Manchester City’s potential Champions League ban moves step closer as UEFA refer club to adjudicatory chamber

Manchester City’s potential Champions League ban moves step closer as UEFA refer club to adjudicatory chamber
Manchester City could be facing a ban from European club football after a UEFA investigation into potential breaches of financial fair play.Chief financial fair play investigator Yves Leterme referred their case to the investigatory chamber of its main regulator, the Club Financial Control Body.But City said in a statement that they are ‘entirely confident of a positive outcome’ when the matter is considered by an independent judicial body.GETTY2

Pep Guardiola’s side are sweating over a potentially severe punishment from UEFA

Leterme, a former prime minister of Belgium, opened his investigation into the Premier League champions on March 7 following a series of reports in German news magazine Der Spiegel late last year which suggested the club had deceived UEFA about its finances.Based on emails received from the Football Leaks whistle-blowing website, these reports alleged City had inflated the value of their commercial deals with Abu Dhabi-based companies and hid payments to players and staff from the wage bill.In a statement, UEFA said: “The Club Financial Control Body chief investigator, after having consulted with the other members of the independent investigatory chamber of the CFCB, has decided to refer Manchester City to the CFCB adjudicatory chamber following the conclusion of his investigation.“The CFCB investigatory chamber had opened an investigation into Manchester City on March 7 for potential breaches of financial fair play regulations that were made public in various media outlets.”It added that it would not be making any further comment until a decision on what punishment City will face, if any, is announced by the CFCB’s adjudicatory chamber.City, who are set to celebrate their second straight Premier League title with an open-top bus parade on Monday, did not take long to reply.In a statement released via their social media channels, the club said: “Manchester City is disappointed, but regrettably not surprised, by the sudden announcement of the referral to be made by the CFCB chief investigator Yves Leterme.GETTY2

The Premier League champions could be banned from the Champions League next season

“The leaks to media over the last week are indicative of the process that has been overseen by Mr Leterme.“Manchester City is entirely confident of a positive outcome when the matter is considered by an independent judicial body.“The accusation of financial irregularities remains entirely false and the CFCB referral ignores a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence provided by Manchester City to the chamber.“The decision contains mistakes, misinterpretations and confusions fundamentally borne out of a basic lack of due process and there remain significant unresolved matters raised by Manchester City as part of what the club has found to be a wholly unsatisfactory, curtailed, and hostile process.”The reference to recent media leaks is related to a New York Times piece from earlier this week which predicted Leterme’s decision and claimed he was pushing for a ban from Europe of at least one year.UEFA’s financial fair play rules have been in operation since 2011 and were brought in to tackle European football’s debt problem and encourage teams to balance their books. City and French champions Paris Saint-Germain were the first high-profile clubs to fall foul of the rules in 2014, when the English side were fined 49million for what UEFA believed was the artificial inflation of a series of deals with ‘related parties’ – in other words, companies linked to their owner Sheikh Mansour, a member of Abu Dhabi’s royal family.Despite protesting their innocence, City accepted the sanction, which included a restriction on the size of their Champions League squad, but were eventually reimbursed with two thirds of their fine, 33million, in 2017 for apparently complying with the rules.Press Association Sport understands, however, that Leterme and his team now believe City lied to them about the nature of their sponsorship income in 2014 and the club’s actual wage bill.This belief is based on the explosive contents of the Football Leaks material which Der Spiegel, and other outlets, released in a series of reports in November. The most damning claim was that Sheikh Mansour effectively funnelled funding to the club via sponsors, a clear breach of FFP rules.For months, City refused to address the substance of these claims and instead highlighted their belief that emails between senior figures at the club had been hacked and this was the result of a coordinated campaign to malign them and their owners.More recently, however, the Etihad-based club have also denied any wrongdoing in the first place.

LIVE ON talkSPORT

talkSPORT is your home of live football! Here's what's coming up on talkSPORT and talkSPORT 2...

• Portsmouth vs Sunderland (Thursday, 7:45pm) talkSPORT 2
• Charlton vs Doncaster (Friday, 7:45pm) talkSPORT 2
• Manchester City vs Watford (Saturday, 5pm) talkSPORT

The matter will now be heard by Portuguese judge Jose Narciso da Cunha Rodrigues, the chairman of the CFCB adjudicatory chamber, and at least three of its four members, vice-chairmen Christiaan Timmermans of the Netherlands and Switzerland’sLouis Peila, and ordinary members Charles Flint, an English barrister, and Adam Giersz, Poland’s former sports minister.They will decide, by a majority vote, whether to uphold Leterme’s decision or not, and then which sanction to apply. These range from a warning, to a fine, to squad restrictions, to exclusion from future competitions or even the withdrawal of a title.That, however, is still some way off, as recent FFP cases involving the likes of AC Milan and PSG, for example, have all ended up at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, where UEFA has often been on the losing side.In the meantime, City, who face Watford in the FA Cup Final on Saturday, are still under separate investigations of their finances and transfer dealings by world football’s governing body FIFA, the Football Association and the Premier League.

