The Court of Arbitration for Sport will announce its decision on former FIFA President Sepp Blatter's appeal "against his six-year ban from football on Monday" at 2pm local time. The 80-year-old Swiss, who served as FIFA president from '98-15, is currently waiting for the CAS verdict after contesting the ban imposed for a "disloyal payment" allegedly made to then UEFA President Michel Platini in '11 (PA, 12/2).
A former head of the Peruvian Football Federation pleaded not guilty on Friday to U.S. charges "stemming from a wide-ranging bribery investigation involving FIFA." Manuel Burga, who led the PFF from '02-14, entered his plea to "racketeering conspiracy and other charges" in federal court in Brooklyn after being extradited from Peru. Burga, who at the time of his indictment in Dec. '15 was "also a member of a FIFA standing committee," focused on football training and technical development (REUTERS, 12/2).
South Sudan FA President Chabur Goc Alei said that he is "determined to clear his name after he was suspended by the FA's board of directors." The board decided during an emergency extraordinary general meeting on Wednesday that Alei "should step aside because of alleged financial impropriety" (BBC, 12/5).
Saturday's Ligue 1 match at Metz "was abandoned after firecrackers were thrown at Lyon keeper Anthony Lopes." A first device was thrown from the stands after Gauthier Hein had given Metz a 28th-minute lead. Portugal int'l Lopes, 26, received treatment and "was lying on the ground when another firecracker exploded next to him" (BBC, 12/3).