UEFA bans Turkish clubs from European competition for match-fixing

European football governing body UEFA has banned two Turkish football clubs from next year’s Europa League following allegations of match-fixing in the clubs’ domestic league.

The UEFA Appeals Body announced its decision following disciplinary proceedings against Turkey’s Eskişehirspor and Sivasspor, who will both not be eligible to participate in the 2014/15 UEFA Europa League.

Both clubs were found to have deliberately lost games against eventual champion Fenerbahçe during the 2010/11 season of the Turkish league.

The Appeals Body’s decision was based on Articles 2(07)g, 2(08) and 2(09) of the Regulations of the UEFA Europa League, 2014/15 competition, regarding the admission criteria for participation in UEFA competitions.

According to the regulations, to be eligible to participate in a competition a club must "not have been directly and/or indirectly involved, since the entry into force of Article 50(3) of the UEFA Statutes, in any activity aimed at arranging or influencing the outcome of a match at national or international level and must confirm this to the UEFA administration in writing.”

Both clubs have the opportunity to appeal against the decisions to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) within ten days.

Last year Fenerbahçe was banned from European competition for three seasons, while another Turkish club Beşiktaş was banned from last year’s Europa League.