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FIFA’s outstanding decision to ban Russian teams from international football, and especially from the World Cup, is currently contained in a four-sentence press release and nowhere else.

This was done by the Bureau of the FIFA Council, a body of seven people authorized to take urgent action such as that in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But his brevity left more questions than answers and made him vulnerable to opposition. The Russian Football Union said on Monday it was a “reserve[s] the right to challenge the decision … in accordance with international sports law. “RFU, which governs football in Russia, can appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which can overturn the removal.

FIFA staff are aware of this possibility. Earlier, the RFU said it “sees no legal grounds to cancel” Russia’s playoff match on March 24 against Poland in the World Cup qualifiers. Many legal experts have told Yahoo Sports that there is no obvious regulatory framework for a total ban. They noted that the FIFA statement did not refer to a specific status or precedent.

“FIFA has been left wide open to come up with a justification later,” said Steve Bank, a UCLA professor who teaches international sports law.

Instead, FIFA seems to have responded to growing pressure from potential Russian opponents, the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee and the international community, which was expecting to take a stand.

This position is widely praised, but in order to defend it in court, FIFA may have to recognize what the position really is: exercising political discretion, which changes FIFA’s long-standing commitment to political neutrality.

What is FIFA’s strongest legal argument for banning Russia?

FIFA’s statutes are 92 pages long and do not explicitly give it the power to punish teams for unsportsmanlike conduct by their national governments. In fact, the regulations state that “FIFA remains neutral in matters of politics and religion.” Legal experts believe that the RFU will cite these statutes at the CAS hearing and argue that a war for which it is not responsible should not be a reason to stop.

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Article 16 of FIFA gives the FIFA Council the power to “temporarily suspend with immediate effect a member association which is in serious breach of its obligations”, but the RFU will claim that it, as a football federation, has not breached any obligations. In addition, FIFA’s ban was aimed at “all Russian teams” and not at the federation itself, which is an indication that Article 16 will not provide a legal basis.

The Bank and others believe that the most applicable statute is Article 3, which since 2016 states that “FIFA is committed to respecting all internationally recognized human rights and will seek to promote the protection of those rights.” FIFA, the Bank said, could argue that sanctioning Russia is in line with its commitment to promoting human rights, such as freedom and peace.

In a vacuum, this is a logical argument. But as the Bank points out, “I think people would probably say it’s hypocritical.” They would point to any number of human rights violations that FIFA not only failed to address, but implicitly helped. They would cite the 2018 and 2022 Men’s World Cups in Russia and Qatar as events that clear the image of regimes accused of countless violations.

Some cite other wars, such as the Syrian civil war or the United States invasion of Iraq, which have been internationally condemned but never addressed by FIFA.

However, it seems unlikely that this will remain in court, Bank said. He pointed to the 2018 CAS decision, which, while not analogous, is the closest thing to existing precedent. The Palestinian Football Federation has challenged FIFA over its refusal to act on the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. In rejecting the Palestinian complaint, the CAS Commission referred to the “discretion” of the FIFA Council, essentially acknowledging that FIFA rules give it wide discretion to choose which problems to solve and which to ignore.

Why FIFA’s past hypocrisy may not matter

It is clear that last week FIFA exercised this assessment. FIFA President Gianni Infantino described being “shocked” last Thursday when he woke up and learned that an invasion was under way. He and the FIFA Council, a representative body comprising officials from all six football confederations, decided that this was a war that should be “very worrying” and a war that deserved to be condemned, while others were not. They chose to punish Russia and side with Ukraine in a dispute that Western democracies largely see as a war for no legitimate reason, but which Russian President Vladimir Putin justified as self-defense against NATO enlargement and baseless allegations of ” genocide ”in Ukraine.

RFU, legal experts say, may argue that these are political decisions caused by political pressure, which FIFA’s statutes do not allow.

So FIFA, in essence, should argue that it has broad powers to exercise political discretion and take influential action, an argument that has long been made by almost everyone except FIFA.

