Bangor City have been thrown out of the JD Welsh Premier League by the FAW who believe the club is not run properly.
The Citizens – who are currently third in the league – have failed to obtain a domestic licence for next season, despite an appeal against the original decision.
But both Connah’s Quay Nomads and Llanelli Town were successful in their appeals and will compete in the Welsh top flight next season.
The decisions were announced by the governing body on Thursday afternoon and means Bangor – a founder member of the league with a proud history – will also be denied a lucrative place in European football next season in the Europa League.
It is understood that a large proportion of the current playing squad could now be released.
The tier one licence is awarded after examination of a club’s finances, coaching, administration and infrastructure, although the FAW have not specified exactly where Bangor fail to come up to scratch.
A statement from the FAW said: “Bangor City (UEFA & Tier 1 Licence), Connah’s Quay Nomads (UEFA & Tier 1) and Llanelli Town (Tier 1) were all refused their relevant Licenses by the independent FAW Club Licensing First Instance Body on 6 April.
“All three clubs submitted their appeals against the decisions of the First Instance Body in accordance with the FAW Club Licensing Regulations.
“The Tier 1 Licence is mandatory to participate in the JD Welsh Premier League and the UEFA Licence is a pre-requisite for UEFA Club competitions.
“With regards to Connah’s Quay Nomads, the independent Appeals Body were satisfied that the concerns raised by the First Instance Body had been addressed. As a result, the Nomads have now been awarded both the UEFA and Tier 1 Licenses.
“Llanelli Town were also successful with their appeal for a Tier 1 Licence, having satisfied the Appeals Body in addressing the matters raised by the First Instance Body. Having won the Nathaniel Car Sales Welsh League Division One title, Llanelli Town are now promoted to the JD Welsh Premier League.
“In relation to Bangor City, the Appeals Body upheld the decision of the First Instance Body to refuse both the UEFA and Tier 1 Licences.
“The Appeals Body were not satisfied that Bangor City has rectified the original concerns of the First Instance Body. As a consequence, Bangor City will be demoted to Tier 2 of the Welsh football pyramid for the 2018/19 season. In addition, the club will not be permitted to participate in the JD Welsh Premier League Europa League Play-Offs.
“Clubs are assessed against the following criteria: Sporting, Infrastructure, Personnel, Legal and Financial. The independent Bodies make their decisions on thorough assessment of all the Club Licensing documentation that is submitted by clubs throughout the Licensing cycle.”