Porto excluded from the Champions League

[chris louie II]

Originally Posted by BBC Sport

Portuguese champions Porto have been excluded from next season's Champions League over alleged bribery of referees in the 2003/04 season.

The allegations relate to Porto's 2-0 win against Estrela da Amadora and their 0-0 draw with Beira Mar.

Porto won their domestic title and the Champions League in 2003/04 under their former coach Jose Mourinho, who has not been mentioned in any allegations.

The club has already confirmed it will appeal against Uefa's decision.

Their appeal must be made within three days, according to the rules of Uefa's appeals body.

Porto won their domestic title in the 2003-04 season by eight points from Benfica.

Meanwhile, club president Jorge Pinto da Costa is to go to trial in a civil lawsuit by Porto prosecutors after he was accused of bribing the referee of the Beira Mar v Porto game.

[benqbiggis]

matieo must be revolted

[d32123]

I'm a Porto sympathizer and I have to say that if this happens it will sadden me.

[Scuba Steve]

It has happened.... they are out.

[ILCaesar]

Where's Matieo? 3 posts and he's not here yet.

[chris louie II]

He'll be here soon

[den525player]

knew they cheated to beat man utd in 03/04!!! lol

[Scuba Steve]

United plays in Portugal?

[den525player]

IF they bribed refs in portugal they probably did it in champions league as well.

[Scuba Steve]

Marseille was found guilty of match fixing in the league in 1993. They had won the league, but had it taken away, and were relegated to the second division.

They also won the CL that year. And were never accused of bribery there. So just because you bribe in one competition, does not mean that you do it in all of them.

[ViVaRooney]

Originally Posted by den525player

knew they cheated to beat man utd in 03/04!!! lol

They probably bribed the linesman who didnt give Scholes perfectly good goal

[DBond5]

They've only just picked up on this after 4 years?

[dmp1887]

Rangers deserve to be bannd from europe too

[rcdingwall]

Originally Posted by dmp1887

Rangers deserve to be bannd from europe too

[Removed by Aurora....keep it friendly, please]

[amenrah73]

Originally Posted by rcdingwall

[Removed by Aurora....keep it friendly, please]

[Removed]? lol Rude much!

[Matieo10]

Nothing much to say really...They're saying WE DID bribe ref's, and yet they still have no evidence that we ever even did. It was 'attempted' bribery apparently...not actually bribery, and the matches themselves had no impact on the Championship whatsoever. Well Benfica and majority of southern Portugal got what their fat cheeks wanted at the moment, we're out of the champions league, and OMG 4th place Benfica who deserve to be lower are now in the Champions League and the rightful champions of Portugal aren't...The funny thing is that we're the only team from Portugal that actually gain enough points in Uefa competitions to keep Portugal in a high ranking, and now that we aren't in, our league will undoubtedly submit to leagues like Russia, Romania, Turkey, Greece, and the Ukraine.

For those of you who don't follow Porto, we've already lost two big players in Bosingwa and Paulo Assunção...we only have 3 left, and 2 of those players thrive on playing in the Champions League...without Lucho and Quaresma, I dunno...Licha can't hold down our squad without those players, and our replacements are yet to be proven...this is really a sad time to be a Portista, and I don't know the right words to express what this feels...I'm just hoping for the appeal to go through at this moment.

[M1ZZ0U]

Well, at least Cristiano is still in the CL, Matieo. But with what team next year.............................................. ............................................?

[ViVaRooney]

Originally Posted by dmp1887

Rangers deserve to be bannd from europe too

I agree, their ****ing lalalalalalaed fans ruined United's chance of having an open bus parade

after the double aswell!!! which teams hasnt had a open bus tour after winning the CL lalala I hope Rangers get **** all next season

[CFCPENSIONERS]

omg that would kill jose m at inter so he really didnt want the cl with porto ? lol aww man i feel bad for porto there a good team!

[Scuba Steve]

Originally Posted by vivaronaldo

I agree, their ****ing lalalalalalaed fans ruined United's chance of having an open bus parade

after the double aswell!!! which teams hasnt had a open bus tour after winning the CL lalala I hope Rangers get **** all next season

While the Rangers debacle in Manchester was the reason why they chose not to have the parade, I think its just as dumb that the police said they could not have one. Things got out of hand with Rangers because they had lost. United had one. And it wasn't like it was going to be the same day as them winning it [emotions obviously run much higher immediately after a game, as opposed to a week or so after]. Poor choice I think on the part of the police.

[Rgmonster]

Porto out, Sporting Lisbon take their place!

That really adds insult to injury!

[Matieo10]

I swear, UEFA are a bunch of cowards, they fear the top 3 leagues so they choose to impliment these 'rules' on lower leagues as test subjects...that's like a slap to the Superliga, I'm very very disappointed in them, this is a disgrace.

Originally Posted by O JOGO

A decisão da UEFA de excluir o FC Porto da Liga dos Campeões de futebol em 2008/09 é ilegal, por conceder efeitos retroactivos, considerou José Manuel Meirim, professor de Direito Desportivo."Sendo directo, do ponto de vista jurídico, entendo que é uma decisão ilegal, porque viola as próprias normas regulamentares da UEFA. O efeito retroactivo que é dado à situação concreta vai para além do sentido da norma", afirmou José Manuel Meirim à agência “Lusa”. O jurista considera que "há uma apreciação errada do regulamento da UEFA", por "conceder efeitos retroactivos a um facto que é bem anterior à norma em vigor, que é só de 2007". De acordo com Meirim, se o FC Porto é excluído, também algumas equipas italianas envolvidas no "calciocaos" o deveriam ser. "Esse argumento é válido, porque se se aplica a norma em questão relativamente a factos que ocorreram em 2003/04, não se entende porque não se aplica a casos que até ocorreram depois, após o 'calciocaos'", afirmou. José Manuel Meirim pensa que "é evidente que o FC Porto irá sempre recorrer, até pelas questões que estão aqui envolvidas, quer desportivas quer financeiras". "Há sempre hipótese do Comité de Apelo reverter a situação, se não, não haveria direito a recurso. No entanto, vejo com maior margem de sucesso no recurso para o Tribunal Arbitral do Desporto, por se tratar de um organismo fora e acima da UEFA", considerou. O Comité de Controlo e Disciplina da UEFA decidiu-se hoje pela não admissão do FC Porto na Liga dos Campeões de 2008/2009, após analisar matéria envolvendo alegado suborno a árbitros da liga portuguesa em 2003/2004. Em causa, está a recente condenação dos dragões pela Comissão Disciplinar da Liga portuguesa devido a dois actos de tentativa de corrupção de árbitros. A alínea d) do ponto 1.04 do Regulamento de Competições da "Champions" determina que cada clube participante "não pode estar ou ter estado envolvido em qualquer actividade destinada a viciar ou influenciar o resultado de um jogo, a nível nacional ou internacional". Os responsáveis da SAD azul-e-branca já anunciaram a intenção de recorrer da decisão para a Comissão de Apelo da UEFA, à qual terá de chegar a defesa portista num prazo máximo de nove dias úteis. Depois, a derradeira instância de recurso é o Tribunal Arbitral do Desporto, em Lausana, Suíça.

Pretty much says what UEFA are doing is illegal, that the rule was established in 2007 and that what we were accused of was done in 2004...effin' cowards

[Thade2532]

that probably means their best players are gone then

which teams from Portugal go into the UCL next season?

[RevolutionMikE5]

[Removed by Aurora....keep it friendly, please]

[COYS]

Oh dear.