Osasuna are a mixture of exasperation, frustration and disappointment following their ban from the UEFA Conference League. Sporting Director Braulio Vazquez says he ‘no longer knows what the word justice means’, although General Manager Fran Casal is still holding onto their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Los Rojillo alerted the authorities to the fact that several of their senior management had made payments to players in 2013 and 2014 in an attempt to fix matches. Those directors, no longer at the club, were found guilty, and in the Spanish legal system Osasuna were part of the prosecution having instigated the legal action.
However UEFA have taken a different view of it. They say that Osasuna the club are liable rather than the individuals responsible, and thus have denied them entry into the Conference League this coming season, which they qualified for in La Liga.
The club have been up in arms about the decision, feeling it is a gross miscarriage of justice, particularly that they should be punished after blowing the whistle on corruption.
Casal told Cadena Cope that the law was on their side.
“Let’s see if the nightmare ends. It is not about optimism but about legal reality. We are the complainants, and we cannot be punished for a case of corruption, even if UEFA has its laws. We have a sentence saying that we are innocent and the persons who did it are going to go to prison.”
🔴 Fran Canal, en @partidazocope
😒 "Con ganas de que termine esta pesadilla y que podamos jugar la Conference"
🇨🇭 "El TAS está sujeto a la normativa Suiza, ahí un denunciante que denuncia un caso de amaño o corrupción, no puede ser condenado por él"
📻#PartidazoCOPE pic.twitter.com/SCXpw2yyml
— El Partidazo de COPE (@partidazocope) July 4, 2023
He also debated the UEFA assessment of the case.
“The inspectors say that we have lied in the UEFA questionnaire because it tells us if we have participated in match fixing and we say no. We are not condemned but rather they tell us that Osasuna cannot be selected. We are in possession of the truth and we can’t be condemned, we have to go all the way [with this case].”
Meanwhile Braulio was feeling desperately disenchanted with the situation.
“It makes you want to leave everything, football, all of it. I have doubts about everything. In the end we are an example for everyone. There are people here who re-mortgaged their houses for this club to survive. You report it to the police because you want to do the right thing, and in the end they punish you, it’s a double punishment, it’s a little surreal.”
🎙️ "We earned it on the field. The fans and the city have been outstanding this year. Our image is being tarnished," sporting director Braulio Vázquez.#LetsGoRojillos pic.twitter.com/YnJr3He0rK
— C. A. OSASUNA (@osasuna_en) July 4, 2023
Braulio would go on to mention the fact that their reputation is being damaged by UEFA’s actions, and continued on to admit that it has also impacted their planning for next season. With some players attracted by the prospect of European football, Osasuna were unable to seal some signings.
It is something of a bizarre case, given that UEFA have taken such a different view of the matter from the Spanish justice system. On a wider level, there is certainly a discussion to be had about whether this makes people and teams less likely to report match-fixing.