Some sports officials have broken the character to succeed this week. Announcing a ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe acknowledged that sanctions “seem to be the only peaceful way to disrupt and deactivate Russia’s current intentions and restore peace.” He said “sport needs to be stepped up and joined in these efforts” and that, although he usually opposes the politicization of sport, “it’s different”.

FIFA officials have not yet made this argument public, but the Bank believes they could. The CAS will not rule on morality or hypocrisy, but only on whether FIFA has complied with applicable laws and its own rules. These rules seem to allow officials to make moral judgments. Logical arguments, as opposed to legalistic ones, could prevail.

FIFA can justify that its member associations – including those that have refused to play with Russia – have got their hands on it; and that it simply follows the recommendations of the IOC.

It can be argued that this is not a specific article or statute; it is a war that has already killed hundreds and is at odds with the ideals that FIFA claims to represent.

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On Tuesday, Adam Schefter announced that San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garopolo was receiving significant interest ahead of the NFL Combine, despite the fact that he will need shoulder injury surgery against Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs in the past. season.

Earlier today, I wrote about five “realistic” destinations that the quarterback veteran may land in 2022. But along with these teams, there are several teams that can be considered “in need” but should not be considered realistic. commercial candidates for Garopolo.

3. Indianapolis Colts

The Colts are looking to move on from Carson Wentz as the league-wide expectations are that the former Eagles quarterback will be changed or laid off before his entire contract is guaranteed on March 18th.

However, after trading a significant project capital to acquire Wentz, a first-round player and a third-round player last offseason, and failing to see the desired performance, Indianapolis will be less inclined to pursue a quarterback in a similar situation.

In addition, Wentz objectively had a very similar statistical season to Garoppolo, throwing 3562 yards while maintaining a touchdown to 27: 7 grip ratio, although he completed only 62.4% of his passes.

For reference, Garopolo threw 3,810 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, while completing 68.3% of his passes in the friendly attack on San Francisco.

Wenz has $ 28.2 million for 2022, while switching from it would cost the Colts $ 15 million in dead money, according to Spotrac. Jimmy Garopolo has a record $ 26.9 million for 2022.

It doesn’t make sense for the Colts to switch from Wentz for minimal compensation, just to trade more project capital to acquire another medium-sized quarterback with a big contract after their initial experiment failed.

2. Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles have qualified for the playoffs as seventh placed in Jalen Hearts’ first full year as starters, interfering as Wild Card’s second-team with the 49ers before losing 31-15 to the Tampa Bay Buchanaries in the first round.

While earlier this off-season there were reports that the Eagles were interested in Garopolo, the idea of ​​trading for an older, more expensive option seems unrealistic, especially given that Philadelphia is using a second-round pick to draw Hearts as his future position.

Hearts threw for 3,144 yards, 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions, while completing 61.3% of his passes in 2021.

Pairing Hurts with a stronger group of receivers can improve its accuracy problems. However, if the Eagles exchange for Garoppolo, they will lose valuable draft capital, which could improve their offensive arsenal along with Devonta Smith, although they currently have three choices in the first round.

Was Hurts objectively better than Garopolo in 2021? No. But it provides more benefits at an astronomically lower cost, allowing the Eagles, who are the first strikers, to build a competent list around the quarterback.

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Regarding Buccaneers, schematically, it just doesn’t make sense. Throughout the Bruce Alliance era, he preferred quarterbacks with the ability to throw down the field. Back in Indianapolis, he had Andrew Luck. During his days in Arizona, he had Carson Palmer. And since he was head coach of the Tampa Bay Buchanaries, he has had James Winston and Tom Brady.

What do all these quarterbacks have in common? Tendency to throw the ball down the field. Brady led the Air Yards League with 9.1 experience in 2020 until finishing in the top ten for 2021. In 2019, during his first year at Arians as head coach of Tampa Bay, Winston was second in NFL Air Yards Experience 10.4.

Jimmy Garopolo does not meet this bill, preferring to focus on the short and intermediate zones of the field, as evidenced by his 7.5 air yards of experience, which ranked 22nd in the NFL in 2021.

