Man.City banned from European club competitions

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Man.City banned from European club competitions
Manchester City have been banned from European club competition in 2020/21 and 2021/22 after being found to have committed "serious breaches" of Uefa's club licensing and financial fair play regulations.

The reigning Premier League champions have also been fined 30m euros (£25m).

The decision is subject to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Manchester City say they are "disappointed however, not surprised" by the "prejudicial" decision and can appeal.

The independent Adjudicatory Chamber of the Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) said City had broken the rules by "overstating its sponsorship revenue in its accounts and in the break-even information submitted to Uefa between 2012 and 2016", adding that the club "didn't cooperate in the investigation".

A reaction to Manchester City's ban from European club competitions
Manchester City said in a statement: "The club has always anticipated the ultimate need to look for an unbiased body and process to impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence to get its position.

"In December 2018, the Uefa chief investigator publicly previewed the results and sanction he designed to be sent to Manchester City, before any investigation had even begun.

"The next flawed and regularly leaked Uefa process he oversaw has meant that there is little doubt in the result that he would deliver. The club has formally complained to the Uefa disciplinary body, a complaint that 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 fast as possible and will therefore, in the first instance, commence proceedings with the Court of Arbitration for Sport at the initial opportunity."
City have been drawn to face Real Madrid within the last 16 of the season's Champions League, with the first leg to be played on 26 February at the Bernabeu.

What are City alleged to have done?
Uefa launched a study after German newspaper Der Spiegel published leaked documents in November 2018 alleging City had inflated the worthiness of a sponsorship deal, misleading European football's governing body.

Reports alleged City - who've always denied wrongdoing - deliberately misled Uefa so they could meet FFP rules requiring clubs to break even.

City were fined £49m in 2014 for a previous breach of regulations.

What exactly are the FFP rules?
Financial Fair Play was introduced by Uefa to avoid clubs in its competitions from spending beyond their means and stamp out what its then president Michel Platini called "financial doping" within football.

Under the rules, financial losses are limited and clubs are also obliged to meet up almost all their transfer and employee payment commitments at all times.

Clubs need to balance football-related expenditure - transfers and wages - with tv set and ticket income, plus revenues raised by their commercial departments. Money spent on stadiums, training facilities, youth development or community projects is exempt.

The CFCB, create by Uefa, gets the ultimate sanction of banning clubs from Uefa competitions, with other potential punishments including warnings, fines, withholding prize money, transfer bans, points deductions, a ban on registration of new players and a restriction on the amount of players who could be registered for Uefa competitions.
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