Clubs win appeal to withdraw star players

Three prominent European soccer clubs have won the right to withdraw their players, namely Brazil's Rafinha and Diego and Argentina's Lionel Messi, from the Olympic soccer tournament, which kicks off today.

The Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld the clubs' appeals against FIFA, which asked them to release their players for the Games.

"We have found that the clubs have no legal obligation to release the players Rafinha, Diego and Messi for the Olympic soccer tournament," said Matthieu Reeb, secretary general of the sports arbitration body.