Pep Guardiola confident Manchester City will avoid UCL ban
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is confident that the club will avoid a two-year European ban when the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) delivers its verdict on the club's appeal on Monday. City had appealed to the CAS after UEFA's Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) issued a two-year-ban in February. Here are further details on the same.
Details about the case
The UEFA's Club Financial Control Body found City guilty of inflating their sponsorship revenues in order to meet Financial Fair Play regulations. Notably, the investigation started in November 2018, when the German magazine Der Spiegel published several leaked emails. Der Spiegel had reported that City created a shell company to hide tens of millions of dollars which they used for recruiting players.
City adamant that an independent judiciary will clear them
City believe the CFCB was not independent and ended up being distrustful of it. This is partly due to the amount of secretive information the club felt was leaked to the media. The club is adamant that what they consider an independent judiciary will clear them. City's appeal began in June and has been heard by three CAS lawyers in private video conferences.
I'm so confident, says City boss Guardiola
Guardiola said the club is ready and he is confident that they will be allowed to feature in the Champions League. "On Monday I'm so confident - because I know and hear the arguments of the club - [that] next season we will be there and after I will give my opinion and the club will give a statement," he said.
City targeting a berth in the Champions League 2019-20 quarter-finals
If City aren't successful, they will not be able to participate in the Champions League next season and will be prevented from playing in the annual UEFA Super Cup if they win this season's delayed competition. City are targeting a berth in the quarters. They lead Real Madrid 2-1 from the first leg. They could face Juventus or Lyon in the quarters.
