Manchester City's appeal against financial probe thrown out

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MONTREUX, SWITZERLAND (NOVEMBER 15, 2019) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

1. COURT OF ARBITRATION FOR SPORT (CAS) SECRETARY-GENERAL, MATTHIEU REEB, WHILE TALKING TO REPORTERS

2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) COURT OF ARBITRATION FOR SPORT (CAS) SECRETARY-GENERAL, MATTHIEU REEB, SAYING:

"Today, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled that the appeal filed by Manchester City football club was inadmissible. This is the appeal filed by the club against the decision rendered by the UEFA Investigation Chamber of the Financial Control body of UEFA."

3. REEB TALKING TO REPORTERS

4. COURT OF ARBITRATION FOR SPORT (CAS) SECRETARY-GENERAL, MATTHIEU REEB, SAYING:

"The jurisdiction was confirmed, but admissibility was not, because the case, the decision of the first instance of UEFA, this is the investigation chamber, was not final. So at CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) we can only hear appeals against final decisions, so it means that UEFA must complete its entire procedure before an appeal can be filed."

5. REEB TALKING TO REPORTERS

6. REEB TALKING TO REPORTERS SEEN ON CAMERA SCREEN

7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) COURT OF ARBITRATION FOR SPORT (CAS) SECRETARY-GENERAL, MATTHIEU REEB, SAYING:

"There was absolutely no examination of the merits, so it is just jurisdiction admissibility and nothing else. So we cannot say whether the decision or the alleged breach of the financial fair-play rules are real or not."

8. REEB TALKING TO REPORTERS

9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) COURT OF ARBITRATION FOR SPORT (CAS) SECRETARY-GENERAL, MATTHIEU REEB, SAYING:

"If the procedure goes on at UEFA and adjucatory chamber renders a decision, then there could be an appeal by the club, if there is a sanction of course."

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (FILE - MAY 12, 2019) (CITY TV - ACCESS ALL)

10. FIREWORKS ABOVE ETIHAD STADIUM

11. CAPTAIN VINCENT KOMPANY LIFTING TROPHY TO CHEERS

12. MORE OF FIREWORKS

13. MORE OF KOMPANY LIFTING TROPHY

14. DEFENDER KYLE WALKER LIFTING TROPHY

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (FILE - AUGUST 23, 2010) (REUTERS PICTURES - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE)

15. STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF SHEIKH MANSOUR (CENTRE) WAVING TO CROWD AT MATCH AGAINST LIVERPOOL WITH AL MUBARAK (LEFT) AND FORMER CHIEF EXECUTIVE, GARY COOK (RIGHT) APPLAUDING

16. STILL PHOTOGRAPH OF AL MUBARAK, SHEIKH MANSOUR AND COOK

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (FILE - OCTOBER 20, 2018) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

17. MANCHESTER CITY BADGE ON EXTERIOR OF STADIUM

18. MANCHESTER CITY BADGE AND SIGN, READING: "ETIHAD STADIUM" ON SIDE OF STADIUM

STORY: Manchester City's attempt to halt a UEFA investigation into allegations that the club breached financial fair play regulations has failed after its appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) was thrown out on Friday (November 15).

CAS general secretary Matthieu Reeb told reporters that the Premier League champions' appeal had been judged inadmissible.

UEFA had opened an investigation into City over potential breaches of its break-even rule in March after German publication Der Spiegel reported the club's Abu Dhabi owners inflated sponsorship agreements to comply with requirements.

In May, UEFA investigators referred the case to the Club Financial Control board's judicial body.

City appealed in June against that decision, saying at the time that UEFA investigators had ignored "a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence provided by Manchester City".

FFP rules are intended to prevent clubs receiving unlimited amounts of money through rich owners and inflated sponsorship deals. Clubs who have breached the rules can ultimately be barred from European competition but negotiated settlements are more common.

(Production: Marina Depetris/Cecile Mantovani)