2012 Major League Baseball draft
The 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the first overall pick, selected Carlos Correa from the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy and High School.


2012 Major League Baseball draft, Draft order
The draft order was determined by the 2011 Major League Baseball season standings. With the worst record in 2011, the Houston Astros received the first pick.


2012 Major League Baseball draft, Draft order
Also, teams can lose draft picks for signing certain free agents, while teams losing free agents will receive draft picks as compensation. The Elias Sports Bureau ranks all players based on performance over the past two seasons, with the top 20% being considered "Type A" and the next 20% considered "Type B".


2012 Major League Baseball draft, Draft order
If a team offers a Type A free agent arbitration and he signs with another club, the player's former team obtains the new team's first- or second-round pick, depending on whether the new team is in the top 15 or bottom 15 in won-loss records in 2011, as well as a supplemental pick after the first round. If a team offers a Type B free agent arbitration and he signs with another club, the former team gets a supplemental pick after the first round.


2012 Major League Baseball draft, Draft order
The new Collective Bargaining Agreement between MLB and the MLBPA announced on November 22, modified the compensation required for certain Type A players. Six Type A players became modified Type A free agents, meaning a team signing one of them was not required to forfeit a draft pick, but the team losing them will receive a draft pick in the slot immediately before the pick they would have received had the player actually had Type A status. Five further Type A players became modified Type B free agents, with compensation equivalent to other Type B free agents.


2012 Major League Baseball season
The 2012 Major League Baseball season began on March 28 with the first of a two-game series between the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland Athletics at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. On November 22, 2011, a new contract between Major League Baseball and its players union was ratified, and as a result, an expanded playoff format adding two clubs will be adopted no later than 2013 according to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.


2012 Major League Baseball season
The new format was finalized for the 2012 season on March 2, 2012, and will use the 2–3 game schedule format for the Division Series for the 2012 season only. The restriction against divisional rivals playing against each other in the Division Series round that had existed in previous years was eliminated, as the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees squared off in one of the best-of-5 LDS series in the American League.


2012 Major League Baseball season
The stateside portion of the regular season started April 4 in Miami with the opening of the new Marlins Park, as the newly renamed Miami Marlins hosted the defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals. The regular season ended on Wednesday, October 3. The entire master schedule was released on September 14, 2011.


2012 Major League Baseball season
The Major League Baseball postseason was expanded to include a second wild card team in each league beginning in the 2012 season. The season marked the last for the Houston Astros as a member of the National League. Following the sale to new owner Jim Crane, the Astros agreed to move to the American League effective in the 2013 season, and would be assigned to the American League West, joining their in-state rivals, the Texas Rangers.


2012 Major League Baseball season
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game's 83rd edition was held on July 10 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, with the National League winning the All-Star Game for the third consecutive year in an 8–0 shutout of the American League. With the win, the National League champion earned home field advantage for the World Series, which began on October 24 and ended on October 28 when the San Francisco Giants swept the Detroit Tigers. The Civil Rights Game was held on August 18 at Turner Field, as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the host Atlanta Braves, 6–2.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Managerial changes, Field managers, Off-season
The following managers were hired for the 2012 season after the former manager retired from baseball.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Managerial changes, Field managers, Off-season
At the end of the 2011 season, the following teams made replacements to their managers.


2012 Major League Baseball season, League leaders, National League
** Melky Cabrera of the San Francisco Giants was ineligible to win the batting title, at his request, due to being suspended for testing positive for testosterone. He finished the season with a .346 average.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, New uniforms, Wholesale changes
Five teams have made wholesale changes to their uniforms in 2012, while a sixth has new road uniforms. Two other teams added alternate uniforms to their existing set.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, New uniforms, Wholesale changes
The San Diego Padres were the first team to announce changes to their logos and uniform set on November 9. The new primary features the "SD" cap logo inside a navy circle with the words "San Diego Padres Baseball Club" encircling it. The "swinging friar" logo was also revived, albeit in the current colors. Another secondary logo features the Padres script from last season below the depiction of Petco Park in sand and above the year of establishment; a blue and white version is used on the away and alternate uniforms.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, New uniforms, Wholesale changes
The front of the home uniform remains the same, except that the sand trim in "Padres" is now in trim instead of a drop shadow and the addition of navy piping. Originally they'll use the sand Petco patch on the left sleeve, but upon unveiling the uniforms, the "swinging friar" patch was placed instead. The road uniforms now feature "San Diego" in an arched position with navy piping. The alternate blue uniforms feature the "SD" cap logo on the left chest with white piping. All three uniforms now feature the block numerals on the reverse side. The digital camouflage uniforms were retained, save for the change to block numerals. The caps with the sand "SD" were retired.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, New uniforms, Wholesale changes
The Marlins unveiled their changes on November 11, 2011, as the team was rebranded as the Miami Marlins, complete with a new logo featuring a stylized Marlin jumping over an art deco colored "M" in coral, yellow and blue. "MIAMI" will grace the primary white uniform, and there will be an orange home alternate which feature the team name, while the black alt had been reduced to road alternate jersey. The black cap is used for the regular home, away and black alternates, while the orange cap is paired with the orange alternates. The Marlins become the second team to use the city (or state) name on the home uniforms, after the Texas Rangers.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, New uniforms, Wholesale changes
November 15 saw the Baltimore Orioles redesign their road and home uniform sets and returned to a version of the cartoon logo used from the mid-1960s to 1988. The home caps are white in front and black on the back with an orange bill, while the away caps will be all black with an orange bill, both featuring the cartoon bird. They also unveiled a modernized version of the orange alternate uniforms last worn in 1992, and were worn on select home games, but retained the black alternate uniforms paired with the black and orange cap with the "O's" script.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, New uniforms, Wholesale changes
As part of their golden anniversary season, the New York Mets modified their home and road uniforms to resemble the style worn in 1962, having their unveiling November 16. The black drop-shadow trim was removed from the team/city script logos, player numerals and name lettering on the off-white pinstriped home uniforms (now the primary home uniform), the white alternate home uniforms, and the grey road uniforms, all of which were worn only with the team's traditional blue cap with orange "NY" crest and blue undersleeves, belts and socks.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, New uniforms, Wholesale changes
In addition, the black alternate jersey (which will be worn occasionally on the road in 2012) is being phased out, to be replaced by a blue alternate starting in 2013. The solid black cap with the blue/white/orange crest will also be retained for one more season, to be worn only with the black alternate jersey. The black cap with blue bill and blue/orange crest has been eliminated. In addition, the Mets have removed the color black from their batting-practice jerseys and caps; both will be blue with orange lettering/logos outlined in white.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, New uniforms, Wholesale changes
The Toronto Blue Jays unveiled new uniforms on November 18, returning to a variation of their vintage logo used from 1977 through 1996. The new logo is similar to the original used from 1977–96, with a few exceptions: a more prominent maple leaf, a sleeker-looking blue jay, serifed modern lettering on the team name, and a split-line blue circle enclosing the logo. The new uniforms are similarly based on the set used from 1989–96; a white home uniform with "Blue Jays", a grey road uniform with "Toronto", and a blue alternate uniform with "Blue Jays".


