Manchester City have had their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport regarding UEFA’s case against them for breaches of Financial Fair Play thrown out.

However, if reports are to believed, the Citizens could well avoid a Champions League ban in any case. The Athletic (paywall) are reporting that City will only be handed a fine.

The decision, which will officially be announced next month, is likely to cause an uproar in the wider football community with many clubs expected to speak out against the verdict due to the lack of a stronger punishment for FFP breaches.

The Athletic say that Financial Fair Play could be written off as a failure with UEFA’s Club Financial Control Board unable to fully police the regulations that the association have drawn up.

For City, the expected ruling will be seen as a vindication of their stance towards FFP allegations. They do, however, still face other investigations from FIFA, the FA and the Premier League.