---

Former Chelsea star Gus Poyet has defended Maurizio Sarri's record as Blues manager and wants the Italian to stay at Stamford Bridge. Sarri is widely expected to leave Chelsea and take over at Juventus this summer, with fans - unhappy with his playing style - putting pressure on the club to sack the experienced coach.
Frank Lampard as Chelsea manager? Gus Poyet says | True Observer
trueobserver.com/news/2019/06/12/frank-lampard-as-chelsea-manager-gus-poyet-says-legend-would-be-a-great-fit-but-wants-maurizio-sarri-to-sta
Frank Lampard as Chelsea manager? Gus Poyet says legend would be a 'great fit' but wants Maurizio Sarri to sta. Posted on:June 12, 2019
Chelsea next manager: 'I want Maurizio Sarri to stay' - Blues

---

Mar 09, 2019 · Raheem Sterling's 13-minute hat-trick drives Manchester City past Watford now his team are four points clear in the position that until recently Liverpool were occupying. Manchester City
Manchester City vs Watford LIVE - latest updates | The

---

Three men have been spoken to by transport police after reports of anti-Semitic chanting on a train following the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Chelsea on Sunday.
Chelsea fans spoken to by police after alleged anti-Semitic

---

Eden Hazard completes move to Real Madrid that will

---

About our West Ham United news NewsNow aims to be the world's most accurate and comprehensive West Ham United news aggregator, bringing you the latest Hammers headlines from the best West Ham sites and other key regional and national news sources.
Transfer news, rumours LIVE: Man Utd identify Pogba

---

Manchester United defender Eric Bailly will miss the final two games of the season and this summer's Africa Cup of Nations The Ivory Coast international, 25, injured his medial ligament in a
Manchester United 'reject Arsenal move for Eric Bailly

---

Barcelona head coach Ernesto Valverde has described Lionel Messi's fifth-place finish in the Ballon d'Or vote as "absurd".. Messi is a five-time winner of the prize and shared the previous 10 with
Lionel Messi Ballon d'Or: Barcelona star coming fifth is

---

Every Premier League club ranked by how well they are performing compared to their statistical points projection Which teams are doing better than the mathematicians believe they should be and
Statistically Ranking the World's Top 10 Football Leagues

---

Wilfried Zaha tells Crystal Palace he wants summer transfer with club valuing him at £80million Thursday, 16 May 2019 ( 2 weeks ago ) Wilfried Zaha has told Crystal Palace he wants to leave this summer so he can join a club playing Champions League football, reports claim.
Wilfried Zaha tells Crystal Palace he wants to quit to sign

---

Chelsea charged by UEFA over Malmo crowd trouble Chelsea and Malmo have been charged by UEFA following supporter unrest during their Europa League match in Sweden on Thursday. Chelsea have been charged over pitch invasions by their supporters and Malmo for setting off fireworks.
Chelsea face fresh charges after crowd trouble - SA Breaking News

---

Former West Brom manager Darren Moore has insisted there were no racial connotations in Chris Hughton's sacking as Brighton boss and his own departure from the Hawthorns. Hughton was axed by Brighton on Monday, despite keeping the struggling club in the Premier League and taking the Seagulls to the FA Cup semi-finals.
Google News - Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club - Latest

---

Monaco players, including Bernardo Silva, Benjamin Mendy and Kylian Mbappe, had WhatsApp group called 'transfer mercato' players changed the name of their own WhatsApp group to "transfer
Monaco players, including Bernardo Silva, Benjamin Mendy and
sportsalert.org/2019/01/22/monaco-players-including-bernardo-silva-benjamin-mendy-and-kylian-mbappe-had-whatsapp-group-called-transfer-mercato/
We're going At the end of the 2016/17 season, Monaco were French champions and had reached the Champions League semi-final and players knew most of them were set for big-money moves away Kylian Mbappe, Bernardo Silva, Benjamin Mendy… Tiemoue Bakayoko - Monaco's 2016/17 team was star-studded. It was a season that ended with them being
Monaco players, including Bernardo Silva, Benjamin Mendy and

---

Lionel Messi is miles ahead of the competition when it comes to assists and goals this season. The 31-year-old Argentine ace has 55 in total, with second place going to none other than Cristiano
The players with at least 10 goals and assists in past two

---

Tottenham set to offer £35million to land Nicolo Barella dubbed the 'next Steven Gerrard' in January Spurs thought to be diving into the January transfer market after their dry summer to land
Tottenham Hotspur round-up: Dembele offers himself, Lamela on

---