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CAS Decision May Spark Manchester City’s Champions League Run

By Mark Temnycky

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - JANUARY 04: General view outside the stadium prior to the FA Cup Third Round match between Manchester City and Port Vale at Etihad Stadium on January 04, 2020 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - JANUARY 04: General view outside the stadium prior to the FA Cup Third Round match between Manchester City and Port Vale at Etihad Stadium on January 04, 2020 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) /
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The Battle With UEFA Continued

At the end of the 2013/14 season, UEFA ruled that Manchester City had breached its financial fair play regulations. As a result, the club was forced to pay a £49 million fine. The size of Manchester City’s Champions League squad was also reduced from 25 players to 21.

During the 2015/16 season, two instances occurred. During the group stage, Manchester City hosted Spanish club Sevilla. Prior to the start of the match, the Champions League anthem was played, as it is ahead of any Champions League match. As the tune played, Manchester City’s supporters began to boo and whistled the anthem. While action was not taken, UEFA did investigate the matter.

The second instance occurred during the competition’s knockout stages. Manchester City advanced out of the group stage and would host Dynamo Kyiv during the Round of 16.

In this instance, Manchester City were notified that the away leg in Kyiv would be held behind closed doors, thus tickets were not available for spectators. Three weeks before the match, however, UEFA overturned the ban. According to Goal, due to the limited amount of preparation time and the rise in flight and hotel prices, City fans were unable to travel to the match.

The most recent developments in the ongoing Manchester City-UEFA relationship occurred during the 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons during the knockout stages, where Manchester City faced Liverpool and Tottenham, respectively.

In both instances, Manchester City were eliminated from the competition by their English rivals. It is without a doubt the Sky Blues could have done more in these four matches over these two ties to advance further in the competition. Nonetheless, decisions by the referees during these games led Manchester City to question their outcomes. Of course, the results have passed and the Sky Blues must press on.

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