...but City are facing a transfer ban
MANCHESTER CITY could be hit with a two-window transfer ban that would stop Pep Guardiola bolstering his title-winning squad this summer. A verdict on the case involving City’s signing of Argentinian teenager Benjamin Garre is expected this week, according to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Guardiola wants to add to his squad but there is serious concern the court will decide City breached transfer rules.
MANCHESTER CITY are sweating on a court ruling that could leave them with a transfer ban which stops Pep Guardiola building on his side’s Premier League title success.
A spokesman for the Court of Arbitration for Sport said yesterday that a verdict on the case involving their controversial signing of Benjamin Garre was expected in the next seven days.
Guardiola is looking to add two or three more players to his squad in a bid to create what Vincent Kompany termed a ‘dynasty’ after Manchester United’s defeat by West Bromwich Albion handed City the championship on Sunday.
But there is serious concern that CAS will rule in favour of Velez Sarsfield, the Argentine club who claim City acted unethically by contacting Garre when he was 15 and then committed a breach of transfer rules by signing the winger only days after his 16th birthday.
If City do lose the case, they face the prospect of a two-window transfer ban that could prevent them from registering players this summer and in January 2019.
That said, they would have the right to a technical appeal that could further delay the process and allow Guardiola to stockpile players this summer.
It is anticipated he will look to spend a further £100million on a defensive midfielder, an attacking midfielder and possibly another centre half in an attempt to build a squad robust enough to deal with the demands of the Champions League as well as the Premier League.
Of some encouragement to City is that FIFA ratified the transfer and upheld City’s argument that their capture of Garre, who is now playing in their Under 23 side, was not a breach of the regulations because he holds an Italian passport. City insist they acted within the rules.
Velez, however, claim that FIFA rules only allow players under 18 to move between clubs in Europe and do not include South America. To complicate matters, Velez have also taken FIFA to CAS because the governing body rejected their original complaint in September 2016.
That is why a court case that was heard in July last year, with a verdict due by the end of September, has been delayed. Yesterday, however, a spokesman suggested a verdict would have been issued but for CAS having to first deal with the Commonwealth Games in Australia.
In similar cases, major European clubs have received heavy sanctions. Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid have all been subjected to transfer bans in recent years after being found guilty of breaching rules concerning the signing of international players under 18.
City declined to comment last night.