Man City might have taken their fight with UEFA over the FFP investigation to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but the English giant could be hit with a Champions League ban nonetheless.
The Premier League champion submitted an appeal to CAS regarding the case, requesting that it be thrown out as they feel European football's governing body has conducted a bias and improper investigation into the team's finances.
However, the court has revealed to the Sun that the Citizens' appeal has no effect in stopping UEFA's decision. A spokesperson told the British tabloid: “There is no stay on Uefa while the CAS proceedings are in progress.”
The Citizens find themselves in this mess after Der Spiegel and Football Leaks claimed that mega-rich English club disguised funding from their owners as sponsorship money. As a result, UEFA began investigating the Etihad Stadium side's numbers.
While there is no decision from the Adjudicatory Chamber of UEFA's Club Financial Control Body, the five judges on the panel are expected to pass out a one-year ban from the Champions League as punishment. According to the Daily Mail, this sanction could be forced within the coming weeks.
If true, this will be a huge blow to Guardiola's side. While Sterling and Co. remain the undisputed kings of England, their quest for European glory would suffer a tremendous setback should they be banned from the competition.
