Are Manchester City about to ESCAPE their Champions League ban? Pep Guardiola says he is ‘so confident we will be in next season’ ahead of Monday’s CAS verdict… as United and Chelsea wait nervously
- Manchester City will learn their European fate for the next two terms on Monday
- City were banned from Europe for two years for breaching Financial Fair Play
- They appealed against the punishment to the Court of Arbitration for Sport
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is adamant they will be participating in the Champions League or Europa League next season as the prospect of a two-year ban in Europe looms over their head.
City are set to learn their European fate on Monday after appealing to the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS).
In February, Guardiola’s side were banned from European football for two years by UEFA for breaches of the governing body’s Financial Fair Play rules.
Pep Guardiola is ‘so confident’ about Manchester City’s European ban being overturned
City were slapped with a two-year ban by UEFA for breaching their Financial Fair Play rules
They appealed against the punishment – which came with a €30million (£27m) fine – to the CAS and a three-day hearing was heard in Switzerland and over video conference in May.
And speaking about their fate on Friday, Guardiola expects the decision to be overturned.
‘I’m so confident because I saw the arguments of the club that next season we will be there (in Champions League),’ he said ahead of their Premier League match with Brighton on Saturday night.
The result will be significant. Should the ban be upheld, City will have to persuade their star players, in particular, the 29-year-old Kevin De Bruyne, to remain at the Etihad Stadium despite two years without European football. They will also miss out on the vast revenues that the Champions League brings.
Such a verdict would have the knock-on effect that City’s place in next season’s competition will go to the club which finishes in fifth place in the Premier League.
Manchester City have to wait until July 13 to find out whether the European ban will be upheld
Should the ban remain, City will be desperate to keep hold of star players like Kevin De Bruyne
Should City’s appeal be successful, it will be seen as a landmark victory and serious questions of UEFA’s FFP system will be asked. A third option that the ban is cut is also a possibility.
City were found by UEFA to have committed ‘serious breaches’ of the rules between 2012 and 2016 following an investigation launched after Portuguese hacker Rui Pinto leaked documents including internal emails from the club to German media.
Following the announcement of the ban and fine they immediately announced their intention to appeal with chief executive Ferran Soriano stating that they had ‘irrefutable evidence’ to back up their case.
Pinto is currently under house arrest and is awaiting trial in Portugal.
Both Manchester City and UEFA declined to comment.
Chief executive Ferran Soriano insisted City had ‘irrefutable evidence’ to back up their appeal