Turan Tovuz banned from Conference League over 2019 match-fixing case

PFK Turan Tovuz have been banned from the 2025-26 UEFA Conference League after European football’s governing body ruled the Azerbaijani club had been involved in activities aimed at arranging or influencing match outcomes, UEFA announced on Wednesday.

The UEFA Appeals Body confirmed that Turan Tovuz failed to meet admission criteria due to being “directly and/or indirectly involved in activity aimed at arranging or influencing the outcome of a match at national or international level.” The ruling denies the club a place in the Conference League qualifying rounds despite their third-place finish in Azerbaijan’s top flight — a position that would ordinarily guarantee entry.

Turan Tovuz say the ban is rooted in a 2019 disciplinary case in which seven of their players were prohibited from all football-related activities for match-fixing by the Azerbaijan Football Federations Association (AFFA). The club has pushed back strongly against UEFA’s decision, arguing that their on-pitch conduct in the current campaign was beyond reproach.

“In the 2025-26 season, we finished the season in third place, following all sporting principles, and earned the right to play in the Conference League, which we are entitled to,” the club said in a statement. They added that the AFFA Disciplinary Committee’s sanctions had targeted players who were active during the 2019-20 season in the First Division, implying the current squad should not be held accountable.

Despite the ruling, Turan Tovuz say their pre-season preparations remain unchanged. The club confirmed that players would travel to Turkey for a training camp this month and stated they would pursue “all legal steps” available, including an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Next season’s Conference League will be the sixth edition of the competition, which launched in 2021-22. English clubs have dominated the tournament’s short history: West Ham were the first Premier League side to lift the trophy in 2023, Chelsea followed by defeating Real Betis in last year’s final, and Crystal Palace claimed their first European silverware last week by beating Rayo Vallecano in the final in Leipzig.