Man City to learn fate of Champions League ban appeal

Manchester City’s Abu-Dhabi project and the future of Uefa’s financial fair play (FFP) rules face a pivotal day today, when the Court of Arbitration for Sport delivers its verdict on City’s appeal against a two-season ban from European competitions.

The stakes could not be higher for the English side, who have always strongly denied any wrongdoing over allegations they deliberately inflated the value of income from sponsors with links to the Abu Dhabi United Group, also owned by City owner Sheikh Mansour, to avoid falling foul of FFP regulations between 2012 and 2016.

In February, Uefa imposed a fine of €30m (R568.4m) on City as well as suspending them from European competitions for the next two seasons.

Since Sheikh Mansour’s takeover 12 years ago, City’s fortunes have been transformed from perennially living in the shadow of local rivals Manchester United to winning four Premier League titles in the past eight years among 11 major trophies.

Yet the prize that has eluded them is the one the Abu Dhabi project most desires, the Champions League.

No matter the outcome today, City will have the chance to do so in August as they resume their Champions League campaign with a 2-1 lead over Real Madrid from the first leg of their last 16 tie.

That could be the last chance for some of City’s biggest names to win the Champions League for the club as a two-year ban would have severe consequences for its finances.

City made €93m (R1.76bn) from Uefa prize money and TV rights from last season’s Champions League, with gate receipts and extra sponsorship revenue from Europe’s premier club competition added to that tally.

It would be almost impossible for the club to lose that level of revenue for two years and remain FFP-compliant without cutting costs on transfer fees and wages, or selling players.

Even more painfully for City, Manchester United could be one of the major beneficiaries of their exclusion.

If City are banned, Manchester’s fifth place will be good enough to qualify for the Champions League.

Losing such a high-profile case would also cause embarrassment to the legacy of the City project. It is no secret that one of the major motivations behind the billions invested is to promote a positive image of Abu Dhabi around the world.

That image will for some be forever tarnished if City are found not only to have flouted FFP, but deliberately misled Uefa in doing so. —