According to news from Daily Mirror journalist Mark Jones, UEFA have set out a 2024 plan, relayed in a Football Association report, to limit the amount of clubs who can qualify for the Champions League in future seasons – potentially impacting Man City’s ability to reach the competition in future.
The Sky Blues were handed a two-year European ban in February after being found guilty of breaching Financial Fair Play rules, with this latest proposed move from UEFA potentially impacting City’s ability to qualify for the competition in future seasons as well by limiting the amount of spots.
UEFA would do this, at least according to the report, by hand-picking the Champions League qualifying teams based off the governing body’s own domestic club rankings from the period between the 2020/21 and 2023/24 seasons.
Will City get their FFP ban overturned?
Without a shadow of a doubt
No
This, in theory, would make the competition a ‘closed shop‘, and could effectively shut out certain clubs from ever qualifying for the competition depending on their domestic performances.
Journalist Jones outlines that, for English clubs outside the elite few, the only conceivable way of reaching the Champions League would be to win the Premier League outright or manage to get to the semi-finals of the Europa League.
This may detail a ‘possible end‘ to the traditional top four race, making it harder for City and numerous other clubs to qualify for the competition depending on their domestic showings.
Indeed, taking into account our recent FFP penalty, a sudden revamp to qualification isn’t exactly welcome news – even if it could be another four years down the line.