According to a report from the Associated Press, the Court of Arbitration for Sport has confirmed that two out of three judges who heard Man City’s recent European ban appeal originally dismissed our attempt to throw UEFA’s case out on procedural grounds.
The Sky Blues were handed a two-year ban from Europe back in mid-February for allegedly breaking Financial Fair Play rules between 2012-2016, with UEFA also adding a £25 million fine on top of the punishment.
Over this last week, City commenced an appeal against the governing body’s decision to CAS, and we could find out the verdict of our hearing as early as July.
The club had just three days to plead their case in Lausanne via video link, with the hearing coming to a close at 3.15pm BST on Wednesday.
Now AP can reveal that two out of three judges on the panel originally dismissed City’s case to throw out the punishment all together on procedural grounds.
Hypothetically, this could be a potential hurdle for the Sky Blues to leap over in their quest to retain access to European football’s most coveted competition.
If the ban is upheld, we could stand to lose almost £170 million in revenue as well as, potentially, our ability to attract more star names given the emphasis on Champions League football.
Even though certain judges on the panel have decided against City in the past, which could suggest a road block, supporters must now eagerly anticipate the verdict.
At the end of the hearing, CAS released a statement claiming that both parties had ‘expressed their satisfaction‘ with procedure – but City now face an anxious wait to discover their European fate next month.
