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E wednesday— (all times are kuwait local)06:00 atp 250 moscow match 2 ................... bein sports 9hd07:00 world of gymnastics ......................... bein sports 12hd07:30 fina world of aquatics ...................... bein sports 10hd08:45 betis vs espanyol/soccer ..................... bein sports 2hd13:00 warriors vs saints/rugby ................... bein sports 15hd14:30 table tennis ittf men’s world cup ......... bein sports 6hd14:45 tennis open vienne ............................ bein sports 15hd17:00 2015 ceu volleyball european championship...bein sports 16hd

SportsPlatini’s status uncertain; reform plan would curb presidency

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FIFA reconfirms presidential election in Feb 2016ZURICH, Oct 20, (Agencies): FIFA decided Tuesdayto stick with its presidential election date inFebruary, as uncertainty surrounded Michel Platini’scandidacy and Asia’s top soccer official edged closerto entering the race.

With no clear timetable for Platini to challenge hisprovisional suspension, officials who have supportedthe UEFA leader’s presidential campaign — such asSheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa — must nowdecide whether to also apply by Monday’s deadline.

Tuesday’s FIFA executive committee meeting wasthe first since FIFA President Sepp Blatter and Platiniwere provisionally suspended two weeks ago.

Blatter had already announced plans to resign beforebeing banned for 90 days amid a FIFA ethics investi-gation over a 2011 payment of $2 million to Platini.

The executive committee confirmed Tuesday thatFIFA will go ahead with the election on Feb 26. Thedecision came after an update from election monitorDomenico Scala, whose committee rules on the can-didates’ eligibility.

Platini submitted his candidacy ahead of the Oct 26deadline but faces being kept out over a payment of 2million Swiss francs (about $2 million) from FIFA forwork he says was carried out at least nine years earlier.

Platini has challenged his suspension and is await-ing the verdict of the FIFA appeals committee. UEFA

is pushing for a swift decision in appeals at FIFA andpossibly the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Sheikh Salman, the Asian Football Confederationpresident from Bahrain, should now enter the race aspart of an agreement with UEFA, his key backer toldThe Associated Press.

“It is a big possibility,” Sheikh Ahmad Al-FahadAl-Sabah, a FIFA executive committee member fromKuwait and longtime Olympic powerbroker, saidafter a meeting of the ruling panel.

Sheikh Salman has also written to his AFC execu-tive committee members saying he has “recentlybeen urged by a growing number of senior” peoplewithin the game to run for the FIFA presidency. TheBahraini royal was seeking advice from colleaguesbefore making a decision.

UEFA officials held regular strategy talks withSheikh Ahmad ahead of Tuesday’s emergency FIFAsession, which was briefed on Platini’s status as apotential candidate.

FIFA said its election oversight committee will notrule on Platini’s eligibility as a candidate — includinga mandatory integrity check — until “such a ban be

lifted or expire before the FIFA presidential election.”Sheikh Ahmad said confidential talks had taken

place about what to do if Platini clears his name.“From our side I think we are in a fair procedure,”

the sheikh said. “At least there (are) some names andthere is understanding between the continents.Myself, I trust Platini.”

Should Sheikh Salman enter the race, “he will startwith the same big number of potential support,”Sheikh Ahmad said. “I think there will be more thanthree continents.”

Aside from Platini, former FIFA vice presidentPrince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan and former Trinidadand Tobago player David Nakhid have said they sub-mitted their five required federation nominations.

In a related story, World soccer’s scandal-hit gov-erning body embraced reform proposals on Tuesdaythat would prevent anyone from holding its presi-dency for longer than 12 years, or past the age of 74,while giving women more say in the running of thesport.

The proposals, which it termed “a work inprogress”, will lead to a final report that will be con-sidered by the Executive Committee on December 2-3 at their next meeting in Zurich.

If the executive committee approves the reformsthey will be submitted to the FIFA Congress for a

vote in February.Members of the 2016 FIFA reform committee

were appointed by the six confederations of FIFAand have been led by an independent chairman,Francois Carrard.

Here are the main points of the report:■ The president’s term will be restricted to a maxi-mum of 12 years.■ The president and members of FIFA’s Councilmust not be aged more than 74 years.■ The remuneration of the president, council mem-bers, the general secretary and all chairmen of inde-pendent standing and judicial committees should bepublished annually.■ The remuneration of these officials should be“reviewed and approved by a fully independent com-pensation committee relying on third party compen-sation analysis.”■ FIFA’s executive committee should no longer haveexecutive powers over FIFA’s policies, and to reflectthis new function it should be renamed the FIFACouncil.■ FIFA’s general secretary should be the body’schief executive officer, implement the decisions ofthe FIFA Council and may only be dismissed by theFIFA Council.■ FIFA should create a directorship of compliance.

