CAS Ruling on FC Sion Should be Final Decision on Matter says Platini
October 25, 2011
UEFA president Michel Platini believes the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) decision on FC Sion’s revolving dispute with UEFA on November 4 should be the conclusion to the matter.
Sion were thrown out of the Europa League for fielding ineligible players in their play-off match against Celtic and UEFA has since rejected numerous attempts by the club to regain their place via the Swiss civil court in the Canton of Vaud, insisting that the CAS is the only authority with jurisdiction over the matter.
UEFA chief Platini is adamant that such an approach through the civil courts cannot be allowed to take root in football and that all such matters must be left in the hands of the CAS.
Platini told French broadcaster RTL: “If tomorrow you receive a red card on the pitch and you go to a judge because you cannot play in the next match, and the judge says you are right, what can we do? Everything must depend on the CAS.
“Today, we have in principle an independent disciplinary process in the federations, in UEFA, in FIFA. If nobody respects its decisions and goes before civil courts, now that justice today moves slowly, I ask myself how this could happen.
“What do we do if a club relegated to the second division go to a court because they have a first division budget and want to stay there?”
The CAS hearing date is based on all parties’ availability, and a statement on UEFA’s website read: “UEFA has constantly insisted on the need for a rapid decision on the merits of the case and has therefore already confirmed its availability, in an effort to respect all of the dates proposed by the CAS.”