MADRID: Malaga expressed outrage and cast themselves as “sacrificial lambs” after their appeal against a UEFA ban from continental competition over late payments to creditors was rejected on Tuesday.
The decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) means Malaga, who finished sixth in La Liga last season, cannot take up a place in the Europa League next term and eighth-placed Rayo Vallecano or ninth-placed Sevilla will compete instead.
“Shameful, pathetic, unfair that they treat us completely differently to other teams with a lot more (financial) irregularities and debts,” Malaga’s Spain Under-21 playmaker Isco said on his Twitter feed. “Yet again they are taking away what we won on the pitch. Neither the players or the fans deserve this.”
UEFA, which is getting tough on teams that live beyond their means as part of its Financial Fair Play (FFP) initiative, initially banned Malaga for two years in December because of overdue payments to rival clubs and Spanish tax authorities.
That was later reduced to a year after the club “regularised its overdue payables” by a March 31 deadline and they appealed to CAS asking for the UEFA decision to be annulled or replaced with less severe sanctions. However, CAS rejected the appeal and ruled Malaga would also have to pay the original fine of 300,000 euros (Rs 2.32 crore). The Swiss-based court said it would publish the reasons for its decision at an unspecified date.
Malaga reiterated that they had complied with FFP rules and said they deserved to be able to take up their Europa League place.
“The Spanish soccer federation (RFEF), within the parameters set by UEFA, confirmed on May 14 that Malaga’s application for a UEFA licence had been approved,” the club said on their website. (Reuters)