Manchester City receives 2-year transfer ban on academy players
The Premier League punished Manchester City on Friday with a two-year ban on signing academy players from other clubs in the top flight or English Football League, according to a statement published by The Associated Press' Rob Harris.
The two-time Premier League champion was found to have fallen foul of league rules in the procurement of two of its academy players, and was also hit with a £300,000 fine. The club will serve the first year of the suspension immediately, with the second year coming into effect in the event of a similar breach in the next three years.
There is a stipulation in the sanction that allows City to sign a youngster who's been with another club's academy for under 18 months.
The statement reads:
Following an investigation, the Premier League found evidence that the club's conduct prior to applying to register the players contravened League rules. This included evidence of contact between the club and members of each Academy player's family while those Academy Players were still registered with their previous clubs.
Manchester City's punishment is similar to one received by Liverpool in April for approaching a 12-year-old Stoke City player and his family with incentives to join the Reds, although the Merseyside outfit's fine was just £100,000. Upon signing the boy, Liverpool reportedly reneged on a promise to privately school him when it learned it would have to follow suit with all of its other academy hopefuls.
Related: Liverpool banned from signing youth players after recruitment breach
City's misdemeanours centre around an 11-year-old that was tempted from Everton last year, and a 15-year-old midfielder who was on Wolverhampton Wanderers' books, reports The Telegraph's Ben Rumsby. The signing of ex-Liverpool goalkeeper Louie Moulden, 16 - son of former City striker Paul - last summer was found not to have sidestepped the Premier League's rules.
Manchester City made significant strides in improving its youth development with the opening of the £200-million Etihad Campus in October 2014. City Football Academy head Jason Wilcox said a year later that the club wants first-team manager Pep Guardiola to be "spoilt for choice" when it comes to emerging products, but this ban could be a serious setback to the Citizens' plans.