Manchester City, PSG Accept Sanction And Squad Cap From UEFA Over FFP

English Premier League champions Manchester City, Ligue 1 Champions PSG, Turkish clubs Galatarasay, Bursaspor, Trabzonspor, Russian Clubs Anji Makhachkala, Rubin Kazan, Zenit St.Petersburg and Bulgarian Club Levski Sofia have accepted UEFA’s sanctions and Squad cap over Financial Fair Play (FFP) breach.

UEFA had sanctioned the clubs over the breach of FFP in which Manchester City and PSG were the worst affected clubs. The mega rich clubs inability to strike a balance between their earnings and spending resulted in aAi??ai??i??60mAi??fine, restrictions on their European squad and incoming transfers under UEFA’s new FFP rules.

The other clubs Galatarasay, Bursaspor, Trabzonspor, Anji Makhachkala, Rubin Kazan, Zenit St.Petersburg and Levski Sofia also came under the ire of UEFA due to their over spending, but to a lesser extent. All the nine clubs signed a settlement with UEFAAi??in relation to the FFP break-even requirement. These clubs have individually accepted the sanctions and restrictions imposed on them. All the clubs will be eligible to participate in UEFA Champions League and/or Europa League and need to abide by the break-even targets, sporting measures and financial contributions which are applicable to them in the next two years.

In the case of Manchester City and PSG, the clubs were finedAi??ai??i??60mAi??Ai??fine, and their European squad was restricted to 21 including 8 home-grown players, and incoming transfers should be limited to maximumAi??ai??i??60mAi??outlay. There are also other limitations enforced in the form ofAi??maximum losses of ai??i??20m in 2014 and ai??i??10m in 2015 and to cap their wage bills in the current limit.

TheAi??ai??i??60m fine will be deducted from UEFA prize money over the next three years. Manchester City and PSG can recoup majority of the amount,Ai??ai??i??40m, if they comply with the conditions mentioned by UEFA.

Manchester City had issued a statement which clarifies their stance:

“In normal circumstances the [Manchester City] club would wish to pursue its case and present its position through every avenue of recourse. However, our decision to do so must be balanced against the practical realities for our fans, for our partners and in the interests of the commercial operations of the club.”Ai??

The individual settlements signed between the clubs and the financial control body will come under scrutiny, if other clubs appeals within 10 days, arguing that sanctions are too lenient.

Manchester City, PSG, Galatarasay, Trabonzspor, Buraspor, Zenit St.Petersbur, Rubin Kazan, Anji Makhachkala and Levski Sofia will be relieved that they can participate in UEFA competitions and hence their income’s won’t be affected or limited. This is believed to be one of the reasons why these clubs have accepted the settlements even though there is a fundamental disagreement and a handicap imposed on them. It remains to be seen how Manchester City and PSG are going to perform with a limited squad of 21 players and how it will affect their performances in continental stage.