FIFA wins case against banned Sion players

Posted Friday, November 18, 2011 by YAHOO Sport

BERNE, Nov 17 (Reuters) - FIFA has won an appeal against a civil court ruling which had allowed Sion to field six players who were signed when the Swiss club was subject to a transfer ban, soccer’s governing body said on Friday.

The six joined Sion in the close season when the club were still serving a ban imposed after they were judged to have poached a player from an Egyptian club in 2008.

However, the players won the right to play in August after taking their coach to a court in Martigny. As a result, the Swiss Football League (SFL) decided it could not enforce the FIFA ban domestically.

“The Valais cantonal court in Sion overturned the decision of the Civil Court of Martigny and St. Maurice of Aug. 3 in its entirety and fully upheld the appeal submitted by FIFA and the Swiss Football League,” said FIFA in a statement.

Sion were kicked out of the Europa League for fielding the six players in a qualifying match against Celtic.

The club then won an injunction at a civil court in the canton of Vaud, which ordered UEFA to reinstate them in the Europa League. European soccer’s governing body has not yet complied with the decision.