UEFA President Michel Platini rules out Champions League ban for clubs in breach of FFP rules

Uefa President Michel Platini rules out Champions League expulsions for teams found in violation of the FFP

UEFA President Michel Platini has clarified that none of the clubs being investigated for a breach of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play(FFP) regulations are in danger of being expelled from next season’s UEFA Champions League.

The news will come as a relief for clubs such as Manchester City and Paris Saint Germain who were two of the biggest clubs under the FFP scanner.

Financial Fair Play regulations were brought in to prevent “greed, reckless spending and financial insanity” from clubs and will kick in next year onwards. The maximum penalty for a breach of the regulations is an exclusion from the Champions League but Platini has made it clear that such a punishment will not be doled out to any club this time around.

“In effect, the first decisions will be announced at the start of May,” Platini told Le Parisien newspaper in an interview published on its website.

“But if you are expecting blood and tears and you will be disappointed. There will be some tough things but no exclusions from European competition,” the Frenchman added.

Platini also gave a somewhat mixed response when questioned about Paris Saint-Germain’s “innovative” sponsorship deal with Qatar Tourism Authority, which prompted a debate over its legality.

Around 20 clubs are currently under investigation by the UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body for alleged breach of FFP rules with Manchester City and Paris Saint Germain clearly two of the biggest names on the list.

UEFA has previously banned clubs for many reasons with the likes of CSKA Sofia, Rangers FC and Rayo Vallecano all facing bans from European football’s governing body.

UEFA has banned many clubs from its competitions in last decade for financial/licensing rule breaches. They are here: pic.twitter.com/OH7Sj7NpWp

— Rob Harris (@RobHarris) April 24, 2014