UEFA hand club unprecedented 10 YEAR ban from European football as player banned for life

UEFA has banned a club from its competition for ten years and handed them a huge fine for charges related to the integrity of matches, competitions and match-fixing.

European football’s governing body has slapped a side that competed in the 2023/24 UEFA Europa Conference League with a decade-long ban and €500,000 fine following an investigation into “alleged violations of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations” during a match between Alashkert FC and FK Arsenal Tivat in July 2023.

Montenegro-based side FK Arsenal Tivat will no longer be permitted to compete in UEFA-governed competitions – including the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League – until at least the 2034/35 season.

UEFA posted a statement on their official website on Wednesday afternoon.

Advert

UEFA has made a decision (Credit:Getty)

The statement read: “Following an investigation and disciplinary proceedings against FK Arsenal Tivat and other individuals in relation to alleged violations of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations (DR) during the 2023/24 UEFA Conference League matches between Alashkert FC and FK Arsenal Tivat in July 2023, the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) has announced the following decisions:

Charges against FK Arsenal Tivat:

- General principles of conduct, Art. 11 D

Advert

- Integrity of matches and competitions and match-fixing, Art. 12 DR

Decision

The CEDB has decided:

- To fine FK Arsenal Tivat €500,000 and to exclude FK Arsenal Tivat from participating in UEFA club competitions for the next ten (10) years (i.e. up to and including the 2034/35 season) for the violation of Art. 11 and 12 D

Advert

- To request FIFA to extend worldwide the above-mentioned ban."

Several FK Arsenal Tivat players have also received hefty bans. Nikola Čelebić has been “banned from exercising any football-related activity for life”. Ćetko Manojlović “is banned from exercising any football-related activity for ten years”.

The UEFA Conference League Trophy (Credit:Getty)

Radule Zivkovic and Dusan Puletic have also received ten-year bans for charges related to the “integrity of matches and competitions and match-fixing".

Advert

The club’s sporting director, Ranko Krgovic, is also “banned from exercising any football-related activity for life”.

FK Radnicki Obrenovac official Milan Vignjevic has been slapped with a ten-year ban while fellow official Goran Janjusevic has received a six-year ban from football-related activities.

Christos Psomiadis has also been handed an eight-year ban.

This ban is the longest received by a club since FK Pobena of North Macedonia received an eight-year ban back in 2009.

Click here to read article