Manchester City Chief Executive, Ferran Soriano Speaks on UEFA Ban

Ferran Soriano, Manchester City Chief Executive, has reacted to UEFA ban placed on the club over allegations of breaching financial fair play rules.

Sports media quoted Soriano as saying the allegations were untrue.

The Premier League champions were handed a two -year Champions League ban and fined 30m euros (25m pounds), although the decision is subject to appeal.

The City chief said the club would do everything to prove the allegations were untrue.

“We know the fans are supporting us. We can feel it. MCFC fans have gone through challenges over the decades. This is just another challenge. We will stick together; we will go through it and we will not let the fans down.

“The owner has not put money in this club that has not been properly declared. We are a sustainable football club, we are profitable, we don’t have debt, our accounts have been scrutinized many times, by auditors, by regulators, by investors and this is perfectly clear.

“We are looking for an early resolution obviously through a thorough process and a fair process so my best hope is that this will be finished before the beginning of the summer and until then for us, it is business as usual.”

Soriano insists both the manager and players are fully focused on the football side of the club, and remain calm.

“Obviously, [Pep] has been kept informed about this process but this is not something for him to respond to. He is focused on the football, he is focusing on the game, the game at hand, the game today, tomorrow and the next weeks.

“As well as the players. They are calm, they are focused and this matter is more a business matter, a legal matter than a football matter.”

In a statement on Friday, UEFA said City “overstated its sponsorship revenue in its accounts and in the break-even information submitted to UEFA between 2012 and 2016”.

The club was also found guilty of “failing to cooperate in the investigation by the CFCB”.