Head of Swiss FA hits back over FIFA threat to suspend Switzerland from international football

By Andrew Warshaw

December 18 – The head of the Swiss Football Association (SFV) has implied that FIFA bullied his federation into an impossible position by threatening a suspension from all international football over the Sion affair.

The SFV have been given until January 13 by FIFA to enforce a transfer ban on Sion and impose 3-0 defeats for every domestic match in which the club fielded any of six ineligible players.

Sion lost their place in the Europa League to Celtic after signing the six despite being subject to a transfer embargo over the earlier purchase of Egyptian goalkeeper Essam El Hadary.

UEFA expelled Sion from the competition, a decision upheld last week by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), despite the club winning a number of civil court rulings in between.

FIFA waded in yesterday when its Executive Committee, after a meeting in Tokyo, ordered the SFV to sanction Sion or face an international suspension which would also result in FC Basel, who have qualified to meet Bayern Munich in the last 16 of the Champions League, being kicked out..

But SFV President Peter Gilliéron (pictured) said his Federation’s arguments had been ignored totally and accused FIFA of asking them to break their own statutes.

“It was a total surprise,” Gilliéron told the SFV’s website.

“We knew that the Sion case would be discussed at FIFA’s meeting in Tokyo…I cannot understand the decision, our arguments were not sufficiently taken into consideration.”

Disciplinary hearings have been opened against Sion but Gilliéron said the tribunal was independent.

“We have no influence over the disciplinary commission,” he said, adding that “it’s independent, and we place great value on this division of power.

“I’m sure we will find a solution, although the deadline is tight.”

UEFA said in a statement that it had not decided what to do if Basel, who qualified at the expense of Manchester United, could not play.

“UEFA is confident that the SFV will comply with the FIFA request before the deadline of January 13 and before the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg February 22,” it said.

“Should this not be the case UEFA will review the situation nearer the time.”

However, when Ukraine was faced with a similar threat last year, UEFA said at the time that teams from the country would forfeit their Champions League ties.

Contact the writer of this story at zib.l1734789102labto1734789102ofdlr1734789102owedi1734789102sni@w1734789102ahsra1734789102w.wer1734789102dna1734789102