UEFA to make major decision over Manchester City and Girona’s Champions League eligibility | OneFootball

Manchester City and Girona are likely to hear from UEFA over their eligibility to both compete in next season’s Champions League, should the latter secure qualification.

The two clubs are in hot pursuit of their highest possible finishes in the Premier League and La Liga respectively this season, with both teams having secured some form of European competitive competition for next season.

City are guaranteed to finish in the top-four of the English top-flight this season, while Girona are yet to find out whether they will be able to do enough to compete in Europe’s premier club competition, or whether they will place in the Europa or Conference League spots.

However, with both Manchester City and Girona sharing the common denominator of being ran and operated by the City Football Group, the question remains as to whether both clubs will be permitted to compete in the Champions League next season.

That is the subject that has been discussed and outlined in a new report this week, with Girona taking on FC Barcelona at home this weekend, in a game that would see the CFG club leapfrog Xavi’s side into second with a victory.

According to Jack Gaughan, writing in the latest of MailSport’s Man City Notebook, UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) will sit to determine whether both Girona and Manchester City can be registered for next year’s Champions League, should the La Liga side qualify.

It is detailed that the issues around Manchester City and Girona both competing in next season’s Champions League stem from the City Football Group proving that there is ‘no executive control or information sharing’ between the two clubs.

As per UEFA’s article 5, no participating club ‘be involved in any capacity whatsoever in the management, administration and/or sporting performance of any other club participating in a UEFA club competition.’

Jack Gaughan states that should the aforementioned CFCB rule against the City Football Group clubs, whoever finishes higher in their respective domestic division would take the UEFA Champions League spot.

Manchester City will be hoping for better fortunes in their UEFA Champions League pursuit next season, with this season’s defence of their crown coming crashing down in a penalty shoot-out exit to Real Madrid at the quarter-final stage.

Pep Guardiola and his players have a Premier League and Emirates FA Cup double up for grabs this season, and know that their fate in the top-flight remains firmly in their hands, with Arsenal breathing down their necks.

Should Manchester City win their remaining four matches in the English top-flight against Wolves, Fulham, Tottenham, and West Ham, then the Etihad Stadium would be home to the top-flight title for an unprecedented fourth successive season.