OFFICIAL: Man City Appeal UEFA Ban At Court Of Arbitration For Sport

Manchester City have officially launched an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to have their two-year ban from European competitions by UEFA overturned.

OFFICIAL: Man City Appeal UEFA Ban At Court Of Arbitration For Sport

The reigning English champions were handed the ban by Europe’s football governing body for breaking Financial Fair Play rules and breaching UEFA’s club licensing regulations while also being fined £25m.

Man City indicated their willingness of appealing the ban shortly after the verdict was passed by UEFA and they have now followed up on their word.

Man City will be hoping CAS are swift in their decision making after they indicated in their statement that they cannot put a timescale on when a resolution to the case will be announced.

A statement from CAS on Wednesday read: "The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has registered an appeal filed by Manchester City football club against the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).

"The appeal is directed against the decision of the Adjudicatory Chamber of the UEFA Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) dated 14 February 2020 in which Manchester City was deemed to have contravened UEFA’s Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations and sanctioned with exclusion from the next two seasons of UEFA club competitions for which the club would qualify and ordered to pay a fine of EUR 30 million.

"Generally speaking, CAS appeal arbitration procedures involve an exchange of written submissions between the parties while a Panel of CAS arbitrators is being convened. Once the Panel has been formally constituted it issues procedural directions, including, inter alia, with respect to the holding of a hearing. Following the hearing, the Panel deliberates and then issues its decision in the form of an Arbitral Award.

"It is not possible to indicate at this time when a final award in this matter will be issued."

Should they fail with their appeal to have the ban overturned, Man City, who are currently second in the Premier League, will have their place in Europe taken by the fifth placed side in the Premier League.

Man City will face Real Madrid in the first leg of this season’s Champions League round of 16 at the Santiago Bernabeu later on Wednesday.