UEFA has banned Manchester City from the Champions League in 2020-21 and 2021-22 for “serious breaches” related to Financial Fair Play regulations.
Besides the ban the team has also been fined 30 million euros ($33 million).
The Manchester City officials announced that they will appeal about the ban with the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The club has since answered with their own statement, stating they’re “disappointed but not surprised by today’s announcement”.
The statement reads: “The Adjudicatory Chamber, having considered all the evidence, has found that Manchester City Football Club committed serious breaches of the UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations by overstating its sponsorship revenue in its accounts and in the break-even information submitted to UEFA between 2012 and 2016. The Adjudicatory Chamber has also found that in breach of the regulations the Club failed to cooperate in the investigation of this case by the CFCB.”
“The Adjudicatory Chamber has imposed disciplinary measures on Manchester City Football Club directing that it shall be excluded from participation in UEFA club competitions in the next two seasons (ie. the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons) and pay a fine of € 30 million.”
Manchester City goes on to claim that UEFA were biased in their judgment, as the case was “initiated by UEFA, prosecuted by UEFA and judged by UEFA.”
