BEIJING // Three European clubs have won their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to keep their players out of the Olympic football tournament. The CAS ruled that Lionel Messi, Diego and Rafinha can be kept out of the Beijing Games by their clubs - Barcelona, Werder Bremen and Schalke. Messi plays for Argentina, and Diego and Rafinha play for Brazil. The CAS secretary-general Matthieu Reeb said the three-member panel ruled in favour of the clubs because the Olympic tournament is not on Fifa's match calendar, and because there was no evidence that the football body's executive board obliged the clubs to release the players. Fifa ruled on July 30 that the players must be released for the Olympic tournament because they are under 23. "This decision does not affect the eligibility status of the players who have been validly entered by their national Olympic committee and who remain fully eligible to compete in Olympic Games of Beijing 2008," the CAS said. The three-member panel consisted of Efraim Barak of Israel, Michele Bernasconi of Switzerland and Ralph Zloczower of Switzerland. "Fifa is surprised and disappointed by this decision, but we respect it," the Fifa President Sepp Blatter said in a statement. "Nevertheless, I appeal to the clubs: 'Let your players take part in the Olympic Games. It would be an act of solidarity in perfect harmony with the Olympic spirit.' Fifa said Blatter sent a message to the three teams appealing for them to let the players compete. "Fifa's opinion has not changed. The Olympic football tournaments are a unique opportunity for a player as they are high-level competitions that give everyone involved, most notably young players, the chance to gain international experience that will stand them in good stead for the future," Blatter said. "I regret that the CAS has not taken the Olympic spirit into consideration." The men's Olympic football tournament is for players 23 and under, with three exceptions for older players. But Barcelona (Messi), Werder Bremen (Diego) and Schalke (Rafinha) complained they do not want to lose their players for the start of the season. Both Barcelona and Schalke are scheduled to play Champions League qualifying matches during the Olympics, and they could lose out on millions of euros (dirhams) if they fail to reach the group stage. Mr Reeb also said there was nothing to prohibit other clubs from challenging Fifa and getting their players back from the Olympic tournament. The Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez had been reluctant to release Ryan Babel to the Netherlands, and could use the ruling to call the forward back to England. "CAS called upon the goodwill and good sense of Fifa and the clubs to find a reasonable solution with regard to players who wish to represent their country in the Olympic Games," the CAS said. The men's football tournament starts tomorrow, a day before the opening ceremony of the Beijing Games. The women's tournament started today.
*AP