Why have Man City been banned from the Champions League for 2 seasons? The ban extends to all other UEFA competitions.
Manchester City, the reigning English champions, have just been banned from the Champions League for 2 seasons by the UEFA. The club have also been fined €30 million in a remarkable ruling. City will therefore play no part in the 2020/21 and 2021/22 editions of the European competition.
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This is bad news for the club who have spent a fortune in pursuit of the prize that they have never won before. However, it is this very spending that has got the club in the position they find themselves in right now.
Why have Man City been banned from the Champions League for 2 seasons?
Manchester City were found guilty of ‘serious breaches’ of the UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play regulations, as well as failing to cooperate in the investigation by the Adjudicatory Chamber of the Club Financial Control Body (CFCB).
Uefa’s Club Financial Control Body found City guilty of falsely inflating sponsorship revenues when submitting evidence for the FFP compliance process. The investigation was started following ‘leaked’ emails and documents by German magazine Der Spiegel in November 2018.
“Following a hearing held on 22 January 2020 the Adjudicatory Chamber of the UEFA Club Financial Control Body (CFCB), chaired by José da Cunha Rodrigues, has today notified Manchester City Football Club of the final decision on the case which was referred by the CFCB Chief Investigator,” UEFA said in a statement.
“The Adjudicatory Chamber, having considered all the evidence, has found that Manchester City Football Club committed serious breaches of the UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations by overstating its sponsorship revenue in its accounts and in the break-even information submitted to UEFA between 2012 and 2016.
“The Adjudicatory Chamber has also found that in breach of the regulations the Club failed to cooperate in the investigation of this case by the CFCB.
“The Adjudicatory Chamber has imposed disciplinary measures on Manchester City Football Club directing that it shall be excluded from participation in UEFA club competitions in the next two seasons (ie. the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons) and pay a fine of € 30 million.”
Man City responds
Manchester City have since responded to the punishment by denying any wrongdoing and confirmed that they would appeal the ban.
City said in a statement on their website: “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.”
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