Manager Guardiola: Man City to avoid UEFA ban over spending

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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola recently said his club will not be banned from the Champions League at the end of an ongoing Financial Fair Play (FFP) investigation after speaking with the club's senior figures.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has promised that there will be an action "very soon" regarding its assessment of allegations that City broke FFP rules.

The German magazine Der Spiegel, using material purportedly obtained from the whistleblowing outlet Football Leaks, reported in November that Man City had set up sponsorship deals to circumvent regulations limiting how much money owners can put into a club.

City responded to that report by saying there had been an "organized and clear" attempt to damage the club's reputation and that the emails that allegedly informed the accusations had been obtained illegally.

A ban from UEFA competitions, including the Champions League, is a potential punishment if City could be found guilty of FFP breaches.

The club were fined 60 million euros (68 million U.S. dollars) and subjected to the squad, wage and spending caps in a 2014 settlement agreed with UEFA following a previous breach of the rules.

Guardiola said City would accept a ban but does not believe it is likely after discussions with chairman Khaldoon al Mubarak and chief executive Ferran Soriano.

He said: "We will not be banned, no. That's what I think because I trust in my chairman, with my CEO, what they have explained to me. I trust in them.

"If it happens, because UEFA decide that, we will accept it and move forward."

While City are being investigated off the pitch, the team are continuing to enjoy fine form on it, leading the Premier League by two points going into the weekend's fixtures.

(Top image: Pep Guardiola, manager of Manchester City, speaks during a press conference in Manchester, UK, December 7, 2018. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): AFP