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Champions League Watch - June 2008

Another club dodges a CL bullet

June 29th 2008 15:26
steaua bucharest logo
Steaua Bucharest, the Romanian club whose owner was found guilty of bribery during their last domestic season, have followed in FC Porto's footsteps and been told they will be allowed to compete in the Champions League next season anyway.


Steaua's penalty arose from a Romanian league investigation that found that the club's owner, George Becali, attempted to bribe his way to a victory in the club's final match, which would have gifted them the league trophy. Becali was banned from the stadium for two years and the club was docked seven points. The points didn't affect Steaua's domestic rank, however, which qualified them for the Champions League Third Qualifying Round


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Porto drama gets new twist (Updated 28/6)

June 28th 2008 15:29
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The controversy that always seems ready to be resolved but never quite dies has taken one more gasp of air - Benfica have appealed Porto's inclusion in the 2008/09 Champions League to the Court for Arbitration of Sport. The international sporting body received the appeal from Benfica, who stand to participate in the Champions League if Porto are excluded, just a short time before announcing it. Thus, no details were released other than the fact that the decision has been appealed. Expect more information shortly about exactly what the CAS can and might do and how it will affect the Champions League competition for next year.


Update 28/6:
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Platini comes out against debt in the Champions League

June 27th 2008 22:46
uefa logo
UEFA President Michel Platini has declared his disapproval of clubs who are in debt, comparing clubs going into debt to afford the best players to "cheating" and announcing that he would work to exclude debtors from European competition.

Platini sees the issue of debt among the top clubs as being one of the priorities of his administration at the head of UEFA and hopes to have the problem resolved in "four or five years". Two clubs with substantial debts that would be affected by such a ban are, of course, this year's Champions League finalists Manchester United and Chelsea. Platini mentioned both clubs by name, although he also insisted that he was speaking about all clubs and not just the English juggernauts


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McClaren to coach FC Twente

June 21st 2008 14:28
fc twente logo
FC Twente, the Dutch club that beat Ajax in a playoff to grab a Champions League spot last season, have got themselves a new manager: former England and Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren. McClaren signed a two-year contract with the club from Enschede that will see him lead them into their first (and, with luck, second) ever season of competition in the UEFA Champions League.

McClaren will have his work cut out for him in Europe's top flight and in FC Twente's other competitions, as the club has not won a major domestic cup or league trophy since 2001 and their Intertoto Cup win in 2006 was the only international achievement in the club's history. However, with this historic foray into the 2008/09 Champions League tournament, Twente fans will be hoping that their club, and its new skipper, will be able to recreate the form of the 1970s, a period when FC Twente were genuine contenders in the Netherlands and abroad. They'll get their first crack at a return to glory under McClaren in their Champions League Third Qualifying Round match on 12 August.
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Porto to feature in 2008/09 Champions League (Updated 18/6)

June 18th 2008 17:37
UEFA announced today that FC Porto are assured of a place in next season's Champions League. The investigation into the bribery activity that cost them 6 points in last season's SuperLiga standings will continue. However, any sanctions that result from that investigation will apply to a later season of European club competitions.

The announcement puts an end to speculation over Porto's participation in Europe's top league next season. The Portuguese club were originally banned from the Champions League due to the domestic bribery penalty, but that decision was overturned on appeal. The UEFA Control and Disciplinary Board will rehear Porto's case, but it does not have the time to do so before the final list of Champions League participants must be confirmed. Thus, whatever decision the board ultimately comes to will affect the next season of Champions League or UEFA Cup play that Porto qualifies for


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FC Porto receive Champions League life-line

June 15th 2008 03:41
UEFA's appeals board rejected the decision to ban Portuguese club FC Porto from next season's Champions League on Friday, sending the matter back to the disciplinary committee for a rehearing. The decision means that Porto will get another chance to state their case for inclusion in the 2008/09 competition next week.

While this is undoubtedly positive news for FC Porto, who captured Portugal's SuperLiga championship last season, it would appear from the limited details released by UEFA that the appeals ruling was based largely on protocol, not the merits of Porto's case. The decision may have hinged on little more than a technicality, namely the fact that representatives of Vitoria and Benfica, clubs that stand to benefit from Porto's exclusion from UEFA competition, were not properly involved in UEFA's deliberations. What new evidence the groups from Vitoria and Benfica will bring to the table, and whether or not this will be enough to sway the members of the control and disciplinary board when Porto's situation is reconsidered, is unknown


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Another Champions League scandal, now in Romania

June 5th 2008 15:59
Steaua Bucharest, who finished second in Romania's Liga I this season, have been given a seven point deduction for bribery due to actions on the part of owner Gigi Becali.

