Turkish clubs Besiktas and Bursaspor were banned from next season's Europa League on Wednesday for violating ''financial fair play'' regulations, further complicating the country's relations with competition organizer UEFA.
UEFA's appeals panel delivered its decisions even while Turkish league runner-up Fenerbahce's entry to Europe's signature Champions League competition next season is in doubt due to a match-fixing investigation.
Turkey can ill afford damage to its football reputation while it begins as favorite to win UEFA's bidding contest to host the 2020 European Championship.
Besiktas qualified for the Europa League by finishing fourth in the Turkish league's season-ending playoff system, but will have to give up that spot. A second exclusion is suspended for a five-year probationary period.
UEFA partially upheld Besiktas' appeal against a $619,000 fine. It must pay $124,000, with a further $124,000 suspended.
Bursaspor, which placed fifth after the playoffs, also loses its Europa League place, but a $248,000 fine was reduced to $62,000 suspended for four years.
UEFA judged that the clubs breached financial licensing rules which require that all salaries and transfer fees are paid.
Both clubs can appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Turkey's allocation of Europa League places is likely to be filled by Eskisehirspor and Istanbul BB. Trabzonspor already claimed its place by finishing third in the playoff system.
League champion Galatasaray and second-place Fenerbahce are set to enter the lucrative Champions League.
Still, Turkey's entries to UEFA's two competitions could still be complicated by a year-old investigation into alleged match-fixing during the 2010-11 season.
UEFA is weighing whether to accept Fenerbahce as a possible entry while some of its officials are under suspicion of fixing matches to help win the 2010-11 title.
Fenerbahce was excluded from last season's Champions League after UEFA pressured the Turkish Football Federation to withdraw the club's entry days before the group-stage draw.
Trabzonspor officials are also implicated in the criminal probe, though UEFA permitted the club to take Fenerbahce's Champions League place last season.
Besiktas officials have also been charged with helping fix matches.
