Rivals left unsure over final Champions League qualifying place
City’s appeal to leave clubs facing wait on extra spot May decision vital to plan spending, says executive
Premier League clubs fear becoming “collateral damage” with the domestic season likely to end in chaos while Manchester City wage war on Uefa over their Champions League ban.
The disgraced league champions are set to launch an appeal within days against the two-year punishment at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but the chances of that case concluding to the acceptance of both parties prior to the end of the season are slim, experts believe. And that means the Premier League season will finish with the team in fifth – currently Sheffield United – unsure whether they will be playing in the Champions League next season.
Uefa is privately adamant that any sanctions will come into immediate effect whatever CAS decides, and regardless of any appeal. A conclusion should be reached by August, when the first round proper draw takes place, a governing body source said.
However, such a promise is unsatisfactory for rival English top tier clubs, with one executive saying: “It leaves us in a grey area – it’s of little comfort for us that we could become collateral damage in this.”
The top-10 club executive, speaking to The Sunday Telegraph on condition of anonymity, said the extra Champions League spot for whoever finishes fifth would be welcomed overall, but the high stakes meant City’s fate must be concrete by the end of May.
“Should we finish fifth, every penny of that potential £40million extra revenue, would be spent on players to equip ourselves for Champions League football,” he said. “We absolutely need to know what is going on by May.”
City, however, may be in no rush for a hasty verdict. With one dressingroom source describing the club as on a “cliff edge”, their lawyers will be charged with supporting the club in their fight not only to mend their reputation, but also help keep hold of the likes of Pep Guardiola, Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne.
Previous European ban appeals have been fast-tracked by CAS to conclude prior to the first round, but the court is said to have a particularly heavy worksponsorship
load. Also, the Turkish and Italian clubs who have previously had their cases rushed through do not match the legal might of City’s lawyers.
The governing body’s Club Financial Control Body’s adjudicatory chamber had been considering its sentence since May following a long-running investigation into an alleged £60million deception. Uefa said the punishment was based on “serious breaches of the Uefa Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations by overstating its revenue in its accounts and in the break-even information submitted to Uefa between 2012 and 2016”.
City vowed to appeal, denying any wrongdoing. The club have consistently insisted they were “entirely confident” the ban could be overturned.
City are understood to be approaching the situation with a “clear, calm head”, according to senior sources, and have been laying the groundwork for months in the event of a ban.
Should CAS’s eventual findings be
rejected by the club, they will almost certainly pursue the case at the Swiss Federal Tribunal, and maybe the European courts. Uefa says any subsequent court case would be on legal rather than sporting grounds, but experts are not so sure.
“It’s absolutely essential that CAS make a ruling as soon as possible,” Kieran Maguire, a football finance expert at Liverpool University. “Whoever finishes fifth will make their budgetary transfer on the basis of playing the
Champions League. They need to go out in the market and pay bonuses and benefits all on the basis that they will be competing in July only to then find that City will be OK. It could be an absolute disaster area. It absolutely has to be resolved as soon as possible.”
The Telegraph understands the Premier League, which is investigating City’s conduct independently, is likely to deliver its findings only after the Uefa ban appeal process has been finalised.