A date has been set for Man City to appeal against their two-year ban from UEFA competitions, as it will take place with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on June 8-10.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic it is believed Man City will not have the hearing in person and it will instead by via video link. Reports state that Man City wanted an in-person hearing for the appeal against their unprecedented ban, so they may ask for another date.
The two-season ban is due to start from the 2020-21 campaign and unless their appeal to CAS is successful, the reigning Premier League champions will not play in Europe until Sept. 2022 at the earliest.
UEFA delivered its damning verdictn February after an extensive investigation into what they call “serious breaches” of Financial Fair Play rules.
City were also fined $32.4 million for the breach as UEFA’s Adjudicatory Chamber of the Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) found the reigning Premier League champions guilty of serious breaches of the UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations.
The Manchester club were previously charged by UEFA in 2014 as they were fined and had a limited number of players in their squad for UEFA competitions for FFP breaches. This new charge comes after Football Leaks documents published by Der Spiegel in 2018 accused Man City of wrongdoing.
Pep Guardiola and Man City’s hierarchy have defended the club and said ‘the truth will prevail’ as Man City battle UEFA to stay in the Champions League from next season and beyond.
Many analysts believe that UEFA handed Man City a two-year ban from European competition so that if they appealed it could be reduced to one season.
Man City are still in the 2019-20 UEFA Champions League competition, as they lead Real Madrid 2-1 after the first leg of their Round of 16 clash at the Santiago Bernabeu.
If Man City aren’t allowed to compete in the competition for the next two seasons it could mean several star players leave, as it would impact the plans of their Abu Dhabi owners who badly want to be crowned the champions of Europe and win the so-far elusive trophy.