Osasuna will be able to participate in next season’s Conference League after UEFA concluded the La Liga side should not be punished for a match-fixing scandal from 10 years ago.
UEFA inspectors recommended last month that Osasuna be expelled from next season’s Conference League, having qualified for the competition after finishing seventh in La Liga in 2022-23.
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UEFA’s argument related to ‘Caso Osasuna’, a match-fixing scandal dating from the end of the 2013-14 La Liga season which led to the conviction in 2020 of several of the club’s former directors.
Earlier this month, Osasuna director general Fran Canal told The Athletic that UEFA “asked us if we had been involved in match-fixing and we answered, obviously, that we had not.
“We tried to clarify and explain what had happened. It is obvious that we cannot be the guilty parties — we were the ones who notified the authorities that €2.3million was missing from club funds. They just responded with a proposal of the punishment.”
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But on Tuesday, Osasuna said, following proceedings at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), UEFA had decided that the Pamplona side could compete next season. After taking the case to CAS, Osasuna won by ‘Consent Award’ — a conciliation process overseen by CAS between the parties. During this process, UEFA accepted Osasuna’s arguments, so CAS did not need to hold a proper case.
“In view of the new evidence provided by the club in defence of its participation in the competition,” an Osasuna statement added, “UEFA has concluded that Osasuna was a victim of the events that took place almost a decade ago and has appreciated the initiative taken by the institution to shed light on them.
“Consequently, UEFA considers Osasuna eligible to participate in the current edition of the European competition.”
A UEFA statement later on Tuesday read: “Following the opening of Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) proceedings, evidence was submitted by CA Osasuna which it was not in a position to file at an earlier stage.
“UEFA reviewed this material and concluded that CA Osasuna has not been involved in match-fixing activities in the meaning of Article 4.02 UECLR. Accordingly, the Club shall be considered eligible to participate in the 2023-24 UECL for which it sportingly qualified.”
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UEFA has, though, opened proceedings against Osasuna for taking the organisation to a court in Pamplona outside of CAS. The club say they will accept and not appeal against any UEFA punishment.
That does not affect Osasuna’s participation in the Conference League and they will be in the draw for the play-off round on August 7. Those games will take place on August 24 and 31, before the group stage begins on September 21.
(Photo: ANDER GILLENEA/AFP via Getty Images)
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