By Our Reporter
The Champions League is the stage for club, a dream for many players. Yet, despite its prestige, four clubs have faced bans from competing in this elite tournament, suffering setbacks that impacted their European ambitions.
the Champions League showcases football giants like Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Manchester United, not all clubs have enjoyed uninterrupted participation. Some have been barred from competing due to serious breaches of the rules, ranging from match-fixing to financial misconduct.
One notable case is Turkish club Besiktas, who faced a one-year ban after being implicated in domestic match-fixing. Their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport was unsuccessful, and they were replaced in the Champions League by Norway’s Tromso—ironically, the very team Besiktas had previously defeated to reach the knockout stage.
Another Turkish side, Fenerbahce, also suffered a two-year UEFA suspension in 2013 following involvement in the same match-fixing scandal. Despite launching an appeal that temporarily allowed them to stay in European competitions, it ultimately failed to overturn their ban.
Italian giants Juventus faced a different issue. Their ban was not linked to the notorious Calciopoli scandal from 2006, but rather to violations of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations. This led to the club being barred from all UEFA competitions during the 2023/24 season, marking a significant blow to the Old Lady’s European campaign.
The least well-known among these four is North Macedonian club FK Pobeda. Back in 2009, UEFA imposed an eight-year ban on the team after uncovering match manipulation linked to irregular betting patterns. This punishment was related to a Champions League qualifier against Armenian side FC Pyunik from 2004. Although their ban was lifted in 2017, both the club president Aleksandar Zabrcanec and player Nikolce Zdraveski received lifetime bans from all football-related activities.
These bans serve as stern reminders of UEFA’s commitment to maintaining integrity and fairness in European competitions, underscoring the consequences clubs face when breaking the rules.