The Basque pelota team will continue as a full member of the International Federation and participating in its competitions. The Court of Arbitration for Sports ( … TAS by its acronym in French) resolved yesterday that it lacks the power to arbitrate the lawsuit filed by the then acting president of Española, Julián García Angulo – and the Cuban federative entity, although it later withdrew it -, against the decision adopted in Pamplona by the assembly of the entity chaired by Xavier Cazaubon. In a 43-page ruling, the body based in Lausanne (Switzerland) declined “to review and resolve” the appeal presented because it lacks the jurisprudence to do so. In addition, it provides that the appellant federations themselves must cover the legal costs of the arbitration – it does not specify how much – and pay another 2,000 Swiss francs (2,160 euros) to the International and the Basque to cover the expenses they have incurred in relation to the procedure.
At the assembly held on December 28, 2024, Euskadi fulfilled a desire that it had been pursuing for years by becoming part of the International. It was possible after the PNV wrested from the PSOE a modification of article 44 of the Sports Law, which in point 2 contemplates this possibility in the case of sports modalities with historical and social roots in their autonomous community or in the event that the autonomous federation had been part of an international one before the constitution of the corresponding Spanish federation.
Spain and Cuba could not vote in that assembly because they were sanctioned. The islanders did not attend a championship in France when they were registered, while García Angulo was absent due to non-compliance with the ethical code. Although he could have sent another member of the managing committee, he did not do so. After learning of the decision adopted by the assembly to recognize Euskadi as a full member, both federations went directly to the CAS and rejected the options of going to the organizations that the International itself has for these cases and to ordinary Justice.
More than a year later
More than a year after doing so, yesterday it was learned that his appeal has no effect because the CAS lacks jurisprudence. The Spanish Federation currently chaired by Javier Conde now has a period of 30 days to appeal this decision before the Swiss Federal Court, but it seems that it has no intention of doing so. «We will have to study what the award says and comment on it in a board of directors, but, in principle, I would say that that will not be chosen. We have come to work, not to do politics,” Conde stressed.
From his point of view, the sentences “are respected, although at the time the route of challenge was chosen.” The current top leader of Hispaniola did not want to make a “negative assessment of anything.” When we came to the federation, what we tried to do was improve the ball. Wars never lead to anything good. If this serves to improve the panorama and that we do not ‘bitch each other’ we consider it welcome. We handle the sports part, not the politics. We are not the CSD or the PNV, but people who came to work and I would like that if this ends like this, then the construction will be finished,” he added.
The International stressed in a statement that the decision of the CAS “confirms that the statutes of the FIPV do not contemplate an arbitration clause that enables the review of the decisions adopted by its general assembly, which ratifies full validity and legitimacy of the democratic statutory process carried out.” Its president, Xavier Cazaubon, added that “we are emerging from many intense months of attacks and defamations. What started well ended well. The president of Hispaniola can call me whenever he wants because my phone number has not changed. The Basque Federation has called a press conference for today to analyze the CAS ruling.
