Man City hold peace talks with UEFA after bitter FFP battle to clear European ban: Report

The Man City ban was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Monday. The ruling saw the two-year European Man City ban overturned, as well as the quantum of fines reduced for the club. In the wake of the Man City ban being overturned, Manchester City and UEFA have been reported to have held peace talks following the bitter legal battle between the two.

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Man City and UEFA hold peace talks over Man City FFP issue

Sportsmail revealed that following the overturning of the Man City ban, Khaldoon Al Mubarak of the City Football Group met with UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin to clear the air around the Man City FFP battle. It was reported that the talks were initiated by Khaldoon Al Mubarak with him initiating contact within hours of the verdict being announced by CAS and that the talks between UEFA and Man City went well. During the meeting, both sides agreed to put their differences over the Man City FFP issue aside and usher in a new era of friendship between Man City and UEFA. The cordial conversation between the Man City and the UEFA President culminated with "both parties expressing a keen desire to work closely together going forward," according to the DailyMail.

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Man City FFP compliance a point of contention for UEFA since 2014

The relationship between UEFA and Man City has been a strained one since 2014 when UEFA first punished the Cityzens. UEFA fined Man City £49m, with £32m suspended after the club were found to have flouted Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations. The Man City vs UEFA saga reached its nadir in February when UEFA banned Man City from European football for two years while also fining City €30 million (£26.9m). The Man City FFP violation was the reason for the action, with UEFA claiming that the club had committed a ‘serious breach’ of FFP regulations.

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However, Man City launched a swift appeal in response and ultimately won the case as CAS found the evidence was not sufficient to prove the allegations. Additionally, the court revealed that some of the Man City FFP allegations were ‘time-barred’ as it fell outside UEFA's 5-year limitation. The final punishment doled out to Man City involved a complete overturn of the European football ban, with the fine reduced to €10m (£9m) for failing to co-operate with UEFA's investigation.

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Man City supporters haven’t taken kindly to UEFA, who they feel have been deliberately targeting the club. The supporters have also been found to be booing during the UEFA anthem before the Champions League matches. However, with clear-the-air talks between Man City and UEFA, there is a hope that all the bad blood between the two will be put to rest.

Image Courtesy: AP