Liverpool have joined forces with eight other Premier League clubs to ensure that Manchester City are banned from UEFA competitions for breaching Financial Fair Play rules.
The Daily Mail report that the Reds, along with a group that include the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea, have submitted a joint application to the Court of Arbitration of Sport to guarantee that City are banned from the Champions League for the next two years after the Premier League heavyweight were found guilty for breaching Financial Fair Play rules, as reported by The Guardian at the time.
Although City had been found guilty and handed the punishment, the reigning Premier League champions are currently filing an appeal to the Court of Arbitration of Sport, which is on hold due to coronavirus pandemic which has suspended football all across England and beyond.
As per the Mail’s report, the joint-appeal was made after a growing feeling of outrage towards City for breaching the rules of expense over multiple years, and that Pep Guardiola’s side should be served the punishment they were handed earlier in the year.
With the Premier League and cases in the Court of Arbitration of Sport currently on hold, it is still unknown what will happen to City’s Champions League prospects for next season, with the Etihad Stadium natives currently sat second in the Premier League table. Yet this move by the Reds and other big teams in the top-flight could have a major impact on the outcome for Guardiola’s side’s appeal.
Whilst Liverpool confirmed their place in next season’s Champions League in February, the prospect of fifth place in the Premier League being a spot to qualify for Europe’s biggest and most historic competition is too big a prize for the likes of Wolves and Tottenham to slip from their grasp, and City losing their appeal will make the remaining months of the season that little bit more entertaining for the neutrals.