Manchester City risks exclusion from the Champions League: make-up sponsorships?
ROME – UEFA has launched an independent investigation to verify the reliability of Football Leaks on violations of financial fair play. To risk the Manchester City that, according to the first rumors leaked in these hours, risks exclusion from the next Champions League.
The documentation published by Der Spiegel, a German magazine, complete with attached e-mails, revealed the true nature of the 60 million pound sponsorship , over 67 euros, of Etihad – the UAE-based airline in Abu Dhabi – dated 2015.
The money would have been paid directly by the Abu Dhabi United group, since 2008 the owner of the English club, thus violating the rules of financial fair play. Even the PSG – property of Qatar – is involved in the investigation, but the situation in Manchester City seems much more serious and the UEFA would have decided to use the hard hand.
The exclusion from the next edition of the Champions League, in this general framework, is more than a hypothesis. The Citizens had already been fined in 2014, for about 20 million euros – after the initial 55, with a reduction for "good behavior" – always for breaking the rules of the FFP, but a new infraction would trigger the ax, even in consideration of the media and international prominence of the story.
The club has so far defended itself in public claiming to "not be willing to comment on material hacked or stolen by the City Football Group. The attempt to damage Manchester City's reputation is organized and clear. "
The Manchester City article risks exclusion from the Champions League: rigged sponsorship? seems to be the first on Blitz daily .
Source: Blitz Quotidiano