Man City Decision Draws Ire

Updated Jul. 14, 2020 10:50 p.m. ET

A day after Manchester City successfully appealed their UEFA Champions League ban, opposing managers voiced their displeasure with the news.

Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho labeled the decision “disgraceful.” Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, whose team celebrated capturing their first Premier League title in late June said, “I don’t think it was a good day for football.”

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Why the discord? At the heart of the issue is Financial Fair Play (FFP), a set of regulations implemented by Europe’s governing soccer body (UEFA) in an effort to protect teams from spending beyond their means and becoming insolvent.

Back in February, UEFA found Manchester City had breached these rules and, as a result, banned the club from European competition for two season and assessed a €30m fine.

Manchester City appealed the ruling with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), with CAS ruling in the English club’s favor on Monday, lifting the ban and reducing the fine to €10m.

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The news sent shockwaves through the soccer landscape, particularly in England, where the race for next season’s Champions League slots intensified.

With Manchester City disqualified, the race for the top four in the Premier League – which books admission to next season’s Champions League – had become a race for the top five. Monday’s news reverted it back to the norm, leaving a handful of teams clambering for two remaining spots instead of three.

Man City manager Pep Guardiola expressed he was “incredibly happy” with the ruling and reiterated that his club did not break the FFP rules. Furthermore, Guardiola believes his club deserves an apology, via the Liverpool Echo.

"We should be apologised to because if we did something wrong we will accept the decision from UEFA because we did something wrong."

In terms of fallout, FOX Sports Insider Martin Rogers has questions about the future of UEFA's ability to mete out punishment for FFP violations.

"After this ruling, it is hard to see any way in which the future of the Financial Fair Play policies can be workable. Realistically, UEFA has neither the stomach, nor the firepower, to pick fights with the biggest and deepest-pocketed clubs on the continent.

"The message is clear: go spend what you like, and any punishment — if it happens at all — will be a long time coming. In one sense, I suppose, it gives some hope to ambitious clubs just below the elite that they might be able to spend their way into the top tier."

Now, whatever results from the back-and-forth between managers, Manchester City are now back in next year’s edition of Europe’s top competition. With the field yet to be set for the 2020-21 Champions League, odds of them lifting the trophy are currently unavailable.

However, with the 2019-20 Champions League awaiting completion due to the pandemic, bettors looking to see if Man City’s recent good fortune carries on can place a bet on them to win the competition at +333, per FOXBet.

Safe to assume that motivation will be in ample supply for Guardiola & Co.