Manchester City was given a rough awakening over the weekend, as they were handed an exemplary punishment due to financial foul play.
The English giants were handed a two-year ban from European competitions, including the Champions League, as well as a 30 million pound fine from the governing body that oversees European soccer.
The club, who has seen a massive period of growth over the last decade after being purchased by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, a wealthy member of the royal family of the United Arab Emirates, allegedly took their spending too far and broke financial regulations in their signings of several players over the past few years.
al-Nahyan is accused of funneling money to Manchester City through the country’s flagship airline, Etihad, effectively “laundering” money that should not have been available to the team based on UEFA rules.
Portuguese national Rui Pinto is said to have discovered e-mails and documents proving Manchester City’s rule-breaking after hacking computers and publishing incriminating materials as part of the Football Leaks document dump.
Manchester City is now expected to appeal FIFA’s punishment and ruling, as the sentence handed down to them would severely hamper and weaken the club for years to come if upheld.