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, New uniforms, Wholesale changes
The team/city name is arched above the secondary logo of the blue jay with the maple leaf, sans the baseball, situated on the left side. The secondary logo is also placed in the blue cap. The uniforms use the breathable double-knit polyester fabric, claiming the previously lighter Climate Base fabric became too heavy, once players began to sweat.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, New uniforms, Wholesale changes
The Colorado Rockies replaced their purple road pinstripes with a more traditional solid gray uniform which was unveiled at RockiesFest in Denver in January 2012.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, New uniforms, Wholesale changes
The San Francisco Giants and Atlanta Braves added alternate uniforms to their set. The Giants wear a Sunday road game grey alternate based on the road uniforms they wore during their 1989 World Series run, with the interlocking 'SF' logo on the left chest and black neck-hoop piping. The black piping was also incorporated into the team's normal road gray uniforms. The Braves unveiled a cream (heritage white) home alternates based on the uniforms worn in their first season in Atlanta. The uniform has the 'Braves' wordmark without the tomahawk with the uniform number below on the left chest and navy piping. The sleeves have a logo commemorating the Braves franchise's first season in 1876.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, New uniforms, Dodgers logo
A new, slightly altered Los Angeles Dodgers logo made its way to the Dodgers dugout wall at Dodger Stadium and for their "Social September" promotion in September 2011. The baseball and flight lines have been thickened, while the "o" in the script "Dodgers" no longer has a line on the bottom left. The home uniform script continues to use the previous script, though.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, New uniforms, Caps and jerseys
After reviving the popular Northwest Green jerseys at home, the Seattle Mariners are bringing back their navy with teal bill caps, last worn in 2002, for Monday and Friday home contests. Also, their navy road alternate will now have "SEATTLE" on the jersey front.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, New uniforms, Caps and jerseys
The Royals unveiled minor tweaks to their light blue home alternate jersey, with all numbers and lettering now white with royal trim, and a revamped away uniform (changed to a darker blue-gray color and a revamped "Kansas City" script). In addition, the team has dropped their light blue caps.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, New uniforms, Caps and jerseys
The Cleveland Indians made minor tweaks to the home and alternate uniforms. The white home uniform features navy collar piping and the 'Indians' script in red and navy trim, removing the white inner trim as well as the navy piping on the button lines. The navy alternate features gray collar piping and the 'Indians' script in red and white trim, removing the navy inner trim as well as the grey piping on the button lines.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, New uniforms, Caps and jerseys
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim revert to the silver halo after changing it to gold the previous year. They also added a sleeve patch that says 'Angels Baseball' with the foundation year (1961) separated by the current logo in between. The logo is wrapped in a red, navy and silver circle. This patch will be placed on all uniforms.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, Throwbacks
As part of their 40th anniversary in Arlington, the Texas Rangers will wear replicas of the four different uniforms they've worn throughout the team's history, the most notable of which are the two uniforms worn during the ownership of then-future President of the United States George W. Bush.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, Throwbacks
As part of their 50th anniversary, the Astros will wear throwbacks throughout the season, including a game with Colt .45s uniforms.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, Throwbacks
The Red Sox and the Yankees wore 1912 throwbacks on April 20 to mark the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park. It marked only the second time the Yankees have worn throwbacks; the first was in 1996, when they wore New York Black Yankees uniforms at a Negro leagues tribute game in Detroit.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, Throwbacks
The Red Sox and Athletics wore 1936 uniforms on May 2 at Fenway Park.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, Throwbacks
The Twins wore Minneapolis Millers uniforms on June 30 in the second game of a make-up doubleheader against the Royals, who wore the uniforms of the Kansas City Blues.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, Throwbacks
The Nationals wore the uniforms of the 1924 Washington Senators on July 5 against the Giants, who wore the 1924 New York Giants uniforms.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, Throwbacks
The Athletics wore the PCL Oakland Oaks uniforms, and the Mariners the Rainiers, on July 8.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, Throwbacks
The Brewers will wear Milwaukee Bears Negro leagues uniforms on July 28.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, Throwbacks
The Diamondbacks will wear a throwback uniform on September 15. Fans decided online that their 1998 purple uniform will be worn.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, Throwbacks
The White Sox are wearing 1972 uniforms on Sundays at home this season.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, Throwbacks
The Detroit Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates wore throwback uniforms paying tribute to the Negro league baseball teams Detroit Stars and Pittsburgh Crawfords on May 19.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, Throwbacks
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Seattle Mariners wore throwback uniforms of defunct Pacific Coast League teams Los Angeles Angels and Seattle Rainiers on May 26.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, Throwbacks
The Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants wore 1912 throwback uniforms on June 2.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, Throwbacks
The Pirates and Royals wore Negro leagues uniforms on June 9 – the Pirates, the Homestead Grays and the Royals, the Kansas City Monarchs.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, Throwbacks
The Tampa Bay Rays wore 'faux-back' 1979 throwback jerseys on June 30 against the Tigers, who also wore throwback jerseys from the same year. Due to the fact the Rays did not exist as a franchise in 1979, their uniform design was inspired from popular uniform styles such as pullovers and two-tone caps.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, Throwbacks
The San Diego Padres and New York Mets wore 1989 throwback uniforms on August 3.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, Throwbacks
The St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers celebrated the 30th anniversary of the 1982 World Series by wearing throwback uniforms on August 4. The Cardinals also added a 30th anniversary patch commemorating their World Series victory, exclusive to their throwback uniforms. The next night, the Cardinals wore their road blue uniforms against the Brewers.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, Throwbacks
The Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies wore throwback uniforms from the 1991 season on August 22. Ironically, on June 16, 1991, the Reds and Phillies had worn 1957 uniforms at Veterans Stadium. The Reds won both games.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, Other uniforms
The Cardinals wore special uniforms to commemorate their 2011 World Series win on April 13–14. The 'STL' on the caps was gold with navy trim, while the word 'Cardinals' and the block numbers on the uniforms were gold with navy trim. The Cardinals wore them during the unfurling of their championship flag on April 13, and the presentation of the Commissioner's Trophy and World Series rings on April 14.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, Other uniforms
MLB players wore No. 42 on April 15, the 65th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's MLB debut. The Dodgers wore a Brooklyn-era cap and batting helmet that day, as well.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, Other uniforms
The Pirates and Orioles donned camouflage uniforms during Memorial Day weekend.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, Other uniforms
The Brewers wore an Italian-language batting practice uniform with the word "Birrai" on July 1; their opponents Arizona Diamondbacks ('I D-Backs') also wore Italian-language uniforms. They also wore the Cerveceros uniforms on June 2 against the Pirates ('Piratas').


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, Other uniforms
Players wore special caps on Memorial Day and Independence Day; the Blue Jays also wore special caps on Canada Day, along with a specialized red uniform. This year, a camouflage design was used in lieu of the American and Canadian flags.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, Other uniforms
In commemoration of the September 11 attacks, all American teams wore caps with the American flag sewn on the left; the Blue Jays sported both the American and Canadian flags on both sides of their caps.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, Other uniforms
As part of Cinco de Mayo the San Francisco Giants ("Gigantes") and Houston Astros ("Los Astros") wore Spanish-language home uniforms for the game.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, Other uniforms
On July 6, the New York Mets ("Los Mets") wore blue Spanish-language jerseys for the game against the Chicago Cubs. They wore the uniforms again on August 24 against the Astros.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, Other uniforms
The Chicago White Sox wore a variation of their home uniforms on September 7 against the Royals, as part of the "Halfway to St. Patty's" promotion. The uniform substitutes the traditional black color for green.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, Other uniforms
The Athletics and Diamondbacks wore Spanish-language uniforms in celebration of Mexican Independence Day on September 16, against the Orioles and Giants, respectively. The A's used their primary home uniform, with "Atléticos" substituting for "Athletics", while the D-Backs used their black alternate uniform, with "Los D-Backs" substituting for the secondary "A" logo.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Uniforms, Patches, Anniversaries and special events
The following teams will wear commemorative patches for special occasions:


2012 Major League Baseball season, New stadium
The Florida Marlins vacated Sun Life Stadium at the end of the 2011 season and moved into Marlins Park, which was built on the site of the old Orange Bowl stadium. The team officially adopted its new name of Miami Marlins on November 11, 2011.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Anniversaries
The 2012 season marked the 100th anniversary of the opening of Boston's Fenway Park. In addition, Dodger Stadium—home of the Los Angeles Dodgers—celebrated its 50th Anniversary, and the Baltimore Orioles home, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, also celebrated its 20th anniversary.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Anniversaries, Mets, Astros golden anniversaries
The 2012 season also marked the 50th anniversary for the New York Mets and the Houston Astros, but the 51st season for both teams.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Anniversaries, Mets, Astros golden anniversaries
The Mets began play four years after the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants moved west in 1958, leaving New York City with only one MLB team in the Yankees. In 1959, New York City attorney William Shea, with support from baseball figures including former Dodgers executive Branch Rickey, proposed a third major league called the Continental League. Houston and New York City were both among the announced CL cities.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Anniversaries, Mets, Astros golden anniversaries
MLB responded to the threat by placing new franchises in several of these cities, and offered a National League franchise to the owners of the proposed New York CL team, who accepted. With Shea's goal of bringing a second major-league team to New York successful, he abandoned the new league, which officially folded in 1960 without ever playing a game. The Mets began play in 1962 at the Giants' former home of the Polo Grounds in Manhattan, moved in 1964 to Shea Stadium (named after the aforementioned William Shea) in Queens, and opened their current home of Citi Field, adjacent to the former Shea Stadium site, in 2009.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Anniversaries, Mets, Astros golden anniversaries
The Astros were also enfranchised as a direct response to the plans to launch the CL. They began play in 1962 as the Houston Colt .45s; following a dispute with Colt Firearms over revenues from souvenir sales and licensing fees, the team moved to the Astrodome in 1965 and renamed itself the Astros. In 2000, they opened their current home, now known as Minute Maid Park. In honor of the Astros' 50th anniversary, they donned different throwback uniforms at home on Friday night themed to each decade.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Television, National
Major League Baseball enters the 6th year of seven-year contracts it signed with its broadcast partners prior to the 2007 season. This year, Fox will televise the Saturday Game of the Week (which will be shown in prime time each week from May 19 to July 7), the All-Star Game, the National League Championship Series, and the World Series. TBS will show a Sunday Game of the Week, the All-Star Selection Show, all  but two Division Series games, the American League Championship Series, and the new wild card elimination games.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Television, National
ESPN will show games on Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday nights (with Monday and Wednesday Night Baseball airing on ESPN2 during April, May and early June due to ESPN's priority to the NBA regular season and playoff coverage, and then Monday Night Baseball moving to form either a Wednesday night doubleheader or a simultaneous airing of a Monday Night game on ESPN and a Wednesday Night game on ESPN2 when the NFL season starts, to accommodate Monday Night Football), and the All-Star Home Run Derby.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Television, National
They will also air 10 spring training games, as well as five nationally televised games on Opening Week from April 4–6. The MLB Network will air a national Game of the Week broadcast every Thursday and the two Division Series games not shown on TBS. Major League Baseball International will air in syndication the All-Star Game, the ALCS, and the World Series to global markets.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Television, Local
The Padres have switched from Cox Cable-owned 4SD to a new channel called Fox Sports San Diego, which the Padres also have a minority stake in.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Television, Local
This is the last season of Houston Astros games on Fox Sports Houston and KTXH. Starting next season, all games will be on Comcast SportsNet Houston, a new channel the Astros will co-own with the Houston Rockets.


2012 Major League Baseball season, Television, Local
The Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN), which broadcasts Orioles and Nationals games, became the latest network to adjust its score box to the 16:9 aspect ratio for high-definition television broadcasts. The adjustment, which began with Fox Sports' MLB coverage in 2010, was later adopted to other networks, notably ESPN, TBS, Fox Sports Net (except Fox Sports South and some terrestrial television broadcasts produced by Fox Sports), and Root Sports during the 2011 season. As of this season, only the YES Network, New England Sports Network, Comcast SportsNet, SportsNet New York and SportsTime Ohio have yet to move to the newly adjusted high definition broadcast.


2012 Major League Lacrosse season
The 2012 Major League Lacrosse season is the 12th season of the league. The season began on April 28, 2012 and concluded with the Chesapeake Bayhawks winning the championship game on August 26, 2012 over the Denver Outlaws 16-6.


2012 Major League Lacrosse season, Milestones & events, Team movement
On January 21, 2011, Commissioner David Gross announced that Charlotte, North Carolina and Columbus, Ohio, had been approved as expansion teams for the 2012 season. Gross also announced that, with the adding of two more teams, (to bring the total to eight) the league would return to a fourteen-game season in 2012.


