UEFA could ban Manchester City from 2019-20 Champions League over FFP

UEFA president Alexander Ceferin said - findings are expected "very soon" after Manchester City were accused of financial impropriety.

Published : Dec 04, 2018 16:27 IST

Manchester City's Etihad Stadium
Manchester City's Etihad Stadium
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Manchester City's Etihad Stadium

Manchester City could potentially be banned from next season's Champions League due to alleged Financial Fair Play (FFP) breaches, with UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin saying that an investigation could conclude "very soon".

German magazine Der Spiegel made a number of claims against City, last month, in a series of articles based on documents purportedly attained from whistleblowers 'Football Leaks'.

Der Spiegel's reporting accused Sheikh Mansour's City regime of topping up multi-million pound sponsorship deals with Abu Dhabi companies, using its owner's fortune, in order to meet UEFA's FFP stipulations.

Further allegations claimed that City was cut a favourable FFP settlement, when it was punished for overspending by UEFA in 2014.

The Premier League champion dismissed the stories and said "the attempt to damage the club's reputation is organised and clear".

Soon after, UEFA said that it could re-open investigations, should more information become available to it.

Ceferin referred City's case as "concrete" this week, with findings expected in the near future, after media reports suggested a Champions League ban to be a possibility for the team.

"We are assessing the situation," he told reporters in Dublin. "We have an independent body working on it. Very soon you will have an answer on what will happen in this concrete case."

FIFA president Gianni Infantino was UEFA general secretary at the time of City's 2014 FFP settlement and defended the agreements reached with it and Ligue1 giant Paris Saint-Germain.

"Our goal at UEFA was always to keep the clubs with us, not to kick them out, so you negotiate and seek solutions. That was my job as general secretary," he told Swiss publication Blick, last month.

"The fact is, in the history of FFP, 30 violations have been detected. With all but one club there were agreements - agreements and negotiations are expressly allowed."

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