SWITZERLAND –Members of the St. Maarten Football Federation and their lawyers travelled to Lausanne, Switzerland to appeal a FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) ruling that the Island does not qualify for membership.
The St. Maarten appeal was heard at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) April 5. The final decision of the CAS hearing can take up to 9 months.
The SXMFF initial application for membership in FIFA was denied on the basis that St. Maarten is not considered an independent country according to the FIFA Constitution.
FIFA placed St. Maarten’s country status in the same bracket as that of Bonaire, whom also had their FIFA Membership application denied last year.
Yet, St. Maarten is considered as a country within the Netherlands kingdom, which is different to that of Bonaire.
Therefore, the SXMFF decided to appeal the ruling at CAS.
St. Maarten Football Federation President Sudesh Singh, SXMFF Official Peter Suwijn and Political Analyst Julio Romney, departed for Lausanne, Switzerland on Friday.
The St. Maarten Football Federation was represented by Cavaleiro & Associates Attorneys at Law.
