By Andrew Warshaw
September 18 – As the Champions League group stage got into full flow this week, one of Europe’s most prominent football administrators says something has to be done to stop the tournament being thrown into chaos by last-minute disruptive appeal decisions.
With financial fair play penalties starting to kick in from the end of this season, UEFA face the prospect of even more clubs appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against being sanctioned – just as Fenerbahce, Besiktas and Metalist Kharkiv did recently, albeit in their cases over match-fixing.
All three ultimately failed to succeed but the draws for both the Champions League and Europa League had to be amended at the 11th hour.
“We cannot risk to have our competitions under threat because of decisions over legal cases that go back several years,” AC Milan’s Umberto Gandini, vice-chairman of the European Club Association, told Insideworldfootball. “We can’t have draws without knowing whether the teams that are in the draws are in the pots legitimately.”
UEFA president Michel Platini admitted last month that it had been “a very difficult summer” for his legal department and that UEFA were already seeking ways to combat unwanted appeals, an item that could be up for discussion at this week’s executive committee meeting in Dubrovnik.
One idea being floated is that punishments are deferred for a year in order to stop messing up competitions that are already under way.
Gandini has some sympathy with this idea. “UEFA has to look at itself to try and find a solution. We can’t wait for CAS to come up with a ruling on the morning of the draw.”
One club that has been adversely affected by the situation is Austria’s Salzburg which lost to Fenerbahce in the third qualifying round of the Champions League while the Turkish side was still appealing against a two-year ban from European competitions for match-fixing.
Salzburg lodged a protest, which was thrown out, only for Fenerbahce to subsequently lose their appeal.
Fenerbahce were subsequently beaten by Arsenal anyway but Salzburg, in one way, remain the fall guys. “They have a legitimate case” said Gandini. “It’s been a complicated summer. Either we should get earlier decisions or maybe apply the decisions the following season.”
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