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A32 sports
Diaranson 26 Mei 2021

UEFA opens disciplinary cases against Super League rebels

(AP) — UEFA has opened
disciplinary cases against For a storied club, a success-
Super League rebels Real ful season in the Champi-
Madrid, Barcelona and ons League currently earns
Juventus that could lead around 100 million euros
to bans from the Champi- ($122.5 million) in UEFA
ons League. prize money.

Proceedings are now active The agreement also saw
for "a potential violation of the nine clubs consent to
UEFA's legal framework," be fined 100 million euros
UEFA said Tuesday. ($122.5 million) if they seek
again to play in an unauthor-
The European soccer body's ized competition or 50 mil-
statutes include a section lion euros ($61.2 million) if
on "prohibited groupings" they breach any other com-
of clubs or leagues forming mitments to UEFA as part of
without UEFA's permission the settlement.
or outside its control.
The three clubs now being The Super League project
prosecuted by UEFA are the was publicly launched late at
remaining holdouts among night on April 18 then im-
12 founders of the failed Su- ploded within 48 hours amid
per League project who re- a furious backlash from fans
fused to renounce it. and threats of legislation by
UEFA president Aleksander the British government.
Ceferin warned the clubs on Aug. 26 and matches start
last month that "if they say Any bans for the clubs — and on Sept. 14. Those clubs agreed to UE- The three holdouts have
we are a Super League, then elevation of other Spanish FA's terms to forfeit 5% of begun legal action in a Ma-
they don't play Champions and Italian teams to replace The nine clubs who settled their prize money from Eu- drid court against UEFA and
League, of course." them — would likely lead to with UEFA are: AC Milan, ropean competitions in the world soccer body FIFA. A
UEFA gave no timetable for appeals at the Court of Arbi- Inter Milan, Atlético Ma- 2022-23 season and pay a judge has asked the European
the expected disciplinary tration for Sport and pressure drid, Arsenal, Liverpool, combined 15 million euros Court of Justice in Luxem-
cases against the three which to resolve the cases before Manchester United, and ($18.4 million) as a "gesture bourg to consider if restric-
have all qualified on merit for next season's European com- Tottenham, plus Champions of goodwill" to benefit chil- tions on the rebel clubs are
the Champions League next petitions. The Champions League finalists Chelsea and dren, youth and grassroots breaking European Union
season. League group-stage draw is Manchester City. football. laws.

Joe West poised to break umpiring record with 5,376th game

(AP) – Cowboy Joe is Braves catcher Dale Murphy. during a 2018 game, White days without pay in 2017 after Lo Duca made false allega-
headed for No. 1, closing Sox shortstop Tim Ander- he said in an interview that tions that would hurt his
in on the top spot on the He has worked the World son said: "I don't have much former Texas Rangers third chances of being elected to
chart. Series six times. He has 193 to say about him. Everybody baseman Adrián Beltré was the Hall of Fame. There are
career ejections — and West knows he's terrible." baseball's biggest complainer. currently 10 umpires in the
Joe West is poised to break himself has run afoul of Ma- West said he was joking, and Hall.
baseball's umpiring record jor League Baseball on occa- Last year, West ejected Wash- Beltré agreed.
when the St. Louis Cardinals sion during his long career. ington Nationals general West has his share of fans,
visit the Chicago White Sox manager Mike Rizzo from an He was awarded $500,000 last too.
on Tuesday night. West is set During a 1990 brawl, West upstairs suite in Atlanta for month in a defamation suit
to work home plate for his body-slammed pitcher Den- yelling and complaining. against former catcher Paul At the 2017 All-Star Game,
5,376th regular-season game, nis Cook to the ground. After Lo Duca. In his suit, among slugger Nelson Cruz came
snapping a tie with Hall of he was thrown out by West West was suspended for three other things, West contended to the plate, pulled out his
Famer Bill Klem. phone and had catcher Yadier
Molina take a picture of Cruz
The colorful West, who turns and plate umpire West. Asked
69 on Oct. 31, is perhaps the why, Cruz said: "He's a leg-
most famous umpire in ma- end, you know?"
jor league history, known for
his memorable run-ins with Before he became a big
several players and managers league umpire, West was a
over the years, to go along star quarterback at Elon in
with at least one executive. the early 1970s. He also was
a catcher when he played
He also fashions himself as baseball growing up in North
a country music singer and Carolina.
songwriter, leading to the
nicknames "Cowboy Joe" and The Asheville native was in-
"Country Joe." ducted into the Elon Sports
Hall of Fame in 1986 and the
West began his big league ca- North Carolina Sports Hall
reer at age 23, doing a hand- of Fame in 2018.
ful of games in the last month
of the 1976 season. His first Several years ago, West had
plate job included Hall of larynx cancer, underwent
Fame knuckleballer Phil radiation and continued his
Niekro throwing to young career.