UEFA explore best way to tackle City

THE latest exposure of alleged financial doping at Manchester City has left UEFA officials ‘shocked’, with their lawyers examining if action can be taken against the English champions. Revelations this week by German magazine Der Spiegel, based on documents seized by hackers Football Leaks, have stunned the regulators of Europe’s Financial Fair Play rules. FIFA president Gianni Infantino said he expected UEFA to take action if new evidence surfaced and sanctions against City are looking increasingly likely. Potential punishments include a Champions League ban. The main concern for UEFA’s legal team is how the documents were obtained. If they were seized illegally, that could lead to a battle with City’s lawyers. But every club is subjected to an annual ‘break-even assessment’ and sources at UEFA think that could be where City run into difficulty with FFP regulations, given the sponsorship deals allegedly financed by owner Sheik Mansour still exist. In 2011, City announced a £400million stadium and shirt sponsorship deal with Etihad Airways which was scheduled to run for 10 years. At the time, it was suggested ‘the numbers just don’t stack up’. Now, Der Spiegel alleges, Mansour is paying the vast majority of it himself. Yesterday, Der Spiegel claimed City tried to hide the cost of former manager Roberto Mancini’s salary. The current Italy coach allegedly signed two deals on the same day, one as an adviser to the Sheik Mansourowned Al Jazira Sports and Cultural Club for £1.75m, another for City for £1.45m plus bonuses.