BUCHAREST (Reuters) – Manchester United’s Darren Fletcher and Barcelona pair Eric Abidal and Daniel Alves will miss the Champions League final after UEFA said yesterday there were no grounds for overturning their suspensions.

UEFA, announcing the decision of its Control and Disciplinary body, said in a statement that the two clubs had failed to get their appeals in on time, but even if they had made the deadline they would have been rejected.

“There were no grounds for contesting the referees’ original decisions,” the statement said.

The three players will serve one-match bans during the final in Rome on May 27, although UEFA added the clubs would have three days in which to lodge appeals against yesterday’s decision.

UEFA general secretary David Taylor told Reuters: “The decision was no surprise really and although it is a shame the players will miss the final, you cannot have rules based on compassionate grounds. Where would you stop?”

The trio joins a list of players unfortunate to have been suspended from the biggest match in European club soccer.

Pavel Nedved missed Juventus’s final against AC Milan in 2003 and Roy Keane and Paul Scholes were suspended for Manchester United’s epic win over Bayern Munich in 1999.

Franco Baresi and Alessandro Costacurta missed AC Milan’s win over Barcelona in 1994 and Costacurta completed an unwanted double by also being suspended for the World Cup final when Italy played Brazil.