- UEFA bans Manchester City from Champions League for the next two seasons
- They were also fined a massive €30 million fine.
- UEFA accuses Manchester City of inflating their revenue to mislead the governing body
The football governing body in Europe, UEFA, has banned Manchester City, from playing in two consecutive Champions League seasons. In addition to the ban, they will have to pay a fine of €30 million.
This is coming after the UEFA found them guilty of breaking Financial Fair Play Rules.
UEFA accuses the English top-flight club of increasing their sponsorship revenues when rendering accounts as part of the FFP compliance process hence deceiving UEFA
Man City banned from Champions League for next TWO seasons & fined €30m for “serious breaches” of financial rules by “overstating sponsorship revenue in its accounts submitted to UEFA between 2012 and 2016 & “failed to cooperate in the investigation” pic.twitter.com/IDhG9Eq9KI
— Dan Roan (@danroan) February 14, 2020
On Friday, February 14th 2020, UEFA revealed that City’s owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the Abu Dhabi ruling family funds a vast percentage of Man City’s sponsorship from his own purse.
According to UEFA, Sheikh Mansour has been providing financial assistance right from City shirt, stadium to the club’s academy which contradicts FFP rules.
As a result of the ban, Manchester City will not take part in any of UEFA’s elite competitions for the next two seasons.
Reacting to the aforementioned development, the club has released an official statement. It said:
“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.“
“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.”