Man City received a ban from participating in the Champions League on February 14th.

On February 14th, 2020, UEFA caused a stir by issuing a two-year ban on Man City from European tournaments.

Man City was banned by UEFA from participating in the Champions League for two seasons and fined 30 million euros after the European football governing body concluded that the club had seriously breached Financial Fair Play regulations. The ban from top-tier club competitions combined with the hefty fine indicated that UEFA considered the violations extremely severe.

According to the verdict by the Club Financial Control Body, Man City inflated sponsorship revenue in their accounting records and break-even reports submitted to UEFA between 2012 and 2016. Additionally, the club was found to have not fully cooperated during the investigation. The inquiry began after the magazine Der Spiegel leaked emails and documents in November 2018, raising suspicions about the sponsorship structure involving the owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan and the airline Etihad.

However, the turning point came in July 2020 when Man City successfully appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). After an independent review, CAS overturned the two-season European ban, ruling that most allegations were either insufficiently proven or time-barred under the regulations. The fine was also reduced from 30 million euros to 10 million euros due to the club’s lack of full cooperation, rather than serious breaches of Financial Fair Play as initially determined.

This ruling allowed Man City to continue competing in the Champions League starting from the 2020/21 season if they qualified on sporting merit. CAS’s decision not only relieved legal pressure on the club but also reinforced their status in European football during their peak years under Pep Guardiola.

In the 2020/21 season, Man City reached the final for the first time but lost to Chelsea. Two years later, in the 2022/23 season, the Manchester club fulfilled their European dream by winning their first-ever Champions League title after defeating Inter Milan in the final. This trophy completed their historic treble of Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League, marking one of the most glorious periods in the club’s history.