Why Manchester City cannot take Premier League charges to CAS

WHAT HAPPENED
Manchester City do not have the option of appealing their Premier League charges to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). An agreement among Premier League clubs means disputes involving the league and its clubs must be dealt with in England and Wales under English law, so CAS — based in Lausanne, Switzerland — is not permitted to intervene.

WHAT IS CAS
CAS is the independent legal body that settles sporting disputes requiring a legal resolution. It uses panels of accredited arbitrators — legal experts appointed by both sides of a dispute — to review governance, contractual or disciplinary cases. More than 900 cases are filed to CAS each year across more than 50 sports. CAS’s headquarters are in Switzerland, but it can also operate on-site teams at major events to handle urgent disputes.

WHY THE PREMIER LEAGUE HANDS DISPUTES DOMESTICALLY
The Premier League’s handbook specifies domestic arbitration as the final point of contest for league matters. The league maintains its own arbitration panel that can hear appeals on a limited set of issues, referenced in sections W97 and X.2.4 of the handbook. A similar arrangement exists for clubs in the English Football League, meaning Championship, League One and League Two disputes are also settled within England and Wales.

NOTABLE CAS CASES (CONTEXT)
- Manchester City previously had a two-year ban from European competitions overturned by CAS in July 2020.
- CAS has been involved in high-profile international matters, including Senegal’s announced appeal over the Confederation of African Football’s decision to overturn the result of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final.
- At multisport events CAS operates on-site: at the 2026 Winter Olympics an emergency ad-hoc CAS meeting dismissed Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych’s appeal; CAS also heard longer-running matters such as the Russian skaters’ appeal from the 2022 Winter Olympics, which was dismissed in July 2024. CAS is examining evidence in US gymnast Jordan Chiles’s potential score appeal from the 2024 Paris Olympics.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
An independent arbitration panel appointed under the Premier League process is reviewing Manchester City’s case, with a hearing set for October.

KEY FACTS
- CAS is based in Lausanne, Switzerland and handles disputes from over 50 sports.
- More than 900 cases are filed to CAS annually.
- Premier League disputes are governed by English law and the league’s own arbitration rules (see sections W97 and X.2.4).