Albanian champion faces further UEFA ban for match-fixing
GENEVA (AP) - UEFA is preparing to impose another Champions League ban on Albanian club Skenderbeu in an ongoing match-fixing investigation.
A one-season exclusion imposed on the six-time defending Albania champion this year was a "preliminary ban," the head of UEFA's disciplinary and integrity unit, Emilio Garcia, said on Wednesday.
"The UEFA disciplinary bodies are considering real disciplinary measures," Garcia said at a panel session on match-fixing at the International Sports Convention.
Garcia said the initial case prosecuted by UEFA was based on suspected fixing of two Champions League qualifiers and two Europa League group-stage games in 2015. UEFA also suspects Skenderbeu of being involved in fixing around 50 domestic matches since 2011.
UEFA's ban on Skenderbeu for the 2016-17 season was upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in July based on evidence of irregular betting patterns.
"It is the first time we were brave enough to put together a series of (betting) reports before the CAS," the UEFA lawyer said.
In June, Skenderbeu said it had been "unfairly suspended" by UEFA and would appeal to the Swiss-based sports court.
After the CAS verdict, UEFA removed Skenderbeu from the Champions League before facing Hungarian champion Ferencvaros in the second qualifying round.
Playing away to Crusaders of Northern Ireland in July 2015, Skenderbeu led 2-1 in the second-leg game, and 6-2 on aggregate, before conceding two goals in stoppage time. Five goals scored in a game is a popular and lucrative "total goals" bet.
In a Europa League match at Sporting Lisbon in October 2015, Skenderbeu had a player sent off in the first half when a deliberate handball earned a second yellow card, then conceded two goals from penalties before halftime, and eventually lost 5-1.
"The numbers don't lie and the betting patterns don't lie," Garcia said, adding that CAS judges agreed betting monitoring "is a reliable means of evidence."
Skenderbeu is currently well-placed to qualify for next season's Champions League on merit. It is second in the Albanian league on goal difference.