Swiss FA chief says Sion have damaged the nation’s image

Switzerland’s image within sport has been damaged by Sion’s use of the civil courts to try to overturn a transfer ban and be reinstated into the Europa League, the head of the country’s FA said last night.

“Unfortunately, it’s a fact that it has damaged our image. I’ve heard lots of people wonder how such things can happen in Switzerland,” Peter Gillieron told the Swiss federation (SFV) website. “With both Fifa and the International Olympic Committee having their headquarters in Switzerland, sport in general, not just football, is in danger if the rules of the federations are undone by appeals to civil courts.”

Sion were thrown out of the Europa League by European football’s governing body Uefa for fielding ineligible players in their play-off tie against Celtic.

The players were signed in the close season despite the club being subject to a transfer ban imposed by football’s world governing body FIFA after Sion were judged to have incited an Egyptian goalkeeper to break his contract to join them in 2008.

Sion’s outspoken president Christian Constantin took the case to a civil court in Vaud, the canton where Uefa’s headquarters are based, and won an order ruling that his team should be reinstated. Uefa has not accepted the ruling and Celtic have taken Sion’s place in the Europa League group stage, playing their first match last midweek – a 2-0 loss to Atletico Madrid.

Sion had also used a civil court to overturn a ban on the players being allowed to play in Switzerland, a ruling which was accepted by the Swiss League. Gillieron said; “It is recognised that it is difficult for us when civil courts make decisions which contradict those made by Uefa, but have to be carried out under Swiss law.

“I believe Uefa’s measures to be correct,” he added. “The continuous appeals to civil courts or a letter addressed to the Federal Council, asking for an intervention in Uefa and Fifa, are damaging for sport and for Fifa.

“I ask if it is acceptable to put in danger Switzerland’s reputation in relation to the world of sport, because Sion have made a non-authorised transfer and its president has rebelled instead of accepting and respecting the sentence against them.”

Meanwhile, Europe’s 53 football countries will have the future and popularity of their national teams at the top of the agenda at a two-day summit in Cyprus which opened yesterday.

Uefa member federations are under pressure from influential clubs to play fewer matches by scrapping some international friendly dates and cutting the size of qualifying groups for the World Cup and European Championships.

Federation presidents and chief executives also will meet Europe’s eight representatives on FIFA’s 24-man executive committee four weeks before Fifa President Sepp Blatter unveils his detailed anti-corruption reforms to clean up world football.

Uefa President Michel Platini wants the summit to help set priorities for his second four-year term in office, which he secured unopposed in March.

“I wanted to have the opportunity to reflect and to discuss with all the 53 member associations on the core issues affecting the future of European football,” Platini said.