The Swiss Football League’s Disciplinary Committee has announced that the appeal lodged by our club following the incidents that occurred during the match between FC Lugano and FC Lausanne-Sport on 17 September has been rejected.
On 22 September, FC Lugano officially confirmed its appeal, which had been lodged following the match in question. The Ticino-based club alleged “incorrect use of the VAR system contrary to protocol” and requested that the match be replayed.
The SFL Disciplinary Committee has rejected the appeal and, consequently, the requests made by the club, giving the following reasons for its decision: “After committing a foul, Lausanne player Karim Sow received a second yellow card from the referee, resulting in his sending-off. Given the situation, the referee consulted the VAR footage to check whether the foul in question warranted a straight red card. There is no reason to doubt the referee’s account of the incident. Having identified a potential offside situation, the VAR also showed the referee the footage relating to that incident, and the referee did indeed note that the Lugano striker was in an offside position. The referee therefore decided to rescind the second yellow card — and thus the red card — and allowed play to resume.”
In summary, the SFL statement reads: “All matters relating to the assessment of the foul, its interpretation, its consequences, as well as any obvious refereeing error, concern facts that are definitively decided by the refereeing body, without this Commission having any power of review.”
The Swiss Football League states that this decision is to be regarded as final by its governing bodies.