Man City successfully overturn 2-year ban from Euro club comps, fine reduced to 10m Euros [Post#38]

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Full details of Man City being banned from Champions League for TWO SEASONS for "serious breaches" of UEFA financial rules <a href="https://t.co/sYVG5orSRt">pic.twitter.com/sYVG5orSRt</a></p>— Rob Harris (@RobHarris) <a href="https://twitter.com/RobHarris/status/1228386064882118657?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Manchester City have been banned from European club competition in 2020/21 and 2021/22 after being found to have committed "serious breaches" of Uefa's club licensing and financial fair play regulations.

The reigning Premier League champions have also been fined 30m euros (£25m).

The decision is subject to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Manchester City say they are "disappointed but not surprised" by the "prejudicial" decision and will appeal.

The independent Adjudicatory Chamber of the Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) said City had broken the rules by "overstating its sponsorship revenue in its accounts and in the break-even information submitted to Uefa between 2012 and 2016", adding that the club "failed to cooperate in the investigation".

Manchester City said in a statement: "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.

"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."

City have been drawn to face Real Madrid in the last 16 of this season's Champions League, with the first leg to be played on 26 February at the Bernabeu.

What are City alleged to have done?
Uefa launched an investigation after German newspaper Der Spiegel published leaked documents in November 2018 alleging City had inflated the value of a sponsorship deal, misleading European football's governing body.

Reports alleged City - who have always denied wrongdoing - deliberately misled Uefa so they could meet FFP rules requiring clubs to break even.

City were fined £49m in 2014 for a previous breach of regulations.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/51510284

 

[PetroDollars]

A bit late but everyone knows those sponsership fees were inflated, considering those sponsors were companies owned by the same owner, city will struggle to win this fight, they will appeal but there not getting away, there will atleast be a transfer ban which means pep might decide to leave.

 

[Bewal Express]

Teams should be allowed to spend what they want. It's a business and this should be tested in the courts.

 

[PetroDollars]

Teams should be allowed to spend what they want. It's a business and this should be tested in the courts.

But its a law that they knew was there and they broke it, knowing exactly what they were doing.

But yes i agree with you that Financial Fairplay should be removed, but as its a law that was broken intentionally they will have to be punished otherwise whats the point of having laws.

 

[cricketjoshila]

Next in line is PSG.

 

[in_cutter]

It will be overturned after the appeal

 

[Bewal Express]

But its a law that they knew was there and they broke it, knowing exactly what they were doing.

But yes i agree with you that Financial Fairplay should be removed, but as its a law that was broken intentionally they will have to be punished otherwise whats the point of having laws.

The fact is that the both Barcelona and Madrid rig the TV money in Spain and end up with a large share, whereas English clubs are forced to share the TV money, this leads to unfair punishment.

 

[PetroDollars]

It will be overturned after the appeal

reduced yes, overturned completely, unlikely.

 

[PetroDollars]

The fact is that the both Barcelona and Madrid rig the TV money in Spain and end up with a large share, whereas English clubs are forced to share the TV money, this leads to unfair punishment.

TV money should be split by viewership figures and not be equal.

Alot of clubs might rig the rules one way or another, but city did it so obviously that even a novice judge could catch them out, the owner used his own companies like Eithad to sponser his own club, inflating the fees, and when the court asked to prove where the funds came from, statements came from the owners own personal bank accounts )

They should be banned for stupidity not for breaking rules.

 

[Rana]

Big chance to sign DeBruyne and Aguero!

 

[RickyG]

Teams should be allowed to spend what they want. It's a business and this should be tested in the courts.

No teams should spend what they make. It’s stupid to suggest that they should be able to spend what they want. Not only because there should be some sort of a level playing field but also so that you don’t situations like Leeds United. A big club whose owner ran out of money and they had to sell their assets and got relegated. It’s too protect the club and the fans as well. Other clubs could leverage the club and get massive loans then not be able to pay it back like the situation Liverpool was in (although the debt was the owners debt placed on the club).

In North American sports you have salary caps so FFP isn’t unique to European Football.

The problem with City is not that the owners other companies are bankrolling the club through sponsorships. It’s that the club is lying about it. They’re claiming £67m sponsorship from Etihad when Etihad only pays them £8m. The remaining amount gets invoices to sheikh mansours private company.

They’re not just breaking the rules they’re also covering them up.

And its a sports team not a toy. You have to abide by the leagues rules simple as that.

 

[Hasan123]

A deserved punishment. It will be interesting to see what happens with the players. Without the CL income how do City afford their wage bill?

Surely Pep will leave after this.

 

[The_KING]

Man City, a club with no history. Before the Arab oil money, there were a bottom half side in the Premier League. Heck, 20 years ago, they were in League 1. Not only should they be banned from Europe, they should also have their Premier League titles taken away from them. Cheaters and rule breakers should be severely punished.

 

[MenInG]

It is arguably the biggest story in English football this season.

Manchester City have been kicked out of the Champions League until 2022.

City are furious, claim they have effectively been found guilty by a kangaroo court and are promising the fight is not over by any stretch of the imagination.

But for now, they are out, which raises a number of serious questions for the club.

Time and time again over the past few weeks, City manager Pep Guardiola has responded to questions about his future by stating his intention to see out his contract with the Blues, which does not expire until 2021.

Yet Guardiola has also consistently expressed his trust in the City hierarchy when they have assured him there was no foundation to the claims being looked into by Uefa's investigatory panel.

Does Guardiola feel let down by this outcome? It is impossible to say.

However, it is fair to assume that after winning back-to-back Premier League titles with staggering points tallies that eclipsed anything that had gone before and, in addition, becoming the first side to win all three domestic trophies in a single season, Guardiola may struggle for motivation.

If City win the Champions League this season, Guardiola could go anyway. Now it is impossible to imagine him staying and, amid persistent rumours of interest from Juventus and the almost certain knowledge any number of alternative challenges will present themselves, Guardiola's City future would seem to hinge on whether the club are successful in their appeal.

We already know veteran midfielder David Silva will be leaving at the end of the season. But the number of players whose contracts are due to expire before City will return to the Champions League is a concern.

Striker Sergio Aguero is at the top of that list. His deal expires in 2021. Leroy Sane's deal ends at the same time. John Stones' expires a year later. The same is also true of Nicolas Otamendi.

And what of the plethora of stars who are under contract beyond 2022, such as Kevin de Bruyne, Ederson, Bernardo Silva, Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez?

If Guardiola left, it is easy to see a number of players following suit, which could leave City with a massive rebuilding exercise.

