UEFA bans Galatasaray from European competitions for 1 year

Turkish champion Galatasaray has been banned from participating in European competitions for one year after failing to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations, UEFA announced Wednesday.

The Adjudicatory Chamber of the UEFA Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) announced that Galatasaray's exclusion pertains to competitions the team is otherwise eligible to qualify for during the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons.

European football governing body explained the ruling in a statement:

This decision was taken after Galatasaray failed to comply with the terms of the settlement agreement that it entered with the CFCB Chief Investigator in May 2014 under Article 15 of the Procedural rules governing the UEFA CFCB.

The Turkish club has also been ordered to limit the overall aggregate cost of the employee benefits expenses of all its players in each of the next two reporting periods (i.e. the reporting period ending in 2016 and the reporting period ending in 2017).

An official from the Turkish club said that a statement will be released later in the day after the club's directors examine "the text of the decision," according to the Associated Press.

The ban is set to go into effect if Galatasaray qualifies for either the Champions League or Europa League next season. The club currently sits outside of the qualifying spot in the Turkish Super Lig, meaning its failure to qualify would see the ban go into effect the following season.

Galatasaray finished third in its group during the Champions League and was subsequently eliminated from the Europa League after losing 4-2 on aggregate to Lazio during the Round of 32.