2012 Major League Lacrosse season, Standings
W = Wins, L = Losses, PCT = Winning Percentage, GB = Games Back of first place, GF = Goals For, 2ptGF = 2 point Goals For, GA = Goals Against, 2ptGA = 2 point Goals Against


2012 Major League Lacrosse season, All Star Game
June 30, 2012 Old School 18-17 (SO)Young Guns  at  FAU Stadium. MVP Stephen Berger


2012 Major League Lacrosse season, Playoffs
The Warrior Championship Weekend took place on Saturday August 25 & Sunday August 26 at Harvard Stadium, Boston MA. Ben Rubefor (Chesapeake) named Bud Light Championship weekend MVP.


2012 Major League Soccer season
The 2012 Major League Soccer season was the 100th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States and Canada, the 34th with a national first-division league, and the 17th season of Major League Soccer.


2012 Major League Soccer season
The regular season began on March 10, when the Vancouver Whitecaps FC defeated the expansion team Montreal Impact 2–0 at BC Place, and concluded with the host Los Angeles Galaxy defeating the Seattle Sounders FC 1–0 on October 28 at The Home Depot Center. The season also featured the 2012 MLS All-Star Game on July 28, when MLS All-Stars defeated the Chelsea 3–2 at PPL Park (hosted by the Philadelphia Union). The San Jose Earthquakes would go on to become the Supporters' Shield champions by earning the most points of any team throughout the regular season. The 2012 MLS Cup Playoffs ran from October 31 until December 1, when the Los Angeles Galaxy claimed their fourth MLS Cup title by defeating Houston Dynamo 3–1 in MLS Cup 2012 at Home Depot Center in Carson, CA.


2012 Major League Soccer season, Changes from 2011
The 2012 MLS season features several significant on- and off-field changes from 2011:


2012 Major League Soccer season, Teams, stadiums, and personnel, Personnel and sponsorship
Five MLS teams saw changes in jersey sponsorship for the 2012 season:


2012 Major League Soccer season, Teams, stadiums, and personnel, Player transfers
Major League Soccer employs no fewer than 12 methods to acquire players. These include: signing players on transfers/free transfers as is done in most of the world; via trades; drafting players through mechanisms such as the MLS SuperDraft, MLS Supplemental Draft, or MLS Re-Entry Draft; rarely used methods which cover extreme hardship and injury replacement; signing players as Designated Players or Homegrown Players; placing a discovery claim on players; waivers; and methods peculiar to MLS such as through allocation or a weighted lottery.


2012 Major League Soccer season, Teams, stadiums, and personnel, Player transfers, Allocation ranking
The allocation ranking is the mechanism used to determine which MLS club has first priority to acquire a U.S. National Team player who signs with MLS after playing abroad, or a former MLS player who returns to the League after having gone to a club abroad for a transfer fee. The allocation rankings may also be used in the event two or more clubs file a request for the same player on the same day. The allocations will be ranked in reverse order of finish for the 2011 season, taking playoff performance into account.


2012 Major League Soccer season, Teams, stadiums, and personnel, Player transfers, Allocation ranking
Once the club uses its allocation ranking to acquire a player, it drops to the bottom of the list. A ranking can be traded, provided that part of the compensation received in return is another club's ranking. At all times, each club is assigned one ranking. The rankings reset at the end of each MLS League season.


2012 Major League Soccer season, Teams, stadiums, and personnel, Player transfers, Allocation ranking
Montreal immediately traded Johnson to Seattle in exchange for Mike Fucito and Lamar Neagle.


2012 Major League Soccer season, Teams, stadiums, and personnel, Player transfers, Allocation ranking
Vancouver originally had the No. 2 ranking, but traded it to Philadelphia on June 26.


2012 Major League Soccer season, Teams, stadiums, and personnel, Player transfers, Allocation ranking
∞Toronto originally had the No. 4 ranking, but traded it to Seattle on September 14.


2012 Major League Soccer season, Teams, stadiums, and personnel, Player transfers, Allocation ranking
The remaining order after FC Dallas is: Vancouver Whitecaps FC (from Philadelphia), Toronto FC (from Seattle), Sporting Kansas City, Real Salt Lake, Houston Dynamo and Los Angeles Galaxy. In the unlikely event that all clubs use an allocation, the order begins anew with Montreal Impact, Colorado Rapids, Philadelphia Union, New York Red Bulls New England Revolution and Seattle Sounders FC.


2012 Major League Soccer season, Teams, stadiums, and personnel, Player transfers, Weighted lottery
Some players are assigned to MLS teams via a weighted lottery process. A team can only acquire one player per year through a weighted lottery. The players made available through lotteries include: (i) Generation adidas players signed after the MLS SuperDraft; and (ii) Draft eligible players to whom an MLS contract was offered but who failed to sign with the League prior to the SuperDraft.


2012 Major League Soccer season, Teams, stadiums, and personnel, Player transfers, Weighted lottery
The team with the worst record over its last 30 regular season games (dating back to previous season if necessary and taking playoff performance into account) will have the greatest probability of winning the lottery. Teams are not required to participate in a lottery. Players are assigned via the lottery system in order to prevent a player from potentially influencing his destination club with a strategic holdout.


2012 Major League Soccer season, Regular season standings, Conferences, Western Conference
(SS) = Supporters Shield winner; (W1) = Western Conference champion


2012 Major League Soccer season, Regular season standings, Overall table
Note: the table below has no impact on playoff qualification and is used solely for determining host of the MLS Cup, certain CCL spots, seeding in the 2013 Canadian Championship, and 2013 MLS draft. The conference tables are the sole determinant for teams qualifying for the playoffs.


2012 Major League Soccer season, Regular season standings, Tiebreak rules
When two or more teams are tied in standings on points the following tiebreak rules apply:


2012 Major League Soccer season, Related competitions, International competitions and friendlies, CONCACAF Champions League
Prior to the start of the MLS regular season, Toronto FC defeated Los Angeles Galaxy while Mexican side Santos Laguna defeated Seattle Sounders FC in two of the 2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal series. Toronto FC then lost 3–7 on aggregate in the semifinal with Santos Laguna.


2012 Major League Soccer season, Related competitions, International competitions and friendlies, CONCACAF Champions League
In the 2012–13 CCL, Los Angeles Galaxy, Seattle Sounders, Houston Dynamo and Real Salt Lake earned group stage spots (the preliminary round has been eliminated). The Canadian representative, determined by the 2012 Canadian Championship, was Toronto FC.


2012 Major League Soccer season, Related competitions, International competitions and friendlies, CONCACAF Champions League
At the end of the groups stages, the Los Angeles Galaxy, Seattle Sounders, and Houston Dynamo qualified for the quarterfinals, which will be played in March 2013.


2012 Major League Soccer season, Related competitions, International competitions and friendlies, MLS All-Star Game
The 2012 MLS All-Star Game was played on July 25 at PPL Park in Chester, Pennsylvania, home stadium of the Philadelphia Union. As has been the format every year since 2005, the MLS All-Stars played an international club; the 2012 opponent was England's Chelsea FC, 2012 champions of both the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League and visiting side in the 2006 MLS All-Star Game (when they lost to the All-Stars, 1–0, at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois). The MLS All-Stars won the game 3–2.


2012 Major League Soccer season, Related competitions, Domestic competitions, Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
For the 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tournament, U.S. Soccer has increased the size of the main tournament from 40 to 64 clubs, assembling the competition so that all U.S.-based Major League Soccer clubs gain entry. On August 8, 2012, Sporting Kansas City defeated the Seattle Sounders on penalties to win the franchise's second open cup title.


2012 Major League Soccer season, Related competitions, Domestic competitions, Canadian Championship
The three Canadian-based MLS clubs, Toronto FC, Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps FC, along with NASL club FC Edmonton, competed for the Voyageurs Cup, Canada's national championship trophy. The tournament is organized in a knockout format with two-legged ties in both the semifinals and final, with the away goals rule in place. Toronto defeated Vancouver in the finals, their fourth consecutive national championship, and qualified for the 2012–13 CONCACAF Champions League.


2012 Major League Soccer season, Related competitions, League Competitions, MLS Cup
The MLS Cup playoffs took place after the conclusion of the regular season. For 2012, the playoff structure underwent several changes:


2012 Makhachkala attack
The 2012 Makhachkala attack occurred on 3 May 2012 after two suicide bombers detonated explosive-filled cars near a traffic police checkpoint in Makhachkala, a city in the republic of  Dagestan, Russia, killing as many as 40 people. More than 130 others were injured in the blasts, at least 67 of them seriously. Government sources speculated that the bombers may have been transporting TNT to a downtown location in anticipation of the annual May Day parade on May 9.


2012 Makhachkala attack
Authorities at the time put the death toll at 13, but in December 2016, the Federal Security Service put the casualty figures at 40 dead and more than 100 injured. The statement was issued in connection with the death of Rustam Asildarov, who was allegedly involved in the Makhachkala attack.


2012 Malawian constitutional crisis
The 2012 Malawian constitutional crisis occurred from April 5, 2012 - April 7, 2012 after senior members of the Democratic Progressive Party-led cabinet failed to notify the public of the death of the sitting president, Bingu wa Mutharika on April 5. Instead, cabinet ministers held a series of meetings in Lilongwe, Malawi without vice-president Joyce Banda with the aim of undermining the constitution and Banda's succession to Presidency.


2012 Malawian constitutional crisis
News confirming his death had, however, quickly spread across the country (and to the Malawian diaspora) through word of mouth, cellphone text messages, Malawian bloggers, Twitter, Facebook, and on listservs by the end of the day on April 5, 2012. Therefore, the failure to announce his death resulted in speculation over the real health of the president and over whether the succession procedures would be followed as outlined in the constitution. According to the constitution, the vice-president takes over but there had been no official word on a successor or communication with the vice-president. Amidst growing speculation, the Cabinet announced that the president's brother, Peter Mutharika, the foreign minister, was the new President of the party on April 6. The Cabinet only announced his death two days after his death, after which Banda became Malawi's first female President.


