Other Teams Banned From European Competition & What Happened to Them Next

Well, UEFA have made quite the statement, haven't they?

It's been brewing in the background for some time but the announcement was no less explosive for it. Premier League champions Manchester City have sensationally been banned from Champions League (and Europa League) for the next two seasons, not to mention also being slapped with a €30m fine after being found guilty of 'serious' breaches of the rules relating to their sponsorship revenue. While the club will likely appeal, there could be more punishment to come.

You can read all the gory details here.

Pep Guardiola's side are arguably the most high-profile team to ever be banned from UEFA competitions, but they're not the first. No, sir.

Here are a few others who've gone through similar situations and where it left them after the ban.

AC Milan

Calciopoli might have been a distant memory for some, but AC Milan found themselves in hot water with the authorities once again just last season.

The Rossoneri had appeared to be signing bucket loads of pricey players without any major sales and there were murmurs of Financial Fair Play irregularities.

Those murmurs were realised when UEFA banned Milan - the second most successful team in Champions League history - from their competitions for the 2019/20 season.

They would have qualified for the Europa League after finishing fifth in Serie A.

After one year away from European competitions and Milan are actually in a significantly worse position than this time last season.

They're still ahead of Napoli, Sampdoria and Torino in the league, but Stefano Pioli's side are 10th in Serie A this time around.

Milan are still a big draw for players abroad thanks to their name alone, but they're set to be going into another season without European competition in 2020/21.

FK Pobeda

Macedonian side FK Pobeda were slapped with an unprecedented eight-year ban from UEFA Competitions after being found guilty of match-fixing in a tie against Armenian club Pyunik in 2004.

On top of their ban, which came into effect in 2009, club president Aleksandar Zabrčanec and former captain Nikolce Zdravevski were given lifetime bans.

The ban wasn't only the end of FK Pobeda in Europe. It was actually the end of the club as a whole.

The following year, phoenix club Viktorija - which has since been renamed after the original team - formed and they've been floating around Macedonian's divisions since.

They were in the top flight as recently as last year, but the 10-year-old FK Pobeda were relegated and are now looking for promotion again.

Malaga

As recently as 2012/13, a Malaga side managed by Manuel Pellegrini, starring Joaquin, Isco, Julio Baptista, Roque Santa Cruz and more were on the verge of the Champions League semi-finals only to suffer a late defeat to Jurgen Klopp's Dortmund.

Under the ownership of highly controversial Qatari Sheikh Abdullah ben Nasser Al Thani, Malaga had looked to shake up the Spanish league and Europe but a failure to pay their debts saw the Andalusian club handed a four-season UEFA ban - later reduced to one.

That summer saw Isco, Joaquin and several others leave, while things have gone from bad to much, much worse on Spain's Costa del Sol.

Seven years on from their one season in Europe's top competition, Malaga are battling against relegation to Spain's third tier, while off-field wrangles concerning finances and leadership have put the club's existence in doubt.

Skënderbeu Korçë

Former Albanian league champion KF Skënderbeu were banned from UEFA compeittions for the 2016/17 season after being found guilty of match-fixing.

A one-year ban is bad enough, but this was actually just the tip of the iceberg for Skënderbeu as UEFA continued their investigations.

What happened next puts Manchester City's two-year ban to shame...

Skënderbeu Korçë (Again)

Having already served a one-year ban, Skënderbeu were then banned from UEFA competitions for an astonishing 10 years.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) dismissed Skenderbeu's appeal and upheld the decision following years of investigation into match-fixing.

Using evidence of betting patterns, UEFA investigators found fixing of two Champions League qualifying games and two Europa League group stage games.

The authorities also believed Skënderbeu were responsible for fixing up to 50 games in their domestic league.

Skënderbeu are still playing in the Albanian Superliga, but they've been unable to match their title-winning form from the last decade and currently sit eighth in the 12-team league.

Beşiktaş & Fenerbahçe

Turkish giants Beşiktaş and Fenerbahçe both found themselves banned from UEFA competitions in the last decade after match-fixing allegations.

Beşiktaş were handed the lighter punishment with a one-year ban, while Fenerbahçe faced three years out of European competitions.

Romanian side Steaua Bucharest were also given a one-year ban at the same time, although that was due to Champions League participation regulations as opposed to match-fixing.

Despite their absence, both sides have obviously bounced back from the European ban and are still among the top side in Turkish football alongside Galatasaray and newcomers İstanbul Başakşehir.

All English Clubs

In the aftermath of the Heysel Stadium disaster in 1985, which killed 39 people, all English clubs were given a five-year ban from European competitions.

Liverpool were singled out by the authorities and were initially given an indefinite ban, although that was reduced to 10 years and then once again to six years.

English teams were readmitted to the UEFA after the 1990 World Cup.

Manchester City

What happens next?

Manchester City's two-year ban from UEFA competitions is by far the worst punishment they could have been given, but it looks set to have serious ramifications for the club moving forward.

Although it's just speculation, Pep Guardiola's position at the club has already come under question following UEFA's ruling. He's been linked with jobs across Europe and only has a contract at Etihad Stadium until 2021.

City should still be able to attract big players to the club through their financial muscle alone, but without the revenue and exposure from the Champions League, the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea have become much more attractive prospects for players moving to the Premier League.

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Source : 90min