LAUSANNE, Switzerland — Asian soccer player of the year Nasser Al-Shamrani has had his 8-match Asian Champions League ban for spitting and head-butting cut to six on appeal. The Court of Arbitration for Sport says its panel deferred the other two matches of the Al-Hilal forward's sanction for a two-year probationary period.
CAS gave an urgent ruling Monday ahead of Hilal's group match at Lokomotiv Tashkent.
Al-Shamrani already served two matches of the ban. He will miss two group matches and the Round of 16 if the Saudi Arabian club advances. The Asian Football Confederation banned Al-Shamrani for clashing with Western Sydney Wanderers defender Matthew Spiranovic after losing last season's final in November. — AP