2012 Malawian constitutional crisis, Background
President Bingu wa Mutharika had increasingly begun to consolidate his power during his second term. He groomed his brother, Peter Mutharika, a lawyer and the Minister of Foreign Affairs as his successor. This meant that he by-passed his sitting Vice President, Joyce Banda but expected her to support this bid. Instead, wa Mutharika caused factions within his Democratic Progressive Party and fired Banda and Second Vice President Khumbo Kachali from their positions in the government and the party in 2010.


2012 Malawian constitutional crisis, Background
According to the Constitution of Malawi, however, a vice president has to be removed through an impeachment process requiring a majority of the National Assembly. Therefore, the Malawi court declared this act unconstitutional. The court declared that he could fire Banda from his party but not from the government because the removal process for these positions were different. A party vice president can be removed in accordance with that party's internal process. However, a vice president, who is voted in with the presidential position, can only be removed through a legally sanctioned impeachment process.


2012 Malawian constitutional crisis, Background
As such, Banda was regarded as the legal vice president even though she was also not vice president of the DPP party. Mutharika knew that he would not garner the majority in parliament due to factions within the party over the succession of the presidency and therefore he proceeded to frustrate Banda in order to force her to resign as Vice President. She refused to resign and continued in her capacity as vice president of the country, although under constant duress and harassment. Her security detail was changed and several of her privileges were redirected to Mutharika's brother Peter. Banda then formed a new political party, the People's Party, in 2011.


2012 Malawian constitutional crisis, Background, Constitution
According to section 83, subsection 4 of Malawi's constitution, "whenever there is a vacancy in the office of President, the First Vice-President shall assume that office for the remainder of the term and shall appoint another person to serve as First Vice-President for the remainder of the term."


2012 Malawian constitutional crisis, Crisis in detail, Thursday, April 5
President Mutharika had private meetings with Member of Parliament Patricia Kaliati and later Lilongwe legislator Agnes Penemulungu. He died of a heart attack during the meeting with Penemulungu and was declared dead on arrival at the local hospital. Senior members of the Democratic Progressive Party-led cabinet did not notify the public of the death of the President from a heart attack. However, news confirming his death spread quickly across the country (and to the Malawian diaspora) through word-of-mouth, cellphone text messages, Malawian bloggers, Twitter, Facebook, and on listservs throughout the day.


2012 Malawian constitutional crisis, Crisis in detail, Thursday, April 5
An online newspaper, the Malawian Democrat, first broke the news to the public. An online journalist, Andrew Evans, from National Geographic used Twitter to confirm reports and broke the news to international press. News of the possibility of a cover-up began to spread throughout the country and abroad. The Malawian army switched its security detail and went to the home of Vice President Joyce Banda in order to protect her in accordance with the constitution of Malawi. Extra police were deployed to the streets as a precautionary measure.


2012 Malawian constitutional crisis, Crisis in detail, Thursday, April 5
The initial emergency meetings took place at the residence of the vice president of the party, Goodall Gondwe. The ministers present included Ken Lipenga, Catherine Gotani Hara, and Peter Mutharika, but it is largely unclear who supported the events and who opposed it since this was not a unanimous decision. It is known that Mutharika accepted his nomination as the DPP president. Henry Mussa noted that many other ministers were involved in the plot other than the six that appeared on television. Many of the ministers have since distanced themselves from the event. The Malawi Law Society called for a full investigation into the matter.


2012 Malawian constitutional crisis, Crisis in detail, Friday, April 6
Senior government officials made statements to the media that the President was not well and was being flown to South Africa but no official announcements were made. Vice President Joyce Banda thereafter informed the nation that President Mutharika was unwell and that she had contacted South Africa about the President’s condition. She also informed the nation that if he became incapacitated that the Constitution would take its course. Amidst growing speculation, the cabinet announced that the president's brother, Peter Mutharika, the foreign minister, would be the new President of the DPP.


2012 Malawian constitutional crisis, Crisis in detail, Friday, April 6
Senior members of the cabinet led by Patricia Kaliati, Minister of Information, appeared on television and announced that the president was not well and that the country would be updated on his health. They further stated that Vice President Banda was ineligible to succeed Mutharika because she had formed her own political party.


2012 Malawian constitutional crisis, Crisis in detail, Friday, April 6, The Midnight Six
The Midnight Six is the term used to refer to the cabinet Ministers that were involved and who appeared on television at midnight:


2012 Malawian constitutional crisis, Crisis in detail, Friday, April 6, The Midnight Six
There is debate on whether or not the involvement of these six will lead to legal prosecution for attempted treason.


2012 Malawian constitutional crisis, Crisis in detail, Saturday, April 7
The Malawi News printed a headline entitled, "Bingu Dead". The senior members of the government thereafter announced President Mutharika's death. Vice President Joyce Banda was thus sworn in as President. Catherine Gotani Hara announced in a radio interview on Radio zodiak that there had been an attempt at circumventing the constitution since April 5, when the president had actually died. She noted that Peter Mutharika, an internationally renowned constitutional lawyer, had not been following the proper constitutional process.


2012 Malawian constitutional crisis, International reaction
The US, one of Malawi's donors, expressed alarm at the official silence and said it was confident that the constitution would be upheld and came out in support of Banda. The constitutional succession has a direct impact on donor funding in Malawi. Keith Somerville, a career journalist with the BBC and visiting lecturer at the University of Kent, described Malawi's international financial crisis: "Britain is Malawi's main bilateral donor and was expected to provide aid worth £90m in 2011, before the rupture in relations.


2012 Malawian constitutional crisis, International reaction
The German government halved its budget support contribution in 2011 and the US government's Millennium Challenge Corporation is withholding a 350 million dollar grant to rehabilitate Malawi's failing energy network. Donor aid accounts for 40 per cent of Malawi's national budget. The US government has already put out a positive statement saying, 'By following constitutional procedures for this transition, the government and people of Malawi have reaffirmed their commitment to democratic principles ... We stand with the people of Malawi during their time of mourning, and look forward to deepening the partnership between our nations.'"


2012 Malawian constitutional crisis, Aftermath
In January 2013, a commission of inquiry published a 90-page report about the events surrounding Mutharika's death. On March 10, the police began arresting the Midnight Six and others allegedly involved. This included Midnight Six members Patricia Kaliati, Henry Mussa, and Kondwani Nankhumwa. It also included Peter Mutharika (President Mutharika's brother), Goodall Gondwe, the Minister of Economic Development, and the Chief Secretary, Bright Msaka. The arrests sparked protest from DPP supporters in Blantyre who smashed cars and destroyed property. The crowds were dispersed through tear gas. By March 13, twelve top officials had been arrested, this included ex-ministers Henry Mussa, Symon Vuwa Kaunda, Jean Kalirani, Patricia Kaliati, Kondwani Nankhumwa, the Deputy Chief Secretary to the Government, Necton Mhura and Duncan Mwapasa.


2012 Malaysia Cup
The 2012 Malaysia Cup (Malay: Piala Malaysia 2012) was the 86th edition of Malaysia Cup. The competition began on 24 August 2012 and ended on 20 October 2012 with the final, held at Shah Alam Stadium. A total of 16 teams took part in the competition. The teams were divided into four groups, each containing four teams. The group leaders and runners-up teams in the groups after 6 matches qualified to the quarterfinals.


2012 Malaysia Cup
Negeri Sembilan FA were the defending champions, having beaten Terengganu FA 2–1 in last season's final.


2012 Malaysia Cup
For the first time since 1994, a Singapore team took part in the competition under the name LIONSXII.


2012 Malaysia Cup, Format
In this competition, the top 12 teams from 2012 Malaysia Super League is joined by the top 4 teams from 2012 Malaysia Premier League. The teams will be drawn into four groups of four teams.


2012 Malaysia Cup, Format
As part of the agreement between Football Association of Malaysia and Football Association of Singapore, a Singapore team will participate in Malaysia Cup. This marks the comeback of the Singapore team in Malaysia Cup having last participated 18 years before in 1994, where they won the competition, as the Singapore Lions. The new team will be known as LIONSXII.


2012 Malaysia Cup, Seeding
The 16 teams were divided into four pots for the draw, each containing four teams. The standings in Super League and Premier League 2012 ended on 14 July 2012 – was used to seed the teams.


2012 Malaysia Cup, Quarterfinals
The first legs were played on 25,28 and 29 September, and the second legs were played on 2 October 2012.


2012 Malaysia Cup, Semi-finals
The first legs were played on 5 & 6 October, and the second legs were played on 11 & 12 October 2012.


2012 Malaysia Cup, Final
The final was played on 20 October 2012 at the Shah Alam Stadium, Shah Alam in Selangor, Malaysia.


2012 Malaysia FA Cup
The 2012 Malaysia FA Cup, also known as the Astro Piala FA due to the competition's sponsorship by Astro Arena, was the 23rd season of the Malaysia FA Cup, a knockout competition for Malaysia's state football association and clubs.


2012 Malaysia FA Cup, Format
Several changes have been made to the competition for 2012. The number of participating teams was increased from 30 to 32 and because of this, the defending champions and runners up in the first round would not receive byes as in previous seasons.


2012 Malaysia FA Cup, Format
Just like the previous edition, the first two rounds would be single matches. The quarter finals and semi finals would be played over two legs while the final will be played at National Stadium, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, on Saturday, 19 May 2012.


2012 Malaysia FA Cup, Format
Cambodian outfit Preah Khan Reach have been invited for the first time.


2012 Malaysia FA Cup, Format
The winner of the 2012 edition will qualify for the 2013 AFC Cup.


2012 Malaysia FA Cup, Matches
The draw for the 2012 Piala FA was held on 13 December 2011 at Wisma FAM.


2012 Malaysia FA Cup, Matches, Round of 32
The legs were played on 17, 18 & 19 February 2012.


2012 Malaysia FA Cup, Matches, Round of 16
The legs were played on 9 & 10 March 2012.


2012 Malaysia FA Cup, Matches, Quarter-finals
The first legs were played on 23 and 24 March 2012, and the second legs on 27 March 2012.


