4 clubs banned from UEFA Champions League

Playing in the UEFA Champions League is a dream for most footballers and their clubs. As the most prestigious club competition in the world, second only to the FIFA World Cup in global allure, it represents the pinnacle European football.

But for a few clubs, that dream has been snatched away not by sporting failure, but by disciplinary action.

Over the years, four clubs have faced bans from participating in the Champions League, a punishment that not only sidelines them from glory but can also impact their financial and sporting futures. Here’s a look at the teams that were barred from Europe’s grandest stage

1. Beşiktaş (Turkey) – One-Year Ban

One of Turkey’s biggest football institutions, Beşiktaş, were handed a one-year ban from the Champions League in 2013. The club had successfully navigated the qualifying rounds, defeating Norwegian side Tromsø to reach the competition proper—only to be disqualified due to allegations of domestic match-fixing.

Their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) was rejected, and Tromsø, the very team they had beaten, took their place in the tournament.

Key Stat: No Turkish team has ever won the Champions League. Turkey’s greatest European triumph remains Galatasaray’s UEFA Cup win in 2000.

2. Fenerbahçe (Turkey) – Two-Year Ban

Fenerbahçe, another Turkish giant, was implicated in the same match-fixing scandal as Beşiktaş. In 2013, UEFA issued the Istanbul-based club a two-year suspension from European competitions. Though Fenerbahçe initially appealed, their attempt to overturn the decision ultimately failed.

The ban severely damaged their European aspirations and highlighted a dark chapter in Turkish football.

3. Juventus (Italy) – One-Year Ban (2023/24 Season)

While Juventus were at the heart of the infamous Calciopoli scandal in 2006, their Champions League ban in 2023 had a different origin. This time, the Italian giants were punished for breaching UEFA’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations.

Having won the competition twice—in 1985 and 1996—the “Old Lady” was banned from all UEFA competitions for the 2023/24 season. The sanction served as a stern warning from UEFA over financial mismanagement.

4. FK Pobeda (North Macedonia) – Eight-Year Ban

The most obscure team on this list, FK Pobeda from North Macedonia, holds the unwanted record of the longest Champions League-related ban. In 2009, UEFA hit them with an eight-year suspension after uncovering match manipulation in a 2004 Champions League qualifier against Armenia’s FC Pyunik.

The evidence included irregular betting patterns. UEFA not only banned the club but also handed lifetime bans to club president Aleksandar Zabrcanec and player Nikolce Zdraveski from all football-related activity. The club’s ban was eventually lifted in 2017.