CAS Sets Date for León’s Appeal Hearing Over Club World Cup Expulsion
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has scheduled April 23 as the date for the final hearing on Club León’s appeal against their exclusion from the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. As reported by FutbolSapiens, the decisive meeting will take place in Madrid and include representatives from both León and Costa Rica’s Alajuelense, who are seeking to replace the Mexican side in the tournament.
León was ruled out of the competition due to a breach of FIFA’s ownership rules, which prohibit two clubs with the same owner from participating. León and Pachuca are both owned by Grupo Pachuca, a clear violation under the new regulations.
However, León’s legal team argues that the rule was not in place when they qualified for the tournament by winning the 2023 Concacaf Champions League. Their position is that the rule should not apply retroactively, stating, “A regulation cannot be retroactive and negatively impact one of its parties.”
The decision by CAS could have major implications not only for León but also for the broader issue of multi-ownership in football.
Facundo Trotta Arrieta
Dailysports's expert
