NYON: A Swiss civil court has said it needs more time before delivering a definitive judgment on the row between FC Sion and UEFA over the club’s expulsion last august from the Europa League.

Judge Patricia Cornaz spent three hours listening to further arguments from both sides over an issue sparked after Sion signed six new players in defiance of a transfer ban imposed by world federation FIFA. The court indicated that a decision would have to wait until the end of next week.

UEFA considered the issue dead and buried after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled in its favour and then the Swiss federation found the courage, under orders from FIFA, to penalise Sion with 36 league points for fielding ineligible players in league and cup games.

Sion, represented by lawyers Alexandre Zen-Ruffinen and Philippe-Edouard Journot, have asked Judge Cornaz to rule on the impartiality or partiality of CAS.

Club president Christian Constantin said: “We are fighting to right an injustice. We must escape this pseudo-justice represented by CAS and replace it with an independent form of justice (the civil corts). We can’t live with the CAS version of justice any longer.”

Meanwhile, hundreds of Sion fans staged a protest rally against FIFA, UEFA and Switzerland’s football association, displaying posters comparing FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who comes from nearby Visp, with a Mafia godfather. Coach Laurent Roussey and players Goran Obradovic and Geoffroy Serey Die joined the rally.