The Spaniard continued to rail against UEFA for its handling of allegations of Financial Fair Play violations by PSG and Manchester City
Javier Tebas has never been one to bite his tongue, so it should not come as a surprise that the outspoken president of La Liga would be vocal about the recently alleged Financial Fair Play misbehaviour of Paris Saint Germain and Manchester City.
Der Spiegel and MediaPart , in conjunction with Football Leaks as part of the European Investigative Collaborations network, has alleged that both Man City and PSG have broken a number of rules in a bid to circumvent UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations.
City have released a statement in light of the claims, insisting “the attempt to damage the club’s reputation is organised and clear,” while PSG stress they have “always complied strictly with the laws and regulations in force and strongly denies the allegations.”
But Tebas has not missed a chance to criticise UEFA for its handling of the two big-spending clubs and took aim at the European governing body after the recent revelations, which he says he saw coming.
“I said two years ago that PSG and Manchester City were cheating so it wasn’t a surprise to me at all,” Tebas told Goal . “It’s very important that UEFA does something real about it. It’s something that has unbalanced world football and the structure of the game. You have to punish those teams.”
Tebas, who spoke to Goal at the recent Soccerex event in Miami, sees PSG as a serial abuser of Financial Fair Play and believes the French club has reached a point where it has earned serious punishment.
“Forcing them to sit out a year of the Champions League would send a message that these rules must be taken seriously,” Tebas said. “It isn’t about punishing PSG specifically, but enforcing rules we expect everyone to follow.”
Tebas was not as forceful in his condemnations of Manchester City, but believes the English champions must be investigated to uncover how serious the team’s FFP violations are, if violations did in fact take place.
PSG and Manchester City are no strangers to dealing with Financial Fair Play issues, having both received punishment in 2014 for FFP violations.
Manchester City paid a £49 million fine and accepted squad restrictions after being one of nine clubs – including PSG – punished in the first wave of Financial Fair Play sanctions issued in 2014.
In response to the recent allegations, UEFA issued a statement making it clear it is ready to re-open investigations into past violations if new information uncovers wrongdoing.
“If new information comes to light that may be material to this assessment, UEFA will use that to challenge the figures and will seek explanation, clarification or rebuttal from the club concerned,” a statement said. “Should new information suggest that previously-concluded cases have been abused, those cases may be capable of being reopened as determined on a case-by-case basis.”
For Tebas, it is clear what he believes UEFA must do.
“If UEFA acts as it has to act, then it has to sanction those teams,” Tebas said.
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