NYON: Ukrainian club Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, runners-up in the Europa League last season, have been banned from European competiton for one season by UEFA for breaching financial fair play regulations.

Two other clubs have also been suspended for one season in the latest round of disciplinary sanctions by the European federation. They are- Inter Baku of Azerbaijan and and Tirgu Mures of Romania.

In all three cases the bans would apply to the next season in which the clubs qualify for European competition and can remain ‘active’ for the next three campaigns.

Dnipro, former double Soviet champions and who were defeated by Sevilla in last season’s Europa League final, are understood to have contravened one of the basic FFP tenets in not paying their players on time.

Coach Myron Markevych, who succeeded Spaniard Juande Ramos in 2014, confirmed this according to reports in local Ukraine media.

He said: “I did not imagine this could have happened to the club that was playing in the Europa League final half a year ago. The club are well known in Europe and worldwide.

“We’ve got new debts. I know the foreign players are making new complaints. We have not been paid for four months at all. It’s clear that if the club is banned from the European stage there is no reason to stay here.

“This is very bad for us. We have been playing on the European stage for 10 years and now we have been kicked off for something which is not the fault of the players and coaches. Dnipro is a serious club, a big name. At least, it was.”

Dnipro are currently fourth in the Ukraine league, 18 points behind leaders Kiev Dynamo.

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