Manchester City set to avoid Champions League ban after alleged 'FFP' breach: Report

Reportedly, UEFA will not ban Manchester City from the Champions League when the decision on the club’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) case is announced in December with the club set to handed with just a fine.

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Manchester City accused of a Financial Fair Play breach

In March, leaked emails regarding City's finances were published by German magazine house 'Der Spiegel'. The magazine alleged that the obtained documents suggested the Manchester City had lied about the true origins of millions of pounds of sponsorship, with articles claiming that the club had excluded a number of costs from their FFP calculations. It was also alleged that City's owner Sheikh Mansour used sponsors to artificially inflate the club's commercial value. Der Spiegel reported that £51.5m worth of sponsorship money received from the airline Etihad was in fact sourced from the Abu Dhabi United Group, which is a company controlled by Mansour.   

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In May, Manchester City denied any wrongdoing and released a statement where they insisted that they have already provided "comprehensive proof" that claims of financial wrongdoing are completely false. 

A Manchester City Champions League ban looms large?

UEFA were quick to respond on the allegations and referred Manchester City to their Club Financial Control Body adjudicatory chamber for a review with a judgement set for December. The chief of the board Yves Leterme also recommended a 12-month ban for City. UEFA has previously banned Dynamo Moscow and Galatasaray from European competitions for FFP violations.

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City to avoid a ban: Reports

However, according to British media, Manchester City will reportedly avoid a ban from European competition when UEFA releases its findings from its financial fair play investigation. It is believed that City will receive a fine but they will still be eligible to participate in next year's UEFA Champions League should they qualify.

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