Gambian forward Ali Sowe’s club, Skenderbeu Ķorce in the Albanian top tier league, have been handed a 10 year ban from all European competitions by UEFA.
The hefty ban came after the European football governing body, UEFA had found the leading Albanian club of manipulating games for betting purposes. And the historic suspension, which is unprecedented from UEFA, also saw the club fined a collosal one million Euros.
The Albanian Supeliga leaders are accused of having manipulated more than 50 games since 2010 “like no one had ever done before,” UEFA reports. Among the countless games, the investigators’ viewfinder was focused on four main games including the 2015 UEFA Champions League second round qualifying game against the Northern Ireland team Crusaders. During which, Skënderbeu won 4-1 in the first leg, but lost 3-2 in the return, however the huge number of bets that predicted the outcome drew the attention of UEFA investigators, and in their report the governing body claims that ‘outrageous bets’ were made on over 4.5 (that is, the match would have ended with five or more total goals).
This is hugely damaging for the six time Albanian champions, with everything the club had achieved is on the verge of being discredited by the most extraordinary match-fixing scandal of all time, particularly their recent triumphs since 2011, when they won their first title in 78 years and had followed that with five consecutive titles, which may become six this year with the club leading by 12 points ahead of second placed Kukesi,
However despite the sad news, Gambian forward, Sowe, who is on loan at the club from Italian side Chievo, is enjoying his best football at the moment. He is one of the club’s leading scorers with 12 goals this season, and only one goal behind the league’s top scorer Sindri Guri on 13.
The Gambian International was again on target last weekend in the 2-1 loss to Vllaznia Shkodër, where he broought his side level in the 20th minute, after the team went behind to Albanian forward Andi Ribaj’s opener, who then scored a second before the half-time break to secure a 2-1 victory.
It’s unclear now what this ban will mean for the future of the 23-year-old old Gambian, whose loan spell at the club finishes at the end of the season in June.
The club’s statement after receiving news of the ban reads:
“Today, on March 29, 2018, the Uefa control commission announced the decision to exclude the Skënderbeu from European competitions for a period of ten years and to impose a fine of one million euros.
As we had already announced on 21 March 2018, it was expected that the decision of the UEFA judicial body would be such, given that the very accusation of this institution presents serious deficiencies regarding the guarantee and respect for human rights.
The only way for the Skënderbeu to protect the exemplary club work and the pride of the Korçë sports community remains the CAS, the Swiss Federal Supreme Court. It is clear to all Albanians that Uefa sporting justice is entirely dependent on the private interests of this institution and its partners.
Proud of historical successes, which are products of our merit, effort and sacrifice, the Skënderbeu remains the hope that sport or civil justice will confirm our innocence and overthrow the absurd decision of the Control Commission.
We appreciate the fact that Uefa’s only result through this process is the assassination of the credibility and integrity of this institution in the international sports community.”
