Salman Butt's appeal rejected by Court of Arbitration for Sport

GENEVA: The Court of Arbitration for Sport has rejected the appeal of former Pakistani cricketer Salman Butt against the 10 year ban which was handed down to him by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2011 for his part in the spot-fixing scandal.

According to a press release by Butt’s lawyers, the former Pakistani captain said he is “bitterly disappointed” with the decision of the Court of Arbitration of Sport but vowed to continue to fight to clear his name.

His London-based lawyers Farani Javid Taylor Solicitors had argued Butt’s case before a panel of Judges sitting at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.

However, his lawyers on Wednesday said they will continue to explore other avenues to appeal Mr Butt’s case to help him resume his professional cricket career immediately.

Amer Rahman, legal advisor from Farani Javid Taylor Solicitors, who represented Salman Butt in his appeal hearing, said: " Both Salman and us are bitterly disappointed with the decision of the Court. Salman has been in a very dark place over the last few years and he was hoping that he would be successful in this appeal. We will not be giving up. In the coming days and weeks, we will be exploring every other available avenue."

Daniel Rajah (Solicitor) who is also a part of the legal team said, “Anyone that has met Salman will know of his passion for cricket. It's in his heart and soul. All Salman has ever wanted is to play the sport he loves. It is therefore extremely disappointing that the decision has gone against him. Over the coming weeks and months we will do our best to support Salman and we will be doing everything we can for him.

The now-defunct British newspaper the News of the World exposed the players in a sting operation involving their agent Mazhar Majeed who struck a deal for 150,000 pounds ($230,000) with an undercover reporter.

Butt, now 28, was banned for 10 years with the possibility of five suspended and all three were jailed in England in November 2011. Aamer, banned for five years, pleaded guilty in court and decided not to appeal against the ICC ban, while a decision on Asif's appeal was still awaited.

The appeals of Butt and Asif were heard by a three-member CAS panel led by lawyer Graham Mew and accompanied by Romano Subiotto and Robert Reid.

The now-defunct British newspaper the News of the World exposed the players in a sting operation involving their agent Mazhar Majeed who struck a deal for 150,000 pounds ($230,000) with an undercover reporter.

Butt, now 28, was banned for 10 years with the possibility of five suspended and all three were jailed in England in November 2011.