Post by buwu on Dec 21, 2012 6:19:32 GMT -5
GENEVA -- A South Korea footballer who raised diplomatic tensions with Japan by displaying a political sign at the London Olympics after the countries bronze-medal match was banned for two World Cup qualifying matches on Monday. Pat McAfee Womens Jersey . FIFA said Park Jong-woo was guilty of unsporting behaviour which "cannot be tolerated," and formally warned the Korea Football Association. The International Olympic Committee can now decide if Park will get his medal which has been withheld since the Aug. 10 incident. FIFA and the IOC prohibit on-field political statements. After South Korea beat Japan 2-0 at Cardiff, Park displayed a sign in national colours with the slogan "Dokdo is our territory" to support sovereignty over islets which Japan also claims in a decades-old dispute. In defending Park, Korean officials argued that he simply picked up the banner which was thrown from the stands. FIFA said its disciplinary panel "took into account that the behaviour of the player, even though it appears not to have been premeditated or intentional, contradicts the principal idea and goal of sportsmanship and fair play, and therefore, cannot be tolerated." Weeks after the controversy, the 23-year-old midfielder was called into the senior national team for 2014 World Cup qualifiers. Park, who plays for Busan IPark, will serve his suspension when South Korea plays at home to Qatar on March 26 and away to Lebanon on June 4. FIFA also fined him 3,500 Swiss francs ($3,780). FIFA rules prevent him appealing this sanction. FIFA also reminded the Korean football association "of its obligation to properly instruct its players" about competition rules. "The Korea Football Association was warned that should incidents of such nature occur again in the future, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee may impose harsher sanctions," the governing body said. South Korea and Japan played the match in Wales amid sensitive diplomatic relations at home. Hours earlier, South Korea President Lee Myung-bak travelled to the islets where his country stations a small contingent of police officers in a show of control. The presidential visit prompted Japan to recall its ambassador from Seoul. Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba said it was "incomprehensible" why Lee would make the trip. Adam Vinatieri Womens Jersey . Louis Blues re-signed forward Scott Nichol to a one-year, $650K contract on Thursday, bringing the 12-year veteran back for another season with the Central Division Champions. Coby Fleener Camo Jersey . -- Toronto FC didnt have to worry about David Beckham firing balls all over the field Saturday night. www.indianapoliscoltsteamstore.com/donnie-avery-jersey . 14 in the latest ATP Tour rankings. Raonic moved up one spot in the rankings after reaching the final of the Japan Open on the weekend. Pat Angerer Camo Jersey . Powers were transferred to his deputy, Ehud Olmert. Doctors placed Sharon on a respirator and were trying to save his life only hours before the hard-charging, overweight, 77-year-old Israeli leader had been scheduled to undergo a procedure to seal a hole in his heart that contributed to a mild stroke on Dec. Coby Fleener Pink Jersey . The ITAR-Tass news agency quoted Russian football federation head Nikita Simonyan as saying the decision to appoint Capello was made Monday. Simonyan said all that is needed is a "final agreement on terms of the agreement. ARLINGTON, Texas -- Rangers starting pitcher Scott Feldman worked out of a rough stretch in May and June when he lost six straight by reeling off six consecutive victories. After a 5-3 loss to the Orioles on Tuesday in which he gave up five runs on seven hits over five innings, hes now dropped three in a row. No reason to panic, his manager said, even after the Rangers right-hander gave up two big run-scoring hits with two outs, including Nate McLouths two-run home run, in the Orioles decisive four-run fifth inning. Manny Machado had a run-scoring triple and J.J. Hardys two-out double plated another run for Baltimore in the inning, which was followed with two shutdown innings by Chris Tillman (6-2). "I think if theres any pitch hed want to take back in that inning, it would be the one to McLouth," manager Ron Washington said. "But other than that, there was no indication they were going to put four runs on the board, because both he and Tillman were pitching very well." Tillman worked 6 2/3 innings, giving up three runs on six hits while striking out seven before giving way to the bullpen, which now has a 1.57 ERA in the last 18 games. The Orioles right-hander kept Rangers hitters off-balance with effective off-speed pitches and good command of his fastball. That follows a performance two years ago in which Tillman held the Rangers to two runs on two hits and a walk over a career-high 7 1/3 innings. Tillman has held the Rangers to a .203 average in three starts. "It aint easy," said Tillman, who improved to 6-2 on the season with a 3.71 ERA and 4-1 on the road. "These guys have a great lineup and you have to respect that whether youre ahead or behind." Jim Johnson worked a scoreless ninth to pick up his 38th save. "Chris was good," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "He had command of the breaking ball early, and threw the fastball on both sides of the plate." The Rangers scored two on Geovany Sotos two-run homer in the seventh inning to close a 5-1 deficit to two and then put the tying run on base, but Pedro Strop struck out Josh Hamilton on a slider to end the threat. David Murphy, 10 for 19 with a homer and three doubles and six RBI in his previous five games, went 1 for 4 on Tuesday, including a groundout with a runner on base to end the Rangers half of the eighth. "Pedy got a couple of big outs for us," Showalter said. The bullpen "hass been a constant for us. Donnie Avery Camo Jersey. . Weve been able to share the load and pass it around. "Weve got a lot of people we have confidence in." Feldman struck out four and walked one while ending a string of good performances by Rangers pitching, which entered Tuesday having allowed two runs or less in three consecutive games and just four total in the three-game winning streak. The starting rotation had posted a 2.96 ERA in the previous seven games. "I thought he made a real good pitch to Hardy and he went down and poked it to right field," Washington said. "Thats a part of baseball, I think Scott has been throwing the ball really well. Thats just the way it went tonight." The AL West-division leading Rangers lost a game to Los Angeles in the standings and lead the Angels by eight games. Oakland, which started the evening six back, were playing late at home against Minnesota. The Orioles broke loose for four runs in the fifth. Machados triple scored Omar Quintanilla and McLouth sent a Feldman pitch into the left-field seats for a two-run home run that made the score 5-1. "All youre trying to do in that situation is limit the damage," Feldman said. "Even after giving up that hit to Hardy, were still in the game. I just made a bad pitch to McLouth." The Rangers Ian Kinsler hit his 14th home run of the season to tie the game in the third on a 1-0 pitch. Orioles took a first-inning lead by scoring an unearned run with two outs. McLouth walked, stole second and advanced to third on an error when Geovany Sotos throw sailed into centre field. He scored on Feldmans wild pitch. Notes: Entering the game, three of the top 22 qualifiers in ERA as relievers in the AL were Orioles. Pedro Strop (2nd, 1.49), Darren ODay (17th, 2.49) and Troy Patton (22nd, 2.58). . The Rangers Adrian Beltre, hitting .235 in his previous 30 games, went 2 for 4 on Tuesday. . The Orioles have won 12 consecutive one-run games. The franchise has done that on three other occasions, 1964, 1970 and 1979. Baltimore went to the World Series in 1970 and 79 and won 97 games and finished two games back of eventual World Series champion New York Yankees in 64. . Rangers reliever Michael Kirkman extended a scoreless innings streak to seven in his last six games after holding the Orioles to no runs in two innings. Kirkman also has stranded 11 of the last 13 inherited runners, including three in a game three times. ' ' '