MANCHESTER CITY are at risk of a points deduction from the Premier League, according to reports.
The Etihad club were slapped with a two-year Champions League ban and a £25million fine by Uefa on Friday for breaches to Financial Fair Play regulations.
SunSport understands that Manchester City are likely to escape a Premier League points deductionCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Now according to the Independent, City could face further punishment.
However, SunSport understands it is incredibly unlikely that the Premier League will hit Manchester City with a points deduction.
The Independent report states that the Premier League could be forced into action due to their own licensing, which pertains to Uefa’s FFP rules.
In order to receive a Premier League licence, clubs must provide true information – it is that same information that is supplied to Uefa.
Latest stories on Man City’s Champions League ban
City were found guilty by Uefa’s Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) of falsely inflating their sponsorship revenues when submitting accounts as part of the FFP compliance process.
And that means they will now be suspended from any Uefa European competition for the next two seasons as well as being hit in the pocket.
The guilty verdict follows an investigation that was triggered after German magazine Der Spiegel “leaked” emails and documents in November 2018.
They appeared to provide evidence that City owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the Abu Dhabi ruling family was mostly funding the £67.5m-a-year sponsorship of the club’s shirts, stadium and academy via his nation’s Etihad airline.
One of the emails leaked claimed that just £8m of that sponsorship in the 2015-16 campaign was funded directly from Etihad.
Manchester City – who have won the last two Prem seasons – instantly responded to the news of the ban by saying they were “disappointed but not surprised” by the outcome and confirmed they are appealing the decision.
The Premier League docked Middlesbrough three points in 1997 for postponing a fixture, which led to the club being relegated.
However, West Ham escaped a points penalty in 2007 after breaching Prem rules over third-party player ownership when they signed Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano.
The Hammers paid a record £5.5m fine and agreed to a compensation package with Sheffield United – who were relegated instead of West Ham due to Tevez’s winner at Manchester United – worth almost £20m.
The Etihad club have won the Premier League title in the last two seasonsCredit: Getty – Contributor
Manchester City banned from Champions League for two years and hit with £25m fine by Uefa
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
