Reuters Sports Schedule at 1400 GMT on Thursday, Feb 18
Reuters sports schedule at 1400 GMT on Thursday: SOCCER FIFA FIFA investigatory chamber recommends lifelong ban on CONMEBOL's Bedoya and Jadue ZURICH - Soccer governing body FIFA's chief ethics investigator has recommended life bans for the former heads of the Colombian and Chilean football federation. (SOCCER-FIFA/CORRUPTION moved, 200 words) Europa League last 32 first leg Borussia Dortmund v Porto (1800) Fiorentina v Tottenham Hotspur (1800) St Etienne v Basel (1800) Villarreal v Napoli (1800) Anderlecht v Olympiakos Piraeus (1800) Sevilla v Molde (1800) Midtjylland v Manchester United (1800) Galatasaray v Lazio (2005) Sion v Braga (2005) Sparta Prague v FK Krasnodar (2005) Sporting v Bayer Leverkusen (2005) Valencia v Rapid Vienna (2005) Olympique Marseille v Athletic Bilbao (2005) Shakhtar Donetsk v Schalke 04 (2005) Augsburg v Liverpool (2005) Treble-chasing Sevilla take on Solskjaer's Molde LONDON - Sevilla, bidding to land a hat-trick of Europa League trophies, take on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Molde while Borussia Dortmund meet Porto and Fiorentina face Tottenham Hotspur in two standout ties. (SOCCER-EUROPA/, expect by 2030 GMT/3:30 PM ET, by Toby Davis, 600 words) Depleted Man City face Chelsea in FA Cup showdown LONDON - The lure of reaching the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time will weigh heavily on Manuel Pellegrini's mind as Manchester City and Chelsea prepare for a heavyweight FA Cup fifth-round clash on Sunday. (SOCCER-ENGLAND/CUP (PREVIEW), moved, by Pritha Sarkar, 528 words) Barca's big leads adds pressure on Atletico and Real Madrid MADRID - Barcelona's six-point advantage at the top of the table has put added pressure on Atletico and Real Madrid, who can only hope the leaders drop points in the run-in. (SOCCER-SPAIN/ (PREVIEW), expect by 1500 GMT/10 AM ET, 400 words) GOLF PGA Tour: Northern Trust Open, Pacific Palisades, California (to 21) Spieth, McIlroy and Watson head elite field at Riviera PACIFIC PALISADES, California - World number one Jordan Spieth, who tied for fourth last year, third-ranked Rory McIlroy and Bubba Watson, the 2014 Northern Trust Open champion, head a strong field at Riviera Country Club where five players ranked in the top 10 will be teeing off in the opening round. (GOLF-PGA/ (PIX), expect by 2300 GMT/6 PM ET, by Mark Lamport-Stokes, 400 words) Allure of Brazil and Olympic gold drives Villegas PACIFIC PALISADES, California - Unusually for a globe-trotting Colombian golfer, Camilo Villegas has never been to Brazil, giving him an even greater incentive to be there in August and represent his country at the Olympic Games. (GOLF-PGA/VILLEGAS (INTERVIEW, PIX), expect by 2300 GMT/6 PM ET, by Mark Lamport-Stokes, 550 words) CRICKET New Zealand v Australia, 2nd test, Christchurch McCullum legacy much more than pyrotechnics CHRISTCHURCH - Brendon McCullum's singular contribution to New Zealand cricket extends far beyond the pyrotechnics with the bat which attracted a new generation to the game and helped make the 2015 World Cup such a spectacular success. (CRICKET-NEWZEALAND/MCCULLUM (NEWSMAKER), moved, by John Mehaffey, 700 words) See also: CRICKET-NEWZEALAND/MCCULLUM (FACTBOX) NBA Cavs look to pad East lead LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers try to pad their lead atop the Eastern Conference when they return from the week-long All-Star Break and host the Chicago Bulls. (NBA-CAVALIERS/, expect by 0400 GMT/11 PM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 400 words) Red-hot Spurs put win streak on the line The San Antonio Spurs try to close in on the Western Conference-leading Golden State Warriors when the second-place Western Conference team puts a six-game win streak on the line versus the host Los Angeles Clippers. (NBA-CLIPPERS/, expect by 0630 GMT/1:30 PM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 400 words) NHL Blues, Ducks try to extend wins streaks The St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks each put the league's longest-active win streak on the line when they seek a fourth consecutive victory versus the Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks, receptively, in two of the 11 games on the National Hockey League schedule. (NHL-HIGHLIGHTS/, expect by 0345 GMT/10:45 PM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 800 words) NORTH AMERICAN SPORTS Roundups of off-field developments in the major North American professional sports leagues. (expect by 0101 GMT/8:01 PM ET, 500 words) (Europe desk editor: Pritha Sarkar)
