CAS Confirm Manchester City Appeal Against UEFA’s Champions League Ban

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has confirmed that they have registered an appeal from Manchester City as the reigning Premier League champions fight to overturn a two-season Champions League ban.

UEFA found the club guilty of breaching Financial Fair Play rules and handed City a €30m fine on top of their two-year European suspension.

City moved quickly to profess their innocence and vowed to prove UEFA wrong, with a CAS appeal the first order of business.

CAS have now confirmed the appeal has been lodged, releasing an official statement on Wednesday that reads:

“The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has registered an appeal filed by Manchester City football club against the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).

“The appeal is directed against the decision of the Adjudicatory Chamber of the UEFA Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) dated 14 February 2020 in which Manchester City was deemed to have contravened UEFA’s Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations and sanctioned with exclusion from the next two seasons of UEFA club competitions for which the club would qualify and ordered to pay a fine of EUR 30 million.

“Generally speaking, CAS appeal arbitration procedures involve an exchange of written submissions between the parties while a Panel of CAS arbitrators is being convened. Once the Panel has been formally constituted it issues procedural directions, including, inter alia, with respect to the holding of a hearing. Following the hearing, the Panel deliberates and then issues its decision in the form of an Arbitral Award.

“It is not possible to indicate at this time when a final award in this matter will be issued.”