UEFA charged City in 2020 after they were judged to have misled the governing body and broken FFP rules. The treble winners appealed the decision and saw it overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, due to most of the alleged breaches not being properly established. Ceferin, though, insists UEFA were correct to impose such a punishment, and he stands by the ruling.
He told The Telegraph: “We know we were right. We wouldn’t decide if we didn’t think we were right.
“As a trial lawyer for 25 years, I know that, sometimes, you win a case that you are sure you will lose. And, sometimes, you lose a case when you’re sure… You just simply have to respect in a serious democracy the decision of the court.
“I don’t want to speak about the case in England. But I trust that the decision of our independent body was correct. I didn’t enter into this decision.”
City are facing 115 charges from the Premier League of breaching FFP rules, and Richard Masters, the CEO of England’s top domestic competition, has confirmed that a date has been set for the case to be heard. Everton have already been punished this season, being hit with a 10-point deduction, as have Nottingham Forest.
While Masters has spoken about a date being set for City’s case, we still don’t know when that will be. In the meantime, the club will continue to compete in the Premier League, the FA Cup, and the Champions League.