Eight Premier League clubs launch CAS appeal against Man City

Eight of England’s top-10 Premier League clubs have launched a bid to stop Manchester City attempting to play in the Champions League while their appeal against their ban is ongoing.

City were given a two-season ban from European football and fined £24.9million for breaching financial regulations, but have vowed to fight the verdict of a UEFA investigation into accounts submitted by the club between 2012 and 2016.

City chief executive Ferran Soriano immediately denied claims that the Premier League champions broke the rules over Financial Fair Play regulations.

“These allegations are simply not true,” Soriano said in an interview on the club’s official website.

City lodged their appeal at the end of February.

In a statement CAS said: “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).”

Now though in a “bombshell disclosure” the Daily Mail report that the entire Premier League top 10, bar City and Sheffield United, have submitted a joint application to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Liverpool, Tottenham, Manchester United, Arsenal, Wolves, Leicester, Burnley and Chelsea have separately written to the same law firm, which has then sent an application backed by all the clubs named to CAS.

The clubs strongly object to City’s plan to play on in the tournament while the appeal is ongoing and they request that City’s punishment is ‘stayed’ while their case is resolved.

 

 

 

The paper quotes a source, who has “knowledge of the situation”.

“The feeling is that enough is enough,” said the source. “For too long, City have been able to get away with breaching the rules at the expense of at least one other club that has been unable to get into the Champions League.

“The fear is that they will be able to delay any punishment and — should they win the appeal — get off scot-free, which would be outrageous.”

The report also claims that City, who declined to comment, believe “that certain other rivals have been leading a charge against them”.