GENEVA: European federation UEFA has scored another victory in the Court of Arbitration for Sport after Greek club Olympiakos Volos failed in a bid  to overturn their exclusion from this season’s Europa League.

Volos were expelled from the competition and handed a three-season ban for a probationary five-year period from continental competition last August by UEFA  for their involvement in a match-fixing scandal.

UEFA scored a similar CAS success against Swiss club Sion which was expelled from the Europa League in a transfer ban wrangle.

A UEFA statement said: “The Court of Arbitration for Sport has rejected an appeal lodged by Greek club Olympiakos Volos against the decision by the UEFA Appeals Body last August to confirm the club’s exclusion from the 2011-12 UEFA Europa League.”

Greece’s biggest match-fixing scandal erupted in June and led to more than 80 people being charged. Volos president Achilleas Beos was banned for life from all football.

A recent survey conducted by the international players’ union  (FIFPro) highlighted the country as one of Eastern Europe’s worst-affected.