Spanish side Malaga will not be able to play in the Europa League next season after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld UEFA's one-year European ban, the tribunal announced on Tuesday.
The Andalusians were hit with the suspension in December last year over an infringement of UEFA's financial fair play regulations due to outstanding payments that had not been made to other clubs and Spanish tax authorities.
Malaga took their appeal to the Lausanne-based CAS but lost.
"The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed the appeal filed by Malaga Club de Futbol SAD (Spain) against the decision taken on 21 December 2012 by the Adjudicatory Chamber of the UEFA Club Financial Control Body," CAS said in an emailed statement.
"As a consequence, the Spanish club is excluded from the UEFA Europa League 2013/14 and will have to pay a fine of 300,000 euros.
Malaga -- quarter-finalists in the Champions League last season, where they were controversially beaten by the eventual losing finalists Borussia Dortmund -- had earned a place in next year's Europa League by finishing sixth in the Spanish league.
They will now not be able to take up the spot but are again eligible for European competition, should they qualify, in 2014/15 after settling their accounts and earning a reprieve on a provisionary second year-long suspension.
Malaga maintained on its website that it was compliant with financial fair play regulations, and as a result had been granted a UEFA licence to play next season.
It is not yet clear which Spanish side will replace Malaga for the Europa League, as Rayo Vallecano, who finished eighth behind Real Betis, were not given a UEFA licence by the Spanish football federation.
Rayo said on Twitter on Tuesday that they would appeal that decision to the CAS.
Source: AFP
