NOW PEP FOR THE
Guardiola will grab chance to pocket more big prizes
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MANCHESTER CITY have enjoyed some remarkable success on the pitch in recent times – but winning their battle with UEFA could prove the biggest victory in the club’s history.
Succeeding in their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against a twoyear European ban imposed on them in February is a sliding doors moment for the billionaire-backed club.
City will feel the decision proves they didn’t break the rules in order to put their brilliant squad together.
Rival clubs may beg to differ and see it as a case of City getting off on a technicality.
But the fact remains City can compete at the top table of Europe next season – and might even be in the position of being able to defend the Champions League title should they go on to win it in Lisbon in August.
And the implications of this ruling by CAS for City owner Sheikh Mansour go much further than that.
The footballing project he has spent billions building in Manchester would have been in serious danger of crumbling should City have been thrown out of Europe until 2022. City would have faced a losing battle when it came to persuading the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva to hang around until the ban had been served.
This trio of top talent needs to be showcasing their skills on the biggest club stage of all – and now they can continue to do just that at City.
And what of boss Pep Guardiola? City chairman Khaldoon Al-mubarak (inset, right) fulfilled his lifelong dream when he appointed the Spaniard as manager in 2016 – and the rewards have been huge.
Under Guardiola, City have gone on to win eight major trophies in this time, including a domestic treble last season, to establish themselves as the powerhouse of English football.
But doubts about how long Guardiola will remain at City have refused to disappear – and the feeling was that a European ban would see him hand back the keys to the castle.
Now Guardiola has got the green light to hang around longer, sign a contract extension and embark on another huge spending spree as he looks to rebuild his team in a bid to overhaul title winners