UEFA’s decision to exclude Turan Tovuz from the 2026/27 UEFA Conference League has raised a major question: does the ruling apply to just one season, or could the Azerbaijani club face the same issue again in future years?
As reported by İdman.Biz, under the UEFA Conference League regulations for the 2026/2027 season, clubs must prove that neither they, nor their players or officials, have been directly or indirectly involved in activities aimed at organising match-fixing or influencing the outcome of matches at national or international level.
The key issue lies in the timing. Article 4.01 of the regulations states that for the 2026/27 European season, UEFA examines the period beginning from 1 March 2016. This is because the 2026/2027 regulations came into force on 1 March 2026, while the monitoring period covers the previous ten years.
That is why the events of 2019, when players connected to Turan Tovuz were found guilty of involvement in match-fixing activities, still fall within UEFA’s review window. Based on this, UEFA ruled that the club did not meet the eligibility criteria for participation in the 2026/27 Conference League.
At the same time, it is important to understand that this does not automatically mean a direct 10-year ban. In previous years, UEFA did issue decade-long suspensions to certain clubs from Montenegro and Albania for match-fixing offences.
However, Article 4.02 of the regulations specifies that exclusions on these grounds apply only to a single football season. In other words, UEFA’s current decision formally concerns only the 2026/2027 campaign.
The real problem for Turan Tovuz lies elsewhere: the 2019 case does not disappear from UEFA’s review period after just one season. If UEFA maintains the same 10-year principle in future regulations, then the 2027/2028 season could involve checks covering events from 1 March 2017 onward, the 2028/2029 season from 1 March 2018, and the 2029/2030 season from 1 March 2019.
Simply put, Turan Tovuz are not currently serving a formal 10-year suspension. But if the club qualifies for European competitions again in the coming seasons, UEFA may still reconsider its eligibility under the same criteria for as long as the 2019 case remains within the rolling 10-year assessment period.
The regulations contain another important detail. UEFA may take into account decisions made by national or international sports bodies, arbitration panels and courts, but it is not obliged to fully follow them. This means that AFFA’s earlier ruling from 2019 may serve as one of the foundations for UEFA’s position, although the European governing body ultimately makes its own independent decision regarding club admission.
There is, however, one factor that could potentially work in Turan Tovuz’s favour in future years. UEFA may choose to admit a club if it becomes convinced that a previous sanction related to the same facts has already effectively prevented the club from participating in European competitions.
As a result, even if Turan Tovuz qualify for European football again on sporting merit in the coming seasons, their participation in UEFA tournaments could remain uncertain because the 2019 case still falls within the organisation’s 10-year review period.
