Manchester City officially gets its European ban lifted by the CAS
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Go ahead and celebrate, Manchester City fans. Your club will be playing in the Champions League next campaign after all. Earlier this season, it was announced City had been handed a two-year ban over alleged Financial Fair Play violations.
However, the back-to-back Premier League champions appealed the harsh decision. On Monday morning, the CAS announced its decision to overturn the initial ruling, with City no longer banned from the CL. It's obviously a huge day for Pep Guardiola and Co.
Breaking: Man City’s two-year ban from European competitions for FFP violations has been overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) July 13, 2020
They are free to compete in next season’s Champions League. pic.twitter.com/GBYDwWMcyX
That wasn't the only great news for City. Originally, they had also been handed a fine of €30 million, but that was reduced to €10 million. In a club statement, Manchester City revealed how happy they were with the CAS's decision.
"Whilst Manchester City and its legal advisors are yet to review the full ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the Club welcomes the implications of today’s ruling as a validation of the Club’s position and the body of evidence that it was able to present. The Club wishes to thank the panel members for their diligence and the due process that they administered."
Monday's announcement has a major impact on the Champions League race, as now one of Manchester United, Chelsea or Leicester City won't be playing in the Champions League next season. That's not City's problem, however, as they've already booked their trip to the CL for 2020-21.
As for the 2019-20 tournament, Manchester City is in the driver's seat to make the quarterfinals and looks poised to go on a deep run this summer. Right now, it's a great time to be a Man City fan.