2012 Malaysia FA Cup, Matches, Semi-Finals
The first leg matches will be played on 21 April 2012, with the second legs to be held on 1 May 2012.


2012 Malaysia FA Cup, Matches, Final
The final was played at National Stadium, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, on Saturday, 19 May 2012.


2012 Malaysia FA Cup Final
The 2012 Malaysia FA Cup Final was a football match which was played on 19 May 2012, to determine the champion of the 2012 Malaysia FA Cup. It was the final of the 23rd edition of the Malaysia FA Cup, competition organised by the Football Association of Malaysia.


2012 Malaysia FA Cup Final
The final was played between Sime Darby and Kelantan. Kelantan has won their first Malaysia FA Cup title, after winning the match 1–0.


2012 Malaysia FA Cup Final, Venue
The final was held at the National Stadium, Bukit Jalil in Kuala Lumpur.


2012 Malaysia FAM League
The 2012 FAM League is the sixtieth season of the FAM League since its establishment in 1952. The season began on 3 March 2012 and is due to end on 1 July 2012. Betaria are the defending champions, having won their 1st league title the previous season. A total of 9 teams are contesting in the league.


2012 Malaysia FAM League, Teams
The following teams participated in the 2012 Malaysia FAM League. In order by the number given by FAM:-


2012 Malaysia FAM League, Teams, Team summaries, Personnel and kits
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players and Managers may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2012 Malaysia FAM League, Results
Fixtures and Results of the Malaysia FAM League 2012 season.


2012 Malaysia FAM League, Play-offs, Premier League/FAM League
The play-off matches to determine promotion and relegation will be held at Hang Tuah Stadium and Hang Jebat Stadium, Malacca on 17 July 2012. Team that finished 7th in the Premier League, Pos Malaysia FC will meet second placed team in FAM League, Shahzan Muda FC, while team that finished 9th in the Premier League, Muar Municipal Council FC will meet team that finished 10th in the Premier League, Betaria FC. The winner of both matches will stay in the 2013 Malaysia Premier League; the losing teams will be relegated to 2013 Malaysia FAM League.


2012 Malaysia FAM League, Play-offs, Premier League/FAM League
Pos Malaysia FC and Muar Municipal Council FC won their respective matches and thus stay in Premier League next season. Losing teams are Shahzan Muda FC and Betaria FC; both will play in FAM League next season.


2012 Malaysia Open Grand Prix Gold
The 2012 Malaysia Open Grand Prix Gold was the fourth grand prix gold and grand prix tournament of the 2012 BWF Grand Prix Gold and Grand Prix. The tournament was held in Stadium Bandaraya, Johor Bahru, Malaysia from 2 until 6 May 2012 and had a total purse of $120,000.


2012 Malaysia Premier League
The 2012 Liga Premier (English: 2012 Premier League), also known as the Astro Liga Premier for sponsorship reasons, is the ninth season of the Liga Premier, the second-tier professional football league in Malaysia.


2012 Malaysia Premier League
The season was held from 11 January and concluded in 23 July 2012.


2012 Malaysia Premier League
The Liga Premier champions for 2012 season was ATM. The champions and runners-up were both promoted to 2013 Liga Super.


2012 Malaysia Premier League, Teams
A total of twelve teams will contest the league, including eight sides from the 2011 Liga Premier season, two newly promoted teams from 2011 Liga FAM and two relegated teams from the 2011 Liga Super season.


2012 Malaysia Premier League, Teams
Pahang and Perlis were relegated from 2011 Liga Super after finishing the season in the bottom two places of the league table.


2012 Malaysia Premier League, Teams
2011 Liga FAM champions Betaria and runner-up MB Johor Bahru secured direct promotion to this season Liga Premier.


2012 Malaysia Premier League, Teams
1Promoted from 2011 Liga FAM2Relegated from 2011 Liga Super3Harimau Muda, the national team feeder project team was replaced fully with Harimau Muda B for this season


2012 Malaysia Premier League, Teams, Team summaries, Personnel and kits
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players and Managers may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2012 Malaysia Premier League, Teams, Team summaries, Personnel and kits
Nike has produced a new match ball, named the T90 Tracer, which will be electric blue, black and white and also a high-visibility version in yellow. Additionally, Lotto will provide officials with new kits in black, yellow, and red for the season.


2012 Malaysia Premier League, Play-offs, Liga Super/Liga Premier
The play-off matches to determine promotion and relegation will be held at Hang Tuah Stadium and Hang Jebat Stadium, Malacca from 17 July to 19 July 2012, as next season Liga Super will be reduced to 12 teams from 14 teams this season. Team that finished 11th in the Liga Super, Sarawak will meet second placed team in Liga Premier, Pahang while team that finished 12th in the Liga Super, Kedah will meet team that finished 13th in the Liga Super, Sabah. The winner of both semi-final match will meet in the final to determine who will stay in the 2013 Liga Super. The winner will stay in the Liga Super; the other 3 teams will be relegated to 2013 Liga Premier.


2012 Malaysia Premier League, Play-offs, Liga Premier/FAM League
The play-off matches to determine promotion and relegation was held at Hang Tuah Stadium and Hang Jebat Stadium, Malacca on 17 July 2012. Team that finished 7th in the Liga Premier, Pos Malaysia met second placed team in FAM League, Shahzan Muda, while team that finished 9th in the Liga Premier, MP Muar met team that finished 10th in the Liga Premier, Betaria. The winner of both matches stay in the Liga Premier; the losing teams will be relegated to 2013 Liga FAM.


2012 Malaysia Premier League, Play-offs, Liga Premier/FAM League
Pos Malaysia and MP Muar won their respective matches and thus stay in Liga Premier next season. Losing teams are Shahzan Muda and Betaria; both will play in FAM League next season. Later, as a result of MP Muar decision to pull out of the league, another play-off match was arranged between Betaria and UiTM, the 3rd place club in the FAM League. Betaria won the match and retained their place in the Liga Premier.


2012 Malaysia Super League
The 2012 Liga Super (English: 2012 Super League) also known as the Astro Liga Super for sponsorship reasons is the ninth season of the Liga Super, the top-tier professional football league in Malaysia.


2012 Malaysia Super League
The season was held from 10 January and concluded in 14 July 2012.


2012 Malaysia Super League, Teams
A total of fourteen teams will contest the league, including eleven sides from the 2011 season and two promoted teams from the 2011 Liga Premier. Singapore Lions of Singapore will also participate in the 2012 season, replacing Harimau Muda A.


2012 Malaysia Super League, Teams
Perlis and Pahang were relegated at the end of the 2011 Liga Super after finishing the season in the bottom two places of the league table.


2012 Malaysia Super League, Teams
2011 Liga Premier champions PKNS and runners-up Sarawak secured direct promotion to the Liga Super.


2012 Malaysia Super League, Teams
Following an agreement between the Football Association of Singapore and the Football Association of Malaysia, Young Lions, with most of the members of the squad are players from Singapore's national under-23 team, will replace Harimau Muda A, which represent the Malaysian Under-23 national football team. While the Singapore Lions will compete at the Liga Super, Harimau Muda A will take the Young Lions position in the S. League. Young Lions was later replaced by a new team, named LionsXII that will replace the former under-23 football team.


2012 Malaysia Super League, Play-offs, Promotion/Relegation
The play-off matches to determine promotion and relegation will be held at Hang Tuah Stadium and Hang Jebat Stadium, Malacca from 17 to 19 July 2012, as next season Liga Super will be reduced to 12 teams from 14 teams this season. Team that finished 11th in the Liga Super, Sarawak will meet second placed team in Liga Premier, Pahang while team that finished 12th in the Liga Super, Kedah will meet team that finished 13th in the Liga Super, Sabah. The winner of both semi-final match will meet in the final to determine who will stay in the 2013 Liga Super. The winner will stay in the Liga Super; the other 3 teams will be relegated to 2013 Liga Premier.


2012 Malaysia Super Series
The Malaysia Super Series was the second Super Series tournament of the 2012 BWF Super Series. The tournament was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 10–15 January 2012 and had a total purse of $400,000.


2012 Malaysian Grand Prix
The 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix (officially the 2012 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on 25 March 2012 at the Sepang International Circuit in Selangor, Malaysia. It was the fourteenth running of the Malaysian Grand Prix as a round of the Formula One World Championship, and the thirty-second time the event has been held. The 56-lap race was the second round of the 2012 Formula One season and was won by Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso. Sergio Pérez of the Sauber team finished the race in second position, and McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton completed the podium with third place after starting in pole position.


2012 Malaysian Grand Prix
By winning the race, Fernando Alonso took the lead in the Drivers' Championship, having been fifth in the standings before the race. Lewis Hamilton moved up to second in the standings on 30 points, 5 behind Alonso. Button dropped from the lead in standings to third, now 5 points behind Hamilton. Red Bull driver Mark Webber remained fourth, 1-point behind Button, whilst Pérez moved himself up to fifth place. As far as the Constructors' Championship was concerned, McLaren still led, and had increased the gap to Red Bull to 13 points. Ferrari overtook Sauber to take third in the standings.


2012 Malaysian Grand Prix
Sergio Pérez achieved his first podium finish. The Sauber team recorded their best ever result (excluding their time as BMW Sauber) and also the first podium for a Ferrari customer engine since Sebastian Vettel's victory at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix in a Ferrari-engined Toro Rosso. Jean-Éric Vergne scored his first ever points in Formula One in his second race by finishing in eighth position.


2012 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Background
Following extended debate over the legality of the Mercedes rear wing and front-wing F-duct on the F1 W03 during the Australian Grand Prix, and the threat of a protest against the system, Red Bull Racing and Lotus F1 requested a final ruling on the system ahead of the race at Sepang. On the Thursday before the race the FIA rejected all claims that the system was illegal, allowing Mercedes to compete with an unaltered car.


