This is why Manchester City might struggle for the next few years!

UEFA have banned Manchester City from participating in European competitions including the Champions League and Europa League for two seasons. 

The result is the outcome of a UEFA investigation on serious Financial Fair Play breaches that the club committed between 2012-2016.

In a strongly worded statement, the Adjudicatory Chamber of UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body(CFCB) said that they had decided to ban City from participating in any UEFA competition for a period of two seasons and also fine them €30 million for failing to cooperate with the investigation.

The FFP breaches pertain to the overstating of sponsorship revenue in the club’s accounts and the break-even information that they submitted between 2012-2016. 

Simply put, UEFA laws state that no club can spend more money than what they make, which Man City did and later tried to cover up when submitting their account statements to UEFA.

City soon released a formal statement on their website, stating that while they were disappointed at the judgement, they were not surprised by it. 

“In December 2018, the UEFA Chief Investigator publicly previewed the outcome and sanction he intended to be delivered to Manchester City, 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. 

The Club has formally complained to the UEFA Disciplinary body, a complaint which was validated by a CAS ruling.  

Simply put, this is a case initiated by UEFA, prosecuted by UEFA and judged by UEFA. With this prejudicial process now over, the Club will pursue an impartial judgment as quickly as possible.

They will therefore, in the first instance, commence proceedings with the Court of Arbitration for Sport at the earliest opportunity. “

As the CAS have the final say on all sporting matters, any ruling they give will have to be upheld by both UEFA and City. 

But while the appeal process could take a few months, in the short term the ruling could still have huge ramifications for City.

Pep Guardiola’s contract runs out in the summer of 2021 and he may choose to leave the club before it expires. 

Pep has previously stated his desire to win the UCL trophy again for the third time and if he believes City won’t be allowed to compete, he might not stay beyond this season.

The ban may also impediment City’s summer transfer targets as the best players will want to play in the Champions League. It is unlikely they would join the Sky Blues if they can’t compete in the UCL. 

City’s current stars may also think about leaving the club and moving elsewhere if they feel that they need to play in the UCL regularly.

Financially, failure to participate in the Champions League could cost City upwards of €200 million. They made €100 million from the tournament last year, so it is likely that their spending prowess over the next two seasons could be curtailed.

However, the Citizens still remain in this years competition, with a last-16 tie with Real Madrid yet to come. 

With the Premier League trophy out of their reach, Guardiola might decide to put all his eggs into one basket and go all out to try and win the UCL with his players, as it might be the last time for a while that City might get a chance to do so.

Featured Image credits: NDTV Sports