CAS TO OPEN FENERBAHCE APPEAL

Fenerbahce's appeal against a two-season expulsion from the Champions League for match-fixing will open hours before they play Arsenal in the first leg of a playoff, sport's highest court said on Monday.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport set Wednesday and Thursday to hear Fenerbahce's lawyers challenge sanctions imposed by Uefa.
First, a CAS panel will on Tuesday hear a second urgent Turkish match-fixing case involving Europa League contender Besiktas.
"CAS expects to issue its decisions on August 28 (Fenerbahce) and on August 30 (Besiktas)," the court said.
The Fenerbahce verdict is due the day after Arsenal host the return match in London. On August 29, the Champions League group stage draw is made in Monaco.
Uefa expelled Fenerbahce from its competitions in June after judging that club officials helped fix matches to win the 2011 Turkish league title.
Uefa rules bar clubs which are implicated in fixing matches played since April 2007.
All parties agreed to let Fenerbahce continue playing Champions League matches until the final verdict.
Uefa expelled Besiktas for one season because their officials were implicated in the same widespread national investigation for fixing the 2011 Turkish Cup final.
Besiktas have been drawn against Tromso in the Europa League playoffs. The first leg is in Norway on Thursday and the return match in Istanbul on August 29.
Fenerbahce have a second, separate hearing against Uefa at CAS on September 20.
The club is challenging a threatened one-year ban from Uefa competitions after repeated crowd trouble incidents last season. Uefa deferred the sanction for a two-year probation period.
Uefa acted after Fenerbahce fans parachuted lit fireworks into their empty stadium during a Europa League home match against BATE Borisov that was played behind closed doors for previous incidents in February.
Fenerbahce reached the semifinals last season despite playing two home matches with fans barred from the stadium.