CAS puts Rachid Ghezzal eligibility case back in the spotlight

Olympique Lyonnais thought the Rachid Ghezzal issue had been closed, but the case returned dramatically after FC Utrecht took the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

The Dutch club argued that Ghezzal’s participation in their 1-0 Europa League defeat in Lyon clearly broke the rules, since the Algerian winger, who provided the assist for Tanner Tessmann’s goal, had been signed on 5 September, after the transfer window had already shut.

UEFA initially registered Ghezzal and only later admitted it had made an administrative mistake, then “clarified” its regulations and removed him from European squad lists for subsequent games. A first inquiry brought no sanctions for Lyon, but Utrecht refused to drop the matter, insisting that UEFA’s error distorted the competition and needed a proper disciplinary response.

According to several reports, CAS reproached UEFA for not launching formal proceedings despite acknowledging its own fault and ordered it to open a full investigation. Utrecht is demanding a serious and swift process in the name of sporting integrity, while questions now hang over possible punishments, including whether OL could still be sanctioned or even see the match result revisited.