LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter arrived for a marathon appeal hearing against a six-year ban from football on Thursday, pledging to accept the verdict of the Court of Arbitration for SportI do hope it will be positive for me, Blatter, sporting a light gray beard, told reporters at around 8 a. Jari Kurri Jersey .m. (0600 GMT) ahead of a closed-door hearing expected to last several hours. He left almost 15 hours later.It was a long day because the cross examination of the witnesses we have brought, the 80-year-old Blatter said as he left the court. It was specially a long day for me because I was the central person.Blatter declined to speculate on the verdict which is expected within several weeks. He could challenge it in a further appeal to Switzerlands supreme court.He denies wrongdoing in authorizing a $2 million payment to former FIFA vice president Michel Platini in 2011. They claimed it was for backdated and uncontracted salary for work Platini did in advising Blatter from 1999 to 2002.The so-called disloyal payment led Blatter to be put under investigation for criminal mismanagement by Swiss federal prosecutors last September. That investigation is ongoing.FIFAs ethics committee judged the $2 million deal was a conflict of interest and initially banned Blatter and Platini for eight years last December. FIFAs appeal committee cut both bans to six years.Platinis appeal to CAS was already judged in May, when Blatter appeared in person as a witness. Platini promised a further appeal to the Swiss Federal Tribunal after his ban was only cut from six to four years.Platini arrived for Blatters hearing around midday local time to be a witness and left four hours later.I say again the truth and I hope that this time they will listen to us, but I doubt it anyway, Platini said in French.The judging panel in Platinis case noted the absence of any repentance from the former France great.The three-member panel for Blatters case is expected to respect the verdict of the separate panel which judged Platini.Blatters comments Thursday suggest he would not pursue a federal case. Federal judges can intervene only if legal process is abused.We are football players, we learned to win but also we learned to lose and it will not be the end of the world, Blatter said outside CAS.A failure to overturn the ban for Blatter would likely end his hope to one day be named FIFA honorary president by its 211 member federations.The case already ended Platinis chance to replace Blatter as FIFA president, and also forced him out of European governing body UEFA.On Sept. 14, UEFA members will elect a successor to replace Platini who had a mandate through March 2019. By imposing a four-year ban, the CAS panel ensured UEFA had to replace Platini, rather than wait for him to return.The disloyal payment emerged last year when Platini was strongly favored to win the election to replace Blatter, who had announced his departure plans after 17 years as president amid pressure from American and Swiss federal investigations of corruption implicating senior FIFA officials.Both men were questioned at FIFA headquarters last September by Swiss investigators who were waiting for them outside an executive committee meeting.During the turmoil in world football, Platinis right-hand man at UEFA, Gianni Infantino, submitted an election candidacy on the entry deadline day and won the vote in February.Arriving at the hearing with his Zurich-based lawyer Lorenz Erni, Blatter said he hoped the CAS panel will understand that the payment made to Platini was really a debt that we had against him.This is a principle, if you have debts you pay them, Blatter said. 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Only the inaugural season of 1968-69 (16-66) was worse.But the Suns found a budding star in guard Devin Booker and drafted a pair of promising teenage power forwards -- Dan Bender as the No. 4 pick overall, Marquese Chriss as No. 8. General manager Ryan McDonough brought in a pair of popular ex-Suns, Jared Dudley and Leandro Barbosa, to provide veteran leadership.With Eric Bledsoe healthy and 37-year-old coach Earl Watson preaching enthusiasm and a family attitude, these Suns expect to be competitive, or at least entertaining.Phoenixs six-year playoff drought probably wont end, but this teams personality and energy might begin to win back some of a disillusioned fan base that once was among the most faithful in the NBA.Watson, who took over on an interim basis after Jeff Hornacek was fired, calls his team a group of high-character guys with enthusiasm and energy.Were really lucky to have this group, he said.Every Suns player stayed in Phoenix through the summer, playing together on the court and spending a lot of time together off it.Our foundation was built in stages, Watson said, relationships first, bonding, creating a unity of compassion for each other, which resulted in love and, when we got into the preseason, sacrificing roles.The players dont want to hear anything about low expectations.Were all about winning and winning now. Booker said. I dont feel like were in a rebuilding phase. I feel like were built.Here are some things to consider as the Suns enter the season.BOOKERS TEAM: Booker turns 20 on Oct. 30 and already is the face of the franchise.He averaged 13.8 points last year and made the all-rookie team, but he really blossomed when Brandon Knight and Bledsoe both were out with injuries. After Jan. 1, he averaged 18.3 points per game, second among rookies. Booker became the third-youngest player to reach 1,000 points. Only LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant did it at an earlier age.In a survey of generall managers, Booker was voted the player most likely to have a breakout 2016-17 season. Milan Lucic Jersey. Just taking it all in, at the same time using it as motivation, he said of the accolades. I know where Im at right now and I know where Im trying to get. So Im just staying focused, staying humble and every time I touch the floor giving it my all.KNIGHTS SACRIFICE: Watson calls Brandon Knight the most important player on the team after he was relegated to a sixth man role with Bledsoe and Booker the starting guards.Knight teammates understand how important it is for Knight to accept what has happened.B-Knight has been the biggest sacrifice for our family, center Tyson Chandler said, because hes a starter. Hes a great player in this league. So him coming off the bench is going to be huge for us.IMPRESSIVE CHRISS: The 6-foot-10 Chriss was impressive in the preseason and is ahead of Bender in terms of being ready for the NBA game. Expect the ex-University of Washington star to be part of the rotation right away.Hes a raw talent, Bledsoe said. Hes got some stuff you really cant teach.Chriss, who turned 19 in July, impressed his teammates in a confrontation with Dallas Andrew Bogut in a preseason game.He kind of reminds me of me out there last year, Booker said. ... I think you see him in the Dallas game push Bogut around and thats what we need, someone who wont back down on anybody, so Im really proud of him.HEALTHY AT LAST: Bledsoe is back after missing 51 games and undergoing another knee surgery. Knight is healthy after missing 30 games. Small forward T.J. Warren is kind of a forgotten man after missing most of last season with a broken foot. Small forward P.J. Tucker expects to be back by the second game of the season after undergoing back surgery.YOUTHFUL ENTHUSIASM: Nine of Phoenixs core players are 26 or younger. Bledsoe is the old man at 26. 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