In 2019, during Jimmy Garopolo’s second full campaign as an NFL starting quarterback, that number was even worse as the veteran threw 6.5 air yards of experience, which was the penultimate in the NFL.

Stylistically, Garoppolo doesn’t fit well with the Buccaneers, let alone their hat situation, as they have to retain a number of key figures such as star successor Chris Godwin.

Financially and schematically, Garopolo makes no sense in the Bruce Alliance system.

“It’s just such a tragedy,” Victoria Petrenko said of the crisis in Ukraine, her voice choking with emotion. “He says he is trying to stay inside. For now everything is OK. I tried to get him to leave, but I don’t think the border situation is easy. I hope he can leave safely soon. “

Asked to comment on the ban on Russian skaters, Galina Zmievskaya, a native of Ukraine and former coach of Petrenko, who now teaches at the Ice House in Hackensack, New Jersey, said in a statement: “It’s bigger than figure skating right now. We see a country being destroyed and innocent lives in danger every second.

Zmievskaya, who also coached Oksana Bayul from Ukraine until the 1994 Olympic gold medal, added: “We are all deeply saddened and have no words to see this tragedy unfold. The most important thing we are thinking about right now is to help the people of this beautiful country and to achieve peace. “

The ban on Russian skaters came a day after athletes from the country were banned from competing in international football and hockey competitions. The International Olympic Committee has demanded that all sports governing bodies not invite or allow Russian athletes to compete.

Tom Zakrajsek, an American figure skating coach, said in a text message that the sanction against Russian skaters “seems perfectly appropriate.” He continued: “Logically, I don’t think they could have made another choice.”

The ban, imposed by the International Skating Union, came despite the fact that its vice-president, Alexander Lakernik of Russia, is a powerful figure on the governing body. In short, Lakernick said he could not comment, given his position in the organization.

Tamara Moskvina, a couples coach whose skaters won Olympic medals from 1984 to 2022, skewedly criticized the ban in a telephone interview from St. Petersburg, Russia, saying: “Read the ISU Code of Ethics, which states that ISU cannot take into account differences in race, politics, religion, etc., and then you will know whether the “ban” coincides with the measures taken by ISU or not.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have several questionnaires that focus on the year of the league 2022, which should begin on March 16. Of these, the future of Stephon Tuitt and his team may be at the top or near the top of the organization.

Throughout the 2021 season, Tweet’s injury / problems were kept behind closed doors. Even now, just weeks after the league’s new year, his future remains a cloud hovering over the organization. If Tweet manages to return to the team and play at the level he did in 2020, it will be a huge boost for the team and will change its needs out of season. However, if Tweet is unable to play, withdraw or be released, there will be a gaping hole in the line of defense that will need to be filled.

Just last week, General Manager (GM) Kevin Colbert spoke to the media and was the mother of Tweet’s future. He said he was hopeful, but nothing specific for fans who have a good sense of moving forward.

However, that tune changed a little when Colbert spoke with Dale Loli of Steelers Nation Radio (SNR) and said that the team had not only spoken to Tweet, but how Tweet was “excited” and interested in playing again in 2022.

The fact that Tweet has expressed an interest in playing is a huge step in the right direction, and if he is “excited” and motivated, it should be an even bigger boost for the Steelers, who are moving forward.

Tuitt struggled with a knee injury last season, as well as the tragic loss of his brother. On my Monday Let’s ride podcast, Christopher Carter from Locked on Steelers talks about how the deaths of his brother and sister changed the whole dynamic of Tweet’s off-season, including pushing him to take care of his knee and ultimately threatening his 2021 season.

You can hear Carter’s place in the second half podcast in the player below:

The hope is that Tweet will be able to return and return to the game at a high level. Although nothing is written in stone yet, this should be seen as positive news for the Steelers and their huge fan base.

Be sure to follow the BTSC for the latest news and notes around the Steelers as you prepare for the new year of the NFL 2022 League and Draft.

Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington probably made a preview of their performances during UFC 272 promotion week, arguing constantly during an ESPN interview with Stephen A. Smith.

