Manchester City hopes to overturn UEFA ban as CAS hearing begins

Bengaluru, June 8: Premier League champions Manchester City will attempt to overturn their two-year UEFA ban from Champions League when a three-day hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland begins on Monday (June 8).

It may be recalled that in February, City was banned from the premier European competition for the next two seasons and fined $32.53m by UEFA after an investigation into alleged breaches of Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.

UEFA had opened an investigation into City in March 2019, after German publication Der Spiegel alleged that the club's Abu Dhabi owners had inflated sponsorship agreements to comply with FFP requirements.

Manchester City hit with two-season ban

The Abu Dhabi United Group, the investment vehicle owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, is the majority owner of the City Football Group, with a stake of around 77 per cent.

Missing out on a UEFA Champions League season would cost City, who have denied wrongdoing, as much as $127m in prize money and broadcast revenue, as well as matchday and other revenues.

The FFP regulations are designed to stop clubs running up big losses through spending on players.

They also ensure that sponsorship deals are based on their real market value and are genuine commercial agreements - and not ways for owners to pump cash into a club to get around the rules.

As well as questioning the nature of the documents, City have been unhappy at the way in which UEFA's Club Financial Control Body conducted the investigation.

"The allegations aren't true. They're simply not true," City CEO Ferran Soriano had said February.

"We provided the evidence, but in the end this FFP Investigatory Chamber relied more on out of context stolen e-mails than all the other evidence we provided of what actually happened and I think it's normal that we feel like we feel.

"Ultimately based on our experience and our perception this seems to be less about justice and more about politics," added the Spaniard.

City is currently second in the Premier League, 25 points behind runaway leaders Liverpool as the top flight of England football is set to re-start after a almost a three-month enforced break due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Points Table

They resume their campaign with a home match against Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on June 17.

(With inputs from Agencies)