Manchester United have had trying to get into the Champions League in recent times. Arsenal have missed out three seasons in a row. Chelsea weren't in it last season. Liverpool failed to qualify as recently as 2015.

Yes, their bottom line will miss out on a few million quid but that won't hurt them so much.

Maybe the biggest difficulty will be the loss of the chance to earn coefficient points, which means even when they get back, City will be a lower seed than they would have expected to be and therefore find it harder to reach the latter stages of the competition.

If this outcome sees the end of Guardiola's time at City, then marks the end of an era.

Yet eras come and go in football. Whenever Guardiola goes, City would have had a rebuilding job to do and that will not change, even if signing players might be slightly more difficult.

The bigger issue is the damage to City's reputation.

Ever since the badly handled dismissal of Mark Hughes in 2009, City have prided themselves on doing things the right way. They believe, with some justification, they have a good reputation.

If this verdict sticks, it will undermine all the good work they have done.

They will have been seen to have cheated their way to trophies and in the process damaged the reputation of owner Sheikh Mansour and chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak. If that proves to be the case, the consequences will be fascinating.

What have they done?
In effect, concealed a number of payments. These were either made to individuals or to inflate sponsorship deals, which allowed the club to meet financial fair play regulations.

They were brought into the public domain by the Football Leaks organisation, who distributed thousands of confidential emails to the German magazine Der Spiegel.

City alleged they had been the victim of an illegal hack by people who had the express intention of damaging their reputation. They also said the emails were being used as the basis for reports which were being taken out of context. That is still their stance.

Is the race for the top four now a race for the top five?
Heading into this weekend's games, Chelsea had a two-point advantage over Sheffield United in the battle for the fourth Champions League place.

It is not entirely clear what will happen if City are excluded but if Uefa decide to retain England's four spots and the team in fifth gets the spare one, a fascinating battle will be in process.

From Sheffield United in fifth to Crystal Palace in 14th, there are just nine points separating 10 teams. From looking to have no chance of getting back into the Champions League, Arsenal will be back in with a shot.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/51511252

 

[MenInG]

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. 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.

https://www.mancity.com/news/club-news/club-news/2020/february/manchester-city-club-statement

 

[Kroll]

I think there's a lot more than meets the eye. There is a reason City are vehemently opposing the decision. Not least of which some people like the president of La Liga who have been vocal critics of City in this regard have ties to UEFA.

Regardless of the fact there is a vendetta or not against City from the other top European clubs, things are up in the air as they stand. What is Pep going to do? There is no hiding from the fact that winning the CL was the main priority for Pep now that he had PL titles under his belt.

What about the big stars? Like Pep, players like KDB may not want to hang around if they can't showcase their skills in Europe's elite competition. City will go hard in defending their stance but its certainly not looking good in these early stages.

 

[MenInG]

Pep Guardiola and Sergio Aguero told Sky Sports of their "dream" of winning the Champions League with Manchester City - just days before City were hit with a two-season ban from European football.

Spoiler

Guardiola had already publicly admitted he would be judged "a failure" at the Etihad if he failed to make the club European champions for the first time.

And talking to Sky Sports ahead of their later-postponed game with West Ham at the start of February, Guardiola opened up on his dreams of lifting the trophy he has already won twice as a manager - although not since 2011.

City face Real Madrid in the last sixteen of this year's Champions League, with the first leg at the Bernabeu on February 26, but the tie will now go ahead against the backdrop of the club's impending suspension for breaching UEFA's Financial Fair Play regulations.

"I want to win the Champions League, I dream," said Guardiola earlier this month. "I will enjoy preparing the games against Madrid, to see what we can do, and this process, the two weeks before will be the happiest moments for me to work out what we can do to get them.

"I know that [the club] want to do it, they tell me, I accept it, I live with that, it's happened, but the important thing is to be proud of the way your team play and try to do your best. We give a bad message for the new generation for our kids, to just count the winner, the trophies.

"But if we don't beat them, can the chairman say it's not good enough, we didn't win the Champions League, I'm going to sack you? Okay, it was a pleasure. I don't know if he'll say that, it's happened many times. He might say we did well, we can improve, and since day one of me arriving here that's what I got from this club.

"I want to improve, of course. I want to try, but I cannot assure you that every season we will win the domestic title, the Champions League - I would love it, but I'm not good enough."

Man City say they are "disappointed but not surprised" by their ban, describing the process as "prejudicial", and will take the case to Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Sergio Aguero's CV is also missing European football's biggest club prize, and City's all-time leading goalscorer told Sky Sports earlier this month it is the trophy he craves most.

Unless City win the competition this year or succeed in having their ban lifted, the Argentine will be almost 35 by the time he gets his next shot at the Champions League with the club.

When asked what he still wanted to achieve in England, Aguero told Sky Sports: "The Champions League. Yes, we've won the Premier League but, always in my mind, I hope to win the Champions League before I leave this club because it's the best trophy in the world.

"[It has been on my mind every year] because the Champions League is so difficult to win, but we will try to do it this year. We play Real Madrid, but I think we've got a good squad and good players."

"Guardiola wouldn't be human [if he wasn't now considering his future]. Most of your initial reaction when your club is apparently under attack is for everyone to batten down the hatches and come together as one. I'm sure his instant reaction will be to want to be a part of Man City and stand with the club.

"It's too early to say what he'll be thinking right now. In the short term, he'll be very unhappy at not being able to compete to win that elusive Champions League for Man City in the next two seasons, should he stay that long.

"From his point of view now, it will be about going as far as he can in the competition this season because it is the biggest trophy they are still competing for, given Liverpool's dominance in the Premier League.

"A lot will depend on the appeal and what City get back from the Court of Arbitration for Sport."

https://www.skysports.com/football/...-champions-league-dream-days-before-expulsion

 

[MenInG]

Manchester City have 10 days to lodge their appeal against being thrown out of the Champions League to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The club were banned on Friday from European club competition for the next two seasons for "serious breaches" of Uefa's financial regulations.

The Premier League champions were also fined 30m euros (£25m).

City said in a statement on Friday that they intended to appeal against Uefa's "prejudicial" decision.

Club sources have also indicated there is no likelihood of City accepting a partial punishment for Financial Fair Play breaches in order to resolve the situation quickly.

In addition to lodging their appeal, City will also need to ask for the ban and fine to be set aside until the appeal is heard, otherwise the punishment will still apply.

The Premier League have not commented on Friday's decision but their Financial Fair Play Rules are known to be broadly similar to Uefa's and City's situation has been the subject of discussion among member clubs recently.

