JULY 17, 2013
SUPER Eagles skipper, Joseph Yobo
SUPER Eagles captain, Joseph Yobo, will not participate in this season’s UEFA Champions League as his Turkish club Fenerbahce and rivals Besiktas have failed in their bids to overturn bans from European competitions. The European football-governing body made the confirmation on Monday.
Both bans were linked to a domestic match-fixing scandal which rocked Turkish football in 2011.
Fenerbahce, who were due to compete in this season’s competition, were banned from European soccer for two seasons and Besiktas, who had qualified for the Europa League, for one season. On July 7, 2011, Yobo’s national team mate Emmanuel Emenike was arrested by the police for the Fernabahce match-fixing allegations before he moved to Spartak Moscow but later got acquitted of the allegation on April 25, 2013.
Fenerbahce and Besiktas asked UEFA in June to re-examine their punishments and in both cases European football’s governing body decided to uphold the sanctions.
It said in a statement, “The UEFA Appeals Body carefully analysed the statements and documents submitted by Besiktas and Fenerbahce related to their specific cases, as well as the statements and documents submitted by the UEFA Disciplinary Inspectors appointed to each case, and reached the following decisions.
“Besiktas have had their appeal rejected. Consequently, Besiktas are not eligible to participate in the 2013/14 UEFA Europa League.
“Fenerbahce have had their appeal partially admitted. Consequently, Fenerbahce are excluded from participating in the next two UEFA club competitions they qualify for, including the 2013/14 UEFA Champions League.”
The clubs have the right to appeal against the decisions at Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The suspension denies Yobo a meaningful chance of playing any form of international games as he still remains out of the Nigerian team since winning the Africa Nations Cup in February. Earlier report at the weekend suggested that the defender may be sent on loan to another Turkish club, Gaziantepspor, following a new rule on foreign players. Fenerbahce have 11 foreigners and are looking for a way to cut it to the allowed 10. But securing a loan deal to Gaziantepspor may not help the 32-year-old player get on the continent as the less-fancied Turkish side finished in 10th position last season – a position that does not guarantee a continental spot for any team.
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