2012 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Background
Caterham driver Heikki Kovalainen was given a five-place grid penalty for the race for being in breach of Article 40.8 of the sporting regulations. Article 40.8, which governs procedures for restarts under the safety car, states that no driver may overtake another until such time as he has crossed the first safety car control line on the circuit (except in the case of race control allowing lapped traffic to be released from behind the safety car). Kovalainen was penalised for passing two cars before he crossed this line during the Australian Grand Prix. Kimi Räikkönen was also given a five-place grid penalty after his team changed the gearbox in his car after Friday practice.


2012 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Background
After struggling in the Australian Grand Prix, Ferrari prepared a brand-new F2012 chassis for Felipe Massa, with the team citing "unusual performance" of the chassis he used in Melbourne as the reason for the change. The team denied reports that they were planning to replace Massa with Sauber driver Sergio Pérez – who is a part of the Ferrari Driver Academy – while both Sauber and Pérez claimed that they had not been contacted by Ferrari.


2012 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Background
HRT driver Pedro de la Rosa expressed confidence that his team would qualify for the race. HRT failed to qualify for the Australian Grand Prix the week before the race in Malaysia, with both de la Rosa and teammate Narain Karthikeyan failing to set a lap time within 107% of the fastest time set in the first qualifying period. De la Rosa admitted that the team did not have a Drag Reduction System (DRS) device available to them in Australia, and expected the addition of the system to the HRT F112 to yield up to a second per lap in qualifying.


2012 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Background
Williams test driver Valtteri Bottas replaced Bruno Senna for the first practice session on Friday morning.


2012 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Background
The race used a single DRS zone, unchanged from the 2011 race, with the detection point located on the back straight and the activation point immediately after the final turn.


2012 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Background
Tyre supplier Pirelli brought its silver-banded hard compound tyre as the harder "prime" tyre and the white-banded medium compound as the softer "option" compound, whereas last year the "soft" compound was the yellow-banded soft compound tyre.


2012 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Free practice
Lewis Hamilton was the fastest driver in the first practice session, ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg. Romain Grosjean finished the session fifth-fastest despite his car becoming stuck in seventh gear. Jenson Button was ninth overall, but was forced to end his session early after the team discovered an oil leak. Ferrari's difficult start to the season continued with Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso finishing thirteenth and fifteenth respectively, while HRT encountered further difficulties, with Narain Karthikeyan's car crippled by transmission problems; both Karthikeyan and de la Rosa finished the session seven seconds slower than Hamilton.


2012 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Free practice
Hamilton repeated his performance in the second session, setting a lap time one-tenth of a second slower than the time he posted in the first session. Michael Schumacher was second-fastest, with Jenson Button third. Bruno Senna returned to the cockpit after Williams test driver Valtteri Bottas completed the morning session in Senna's car; Senna placed nineteenth overall. After placing fifteenth in the first session, Fernando Alonso ended the day sixth-fastest, though his lap time was only a tenth of a second faster than his time in the first session. Teammate Massa languished in sixteenth, considerably slower in the afternoon than he was in the morning. Both HRT drivers managed to improve their morning times by two seconds, to end the session five seconds adrift.


2012 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Free practice
The circuit was declared damp for the third and final practice session on Saturday afternoon after light rain fell during the GP2 support race. The damp conditions saw several drivers – most notably Lewis Hamilton – running wide early on, before a dry line was established. Despite the off-track excursions, the session was not interrupted by red flags. Rosberg topped the sixty-minute session, the only driver to go below one minute thirty-seven for all practice sessions, ahead of Vettel and Mark Webber. The Ferraris once again struggled, with Alonso in thirteenth place, 1.3 seconds behind Rosberg, and Massa in sixteenth, a further second behind. The two HRT drivers continued to languish five seconds off the pace, but were within sight of the Marussias of Timo Glock and Charles Pic.


2012 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying
Unlike the cooler conditions of the previous race in Melbourne, qualifying was run under hot and sunny conditions with an ambient temperature of 32 °C (90 °F) and a track temperature of 46 °C (115 °F).


2012 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying
The first qualifying period began with Paul di Resta leading a host of cars for their first flying lap. As expected, most teams posted their early timed laps on the slower 'prime' tyre and after ten minutes the four Mercedes powered cars from McLaren and Mercedes were ahead, led by Michael Schumacher. As in Melbourne, Felipe Massa was again in danger of being eliminated and as a result he and teammate Fernando Alonso both used a set of the medium 'option' tyre to avoid an embarrassing elimination.


2012 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying
Late on in the session, Mark Webber also switched to the softer tyres and consequently set the fastest time of 1-minute 37.172 seconds. Significantly, both the HRT Pedro de la Rosa and Narain Karthikeyan were within the 107% time needed to qualify because of Webber's lap. A front right wheel lock-up going into the braking zone of turn 1 resulted in severe vibration and effectively eliminated Toro Rosso's Jean-Éric Vergne on his final timed run. He finished the session 18th ahead of the Caterham cars of Heikki Kovalainen and Vitaly Petrov.


2012 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying
Kovalainen was later demoted from his 19th place slot to the back of the grid, for the first time in his career, because of a five place grid penalty he incurred at the last race for overtaking under safety car conditions. The HRTs occupied the two places in front of him, the two Marussia cars were in front of them (with Timo Glock out-qualifying rookie Charles Pic) and teammate Petrov moved up into 19th. Schumacher and Jenson Button rounded out the top three.


2012 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying
The second session began with Sergio Pérez the first to set a timed lap. All drivers opted for the softer compound medium tyre. Kimi Räikkönen set the fastest time in a session which saw all the cars set closely matched times. Pastor Maldonado had a minor off before turn 11 and was the quickest driver not to make the final session; his Williams teammate Bruno Senna was 13th.


2012 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying
Ferrari driver Felipe Massa (who had a new chassis for the weekend) was 12th, closing the gap between himself and Fernando Alonso from one second, as it had been in Australia, to four tenths. Alonso, however, managed to make it into the final session. The two Force Indias qualified in 14th and 16th positions, with di Resta fractionally beating Nico Hülkenberg's time. Daniel Ricciardo was 15th for Toro Rosso, three places ahead of Vergne, whilst Kamui Kobayashi took up the last place (17th). Kobayashi's Sauber teammate, Sergio Pérez, did manage to make it into the final part if qualifying.


2012 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying
When the chequered flag was waved  Schumacher held 11th place provisionally, behind Maldonado (9th) and teammate Nico Rosberg. However, both Mercedes cars were already on hot laps before the flag was waved, and were able to complete their laps to improve their times. This pushed Maldonado outside of the top ten fastest times, meaning he couldn't participate in the final session any more.


2012 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying
Despite a front left wheel lock-up at the final corner, Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time by four tenths of a second upon his first attempt. He subsequently returned to the pits during his second, knowing that he already had pole position. The second McLaren of Jenson Button set the second fastest time, one tenth behind Hamilton's time, to complete the second McLaren front row lock-out in the season's two races. Michael Schumacher demonstrated the improved pace of the Mercedes car since 2011 by achieving his highest qualifying position since his return to the sport, with third place.


2012 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying
Webber and Räikkönen set an identical time, but Webber was granted fourth position because he set his time first. Räikkönen's five place grid penalty for gearbox change meant he dropped from fifth to tenth place, despite an otherwise impressive performance from the Lotus team. This promoted Sebastian Vettel to fifth position, who had chosen to set his lap on the harder 'prime' tyres. The second Lotus of Romain Grosjean had another good qualifying with sixth place, after Räikkönen's penalty. Rosberg, Alonso and Pérez took seventh, eighth and ninth respectively on the grid. The final session was so closely fought out that the top eight drivers were separated by less than half a second.


2012 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Race
Forty minutes before the race the pitwall radar read that more than thirty minutes of steady 2-3 (0 = no rain and 4 = heavy shower) intensity rain was expected at 15:50 pm local time (ten mins before race start). All drivers except the two HRT's began the race on the green banded intermediate tyre. The HRT team opted for the blue banded full wet tyres. Grosjean starting from 7th, made a good start and was third into turn 1.


2012 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Race
Schumacher and Grosjean made contact at turn 4 and both spun, losing several positions in the process and Grosjean eventually retired on lap 4 after spinning into a gravel trap. On the first lap, turn 9 to 11 was almost completely dry but the rest of the track was very wet. Pérez stopped after the first lap to change to full wets in a move that would elevate him to an eventual podium scoring position. With almost all drivers having pitted onto full wets by laps 5, the pitwall radar was shown to read "the intensity will increase to 4 from time to time" meaning heavy rain was still to come.


2012 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Race
The safety car was deployed on the 7th lap, purely because of the heavy rain, and the race was suspended on lap 9. This worked in favour of Jean-Éric Vergne, the only driver still running on intermediates, who was able to change to full wets (as required by race officials) without the necessity of a pit stop. The HRT of Karthikeyan benefited from starting the race on full wets, having not needed to pit stop and was in tenth when the race was suspended. Grosjean's car was rescued from the gravel and brought back in the pits during the suspension.


2012 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Race
The race suspension last around fifty minutes and in that time many drivers opted to leave their car and some (Rosberg) changed footwear. While the cars were suspended on the grid, many teams brought out gazebos to place over their cars to keep them and team equipment (i.e. laptops and tyre warmers) dry.


2012 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Race
The race restarted under the safety car around local time 17:15. As the track steadily dried pit crew members attempted to dry the team pit box. After 4 laps behind the safety car, the majority of the drivers once again pitted to change to intermediate tyres, meanwhile Vettel lost his radio so he had to use the pit confirmation button on his steering wheel for most of the race. On lap 15, Jenson Button clumsily locked up the rear wheels and made contact with Karthikeyan, forcing him to pit again to change the front wing, ending his podium chances.


2012 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Race
Subsequently, he made up a few places but was unable to finish in the top 10. Alonso emerged from this as the new leader when he overtook Sergio Pérez on lap 16, a lead he only briefly relinquished with a lap 40 pit stop. Rosberg was in fourth on lap 23 but slowly slipped backwards when his tyres overheated and he consequently pitted early for more inters. As the track slowly dried further, the top five all had comfortable gaps between them. During this period Senna was posting quick lap times and moving up through the midfield.


