Just In: Arsenal Banned For 10yrs Over Match Fixing!

By Our Reporter

In one of the most severe punishments in recent football history, UEFA has handed Montenegrin club FK Arsenal Tivat a 10-year ban from European competitions following a damning investigation into match-fixing during the 2023/24 UEFA Europa Conference League.

The club, which made headlines for their brief European appearance last season, has now been excluded from all UEFA club tournaments until the 2034/35 season. Alongside the ban, Arsenal Tivat has been hit with a €500,000 fine (approximately £433,000), dealing a massive blow to the club’s finances and reputation.

The Match That Sparked Suspicion

The shocking decision stems from Arsenal Tivat’s Conference League qualifying tie against Armenia’s Alashkert FC in July 2023. After managing a respectable 1-1 draw away in the first leg, the Montenegrin side suffered an astonishing 6-1 home defeat in the return leg—an outcome that immediately raised suspicions.

UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) launched an investigation into the match and uncovered what it described as serious breaches of Article 11 (General Conduct) and Article 12 (Match Integrity) of its disciplinary code.

Massive Fallout: Players & Officials Banned

The fallout from the investigation has been sweeping. Several players and officials have received long-term bans, with UEFA recommending that FIFA extend these sanctions globally:

• Nikola Celebic, a player for Arsenal Tivat, has been banned for life from all football-related activities.
• Ranko Krgovic, a club official, also received a lifetime suspension.
• Cetko Manojlovic, Radule Zivkovic, and Dusan Puletic have each been banned for 10 years.
• Official Milan Vignjevic received a 10-year suspension, while Goran Janjusevic and Christos Psomaidis were handed six- and eight-year bans, respectively.

UEFA’s disciplinary statement emphasized the severity of the violations, asserting that the sanctions are meant to send a strong message that manipulating results undermines the very foundation of competitive sport.

A Club With A Strange History

For some fans, Arsenal Tivat may ring a bell—not for their footballing achievements, but for an odd moment in 2014 when the club bizarrely claimed to have signed Cristiano Ronaldo. The joke, which aired on Sky Sports, showed a fake contract and made headlines for its absurdity. Fast forward a decade, and the club now finds itself in the spotlight again—but this time, for all the wrong reasons.

Reputation In Ruins

The Montenegrin Football Association (FSCG) confirmed UEFA’s ruling and acknowledged the embarrassment the scandal has brought to the nation’s footballing image.

Despite narrowly surviving relegation through a play-off at the end of last season, Arsenal Tivat’s future now looks bleak. The 10-year ban effectively eliminates their chances of international competition for a generation—stripping them of exposure, revenue, and credibility.

UEFA has reiterated its zero-tolerance stance on match-fixing, and this latest crackdown may serve as a warning to clubs across Europe: the cost of corruption is total exclusion.

The ball is now in FIFA’s court to globalize the bans, and Arsenal Tivat faces the daunting task of rebuilding from one of the darkest chapters in its history. For now, European football has made one thing clear—integrity is non-negotiable.