Should the Premier League decide to bring a charge against City, they can ask Uefa for permission to look at the same evidence they have used to reach their own verdict.

If the example of Red Star Belgrade is any guide, the fifth-placed team in the Premier League will benefit should City be excluded from European competition.

Red Star were banned from the 2014-15 Champions League by Uefa for Financial Fair Play breaches.

Although they finished second in the Serbian League behind Red Star, Partizan Belgrade were elevated to the Champions League from the Europa League, with fifth-placed Cukaricki filling the spare Europa League slot as the highest finisher not to have already qualified for European competition.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/51517349

 

[Abdullah]

Hopefully city win it this season, pep and kdb can leave , and city can stick to fingers up to uefa.
What a story that would be

 

[PetroDollars]

this will be peps last try, he cant go back to barca without winning a CL since he last left, that will taint his legacy. He will have to go all out to try and win it.

 

[The_KING]

Hopefully city win it this season, pep and kdb can leave , and city can stick to fingers up to uefa.
What a story that would be

City ain't winning it this season. Lol keep dreaming. They are getting knocked out by Real (a club with actual history in Champions League) in the next round.

 

[IMMY69]

I never liked it when a club gets bought and the new owners pile in hundreds of millions.
For me that’s not what competitive sport is about.

 

[RickyG]

Hopefully city win it this season, pep and kdb can leave , and city can stick to fingers up to uefa.
What a story that would be

With the amount of talent City have accumulated over the last 10 years, it's shocking that they haven't won. If they were to win it now, it wouldn't be a story at all. It's overdue if anything.

Man City (and their fans) feeling victimized by UEFA is getting old as well. The rules are the same for everyone. The funny thing about all of this is that Man City did a terrible job of hiding their crimes too. They could've funneled the money a lot more smartly if they weren't so ignorant.

That being said, by the time FFP rules came into effect City were already an elite club. They had no reason to break the rules to recruit talent or maintain their place. In 2015, Liverpool finished 8th and Man City finished 4th. Since then Liverpool have had a net spend 92m pounds while City have spend 505m pounds.

That goes to tell you, that you really don't need to spend astronomical amounts of money to be successful. I really hope Man City don't win it this year. The club/fans will see it as a victory over UEFA instead of bothering to clean up their house.

 

[RickyG]

this will be peps last try, he cant go back to barca without winning a CL since he last left, that will taint his legacy. He will have to go all out to try and win it.

Pep should really go to Barcelona and if he's smart he will take KDB and Laporte with him.

 

[topspin]

Too excessive for my liking. You would have thought Man City were bribing refs around Europe (like Juve et al did in Serie A), with this punishment handed to them.

BUT

It will be overturned. Man City will pay UEFA off with a behind closed doors settlement.

 

[Abdullah]

City ain't winning it this season. Lol keep dreaming. They are getting knocked out by Real (a club with actual history in Champions League) in the next round.

Lol. Will be a good game. Extra pressure on city
I said hopefully, so I'm not expecting

 

[MenInG]

Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho says Manchester City deserve the "benefit of the doubt" over their two-season ban from European club competition until their appeal is heard.

City were also fined 30m euros (£25m) on Friday for "serious breaches" of Uefa's financial regulations.

City say they will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

"At the end of the process we will see if they are punished or not," Mourinho said.

"Uefa punished them but they have the chance to appeal. Until the appeal finishes I think Manchester City has the benefit of the doubt."

Mourinho's Spurs side climbed up to fifth in the Premier League with a last-minute 3-2 win at Aston Villa on Sunday.

It is not clear whether the team that finishes fifth this season will get a Champions League place if Manchester City's ban is upheld for 2020/21.

"When we speak about fifth, Wolves, Sheffield [United], Manchester United, Arsenal and Everton look to the table and week after week say, 'We can do it' and they can," Mourinho added.

"So it is going to be very hard. We have a big fight and you could see on Saturday, Liverpool was first versus last, and today with Villa fighting to stay in the division how difficult it was."

Mikel Arteta, who was City boss Pep Guardiola's assistant at the Etihad before becoming Arsenal manager, said the situation was "very difficult".

But he added: "I'm not conflicted at all, I want the best or Manchester City, Pep and the players.

"I feel for them because I know they are suffering. The only thing I want for them is positive and good things."

Arsenal are in 10th place, six points behind Tottenham, after their 4-0 win over Newcastle on Sunday.

If the example of Red Star Belgrade is any guide, the fifth-placed team in the Premier League could benefit should City be excluded from European competition.

Red Star were banned from the 2014-15 Champions League by Uefa for Financial Fair Play breaches. Partizan Belgrade, who finished second behind Red Star in the Serbian League, were elevated to the Champions League from the Europa League.

Jose: Will United be given the 2018 title?
The Premier League has not commented on Friday's Uefa decision, but its Financial Fair Play Rules are similar to Uefa's, and City's situation has been a topic of discussion among member clubs.

Should the Premier League decide to bring a charge against City, it can ask Uefa for permission to look at the evidence the European body has used.

Uefa imposed its penalty after City were found to have broken the rules by "overstating its sponsorship revenue in its accounts and in the break-even information submitted to Uefa between 2012 and 2016".

Mourinho joked that that while he had little interest in following City's case, it would be piqued if retrospective action led to Manchester United retrospectively being awarded the 2017-18 Premier League title.

That season, Mourinho's United finished second, 19 points behind their neighbours, with the Portuguese manager previously saying it was "one of my greatest achievements".

"I didn't lose one single minute analysing what Uefa and Fifa have to analyse," Mourinho said.

"If I got into that I have to ask if the team that finished second in 2018 is going to be champions? Yes or no?

"That would be interesting - but jokes apart, I just wait calmly. I don't think about four or five, just do the best we can, [try to get] the most points we can, the best position we can.

"At the end of the season, we will see where we are because maybe we are sixth or seventh and then it doesn't matter if fifth goes to the Champions League."



https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/51525426

 

[MenInG]

"Even if they put us in League Two, I will still be here. This is a time for sticking together." Pep Guardiola has assured his Manchester City players that he remains fully committed to the club.

 

[PetroDollars]

"Even if they put us in League Two, I will still be here. This is a time for sticking together." Pep Guardiola has assured his Manchester City players that he remains fully committed to the club.

Ofcourse he will, he wants to fire them up for the CL before he dumps them, whether he wins or loses, the dumping is certain.

 

[MenInG]

Pep Guardiola has told friends he intends to stay at Manchester City despite the club's two-year ban from the Champions League.

