearly we were disappointed about the two sites we had been focused on. We are spending a lot if time trying to find a location for the stadium along with David Beckham and his people." On Canadian players being treated as domestic players in the United States: "There is a US law issue. Anybody who is not a US citizen has to be treated the same, that being said, we have committed to the Canadian Soccer Association that we will look at potential solutions that can help. In my experience, when people are committed to solving a problem, they will find a solution. We value our partnership with the CSA, and it is a focus for us." On Sacramentos bid for an expansion franchise, and potential ownership involving Sacramento Kings: "We always talk about tthree things we look at.dddddddddddd The first is market dynamics, and there are a lot of really wonderful things going on in Sacramento. The second is, you have to have a facility. We are going to visit the market later this year. The third is the ownership group. There are significant people in Sacramento who have an interest in seeing MLS come there, including the Mayor. I do not want to get into specifics regarding potential ownership groups but we have great respect for what the ownership groups have done with the Kings and also Sacramento Republic." On an increase in salary cap: "Without taking about specifics, over time we will confine to invest more in players and we have shown that consistently. We recognize the importance of continuing to grow the product on the field. Over the last couple of years we have shown our desire to invest in players." On the upcoming CBA negotiations: "The Collective Bargaining Agreement is about investing in players. Those discussions will be about how we invest in players. We are not going into it looking for a work stoppage, we have a good partnership with our players and we talk a lot with them. We are tremendously proud of our players of the way they conduct themselves on and off the field. They are committed to helping build the sport. CBAs by their very nature involve contention. Sometimes that can get a little noisy, but if we can keep it all in the negotiation room, that provides everybody more flexibility to get things done. We met with the union not long a go and they would like the same thing. We dont go into it looking for a fight and nor do they." On introducing promotion or relegation: "I would say that never happens." On the playoff format: "From a general perspective, the format we have, we like. It doesnt mean we might not tinker with it, but we are happy with what we have. The playoffs are working. The basic concept is one we think makes sense and is correct." On seeing the league grow over the last two decades: "It has exceeded every expectation that I had. It is bigger in terms of its relevance. The sport has grown in a way none of us saw coming. It is the demographic shifts that you couldnt have seen 20 years ago. In every way we have exceed where we thought we would be, but we also recognize there is so much opportunity and more to be done." ' ' '