On Friday, Manchester City were hit with a two-year ban from European football for breaching UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations. Here, theScore explains what these rules are, what City allegedly did, and what happens next.
What is Financial Fair Play?
UEFA succinctly describes Financial Fair Play (FFP) as a means to prove European clubs “have paid their bills.” These include paying outstanding transfer installments, compensating players, and covering taxes.
After the 2011 inception of FFP, further restrictions were added which were designed to prevent clubs from falling into debt. The independent Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) studies financial figures each season to ensure clubs don’t greatly overspend their revenue over a three-year period.
Punishments for breaching FFP have ranged from warnings to disqualification from UEFA tournaments. UEFA also threatens the “withdrawal of a title or award” but has yet to impose this sanction.
An important aspect of FFP which eventually scuppered Manchester City was its restrictions on how much an owner can put into a club to cover losses.
How did Manchester City get found out?
German magazine Der Spiegel published emails and documents in November 2018 which indicated there was financial misconduct happening behind the scenes at the Etihad Stadium. The …read more