City on attack as UEFA eye a one-year ban
MANCHeSTeR CITY launched a stinging attack on UefA after european football’s governing body announced that their investigation into alleged breaches of financial fair Play rules had been referred to adjudicators to determine a sanction.
The english champions are bracing themselves for a seasonlong Champions League ban for the 2020-21 campaign, but they are not going down without a fight.
Last month they submitted a detailed defence of more than 100 pages and they responded to UefA’s announcement yesterday morning by once again questioning the integrity of the process.
City intend to launch an appeal to any punishment, with the case likely to end at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and in their statement the club said they were ‘confident of a positive outcome when the matter is considered by an independent judicial body’.
They said: ‘The decision contains mistakes, misinterpretations and confusions fundamentally borne out of a basic lack of due process and there remain significant unresolved matters raised by Manchester City fC as part of what the club has found to be a wholly unsatisfactory, curtailed and hostile process.’
City said they are ‘disappointed, but regrettably not surprised’, by the sudden announcement of the referral made by chief investigator Yves Leterme. They added: ‘The leaks to media over the last week are indicative of the process that has been overseen by Mr Leterme.
‘ The accusation of financial irregularities remains entirely false and ignores a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence provided by Manchester City fC.’
While the timing of UefA’s announcement might seem harsh, just two days before Pep Guardiola’s side bid for an unprecedented domestic Treble by adding the fA Cup to their Premier League and League Cup triumphs, there is a reason why it had to be yesterday.
It is five years to the day of the settlement agreement of May 2014, when City received a fine that was eventually reduced to £17million for ffP breaches, and limitations would have been in place on evidence dating back that far.
That, however, has led City to think the decision has been rushed through.
City have been facing a Champions League ban since revelations by football Leaks were published by German magazine, Der Speigel, last year, including the allegation that they falsely declared millions in sponsorship deals when the money had in fact come from the club’s owners in Abu Dhabi.
In their statement, UefA said: ‘The club financial control body (CfCB) chief investigator has today decided to refer Manchester City fC to the CfCB adjudicatory chamber. The investigatory chamber had opened an investigation into Manchester City fC on March 7, 2019, for potential breaches of financial fair Play regulations that were made public in various media outlets.’