Mallorca appeal dismissed
Friday, July 30, 2010
Article summary
UEFA's Appeals Body has dismissed the appeal lodged by RCD Mallorca and upheld the Control and Disciplinary Body decision not to admit the Spanish club to the 2010/11 UEFA competitions.
Article body
The UEFA Appeals Body has today dismissed the appeal lodged by Spanish club RCD Mallorca and upheld the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body's decision not to admit the Spanish club to the UEFA club competitions for the 2010/11 season.
On 22 July 2010 the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body ruled that the necessary admission criteria (Article 2.07 of the Regulations of the UEFA Europa League) had not been fulfilled, as the licence granted to the club was not done so in accordance with the UEFA Club Licensing Regulations, edition 2008.
Among the expert reviews on which the decision of the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body was based, the conclusion of the Club Financial Control (CFC) Panel was of particular importance. The CFC Panel, chaired by the former prime minister of Belgium, Mr Jean-Luc Dehaene, is the independent body which, among other things, has the task of assessing whether licences have been correctly awarded and that clubs have fulfilled their obligations as defined in the UEFA Club Licensing Regulations.
At its meeting on 14 July 2010, the CFC Panel unanimously concluded that the licence had not been correctly awarded to RCD Mallorca and that the club did not sufficiently fulfil its financial obligations.
The current work of the CFC Panel goes hand in hand with the future role it will have in implementing the recently approved financial fair play measures. Such measures are aimed at bringing about a situation which curbs the excessive spending and inflated transfer fees and player salaries that have endangered football in recent years. The protection of European football's long-term health and viability, as well as the integrity and smooth running of the competitions, requires greater discipline and more rational financial behaviour from clubs, and it will be necessary for clubs to operate more responsibly by not spending more than they earn, while settling their liabilities punctually.
The club may now dispute the decision of the Appeals Body exclusively before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
