Osasuna expelled from the Conference League. UEFA punishes decade-old match-fixing

The big celebrations came to nothing. Osasuna made it to the preliminary rounds of the European Cups for the first time since the 2006/07 season, but we won’t see them in the Conference League. UEFA won’t let them into the competition because of match-fixing a decade ago.

Since April 2007, UEFA has had the right to punish a club found to be match-fixing. In such a case, it can disqualify the team in question from the cups on a subsequent occasion. And that’s exactly what Ossasuna has come to this year.

Seventh place should have guaranteed it a play-off for the Conference League, this way Athletic Bilbao will go to the cups from eighth position instead. Osasuna appealed the verdict, but even the appeals committee did not change the original decision.

“Osasuna does not share at all UEFA’s criteria or the investigation of the case and regrets the wrong message UEFA sends to the football world by punishing those who denounce corruption and prosecute it in court,” Osasuna said in a statement, adding that it would try again to appeal.

Former Osasuna secretary Ángel Vizcay admitted to match-fixing a few years ago. He was in charge of most of the deals, paying 400,000 euros to Getafe to lose a mutual match for the first time in the 2012/13 season to ensure Osasuna’s salvation.

In the same season, Vizcay also paid Valladolid and Betis to play to their full potential against Osasuna’s competitors for salvation Celta Vigo and La Coruna at the end of the season.

The next season he sent 250,000 euros to Betis, again in order to save their first league affiliation. The season after that Osasuna were relegated, Vizcay at least earned by receiving 250,000 from Espanyol, whose draw secured their salvation.

Vizcay also mentioned in the courtroom that part of Betis’ bribe at the time went to specific players. He mentioned the pair of Jordi Figueras, Xavi Torres, the third he wasn’t sure about but mentioned Antonio Amaya.

Source: UEFA, Osasuna