Manchester City face further action over financial fairplay ‘breaches’

Abu Dhabi-owned City said they were “disappointed but regrettably not surprised” by UEFA’s decision.

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.

Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola (C) shares a joke with his players and coaching staff as they show the Premier League trophy to supporters outside the Etihad Stadium in Manchester (AFP)

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 multimillion-pound sponsorship deal.

City were fined £49 million in 2014 for a previous breach of regulations.

The club said in a statement: “Manchester City is entirely confident of a positive outcome when the matter is considered by an independent judicial body.”

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.