LAFC and Club America will meet in a play-off game for the final spot at the Club World Cup after the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld Fifa’s decision to expel Club Leon.
Fifa determined in March that Club Leon and fellow Mexican team Pachuca did not meet tournament regulations on multi-club ownership.
Because both clubs are owned by Grupo Pachuca, Fifa removed Club Leon from the tournament which is being held in the United States from 15 June to 13 July.
The winner of the one-off play-off tie between Major League Soccer (MLS) side LAFC and Mexican team Club America will earn the vacant spot in Group D, alongside Chelsea, Flamengo and Esperance Sportive de Tunis.
Chelsea will face either LAFC or Club America in their opening fixture of the competition in Atlanta on 16 June.
Cas received separate appeals from Pachuca and Club Leon seeking to annul the decision and declare that the clubs comply with the Club World Cup eligibility requirements.
Club Leon also filed an additional appeal against the decision by the Fifa secretary general, seeking to be reinstated in the competition.
However, Cas upheld Fifa’s original decision and said in a statement that a panel found that Club Leon “failed to meet the criteria in the regulations”.
“The panel examined the evidence, including the Club Leon trust set up by the owners of the club, and concluded that this trust was insufficient to comply with the regulations,” said Cas.
“Consequently, Club Leon remains excluded from the competition and Pachuca remains qualified.”
Cas also dismissed an appeal made by Costa Rican side Liga Deportiva Alajuelense (LDA), who said they should be admitted to the Club World Cup as the next eligible team.
LDA had lifted the 2023 Central American Cup, but Cas said it rejected the appeal “with reasons to follow later” and said Fifa was “responsible for designating the final qualified team to participate”.
LAFC were beaten by Club Leon in the 2023 Concacaf Champions League final, while Club America are the highest-ranked team behind Club Leon in confederation ranking that did not qualify for the competition.
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Source: BBC
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