UEFA announce two-season Champions League ban for Manchester City

UEFA announced harsh punishments for Manchester City on Friday, including a two-year ban from the Champions League.

Manchester City have been handed a two-year Champions League ban and a €30 million fine by UEFA as result of a Financial Fair Play investigation, though the club has already said they will appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

UEFA announced the stunning punishments on Friday, saying 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 proposed ban would keep City out of all European competition – Champions League or Europa League – for the next two seasons, 2020-21 and 2021-22.

City responded in a club statement, saying:

"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. …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."

With an appeal pending and a possible ban from next year’s competition now looming, Manchester City return to play in this year’s Champions League competition in less than two weeks.

City, who have never won Europe’s biggest cup competition, face Real Madrid in the Round of 16, with the first leg of that tie taking place in Spain on Feb. 26 and the second leg in Manchester on March 17.