Unic Press UK: The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has set aside the decision issued on 14 February 2020 by the Adjudicatory Chamber of the UEFA Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) that hitherto banned an English premier league football club, Manchester City FC (MCFC), from participation in UEFA club competitions over a two-season period and ordered the club pay a fine of EUR 30 million for contravening UEFA’s Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulation.
In a Press Release on Monday, a CAS panel concluded that MCFC had failed to cooperate with the UEFA Club Financial Control Body (CFCB), but the club did not commit the more serious allegation of disguising equity funding as sponsorship contributions. Hence a reduced penalty [not the ones decided by the Adjudicatory Chamber of the CFCB] shall apply.
In its final ruling, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) panel said the initial decision of the Adjudicatory Chamber of the CFCB should be set aside and replaced by the following:
- MCFC has contravened Article 56 of the Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations.
- MCFC shall pay a fine of €10 million to the UEFA, within 30 days as from the date of issuance of the arbitral award. This fine is a 2/3 reduction in relation to the initial fine of €30 million.
The CAS also concluded said:
“… most of the alleged breaches reported by the Adjudicatory Chamber of the CFCB were either not established or time-barred. As the charges with respect to any dishonest concealment of equity funding were clearly more significant violations than obstructing the CFCB’s investigations, it was not appropriate to impose a ban on participating in UEFA’s club competitions for MCFC’s failure to cooperate with the CFCB’s investigations alone.”
The decision of the CAS is final; and therefore replaces the decision of the Adjudicatory Chamber of the UEFA Club Financial Control Body (CFCB).
