LAUSANNE: Partzan Belgrade, the first eastern European club to have reached the Champions Cup Final back in 1966, have escaped a ban from European competition.

Sport’s supreme judicial authority, the Court of Arbitration for Sport, has recognised the Serb club’s settlement of outstanding tax debts which had prompted European federation UEFA to ban the club in the first place.

A CAS statement, explaining the dispute and the process to a settlement, said:

On 13 December 2016, the CFCB AC determined that FK Partizan had failed to satisfy the overdue payables . . . with regard to certain amounts owed to the Serbian tax authority. Accordingly, the UEFA Club Financial Control Body decided to exclude the club from participating in the next UEFA club competition for which it would otherwise qualify in the next three seasons.

Following the opening of CAS proceedings, new evidence was presented which clarified FK Partizan’s overdue payables position with the Serbian tax authority.

On this basis, the parties have agreed that the exclusion shall be deemed to have been made conditional on the club’s timely payment of the other overdue payables identified as at 30 September 2016.

Taking into account the fact that FK Partizan has satisfied this condition, the club will be eligible to compete in future UEFA club competitions.

######################