City avoid transfer ban despite admitting breach of FIFA regulations

Manchester City have avoided a transfer ban despite admitting to breaching regulations relating to the international transfer and registration of under-18 players.

The Premier League champions have instead been fined 370,000 Swiss francs (£314,650) by FIFA after breaching article 19, among others, of the world governing body’s regulations on the status and transfer of players.

A FIFA statement read: “The Disciplinary Committee took into account the fact that Manchester City FC accepted its responsibility and sanctioned the club with a fine of Swiss francs 370,000.”

The Premier League champions were facing a two-year ban from making signings – a punishment meted out to Chelsea earlier this year.

FIFA has been investigating City’s international transfers for several years,
although the club were cleared of breaking the rules when they signed Benjamin Garre from Velez Sarsfield in 2016 just after the Argentinian midfielder’s 16th birthday.

Last year, two players from Ghana’s Right to Dream football academy, Sierra Leone’s George Davies and Ghanaian Dominic Oduro, told Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten that they signed for City and played in youth matches before they turned 18.