Manchester City ‘disappointed but not surprised’ by UEFA’s decision to ban club from Champions League for two seasons and issue £25m fine for serious breach of Financial Fair Play and vow to appeal ‘prejudiced’ ruling with CAS after ‘flawed’ investigation
- Manchester City have described UEFA’s investigation as ‘flawed’ and ‘leaked’
- City have confirmed that they’ve appealed to the UEFA disciplinary body
- The club aim to start appeal with Court of Arbitration for Sport immediately
Manchester City say they’re ‘disappointed but not surprised’ by UEFA’s decision to ban the club from the Champions League for two seasons.
UEFA announced the punishment for what they’ve described as a ‘serious breach of Financial Fair Play rules’ on Friday and also issued the club with a £25 million fine.
However, City are determined to fight the punishment, which they claim was expected as a result of UEFA’s biased and flawed investigation.
Manchester City say they’re ‘disappointed but not surprised’ by UEFA’s Champions League ban
City have vowed to appeal UEFA’s ruling immediately with the Court of Arbitration for Sport
City described UEFA’s investigation as ‘flawed’ and ‘prejudiced’ and want ‘impartial’ hearing
A statement issued on the club’s website read: ‘ Manchester City is disappointed but not surprised by today’s announcement by the UEFA Adjudicatory Chamber.
‘The club has always anticipated the ultimate need to seek out an independent body and process to impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence in support of its position.
‘In December 2018, the UEFA Chief investigator publicly previewed the outcome and sanction he intended to be delivered to Manchester City, before any investigation had even begun.
If UEFA’s ruling is upheld then City could face a mass exodus of their star players
Guardiola’s future will also come under scrutiny with his contract set to expire in 2021
‘The subsequent flawed and consistently leaked UEFA process he oversaw has meant that there was little doubt in the result that he would deliver. The club has formally complained to the UEFA Disciplinary body, a complaint which was validated by a CAS ruling.
‘Simply put, this is a case initiated by UEFA, prosecuted by UEFA and judged by UEFA. With this prejudicial process now over, the Club will pursue an impartial judgment as quickly as possible and will therefore, in the first instance, commence proceedings with the Court of Arbitration for Sport at the earliest opportunity.’
UEFA have found City guilty of ‘overstating its sponsorship revenue in its accounts and in the break-even information submitted to UEFA between 2012 and 2016’.
Uefa have found City guilty of ‘overstating its sponsorship revenue in its accounts
European football’s governing body also said City failed to co-operate with an investigation into the matter launched by its Club Financial Control Body.
Uefa launched a probe after documents obtained by a hacker and published in German media suggested the club had falsely inflated sponsorship deals with firms linked to their Abu Dhabi ownership in an alleged attempt to circumvent Uefa’s FFP rules.
If the ruling is upheld it could have serious consequences for City’s immediate future at the top of English football.
The future of manager Pep Guardiola is likely to come under scrutiny, with the former Barcelona boss having just 18 months remaining on his deal at the Etihad.
City could also face a mass exodus of star players seeking to play in the Champions League during the peak years of their career.