Liverpool to face FC Haka
Friday, 3 August 2001 16:21Liverpool will now face Finnish outfit FC Haka in the third qualifying round of the Champions League after UEFA decided to throw Maccabi Haifa out of the competition for fielding an ineligible player.
Former Wimbledon player Walid Badir played for Haifa in their 4-0 second leg victory over Haka despite not having completed a two-match ban, held over from last season's UEFA Cup. Badir had been one of two Haifa players sent off in the first leg of a tie with Vitesse Arnhem on September 11 last year. Haifa won the second leg but were still knocked out of the tournament.
UEFA's control and disciplinary body gave Haka a 3-0 win for the second leg - because of the Haifa error - thereby overturning Haifa's 1-0 lead from the first leg.
Haifa claimed that they believed the player had completed his ban by leaving him out of the second leg against Vitesse last season and the first leg of the tie against Haka a fortnight ago but UEFA then contacted the club to inform them that the ban had not been fulfilled. To make matters worse for Haifa, Badir broke his arm in Wednesday's match, played less than an hour and will now be out for months.
Haifa have three days in which to appeal against their expulsion.
Filed by Tom Grealis
