City vow to ‘prevail’ in UEFA battle

MANCHESTER CITY have written to all their staff to declare of the club’s battle with UEFA: ‘We will prevail.’

Sportsmail has seen an email sent out by chief executive Ferran Soriano after the announcement last Friday that City had been banned for two years from European competition. The memo states that the

Premier League champions ‘continue to reject’ the charges against them and adds that they will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport at the earliest opportunity. Soriano adds: ‘It is important to recognise that this is not the end. There is more to come. We are confident that, with a fair and independent hearing, we will prevail.’ Staff are also told not to post anything on social media. City have circled the wagons since UEFA’s announcement and it can be disclosed that a number of meetings have already been held with staff at which they were reassured about the future and urged not to panic. The message that this is just the start of a process, together with confidence that City will ultimately succeed, has been the common theme. As well as their two-year European ban, City were fined £25million after UEFA’s investigation — triggered by the publishing of hacked documents — found they had committed ‘serious breaches’ of the governing body’s Financial Fair Play regulations.

If they are unsuccessful in their appeal, City face paying millions in compensation to their players. Urgent talks over how the club will reimburse their leading stars — who have Champions League bonuses stipulated in their contracts — are already underway. Many players are entitled to extra wages dependent on the club’s performance in Europe. Some receive bonuses — up to sevenfigure sums — from the point City qualify for the Champions League. City travel to Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie a week tomorrow. And their fans have announced they will do the ‘Poznan’ and display new anti-UEFA banners when they host Real in the return leg on March 17. City copied the celebration, linking arms and facing away from the match action, from Lech Poznan after playing the Polish club in the Europa League in 2010. Kevin Parker of the Supporters’ Club said: ‘Everybody do the Poznan: turn your back on UEFA and be together as one. We want to show the football world that you’re taking on all of us.’