Man City ban appeal: CAS explains key reasons for lifting two-year suspension from Uefa competitions

Cas announced on Monday morning that the ban, handed down by Uefa, would be lifted after City appealed against the decision

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) has explained why it overturned Manchester City’s two-year ban from European competition.

Cas announced on Monday morning that the ban, handed down by Uefa, would be lifted after City appealed against the decision. Cas also reduced the club’s fine from €30m (£27m) to €10m (£9m).

In its statement, Cas explained that most of the charges brought by Uefa’s adjudicatory chamber were either unproven or “time-barred”, meaning they stemmed from at least five years before the case.

Cas said City could not be proved to have concealed equity funding as sponsorship agreements, as Uefa proposed, and that the only charge upheld was City’s failure to cooperate in the investigation.

This, Cas said, was not worthy of a suspension from European competition.

City’s financial resources were taken into consideration by Cas, as well as “the importance of the cooperation of clubs in investigations conducted by the CFCB [Uefa’s adjudicatory body], because of its limited investigative means”.

Cas found that City’s “disregard” for Uefa’s need to investigate was worthy of “a significant fine”, and considered it appropriate to reduce this fine by two thirds to €10m (£9m).

Cas will publish a fuller verdict in the coming days.