As Smith noted before releasing the tape to the pre-recorded location, “interview” was a generous term for what was ultimately interrupted by a stream of threats and insults as Masvidal and Covington talked to each other.

Masvidal told his former roommate and rival that “you will be in the emergency room in critical condition” two days after the event with paid viewing on Saturday in Las Vegas. He predicts that Covington “will suffocate my crotch all night” to avoid a fistfight.

Covington, meanwhile, told Smith, “I don’t want to knock him out. I’ll hurt him so bad you won’t be the same person after I’m done with you. I guarantee you will fall into a coma, s * ko. ”

Covington went back to the history of Masvidal’s battles, citing the losses of rivals Toby Imada, Gilbert Melendez and Al Yakinta. He declared himself “I am a fighter № 1 pound for a pound in the world”, which made Masvidal laugh out loud.

“Usman just killed you, stupid grandfather,” Masvidal shouted.

“Are you still sleeping?” Covington replied.

Leaving aside the death threats and insults, Masvidal and Smith tried to get Covington’s response to Masvidal’s claim that he broke their former mutual coach Paulino Hernandez by $ 12,500, forcing Masvidal to pay the bill before distancing himself from Ko. the audience to get lost.

Covington did not address the accusation directly, but said he had done nothing wrong to Hernandez.

“[American Top Team owner and former Covington manager] “Dan Lambert knows how much I paid,” Covington said. “The night I made that salary, I got half of what I said, the commission said I did twice as much as I said. I paid half that. Everything he says, he just talks and doesn’t walk. “

Earlier, Masvidal told ESPN that the non-payment stemmed from Covington’s winning battle against Rafael dos Agnos at UFC 225, which took place in Chicago. The Illinois Athletic Council does not publicly disclose fighter pay; Hernandez said MMA addict Covington received $ 350,000 and said he received $ 5,000, very little of the percentage he said was verbally agreed.

Smith asked Masvidal what would happen if he lost to Covington, who, like him, failed twice against current welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.

“I can’t – I will not lose this match,” Masvidal. “I will never lose from this fake bastard. It just won’t happen. But after I break his face, I will come back here and give you the exclusive interview and tell you a lot more nonsense about this man. “

“You can talk tonight,” Covington said. “We’ll see who speaks on March 5, only if you pay to watch.”

Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Vis said he had received an offer to buy Chelsea from Roman Abramovich along with a group of several others.

Abramovich has come under increasing pressure in the last week since Russia’s attack on Ukraine, with Labor MP Chris Bryant saying the Chelsea owner is “horrified” by sanctions from the British government.

The owner of the “blues” has already issued a statement saying that the trustees of the Chelsea charity foundation will take away his “farm” over the club indefinitely, but Weiss says he is part of a group trying to buy the club from the Russian businessman.

Who is Wyss?

Wyss is a Swiss-born businessman who currently lives in the United States after making his fortune as the founder and former president and chairman of Synthes USA, a medical device maker.

The 86-year-old has a net worth of more than $ 5 billion and has been named one of the “most philanthropic people in the world” by Forbes.

Wyss has donated millions to environmental causes in recent years, and its charity Wyss Foundation has assets of more than $ 2 billion.

What was said?

“Abramovich is one of Putin’s closest advisers and friends,” Vis said Flash. “Like all other oligarchs, he is in a panic. Abramovich is trying to sell all his villas in England. He also wants to get rid of Chelsea quickly. I and three others received an offer on Tuesday to buy Chelsea from Abramovich.

“I have to wait four to five days. Abramovich wants too much at the moment. You know, Chelsea owes him £ 2 billion. But Chelsea have no money. Means: Those who buy Chelsea must compensate Abramovich.

