While the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) has handed down a partial ruling in the IFAF leadership battle which has split the International Federation of American Football into two entrenched factions, both sides have responded.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), or Tribunal arbitral du sport (TAS), is an international quasi-judicial body established to settle disputes related to sport through arbitration. Generally speaking, CAS is most known for arbitrating disputes in sport with connections to Olympic Games and anti-doping. It is important to note that CAS was originally formed by theInternational Olympic Committee.
In the first reaction following the ruling which was issued on September 22, “IFAF New York” president, Richard MacLean, sent a letter to member federations around the world, requesting among other things, that they submit documentation for “reinstatement” into IFAF.
[pdfviewer width=”600px” height=”849px” beta=”true/false”]https://www.americanfootballinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/IFAF-Final-Letter-for-Federations-2.pdf[/pdfviewer]
“IFAF Paris” Secretary General Zorica Hoffman responded with a statement issued on the IFAF.info website. In her statement, Hoffman points out that CAS has not ruled on the validity of the elections of Roope Noronen in 2015 and Richard MacLean in 2016. The statement goes on the explain that the best solution for all involved is to await the final decision by CAS.
[pdfviewer width=”600px” height=”849px” beta=”true/false”]https://www.americanfootballinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/IFAF-letter-Members-1.pdf[/pdfviewer]
While the global American football community waits for a final decision from CAS, which apparently could take anywhere from weeks to months, regarding the validity of elections and legislation on the part of both factions over the past 26 months, international competitions languish.