Report: AC Milan facing Europa League ban

Woah.

The New York Times’ Tariq Panja is reporting that UEFA may boot AC Milan from the upcoming season’s Europa League on the grounds of Financial Fair Play.

AC Milan spent big last season, spending around $20 million-plus each on eight players plus significant “loan to buy” fees on two more.

[ MORE: Zlatan displeased with LA effort ]

That outlay helped the Serie A club to a deep Europa League run and sixth place in the domestic table, but AC Milan may not be able to feast on its European spoils.

After scrutinizing the club’s finances for several months, UEFA announced last week that the club had failed to convince officials that it is on sound financial footing and referred the case to the adjudicatory chamber of its financial control unit to recommend an appropriate punishment.

Milan bought Leonardo Bonuccia, Andre Silva, Andrea Conti, Hakan Calhanoglu, Mateo Musacchio, Ricardo Rodriguez, and Lucas Biglia last season, also adding Franck Kessie and Nikola Kalinic in expensive loan deals which become purchases this season and next.

Now it could lose any number of those players and more if the UEL expulsion is complete.

Follow @NicholasMendola