AC Milan To Serve One-Year European Ban For FFP Breaches

By Max Wise

Seven-time European Champions, AC Milan, will not participate in next season’s Europa League after they were handed a one-year ban by UEFA for Financial Fair Play(FFP) breaches.

The Italian giants successfully appealed against a similar ban last season but their luck has run out this time after they failed to convince the Court of Arbitration for Sport(CAS).

AC Milan fell at the first hurdle of last season’s Europa League after they failed to make it out of a group that included the likes of Real Betis and Olympiacos.

Under UEFA regulations, clubs are prohibited from making losses beyond permitted limits over a three-year period with perpetrators facing possible sanctions including fines and bans.

A statement from CAS read: "AC Milan is excluded from participating in the UEFA Club Competitions of the sporting season 2019/2020 as a consequence of the breach of its FFP break-even obligations during the 2015/2016/2017 and the 2016/2017/2018 monitoring periods.

"The Adjudicatory Chamber of the UEFA Club Financial Control Body is invited to issue a Procedural Order, acknowledging the outcome of the present arbitration(s) and terminating the AC-01/2019 proceedings relating to the 2016/2017/2018 monitoring period, which have become moot."

AC Milan missed out next season’s Champions League after finishing the campaign in fifth place, a point behind city rivals, Inter Milan.

The Rossoneri were due to participate in UEFA’s secondary club competition next season but their place will now be taken in the group stages by AS Roma while Torino, who initially missed out on European football, will compete in the Europa League qualifying rounds.

AC Milan have a new man at the helm in the person of Marco Giampaolo after Gennaro Gattuso stepped down at the end of last season.