The verdict is in. AC Milan will not participate in the upcoming Europa League campaign after being banned from the competition by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The Italian giants found themselves in hot water over breaching UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules. The Rossoneri faced similar accusations and were facing a Europa League ban before the 2018/19 campaign kicked off but were permitted to participate in the European competition.
However, the same leniency will not be awarded to them this time around as CAS have ruled in favor of a suspension. As a result, the San Siro heavyweight have withdrawn from the 2019/20 season.
"AC Milan is excluded from participating in the UEFA Club Competitions of the sporting season 2019/2020 as a consequence of the breach of its FFP break-even obligations during the 2015/2016/2017 and the 2016/2017/2018 monitoring periods," a statement from the Court of Arbitration for Sport read.
#BREAKING AC Milan banned from European competition next season -- Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) pic.twitter.com/oZvFA0SwKi
— AFP news agency (@AFP) June 28, 2019
"The Adjudicatory Chamber of the UEFA Club Financial Control Body is invited to issue a Procedural Order, acknowledging the outcome of the present arbitration(s) and terminating the AC-01/2019 proceedings relating to the 2016/2017/2018 monitoring period, which have become moot."
In the 2018/19 season, AC Milan crashed out of the Europa League in the group stage but Gattuso lead the club to a fifth-place finish in Serie A. Despite this, their plans for Europe have come to a screeching halt.
Their spot will thus be awarded to Torino, with Roma and Lazio having already qualified for next season. This will come as a huge blow to the club and new manager Marco Giampaolo.
