Court Of Arbitration For Sport Loses Final Say On Football Disputes

The Brussels' Court of Appeal ruled CAS will no longer make final decisions on football issues.GETTY IMAGES

In a ruling that "could shake the football world," Brussels' Court of Appeal decided that the Court of Arbitration for Sport "will no longer have the upper hand on decisions concerning football issues," according to José Félix Díaz of MARCA. The decision comes as a result of a complaint filed by Swiss club Searing against FIFA after the governing body prohibited third-party ownership. From now on, neither FIFA, nor UEFA nor any national federation will be able to sanction a team based on a ruling by the CAS, "which has been singularly taking decisions on legal matters." A change in the power of CAS "will also affect certain doping cases which despite having been declared as invalid by various courts," continue to be sanctioned by the independent institution (MARCA, 9/5).