City face possible Champions League ban

Uefa’s chief financial investigator has confirmed that Manchester City could face a Champions League ban over the alleged £60m (R1,1bn) payments deception revealed during the Football Leaks scandal.

Telegraph Sport first disclosed in December how European football’s governing body was considering a suspension against the Premier League champions over potential breaches in financial fair play rules.

Uefa’s Club Financial Control Body chair and chief investigator Yves Leterme has now gone on record to confirm that City face “the heaviest punishment” are proven.

Senior Uefa officials – who previously launched sanctions against City in 2014 – are particularly enraged by leaked files from 2015, which claim almost £60m was paid directly into the club by their billionaire Arab owners, but declared as sponsorship.

“If it is true what has been written, there might be a serious problem,” he said in an interview in Der Spiegel, which initially broke the Football Leaks scandal.

“This can lead to the heaviest if the allegations punishment: exclusion from Uefa competitions.”

The documents, allegedly obtained by illegal e-mail hacks, were previously said to show £59.5m that was supposed to have come from City’s principal sponsor, Etihad Airways, was paid directly to the club by the Abu Dhabi United Group.

However, City have claimed “the attempt to damage the club’s reputation is organised and clear” and said they “will not be providing any comment on out-of-context materials purportedly hacked or stolen”. –