Awaiting City's Fate In The Champions League In Next Month's Appeal

JAKARTA - Manchester City's appeal regarding the ban from playing in UEFA competitions for the next two years will be heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport between June 8-10.

The defending Premier League champions were given a penalty in February. They were proven to have committed serious violations regarding financial fairplay (FFP).

The Club Financial Control Body's (CFCB) independent UEFA Adjudicatory Chamber also fined City 30 million euros (27.2 million pounds). City have been known to overstate sponsorship revenue in accounts submitted to European football's governing body between 2012 and 2016.

City have consistently denied wrongdoing in the matter stemming from a series of articles published by Der Spiegel in November 2018. The information was purportedly obtained from hacker Rui Pinto via the Football Leaks website.

Whether or not City can cut their sentences or even cancel them will likely have a major impact on their future planning.

Manager Pep Guardiola's contract expires in June 2021, although the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss has reiterated his commitment to the club after UEFA announced City's penalty.

"Unless they fire me, which could happen, I'm not leaving," he said. "Why should I (stay)? I like this club, I'm happy to be here, and once we see the words [appeal] we will focus on what we have to do.

"I want to keep helping the club and maintaining this level as long as possible. It's not just because I have a contract, we want to fight to the end for the people who support this club."

In an interview with HLN this month, star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne said he would be happy to stay at City if there was a reduction in his one-year ban. However if the club is out of the Champions League for up to two years it will force it to consider its future.

"I'm just waiting," he said, "the club told us they were going to appeal, and they are almost 100 per cent sure they were right. That's why I'm waiting to see what happens. I trust my team.

"Once the decision is made, I will review everything. Two years will be long, but in the case of one year I will see."

Despite winning six of the seven domestic trophies at the English championship, City proved difficult to shine in the Champions League. In this season's competition, goals from Gabriel Jesus and De Bruyne gave City a 2-1 win at Real Madrid in the first leg of the round of 16.