CAS rules Jersey bid to join UEFA will be judged by congress

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The island of Jersey’s application to join UEFA as a member must be put to the full congress of European soccer’s 55 member federations.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport says its judging panel gave a partial win to the Jersey Football Association which appealed against its 2015 application being rejected by UEFA’s executive committee.

CAS says the issue “must be forwarded to the UEFA Congress for decision.” It meets Feb. 26 in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Still, the judges note their belief that “on the basis of the evidence provided” Jersey does not fulfil UEFA’s membership rules.

UEFA allows membership only to countries recognized as independent by most United Nations members.

Jersey is a British dependency near the northwest coast of France, and the JFA is part of England’s Football Association.