has said a championship game could net the league a | Forum

ROME -- Lazio captain Stefano Mauri was banned for six months by the Italian football federation on Friday for his part in a match-fixing scandal. Alex Cobb Rays Jersey . Mauri was one of eight players accused of rigging the Serie A games between Lazio-Genoa and Lecce-Lazio in May 2011 and for failing to report match-fixing. He was found guilty for his role in the Lecce match but cleared of anything untoward against Genoa. Prosecutor Stefano Palazzi had asked for a 4 1/2-year suspension but Mauri was found guilty only of failing to report match-fixing. Mauri said he will appeal his ban. Palazzi also wanted Lazio to be docked six points, and Genoa and Lecce three points each. However, the federation fined Lazio 40,000 euros ($53,000) and Lecce 20,000 euros ($26,000) because of their players actions. Genoa was cleared. "Im happy that my Lazio does not have to start with a points penalty, but even this sentence for failing to report match-fixing seems unjust to me," Mauri said. "Im trusting in the next level of the justice system to let me put this awful episode behind me. "Ill fight as a captain in this situation, too. My aim is to go out onto the pitch with my teammates as soon as possible." Alessandro Zamperini, who was already banned for five years, received a further two-year suspension. Stefano Ferrario was handed a six-month ban, Mario Cassano was suspended for four months and Carlo Gervasoni received a two-month penalty. Omar Milanetto, Massimiliano Benassi and Antonio Rosati were cleared. At least 50 people have been arrested in Italy for match-fixing since mid-2011, with matches under investigation by prosecutors in Cremona, Bari and Naples. Last month, Serie B club Bari plea-bargained for a one-point penalty for match-fixing. Bari was also fined $32,000 under the deal made with the Italian federations disciplinary committee for arranging two matches, while several former players also reached plea bargains. This marks the third consecutive off-season that point penalties have been handed out by the federation. Four Serie A clubs were penalized last season. Steven Souza Jersey . -- Jakob Silfverberg is making himself right at home with the Anaheim Ducks, scoring four goals in his first four games. Corey Dickerson Jersey . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team. http://www.mlbraysstore.com/authentic-chris-archer-rays-jersey/ . The (11-11-4) Jets are seventh in the Central Division with 26 points.  Fifth place Dallas and sixth-seeded Nashville also have 26 points, but the Stars have three games in hand on Winnipeg while Nashville has two. The Big 12 announced Friday that its championship game, which returns next season, will match the top two football teams in the conference standings.The conference considered going to divisions out of its round-robin format but opted against it in the end -- despite a 7-3 vote among football coaches Wednesday in favor of splitting into divisions, sources told ESPNs Brett McMurphy.There are a number of advantages to matching our top two teams, Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said in a statement. Given our round-robin, nine-game scheduling model, it is expected the Big 12 champion will be uniquely positioned for College Football Playoff consideration.I would argue there will be no path more difficult than our champions, where it will have played every team in the conference, faced at least one [Power 5] nonconference opponent, and then plays in our championship game. The guaranteed No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup will be a great game for our fans, and its hard to imagine a stronger position for a conference champion.Bowlsby said the Big 12 would continue to use the same tiebreakers to determine the title game participants, with head-to-head matchups being the lone deciding factor when two teams finish with the same record. In the event three or more teams are tied, the Big 12 would compare conference records, then conference records against the next-highest-pllaced team(s), then scoring differential and then a draw -- in that order. Chris Archer Rays Jersey. In June, the Big 12 voted to bring back its championship game beginning in 2017. Since contracting to 10 members in 2011, the Big 12 had staged a round-robin format and has been the only Power 5 conference without a championship game.After failing to put a team in the first playoff, the Big 12, in order to give the conference a larger presence on the final weekend of the season, voted to re-implement the championship game. The conference also was told by the CFP selection committee that it was at a disadvantage, compared to the other Power 5 conferences because it was the only one that didnt give its champion the opportunity to win a 13th game.Data consultants hired by the league also argued that the Big 12s previous format had diminished its chances of putting a team in the playoff.Bowlsby has said a championship game could net the league at least an additional $27 million in revenue a year.The Big 12 is expected to announce where it will hold its championship game next month, and sources told McMurphy that Arlington, Texas, is the prohibitive favorite to host the 2017 game. Kansas City, Missouri, and San Antonio also are in the running. Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '