Writing in an article for the Athletic, reliable Man City journalist Sam Lee has outlined all the big talking points and potential advantages our club might have in the appeal against UEFA – including arguments that some evidence could be inadmissible or time-barred.
City were charged with a two-year European ban back in February for supposedly breaching Financial Fair Play rules stretching all the way back to between 2012 and 2016.
We were also fined £25 million for the ‘serious breaches’ exactly two months ago, with the Independent claiming that we could have faced a Premier League points deduction on top of the punishments.
However, given all the negative updates surrounding our FFP case, the Athletic journalist Sam Lee has since come out to alleviate potential concerns that some of our fan base may have – and what evidence we can use to our advantage in an appeal against UEFA.
Lee, writing in his column, outlined various points – one of which being that it is questionable whether the Club Financial Control Body is within rights to punish the club after such a large time gap.
Relaying the point of International Sports Law Journal editor Christopher Flanagan, prosecution is apparently ‘time-barred‘ five years after the initial breach – with a statue of limitations type provision in the way.
Will we win our appeal against UEFA's FFP ban?
Yes
No
As well as this, sports lawyer John Shea explained to Lee that evidence obtained through leaks could be deemed inadmissible in court – and Shea expects City to appeal that argument.
Lee went on to explain how our club being ‘treated unfairly‘ could be a factor, with huge significance placed on ‘proportionality’ – apparently certain teams have argued in the past that fellow clubs have been let off lightly in comparison to them.
Indeed, taking into account the verdicts outlined, City could potentially have a strong case on their hands – but whether or not our FFP punishment is successfully appealed remains a different matter.