England’s champions humbled

++ Club kicked out of Europe for two years ++ City blast ‘flawed’ UEFA decision ++ But they could be docked League points too ++

MANCHESTER CITY were last night banned from the Champions League for the next two seasons for ‘ serious breaches’ of UEFA’s financial fair play regulations.

The move sent shockwaves through football and may now see questions raised over their domestic success. The reigning English champions were found to have circumvented FFP rules between 2012 and 2016 and have been fined £25million. Serious questions may now be asked by the Premier League, with sources suggesting they may impose a points deduction. City won their first title in 2012 and their second in 2014, both within the time period UEFA adjudicated upon.

However, the Premier League may well decide to wait for the outcome of an appeal City have vowed to launch before deciding whether to take action of their own.

Questions may also be raised over the future of manager Pep Guardiola, his players and potential signings. Sportsmail understands that yesterday afternoon club officials contacted Guardiola (left) and his players individually to make them aware of the coming announcement.

City say they will appeal against the decision at the earliest opportunity via the Court of Arbitration for Sport. They accused UEFA of ‘initiating, prosecuting and judging’ the case and say they are not surprised at the outcome.

UEFA launched a probe after documents published in German media suggested the club had falsely inflated sponsorship deals with firms linked to their Abu Dhabi ownership. Last night, UEFA

announced their disciplinary body found City ‘committed serious breaches of FFP regulations by overstating sponsorship revenue in its accounts and in the break-even information submitted to UEFA between 2012 and 2016’. It added that City had failed to cooperate in the investigation.

City said they were ‘disappointed but not surprised’ by the announcement. They added: ‘The club has always anticipated the ultimate need to seek out an independent body and process to impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence in support of its position. In December 2018, the UEFA chief investigator publicly previewed the outcome and sanction he intended to be delivered before any investigation had even begun. ‘The subsequent flawed and consistently leaked UEFA process he oversaw has meant that there was little doubt in the result that he would deliver. ‘With this prejudicial process now over, the club will pursue an impartial judgment as quickly as possible.’