This is a first in modern Tunisian football. The Chebbien sports crescent (CSC), relegated, the season spent in Ligue 2, managed to find Ligue 1 following a decision of the Arbitral Tribunal of Sport (TAS). Following this decision, the Tunisian Football Federation (FTF) decided to maintain the start of the championship, which in the meantime was “blocked” by the intervention of the Ministry of Sports. It is gabelia that reigns!
New twists and turns in the CSC affair. At a time when the FTF has started to have wanted to play the 1st day of the Ligue 1 championship, today, the Ministry of Youth and Sports has invited the FTF to take the necessary measures for the revision of the system and calendar of the Ligue 1 championship.
In a press release, the MJS said it “warned the FTF for the need to wait for the heap to settle in the CS Chebba case to avoid any complications that could compromise the principles of transparency and equity between clubs”.
The 1st day postponed
The rest we know it! The FTF immediately announces the postponement of the inaugural day of the Ligue 1 championship and explains that this decision comes following the instructions provided by the security authorities with regard to the impossibility of ensuring the meetings of this 1st day.
The national football body also indicated that it had summoned an emergency meeting for club presidents of Ligue 1 tomorrow Saturday at noon at its headquarters.
Emergency meeting
But in a second press release, the FTF indicates that in accordance with article 31 of sport legislation, the federal office is the sole authorized to specify the format and the general calendar of the Cup competitions and all the championships.
The FTF explains that it has “complied with the CAS decisions stipulating the reintegration of the CS Chebba in Ligue 1, pointing out that the leaders of the said club expressed their dissatisfaction with the group in which the Chebbian training was paid and used the Ministry of Youth and Sport which summoned the Federation to revise its calendar”.
Chronology of facts
The Chebbien sports crescent (CSC), relegated, the season spent in Ligue 2, managed to find Ligue 1 following a decision of the Arbitral Tribunal of Sport (TAS).
The announcement had the effect of a bomb yesterday and shaken the powerful president of the Tunisian Football Federation (FTF), Wadii Jary. The TAS has, in fact, decided to reintegrate the CSC in Ligue 1 for the 2022-2023 season.
The heap orders the reintegration of the CSC in Ligue 1
The CAS has admitted the request for urgent provisional measures filed by the CSC as part of its appeal against the FTF and the African club against the decision rendered by the National Commission of Appeal of the FTF on June 8, 2022.
The contested decision confirmed the previous decision taken by the National Professional Football League on May 23, 2022 in which the CS Chebbien’s request aimed at disciplinary sanctions against the African club following the irruption of its president on the field during the match between the CSC in the CA on March 9, 2022, while, according to the CSC, the president was suspended.
The CSC estimated that the turnover should have lost the match by package and pay a fine. The imposition of such a sanction would have changed the final classification of Ligue 1 of the Tunisian championship for the 2021-2022 season and allowed the CSC to avoid relegation in Ligue 2.
The arbitral training in charge of the TAS procedure made an order on the request of provisional measures in which it orders the reintegration of the CSC in Ligue 1 for the 2022/2023 season to the right known to its call to the CAS.
The arbitration procedure in front of the CAS continues and a hearing will be set in the coming weeks so that the TAS training can then rule definitively about this case.
Mkacher will claim 18 MD of compensation
Following this decision, the FTF decided to comply with the Verdict rendered by the TAS while maintaining the 1st day of Ligue 1 on the scheduled date, that is to say today, Friday September 30, 2022. The federal office even met to discuss the possibility of adding the CSC to one of the two hens of the championship.
However, the president of the CSC, Taoufik Mkacher, called, during an intervention on the waves of Mosaic FM, to redo the draw for the league championship 1 2022-2023. “The heap has given us right, we must now apply the verdict (…) The FTF must comply with this decision and we refuse that the CSC will be placed directly in one of the championship groups,” he said.
Taoufik Mkacher added that his club also complained against the FTF to claim 18 million dinars as compensation.
The FTF reacts
The FTF reacted to all this, in a press release, expressing its astonishment as to the TAS’s decision and the announcement of the verdict at 24 hours away from the championship, stressing, however, that it will comply with the TAS’s decision.
She announced, in passing the maintenance of the start date of the championship (September 30, 2022) and the calendar; The integration of the CSC into group A of the championship, which will thus play its first match on October 12 against the exempt team of the 1st day.
The FTF also decided to play two support matches, the first between CS Hammam-Lif and ES Zarzis, the second between the winner of the first match and ES Metlaoui. The second match winner will have to join group B of the championship.
Following these new decisions, the first phase of the championship will thus be made up of two groups of eight clubs each instead of seven, the play-out is canceled and the relegation becomes direct and will concern the teams classified 7th and 8th of each group.
The first four will compete in the play-off, while the clubs that occupy the 5th, 6th places will play a mini-championship of four teams to determine the final classification of the championship.
The CSC requires a new calendar
Following this press release, the CSC expressed its categorical refusal of these decisions, announcing in passing that it was going to file a complaint against the FTF with the supervisory ministry and the job.
He decided to seize the Ministry of Youth and Sports to claim a new draw for the championship calendar. The CS Chebba will also send a correspondence to the TAS and FIFA to claim sanctions against the FTF.
In addition, he intends to also request the exceptional extension of the summer transfer window beyond September 30 since the CSC could not carry out recruitments of foreign players because of its relegation in Ligue 2.
