by ldh2013 » Wed Jun 22, 2016 8:44 am
GENEVA -- The Court of Arbitration for Sport could rule on Luis Suarezs appeal against his biting ban before the Spanish league season starts. . CAS said Friday that Suarez, the Uruguay football federation and Barcelona have filed a request for a fast-track appeal against FIFAs ban for nine competitive international matches and four months from all football. "It is likely that a final award will be rendered well before the end of August," the court said in a statement to The Associated Press. The Spanish league season begins the weekend of Aug. 23-24, when Barcelona hosts Elche. FIFA must also agree to a fast-track procedure. No hearing dates have yet been agreed to, the court said. Arbitrators have also yet to be appointed to judge the case. In typical appeals to CAS, both sides and the court each choose one lawyer on the three-member panel. FIFAs sanctions imposed on Suarez also included a fine of 100,000 Swiss francs ($112,000) for biting the shoulder of Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini in a group match at the World Cup. Uruguay beat Italy 1-0 with a goal scored one minute after Suarezs bite was missed by the match officials. The South Americans advanced to the second round, but without its star striker were easily beaten by Colombia. FIFAs disciplinary panel imposed the ban on June 26. In his submission to that hearing, Suarez wrote that he did not deliberately bite Chiellini, but had lost balance and fell with his mouth open on the Italians shoulder. Suarez later apologized, and Chiellini accepted. The ban currently expires on Oct. 25, the same weekend that Barcelona is due to visit Real Madrid in the first "clasico" of the season. Because Suarez is barred from all "football-related activity," he cannot train with his new club, which he joined from Liverpool this month. If Suarez loses his appeal, he will also miss three Champions League group matches. Uruguays next competitive match is at the Copa America, which kicks off in June 2015 in Chile. . On Wednesday night, the Pacers got the payoff. Luis Scola, Donald Sloan and Lance Stephenson combined for all 12 points in a decisive fourth-quarter run, sending the still unbeaten Pacers past division rival Chicago 97-80 and to its best start since 1971-72. . They didnt sit back and put the New York Rangers into an early hole they never got out of. Frederik Andersen made 32 saves to stay perfect in four NHL games, and Corey Perry and Kyle Palmieri scored first-period goals to lead the Ducks to a 2-1 victory over the Rangers on Monday night. . The visitors failed to create any chances of note until Nuri Sahin tested Braunschweig keeper Daniel Davari with a well-placed free kick in the 28th minute. Aubameyang opened the scoring three minutes later, when Robert Lewandowski played a one-two with Marco Reus and lifted the ball over the outrushing goalkeeper for him to head into the unguarded net.SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- A youth baseball team from Uganda will be the first from Africa to compete in the Little League World Series. The Rev. John Foundation Little League team from Kampala won the Middle East and Africa region on Saturday, beating Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, 6-4. The Saudi team had won the region for the last 11 years. Kampala beat squads from Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and South Africa in the regional tourney. The five-team, four-day tournament was played at the Little League Baseball European Leadership Training Center in Kutno, Poland. Kampala will play the Canadian champion on Aug. 19 in the first round in South Williamsport, Pa. &quoot;We are delighted to have a team from Africa represented for the first time at the World Series this year," said Stephen D. . Keener, president and chief executive of Little League Baseball and Softball. "We have to acknowledge the hard work of Richard Stanley, who has played a pivotal role in helping Little League get started in Uganda and his continued assistance in helping the league on a year-to-year basis." Sixteen teams of 11- and 12-year-old boys will be split into U.S. and International brackets culminating in the championship game on Aug. 28. Little League officials say Kampala had its first youth team in 2005. ' ' '
