Man City Refusing to Co-operate With Investigation Concerning Breach of Financial Fair Play Rules

​Manchester City are reportedly 'refusing' to co-operate with a UEFA investigation amidst reports the club had broken financial fair play rules.

UEFA have requested City to comment on the allegations made by German magazine Der Spiegel, claiming City's financial declarations during 2013-15 were 'a web of lies'. However, the club have refused to comment on the investigation.

According to The Guardian, City are unwilling to co-operate on the basis that the allegations formed by Der Spiegel were created from 'hacked or stolen emails', whilst going on to challenge UEFA to offer 'stronger protection against hacking.'

Der Spiegel claim - based on internal emails recovered from ​Man City - that the club's sponsorship income provided by Abu Dhabi airline Etihad, was in fact 'mostly paid' by City owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan.

Etihad themselves were forced to respond to the allegations, but firmly denied any wrongdoing, stating: "Financial obligations have always been the sole liability and responsibility of Etihad Airways."

It is understood that City's refusal to comply had led to a briefing from the UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, whilst a UEFA spokesperson offered further comments on the matter: “We are assessing the situation. We have an independent body [the CFCB] working on it. Very soon you will have an answer on what will happen in this concrete case.”

Manchester City's owners are no strangers to FFP investigations, having been found guilty of breaching rules back in 2014. The sanctions provided to the club included a £49m fine and restrictions placed on their Champions League playing squad.

Source : 90min