Besiktas' misery continues as CAS uphold Europa League ban

By Andrew Warshaw

July 6 – The Court of Arbritation for Sport (CAS) has dismissed an appeal by 13-time Turkish champions Besiktas against their exclusion from next season’s Europa League.

Besiktas (pictured) went to CAS hoping for a favourable ruling following UEFA’s May 30 decision to suspend them for a year for breaching club licensing regulations following scrutiny of their accounts for the second and third quarters of 2011.

But in a statement on Friday (June 29), CAS confirmed the club owed millions of euros in transfer fees, salaries, social security contributions and taxes at the end of March 2011.

Besiktas finished fourth in the Turkish league last season, but will replaced in Europe next season by lesser known Eskisehirspor.

However, a further one-year European ban imposed by UEFA was suspended for a probationary period of five years.

UEFA also originally fined the club €200,000 (£159,000 /$246,000), but that was reduced on appeal with half of it suspended for five years.

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