Five men charged

SINGAPORE: Five people were to appear in a Singapore court over illegal World Cup soccer betting, the police said. One was to be charged with acting as a bookmaker and faces a maximum five-year jail term as well as a fine of up to $125,000. The other four would be charged with betting with a bookmaker, an offence that carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail, a fine, or both, the police said in a statement. The latest suspects were among a total of 14 arrested in relation to illegal soccer betting since June 10, police said.

‘Refs not in control’

BERLIN: World Cup organiser Franz Beckenbauer on Tuesday added his voice to the criticism of refereeing at the tournament, saying match officials were failing to keep a grip on matches. “They haven’t got the situation 100 per cent under control,” said Beckenbauer, who won the World Cup as a player and a coach. Russian referee Valentin Ivanov came under fire from FIFA President Sepp Blatter for showing a World Cup record four red cards and 16 yellow in Portugal’s second-round win over the Netherlands on Sunday.