UEFA’S FINANCIAL CONTROL body said Thursday it had referred Premier League champions Manchester City to an adjudicatory chamber for alleged breaches of financial fair play regulations.
Abu Dhabi-owned City said they were “disappointed but regrettably not surprised” by Uefa’s decision.
City reportedly face a season-long ban from the Champions League if found to have breached the regulations.
Uefa said its Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) chief investigator “has decided to refer Manchester City FC to the CFCB adjudicatory chamber following the conclusion of his investigation.”
The investigator, Yves Leterme, has been examining evidence that first came to light in leaks published by German magazine Der Spiegel last year.
The reports alleged that City had broken Financial Fair Play regulations by inflating the value of a multi million-pound sponsorship deal.
City were fined £49 million (€56 million) in 2014 for a previous breach of regulations.
A statement, in full, from the club reads:
“Manchester City Football Club is disappointed, but regrettably not surprised, by the sudden announcement of the referral to be made by the CFCB IC Chief Investigator Yves Leterme.
“The leaks to media over the last week are indicative of the process that has been overseen by Mr. Leterme.
“Manchester City is entirely confident of a positive outcome when the matter is considered by an independent judicial body.
“The accusation of financial irregularities remains entirely false and the CFCB IC referral ignores a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence provided by Manchester City FC to the Chamber.
“The decision contains mistakes, misinterpretations and confusions fundamentally borne out of a basic lack of due process and there remain significant unresolved matters raised by Manchester City FC as part of what the Club has found to be a wholly unsatisfactory, curtailed, and hostile process.”
The club retained the Premier League title last Sunday after a tight title race with Liverpool and can complete a historic treble of domestic trophies by beating Watford in the FA Cup final on Saturday.
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