Brazil hoped until the last minute that football star Marta would be able to play tonight's Olympic Games semifinal against Spain – but it will not be so.
Marta was suspended for two matches, since she was sent off in the team's last group stage match after being high up with her leg and hitting Spain's Olga Carmona in the head with her foot. The 38-year-old saw red and left the pitch in tears.
Brazil's Olympic Committee and Football Association appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), hoping that Marta would be able to return for tonight's semifinal – but now CAS announces that the appeal is rejected.
Thus, Brazil will have to do without the star in the semifinal, where they will once again meet Spain.