CAS decision on Man City a disgrace, says Spurs boss Mourinho

VIDEO SHOWS: COMMENTS FROM TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR MANAGER JOSE MOURINHO ON CAS' DECISION TO OVERTURN MANCHESTER CITY'S TWO-YEAR BAN ON EUROPEAN FOOTBALL

SHOWS: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (JULY 14, 2020) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

1. (SOUNDBITE) (English) TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR MANAGER, JOSE MOURINHO, ON CAS' DECISION TO OVERTURN MANCHESTER CITY'S TWO-YEAR EUROPEAN FOOTBALL BAN, SAYING:

"In relation to the decision I think in any case, it is a disgraceful decision because if Man City is not guilty of it, I think to be punished with some millions is a disgrace as a decision. If you are not guilty, you are not punished. By the other way, if they are guilty, you should be banned. So it is also a disgraceful decision. In any case, the decision is a disaster."

2. WHITE FLASH

3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR MANAGER, JOSE MOURINHO, MORE ON CAS' DECISION TO OVERTURN MANCHESTER CITY'S TWO-YEAR EUROPEAN FOOTBALL BAN, SAYING:

"Because if you are not guilty you don't pay. I am not saying Man City is guilty. I am saying if you are not guilty you don't pay, you are not punished, even with a pound. I know that money for them is quite easy but it is just a principle, why you pay eight or nine million or whatever if you are not guilty. So if they are not guilty the decision is a disgrace. If they are guilty the decision is also a disgrace because if you are guilty you should be banned from the competition. So my critic is not to Manchester City at all, I have nobody to criticise, I have nobody to know if they are guilty or if they are not guilty, my critic, of course, is for the decision power."

4. WHITE FLASH

5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR MANAGER, JOSE MOURINHO, ON IF HE CONSIDERS MANCHESTER CITY LUCKY OR UNLUCKY, SAYING:

"No, maybe they are unlucky because they don't deserve to be punished in one single pound and they were punished in eight or nine million so maybe they were unlucky."

STORY: The Court of Arbitration for Sport's (CAS) decision to overturn Manchester City's two-year UEFA ban from European football while fining them 10 million euros ($11.37 million) is a disgrace, Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho said on Tuesday (July 14).

UEFA ruled in February that City had committed serious breaches of Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations and failed to cooperate with its investigation, handing them a ban and a fine of 30 million euros.

However, the CAS on Monday (July 13) said City did not violate FFP rules by disguising equity funding as sponsorship, but imposed a reduced fine for failing to cooperate with European soccer's governing body.

"If you are not guilty, you are not punished. By the other way, if they are guilty, you should be banned. So it is also a disgraceful decision. In any case, the decision is a disaster," Mourinho told reporters in a virtual news conference ahead of Wednesday's (July 15) clash against 13th-placed Newcastle United.

UEFA's FFP rules face likely changes in the wake of the CAS ruling and Mourinho said the system needs to be overhauled if it is to continue to serve its purpose which is to aim to stop clubs running big losses through spending on players.

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(Production: Stef Haskins and Ursa Presern)