Tottenham's bye into the UEFA Cup last 16 has been confirmed after Feyenoord's appeal against the decision to expel them from the competition failed on Friday. The Dutch side were thrown out of the UEFA Cup following crowd riots which happened in a group stage match against French side Nancy back in November. Feyenoord, who were due to face Tottenham in the UEFA Cup round of 32, filed an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in a bid to regain their status in the competition. However, the CAS dismissed the appeal and imposed an additional fine of $80,000 on Feyenoord. UEFA newly-elected president Michel Platini was pleased with the ruling. "This sends out a strong message that acts of violence by fans within the game will be heavily dealt with and punished by the relevant authorities," the Frenchman was quoted as saying by UEFA's official website. "Recent tragic incidents have shown that we must work together to eradicate all forms of hooliganism or violence from our game."
