UEFA Excludes Azerbaijan's Turan Tovuz from Conference League Over Match-Fixing

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has excluded Azerbaijan's Turan Tovuz from the upcoming edition of the Conference League. This decision follows the involvement of the club's players in match-fixing incidents in previous periods.

The official ruling comes after Turan Tovuz secured a spot in the second preliminary round of the continental competition by finishing third in their domestic league. The club's management has confirmed its intention to appeal this measure before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

The European sanction is based on competition regulations, which stipulate that clubs must not have been directly or indirectly involved in match-fixing over the past ten years. The Azerbaijan Football Federation had previously suspended seven players from the club in 2019 on charges of manipulation.

Despite the club acknowledging the historical incident, the timing of the decision, just two weeks before the competition draw, puts their continental participation in jeopardy.

The Azerbaijani club's management is currently arranging its legal defense to submit an urgent appeal, especially given that the first leg matches of the preliminary round are scheduled for July 23.

This move comes as UEFA seeks to tighten oversight on the integrity of continental competitions, placing Turan Tovuz at risk of absence from the international stage despite a successful domestic season.