Off Topic » sanction for Nantes enticing Guinea forward Ismael

LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- French club Nantes will serve a one-year FIFA ban on recruiting new players after losing an appeal at Switzerlands supreme court. A Swiss Federal Tribunal ruling published Friday said that FIFAs disputes panel and the Court of Arbitration for Sport correctly imposed the sanction for Nantes enticing Guinea forward Ismael Bangoura to break his contract with Dubai club Al Nasr in January 2012. Nantes, which is 15th in the 20-team French league, previously had the ban frozen pending the federal verdict. "We can confirm that the registration ban will have to be served during the upcoming summer 2014 and winter 2015 registration periods," FIFA said in a statement to The Associated Press. Nantes can sell and release players but is barred from registering new signings with the French Football Federation. The ruling upholds the original judgment that Nantes and Bangoura are jointly liable to pay Al Nasr 4.5 million euros ($6.2 million) plus interest in compensation. The club and player had argued Bangoura could leave Dubai upon returning from the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations because his salary was unpaid. Bangoura has already served three months of a four-month playing ban ordered by FIFA. The Swiss federal court said the players separate appeal against the CAS ruling was filed too late to be accepted. Nantes won the most recent of its eight French league titles in 2001. It was a Champions League semifinalist in 1996. The Canaries were relegated in 2009 and spent four years in the second tier until winning promotion last season. The Swiss federal tribunal also ordered Nantes to pay 22,000 Swiss francs ($25,000) to both FIFA and Al Nasr, and 20,000 Swiss francs ($22,800) in court costs. Terry Bradshaw Jersey . - The first sign that Kansas Speedway was going to be a heartbreaker for Hendrick Motorsports should have come during qualifying when Jimmie Johnson inexplicably spun and earned one of his worst starting spots since 2005. JuJu Smith-Schuster Jersey . - Carter Verhaeghe scored the winner with 41 seconds to go as the Niagara IceDogs edged the North Bay Battalion 3-2 to even their first-round series at a game apiece in Ontario Hockey League playoff action on Sunday. http://www.steelerspronfl.com/Youth-Donnie-Shell-Elite-Jersey/ . When a game is in the balance, however, they still have the personnel and the experience to end up with the two points. Rocky Bleier Jersey . - Robert Griffin III has a sprained throwing shoulder that limited him in practice Wednesday as the Washington Redskins prepared for their season finale against the Dallas Cowboys. Jack Lambert Womens Jersey . Among the teams moves was trading one of the teams two third round picks, no. 83 overall, to the Chicago Blackhawks for Brandon Bollig, a six-foot-two, 223-pound left-winger who had seven goals, seven assists, and 92 penalty minutes in 82 games last season.VANCOUVER - UFC president Dana White credits the rise of the companys flyweight division to a champion nicknamed after a cartoon character. "Every time he fights he gets better and better," White said of Demetrious Johnson this week. "You talk about legacies - his legacy is going to be as the guy who built this division." Known in the cage as "Mighty Mouse," Johnson will look to continue that work on Saturday night at UFC 174 when he defends his title against Ali (Puncher) Bagautinov in the octagon at Rogers Arena - the first time a 125-pound division bout will anchor a pay-per view card. "Its awesome," said the five-foot-three Johnson. "The UFC has given us a shot to headline a big pay-per view so Im pretty pumped to be the man to front that bill. Hopefully we can put on an exciting show on Saturday." Johnson (19-2-1 all-time) won the UFCs inaugural flyweight title back in 2012 and has defended it three times since, including a knockout of Joseph Benavidez in December. The 27-year-old who fights out of Parkland, Wash., said the pressure of a pay-per view spectacle doesnt add any pressure to put on a show. "My jobs to go out there and fight," said Johnson, who has a record of 7-1-1 in UFC. "If you look at all the flyweight fights, there hasnt been one boring one. Obviously theres boring fights in every single division. "But I havent sat there and watched a fight and thought, Man that was pretty boring." Johnson said the five-foot-four Bagautinov (13-2, 3-0) will pose a unique challenge because the 29-year-old Russian specializes in Sambo fighting, a form of mixed martial arts that he has never faced. "In order to keep my belt Ive just got to go out there and be myself and just fight," said Johnson, a heavy favourite in