UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin insists it was 'right' to kick Manchester City out of Champions League

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has insisted that the European governing body was «right» to kick Manchester City out of the Champions League for breaching financial regulations. City were suspended by UEFA in February 2020 when the club violated Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations and were likely to face a two-year suspension. However, a successful appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in July of that year saw the ban being lifted.

Ceferin insists UEFA was right

«We know we were right. We wouldn't decide if we didn't think we were right. As a trial lawyer for 25 years, I know that, sometimes, you win a case that you are sure you will lose,» UEFA president Ceferin told Britain's Daily Telegraph on Wednesday (Jan 24).

«And, sometimes, you lose a case when you're sure… You have to respect the decision of the court. I don't want to speak about the case in England. But I trust that the decision of our independent body was correct.»

CAS found some of the alleged breaches were «not established», while City successfully defended its case in court. Interestingly, while City could have faced an outcast from the Champions League for the 2020-21 season but they made it to the final of the competition. They finished runners-up to Chelsea after losing the final played in Porto and also made it to the last four when before getting knocked out in the 2021-22 season.

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City are currently facing more than 100 breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules and are set for a meeting with the independent commission. Recently, the Premier League has sanctioned Everton and Nottingham Forest for Profit and Sustainability