Nyon (Switzerland): Manchester City have been banned from European competitions for the next two seasons for "serious financial fair-play breaches", UEFA announced on Friday, with the verdict immediately contested by Pep Guardiola's English champions. City, who were also fined 30 million euros (R232 crore), announced they were appealing the suspension to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) "at the earliest opportunity". "Manchester City is disappointed but not surprised by today's announcement by the UEFA Adjudicatory Chamber," the club said.

"The... flawed and consistently leaked UEFA process he [the UEFA chief investigator] oversaw has meant that there was little doubt in the result that he would deliver... "Simply put, this is a case initiated by UEFA, prosecuted by UEFA and judged by UEFA. "With this prejudicial process now over, the club will pursue an impartial judgment as quickly as possible" at CAS. Guardiola's City face Real Madrid in this season's Champions League Last 16.