Manchester City’s Two-year Champions League Ban Overturned

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has overturned Manchester City’s two-year Champions League ban, imposing a €10 million fine for breaches of Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations.

UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body’s (CFCB) Adjudicatory Chamber recommended a two-year Champions League ban for the club, as well as a fine of €30 million. But while the CAS ruled that Manchester City did breach FFP regulations, it has reduced the sanction the club will face on the basis that the most serious allegations against the club were ‘either not established or time-barred’ – coming more than five years before the investigation took place.

Imposing the sanction, a CAS statement said: “The CAS award emphasized 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 MCFC’s failure to cooperate with the CFCB’s investigations alone.”

Welcoming the ruling, a Manchester City statement said: “Whilst Manchester City and its legal advisors are yet to review the full ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the club welcomes the implications of today’s ruling as a 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.”