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SAO PAULO, Brazil -- FIFA said Wednesday it is not considering changing kickoff times or adding mandatory cooling breaks during World Cup matches, despite being sued by Brazils players union because of health concerns. FIFA said it spent nearly two years analyzing starting times for the tournament in Brazil and always took into consideration the players health. The players federation filed a lawsuit this week to change kickoff times of the 24 matches scheduled to start at 1 p.m. local time (1600 GMT), saying players would be at risk because of intense heat and humidity in some venues. It said FIFA, at least, must introduce two-minute water breaks in each half during those matches. The players federation is asking for a temporary injunction against FIFA but theres no timetable on a ruling. "FIFAs medical team is always monitoring carefully all venues during any FIFA competition to protect the players health," footballs governing body said in a statement. "Cooling breaks will be considered on a match-by-match basis for the 64 matches. Official and mandatory cooling breaks will not be pre-established. Rather, climate conditions will be evaluated prior to each match by the FIFA venue medical officer." There were similar health concerns during the 1994 World Cup in the United states, when temperatures reached the mid-30s (Celsius) in some of the games. Extreme heat is also a problem for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, with FIFA considering moving the tournament to winter to avoid the hot weather in the Gulf nation. FIFA said it already made the schedule changes it felt were needed in the Brazilian cities with the highest temperatures. It will be winter in Brazil during the World Cup, but it may be hot and humid in many of the 12 host cities, especially in the northeastern and northern regions. "One core aspect in defining the kickoff times was the very thorough analysis of the historical climate data in all venues," FIFA said. "Therefore, the venues with the highest average temperatures such as Manaus, Cuiaba and Fortaleza do not have any matches with 1 p.m. kickoff times during group stage." Seven matches had their kickoff times altered by FIFA last year. The players federation, known as Fenapaf, wants the changes based on local labour regulations and a study conducted by renowned Brazilian sports doctor Turibio Leite. The study was requested by Fenapaf and FIFPro, the international players union. "We have been trying to discuss this with FIFA for nearly two years and they wont even sit down to talk to us," federation president Rinaldo Martorelli told The Associated Press in a phone interview. "The only alternative was to seek legal action. We really hope that they make the changes in kickoff times, but if that doesnt happen, they need to at least make the cooling breaks mandatory." FIFPro did meet with FIFA last year to discuss the issue, although no direct action was taken at the time. FIFA said that defining the World Cup match schedule is a "complex process" that involves "detailed assessments" from experts in several areas, with players health the "highest priority." It said other considerations include travel logistics and the global television market. FIFPro last year accused FIFA of considering "the demands of TV companies of greater importance than the health and safety of the players." FIFA officially approved referees to implement cooling breaks in 2013, though water breaks were made during the final of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, when Argentina beat Nigeria in grueling conditions at the Birds Nest. Adidas NMD Sale Dames . Louis Blues brought in the premier unrestricted free agent centre, and did it without breaking the bank. Adidas Superstar Goedkoop . PAUL, Minn. http://www.nmdtekoop.com/ultra-boost-sneakers/ultra-boost-19.html .C. -- Al Jefferson said he feels like hes playing the best basketball of his 10-year NBA career. Adidas Falcon Nederland .A. Happ? Happs seven wins are second on the staff to Mark Buehrles 10. Win-loss record is an antiquated stat, sure, but win total is generally an indication of a pitchers ability to work deep into games, enough to be personally affected by the result. Adidas Futurecraft 4d Kopen . City has reached new heights under manager Manuel Pellegrini as they transition from big spending/immediate impact to perennial contender. Yaya Toures seeming discontent Tuesday may complicate that, as does the little issue of Financial Fair Play.LAS VEGAS -- Indiana Pacers All-Star Paul George has undergone successful surgery on his broken right leg and is expected to remain in the hospital for about three days. The 6-foot-9 George had an operation at Sunrise Hospital to repair the open tibia-fibula fracture, USA Basketball said in a statement early Saturday morning. Dr. David Silverberg, Dr. Joseph Yu and USA Basketball team physician Riley Williams, were present for the surgery, the release said. George suffered the gruesome right leg injury late in the U.S. national teams intrasquad scrimmage Friday night. He leaped to contest a fast-break layup by James Harden with 9:33 left in the fourth quarter and his leg smashed against the bottom