2012 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Race
By lap 31 heavier rain was again forecast but never eventuated. After being 7.795 seconds behind Alonso in 2nd, Pérez began to set consecutive fastest laps and was closing the gap to the leader. The forecast rain prevented most cars from changing to slicks when the track was dry. An image of Hamilton's front tyre revealed that drivers were essentially racing on slicks anyway as the intermediate tread had worn off. Daniel Ricciardo was the first to take the gamble and change to dry tyres on lap 37.


2012 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Race
The teams watched his lap times go purple (fastest for the day) for every sector on the timescreens. He set the fastest lap by some three seconds on Pérez and that initiated the change from wet to dry tyres for everyone else. By lap 39, Pérez had excellent pace and cut the gap to Alonso back down to 1.339 seconds. Between laps 39 and 42 there was yet another round of pit stops, this time onto slick tyres. Alonso pitted on lap 40 while Pérez waited until the next lap.


2012 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Race
In that time Pérez, who prior to the pitstop had been within two seconds, now dropped to 7.180 seconds off Alonso. After the change to slicks, Pérez on the prime tyre, again consistently cut down on Alonso's (medium tyre) lead to within half a second. Controversially on lap 50, Pérez was told on the radio "be careful, we need this position" referring to the 18 points on offer for 2nd place. On the same lap Pérez took too much curb on turn 14 and had a slight off.


2012 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Race
This cost him at least five seconds and ensured he remain in 2nd position. Commentators questioned whether Sauber - whose engine is supplied by Ferrari - gave a coded message to Pérez asking him to allow the engine supplier to take victory. Sauber denied this emphatically after the race. Late in the race, Vettel received a puncture against the front wing of Narain Karthikeyan, and he pitted from 4th place, finishing 11th; Karthikeyan was given a 20-second post-race penalty for his part in the collision. Pastor Maldonado, who was running 10th, was forced to retire on the penultimate lap when his engine gave way, allowing Michael Schumacher his first points of the season.


2012 Malaysian Grand Prix, Report, Post-race
Vettel and Red Bull boss Christian Horner criticised Karthikeyan's driving, with Vettel calling Karthikeyan an "idiot". Karthikeyan hit back at Vettel, calling him a "cry-baby". Later, Karthikeyan decided to call a truce with Vettel, stating his respect for Vettel's abilities and saying "I think we have to deal with it in a mature way and forget about it."


2012 Malaysian Grand Prix, Support events
The event took place between the 22–25 March where throughout the weekend there was a range of support events. Taking part in the Malaysian Grand Prix program was the opening round of the 2012 GP2 Series (1 feature race, 1 sprint race); the Malaysian Super Series A (2 races); and the Malaysian Super Series B (2 races).


2012 Malaysian Open
The 2012 BMW Malaysian Open was a women's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the third edition of the Malaysian Open and was an International tournament on the 2012 WTA Tour. The tournament took place from February 27 to March 4 at the Bukit Kiara Equestrian and Country Resort. Hsieh Su-wei won the singles title.


2012 Malaysian Open, Doubles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following pairs received wildcards into the doubles main draw:


2012 Malaysian Open, Finals, Doubles
Chang Kai-chen /  Chuang Chia-jung defeated  Chan Hao-ching /  Rika Fujiwara 7–5, 6–4


2012 Malaysian Open – Doubles
Dinara Safina and Galina Voskoboeva were the defending champions, but both players chose not to participate. Chang Kai-chen and Chuang Chia-jung won the title after defeating Chan Hao-ching and Rika Fujiwara 7–5, 6–4 in the final.


2012 Malaysian Open – Singles
Jelena Dokić was the defending champion, but lost in the second round to compatriot Olivia Rogowska.


2012 Malaysian Open – Singles
Hsieh Su-wei took the title by defeating No.5 seed Petra Martić in the final 2–6, 7–5, 4–1. Martić retired due to fatigue and cramping after playing a three-hour semifinal match earlier in the day.


2012 Malaysian Open – Singles, Qualifying, Seeds
The top seed received a bye into the second round (of the qualifying).


2012 Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix
The 2012 Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix was the sixteenth round of the 2012 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of 19–21 October 2012 at the Sepang International Circuit. Sandro Cortese became the first Moto3 world champion.


2012 Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix, Classification, MotoGP
The race was red-flagged due to the worsening weather conditions. The final results were taken at the end of the 13th lap and full points were awarded.


2012 Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix, Classification, Moto2
The race was stopped with the red flag due to weather conditions. The final results were taken at the end of the 15th lap.


2012 Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix, Championship standings after the race (MotoGP)
Below are the standings for the top five riders and constructors after round sixteen has concluded.


2012 Maldives FA Cup
The 2012 Maldives FA Cup was the 25th edition of the Maldives FA Cup.


2012 Maldives FA Cup
The cup winner was guaranteed a spot in the 2013 AFC Cup.


2012 Maldives FA Cup
FA Cup 2012 opening that was scheduled for 2 May 2012, but was postponed to 10 May 2012, by the FAM.


2012 Maldives FA Cup, Second round proper
In this round, the entire 8 league clubs will take part. Among the 12 non-league teams who participated in the first knockout round, Hurriyyaa SC and Muiveyo Friends Club were advanced to the second round.


2012 Maldives FA Cup Final
The 2012 Maldives FA Cup Final is the 25th Final of the Maldives FA Cup.


2012 Maldives FA Cup Final
The cup winner is guaranteed a place in the 2013 AFC Cup play-off.


2012 Maldivian Second Division Football Tournament
Statistics of Second Division Football Tournament in the 2012 season. According to the FAM Calendar 2012, Second Division Football Tournament will start on 22 May.


2012 Maldivian Second Division Football Tournament, Teams
10 teams are competing in the 2012 Second Division Football Tournament, and these teams were divided into 2 groups of 5.


2012 Maldivian Second Division Football Tournament, Group stage round
From each group, the top two teams will be advanced for the league round.


2012 Maldivian Second Division Football Tournament, Group stage round, Group 1
United Victory and BG Sports Club advanced to the league round as the top two teams of the group.


2012 Maldivian Second Division Football Tournament, Group stage round, Group 2
Hurriyya SC and Sports Club Mecano advanced to the league round as the top two teams of the group.


2012 Maldivian Second Division Football Tournament, League round
The top two teams from each group will be qualified to compete in this round. As a total of four teams will be playing in this round of the tournament, the top two teams from this round will be advanced to the Final. The top two teams of theis round will also play in the Playoff for 2013 Dhivehi League. United Victory and B.G. Sports Club claimed the first and second position to advance for the Final.


2012 Malian coup d'état
The 2012 Malian coup d'état began on 21 March that year, when mutinying Malian soldiers, displeased with the management of the Tuareg rebellion, attacked several locations in the capital Bamako, including the presidential palace, state television, and military barracks. The soldiers, who said they had formed the National Committee for the Restoration of Democracy and State, declared the following day that they had overthrown the government of Amadou Toumani Touré, forcing him into hiding.


2012 Malian coup d'état
The coup was followed by "unanimous" international condemnation, harsh sanctions by Mali's neighbors, and the swift loss of northern Mali to Tuareg forces, leading Reuters to describe the coup as "a spectacular own-goal". On 6 April, the junta agreed with Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) negotiators that they would step down from power in return for the end of sanctions, giving power to a transitional government led by parliament speaker Dioncounda Traoré.


2012 Malian coup d'état
In the following days, both Touré and coup leader Amadou Sanogo formally resigned; however, as of 16 May, the junta was still "widely thought to have maintained overall control". On 3 December 2013, a mass grave was discovered in Diago holding the remains of 21 soldiers that went missing the year before, loyal to the ousted president.


2012 Malian coup d'état, Background
Tuareg rebels launched a major offensive against Mali's security forces and military in a bid to seize the northern town of Kidal on 6 February 2012. Some loyalist Tuareg fled to the city of Bamako, fearing reprisals after violent demonstrations in the first week of February. The Tuareg rebels had been bolstered by an influx of battle-hardened, well-armed fighters returning from the Libyan Civil War, to which they had traveled to fight for Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader who was deposed and killed.


2012 Malian coup d'état, Background
On 8 February, the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) seized the Mali-Algeria border town of Tinzaouaten as Malian soldiers crossed into Algeria. Islamist Ansar Dine demanded the imposition of Islamic law in northern Mali, while the secular Tuareg nationalist Azawad National Liberation Movement (MNLA) have stated they want an autonomous, if not completely independent, homeland.


2012 Malian coup d'état, Background
The coup attempt followed weeks of protests of the government's handling of a nomad-led rebellion in the country's north, which had dropped Touré's popularity to "a new low". Soldiers demanded more weapons and resources for their campaign against the rebels, and were dissatisfied with a lack of government support for the army, some soldiers having been sent to the front without sufficient food. Touré was to leave office when his term expires after the presidential election in April.


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 21 March
On 21 March, defence minister Brigadier General Sadio Gassama went to the Kati military camp, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north of Bamako, to defuse a protest planned for the next day by soldiers of the camp against perceived bad management of the conflict with the Tuareg rebellion in the north of Mali. He was met with boos and stones were thrown at his car. He was sequestered, and his guards fired warning shots in the air. The minister was released thanks to the intervention of the Kati zone commander ("commandant de zone"). The soldiers then stormed the weapons and ammunition reserves of the camp. Two soldiers were injured, but the presidency said Gassama was neither injured nor arrested.


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 21 March
Later that day, armored vehicles sealed off the presidential palace, and reporters heard 10 minutes of automatic gunfire near the headquarters of the Malian state broadcaster, whose programmes went off the air. Soldiers blocked the path to the buildings. The Associated Press spoke with a soldier who said that when soldiers entered the palace, Touré's bodyguards did not defend the building. The mutinying soldiers searched the area for Touré, but he was not caught.