the eyes of bookmakers against the fourth-ranked challenger. "Regardless of whatever happens with this fight, whether I win or lose, the same thing is going to happen (afterwards). Im going to go home, relax and get ready for my next fight, whether its be defending my belt or trying to get it back." Saturday nights co-main event has Canadas Rory (Ares) MacDonald taking on Tyron (The Chosen One) Woodley in a welterweight matchup between the No. 2- and No. 3-ranked challengers for Johny Hendricks belt. "Its the biggest fight ever for (MacDonald) and Woodley," said White. "Saturday night is the night that both these two have got to go out and make people want to see them fight for the title." The soft-spoken MacDonald — who was born in Quesnel B.C., but now fights out of Montreal and was mentored by Georges St-Pierre - said the Woodley fight is a chance to show he belongs at the top of the 170-pound division. "Its a big opportunity. Every fight you take is a big opportunity, but this on in particular," said the 24-year-old. "Im facing a very talented opponent and Im very excited to be matched up against someone like that and challenge my techniques against his." MacDonald (16-2, 7-2) lost to Robbie Lawler in a split decision at Novembers UFC 167, but rebounded to take a unanimous decision against Demian Maia at UFC 170 in February. "Losing can be a good thing in the long run for a mixed martial artist," said MacDonald. "You learn your weaknesses and turn them into strengths.&" A technically sound fighter who learned his craft at the famed Tristar Gym alongside St-Pierre in Montreal, MacDonald said he believes hes ready to take his game to the next level.dddddddddddd "I want people to talk after my fights and be like Wow thats another Rory MacDonald I havent seen. Thats the best Rory MacDonald Ive seen so far. Thats my goal for this fight." White said MacDonald needs to start turning some of the talk and hype surrounding his talents into consistent performances. "Rory has these moments where he comes out and does nothing," said White. "The fight isnt exciting. He doesnt seem like hes got that killer instinct to finish a fight and get to that next level to be everything that GSP said about him." The 32-year-old Woodley (13-2, 3-1), a former All-American wrestler, scored a technical knockout of Carlos Condit at UFC 171 in March and expects MacDonald to be the most well-rounded fighter he has faced. "Rory is a guy who started doing mixed martial arts all together," said the St. Louis native. "I think thats the biggest challenge. He spent quite a bit of his youth as a teenager training (in) mixed martial arts. Hes had a great camp to train out of, hes had a champion to train under. I think those are the threats, but in actuality Ive had other fights and other fighters whove been a little bit more threatening than Rory. "If you cant really threaten me to freakin knock my head off like certain other guys Ive fought, I just dont get that anxiety." Like MacDonald, Woodley added that he also sees Saturdays bout as a stepping stone to an eventual shot at the UFC welterweight title. "I plan on every fight from now on being me fighting for the title or defending the title," he said. "Im just mentally getting prepared for that. I know that I have to beat guys like him consistently." Its expected that Saturdays crowd at Rogers Arena should be on the side of the B.C.-born MacDonald, but his American opponent, perhaps naively, disagreed. "I really just dont think Rory MacDonald has this huge following in Vancouver like people think," said Woodley. "Hes not Georges St-Pierre. This is not Montreal. "Vancouver fans like MMA and they might like me, they might like him, but I think they respect what I bring to the table and they respect that I respect him, and I think thats enough." White called that view a little far-fetched. "I think hes super delusional if he thinks thats the case," White said with a smile. "Were in Canada, man. Let me tell you what — Canadas going to be cheering for the Canadian." Saturdays card also includes: light heavyweight Ryan (Darth) Bader against Rafael (Feijao) Cavalcante; heavyweight Andrei (The Pit Bull) Arlovski against Brendan (The Hybrid) Schaub; light heavyweight Ovince Saint Preux against Ryan (The Big Deal) Jimmo of Saint John, N.B.; welterweight Daniel Sarafian against Kiichi (Strasser) Kunimoto; womens bantamweight Valerie (Trouble) Letourneau of Montreal against Elizabeth Phillips; bantamweight Yves (Tiger) Jabouin against Mike (The Hulk) Easton; lightweight (Ragin) Kajan Johnson of Burns Lake, B.C., against Tae Hyun (Supernatural) Bang; bantamweight Roland Delorme of Winnipeg against Michinori Tanaka; and lightweight Jason Saggo of Toronto against Josh Shockley. ' ' '