Arsenal Tivat banned from European competitions for 10 years over fixed match with Armenian club

An unprecedented sanction by UEFA: Montenegrin football club Arsenal Tivat has been banned from all European competitions for 10 years. The harsh decision comes after the club was found guilty of match-fixing in the 2023/24 UEFA Europa Conference League against Armenian side Alashkert.

The decision by UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body was published on July 16. According to the official document, the Montenegrin club violated Articles 11 and 12 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations concerning integrity and manipulation of match results. In addition to the ban until the 2034/35 season, the club must pay a fine of €500,000.

The investigation revealed multiple violations by Arsenal Tivat’s players and officials. The most severe sanctions were:

•  • Ranko Krggovic (coach) and Nikola Celebic (player) — both received lifetime bans from all football-related activity.

•  • Three more players received 10-year bans.

•  • Three club representatives were suspended for terms ranging from 6 to 10 years.

The suspicious match took place in July 2023: the first leg between Alashkert and Arsenal ended 1–1, but the return leg saw the Armenian club win 6–1, prompting a UEFA investigation.

The Football Association of Montenegro has already been informed, and UEFA has requested FIFA to extend the sanctions globally to prevent the sanctioned individuals from participating in football worldwide.

This is one of the harshest decisions in UEFA’s history regarding match-fixing and may set a precedent for similar cases in the future.