The Court of Arbitration for Sports will on Thursday hear FC Sion's dispute with UEFA over the disqualification of the Swiss side's players that led to its exclusion from the Europa League.
The decision by Sion to pursue the case came despite an unfavourable ruling last week when a Swiss cantonal court upheld FIFA's decision to impose a transfer ban on six of Sion's players.
FC Sion were thrown out of the Europa League on September 2 after being found guilty of fielding ineligible players, with Scottish club Celtic handed their place in the group stages despite losing the play-offs 3-1 on aggregate.
Celtic, Udinese, Atletico Madrid and Rennes - all four Group I teams in the Europa League -- have been invited to attend Thursday's hearing as interested parties, said CAS in a statement.
Rennes however told AFP that the four clubs have asked the lawyer of Atletico Madrid to represent them at the hearing.
All three arbitrators at Thursday's hearing are Swiss. Hans Nater will chair the panel which includes Patrick Lafranchi and Jean Gay.
Sion had taken their case to several regional courts and a court in Martigny ruled in their favour, allowing the six banned players to return.
FIFA appealed that decision in the Valais cantonal court, which last week "overturned the decision" of the local courts, according to FIFA. The court instead "upheld the appeal submitted by FIFA and the Swiss Football League".
"The cantonal court has thus indirectly taken the same view as FIFA and the SFL and its ruling has indirectly confirmed the legality of the transfer ban FIFA imposed on" FC Sion, FIFA had said in a statement.
Source: AFP