Unless City overturn the ban imposed by Uefa on Friday, they will not compete in European football until 2022 after this season.

Guardiola's contract is due to expire in 2021.

He is expected to speak about the subject for the first time on Wednesday.

His contract does have a break clause at the end of this season and it was anticipated he would activate it should City fail to win their appeal which they will be submitting to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in the next few days.

However, it is understood the 49-year-old has said he will not be doing that and remains committed to the club.

Guardiola is likely to discuss the issue after Wednesday's rearranged Premier League game against West Ham.

In a bizarre situation, neither side has played since the initial game was postponed due to bad weather on 9 February.

As both clubs held pre-match news conferences two days before the game was supposed to be played, they have been told by the Premier League there is no contractual requirement to hold another and it is understood neither side will do so.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/51530260

 

[MenInG]

'Man City allegations are false'

Manchester City's chief executive Ferran Soriano has just said that the allegations against the Premier League club are "false".

In an in-house interview, he said: "The most important thing I have to say today is that the allegations are not true. They are simply not true.

"The fans can be sure of two things. The first one is that the allegations are false. And the second is that we will do everything that can be done to prove so.

"We know the fans are supporting us. We can feel it. MCFC fans have gone through challenges over the decades. This is just another challenge. We will stick together, we will go through it and we will not let the fans down."

https://www.bbc.com/sport/live/football/51556760

 

[MenInG]

Manchester City's "serious breaches" of Uefa's club licensing and financial fair play regulations are "simply not true", says chief executive Ferran Soriano.

On Friday, Premier League champions City were handed a two-year Champions League ban and fined 30m euros (£25m).

The decision is subject to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

"The fans can be sure of two things. The first one is that the allegations are false," said Soriano.

"And the second is that we will do everything that can be done to prove so."

The independent Adjudicatory Chamber of the Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) said it had found City had broken the rules by "overstating its sponsorship revenue in its accounts and in the break-even information submitted to Uefa between 2012 and 2016", adding that the club "failed to cooperate in the investigation".

At the time, City said they were "disappointed but not surprised" by the "prejudicial" decision and would appeal.

In response to the allegations of overstating its sponsorship revenues, Soriano - speaking in a video released by the club - said: "The owner has not put money in this club that has not been properly declared.

"We are a sustainable football club, we are profitable, we don't have debt, our accounts have been scrutinised many times, by auditors, by regulators, by investors and this is perfectly clear."

He added that the club felt they were "considered guilty" on "every step of the way".

"We did cooperate with this process. We delivered a long list of documents and support that we believe is irrefutable evidence that the claims are not true," said the Spaniard.

"It was hard because we did this in the context of information being leaked to the media in the context of feeling that every step of the way, every engagement we had, we felt that we were considered guilty before anything was even discussed.

"At the end, this is an internal process that has been initiated and then prosecuted and then judged by this FFP [financial fair play] chamber at Uefa."

Uefa have declined to respond to Soriano's statement.

Man City hoping for 'early resolution'
Uefa launched an investigation after German newspaper Der Spiegel published leaked documents in November 2018 alleging City had inflated the value of a sponsorship deal, misleading European football's governing body.

Reports alleged City - who have always denied wrongdoing - deliberately misled Uefa so they could meet financial fair play rules requiring clubs to break even.

City, whose chairman is Khaldoon Al Mubarak, were fined £49m in 2014 for a previous breach of regulations.

"We provided the evidence but in the end this FFP Investigatory Chamber relied more on out-of-context stolen emails than all the other evidence we provided of what actually happened and I think it is normal that we feel like we feel," said Soriano.

"Ultimately based on our experience and our perception, this seems to be less about justice and more about politics."

Soriano added the club was hoping for an "early resolution" through a "thorough process and a fair process".

He added: "My best hope is that this will be finished before the beginning of the summer and until then for us, it is business as usual."

Guardiola and players 'focused on football'
City manager Pep Guardiola has told friends he intends to stay at the club despite the European ban, with his contract set to expire in 2021.

His contract does have a break clause at the end of this season and it was anticipated he would activate it should City fail to win their appeal, which they will be submitting to the Court for Arbitration in Sport in the next few days.

However, it is understood the 49-year-old has said he will not be doing that and remains committed to the club.

"Obviously, he has been kept informed about this process but this is not something for him to respond to," said Soriano.

"He is focused on the football, he is focusing on the game, the game at hand, the game today, tomorrow and the next weeks. As well as the players.

"They are calm, they are focused and this matter is more a business matter, a legal matter than a football matter."

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/51562352

 

[MenInG]

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola insists he has no problem with England forward Raheem Sterling discussing the possibility of a move to Real Madrid.

Sterling was quizzed by Spanish outlet AS about joining Real, given City's two-year ban from European competition.

The 25-year-old re-iterated that he was "really happy at City" but admitted: "I am always open to challenges."

Guardiola said his players were "free to say what they think. We're not here to tell them what they have to say".

Sterling has developed into one of City's most influential players since joining from Liverpool in a £49m deal in July 2016.

Asked whether he would one day like to play for La Liga leaders Real, he told AS: "How do I answer that one? Is the camera live or is it just taking pictures?

"No one knows what the future will hold. I am a player and I am always open to challenges but right now my challenge is at City and I'm really happy. I have a contract with City now and I have to respect this.

"Real Madrid are a fantastic club. When you see the white shirt you know exactly what the club stands for, it's massive."

Guardiola said of the interview: "It's normal in the Madrid media to speak about Madrid, that's normal.

"I'm completely sure (of) the commitment of our players, it's about what they've shown for many years, nothing changes.

"At the end of the season nobody knows what is going to happen. With calm we decide what we want, but for the next three months the commitment will be incredible."

'Nobody has helped us outside'
Guardiola claims "nobody has helped us outside" as the club come to terms with the possibility of a two-year exile from European competition.

City were banned and fined 30m euros (£25m) last week for "serious breaches" of Uefa's club licensing and financial fair play regulations.

They have confirmed they will contest the European governing body's decision.

"I repeat, it's not finished," Guardiola told BBC Sport. "It's not over, we appeal and see what happens."

Guardiola confirmed after Wednesday's Premier League victory against West Ham that he would remain at the club regardless of the outcome of the appeal and that the "truth will prevail".

The 49-year-old Spaniard joined City in 2016 after winning seven trophies in three years at Bayern Munich and to date has captured successive Premier League titles, plus the FA Cup and the League Cup twice, with the chance to complete a hat-trick in next month's final against Aston Villa.

