UEFA sanctions and decisions often lead to appeals that in recent years have occupied the Court of Arbitration for Sport until the group stage draw at the end of August. | Credit photo:
Reuters
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UEFA sanctions and decisions often lead to appeals that in recent years have occupied the Court of Arbitration for Sport until the group stage draw at the end of August. | Credit photo:
Reuters
The European club football season came to an end this weekend with Manchester City beating Inter Milan in the Champions League final. As a result, the entry list is now known for next season's UEFA competitions.
Not too fast.
As Monday night in Switzerland passes the registration deadline set by UEFA for the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League, lawyers will have a lot of work to do. Juventus, Barcelona and AC Milan are among the clubs awaiting legal investigations and rulings that could decide which teams - if any - will be dropped from the European game.
UEFA decisions and sanctions often lead to appeals which in recent years have occupied the Court of Arbitration for Sport until the group stage draw at the end of August.
Juventus appear to be in danger of being banned by UEFA for at least a season.
Barcelona is being investigated for possible match-fixing involving suspicious years-long payments to a Spanish referee official.
American-owned AC Milan is shared with Toulouse, and strict reading of UEFA's rules on game integrity and conflicts of interest could cost the Coupe de France champions a place in the Europa League. Milan's position in the top standings of the Champions League will not be affected.
Juventus have been punished in Italy during their season of severe legal turmoil.
A bogus accounting case saw the legendary club pick up 10 points in the Serie A standings. The move cost Juventus a Champions League spot to seventh place - only enough for the Conference League third place. Instead, Milan has the Champions League. A separate case based on the same evidence was opened in December by the UEFA-appointed Club Financial Supervisory Board in what appeared to be a clear breach of the 'fair play' rules. main'.
The American head of UEFA investigators, Sunil Gulati, declined to comment on the Istanbul incident on Saturday.
The one-year ban for Juventus is not the worst outcome, as they only risk losing a Conference League spot worth tens of millions of euros less than the price of the Champions League.
A serious problem will be UEFA's longer-lasting ban on modified leagues starting in 2024. Clubs will then have more matches and UEFA is expected to 30% increase in broadcast agreements and sponsor rights. Barcelona also face a ban that could last several years if allegations of match-fixing emerge in the so-called 'Caso Negreira' case.
Any club suspected of having fixed a match since UEFA's rules came into force in 2007 are usually disqualified from the next European competition. Disciplinary records are also opened, additional sanctions may apply. Turkish club Fenerbahçe missed three seasons due to tampering allegations in 2011.
Milan and Toulouse, owned by RedBird Capital Partners, are not the only ones facing questions from UEFA about the owners of several clubs having "decisive influence" over the two clubs. set. Brighton and Union Saint-Gilloise have a close relationship through owner Tony Bloom and are both in the Europa League. Aston Villa's owners, including Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Wes Edens, have a nearly 50% stake in Portugal's Vitória Guimarães. Both are in the Europa Conference League.
However, these clubs can cite a famous decision in 2017 when Leipzig and Salzburg convinced UEFA - amid widespread skepticism - that energy drink giants Red Bull were not in control of the two club.
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