Soccer world reacts to Manchester City’s Champions League ban

Soccer fans had plenty of jokes.

Premier League powerhouse Manchester City has been banned from participation in the UEFA Champions League for the next two seasons and has been fined €30 million, for what the Adjudicatory Chamber of the UEFA Club Financial Control Body calls “serious breaches of the UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations.” Manchester City is set to face Real Madrid in the Round of 16 of the current Champions League tournament later this month, but would be banned from the competition in the upcoming two seasons.

UEFA announced the decision on Friday.

Via UEFA:

“The Adjudicatory Chamber, having considered all the evidence, has found that Manchester City Football Club committed serious breaches of the UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations by overstating its sponsorship revenue in its accounts and in the break-even information submitted to UEFA between 2012 and 2016.

The Adjudicatory Chamber has also found that in breach of the regulations the Club failed to cooperate in the investigation of this case by the CFCB.

The Adjudicatory Chamber has imposed disciplinary measures on Manchester City Football Club directing that it shall be excluded from participation in UEFA club competitions in the next two seasons (ie. the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons) and pay a fine of € 30 million.”

The investigation into Manchester City’s compliance with financial fair play regulations has been going on for years, and the club has been accused of misrepresenting the value of sponsorship deals that, according to the club, offset the organization’s massive spending to attract an All-Star roster of the best talent in the world. In 2018, German publication Der Spiegel published documents that suggested owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan was funding sponsorship deals for the club, leading the Club Financial Control Body to investigate.

In a statement published shortly after the news broke, Manchester City announced that it is “disappointed” by the ruling and will be seeking an impartial judgment from the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Via Manchester City:

“Manchester City is disappointed but not surprised by today’s announcement by the UEFA Adjudicatory Chamber. The Club has always anticipated the ultimate need to seek out an independent body and process to impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence in support of its position.

In December 2018, the UEFA Chief Investigator publicly previewed the outcome and sanction he intended to be delivered to Manchester City, before any investigation had even begun. The subsequent flawed and consistently leaked UEFA process he oversaw has meant that there was little doubt in the result that he would deliver. The Club has formally complained to the UEFA Disciplinary body, a complaint which 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 quickly as possible and will therefore, in the first instance, commence proceedings with the Court of Arbitration for Sport at the earliest opportunity.”

Soccer fans had plenty of jokes about the ruling.

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