UEFA takes ruthless action! Montenegro Club has been suspended for 10 years for counterfeiting, and players are not allowed to touch football for life

Montenegro Club FK Arsenal Tivat was banned by UEFA for manipulating the game, while a player and a staff member were banned from participating in any football-related activities for life. This is one of the toughest fines UEFA has issued for "fighting" recently.

UEFA's investigation focuses on the 2023-24 Europa League Qualification Match - FK Arsenal Tivat and Armenian team Arashkt (a 1-1 draw in the first leg, a 1-6 defeat in the second leg, and an exit in the total score of 2-7). After verification, there were obvious signs of manipulation in the second leg, and UEFA issued the following penalties:

Club level: FK Arsenal Tivat was banned from participating in all UEFA's events in the next 10 years (including the Champions League, the UEFA Cup, and the UEFA Association). They will not be able to re-qualify until the 2034-35 season, and will be fined 434,000 pounds (about 500,000 euros).

Personal level:

defender Nikola Chelebic and club director Ranko Kelgovic were banned for life and were not allowed to participate in any football-related activities (UEFA has requested FIFA to expand the ban to global scope);

captain Cheteko Manoilovic, defender Radulezhvkovic, goalkeeper Dusan Pretic and official Milan Vigneevich were banned for 10 years;

goalkeeper Cristos Psomides were banned for 8 years, and club official Golan Janyusevich was banned for 6 years.

Evidence of manipulating the game: A strange turning point from a draw to a crushing defeat

The contrast between the two rounds is the key clue of the investigation: the two sides drew 1-1 in the first leg, while FK Arsenal Tivat defeated 1-6 in the second leg, and Agdon Meneses of Arashkt even scored a hat trick. UEFA pointed out that in the second round, "many players performed significantly abnormally, their defense was loose and they made many unforced mistakes." Combined with the abnormal fluctuations in betting data, it was finally confirmed that the game was manipulated. UEFA Discipline Committee emphasized: "Zero tolerance for manipulating games is the core of maintaining football integrity. Any attempt to undermine fair competition will face the most severe punishment."

This punishment is not only a shock to Montenegro football, but also sends a signal to global clubs to "strictly investigate counterfeiting". UEFA has stepped up its crackdown on manipulating games in recent years, and strives to eliminate such behaviors by monitoring betting data, interviewing player coaches, and cooperating with Interpol.

For FK Arsenal Tivat, a 10-year ban almost means the club's "death" - the loss of European qualification will seriously affect its fiscal revenue and player attractiveness; while the lifelong ban of the individual involved will completely end their football career.

As UEFA said in its statement: "The charm of football comes from fair competition, and any act of trampling on this principle will be paid a heavy price."