End of an Era for One of Soccer’s Richest Clubs

Sunday 16th of February 2020

End of an Era for One of Soccer’s Richest Clubs

Manchester City being banned from European club competitions for two seasons and fined $32.5 million.

In November 2018, German magazine Der Spiegel reported that City and its sponsors manipulated contracts to circumvent UEFA's Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules, introduced in 2011 to stop clubs overspending.

Leaked emails obtained by Der Spiegel from the Football Leaks organization suggested City's Abu Dhabi owners had paid the club directly rather than Etihad, which is the club's shirt sponsor and has naming rights for its stadium.

The future of Guardiola, widely regarded as the finest manager of his era, has been the main focus after this incident. The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach has previously maintained he would remain at City at least until his contract expires in 2021. Under Guardiola's leadership, City has broken records and played mesmerizing football.

UEFA's punishment has shaken Manchester City. And it could also lead to an end of an era.