Manchester City can still play European football for the next two years. The club has successfully appealed against the UEFA penalty to the international sports tribunal CAS.
The CAS made its judgment (pdf) announced Monday morning, after three session days in June. According to the highest sports tribunal, City has not violated the Financial Fair Play rules, which prohibit a club from spending more money than it enters.
UEFA punished City in February because the six-time national champion allegedly misinformed the European Football Association between 2012 and 2016 about its sponsorship income and budget. According to the CAS, there is not enough evidence for this. In addition, many of the offenses are barred under UEFA rules because they occurred more than five years ago.
The sports tribunal does think that City has not cooperated sufficiently with the UEFA investigation. The club must therefore pay a fine of 10 million euros. That is significantly lower than the fine imposed by the European Football Association (EUR 30 million).
“We still need to look at the full judgment of the CAS with our legal advisers, but Manchester City is pleased that today’s ruling confirms our position and the evidence we have presented,” City said in a statement.
UEFA emphasizes in its own statement that “the Financial Fair Play rules have played an important role in protecting clubs in recent years. UEFA remains committed to these rules.”
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Manchester City-manager Josep Guardiola. (Foto: Getty Images)
City found UEFA trial biased
The UEFA investigation started at the end of 2018 in response to reports in the German weekly The mirror, which concluded from leaked emails and documents that City disregarded the Financial Fair Play rules.
According to City, the evidence published on whistleblower website Football Leaks had been obtained unlawfully. A hacker, who is under house arrest in Portugal, distributed the documents.
The club also found that the UEFA trial was “biased” because the union is “prosecutor, lawyer and judge in the case”. City therefore went to the CAS and that agency agreed with the club.
The ‘Citizens’, who will finish second in the Premier League, would have missed tens of millions of euros in prize money and television revenues with a European exclusion of two seasons. Moreover, without Champions League football, it would have been more difficult to retain and reach top players.
Manchester City is also in the Champions League this season. The English won 1-2 from Real Madrid in the first game in the eighth finals.
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