Panathinaikos officials announced their intentions to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after European football’s governing body UEFA declined to grant them a license to play in 2013/14 European competition, reports Reuters.
UEFA’s continued silence regarding PAS Giannina’s application had given Panathinaikos hope that they might jump ahead in line and play in the Europa League as the next best-placed team if PAS were not approved.
In a statement, the club said that “UEFA accepted the recommendations of the Hellenic Football Federation” in making its decision to reject the license application. The team, however, believes that “[their] records and application was complete and sufficient,” and so they will take their case to CAS for appeal.
UEFA’s decision does not affect Panathinaikos domestic license, which allows them to compete and make transfers in the Super League.
PAS remains among those waiting to be selected in UEFA’s second qualifying round after qualifying for Greece’s final Europa League spot with their fourth-place finish in the playoffs.
UEFA stated that they still do not expect to make announcement regarding PAS Giannina this week. If PAS is not selected for the cut, Skoda Xanthi would take their place as the next best-placed team, barring the outcome of Panathinaikos’ appeal.