Asked on Friday whether a two-year ban for breaching financial fair play regulations would in some way colour judgement of his time at the club, he said: "I cannot change that. I know how hard we work and I'm so proud of what we've done these years together.

"I have a different opinion, nobody has helped us outside, we did an incredible job day by day, game by game and nothing will change the opinion."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/amp/football/51590440?__twitter_impression=true

 

[MenInG]

Manchester City's appeal against a two-year ban from European club competition will begin on 8 June at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas).

The Premier League champions were given the punishment by Uefa in February after being found to have committed "serious breaches" of club licensing and financial fair play regulations.

City have denied the breaches, saying they are "simply not true".

The hearing is listed for three days and is not open to the public.

Cas said "some hearings may be conducted by video conference" because of the travel restrictions in place because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Cas arbitration procedures involve an exchange of written submissions between the parties while a panel of arbitrators is convened to hear the appeal.

The independent adjudicatory chamber of the Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) - Uefa's financial watchdog - said it found City had broken the rules by "overstating its sponsorship revenue in its accounts and in the break-even information submitted to Uefa between 2012 and 2016", adding that the club "failed to cooperate in the investigation".

At the time, City said they were "disappointed but not surprised" by the "prejudicial" decision and would appeal.

Uefa launched an investigation after German newspaper Der Spiegel published leaked documents in November 2018 alleging City had inflated the value of a sponsorship deal, misleading European football's governing body.

Reports alleged City - who have always denied wrongdoing - deliberately misled Uefa so they could meet financial fair play rules requiring clubs to break even.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/52685442

 

[MenInG]

Manchester City are preparing for one of the biggest weeks in the club's history, with their appeal against a two-year ban from European competition starting at the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Monday.

City will miss out on the prestige of playing in the Champions League for the next two seasons and estimated revenues of £200m unless they convince three judges in the three-day video conference hearing that they have not broken UEFA's financial fair play (FFP) rules.
A decision is expected before this season's Champions League is due to restart in August.

The competition was suspended in March with City well-placed to reach the quarter-finals after winning 2-1 at Real Madrid in a last-16 first-leg tie.

In February, UEFA banned City from Europe for the next two seasons and fined them €30m (£26.06m) for "serious breaches" of the FFP rules and for failing to co-operate with the investigation.

In an interview with City's in-house media team, chief executive Ferran Soriano said he was "disappointed but not surprised" by the decision.

"The fans can be sure of two things," he said. "The first one is that the allegations are false. The second is that we will do everything that can be done to prove it."

City were found to have overstated sponsorship revenue and break-even information in accounts submitted to UEFA between 2012 and 2016.

City have hired a group of high-profile lawyers to represent them at the CAS hearing. Their legal team is led by David Pannick QC of Blackstone Chambers and Paul Harris QC of Monckton Chambers.

Lord Pannick successfully represented Gina Miller against the government in September when the Supreme Court decided the Prime Minister Boris Johnson acted illegally by suspending Parliament.

UEFA's lawyers include Dr Jan Kleiner, a partner at Bär & Karrer and co-head of the Swiss firm's sport practice group, and Mark Phillips QC of South Square Chambers.

UEFA opened an investigation into City following the publication of documents on the Football Leaks website and Der Spiegel in November 2018.

The German magazine said City's owners had tried to get around FFP rules by putting money into the club disguised as sponsorship income. One document appeared to show that Etihad Airways was paying only £8m of a £67m sponsorship agreement.

If City's ban is confirmed by CAS, the team who finishes fifth this season - currently Manchester United - will qualify for the Champions League.

In November last year, CAS rejected an attempt by City to have the case dismissed and the ban overturned on procedural grounds.

FFP was introduced by UEFA in 2009 to prevent clubs from falling into serious financial difficulties by overspending. Clubs are required to operate within their means and meet break-even targets, while dealings have to be transparent.

City have been a Champions League club for nine seasons in a row since they qualified for the competition for the first time in 2011/12. They had previously played in the European Cup in 1968.

Missing out on European football would result in a loss of revenue of about £100m a season.

Additionally, transfer targets may be reluctant to join a club who are not in Europe and questions would be asked about the futures of some of City's most valuable players.

City were fined £49m by UEFA in 2014 for breaking FFP rules. £32m of the fine was suspended.

The Premier League said in March last year it was investigating to see if City had broken any of their financial regulations.

https://www.skysports.com/football/...eal-hearing-against-european-ban-set-to-begin

 

[Abdullah719]

CAS release statement as Man City vs UEFA hearing ends

Spoiler

Manchester City are set to find out if their appeal against a two-year ban from European competitions has been successful in the first half of July.

The three-day hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne ended at 3.15pm BST on Wednesday, with the panel of arbitrators now beginning their deliberations.

City were handed a two-season Champions League ban and ordered to pay a €30million fine after being found guilty of breaches of Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations and UEFA Club Licencing rules by the governing body's Club Financial Control Body (CFCB).

That decision was made on February 14 and the Blues immediately made it clear they planned to appeal the decision to CAS. Over the last three days that hearing has taken place virtually as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Witnesses from various countries gave evidence via video conference, with the participants of UEFA and City watching on from Lausanne and London.

With CAS aiming to make a decision in the first half of next month it means City should be aware of their fate before the start of the 2020/21 Champions League campaign.

A CAS spokesman said: "At the end of the hearing, both parties expressed their satisfaction with respect to the conduct of the procedure.

"The Panel of arbitrators in charge of the matter, composed of Mr Rui Botica Santos (Portugal), president, Prof. Ulrich Haas (Germany) and Mr Andrew McDougall QC (France), will start its deliberations and prepare the Arbitral Award containing their decision.

"The decision is expected to be issued during the first half of July 2020."

City have always strongly maintained their innocence against UEFA's charges. Speaking five days after the February 14 judgement, chief executive officer Ferran Soriano said: "Well the most important thing I have to say today is that the allegations are not true. They are simply not true.

"The owner has not put money in this club that has not been properly declared. We are a sustainable football club, we are profitable, we don’t have debt, our accounts have been scrutinized many times, by auditors, by regulators, by investors and this is perfectly clear.

"All we are looking for is a proper adjudication in an independent and impartial body that is going to take the time to look at all the evidence and look at it without preconception. I am also looking for the end of this process maybe to put a pen under this undertone that we are hearing all the time that anything that we do, any result that we get is based only on money and not on talent and effort."