Romanian officials announced the penalty in the wake of an investigation focused on the final match of the season. Steaua Bucharest were locked in a tight race this season with CFR Cluj, and Becali is accused of offering US$2.6 million to their opponents in their last match in return for victory and the Romanian championship. In the end, Steaua finished second to CFR Cluj, earning Romania's second spot in the Champions League


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A surprising '08/'09 Champions League picture comes into focus (Updated 5/6)

June 5th 2008 15:35
With the 2007/2008 Champions League final just under three weeks away, teams from all over the continent are rapidly claiming spots in next season's competition. England, Germany and Italy are sending familiar names, including this year's Champions League's one and two, but other leagues will be represented by some surprise clubs.

From Spain, Villareal and Atletico Madrid will compete in the Champions League alongside giants Real Madrid and Barcelona. Though they have an illustrious history in Europe, Atletico haven't participated in the big UEFA league since 1996/1997. By finishing fourth, they've assured themselves only the chance to compete in the qualifying rounds. Villareal, on the other hand, have secured second place and an automatic berth in the group stages for just the second time ever. They'll be hoping to repeat the success of their first voyage through Champions League play when they reached the semi-finals in the 2005/2006 season


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Levski Sofia prepares for possible CL sub duty (Updated 5/6)

June 5th 2008 15:15
Bulgarian club Levski Sofia may have to take the place of last season's first-place side CSKA Sofia if CSKA are banned as expected from the upcoming Champions League. Despite dominating the Bulgarian league this season, CSKA find themselves in debt and quite possibly afoul of league requirements due to their finances. The Bulgarian Football Union is looking into revoking CSKA's domestic license and removing their name from the list of the BFU's submissions to UEFA competition in 2008/09.

Levski Sofia are the club that stand to benefit from this turn of events, having finished second in the league to their rivals. Levski made history in 2006 by being the first club from their nation to reach the Champions League group stages. 2008/09 was the first year they were to miss Europe's top competition since that time. However, despite this unexpected turn of events potentially lifting them to another consecutive year of Champions League play, the response from the management has been lukewarm. According to Nova TV, Levski Sofia owner Todor Batkov stated


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Porto banned from Champions League (Updated 5/6)

June 5th 2008 15:01
After a meeting of the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Board, it was announced on Wednesday that Portugal's FC Porto will not be allowed to participate in next season's Champions League. The decision stems from a six point deduction Porto received in the Portuguese SuperLiga this season due to bribery activities dating back to the 2003/04 season. Despite the deduction, Porto easily captured the Portuguese championship, qualifying them for Champions League play. With this decision, however, Porto look likely to miss out on the competition for the first time since 2002/03.

Match fixing is expressly prohibited in the regulations for UEFA competition, even if the infraction occurs in a club's domestic league and not in UEFA competition. The most recent match fixing incident that previously affected the Champions League was AC Milan's famous near ban from the 2006/07 competition. AC Milan were eventually allowed back into that competition on appeal, although only after having their domestic penalty reduced


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A question for the readers . . .

June 2nd 2008 02:57
With the most recent Champions League season behind us, some time yet before the whole FC Porto scenario gets any clearer and a long while before the draw for CL 08/09, I'm working hard to gather interesting tidbits on the Champions League for all those who read this blog. Coming up are a review of the ways in which UEFA has tweaked the Champions League rules for the upcoming season and a general overview of what the Champions League is and how teams are chosen for it, for those who aren't as familiar with this terrific football competition. Of course, I'll keep you all updated on FC Porto's Champions League drama and any moves that will affect the play next season, such as major player transfers and managerial changes. If it matters in the Champions League, you'll read about it here.

My issue, then, is this: one thing that seems to keep football journalists excited all year round (and more than a few of them in a job) is transfer gossip. Most recently, Cristiano Ronaldo's flirtatious relationship with Real Madrid has made football rags just giddy. From my perspective, it's all fairly silly and, frankly, immature. A player is rumored to be going somewhere, then their club denies it, then their agent chimes in, then the other club responds, then they bicker and accuse and everyone gets very upset; in the end, it's really anyone's guess as to what's really going on and what will end up happening. I'm all for reporting on what actually happens, but sometimes I feel like if I have to jump every time Sir Alex Ferguson gets all steamed up because some other club winked at one of his players, I could just do without following football news altogether


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