The Ontario Human Rights Tribunal has told FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Association it has a week to respond to a bid by a group

The Ontario Human Rights Tribunal has told FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Association it has a week to respond to a bid by a group of elite players for an expedited hearing on whether using artificial turf at the 2015 Womens World Cup is discriminatory. Lucas Moura Hotspur Jersey .The tribunal, after the Oct. 9 deadline for responses, may still deny the players request for a fast-tracked hearing. But the players lawyer applauded the tribunals move, made just one day after the legal brief was filed.It is past time for CSA and FIFA to acknowledge that singling out women for artificial turf at the World Cup is a mistake and to work with the players on ways to fix it, lawyer Hampton Dellinger said in a statement Thursday.But if CSA and FIFA are determined to litigate against their tournaments own players, we hope they will not seek to delay or duck a decision on the merits of whether they are discriminating on the basis of sex against female athletes.The Human Rights Tribunal also asked the CSA and FIFA to file their response to the players complaint by Nov. 6.Earlier in the day, Dellinger told a media conference call that installing real grass pitches for the tournament slated for next summer in Canada was affordable and the right thing to do.The lawyer said it would cost $2 million to $3 million at most.This has been done before. It is a drop in the bucket in terms of FIFAs coffers, Dellinger said. Canada is one of the richest nations on earth. This is completely economically feasible. The players, who include reigning FIFA player of the year Nadine Angerer of Germany and U.S. womens national team forward Abby Wambach, claim that playing their showcase tournament on artificial grass amounts to gender discrimination under Canadian law. Men have always played the World Cup on natural grass surfaces.Lead Canadian lawyer David Wright called it a clear-cut case of discrimination.FIFA and the CSA (Canadian Soccer Association) are treating women differently than they treat men, he said.Canadian players are not part of the lawsuit, although Dellinger says a number have already spoken out on grass being their preferred surface.Carrie Serwetnyk, a former Canadian national team player and the first woman inducted into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame, spoke out strongly Thursday.Its incredible were holding the World Cup but its a real shame that we cant step up to put on the best tournament thats worthy of the female athlete, she said. I think its like asking an Olympic athlete to Just go run on that cinder track. No big deal, you can still run fast there, right?As a citizen, I expect more from my country, she added.The players filed their brief Wednesday, detailing the facts and law in support of the discrimination claim, as well as the motion to expedite the proceedings.Our lawyers will be reviewing any and all applications or information related to this, the CSA said in a statement Wednesday. We will refrain from any comment until there has been a thorough review.FIFA, meanwhile, appears unwilling to reconsider the tournament playing surface.We play on artificial turf and theres no Plan B, Tatjana Haenni, FIFAs head of womens competitions, told The Canadian Press on Tuesday as she started an inspection tour of the World Cup venues.Dellinger said the women had been misled by the CSA and FIFA on their willingness to use grass at the tournament. He cited a FIFA survey of players, taken at the 2013 Algarve Cup, on grass versus turf at major events with the clear indication to the players that this was going to dictate what they would do ultimately for the 2105 World Cup.The players were overwhelming in their opinion that major tournaments should be played on grass. And yet FIFA didnt do a thing, the Canadian Soccer Association didnt do a thing. They didnt even tell the players they werent going to do anything.Dellinger called it really astounding that FIFA and CSA world turn their backs on the players and urged them to work together to solve the issue.The players, their attorneys just want this fixed ... Lets get this out of court and get the focus back on the pitch, he said.The players brief suggests that tournament venues in Vancouver (B.C. Place Stadium), Edmonton (Commonwealth Stadium), Ottawa (TD Place Stadium) and Winnipeg (Investors Group Field) replace their turf with permanent or temporary grass pitches.Games at Olympic Stadium in Montreal should be moved to Saputo Stadium, which has real grass, or a temporary grass surface could be installed. The brief also calls for a temporary grass surface at Moncton Stadium. It also suggests that games could be moved to Torontos BMO Field, which has a natural grass surface.Ive played on artificial turf, especially now in Vancouver (where the tournament final will be played) and the risk to get injured is very, very high there, Angerer said on the conference call.Secondly I think it totally changes the game. Its not fair why our game should be changed.Added Spanish midfielder-forward Veronica Boquete: Especially in a tournament where you play every three days, the recovery after playing on a turf field is not the same with being on grass. ... We just want to have the best field to be able to do our best and to show the best that womens soccer has.The women say they want to play at the tournament and have not thought of boycotting the event. Boquete says its up to FIFA and the CSA to listen and do something about it.Serwetnyk said women would play on a field of glass and nails at the World Cup.Theyre so spirited and dedicated and