Man Utd and Liverpool among clubs in 'bid to stop Man City playing in Champions League'

Thu, Mar 26, 2020
By publisher
3 MIN READ

Sports

EIGHT of the Premier League’s current top 10 have reportedly written to CAS to prevent City’s Champions League ban being stayed should the club ask for it while an appeal is ongoing

Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal are among eight clubs who have reportedly written to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to stop Manchester City playing in next season’s Champions League.

City are banned from competing in Europe for two years – starting from next season – after UEFA found the club guilty of serious breaches of the financial fair play regulations.

They have denied any wrongdoing and have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against their ban,

But rival clubs fear that City could ask to have their punishment deferred while the appeal is ongoing – and with delays likely due to the coronavirus pandemic, that could see Pep Guardiola’s side compete in next season’s Champions League.

In a bid to prevent that happening, eight of the Premier League’s current top 10 have submitted a joint application to the CAS, according to the Daily Mail.

The publication reports that the eight clubs, including LiverpoolUnitedArsenal and Chelsea, have written to the same law firm, which has sent an application on their behalf to the CAS.

The application states that, should City request that their punishment is ‘stayed’ while their appeal is ongoing, all eight clubs strongly object.

It is understood, however, that no such request has been lodged by the reigning Premier League champions.

Apart from City, the other top-10 club not included in the application is Sheffield United.

One source close to the application was quoted by the Mail saying: “The feeling is that enough is enough

“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.”

Assuming City finish the current Premier League campaign in the top four if they are not allowed to compete in the Champions League next season their place would go to the team finishing fifth.

City are still allowed to compete in this season’s Champions League, although it yet to be seen whether the competition will actually be completed amid the coronavirus crisis that has brought football to a halt.

Their most recent game in the competition was a 2-1 win over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg of their last-16 clash.

Mirror

– March 27, 2020 @ 13:32 GMT

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