莱昂俱乐部 & 普马斯卡亚俱乐部

Decision of theFIFA Appeal Committeepassed on 21 March 2025 DECISION BY: Mr Neil EGGLESTON (USA), Chairperson ON THE CASE OF: Club LeónCF Pachuca (Decision FDD-21931) REGARDING: Art. 10 FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ Regulations –Multi-Club Ownership I.FACTS 1.The following summary of the facts does not purport to include every single contentionput forth by the actors at these proceedings. However, the Chairperson of the FIFA AppealCommittee (the Chairperson) has thoroughly considered any and all evidence andarguments submitted, even if no specific or detailed reference has been made to thosearguments in the following outline and in the ensuing discussion on the merits. A.Introduction 2.This case concerns the ownership of CF Pachuca (PachucaorRespondent1) and ClubLeón (LeónorRespondent 2) in the framework of FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ (FCWC).Pachuca and León are affiliated to the Mexican Football Association (FMF). They play inthe Mexican top-tier league (Liga MX) as well take part in competitions organized by theConfederationofNorth,CentralAmericanandCaribbeanAssociationFootball(CONCACAF). In this vein, León and Pachuca respectively won the CONCACAF ChampionsCup in 2023 and 2024. 3.TheRespondent1andtheRespondent2arehereinafterreferredtojointlyasRespondents. B.Facts of the case 4.On 27 June 2024, Grupo Pachuca Futbol & Negocios (Group Pachuca) sent a letter to FIFA,specifically to the attention of the FIFA President, to clarify certain relevant aspects aboutthe football clubs owned by Group Pachuca in Mexico, namely, Pachuca and León. Theletter is signed by the President of Group Pachuca, [Mr A] and lists five aspects ofrelevance: -The operational independence of both clubs, whereby each club has its ownstructure, including a president, and an autonomous decision-making;-The separation of all finance-related affairs of the clubs, including budgets andfinancial models;-The amplitude of Group Pachuca as a business, since it has also invested in otherbusiness sectors, such as, restaurants, real estate, hotels, etc.;-The commitment of Group Pachuca towards the Liga MX’s development, but also tocomply with FIFA’s and the league’s regulations;-Group Pachuca’s policy to re-invest the profits obtained in infrastructure, humandevelopment as well as business growth. 5.Group Pachuca provided FIFA with its organizational chart, a comprehensive table of allactivities within each business unit and the organizational chart of Pachuca and León. 6.On 3 October 2024, the FIFA Council approved the Regulations for the FIFA Club WorldCup 2025™ (theRegulations). Article 10 of the Regulations, as adopted by the FIFACouncil, sets out specific provisions regarding multi-club ownership. 7.On 17 October 2024, FIFA sent a request for information to both clubs in view of theapproval of the Regulations. 8.Accordingly, FIFA informed both clubs of a preliminary analysis it had to conduct since theparticipation in the FCWC entailed the clubs’ compliance with the Regulations, in particularwith Article 10, and despite meeting the sporting requirements under Article 11. 9.In view of the above, FIFA requested the Respondents to provide all relevant informationand documentation to allow for the review of possible links between Group Pachuca andthe clubs, including shareholder structure, voting rights, and management rights of thegroup over the two clubs. On 23 October 2024, both Respondents provided FIFA with their respective responses. 11.Pachuca provided FIFA with a copy of its registration dated 24 July 1995, where theshareholding structure is specified, and witha publicdeed dated 5 January 2023containing alterations to the original registration of the club, including to the shareholdingstructure. Also, within the letter’s content, Pachuca affirms that Group Pachuca is not alegal entity, but a brand, and that all associated companies operate independently, withtheir own resources and board of directors. The group cannot appoint or dismissmembers of the Pachuca’s administration neither influence the decision-making processof the club. 12.Similarly, León provided FIFA with a copy of its registration dated 2 December 2010, wherethe shareholding structure is specified, and a with a public deed dated 5 January 2023containing alterations to the original registration of the club, including to the shareholdingstructure. It also provided the exact same explanation regarding the business type ofGroup Pachuca and its powers over León. 13.On 30 October 2024, FIFA informed the Liga MX about the preliminary analysis it was goingto conduct on Group Pachuca and the two Respondents, and requested for the followinginformation: -Supporting documentation of both clubs pertaining to their registration in the leaguethe names of the registered owner and representatives; -Copy of the minutes of the shareholders meeting dated 22 May 2023;-Explanation about any exceptions and internal controls established by the leagueregarding voting rights and t