SFT Rules On Limited Scope Of Review For Procedural Violations

In this recent football-related procedure the Appellant—represented by legal counsel—had sent its statement of appeal to the CAS by e-mail but failed to send it by courier within the granted time limit, invoking force majeure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The appeal was declared inadmissible by the CAS Division President. In the subsequent motion to set aside the CAS award, the SFT rejected the force majeure argument, considering that the Appellant was able to reply to a CAS submission by post one day after its receipt, and that there was also the possibility to file the submissions by electronic filing. The SFT dismissed the appeal recalling the very limited scope of review in case of non-compliance with the form requirements and applicable time limits. See also the judgment 4A_416/2020.

Note: This was originally published on SportsLegis, a specialised sports law practice run by Dr Despina Mavromati. The original can be found here.

An English translation of the judgment can be viewed below.