of the backboard stanchion and crumpled. Trainers immediately ran onto the floor and after roughly 10 minutes of stoppage, George was taken out of the arena on a stretcher. With players looking visibly upset, coach Mike Krzyzewski then announced to the crowd that the scrimmage would not be finished out of respect to George and his family. According to sources of ESPN, doctors believe George will miss the entire 2014-15 NBA season following the surgery. No official timetable has been given. On Saturday morning, Larry Bird, the Pacers president of basketball operations, issued an updated statement saying its too early to start talking about Georges expected return. "We are hopeful at some point next week Paul will return to Indianapolis to continue his recovery," Bird said. "There is no question about the impact on our team but our goal is to be as strong-willed and determined as Paul will be in coming back. Our franchise has had setbacks in its history but has demonstrated the abilities to recover. Paul will provide the example of that off the court and it is up to the rest of us to provide that example on the court. Any discussion regarding the future of our team would be inappropriate at this time. Our focus is solely on Paul and doing whatever we can to help." Bird also said the Pacers are committed to helping the national team give basketball a global reach. "This is a first for us in USA Basketball, to have something like this take place," USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo said. "Its a tough situation for our entire organization, the coaches, the players. Very, very emotional. Theres no way the game could have gone on under the circumstances." Doctors estimate a full recovery could take as much as 18 months. Dr. Patrick Kersey, who treated Louisville guard Kevin Ware when he sustained a similar injury during the NCAA tournament regional finals in 2013, said George will likely need 6 to 12 weeks to recover from surgery and another 6 to 10 weeks to get back to a normal walking gait. Kersey is not treating George. A complete recovery, Kersey said, normally takes 12 to 18 months, though the fact he is an elite athlete in top shape could speed up that timeframe. The hardest part for the Pacers might be keeping George off the court once he thinks hes ready.dddddddddddd. "Its a challenge because (athletes) want to push the envelope always," Kersey said. "The question that is already being asked this morning is how quickly can he get back. He needs to heal. First, he has to get back to a normal life, then his body needs to work in an efficient way and once those pieces are in place, he can start training." George was considered a lock to make the final 12-man roster for the World Cup of Basketball that starts later this month in Spain. "Thanks everybody for the love and support," he wrote on Twitter. "Ill be ok and be back better than ever!!! Love yall!!" The Americans planned to reduce the 20-player pool to 14 or 15 players Saturday, but put off those plans after Georges injury. "Everythings on hold right and it should be," Krzyzewski said. "It would be so inappropriate for us to talk about anything else when theres a serious injury like this." The defending champion U.S. team had already been weakened by player losses. Forwards Kevin Love, Blake Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge and NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard had all pulled out in recent weeks. Krzyzewski and Colangelo refused to discuss the roster after the game, saying they didnt even know when they would make roster reductions. "As an organization, were just going to let a little bit of time go by here before we address anything like rosters, all that stuff," Colangelo said. "It seems so unimportant in the big scheme of things when you have something like this take place. It puts things in perspective." George would have been a candidate to start for the Americans alongside Kevin Durant. The two, along with Harden, spent the week playing in 1-on-1 competitions after practice, pushing one another while building chemistry leading up to Friday nights game. George led the Pacers to the best record in the Eastern Conference before they were eliminated by Miami in the Eastern Conference finals. The Americans have to be down to 12 players before they open the tournament on Aug. 30. They are scheduled to take the next week off before reconvening in Chicago for their next practice on Aug. 14. Some NBA executives have long been concerned about injuries to players during summer competitions. Pau Gasol, then playing for the Memphis Grizzlies, broke his foot while leading Spain to the 2006 world title, and Manu Ginobili injured his ankle while playing for Argentina in the 2008 Olympics. He is sitting out the World Cup while recovering from a stress fracture in his right leg. "Anything can happen anywhere, a lot of things happen," said Krzyzewski, who was coaching Duke against Louisville when the Cardinals Kevin Ware broke his leg during the 2013 NCAA tournament. "Tonight it happened during a basketball game. We need to take care of that," Krzyzewski said. "It doesnt mean itll happen again and again and again; it means that it happened right now." ' ' '