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Former Vilnius "Žalgiris" competitor in the Intertoto Cup tournament, Ateneo club from Greece, was fined 31800 euros "for violation of loyalty, fairness and sportsmanship principles and tarnishing the reputation of football as a sport and attracting UEFA" - such decision was made on Thursday by the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Committee.
The investigation was conducted into the match of the third stage of the Intertoto Cup held on July 16, 2005, in the Greek capital Athens, which "Žalgiris" [link = "http://www.eurofootball.com/index.php?page=news&id=3472"]unexpectedly won convincingly with a result of 3-1[/link]. It was later revealed that the Greek club [link="http://www.eurofootball.com/index.php?page=news&id=3488"] fielded young substitute players onto the field[/link].
The UEFA Disciplinary Committee, while reviewing this case, decided that "Ateneo", by fielding a weaker team than their strongest lineup, not only "failed to comply with the main UEFA rules, but also risked creating favorable conditions for illegal betting." The decision was based on the argument that the club's decision to let a weaker team play, contrary to their initial announcement to the media, was "unconvincing both for sports and medical reasons and negatively affected the integrity of the tournament."
Prior to the return match in Vilnius, where "Žalgiris" [link="http://www.eurofootball.com/index.php?page=news&id=3528"]lost after a tough fight with a score of 2-3[/link], rumors spread that the then controversially assessed president of "Žalgiris" Janušas Loputis [link="http://www.eurofootball.com/index.php?page=news&id=3523"]might be involved in betting manipulations[/link], but skeptics were silenced by the Lithuanian team's achievement of advancing to the next stage.
Finishing in 10th place in the Greek championship last season, "Ateneo" can still appeal against the UEFA decision to avoid a penalty until midnight on July 9.
