Man City could be banned from Champions League as scenario draws closer

Manchester City could yet be denied a spot in next year’s Champions League if Girona can cap their remarkable season by winning La Liga.

The Premier League title holders – and reigning European champions – have qualified for Europe’s premier competition for 13 successive years now and have reached the knockout phase of said tournament for the last 11 years in a row. A Champions League campaign without Manchester City has been, in the modern era at least, unthinkable.

But the club’s multi-model ownership and UEFA regulations mean that sister club Girona could effectively prevent Pep Guardiola’s side from competing in the competition next year if they win the Spanish title and City fail to win the Premier League.

And with City currently five points behind Liverpool and Girona once again top of La Liga, there may be one or two frayed nerves currently in Manchester.

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Manchester City and Girona are two of the 13 teams who make up the City Football Group, which has clubs scattered all across the globe. The links between City and Girona are particularly strong, though: Pere Guardiola, the brother of Pep, is the current chairman of the Spanish club.

Under current rules, should two clubs from the same ownership group qualify for the same UEFA competition, then only the side who finishes highest in their domestic league will be permitted to compete in the competition.

If the two teams finish in an identical position, i.e. both in second, then the club with the highest coefficient ranking would qualify. In this instance, Manchester City would advance.

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These rules are likely to cause further issues in the red half of Manchester in the near future, with Ineos acquiring a minority stake in Manchester United. They already own French club OGC Nice who are currently second in Ligue 1 and on track to qualify for the Champions League.

Girona leapfrogged Real Madrid to return to the summit of La Liga on Sunday night courtesy of a 1-0 victory over Celta Vigo. Cristian Portu plundered the decisive goal.

Manchester City, meanwhile, will attempt to get their title bid back on track against at home against struggling Burnley. They then travel to Brentford next week.

Guardiola’s men, who do have a game in hand on Liverpool, will also continue the defence of their European crown in the coming weeks as they travel to FC Copenhagen in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 clash.

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