Full CAS statement

The hearing in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) arbitration between Manchester City FC and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) concluded at 4:15pm (CET) today. The hearing, initiated on 8 June 2020 in the morning, was conducted by videoconference, with participants in Lausanne and London, and expert witnesses in various countries, in accordance with the schedule planned. At the end of the hearing, both parties expressed their satisfaction with respect to the conduct of the procedure.

The Panel of arbitrators in charge of the matter, composed of Mr Rui Botica Santos (Portugal), president, Prof. Ulrich Haas (Germany) and Mr Andrew McDougall QC (France), will start its deliberations and prepare the Arbitral Award containing their decision.

The decision is expected to be issued during the first half of July 2020. The exact date will be communicated in advance.

The CAS arbitration concerns an appeal filed by Manchester City FC against the decision of the Adjudicatory Chamber of the UEFA Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) dated 14 February 2020 in which it was deemed to have contravened UEFA’s Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations and sanctioned with exclusion from participation in UEFA club competitions in the next two seasons and ordered to pay a fine of EUR 30 million.

https://www.manchestereveningnews.c...otball-news/man-city-cas-appeal-news-18396936

 

[The Viper]

Manchester City's biggest result of the season will be revealed on Monday, with the club's Champions League place - and reputation - at risk.

At 09:30 BST, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) will announce its verdict from the three-day appeal hearing that took place in June into the "serious breaches" of Uefa's financial regulations City were found guilty of in February.

The best-case scenario for City is that they will be cleared of all charges and their two-year European ban will be overturned. And on Friday, manager Pep Guardiola said he was "so confident" of a successful appeal.

But in the worst-case scenario, Cas will have found City deliberately cheated the system and the suspension will stand, shredding the club's reputation and keeping them out of European competition until 2022-23.

 

[MenInG]

Manchester City have successfully overturned their two-year ban from European club competitions.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) announced the club were cleared of "disguising equity funds as sponsorship contributions".

Uefa issued the ban in February after ruling City had committed "serious breaches" of Financial Fair Play regulations between 2012 and 2016.

City's fine has been cut from 30m euros (£26.9m) to 10m euros.

In delivering the ruling, Cas said City did "fail to cooperate with Uefa authorities" but overturned the decision by Uefa's club financial control body (CFCB) to ban them.

City said the decision was "validation of the club's position and the body of evidence that it was able to present".

"The club wishes to thank the panel members for their diligence and the due process that they administered," City added.

Cas' ruling means City, who are guaranteed to finish second in the Premier League this season, will play in the 2020-21 Champions League.

In this year's competition, Pep Guardiola's side face Real Madrid in their last-16 second leg at Etihad Stadium on 7 August.

They lead 2-1 from the first leg in Madrid and will face Juventus or Lyon in the quarter-finals, which will be held in Lisbon, if they progress.

The Cas statement continued: "The award emphasised that most of the alleged breaches reported by the adjudicatory chamber of the CFCB were either not established or time-barred.

"As the charges with respect to any dishonest concealment of equity funding were clearly more significant violations than obstructing the CFCB's investigations, it was not appropriate to impose a ban on participating in Uefa's club competitions for Manchester City's failure to co-operate with the CFCB's investigations alone."

On reducing the fine, Cas said that, while it considered "the importance of the co-operation of clubs in investigations conducted by the CFCB" and Manchester City's "disregard of such principle and its obstruction of the investigations", the Cas panel "considered it appropriate to reduce Uefa's initial fine by two-thirds".

It added: "The final award with reasons will be published on the Cas website in a few days."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53387306

 

[Firebat]

Expected result, these FFP regulations are a total joke. When a club is backed by an entire country they'll just walk all over UEFA. Money talks.

 

[MenInG]

The credibility of FFP lies in tatters'
Dan Roan, BBC sports editor

Over the last decade, City have been the dominant force in the English game, but few results have been as important as this one.

An upheld two-year ban would have been disastrous for the club's finances, their chances of keeping their best players and, above all, their reputation.

Instead, City can breathe a huge sigh of relief, and the uncertainty instead surrounds Uefa and its financial rules.

The credibility of Financial Fair Play (FFP) lies in tatters. After all, how can FFP survive after one of the world's richest clubs, having been found guilty of obstructing a Uefa investigation, a club that was found to have breached the rules in 2014, walk away with just a 10m euros (£9m) fine?

Many will wonder what kind of deterrent that sets for other clubs, especially clubs with such financial resources. It shows how difficult it has become for governing bodies to enforce the rules.

The language that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) uses is important. Uefa noted that Cas found "insufficient conclusive evidence" to uphold all of its conclusions, not 'no evidence'.

And some allegations were dismissed because they were more than five years old. And, because City were found to have failed to co-operate, this falls short of a full exoneration.

But City are unlikely to care too much about that, and what a story it would be if they can follow this up with a first Champions League success.

'Uefa insiders are taking solace from the small print'
Simon Stone, BBC Sport

European football insiders are adamant City's successful appeal against their two-year European ban does not open the door for "anyone to do what they want".

Whilst City are celebrating the decision by Cas as a total vindication of their decision to fight the punishment, Uefa insiders are taking solace from the small print within the judgement.

They note the so-far unspecified number of time-barred allegations, upon which Cas felt it was not able to offer judgement, has brought an element of vagueness to the outcome.

They also feel Uefa's FFP rules have brought financial solidity to European football. Even City privately say their opposition was not meant to be a challenge to them, or Uefa, but was based solely around a lack of trust in the process by which the case was brought against them.

"Over the last few years, Financial Fair Play has played a significant role in protecting clubs and helping them become financially sustainable, and Uefa and the European Clubs' Association remain committed to its principles," said Uefa in a statement.

La Liga president Javier Tebas remains supportive of the concept, even if his initial reaction to the decision was to attack Cas.

Nevertheless, Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin faces a major dilemma over the regulations.

Uefa has already decided financial statements for 2020 and 2021 will be rolled up into a single accounting period because of the huge impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

It now remains to be seen whether Ceferin decides wholesale changes to FFP are required, or if tweaks to the regulations will be enough.

City can push forward with their plans to end the season by winning the FA Cup and the Champions League, while at the same time formulating manager Pep Guardiola's plans to regain the Premier League title they have lost so comprehensively to Liverpool.

At least one central defender and a left-back are understood to be Pep Guardiola's priorities, and with David Silva retiring and Leroy Sane moving to Bayern Munich, it cannot be ruled out that City will try to bring in an additional attacking player.

man city
'Scrambling around to save face'
Dr Rob Wilson, football finance expert at Sheffield Hallam University

For Uefa, there's going to be a lot of scrambling around now to try and save a bit of face.

