Uefa's club financial control body chief investigator has referred Manchester City to the adjudicatory chamber for breaches of financial fair play regulations, Europe's governing body has announced.
City were fined £49million and hit with restrictions on transfer spending and their Champions League squad after FFP breaches were originally investigated in 2014, and Uefa began a new probe after further allegations about the same period were made in German publication Der Spiegel last year.
“The Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) chief investigator, after having consulted with the other members of the independent investigatory chamber of the CFCB, has decided to refer Manchester City FC to the CFCB adjudicatory chamber following the conclusion of his investigation,” said a Uefa statement.
“The CFCB investigatory chamber had opened an investigation into Manchester City FC on 7 March 2019 for potential breaches of Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations that were made public in various media outlets.
“Uefa will not be making any further comment on the matter until a decision is announced by the CFCB adjudicatory chamber.”
City responded to Uefa’s decision by expressing its disappointment and said it was the result of a “wholly unsatisfactory, curtailed, and hostile process”.
“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 Premier League champions said in a statement posted on the official club website.
“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.”
