We were right to ban City from Europe – UEFA chief Ceferin،
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said he stood by the governing body's decision to ban Manchester City from all European competitions for two years in 2020, although the ban was later overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
In February 2020, UEFA's club financial watchdog ruled City in breach of Financial Fair Play rules after finding it had falsely inflated sponsorship revenue between 2012 and 2016. In addition to the Following the two-year ban, City were also fined 30 million euros ($33). I'm doing well.
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City, who said they were “disappointed but not surprised” by the decision, challenged the decision before the CAS, and in July 2020 the court overturned the ban and reduced the fine to €10 million.
However, Ceferin maintains that UEFA was right to sanction City.
“We know we were right. We wouldn't decide if we didn't think we were right,” he said in an interview with the Telegraph.
As a litigator for 25 years, I know that sometimes you win a case that you are sure to lose. And, sometimes, you lose a case when you are sure… You simply have to respect in a serious democracy the court's decision.
“I don't want to talk about the case in England. But I hope the decision of our independent body was correct. I was not involved in that decision.”
City welcomed the CAS decision as “a validation of the club's position and the body of evidence it was able to present”, but the scrutiny of their financial dealings has not abated since.
In February 2023, City were charged by the Premier League with 115 breaches of financial regulations between 2009 and 2018 and referred the club to an independent commission.
No decision has been made regarding the charges against City. However, since then, Everton have been handed a 10-point deduction for breaching the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules.
Alongside Nottingham Forest, the Merseyside club were accused of yet another breach of the same rules earlier this month.
City boss Pep Guardiola has urged patience over the accusations against City and said the club's case was completely different to Everton's. However, Ceferin said he understood fans' frustration over the delay in judging.
“They want to know what's happening and what the consequences are, but I don't want to get into that concrete process because I don't know what the Premier League is facing. I really don't want to criticize, or anything like that. like. like that. It wouldn't be fair.
