Underwear sponsorship costs Danish soccer player $126,000 fine

NICKLAS BENDTNER paid a heavy price for his underpants on Monday. The Denmark forward was banned for one 2014 World Cup qualifying match for revealing an unofficial sponsor's name on his underwear while celebrating a goal at the European Championship in Warsaw, Poland.

UEFA said its disciplinary panel found Bendtner guilty of "improper conduct," and fined him $126,000.

The punishment rules him out of the Danes' opening World Cup qualifier, at home to the Czech Republic on Sept. 8.

"We will appeal the decision and take it from there," Bendtner, 24, told Denmark's TV2 News as the team returned to Copenhagen after exiting Euro 2012 on Sunday.

Bendtner raised his shirt and lowered the top of his shorts slightly, revealing the name of a betting firm across the top of his underpants, after scoring his second goal in a 3-2 loss against Portugal last Wednesday.

The laws of soccer also state players "must not reveal undergarments showing slogans or advertising."

Bendtner was also separately disciplined by the Danish Football Association for flouting team policy. The association has official ties to a rival gambling company.

Denmark was eliminated from Euro 2012 after losing to Germany, 2-1.

Meanwhile, Spain and Italy advanced to the quarterfinals after winning their final group matches. Defending champion Spain sealed the top spot in Group C by beating Croatia, 1-0, with a late goal by substitute Jesus Navas. Croatia's football association faces a UEFA charge on Tuesday over its fans' racist abuse of Italy forward Mario Balotelli last week. Balotelli came off the bench to score Italy's second goal in a 2-0 victory against Ireland, lifting the Azzurri above Croatia in the standings.

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* Ohio State is paying football coach Urban Meyer a minimum of $4 million annually and detailing in the contract what he's required to do if an NCAA rules violation occurs under his watch. The university completed details of Meyer's contract and released it on Monday. Meyer was hired last November to rebuild the program, which got a 1-year bowl ban for NCAA rules violations under former coach Jim Tressel, who was forced out because he didn't tell anyone that he received a tip about some players violating NCAA rules.

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