Eagles down Giantsin key division clash

Murray shines

PHILADELPHIA, Oct 20,(AFP): The PhiladelphiaEagles intercepted New Yorkquarterback Eli Manningtwice in a 27-7 win over theGiants on Monday to takecharge of the NFC East divi-sion.

At 3-3, the Eagles are tied with theGiants atop the division with the advan-tage in the head-to-head-tiebreaker.

In a game littered by mistakes by bothteams, Eagles cornerback Nolan Carrollcame up with the decisive play, pickingoff a Manning pass and returning it 17yards for a touchdown that gave the hostsa 14-7 lead in the second quarter.

Manning had completed his first 10passes in a textbook start that included aneight-play, 80-yard touchdown drive onthe opening possession of the game.

Pro Bowl receiver Odell Beckham jnr,who missed practice all week with a sorehamstring, caught a 13-yard TD pass tocap the drive.

But it proved to be the Giants’ onlyscore of the game as Manning was sackedfour times and penalized twice for inten-tionally grounding the ball.

Eagles quarterback Sam Bradfordcompleted 24 of 38 passes for 280 yards,including a 32-yard touchdown pass towide receiver Riley Cooper.

But Bradford also threw three intercep-tions.

Running back DeMarco Murray had hisfirst 100-yard rushing game with the Eagles,finishing with 109 yards on 22 carries.

The Eagles led 17-7 in the third quarterwhen they marched downfield on an 85-yard, 11-play drive that was helped by aroughing-the-punter call against Giantsdefensive tackle Nikita Whitlock.

The Eagles took advantage of thatpenalty, eventually scoring on a 12-yardrun by Murray that put them up 24-7 with6:13 to play in the third quarter.

Philadelphia’s defense kept the Giantsat bay in the fourth, and Caleb Sturgiskicked a 39-yard field goal to make it 27-

Kwon nets winner

Al Ahli reach ACL final DUBAI, Oct 20, (Agencies): KwonKyung-won scored in stoppage timeto send Dubai’s Al Ahli through to afirst Asian Champions League (ACL)final after a 3-2 win in the home leg oftheir last-four encounter againstSaudi Arabia’s Al Hilal on Tuesday.

The South Korean’s deflected effortin the fourth minute of added timespared Ahli’s blushes after the 2014UAE champions had thrown away a2-0 halftime lead.

Ahli, who triumphed 4-3 on aggre-

gate after a 1-1 draw in the first leg inRiyadh, will now face Japan’s GambaOsaka or China’s GuangzhouEvergrande in November’s two-legged showpiece.

Gamba Osaka coach KentaHasegawa will be looking for his teamto stage another famous comebackwhen they take on GuangzhouEvergrande this week for a spot in theAFC Champions League final.

The Japanese champions havepulled back from the brink on threeoccasions during their run to thisyear’s last four, and in Wednesday’ssemi-final second leg they must over-turn a 2-1 deficit following defeat inGuangzhou three weeks ago.

But the resilient attitude that helpedGamba claim a domestic treble lastseason, together with an all-importantaway goal from the first leg, shouldgive them confidence before thematch at Osaka Expo ‘70 Stadium.

“It’s a difficult opponent, but wehave to try hard and work together toadvance to the final,” said Hasegawa,who took charge of Gamba in 2013after they were relegated to Japan’ssecond division.

“This time we are playing at homeand the most important thing is themotivation of the players. The key ishow well we can do in terms of moti-vation and desire.

7 with 8:19 left in the game.Meanwhile, defiant coach Pete Carroll is

urging his struggling Seattle Seahawks tostick together, insisting their bid to reach athird straight Super Bowl isn’t over yet.

“This season is not done at all,” Carrolltold ESPN 710 Seattle radio on Monday,a day after the Seahawks endured theirfourth defeat of the season.

Seattle’s vaunted defense allowedCarolina tight end Greg Olsen to raceuntouched into the end zone for the win-ning touchdown in the final minute of thePanthers’ 27-23 victory.

The Seahawks have held a fourth-quar-

ter lead in all four of the games they havelost, and with tensions mounting in thelocker room Carroll said it was impera-tive the players remain united.

“To be where we are right now, it putsus in a position of tremendous adversity,”Carroll said after the game. “It calls on usto believe in the guys in the locker roomand believe in what we’re doing and hangtogether until we get things right.”

Carroll acknowledged that not all ofthe defense received the correct coverageplan in a miscommunication that leftOlsen wide open. Key defender EarlThomas was clearly irked after the game.

Under house arrest after a year in jail

Oscar at uncle’s mansion after releaseJOHANNESBURG, Oct 20, (AP):Oscar Pistorius was with his family athis uncle’s mansion Tuesday after theOlympic athlete who killed his girl-

friend was released from prison undercover of darkness and moved to housearrest a day earlier than expected.

“Oscar is here, and Oscar is athome with the family,” saidAnneliese Burgess, the spokes-woman for the Pistorius family,addressing dozens of reporters out-side Arnold Pistorius’ home inWaterkloof, an upmarket suburb ofSouth Africa’s capital Pretoria.

