Manchester City said Thursday they were "disappointed" but "not surprised" after being referred to UEFA's adjudicatory chamber for alleged breaches of financial fair play rules. In 2014, the Premier League champions were fined £49 million ($63 million) and subjected to squad, wage and spending caps in a settlement agreed with football's European governing body following a previous breach of the rules. UEFA began a new probe after further allegations were made in German publication Der Spiegel last year.

The reports alleged that City, bankrolled by Sheikh Mansour, a member of Abu Dhabi's royal family, had set up sponsorship deals to circumvent regulations limiting how much money owners can put into a club. City could reportedly face a season-long ban from the Champions League if they are found to have breached the regulations but it is not known if chief investigator Yves Leterme supports such a penalty. UEFA introduced the Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules to prevent clubs that qualify for its competitions from spending beyond their means and avert what then-president Michael Platini called "financial doping" within the game.