OLYMPICS /
Other Teams
Sports court to rule on Olympic soccer players releases
Agencies
Updated: 2008-07-31 15:41
BERNE - The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is set to have the final say on whether soccer clubs are obliged to release players for next month's Beijing Olympics.
Sport's highest judicial body said on Wednesday it had received new claims from German Bundesliga sides Werder Bremen and Schalke 04 against a ruling issued by soccer's governing body FIFA earlier in the day.
FIFA's Players' Status Committee member Slim Aloulou ruled as a single judge that the release of players aged 23 or under was mandatory for all clubs.
The two German clubs are arguing that they should not have to release players as the Olympics are not included on FIFA's international match calendar.
"FC Schalke 04 and Werder Bremen have both filed a new claim with the CAS today against the decision rendered by the single judge of the Players' Status Committee of FIFA," the CAS statement said.
"These two new cases are currently pending before the CAS."
With the Olympic football tournament clashing with the start of the European soccer season, Schalke are fighting to hold onto defender Rafinha while Werder are keen to retain playmaker Diego.
Both have been called up to Brazil's Olympic squad.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta said on Wednesday that the Spanish side also planned to go to CAS in an effort to stop influential forward Lionel Messi joining up with Argentina's Olympic team.