SHARE
COPY LINK

FOOTBALL

FC Sion take UEFA row to European Commission

Swiss club FC Sion said on Monday they have filed a suit against UEFA at the European Commission over the disqualification of their players that led to the club's exclusion from the Europa League.

FC Sion take UEFA row to European Commission
Celtic Photos

FC Sion were thrown out of the tournament on September 2nd after being found guilty of fielding ineligible players, with Scottish club Celtic handed their place in the group stages despite losing the play-offs 3-1 on aggregate.

The Swiss side had taken the case to several regional courts which found in their favour.

UEFA has so far not complied with the Swiss court ruling but said it would comply with a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which is due to deliberate on November 24th.

FC Sion’s complaint, which was filed jointly with some of their players, claims that UEFA violated rules, including the “right of access to an independent and impartial judge” as well as the free movement of workers under the EU-Swiss treaty.

“Two Swiss jurisdictions have ruled in our favour but UEFA continues to openly violate these two decisions and insist that the CAS has the last say,” said Christian Constantin, president of the club.

“As a result, as others before us, we have been constrained to bring this case before the EU justice,” he added.

The club has hired Jean-Louis Dupont as its litigator.

Dupont had argued the case for Belgian player Jean-Marc Bosman against his club FC Liege, which had refused the player’s transfer to French club Dunkirk.

In 1995, the European Community’s court found in Bosman’s favour as it ruled that UEFA’s rules contradicted an EU treaty on the free movement of people.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

SHOW COMMENTS