The CAS reversed the decision of UEFA to ban English football team Manchester City from joining Champions League
The Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) decided on Monday to lift the ban of European premier league Manchester City in participating on two future seasons of football competitions.
Banned for Breach
Five months ago, the Manchester City was sanctioned by the Union of European Football Association (UEFA) by banning them to join future competitions under their umbrella for the coming two seasons, starting this year. This came because the premier team were found to commit “serious breaches” with their regulations on licensing system and financial fair play (FFP), according to UEFA’s Adjudicatory Chamber of the Club Financial Control Body. The FFP limits the spending of all clubs to prevent them from going beyond their means.
Further, the football governing body also stated that the football team “failed to cooperate in the investigation of this case.” The Club Financial Control Body (CFCB), established by the UEFA, regulates each team’s FFP, and they found that the team is overspending, and covered it up by claiming them to be sponsored.
The English football team, while expressing to be “disappointed,” were fined $32.5 million, or €30 million. In a response statement they made, they called out the UEFA for having a “flawed” process. To them, their case was singlehandedly taken by the same body from the start. They also said that a ruling was already announced last year, tainting the case with prejudice.
Fined but Not Banned
On July 13, the ruling was reversed by the CAS. They stated that the allegations against Manchester City of claiming the equity funding as “sponsorship contributions” were not true. However, they agreed with the UEFA that the premier football team did not cooperate with the governing body’s justice arm CFCB during the investigation, and therefore will still receive a fine, but with a reduced amount. The fine was now $11.3 million, or €10 million.
Thankful Team
In a response to the verdict of CAS, Manchester City football team welcomes the decision, thankful to the “due process” that were executed by the court. They appealed their case to the CAS on June, claiming they had sufficient evidence to prove the allegations untrue. The team, through their manager, already expressed that they were confident that the ban will be lifted prior to the decision.
The UEFA denied to make a comment on the ruling of the CAS, but they reiterated their responsibility to keep the financial spending of the clubs under their umbrella balanced. In a statement they told: “[The FFP] has played a significant role in protecting clubs and helping them become sustainable.”
