Real to take bid to register players to top sports court

Real Madrid will take their bid to have their new signings Lassana Diarra and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar eligible for Champions League action to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the Spanish club’s new president Vicente Boluda has said.

Boluda told radio Cadena Ser late on Monday that the club would appeal UEFA’s rejection of their request to use the players to the Switzerland-based court “because any member is going to demand that we do everything possible for Madrid until the end.”

Under UEFA rules, clubs can register up to three new players for the knockout stages by February 1 but only one who has already played this season in Europe with his previous club.

French midfielder Diarra has already played for Portsmouth while Dutch striker Huntelaar has already played for Ajax this season in the UEFA Cup so only one of them would be eligible to play against Liverpool in the first knockout stage of the Champions Leagaue on February 25 and March 10.

Earlier this month UEFA rejected Real’s original request to use the two players as well as an appeal of that decision.

Boluda took over as Real president following the resignation on Friday of Ramon Calderon over allegations that he rigged voting at the club’s last annual general assembly, which approved its financial accounts.