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 21 March
In the evening, after several hours, Mali's state broadcaster ORTM came back on the air with a brief message displayed against a backdrop of traditional Malian music and dance. "In a moment, there will be a statement by the military", the message read. A riot broke out at a military garrison near the northern town of Gao, and a military student reportedly said recruits had shot into the air and took several of their senior commanding officers hostage.


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 22 March
Angry soldiers took over the capital city, Bamako. In the morning, Amadou Konare went on state television which identified him as the spokesperson of the National Committee for the Restoration of Democracy and State (CNRDR), formed by the renegade soldiers. Konare declared that the soldiers had seized power from 'the incompetent regime of Amadou Toumani Touré' and said it would look to hand over power to a new, democratically elected government.


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 22 March
Later, Captain Amadou Sanogo, identified as CNRDR's president, also went on state television to declare a dusk-to-dawn curfew "until further notice". He urged calm and condemned any pillaging. Soldiers were unable to find Touré. In the morning, Kenya's foreign minister, who was visiting Mali at the time, reported that Bamako airport had been closed and that he could hear gunfire. Sanogo also declared the land and air borders of Mali closed until further notice.


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 22 March
A military official loyal to the President said the President was in good health, and that the Interior and the Defense Ministers were also safe – contrary to earlier reports that the defense minister had been arrested. Foreign Minister Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga was among several ministers arrested after rebels seized the Presidential palace and other parts of the capital. Amnesty International reported that Prime Minister Cissé Mariam Kaïdama Sidibé had been arrested, and that the detained ministers were being held at the military camp in Kati.


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 22 March
Later in the day it was revealed the president had sought refuge at an undisclosed army base with loyal soldiers. The BBC reported that the Malian Army's elite force, the Red Berets, was still loyal to Touré. Loyalists confirmed that Touré was "safe and in command" at a military camp somewhere in Bamako, under protection from his "Red Berets", a parachute regiment which he formerly served in.


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 22 March
Rebel soldiers said during the evening they intended to launch an assault on the loyalist army camp in the capital.


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 22 March
As the day progressed, the rebel soldiers looted the Presidential Palace, taking TVs and other goods, while their leader urged them to stop the celebratory gunfire, which had been responsible for at least 20 injuries in the capital.


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 22 March
Inspired in part by the diversion caused by the military coup, Tuareg rebels in the country's north launched incursions deeper into Mali, seizing towns and bases formerly held by government forces fighting the conflict that caused the coup. As military forces were engaged in consolidating their hold on the capital, the rebels were able to push southward with little opposition. According to the MNLA, Malian army forces retreated to Gao.


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 23 March
The African Union suspended Mali, until "effective restoration of constitutional order is achieved without delay".


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 23 March
Several African leaders said they had been in touch with the ousted Malian president and that he was still safe and under the protection of forces that remained loyal to him at an undisclosed location outside Bamako.


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 23 March
During the day, there were fears by the rebels that the Red Berets were preparing a counterattack against the TV station, and rebel forces set up defensive positions to repel the expected assault. The TV network went off the air several times as gunfire erupted around the station.


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 23 March
According to the BBC's West Africa correspondent, a large number of low-ranking soldiers, possibly the majority, supported the coup, while the majority of the army's officers had not come out publicly to support the coup. Captain Sonogo said in an interview with the BBC that "We are not here to confiscate any power but we are here to have an army and security forces available to assume the national security.... So once this has been fixed, I'll be able to say 'Ok, go for election' in a short period of time. I promise." A joint African Union and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) diplomatic mission met representatives of the junta, according to Mali's state television service.


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 23 March
A group of prominent Malian political figures made an announcement condemning the coup as "a step backwards", including presidential candidate Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta. Political parties that condemned the coup included the Alliance for Democracy in Mali, the Union for the Republic and Democracy, the Patriotic Movement for Renewal, the Union for Democracy and Development, the Union of Democratic Forces for Progress, the Solidarity and Progress Party, the Democracy and Justice Party, and the Party for Democracy and Progress.


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 23 March
A total of 14 government officials and ministers were held hostage in the Kati military barracks outside Bamako.


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 23 March
The Tuareg rebels and the Islamist rebel group Ansar Dine said they had surrounded Kidal. An official statement from the group read: "Thanks to Allah the Almighty and his blessings, we will soon take our land in Kidal."


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 24 March
Sanogo stated that no soldiers of the Malian army remained loyal to Touré, describing himself as "in total control". However, an anonymous source from Sanogo's staff stated that Touré continued to be protected by members of the parachute battalion that had formed his presidential guard. Meanwhile, The New York Times reported an observer describing the situation as "very fluid", and that rumours of a counter-coup continued throughout the day, exacerbated by the hour-long disappearance of the Malian television signal the previous night. A US State Department official also noted that Mali faced a "near-total cutoff of foreign assistance", on which the nation is heavily dependent.


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 24 March
Following reports that men in police and military uniforms were looting shops and stealing cars in Bamako, Sanogo appeared on national television to denounce the "vandalism and pillaging" and state that the perpetrators were opposition forces impersonating soldiers in order to turn public opinion against the coup. Sanogo also announced his intention to seek peace talks with the Tuareg insurgents. According to Mali's state television service, Sanogo also met French ambassador Christian Rouyer along with several other foreign dignitaries.


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 25 March
The Agence France-Presse reported the streets of Bamako were calm but largely deserted due to fears of looting and a petrol (gasoline) shortage. Many businesses remained closed, with Sanogo calling for them to reopen on Tuesday, 27 March.


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 25 March
It was announced that ECOWAS heads of state were planning to hold an emergency meeting in Abidjan on the 27th, the day on which the junta had called for striking civil servants to return to work. A joint delegation from ECOWAS and the AU also began negotiations with the rebel soldiers to restore power to the elected government. Meanwhile, Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga, the detained foreign minister, and 13 other imprisoned officials announced their intention to begin a hunger strike.


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 25 March
The stranded Kenyan and Zimbabwean foreign ministers were evacuated from Mali to Nigeria.


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 26 March
The Barack Obama administration in the U.S. formally suspended aid to Mali, stating that it would only resume when democracy was restored. A thousand-person protest also gathered in Bamako to urge a return to democracy, chanting "Down with Sanogo" and "Liberate the ORTM" (Office de Radiodiffusion-Télévision du Mali).


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 26 March
The Bamako-Sénou International Airport was "partially" reopened for civilian transport.


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 27 March
Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara called on an ECOWAS meeting in Abidjan to send a "strong signal" to the mutinous soldiers that democracy must be restored; he later described Mali's return to democracy as "non-negotiable". Kadre Desire Ouedraogo, the head of the ECOWAS commission, described the coup as "a threat to the entire region". Hundreds of Malian protesters demonstrated at the meeting, calling for a return to civilian rule. Following the meeting, ECOWAS placed peacekeeping troops on standby, hinting at possible military intervention.


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 27 March
Businesses and schools reopened following a call by the CNRDR for them to do so.


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 27 March
A spokesperson for the French embassy confirmed that Ambassador Christian Rouyer had spoken with Touré by telephone, and that Touré had stated that he was safe.


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 27 March
The Tuareg rebellion dismissed calls by Sanogo for a cease-fire and continued its latest offensive.


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 28 March
Amadou Toumani Touré said in an interview with French radio station RFI : "I am free and in my country.... The most important thing for me is not my own position. What is important is democracy, institutions and Mali."


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 28 March
Several thousand Malians took to the streets in the capital to show their support for the junta and reject "foreign interference" as the Economic Community of West African States said it was putting regional troops on standby for any necessary intervention. A violent clash took place at the Labour Exchange, which was serving as an opposition headquarters; a number of coup opponents were reportedly injured by thrown rocks and then arrested by police. Amnesty International called on the government to investigate the assaults and arrest the perpetrators.


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 28 March
The CNRDR announced a new constitution. In one provision, the group pledged that it would not seek office in future elections, and that members of CNRDR would be barred from standing in elections.


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 29 March
The five ECOWAS leaders abandoned their plans to visit Bamako mid-flight after several dozen junta supporters "stormed the airport runway". Their scheduled talks instead took place in Abidjan. ECOWAS announced later in the day that the junta had 72 hours to return power to constitutional authorities, or Mali would face the closure of its land borders and the freezing of its assets in ECOWAS member nations.


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 29 March
Anti -Western sentiment was reported to rise in Bamako due to a perception that the U.S. and France were behind the proposed sanctions. A Radio France correspondent was detained by junta officers, handcuffed, and threatened with extrajudicial execution; he was released the following day.


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 30 March
The MNLA announced its capture of the regional capital of Kidal, including a major military base. Sanogo called on Mali's neighbors to provide military aid to "save the civilian population and Mali's territorial integrity". Sanogo responded that he "understands" the ECOWAS position and reiterated his promise to hold elections, but refused to give a timetable.


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 30 March
The New York Times reported that civil servants had been unable to resume work due to widespread looting by coup soldiers, including the theft of most government computers and the cash from safes.


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 31 March
Gao, a northern regional capital, was taken by the MNLA and Ansar Dine. BBC News described the loss as "a serious blow to the coup leaders".


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 31 March
Representatives of the CNRDR continued negotiations with ECOWAS under the mediation of President Blaise Compaoré of Burkina Faso.


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 1 April
Rebel forces were reported to have encircled Timbuktu, the last major Malian-controlled city of the Azawad. The city was captured later in the day.


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 1 April
Meeting one of ECOWAS's demands, Sanogo announced that the CNRDR would reinstate Mali's previous constitution, and begin "to organise free, open and democratic elections in which we will not participate".


2012 Malian coup d'état, Timeline, Early events, 2 April
After the junta failed to meet the ECOWAS deadline for relinquishing power, "severe" sanctions against Mali began. The nation's account in the Central Bank of West African States was frozen, and Mali's land borders were closed. As Mali imports most of its petroleum from Côte d'Ivoire, this was expected to cause parts of the country to run out of fuel "within days" as well as shutting down the country's gasoline-dependent electric grid.