THE KEY QUESTIONS ANSWERED
What have Manchester City been found guilty of?
City were found to have committed ‘serious breaches’ of the Financial Fair Play regulations by misleading UEFA over sponsorship revenues between 2012 and 2016 and failing to cooperate with the investigation. UEFA found there was a breach of trust under FFP rules which were introduced to encourage clubs not to overspend. Sponsorship by companies connected to owners are allowed if they are ‘fair value’. In City’s case, the value of Etihad’s deal was put at £67.5million but leaked emails showed only £8m of that was funded directly by Etihad, with the rest from owner Sheik Mansour’s holding company.
What is the punishment?
A two-year Champions League ban and £25m fine.
How much will they lose by not being in the Champions League?
Just qualifying for the competition brings in around £150m.
Who judged City?
The UEFA club financial control body, which is made up of the investigatory and the adjudicatory chambers. The investigatory panel, led by Yves Leterme (above), a former prime minister of Belgium, passed on the findings to the chair of the adjudicatory panel, Portuguese former prosecutor Jose Narciso da Cunha Rodrigues. The other members of the adjudicatory panel were: Christiaan Timmermans (a Dutch law professor), Louis Peila (Swiss judge), Adam Giersz (Poland’s former sports minister), and Charles Flint QC (president of the UK’s anti-doping panel).
What happens next?
City have 10 days from Friday’s judgment to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, who will have to find a date before next season. CAS’s decision will be binding.
Are the Premier League likely to get involved?
They already are. The PL announced in March 2019 that they were launching their own investigation. As well as the sponsorship situation, they are looking at issues surrounding academy recruitment of players and allegations of third-party ownership and investment in players. There is no indication when the PL will reveal their findings. City insist they have done nothing wrong.
What could happen to City?
If found guilty, they face further financial sanctions as well as a potential points deduction. Such a punishment could even rob them of their 2013-14 title.