Manchester City make Arsenal claim after rival Clubs plot to have UEFA ban upheld’

Manchester City reportedly believe Arsenal are the club behind the Premier League group backing to have their two-year ban in Europe upheld if the coronavirus crisis means an appeal is not feasible

Pep Guardiola’s side were banned from Europe for two years and fined £25m by UEFA in February for ‘serious breaches’ of Financial Fair Play. They deny any wrong-doing and have appealed. But the coronavirus pandemic means CAS are now unlikely to be in a position to hear all the evidence until late in the summer.

According to a report from the Daily Mirror, there has been bad blood between the two clubs for years now, and City also now suspect Arsenal of being a driving force behind trying to get them banned from European football.

However, the report adds that the Gunners have refused to comment on the claim, and will tell Man City that their information is false should the Etihad club contact them directly about the matter.

It remains to be seen what the outcome of all this will be, but the Mirror suggests City may have to wait a little longer for the CAS to judge the appeal of their ban over alleged Financial Fair Play breaches.

The current coronavirus outbreak has led to the football season being put on hold, and the Mirror claim this could also see a delay to a final verdict on City’s potential ban from European football

As has been previously noted by the Evening Standard, Arsenal could be the big winners if the season is voided and MCFC get banned from the Champions League, as it would free up fifth place as an extra CL spot, which is where the Gunners finished in 2018/19.