Manchester City fined for FFP Breach

Newly crowned Premier League champions Manchester City has been hit with a significant punishment for breaching UEFA’s Financial Fair Play. City has been slapped a £60M fine as well as a reduction to their Champions League squad from 25 to 21 players. However, UEFA has agreed to repay City £40M if they comply with the financial measures set by UEFA.

The player restriction is perhaps the devastating blow for the “Noisy Neighbours”. There must be eight home-grown players included in the 21 man squad which will affect the quality and depth of the squad significantly. The fine will be for a three year period and UEFA has confirmed that if the Premier League champions meet their ‘break-even’ target, the squad restriction will be lifted for the 2015/2016 campaign. Man City has reported to have accepted the punishment and refusing to appeal UEFA’s ruling.

The Citizens breached FFP’s rule which states that a total loss of 37M is permitted as long as the owners can cover the said amount. City however recorded a loss of almost £149M over the last two seasons. They recorded a £97M loss in 2012 and a further £51.6M in 2013. Man City can count themselves lucky to have escaped the punishment of being banned from European competition but their spending has been restricted and the quality of the squad may drop significantly. French big spenders Paris Saint Germain (PSG) has been hit with a similar fine and has been scrutinized for wiping out their loss with a huge and back-dated deal with the Qatar Tourist Authority.

Yashiema Love
Senior Contributor
GIVEMESPORT Writing Academy