UEFA files Osasuna and if Athletic sanctions him, he will play in Europe

The UEFA has opened a file on health for understanding that it has contravened its disciplinary rules and has questioned the participation of the Navarrese in the next edition of the Conference League. This circumstance brings Athletic closer to Europe, because they finished eighth, just behind the rojillos, and in the event of a suspension, a real possibility that some sources consider almost certain although it is still being studied, it would be the rojiblancos who would occupy the place. site of the El Sadar complex. The ‘Negreira case’ is also on the table, which affects Barcelona, ​​but another front has just been opened that has to do with the Supreme Court (TS) ruling handed down in January this year, in which the judges declared proved the fixing of two games by the Navarrese in the 2013-2014 season. That is why the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Committee is acting now and shedding light on the Osasunista entity.

The body that governs European football has sent the documentation and the file to the rojillo team. From now on, the Navarrese are immersed in a process in which an inspector will examine the effects of the Supreme Court ruling and will study all the options. These types of sentences are incompatible with UEFA’s disciplinary regulations, so Osasuna’s participation in the Conference League is in jeopardy. There is nothing firm or decided, but the sources consulted by this newspaper indicate that it would not be far from unreasonable to think of a suspension. If it becomes effective, Athletic would enter the equation because UEFA would maintain the eight continental places assigned to Spain and would run one position, up to eighth.

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In the Supreme Court ruling, published in mid-January of this year, it is clarified that given the danger of losing Osasuna’s category in the 2013-2014 season, the then president of the Navarrese team, two directors and the club’s manager “decided reach some kind of economic agreement with Betis so that they beat Valladolid on matchday 37 and let them win in Pamplona against Osasuna on matchday 38. Some results that, according to the Chamber, “although they did not ensure Osasuna’s permanence in the category, they did considerably increase its possibilities.” The Provincial Court of Navarra had already sentenced nine directors of the rojillo club and two former Betis soccer players for fixing matches, and three years later confirmation came from the Supreme Court.

Osasuna finished seventh in the League, two points ahead of Athletic. The reds beat Girona at home and thus validated their European passport on the pitch, which they can now lose in the offices. Athletic, which did not depend on itself, drew against Real Madrid at the Bernabéu and said goodbye to the miracle of the Conference. But now a door is open to their continental participation as long as UEFA determines that the Navarrese must stay out. It is possible that something will be known next week, around June 12. Until then, it’s time to wait and let the body chaired by Aleksander Ceferin complete its work.