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.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. Nike Sb Clearance Sale . "There are a lot of things that are going very well in this organization. Im not coming in here to rip things apart," Nicholson told reporters Friday. 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Little began the third and final round by beating Mike Smith high to the glove side and under the crossbar. Shane Doan could have kept the game going, but shot into the pads of Ondrej Pavelec to end the contest. Little, Dustin Byfuglien and Michael Frolik scored in regulation for the Jets, who have won four in a row and pulled into a tie for third place in the Central Division with Chicago at 58 points. Pavelec finished with 28 saves. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Lauri Korpikoski and Tobias Rieder tallied for the Coyotes, who have lost five consecutive games but earned a point for the first time during this dubious run. Smith stopped 27 pucks. Little staked the Jets to a lead at 4:08 of the first by one-timing an Andrew Ladd feed home to finish a 2-on-1, before Ekman-Larssons blazing shot from the left circle slipped home at 7:36. Frolik put the hosts back on top at 1:39 of the second, capitalizing on a misplay by the Coyotes defense. Smith stopped a puck behind his net and dished to Connor Murphy, wwho fanned on a pass which made it as far as the slot before Frolik tapped it into an open net.dddddddddddd Byfuglien gave Winnipeg a 3-1 edge by finishing off a 2-on-1 break by cradling a Mark Scheifele pass and scoring under the crossbar from the right wing before the midway point of the third period. Korpikoskis man-advantage score with 6:39 to play made it a one-goal contest again, and Doans prayer from the blue line was answered on a Rieder deflection in front with 3:50 to play. Each team failed to convert a power-play chance in the extra session. Game Notes Winnipeg improved to 4-4 in shootouts this season, while Arizona fell to 3-3 ... The Jets, who improved to 5-1-1 over their last seven games, played without forward Mathieu Perreault, who is sidelined by a fractured arm sustained from a slash by Chicago Blackhawks forward Daniel Carcillo ... Arizona picked up its first point of season when trailing after two periods (0-17-1) ... Following the contest, Coyotes head coach Dave Tippett pronounced forward Mikkel Boedker, who saw limited action in the third period and overtime, day-to-day with an upper-body injury. ' ' '