City taking the appeal to Cas obviously has meant they've been scrutinised perhaps more than they would have liked to have been, and they'll come out on the defensive now to try and insist that FFP as an idea still has relevance to the whole football industry.

The reality is if City had a two-year ban, they would have been looking at somewhere between £150-200m of lost prize money through the Champions League.

For Uefa, the financial consequences are much lower, of course, but it's what this does now to FFP as a concept across the European football market and whether or not other clubs look to try and use the rules to their advantage to a certain extent.

Uefa has been going after some of these European elite that perhaps had ownership structures that once were not really commonplace in European football at least, and I think Uefa still has a case.

It has still argued that City have done things that it would not really permit under the regulations.

'FFP as a concept works'
Stephen Taylor Heath, JMW sports lawyer

The fact is that the FFP rules clearly serve a useful purpose. Uefa itself has produced statistics to show that in 2011, there was a huge deficit amongst the top European clubs financially as they chased success.

FFP rules are there for financial prudence. An argument is that the better-supported clubs, the most commercially valuable clubs, benefit from the FFP rules because effectively you need to only spend what you earn in terms of commercial revenue, and one of the arguments is that City lagged behind in relation to that commercial revenue.

But clearly, FFP as a concept works and the clubs are in a far better financial position as Uefa has published, and it arguably leads to a more even playing field and greater competition.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/53390886

 

[MenInG]

Klopp "I am happy that City can play in the Champions League but I don't think it was a good day for football yesterday, to be honest."

 

[Firebat]

Jurgen Klopp: Overturning Manchester City's European ban not a good day for football

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes the decision to overturn Manchester City's European ban was not a good day for football and has reiterated his support for Financial Fair Play (FFP), while Jose Mourinho has labelled the situation 'a disaster'.

City were cleared to play in the Champions League next season after their two-year ban from European football was lifted by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Monday.

Klopp believes the decision could work in Liverpool's favour next season with City competing on four fronts, but says the ruling could have a negative impact on football as a whole.

"I am happy that City can play in the Champions League but I don't think it was a good day for football yesterday, to be honest," said Klopp, at his pre-match press conference ahead of Liverpool's trip to Arsenal on Wednesday - live on Sky Sports.

"Just because I think FFP is a good idea. It's there for protecting teams, protecting the competition.

"That was the idea at the start, that nobody overspends and stuff like this. Clubs have to make sure that money they want to spend is based on the right sources."

Klopp added: "I really hope that FFP stays because it gives at least kind of borders that you can go to but not over, which is good for football.

"If you start doing it so that nobody cares anymore, the richest people or countries can do what they want to do and that would make the competition really difficult.

"I think that would automatically lead to a world super league, with like 10 clubs."

https://www.skysports.com/football/...itys-european-ban-not-a-good-day-for-football

 

[Firebat]

Manchester City deserve apology after CAS overturned European ban, says Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola says Manchester City deserve an apology after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) overturned their two-year ban from European competition.

On Monday, CAS removed the suspension UEFA had handed to City - and reduced their initial €30m fine to €10m (£8.96m) - after finding "most of the alleged breaches reported were either not established or time-barred".

UEFA had accused City of breaking their Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules by overstating sponsorship revenue in their accounts and in the break-even information submitted between 2012 and 2016, as well as failing to co-operate with its investigation.

Guardiola believes City have had to put up with "whispering" from other clubs about their conduct off the field, but after CAS's ruling, he says: "We should be apologised [to].

"If we did something wrong, we will accept the decision. But we have the right to defend ourselves when we believe what we have done is correct. Three independent judges said this.

"Yesterday was a good day for football, because we played with the same Financial Fair Play rules as all the clubs in Europe. People said we were cheating and lying, and many times the presumption of innocence was not there.

"This club has tried for all history to do our best on the pitch. What we have done in the last decade is because of what happened on the pitch.

"The elite clubs have to understand we deserve to be here. We want to go on the pitch and compete with them. We deserve to get stronger year by year. We have incredible people working in this club to make our fans proud.

"We don't have to ask permission to be there; we deserve to be there. When we lose I will shake the hand of my opponent and will congratulate them.

"Guys, accept it. If you do not agree, just knock the door of our chairman or CEO and talk. Don't go from behind, whispering, like six, seven, eight, nine clubs do. Go and do it on the pitch. Let's go.

"We invest a lot of money, like a lot of clubs. But we did it on the right things - if not, we would have been banned. And we are not banned, because we followed the rules of Financial Fair Play."

https://www.skysports.com/football/...as-overturned-european-ban-says-pep-guardiola

 

[MenInG]

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is happy to let others debate the lifting of Man City's European ban, insisting his club are focused on playing by the rules.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho have both spoken out after City won an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport against their two-year exclusion from European competition on Monday, which had been imposed by UEFA for alleged Financial Fair Play breaches.

Mourinho branded the CAS decision "a disgrace" and Klopp said it was not "a good day for football", but Solskjaer was more withdrawn when asked about it.

"Other people can debate that and they'll want to, it's not my job," said Solskjaer. "My job is to make sure we focus on the next game and do the right things.

"Financial Fair Play was brought in to keep football clubs financially sustainable and I think that's important. They also give us rules to adhere to, that's what we're focusing on.

"Let other people discuss what's right and wrong and what's happened."

Solskjaer has named the same starting line-up for United's last five Premier League matches - the first time that has happened in 27 years - but the United boss admits there could be "one or two" changes for Thursday's trip to Crystal Palace.

Left backs Luke Shaw (ankle) and Brandon Williams (cut eye) are both doubts, while others may be rested having played four games in 13 days.

although Solskjaer insists the league is his only focus for the time being.

"The team selection for Thursday is based on Thursday, not on Sunday," Solskjaer said. "Sunday is irrelevant, it doesn't come into my head at all.

"There were a couple of doubts before the Southampton game but they all reported fit on the day and hopefully we can give them time now.

"There might be one or two fresh legs coming in."

Southampton ended United's run of four consecutive league wins on Monday, scoring late to draw 2-2 at Old Trafford and keep United one place outside the Champions League qualification spots.

Asked what message he sent to the squad following the draw with Southampton, Solskjaer said: "Keep on doing what we have been doing. Trust yourselves. You're at a club where it always boils down to the last couple of games.

"We have been fantastic since it restarted and had a great run. That little bit of a setback is a test for our mentality."

https://www.skysports.com/football/...t-others-debate-citys-overturned-european-ban

 

[MenInG]

Pep Guardiola says Manchester City gain "satisfaction" from qualifying for next season's Champions League and not from overturning their Uefa ban.

