Published 11:18 IST, July 29th 2020
Man City CAS report reveals the NINE Premier League clubs that wanted them banned
The Man City CAS report released on Tuesday revealed that nine Premier League clubs including Man United, Arsenal and Liverpool wanted their rivals banned.
Manchester City saw their two-season Champions League ban overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) earlier this month as well as a reduction in the original fine. The Premier League giants were alleged to be guilty of inflating sponsorship revenue in their accounts submitted to UEFA from 2012 to 2016. While the Man City CAS report saw the Cityzens exonerated, there is a fair amount of debate surrounding the decision, with many claiming that it was the end of FFP (Financial Fair Play) after the Man City UEFA ban was overturned.
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Man City investigation: CAS condemns Man City for lack of cooperation
It is no secret that since the Man City UEFA ban was announced, the Premier League giants found little support from their fellow rivals. The Man City CAS report was published on Tuesday, and the 93-page document has criticised the club for a lack of cooperation during the Man City investigation. However, while CAS condemns Man City, they overruled the Man City UEFA ban since there was ‘no meaningful evidence corroborating the hypothesis’ that funding from the club owners was channelled to Etihad directly or through to third parties. The Man City CAS report further states that UEFA relied on ‘insufficient evidence’ and disclosed that City enlisted the services of 12 of Europe’s top lawyers to represent them. They also brought no fewer than seven witnesses forwards.
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Man City UEFA ban: Man City CAS report reveals nine Premier League clubs wanted City to be found guilty
The Man City CAS report also ruled some of the main charges brought were time-barred, as they took place long ago. City believe that had they been included, the club would still have prevailed. The Man City CAS report also revealed that nine Premier League clubs wanted the 2018-19 champions banned and wrote to CAS regarding the same. According to the CAS document, Arsenal, Burnley, Chelsea, Leicester City, Liverpool, Manchester United, Newcastle, Tottenham and Wolves were among the Premier League teams who filed an application to CAS to object to any attempt by City to stay the penalty during the Man City investigation. Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho had both lamented the Man City investigation verdict, which sparked a war of words with City boss Pep Guardiola.
Man City UEFA ban: Why were Man City banned?
The Man City UEFA ban was first set in motion when the European governing body filed a complaint against the club after documents in possession of Football Leaks revealed issues with FFP compliances. The independent Adjudicatory Chamber of UEFA's Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) had on February 14 said that Man City had breached FFP rules by "overstating its sponsorship revenue in its accounts and the break-even information submitted to UEFA between 2012 and 2016".
It had also revealed that the club had failed to cooperate in the investigation. As a result, the Man City UEFA ban saw them banned from the Champions League for two seasons, while a fine of €30 million was imposed. The Premier League giants denied any wrongdoing and subsequently filed an appeal with the CAS, and the Man City investigation saw them exonerated from all charges, with the fine being brought down to €10 million.
(Image Courtesy: Manchester City Instagram)
Updated 11:18 IST, July 29th 2020