Man City could play in the UCL even if relegated, officials fear

📰 Senior figures in English football fear Manchester City could play in next season's Champions League even if they are relegated, according to BBC Sport. 📌 Key points 🏆 If City win this season's Champions League, they qualify for next season as holders. 🚫 There is no automatic mechanism to block a club that qualifies on sporting merit. 📄 UEFA licences are based on current finances, so grounds to refuse one are unclear. 🥈 Winning the FA Cup or Carabao Cup would also open a route into Europe. ⚖️ City deny all the charges and have lodged an appeal. 📝 What happened 📰 BBC Sport reported on 7 October that several senior figures in the English game are concerned about City featuring in next season's Champions League. The scenario applies even if the appeal fails and City receive severe sanctions such as a points deduction or expulsion from the league. 🏆 The key is the Champions League itself. The winners automatically qualify for the following season, whatever their position in their domestic league. The BBC noted there is no automatic mechanism to remove a club that has qualified on sporting merit. 📄 UEFA licences are issued by the FA through the Premier League and are based on current financial performance, so the grounds to refuse one over past breaches are unclear. The FA Cup winners go into the Europa League and the Carabao Cup winners into the Conference League. ⚖️ City also overturned a two-year UEFA ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in 2020, raising fears that any action by UEFA could end the same way. 📊 By the numbers • Inflated sponsorship revenue: £830m • Concealed costs: about £90m • Period of breaches: 2009-10 to 2017-18 (nine seasons) • Ban overturned at CAS in 2020: two years 🔭 Why it matters If City play in Europe's top competition despite heavy sanctions at home, the punishment would lose much of its meaning. How UEFA and the FA respond is the next big question. City visit Liverpool at Anfield on 11 October.