To begin with, playing in the UEFA Champions League represents the peak of European club football and, for many, a lifetime ambition. Yet a handful of clubs have seen that goal vanish, not through defeat, but through disciplinary sanctions.
In 2013 UEFA removed Turkish giants Beşiktaş after they beat Tromsø in qualifying when match-fixing claims led to a one-year ban. Consequently, the Norwegian side they had just eliminated stepped into the group stage, and Turkey still waits for a Champions League winner. A similar scandal cost Istanbul rivals Fenerbahçe a two-year suspension the same summer, and their appeal also failed.
Meanwhile, UEFA’s Fair Play auditors caught Juventus, and the Italian powerhouse missed the 2023-24 season after breaching spending limits. Nevertheless, the ruling served as a sharp warning, even though the club had lifted the trophy in 1985 and 1996.
Finally, UEFA barred FK Pobeda of North Macedonia for eight years in 2009. Afterward, the confederation said the club had fixed a 2004 qualifier against Pyunik and handed lifetime bans to the president and a player.
Ultimately, these cases show that, although glory beckons, strict oversight can close the Champions League gates just as quickly.