He continued: “To date, we do not know the exact selling price. I can imagine starting in Chelsea with partners. But first I have to look at the general conditions. But what I can already say: I’m definitely not doing something like this alone. If I buy Chelsea, then with a consortium of six to seven investors. “

More information

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will leave the door open for Tom Brady if he decides to retire, but will not make his life easier if he eventually wants to play for another team.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, 12, yells at the crowd as he goes out on the field to face the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium.
(Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports)

Bucks head coach Bruce Arians was asked if the organization would accept Brady if he decided to return, but the veteran coach had a lot of answers, which further proved that the NFL and its teams have one thing in mind when making decisions.

“No, bad work,” Arians said through Tampa Bay Times.

QB ISSUES RAISED ABOUT SO MANY NFL TEAMS IN THE SCOUT FACTORY

Tom Brady №12 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers celebrated with Mike Evans №13 after a touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski №87 in the second quarter against Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 5, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia.
(Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)

Arians added that the Bucs will need five choices in the first round if a team wants to trade for the future quarterback in the Hall of Fame. Brady announced his retirement from the NFL last month after playing 22 seasons in the league.

Brady was recently asked if he would return, and he replied with the words “Never say never”, but it is very unlikely that the legend will return to the football field. Bucs general manager Jason Licht said the team would leave the “light on” in case Brady changed his mind.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians talks to quarterback Tom Brady, 12, during a training session at the NFL Football Training Camp on Friday, August 28, 2020, in Tampa, Florida (AP Photo / Chris O’Meara)

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If Brady decides to return, Bucs will retain his rights for the 2022 season. He will count $ 9.1 million against the team’s salary cap Spotrac.

In what may have been his last season in the NFL, Brady threw 5316 passes with 43 touchdowns.

In a match that had far more technical difficulties than goals, Tottenham Hotspur lost 1-0 to Middlesbrough in the fifth round of the FA Cup. The score was tied until the second period of extra time, when Josh Coburn of Borough struck past Hugo Loris to put the hosts ahead. Tottenham struggled to equalize to score penalties, but could not find a way past goalkeeper Joe Lumley. It was the second consecutive Premier League team Boro to win this race after expelling Manchester United on penalties a few weeks ago.

Rotate? no. Tottenham presented exactly the same team against Boro from the Championship, as they did when visiting Leeds United last weekend, hoping for a similar result. Most of all, Matt Doherty and Ryan Sessegnon kept their place as full-backs, while Son Hyung-Min, Harry Kane and Dejan Kulusevski also remained in the top three. The only change was on the bench, as Pierluigi Golini replaced Brandon Austin.

Here are my notes from this match.

Reactions

• The downside to the lack of player rotation is that when you end up playing an extra time match in a cup race, you end up looking dead on your feet. The Spurs had nothing left in overtime and, to be honest, the goal had been coming for some time.
• Tottenham didn’t look very great in that game and that’s bad enough. The bigger problem was that they were watching boring until the last 10 minutes of regular time and then no gas for the rest.
• Doherty had the best chance in the first half and did VERY WELL to take the ball and go around the goalkeeper and with a goal, yawning in front of him and Son with an easy square ball away from goal, he hit it and shook it wide. Amazing things. A few minutes later, he pulled another blow to the side.
• This is a bit unfair to Doherty, who actually played quite well (apart from finishing). Cesegnon also did well in the first half.
• There was a lot of chatter about the “missed” penalty calls from official Darren English, but for my money he got it right, especially the epic Jones flop when Sess had his hand on his back.
• Kane’s goal had to stand. He was not only on the sidelines when the ball was headed in, but he also received a foul from it, so even if he was offside, it had to be a penalty. Disgusting call.
• Honestly, the home screen for “technical difficulties” may have been the highlight of this second half.
• Conte’s tactical change was to remove both wings and move to four backs, bringing in Royal and Bergwine. The Spurs immediately looked better, with Stevie approaching almost instantly. The Spurs had a bunch of other chances (Son, Kane, Steve again), but they couldn’t finish.
• I’m sorry to inform you that Harry Winx is bad again.
• I would like to be upset about that. I probably should be. I just … I’m not. This Tottenham team is everywhere. They will win some, they will lose some, funny. This is Tottenham Hotspur for this season. Now I wonder if we will see another “emotional strategy” by Antonio Conte.