FIFA president says he isn’t corrupt

BERLIN — FIFA President Sepp Blatter has said in a magazine interview that he is not corrupt and that he has a “clear conscience” despite corruption investigations into world soccer’s governing body.

“Whoever accuses me of being corrupt has to prove it to me first. But nobody can do that because I’m not corrupt,” Blatter told Thursday’s edition of German weekly Bunte, extracts of which were released Wednesday.

Four days after being re-elected for a fifth term, Blatter said on June 2 that he would step down amid a crisis provoked by American and Swiss federal investigations of corruption linked to FIFA.

American law enforcement officials have confirmed that Blatter is a target of their investigation into widespread bribery and racketeering linked to broadcast rights and hosting votes for international tournaments.

U.S. women draw record ratings

NEW YORK — The United States’ win over Germany is the most-watched men’s or women’s World Cup semifinal ever on American television.

The 2-0 victory by the second-ranked U.S. over the No. 1 Germans on Tuesday night averaged 8.4 million viewers on Fox. The network said the previous high was 5.9 million for the 2006 men’s semifinal between Germany and Italy. The audience was up 47 percent from the 5.7 million for the Americans’ quarterfinal against China on Friday night. And it was more than double the 3.4 million for the Americans’ semifinal in 2011.

Sather steps down as general manager

GREENBURGH, N.Y. — Glen Sather didn’t get a chance to raise the Stanley Cup as general manager of the New York Rangers, so he’ll just have to settle for making them a lot better in his 15 seasons in charge.

Sather announced that he was stepping down as the Rangers general manager and being replaced by longtime assistant Jeff Gorton.

The past four years have been the best part of the run, with the Rangers making the Eastern Conference finals three times and playing for the Stanley Cup in 2014 against the Los Angeles Kings.

New York had the NHL’s best regular-season record this past season, but lost the conference finals.

7 SIU hoopers file discrimination suit

URBANA, Ill. — Seven former University of Illinois women’s basketball players sued the university Wednesday, accusing coach Matt Bollant and a former assistant of violating their civil rights by using race to divide the team and try to force some players out.

The lawsuit adds to this year’s stream of accusations against the school’s sports programs over player treatment. Some of the plaintiffs’ parents made similar complaints to the school in May, claims that are being investigated by a university-hired law firm along with one from a former football player who says his injuries weren’t properly handled.

From wire reports