MANCHESTER CITY COULD face a ban from next season’s Champions League, with Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin saying an investigation into alleged Financial Fair Play breaches could be concluded “very soon”.
German magazine Der Spiegel made a number of claims against City last month in a series of articles based on documents purportedly attained from whistleblowers Football Leaks.
Der Spiegel’s reporting accused Sheikh Mansour’s City regime of topping up multi-million pound sponsorship deals with Abu Dhabi companies, using their owner’s fortune, in order to meet Uefa’s FFP stipulations.
Further allegations claimed City were cut a favourable FFP settlement when they were punished for overspending by Uefa in 2014.
The Premier League champions dismissed the stories and said “the attempt to damage the club’s reputation is organised and clear”.
Uefa said soon after that it could re-open investigations should more information become available to them, and Ceferin this week referred to City’s case as “concrete”, with findings expected in the near future after media reports suggested a Champions League ban is a possibility.
“We are assessing the situation,” he told reporters in Dublin.
“We have an independent body working on it. Very soon you will have an answer on what will happen in this concrete case.”
Fifa president Gianni Infantino was Uefa general secretary at the time of City’s 2014 FFP settlement and defended the agreements reached with them and Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain.
“Our goal at Uefa was always to keep the clubs with us, not to kick them out, so you negotiate and seek solutions. That was my job as general secretary,” he told Swiss publication Blick last month.
“The fact is, in the history of FFP, 30 violations have been detected. With all but one club there were agreements – agreements and negotiations are expressly allowed.”
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“A covered stand, with a capacity of 500 spectators, will overlook the first pitch.”
All well and good, but when are they going to actually build a proper stadium of their own instead of continuing to use the GAA’s national stadium for half their games?
Croke Park has become Dublin GAA’s back garden, which is not what it is supposed to be, nor was it ever intended to be.
@Oisín McGovern: You do know it is the Leinster council who decides what matches are played in Croke Park and the ones away.
@Oisín McGovern: At least you realise and articulate correctly that CROKER , is the NATIONAL stadium , of the GAA , and not Dublins home venue, as some would have us believe
UpTheDubs
Great news for Dublin GAA. Only wish Cork GAA would do likewise
Great news as long as they are paying for it themselves .
@Karl Phillips: who else is going to pay for it?
Fingal County Boards future centre of excellence
On the border of Meath as well