City were given a two-year ban from European club competitions for breaching Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules, which was overturned on appeal.

City hold a 2-1 lead over Real Madrid heading into their Champions League last-16 second leg tie next month.

Boss Guardiola said they were "happy" after showing people "we were clean".

Uefa had issued City's ban in February after ruling the club had committed "serious breaches" of FFP regulations between 2012 and 2016.

But the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) announced the club were cleared of "disguising equity funds as sponsorship contributions".

City's fine was cut from 30m euros (£26.9m) to 10m euros after Cas said they "failed to cooperate with Uefa authorities".

City have already guaranteed a second-place finish behind Premier League champions Liverpool, and host bottom side Norwich in their final league game on Sunday.

"This issue is over," said Spaniard Guardiola. "Uefa accused us of being not fair in our process.

"The rumours will always be there. They were always there in the past. It is not a situation that is now. It happened a long time ago.

"But we are happy because we showed to the world that we were clean and we have done properly what people asked. We know people talk about it. But it doesn't give us any more satisfaction.

"The satisfaction comes from on the pitch because we qualified for the Champions League next season. Liverpool and ourselves have done it.

"The other ones know how difficult qualification is from the Premier League. That is our satisfaction."

City have never been past the semi-finals of the Champions League, while Guardiola last won the competition in 2011 while in charge of Barcelona.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/53539863

 

[MenInG]

Manchester City showed a "blatant disregard" to co-operating with Uefa's investigation into potential Financial Fair Play (FFP) breaches, says the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas).

That is despite Cas overturning City's two-year ban from European competition, which was issued by Uefa in February.

The club's fine was also cut from 30m euros (£26.9m) to 10m euros.

Cas' written findings also say a majority of its panel found the failure to co-operate was a "severe breach".

However they did not find that the lack of co-operation was decisive in the charges of breaching FFP rules being dismissed.

"The panel is of the view that Uefa by no means filed frivolous charges against City but based on the evidence the panel cannot reach the conclusion that disguised funding was paid to City," the report, released on Tuesday, said.

It added: "City's failure to co-operate with the investigation is a severe breach and City are to be seriously reproached."

The documents also reveal that in March 2020 nine Premier League clubs filed an application for intervention to Cas "opposing any possible application by City" to be allowed to play in Europe next season pending an appeal decision. This was before the Cas hearing.

However, as City never made such an application, it was never processed. The nine Premier League clubs who made the application were Arsenal, Burnley, Chelsea, Leicester, Liverpool, Man United, Newcastle, Tottenham and Wolves.

Earlier this month, Cas overturned the two-year ban, saying that most of the alleged breaches of FFP rules were either not established or time-barred.

The club were however punished for failing to cooperate with Uefa's process after failing to provide substantial amounts of evidence until they took the case before Cas.

Uefa began its investigation into City after German newspaper Der Spiegel published leaked documents in November 2018 alleging City had inflated the value of a sponsorship deal, misleading European football's governing body.

Reports alleged City - who have always denied wrongdoing - deliberately misled Uefa so they could meet FFP rules requiring clubs to break even.

In its report, Cas said Uefa maintained the club "on countless occasions refused to answer questions, refused to provide documents, refused to arrange for the attendance of requested persons and - ultimately - it even instructed its own expert witness not to answer specific questions".

However, Cas said it only found two specific requests in which City failed to comply with its duty of co-operation.

The club said it co-operated "in the face of a shifting and still unparticularised case involving allegations of fraud and conspiracy" and the reason Uefa knew about the disputed transactions is because the club cooperated and "explained those transactions in great detail".

The club added it was not required to comply with every demand made of them, just those "proper" and "reasonable" requests that were "relevant" to decision-making.

Uefa said the case represented "the most serious, sophisticated, deliberate and fundamental attempt to circumvent and violate basic financial fair play principles". It said the "attitude of the club" should also be considered, given it gave "demonstrably incorrect information and continues to change its explanations".

It added the "evidence on record is overwhelming" and consists of the Football Leaks Documents and accounting evidence.

However, Cas said the burden of proof lay with the governing body and the majority of its panel found Uefa did not satisfy such burden.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/53571659

 

[Firebat]

Man City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak says club has no grudges with Uefa

Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak says he holds no grudges against Uefa.

European football's governing body gave City a two-year ban from their club competitions in February for "serious breaches" of Financial Fair Play regulations.

That ban was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport last month.

Boss Pep Guardiola said in July City deserved an apology, but Khaldoon said: "Life is too short to carry grudges."

Speaking to club media, he added: "It is one of the most prestigious competitions in the world of sports and it is a competition we want to win and it is a competition we have to respect in order to win.

"And this was a challenge, it's behind us, end of story. I am focused on one thing: how I can help this club compete in this competition and win it and how to have a constructive relationship with Uefa. I think it's the only way to go."

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/53889747

 

[MenInG]

La Liga has stepped up its attack on Manchester City and Paris St-Germain by filing a complaint to Uefa about what it believes to be Financial Fair Play breaches.

La Liga president Javier Tebas has repeatedly attacked the pair, who he describes as 'state clubs', and strongly criticised PSG over the new multi-million pound contract the French club gave star striker Kylian Mbappe in May.

Since then, Premier League City have confirmed the £51.2m signing of Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund.

Real Madrid were interested in signing both players.

"La Liga understands that the irregular financing of these clubs is carried out, either through direct money injections or through sponsorship and other contracts that do not correspond to market conditions or make economic sense," said La Liga.

"La Liga considers that these practices alter the ecosystem and the sustainability of football, harm all European clubs and leagues, and only serve to artificially inflate the market, with money not generated in football itself."

The complaint against PSG was made last week and the one against City in April, although La Liga says it reserves the right to extend these complaints.

Both City and PSG have vigorously defended themselves against Tebas' complaints in the past.

In July 2020, the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned a two-year Champions League ban imposed on City by Uefa for Financial Fair Play breaches.

In April, Uefa approved new financial regulations that included a doubling of the sums clubs could lose over a three-year period from 30m to 60m euros, with some clubs allowed an additional 10m euros if they are in 'good financial health'.

Last month Tebas said La Liga would take legal action against PSG after Mbappe snubbed a move to Real Madrid.

The France international instead renewed his contract with PSG until 2025, and Tebas and La Liga said the contract extension "attacks the economic stability" of European football.

Tebas is due to speak about the issue in depth at a European Leagues meeting in Amsterdam on Thursday.

BBC