mentally tough. And thats the problem. We just know women would step up a€” OK, well artificial field, sure, well do that. Glass, OK. Nails, well do that a€” because they love the game.The CSA and FIFA are getting away with putting the players on artificial turf and they know they cant do that with the men. Men would boycott it. It would just not happen. So theyre putting them (the women) in an unfortunate position where of course theyre going to show and play. And thats not the kind of tournament we want to have for the World Cup. Serwetnyk, who started an Equal Play organization two years ago to focus on inequity in sport, says she has paid the price for speaking out.Ive had a backlash from it, she said.Thats why current Canadian players have not joined the lawsuit.The CSA is their boss, she said. And so I think its easier for players from other countries to express their feelings. She also noted the Canadian men rank 120th in the world, wondering if the CSA mentality of playing on turf helps explain why the team is so low.The rest of the world would agree that grass is the best and only surface for such a high-level competition and thats what we should be giving the best women around the world.The Canadian women are ranked No. 8.Dellinger turf versus grass an explosive issue in soccer.FIFA rules stipulate that matches can be played on artificial turf if special dispensation is granted, as it was in Canadas case. The regulations also state that all matches in a tournament must be played on the same surface.Lawyers for the women said the fact that FIFA rules allow for playing on artificial turf that meets specified standards does not impact their lawsuit.Dellinger said all past mens and womens World Cups have been played on grass. And Wright noted that the CSA had ensured that the mens team played its World Cup qualifying games on grass not turf.Lawyers have asked for a Nov. 26 hearing on their case. The World Cup starts June 6, 2015.---Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter Erik Lamela Hotspur Jersey . Chris Capuano. Shane Greene. And now, Esmil Rogers. Harry Kane Jersey . The team of Lars Nelson, Daniel Richardsson, Johan Olsson, and anchor Marcus Hellner cruised to victory in the 4x10 km event, winning in a time of one hour, 28 minutes, and 42. http://www.footballhotspurstore.com/Women-Juan-Foyth-Tottenham-Hotspur-Jersey/ . Chelsea ripped apart Hull inside 25 minutes at Stamford Bridge, with the early goals from Oscar and Frank Lampard securing a 2-0 victory. While Lampard had earlier missed a penalty, Roberto Soldado had no such trouble from the spot for Tottenham, scoring on his debut to clinch a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace.The Toronto Blue Jays start their second-half quest to regain ground in the American League East as they open a three game series with the Texas Rangers tonight at Rogers Centre. Toronto went into the break two games above .500 at 49-47. It could have been so much better, though, as the Blue Jays were 14 games above .500 on June 6 and held a six-game advantage atop the American League East. But thanks to losses in 23 of 34 games Toronto finds itself four games back of Baltimore in the American League East. The Blue Jays also limped into the break, dropping seven of their last nine games. "Were in second place," outfielder Jose Bautista said. "Were obviously not playing the baseball that we started off playing and that were capable of playing. Weve had a lot of injuries to deal with. "Bottom line is, weve got to figure out how to win some of these games that weve been losing, especially close ones. Hopefully we can manage to keep winning enough games to stay in one of the top two positions in our division, and when we get all our big bats back, kind of get back in the thick of things." Still, the Blue Jays have at least 49 wins at the break for the first time since 2006 On Friday, Toronto will hand the ball to righty R.A. Dickey, who has lost five of his last six starts. Dickey lost to Tampa Bay on Sunday, but pitched well, giving up just two runs in six innings, but still fell to 7-9 on the year to go along with a 3.82 ERA. Dickey, who started his career with Texas back in 2001, is 2-1 against his former team with a 22. Dele Alli Jersey. 91 ERA in six games (3 starts). Toronto took two of three from the Rangers earlier this season. No team needed the break more than Texas, which has lost eight straight and 22 of its last 25 games. The Rangers have also lost 11 of their last 12 on the road and now occupy last place in the American League West, 21 games back of first-place Oakland. "Commitment is doing what the game asks you to do and not looking for a reward for what youre doing," Texas manager Ron Washington said. "Im in the process of getting this new bunch to understand what it means. Dont worry about stats or numbers. Its about the team. Some people need to check their attitude and check what commitment is." The Rangers havent dropped nine in a row since May 30-June 8, 2003. "It has been tough," Washington said. "Through it all, they have handled it very well. In reality, wed liked to have handled it better and get more wins. It didnt happen, but I didnt see any letdown." Getting the call for the Rangers on Friday will be All-Star Yu Darvish, who was one of the few bright spots on the team, going 8-5 with a 2.97 ERA. Darvish, though, is just 1-3 with a 5.40 ERA over his last five starts. "Just a little erratic. He usually finds himself on the course of the ballgame," Washington said. "There have been a couple of games there where hes been having trouble just trying to find the pitches he wanted to use as a combination." Darvish is 2-2 with a 2.63 ERA in six career starts against Toronto. ' ' '