Slovenia Given Lifeline as Kazakhstan Are Thrown Out of Nations League
Slovenia were handed a major boost in their bid to avoid relegation from the UEFA Nations League when Kazakhstan were thrown out of the competition for fielding an ineligible player.
The Kazakh Football Federation (KFF) confirmed on Friday that they had been expelled from the Nations League after FIFA found that they had fielded an ineligible player in their matches against Slovenia and Azerbaijan.
The player in question, Bauyrzhan Islamkhan, had been banned for four matches by UEFA for spitting at an opponent in a previous match. However, the KFF failed to inform FIFA of the ban, and Islamkhan was allowed to play in the two Nations League matches.
The expulsion of Kazakhstan means that Slovenia will now be awarded a 3-0 victory in their match against the Central Asian nation. This result will see Slovenia move up to third place in their Nations League group, and they will now be safe from relegation to League C.
The KFF has expressed its regret over the incident, and has said that it will take steps to ensure that such an error does not happen again. However, the expulsion from the Nations League is a major blow for Kazakhstan, who were hoping to use the competition to improve their FIFA ranking.
Slovenia, meanwhile, will be relieved to have been given a lifeline in their bid to avoid relegation from the Nations League. The Slovenians had lost their first two matches in the competition, and they would have been relegated to League C if they had lost to Kazakhstan.
The expulsion of Kazakhstan from the Nations League is a reminder of the importance of following the rules and regulations of the competition. The KFF's failure to inform FIFA of Islamkhan's ban has cost Kazakhstan a place in the Nations League, and it has also damaged the country's reputation.
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