Big twist! Osasuna will finally be able to play in the Conference League after the ban

Osasuna had the season of their lives as they secured a place in the Conference. But the excitement quickly faded when UEFA banned them from European competitions. But that has now been reversed again.

There was great joy in Pamplona when Osasuna secured the European Cups for next season. But it didn’t last long.

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) expelled the Spanish club over a corruption scandal from 2012 to 2014. Under UEFA rules, clubs can be punished for corruption retrospectively back to April 2007.

However, Osasuna’s management is no longer dominated by any of the former officials and so the club immediately announced it would appeal to CAS arbitration. The decision came on Tuesday morning and was greeted with great relief in Pamplona.

After reviewing the new evidence provided by the club in an attempt to defend its participation in the cups, UEFA concluded that Osasuna “was a victim of events that took place almost a decade ago and appreciated the institution’s initiative to clarify them,” the club said in a statement. As a result, UEFA considers Osasuna eligible to participate in the current edition of the European competition.

Osasuna will thus be part of the draw that will take place on 7 August and will play the Conference League preliminary round on 24 and 31 August.

However, UEFA has announced that there will be sanctions for the corruption at the time anyway, which will not prevent Osasuna from competing in the competition. The club has already made it known that it will not appeal and will accept the punishment imposed by European football’s highest body.

The decision is now final and Osasuna will not be denied a place in the Conference League play-offs. Only Athletic Bilbao, which was supposed to start the competition at Osasuna’s expense, will be affected.

Source: Osasuna