APOEL reinstated in UEFA Europa League

APOEL FC will play in the UEFA Europa League group stage after being drawn to replace Fenerbahçe SK following the Turkish club's exclusion from the 2013/14 UEFA club competitions.

Following the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) decision to confirm the exclusion of Fenerbahçe on Wednesday, the UEFA Emergency Panel met and decided that all the teams eliminated in the play-off round of the UEFA Europa League would enter a draw for a place in the group stage.

The draw took place at the Méridien Beach Plaza hotel in Monaco and was proceeded by UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino inviting a journalist from a country without representation in the competition to make the draw. Emmet Malone from The Irish Times took to the stage and drew APOEL out of the bowl.

The Cypriot club, who were beaten 3-2 on aggregate by Belgian side SV Zulte Waregem, will therefore feature in the draw for group stage which gets under way at 13.00CET at the Grimaldi Forum.