UEFA Slaps 2-year Ban On AC Milan

Italian giants AC Milan have been banned from European football for two years for breaching financial fair play rules.

European football governing body, UEFA, in a statement on Wednesday said the Italian club which was owned by former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi from 1986 until it was sold to a Chinese consortium for £648m in April 2017, spent £200m on transfers last summer after a takeover, breached rules around requirements for clubs to break even.

“The Adjudicatory Chamber of the Club Financial Control Body (CFCB), chaired by José Narciso da Cunha Rodrigues, has taken a decision in the case of the club AC Milan that had been referred to it by the CFCB Chief Investigator for the breach of the UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations, in particular the break-even requirement,” a UEFA statement reads.

“The club is excluded from participating in the next UEFA club competition for which it would otherwise qualify in the next two (2) seasons (i.e. one competition in 2018/19 or 2019/20, subject to qualification).

“This decision may be appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, in accordance with Article 34(2) of the Procedural rules governing the UEFA Club Financial Control Body, as well as Articles 62 and 63 of the UEFA Statutes.”

The decision could be appealed at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

AC Milan are one of European football’s most decorated sides having won seven European Cups, but have not competed in the Champions League since 2014.