Greek soccer clubs in legal fight at CAS

Greek champion Olympiakos sought to have PAOK Thessaloniki relegated from the league on Monday at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Both clubs filed appeals to CAS in a case which could decide which other Greek team reaches the qualifying rounds of next season’s Champions League.

Olympiakos wants defending champion PAOK to be relegated for breaching ownership rules. PAOK is trying to overturn a seven-point deduction which dropped it to third place in a championship playoff group, two points behind AEK Athens with four rounds of games remaining.

The Greek league runner-up enters the second qualifying round of the Champions League in August. Olympiakos will start in the third preliminary round in September, needing to beat two opponents to join the lucrative group stage.

The court said Monday it was unclear when the urgent verdict will be given.

PAOK was judged to have broken ownership rules by having a stake in league rival Xanthi, and has formally challenged the Greek soccer federation’s appeal verdict in March.

Olympiakos filed the original complaint and now wants PAOK and Xanthi relegated according to rules that were in place until January, when national lawmakers intervened.

Xanthi was deducted 12 points and now faces relegation. [AP]