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Soccer

Russia vows to appeal ban from international soccer competitions

The Russian Football Union has vowed to appeal its ban from international competitions with the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Russian soccer’s governing body said in a statement released Thursday “that FIFA and UEFA did not have a legal basis when deciding on the removal of Russian teams,” BBC Sport reports. The union added it would seek “compensation for damage” the suspension caused.

FIFA and UEFA imposed the ban for an indefinite period on Monday while expressing “full solidarity with all the people affected in Ukraine” after Russia began its invasion of the country on Feb. 24. The statement added that the presidents of FIFA and UEFA “hope that the situation in Ukraine will improve significantly and rapidly so that football can again be a vector for unity and peace amongst people.”

The punishment means Russia is unable to participate in March’s qualification playoffs for the men’s World Cup and will not compete in this summer’s European Women’s Championship. Spartak Moscow were also removed from the Europa League – European football’s secondary club competition – after reaching the round of 16.

In Thursday’s statement, the Russian Football Union complained it was “not given the right to present its position, which violated the fundamental right to defense.”

The statement continued, “In addition, when making decisions, FIFA and UEFA did not take into account other possible options for action, except for the complete exclusion of participants from the competition from Russia.”

The union blamed pressure from direct rivals for contributing to Russia’s removal from World Cup qualifiers. The men’s team was set to face Poland in a playoff semifinal on March 24, with the winner of that fixture meeting Sweden or the Czech Republic in the playoff final five days later, but last week, those three national teams refused to play qualifying matches against Russia.

NFL

Will the Panthers take quarterback Kenny Pickett or Malik Willis at No. 6?

INDIANAPOLIS – One league executive at the NFL combine said the Carolina Panthers are a “sh– show’’ with three straight five-win seasons, a quarterback situation that is a mess and a coach who hasn’t gotten a public vote of support from owner David Tepper.

Others wonder if there is a shift of power with Matt Rhule being one of five head coaches who didn’t have a formal podium interview, while general manager Scott Fitterer did.

Amidst all the uncertainty surrounding the Panthers, one thing is clear: They have to figure out the quarterback position to turn things around and give Rhule an opportunity to coach beyond the 2022 season.

And that won’t be easy.

“There’s a lot of teams looking,’’ Cincinnati Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin told ESPN.com. “And there’s not enough elite guys to go around, and that’s something that everybody is keenly aware of.

“There’s a lot of good quarterbacks to go around, but finding the elite one is very difficult.’’

Tobin got an elite quarterback in Joe Burrow, the top pick of the 2020 draft out of LSU, who, in two years, took the Bengals from one of the worst teams in the NFL to the Super Bowl.

Carolina doesn’t have the luxury this year of having the top pick or a quarterback class with the immediate star appeal the past two drafts did. The free-agent crop isn’t stellar, either.

Some may see it as a reach to draft Kenny Pickett at No. 6 in the 2022 NFL draft, but it may be worth it if the Carolina Panthers get their long-term solution at quarterback. Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire

And the likelihood that the At best, it appears Newton would be a role player and not a long-term solution.

• Rankings: Considering Burrow was sacked more times (51) than any quarterback in 2021 and still made it to the Super Bowl, there was no denying Burrow is an elite player.

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“If you think about it, I've never held a job in my life. I went from being an NFL player to a coach to a broadcaster. I haven't worked a day in my life.”
-John Madden


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