EU ruling allows review of CAS outcomes

National courts must be allowed to conduct in-depth reviews of arbitral awards by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to ensure they are compliant with EU law, the European Court of Justice (CJEU) said on Aug 1.

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LONDON -

The ruling comes after RFC Seraing were banned from registering new players and also fined by Fifa in 2015 when the Belgian football club signed agreements with a company that transferred part of the economic rights to players.

Fifa ruled their deal with a Maltese company Doyen Sports as a breach because third parties are not allowed to hold economic rights to players, with the sanctions being upheld by the CAS as well as the Swiss Federal Supreme Court.

But Seraing brought the case before Belgian courts to challenge the compatibility of Fifa's rules with EU law.

Although CAS awards are considered final and cannot be relitigated, the Belgian court approached the Court of Justice, which said such a scope is contrary to EU law.