CAS grants Köln suspension in transfer ban dispute
In a ruling released Friday evening, the International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) granted 1. FC Köln a temporary injunction in the case of a transfer ban imposed on the club near the end of March.
Germany's cathedral city side are clear to conduct transfer business whilst an appeal motion from Slovenian club NK Olimpija Ljubljana commences.
The transfer ban imposed on 1. FC Köln at the end of March has been temporarily suspended. In a ruling issued Friday evening, the International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) lifted both the restriction on Köln's transfer business and an exclusion of the player who's move to Köln initiated the trouble, 16-year-old Jaka Cuber Potocnik.
Germany's cathedral city side are clear to conduct transfer business whilst an appeal motion from Slovenian club NK Olimpija Ljubljana commences.
As of Friday evening, plaintiff club NK Olimpija Ljubljana had not yet filed an appeal. In a public statement on the matter, however, Köln sporting executive Christian Keeler made clear that he expected that they would. The club manager expressed relief at the ruling, yet warned that the process was not yet finished.
"We know that the penalty suspension is only a first step towards preventing the transfer ban," Keller noted in a statement released by the club, "We will therefore continue to work hard to avert the FIFA ruling completely."
One essentially irreversible effect of the suspension concerns the fact that 1. FC St. Pauli fullback Leart Paqarada will indeed suit up for die Geißböcke next year. Paqarada committed to the Effzeh next season by signing on a free transfer this past January. Keller also noted in his statement that "financial constraints" would limit the amount of further moves the club could make this offseason.