Advertisement

Report: Manchester City will not be banned from Champions League in Financial Fair Play case

Manchester City will reportedly not be banned from the Champions League over Financial Fair Play violations. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
Manchester City will reportedly not be banned from the Champions League over Financial Fair Play violations. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Manchester City will be allowed to continue to participate in the Champions League after all. The English giants will not be banned for Financial Fair Play violations, according to The Athletic.

Manchester City will reportedly face a fine once the result of that investigation is announced in December.

Last November, German magazine Der Spiegel published leaked documents showing Manchester City attempted to circumvent the FFP rules by moving money around to make it appear the club was bringing in more cash. Under the guidelines of UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, clubs can only spend as much as they earn. By fudging the numbers, Manchester City was able to spend more on players.

In May, UEFA was reportedly seeking to have Manchester City banned from the Champions League due to those violations.

City may have avoided a ban because UEFA didn’t want a lengthy fight with the club, according to The Athletic.

But The Athletic understands that senior figures within European football’s governing body are worried that going after City will lead to years of expensive arguments, which will be hard to justify when it is clear City are not the only side looking for FFP loopholes.

Since the landmark rulings against City and fellow “nouveau-riche” club Paris Saint-Germain in 2014, UEFA has found it increasingly difficult to prosecute clubs for breaking the spending rules. The governing body has also admitted the regulations have achieved their original stated objective of reducing the levels of debt within the game.

Manchester City has used its immense financial backing to win the Premier League four times in the last eight years, and completed the first ever English domestic triple last campaign.

———

Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik

More from Yahoo Sports: