MADRID - The Court of Arbitration for Sport has rejected Spanish soccer club Elche's appeals and ruled that it must be relegated from the Primera Liga to the second division due to non-payment of taxes and wages to players.
Elche, which finished the season in 13th place, will be replaced by Eibar, which gets a reprieve having finished third from bottom. The CAS upheld the previous decision by the league to relegate Elche due to its debts with Spain's tax office and its own staff.
The Spanish league had in June ruled that Elche should descend given that it was the second consecutive year that the club had failed to pay its taxes. The club, based near Alicante, can still take its case through Spain's regular courts. Earlier Monday, Elche appointed former Valencia and Spain midfielder Ruben Baraja as its new coach.
