CAS to hear City's appeal against European ban in June
Premier League champions Manchester City's appeal against a two-year ban from European club competition will begin on June 8 at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). City were punished by the UEFA in February after being found to have committed "serious breaches" of club licensing and financial fair play regulations. Here's more on the same.
Man City have denied the breaches, saying they are "simply not true". As per reports, the hearing is listed for three days and is not open to the public. CAS said "some hearings may be conducted by video conference" because of the travel restrictions in place because of the coronavirus pandemic.
No timetable was set for a verdict but a ruling is needed before clubs from England can enter next season's Champions League draw. The draw in Monaco is scheduled for August 27 but could be pushed back amid the coronavirus pandemic. The UEFA is determined to complete the current Champions League 2019-20 season and is looking at August.
The UEFA's Club Financial Control Body found City guilty of inflating their sponsorship revenues in order to meet Financial Fair Play regulations. Notably, the investigation started in November 2018, when the German magazine Der Spiegel published several leaked emails. Der Spiegel had reported that City created a shell company to hide tens of millions of dollars which they used for recruiting players.
According to the BBC, 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 2012-2016". City also failed to cooperate in the investigation. Meanwhile, City could also face points deduction in EPL because the league's FFP rules are quite similar.
City have a chance of winning the Champions League this season. They beat Real Madrid in the quarter-finals first leg in Spain. The return game has been postponed since March. The Premier League champions are second behind leaders Liverpool in the domestic league. If a ban by UEFA is upheld, the fifth-place team is likely to take City's place in the next Champions League.
