Sion´s Europa appeal thrown out

Sion’s bid to regain their Europa League spot appears over after a Swiss court threw out their legal proceedings against Celtic and UEFA.

The Swiss outfit saw their playoff victory over the Scottish Premier League side become defunct, after Celtic’s complaint that their opponents had fielded players signed during their transfer ban in both legs had been accepted, with UEFA’s Control and Disciplinary Body ordering Sion to forfeit the two fixtures.

Meanwhile, Celtic have been given the Sion’s place in Group I of the Europa League, as they prepare to meet Atletico Madrid on September 15, despite the Swiss club’s insistence they will travel to the Spanish capital for the fixture.

Christian Constantin’s men had attempted to fight for a jurisdiction at Valais district court to see if a potential case to be reinstated into the competition, at the expense of Neil Lennon’s side, could be heard.

But the court deemed their application ‘inadmissible’ on Thursday, as they do not have the right of jurisdiction over UEFA.

A statement from the Valais court read: “As part of the dispute between FC Sion and Olympic Alpine AG against UEFA and Celtic Football Club, the civil court judge District Court II of the canton of Valais, by decision September 7, 2011, declared inadmissible the applications and provisional measures formed on September 6, 2011, by SA Olympic Alpine.”

“According to applicable law, the dispute does not have sufficiently close links with the canton of Valais to have a basis of jurisdiction with the local Valais judicial authorities.”

“The measures sought by the applicant were exclusively against UEFA, which has its headquarters in Nyon.”

It remains to be seen whether Sion will now proceed to file a case in Vaud, the location of UEFA’s headquarters, but the club have been handed a deadline of late Thursday to appeal the decision made by European football’s governing body.