These changes may have severe implications for Barcelona, who could face a ban from participating in the next edition of the Champions League.
Barcelona’s situation is complicated
In 2017, UEFA changed its competition eligibility rules due to various precedents, including the cases of Anderlecht in 1996 and AC Milan ten years later. These changes may have severe implications for Barcelona, who could face a ban from participating in the next edition of the Champions League. To participate in European competitions, teams must submit the necessary documentation before June 1. However, Barcelona’s situation is complicated by ongoing legal proceedings related to the Negreira case. President Joan Laporta and former presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu, Joan Gaspart, and Sandro Rosell are all required to testify before the deadline. The precedent for UEFA’s new rules dates back to 1996 when they established an internal commission to investigate allegations that Anderlecht had bought two matches.
In September 1997, the UEFA Executive Committee declared the Belgian club ineligible to participate in their competitions for the 1998/99 season after concluding that Anderlecht had been involved in two match-fixing cases.
The Italian Football Federation sanctioned several clubs
Anderlecht threatened to go to the ordinary courts, and the case ultimately ended up at CAS. Despite evidence of match-fixing, CAS allowed the appeal and found that the UEFA Executive Committee should accept the court’s decision. A similar situation arose in 2006 with AC Milan following the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal. Investigations by the Italian police revealed a network of club managers, referees, and others who had tried to influence the outcome of several Serie A matches. The Italian Football Federation sanctioned several clubs, and Juventus were relegated. However, AC Milan qualified for the 2006/07 Champions League, which put UEFA in a legal dilemma. They had to decide whether to allow a club that had been sanctioned for match-fixing to participate in a UEFA competition the following season.
AC Milan to be banned in certain circumstances
The UEFA Emergency Panel concluded that they had no choice but to accept AC Milan’s participation in the 2006/07 UEFA club competitions on formal grounds due to an insufficient legal basis in the regulations that would allow AC Milan to be banned in certain circumstances. AC Milan went on to win the competition by beating Liverpool in the final on May 23, 2007. This outcome further exacerbated the situation, as the Champions League was won by a club that had been found guilty of match-fixing activities only a few months before the competition kick-off. In response to the AC Milan case, UEFA approved a new paragraph for Article 50 of the UEFA Statutes at the next UEFA congress in January 2007. This amendment, which is still in force today, established a two-stage process to ensure the integrity of UEFA competitions.
The first stage involves an administrative measure whereby offending clubs are excluded from European competitions for one season. Barcelona could face this penalty if the ongoing legal proceedings reveal evidence of wrongdoing. Overall, the precedents set by Anderlecht and AC Milan have had a significant impact on UEFA’s competition eligibility rules. While Barcelona’s situation is still unfolding, the case highlights the importance of maintaining the integrity of football competitions and ensuring that clubs compete fairly and within the rules.