TORONTO - The Canadian Soccer Association opposes a request for an expedited hearing on whether using artificial turf in the 2015 Womens World Cup discriminates against women.A group of elite female players filed a complaint last week with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, asking for an expedited hearing. The CSA, which doubles as national organizing committee of the tournament, and FIFA were given until Thursday to respond to the request to expedite the hearing.The Canadian Soccer Association is prepared to vigorously defend its position and believes the complaint is entirely without merit, the CSA said in its response, released Friday. It should not however have to do so in an expedited process.The CSA argues that FIFA-approved artificial turf is sanctioned for tournament play, noting the world governing body of soccer does not distinguish between male and female players in the application of those standards.The CSA says it will show there is no proven increased risk to players from the use of turf over grass, as supported by independent studies. And it suggests that artificial turf is needed in Canada as a result of its climate and culture.The lawyer for the female players expressed disappointment at the CSA submission while noting that FIFA a€” amazingly and in defiance of the courts directive a€” did not respond at all.Sadly, the Canadian Soccer Association continues to spend time and money on lawyers and procedural delay tactics in a frantic effort to avoid a final court ruling, lawyer Hampton Dellinger said in a statement. Instead, CSA and FIFA should be co-operating with the 2015 World Cups most important asset a€” the worlds best players a€” and paying to provide natural grass fields rather than the plastic pitches that even the most casual fan knows have no place at soccers premier tournament.Dellinger accused the CSA of relegating the worlds best female players to game-changing, dangerous and demeaning conditions.Heres the heart of the matter: what CSA calls the best available fields are so bad that CSA decided that the Canadian mens national team a€” one of international footballs weakest sides a€” would not have to play a mere World Cup qualifying match on them. And these best available fields are so bad that they would not have had a chance at hosting any prior mens World Cup or any future one for years to come.The CSA, however, argues that the turf complaint is frivolous.The use of high-quality turf is integral to soccer in Canada, and the suggestion that having matches played on first-class football turf rather than grass would be discrimination based on gender trivializes that important human right, the CSA said in a brief filed by constitutional lawyer Joseph Arvay.The CSA also contends that the lawsuit is aimed at FIFA and not Canada.The applicants cannot seriously contend that the CSAs decision to bid on the competition, proposing to use Canadas best available facilities, constitutes discrimination. The applicants real concern is not with any conduct by the CSA, but with the decision of FIFA to permit the competition to be held in a country where turf is a common playing surface in our premier stadiums.That is a decision which is not subject to review by this tribunal and one which the applicants are out of time to challenge in any event. They appear to have brought the complaint largely as means of publicizing their dissatisfaction with FIFAs decision made in Zurich in 2011, to allow the CSA to host the competition.The players asked for a Nov. 26 hearing, which the CSA said was unworkable.A recently concluded FIFA inspection tour delivered a positive review of tournament preparations in Vancouver, British Columbia; Edmonton, Alberta; Winnipeg, Manitoba; Ottawa, Ontario; Montreal; and Moncton, New Brunswick.Canada is well on track, said Tatjana Haenni, FIFA deputy director of the competitions division and head of womens competitions. 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That meeting will take place on Monday, and they will decide then.Santana, 139-78 in 12 major league seasons, has made just 21 big league appearances in the last four seasons due to a pair of shoulder operations and the foot injurry.dddddddddddd The left-hander, who turns 36 in March, hopes to sign with a big league organization. He won the Cy Young Awards for Minnesota in 2004 and 2006.He has not pitched in the major leagues since 2012 with the New York Mets. Santana signed a $137.5 million, six-year contract with New York before the 2008 season and had surgery Sept. 14, 2010, to repair tears in the front and bottom of his left shoulders anterior capsule.He returned to the major leagues on April 5, 2012, and pitched the first no-hitter in Mets history that June 1 against St. Louis, throwing a career-high 134 pitches. 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