Kevin LustigPorto in Champions League limbo
May 29th 2008 17:33
A punishment for match-fixing has left FC Porto, winners of this year's Portugese SuperLiga, sweating their place in the 2008/09 Champions League. The penalty, a six-point deduction in the domestic table, was related to attempts to bribe match officials during the 2003/04 season. It didn't hurt Porto at home; they were 20 points into first place when the deduction was given. However, it may prevent them from taking Portugal's first Champions League spot in next year's competition.
UEFA bylaws explicitly prohibit teams from taking place in its competitions that ". . . have been involved in any activity aimed at arranging or influencing the outcome of a match at national or international level". Doubts abound about UEFA's enforcement of this rule. One issue in this case is the fact that the bribing activity, which Porto accepted punishment for without appeal, occurred several seasons ago.
Furthermore, the most recent precedent for a UEFA match-fixing ban, AC Milan's barring before the 2006/07 Champions League, ended with UEFA overturning their ban on appeal. This occurred, however, only after AC Milan's penalty was reduced at home and UEFA decided they did not have legal standing to refuse the club a place in the Champions League. UEFA were very vocal about their reluctance in that case, and may be harsher to Porto because of the outcome two years ago.
UEFA has commented that they will review Portugal's submission of clubs for entry in the Champions League with an eye on the FC Porto issue. However, they say that no comment can be made and no action taken regarding the bribery scandal until Portugal has submitted their list of names with Porto on it. For their part, the LPFP, Portugal's governing body for football, have said that they have prepared the list, and FC Porto is definitely on it.
All of this leaves Porto looking ahead to the beginning of June, when UEFA will convene to review the various submissions for entry into the Champions League, to find out if they will be banned. In the event that they are, they will be likely to appeal, a process that could take months; AC Milan weren't cleared to compete by UEFA until August. In the meantime, both Porto and Benfica, the fourth-placed Portuguese team who will gain a Champions League spot if Porto are banned, will have to wait a little while longer before they can relax and start their summer vacations.
UEFA bylaws explicitly prohibit teams from taking place in its competitions that ". . . have been involved in any activity aimed at arranging or influencing the outcome of a match at national or international level". Doubts abound about UEFA's enforcement of this rule. One issue in this case is the fact that the bribing activity, which Porto accepted punishment for without appeal, occurred several seasons ago.
Furthermore, the most recent precedent for a UEFA match-fixing ban, AC Milan's barring before the 2006/07 Champions League, ended with UEFA overturning their ban on appeal. This occurred, however, only after AC Milan's penalty was reduced at home and UEFA decided they did not have legal standing to refuse the club a place in the Champions League. UEFA were very vocal about their reluctance in that case, and may be harsher to Porto because of the outcome two years ago.
UEFA has commented that they will review Portugal's submission of clubs for entry in the Champions League with an eye on the FC Porto issue. However, they say that no comment can be made and no action taken regarding the bribery scandal until Portugal has submitted their list of names with Porto on it. For their part, the LPFP, Portugal's governing body for football, have said that they have prepared the list, and FC Porto is definitely on it.
All of this leaves Porto looking ahead to the beginning of June, when UEFA will convene to review the various submissions for entry into the Champions League, to find out if they will be banned. In the event that they are, they will be likely to appeal, a process that could take months; AC Milan weren't cleared to compete by UEFA until August. In the meantime, both Porto and Benfica, the fourth-placed Portuguese team who will gain a Champions League spot if Porto are banned, will have to wait a little while longer before they can relax and start their summer vacations.
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