UEFA chief Aleksander Ceferin makes 'disappointing' admission about overturned Man City charge

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has admitted he was "disappointed" when the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned the decision to ban Manchester City from competing in Europe.

The Blues were temporarily expelled from the Champions League by UEFA for breaching their Financial Fair Play regulations back in 2019. However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled a year later that the club did not disguise equity funding as sponsorship contributions.

City breached FFP rules in 2014 and the club were punished by UEFA. Despite the Blues reaching a settlement agreement with European football's governing body, the case was reopened in 2018 following revelations of inflated sponsorship deals, which were published in the German magazine Der Spiegel.

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The club were handed a two-year ban from European football and a €30m fine in 2020. However, one year later, CAS overturned the ban and the Blues were free to compete in UEFA competitions but were fined €10m for failing to cooperate.

Discussing City's case with former Manchester United player Gary Neville on The Overlap, UEFA chief Ceferin said: "Manchester City were charged by UEFA and then the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned our decision.

"It was disappointing, but it’s a bit easier for me because when I was a trial lawyer, I would see that many times. In cases that you are sure you will win, you lose, or you are sure you will lose, you win, so I’m used to the unpredictability of our competition."

Last month, City were charged with more than 100 breaches of the Premier League's competition rules during a period in which they have won the league title six times - including four