Manchester City could be disqualified from next season’s Champions League, as UEFA is set to complete its investigations into the club’s alleged breach of Financial Fair Play regulations, German paper Der Spiegel says.
The English side defended their Premier League title on Sunday with a 4-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion.
City has reportedly been under investigation by Europe’s football governing body and top officials in English football over allegations of violating FFP rules.
Der Spiegel suggested that the club’s owners had devised a scheme to “systematically circumvent FFP rules, with team executives outsourcing costs to other companies.”
However, City have released a statement to deny any wrongdoing.
The Premier League champions classified Der Speigel’s finding as an “organized and clear attempt to damage the club’s reputation.”
With UEFA continuing with its investigations into the alleged FFP breach, a ruling is expected to happen soon.
According to the New York Times, members of the UEFA’s financial control board, the group assigned to look into the financial records of clubs, met two weeks ago in Nyon, Switzerland, to “finalize their conclusions”.
The German newspaper added that the football body would have to act quickly in passing a judgment, if it wants to implement a potential ban on the club from Europe’s elite club competition for the 2019/2020 season.
The need for an urgent decision is as a result of the qualification games for next season’s competition, which are scheduled to commence in June.
An early decision would also give City time to exercise its right to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
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