Osasuna has been disqualified from participating in the Conference League, Europe’s third-tier competition, for the upcoming season.
The LaLiga club announced on Tuesday that UEFA, the governing body of continental football, made this decision due to a match-fixing scandal that occurred ten years ago.
Despite finishing seventh in LaLiga last season, Osasuna will not be able to compete in the Conference League playoff round.
However, during the 2013/14 season, the club became involved in a scandal related to match-fixing. In early 2020, a trial took place and several former directors of the club were found guilty, which was seen as a positive outcome by the current administration.
According to UEFA regulations, any team that has been implicated in match-fixing since April 2007 can be excluded from the next European competition they qualify for. Since the 2006/07 season, Osasuna has not qualified for a UEFA competition. As a result, Osasuna intends to challenge the UEFA ruling by appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Due to the UEFA decision, Athletic Bilbao, who finished in eighth place in LaLiga, are now expected to participate in the playoff round. The first leg of the playoff is scheduled for August 24th.
“Osasuna does not share at all the criteria of UEFA or the investigation of the case carried out and regrets the wrong message that UEFA sends to the world of football (by) punishing those who denounce corruption and prosecute it in court,” the club said in a statement.
“The members of the UEFA Appeals Committee have not taken into account the allegations presented by the club last Friday and have reaffirmed the initial opinion of the inspectors of the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Committee.”
Osasuna stated that they will continue to investigate all lawful avenues in order to participate in European competitions in the upcoming season. The qualifying rounds for the 2023/24 Conference League commence next week.
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