UEFA to wait for end of Premier League case before deciding on Man City

UEFA is monitoring Manchester City's case and will wait for the Premier League's disciplinary process to end before deciding whether to take any action, Sky Sports reports. BBC Sport says senior figures in English football are concerned the club could still play in next season's Champions League even if relegated, as there is no automatic mechanism to remove a club that qualifies on sporting merit.

The concern among senior figures in English football is City winning this season's competition, which would qualify them as holders whatever their domestic status. The UEFA licence, issued by the Football Association via the Premier League, is based on current information rather than historical breaches, and cannot be refused to a club meeting the minimum criteria. "Licences are awarded on the basis of current financial performance, so the grounds to refuse one are unclear," one source told the BBC.

An independent commission found City guilty of breaking Premier League financial rules between 2009 and 2018, including five charges of failing to comply with UEFA's financial fair play rules. City deny wrongdoing and have appealed. In 2020, the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned a two-year UEFA ban on City, partly because some breaches were time-barred.

City host holders Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday 14 October, their first home match since the verdict, and Pep Guardiola, who left as manager at the end of last season, is expected to attend, according to BBC Sport. City won 2-0 at Porto on matchday one; PSG beat Slovan Bratislava 6-1.