Manchester City escapes transfer ban after breaching FIFA rules

English Premier League champions Manchester City have escaped a transfer ban despite having been found guilty of breaching FIFA regulations in relation to the international transfer of underage players. Instead of a ban, the club has been slapped with a fine of 370,000 Swiss francs (£315,000).

FIFA released a statement today, which explains the sanction:

"The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has sanctioned English club Manchester City FC for breaches relating to the international transfer and registration of players under the age of 18.

Manchester City FC was found to have breached, amongst others, Article 19 of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players."

The incidents concerned reportedly took place before December 2016. In their own website, Manchester City spoke up about the sanction. They claim that the breaches happened as a result of a misinterpretation of FIFA regulations.

They also stated that they have since complied with the regulations and have cooperated fully with the investigation. FIFA also stated that they took into consideration that Manchester City accepted full responsibility for their actions.

During the course of the investigation, it was revealed that two foreign players were signed and subsequently played in the Manchester City youth system before they turned 18. The Right to Dream Football Academy players were named as George Davies of Sierra Leone and Dominic Oduro from Ghana.

Another big talking point is how FIFA appears to be letting the club off lightly compared to a previous incident that concerns another English Football Club. Earlier this year, Chelsea FC received a complete transfer ban for two consecutive transfer windows. Apart from that, they were also fined 600,000 Swiss francs. Chelsea has failed to appeal to FIFA but they are lodging another appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Meanwhile, Manchester City may have gotten off with a fine this time, but they are still facing other issues. The club is currently also being investigated by UEFA for possible financial fair play violations.