The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed the appeal filed by the Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF) against the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and the Swiss Football Association (SFA) on the Nations League's Switzerland match forfeiture.
"The Court of Arbitration for Sport has dismissed the appeal filed by the Ukrainian Association of Football and confirmed that the match Switzerland-Ukraine is declared forfeited 3-0," the CAS said in a media release on March 19, 2021.
Thus, the CAS confirmed the decision taken by the UEFA Appeals Body on November 25, 2020 (the Challenged Decision).
It is noted the CAS Panel, composed of Mr. Manfred Nan (the Netherlands), President, Mr. Jeffrey G. Benz (UK/USA) and Prof. Ulrich Haas (Germany), found that the rules set out in the UEFA Circular letters were correctly interpreted and applied by the UEFA Appeals Panel when it concluded that, in the absence of viable rescheduling options being available, the UAF was to be held responsible for the Match not taking place, and as a result, that the Match was to be considered forfeited by the UAF.
Read alsoCAS sets date for Ukraine's appeal on Nations League's Switzerland match forfeitureThe CAS Panel emphasized that, rather than being at fault, the UAF was an unfortunate victim of the COVID-19 pandemic and decided not to order it to pay any costs in favor of UEFA and/or SFA.
Cancellation of Switzerland-Ukraine match
- Prior to the match, Eduard Sobol (defender), Yevhen Makarenko (midfielder), and Dmytro Riznyk (goalkeeper) tested positive for COVID-19. On the morning of November 17, three more football players and a coach received their positive results of coronavirus tests.
- The chief medical officer of Lucerne decided to put the Ukrainian national team in quarantine. UEFA tried to negotiate the possibility of holding the match with the Swiss side, but failed.
- As a result, the Switzerland-Ukraine match was officially canceled.
- On November 18, the UAF announced that they did not see the fault of the Ukrainian national team for the cancellation of the match.
- The Ukrainian national team said the team in Switzerland was treated "like lepers."
- On November 25, UEFA announced the Switzerland-Ukraine match forfeiture.
- The Switzerland-Ukraine match was decisive for the teams in the fight to maintain their positions in League A, as Ukraine had 6 points, and Switzerland had 3. Now the Swiss became third, and the Ukrainian national team left the elite division.
- On December 9, the UAF filed an application to the CAS to appeal the decision on the League of Nations match against Switzerland.
- On December 16, the CAS registered the relevant appeal.
