UEFA has "booted out" Polish side Legia Warsaw's appeal against its Champions League exit, meaning Scottish Premiership side Celtic will face Slovenian club NK Maribor in the Champions League playoff round, according to the Scotland DAILY RECORD. Legia had "appealed the severity of their punishment for fielding an ineligible player in the second leg of their 6-1 aggregate win over the Scottish champions." UEFA heard Legia's case on Wednesday but "agreed not to overturn last week’s decision" (DAILY RECORD, 8/14). REUTERS' Sam Holden reported Legia will "now appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)." Legia co-Owner Dariusz Mioduski said, "It looks like the Court of Arbitration will be busy with our case because that's what we intend to do (appeal it there). We believe this is not just about Legia but football generally and the sense of fairness and justice" (REUTERS, 8/14). The BBC reported Legia appealed on the basis of three separate UEFA regulations and made reference to "the objective and subjective aspects of the offence; in cases where all aspects of the offence have been revealed by the party charged and after taking into account both aggravating and mitigating circumstances." Legia had hoped to have the punishment "scaled down, nullified or suspended." Mioduski said, "Huge disappointment, procedures seem to be more important than football." Legia Board President Bogusław Lesnodorski said, "We hope that CAS will judge our case as soon as possible. We don't give up and keep fighting" (BBC, 8/14).
