Soccer: World Cup

10:58 PM CDT on Monday, July 3, 2006

From Wire Reports

BERLIN – A German motorist who injured 26 people when he plowed through Berlin's World Cup pedestrian "fan mile" is under investigation for attempted murder.

On Monday, he was ordered held in a psychiatric hospital.

Berlin officials have said they believe the 33-year-old driver intentionally broke through a concrete barrier near the landmark Brandenburg Gate on Sunday in an effort to seek attention.

"There is an investigation of attempted murder," police spokesman Bernhard Schodrowski said.

The car smashed through a barrier blocking off the stretch of road where matches are shown on big screens to hundreds of thousands of fans. There were no matches Sunday, so the festival was relatively empty.

Prosecutors issued a statement Monday saying that the suspect, who had no previous criminal record, was not giving information about what happened.

• Uruguayan referee Jorge Larrionda, who ejected three players from the U.S.-Italy game in the first round, will officiate Wednesday's semifinal between Portugal and France. On Sunday, FIFA selected Mexico's Benito Archundia to handle today's Germany-Italy game, making him the first referee to call five matches at one World Cup.

• FIFA on Monday suspended European champion Greece from international competition because of government interference in the domestic administration of the sport. Under the ban, Greek clubs cannot enter qualifying for the European Champions League. Greece failed to qualify for the World Cup.

• On the eve of Italy's semifinal against Germany, Italian soccer federation official Cosimo Maria Ferri was banned for life as the country's match-fixing trial resumed.