“The family is happy that Oscar isat home,” Burgess said.

Pistorius, the double-amputee run-ner who fatally shot ReevaSteenkamp in 2013, was moved froma central Pretoria jail on Mondaynight when he had been expected tobe released on Tuesday.

He left the jail at 7:30 pm localtime, the Department of Correctionssaid, and appears to have slippedunnoticed by media into the three-

story, red-bricked home that standsbehind ornate black gates.

Pistorius has served a year of afive-year sentence for manslaughterfor killing Steenkamp. Under SouthAfrican law, he is eligible to servethe remainder under correctionalsupervision, a form of house arrest.

Apparently responding to criticismthat Pistorius’ release after just a yearin prison was too lenient, Burgesssaid Pistorius’ sentence “has not beenshortened or reduced.”

“He now enters the next phase ofhis sentence. He will serve this underthe strict conditions that govern cor-rectional supervision,” she said.

Under South African law, an offend-er sentenced to five years or less in jailcan be released to correctional supervi-sion after serving one-sixth of the term- in Pistorius’ case 10 months.

The full conditions under which

Pistorius must live for the next fouryears have not been released by the cor-rections department and Burgess wouldnot detail them on Tuesday. Only twoconditions for Pistorius’ house arrestwere previously made public: Pistoriusmust continue to undergo psychothera-py while under house arrest and he isnot allowed to handle any firearms.

Pistorius was acquitted of murderlast year for the Valentine’s Dayshooting death of Steenkamp, butprosecutors have appealed the trialverdict of culpable homicide, ormanslaughter, and will seek a murderconviction again at South Africa’sSupreme Court on Nov 3.

If Pistorius is convicted of murderby a panel of five judges at theappeal, he faces going back to prisonfor 15 years, the minimum sentencefor murder in South Africa, which nolonger has the death penalty.

A picture taken on March 25, 2014shows Paralympic track star OscarPistorius sitting in the dock duringhis trial for the murder of his girl-friend at the North Gauteng High

Court in Pretoria. (AFP)

New York Giants free safety Landon Collins (21) intercepts a pass intended for Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz(86) during the second half of an NFL football game Monday, Oct 19, 2015, in Philadelphia. (AP)

American Football ConferenceAFC East

W L T OTL PF PA PCTNew England 5 0 0 0 183 103 1.000NY Jets 4 1 0 0 129 75 .800Buffalo 3 3 0 0 145 139 .500Miami 2 3 0 0 103 111 .400

AFC NorthW L T OTL PF PA PCT

Cincinnati 6 0 0 0 182 122 1.000Pittsburgh 4 2 0 1 145 108 .667Cleveland 2 4 0 1 141 158 .333Baltimore 1 5 0 1 143 162 .167

AFC SouthW L T OTL PF PA PCT

Indianapolis 3 3 0 0 126 147 .500Houston 2 4 0 0 128 155 .333Tennessee 1 4 0 0 112 129 .200Jacksonville 1 5 0 1 113 176 .167

AFC WestW L T OTL PF PA PCT

Denver 6 0 0 0 139 102 1.000Oakland 2 3 0 0 107 124 .400San Diego 2 4 0 0 136 161 .333Kansas City 1 5 0 0 127 159 .167

National Football ConferenceNFC East

W L T OTL PF PA PCTPhiladelphia 3 3 0 0 144 110 .500NY Giants 3 3 0 0 139 136 .500Dallas 2 3 0 1 101 131 .400Washington 2 4 0 1 117 138 .333

NFC NorthW L T OTL PF PA PCT

Green Bay 6 0 0 0 164 101 1.000Minnesota 3 2 0 0 96 83 .600Chicago 2 4 0 1 120 179 .333Detroit 1 5 0 0 120 172 .167

NFC SouthW L T OTL PF PA PCT

Carolina 5 0 0 0 135 94 1.000Atlanta 5 1 0 0 183 143 .833Tampa Bay 2 3 0 0 110 148 .400New Orleans 2 4 0 0 134 164 .333

NFC WestW L T OTL PF PA PCT

Arizona 4 2 0 0 203 115 .667St Louis 2 3 0 0 84 113 .400Seattle 2 4 0 2 134 125 .333San Francisco 2 4 0 0 100 160 .333

NFL StandingsFOOTBALL

SOCCER

SOCCER

FIFA Executive Committee MemberSheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabahfrom Kuwait, arrives at the FIFA head-quarters in Zurich, Switzerland, Oct20. A FIFA Executive Committee meet-ing took place at the home of FIFA in

Zurich. (AP)

Abulaziz Hussain Haikal (right), ofUAE’s Al-Ahli fights for the ballagainst Abdullah al-Zori of Saudi’s Al-Hilal during the AFC ChampionsLeague semifinal football match on

Oct 20, in Dubai. (AFP)

WASHINGTON, Oct 20, (RTRS): Standings from the NFL on Monday.