The odds of Manchester City being banned from the Champions League for alleged breaches of Uefa’s Financial Fair Play rules are growing, according to reports.
Report recommendation
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Times reports that Uefa’s financial control body, headed by former Belgium prime minister Yves Leterme, met earlier this month to wrap up its investigation, and are set to recommend a Champions League ban of at least one season.
Uefa will decide in the coming weeks whether to act on the recommendation, but if it does ban the Sky Blues from the Champions League for a season, the punishment would be “unlikely” to come into effect in time for the 2019-20 campaign.
False claims
City would contest any ban, probably taking their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport - and that appeal would take several months.
The Times predicts that City, who have always protested their innocence, “would mount an aggressive response to any effort to bar the club from the Champions League”.
Earlier this year, City issued a statement in response to the investigation, declaring: “The accusation of financial irregularities are entirely false. The club’s published accounts are full and complete and a matter of legal and regulatory record.”
However, the club have previous when it comes to transgressing Uefa’s Financial Fair Play rules. The Guardian reported in 2014 that City were fined £49m and given a transfer cap for breaching spending regulations.
The Times says that this time around, Uefa’s investigators are pressing for a “strong punishment” to show that no club, whatever their size and prestige, is above the law.
Summer spree
Despite the possibility of a ban, the back-to-back Premier League champions are plotting to strengthen their squad over the summer with what the Daily Mail describes as a £200m spree.
Manager Pep Guardiola is particularly keen to sign Atletico Madrid central midfielder Rodri and Ajax captain Matthijs de Ligt, and the Spaniard is also said to be tracking Frankfurt striker Luka Jovic and teenage Benfica sensation Joao Felix.
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
New York court tosses Trump's $500M fraud fineSpeed Read A divided appeals court threw out a hefty penalty against President Trump for fraudulently inflating his wealth
-
Judge: Trump's US attorney in NJ serving unlawfullySpeed Read The appointment of Trump's former personal defense lawyer, Alina Habba, as acting US attorney in New Jersey was ruled 'unlawful'
-
Crisis? What crisis? How Lionesses made the Euros final against the oddsAmid injuries and questions about form, England's women are one step away from glory
-
How do new stadiums affect football clubs?In the Spotlight Everton's decision to move its men's team out of Goodison Park could be a catalyst for vital change, but there are cautionary tales too
-
Liverpool's Anfield redemption: how did they do it?Talking Point Arne Slot's blueprint and standout player performances guide the Reds to record 20th league title
-
Where are all the English football managers?Talking Point Eddie Howe's Carabao Cup success underlines absence of homegrown coaching talent in the Premier League
-
New Trafford: can it fix Manchester United's footballing problems?Talking Point Plan for £2 billion stadium despite staff job losses and lack of success on the pitch
-
The 'Swiss model' shaking up the Champions LeagueIn the Spotlight Uefa says the new format offers 'greater excitement' but critics say boredom is guaranteed
-
The wit and wisdom of Sven-Göran ErikssonIn Depth The first foreign coach to manage England on football, life and death
-
The Premier League's spending cap: levelling the playing field?Talking Point Top clubs oppose plans to link spending to income of lowest-earning club, but rule could prevent success gap from widening
