UEFA Throws Man City out of the Champions' League, but only AFTER this season.

First, the headline.  Then the buried lede.

Manchester City has been thrown out of the Champions' League for two full seasons after running afoul of what is called "Financial Fair Play".

For overstating sponsorship deals in multiple reports over the course of five seasons (2012 to 2016), they're banned from all UEFA competition and fined 30,000,000 Euros.

Manchester City will appeal, as UEFA recognizes it's right (which is why the full report will not be published), to a trial at a Council for Arbitration of Sport.  (CAS)

But there's a problem here.

They won two Premier League championships in that period.  (2011-12, and the first filing problem was for the year 2012 -- and 2013-14)

(They've also won two more since.)

But the point here is:  I guess the only reason they would be allowed to complete this situation is on the appeal to the CAS -- the penalty should've included disqualification from the 2020 Champs League playoffs.

Under the rules, since England gets 4 Champions League spots, any spot won by Manchester City will graduate downward to the next team down.

This could open up a significant situation, because five teams are within four points of that fifth-spot -- which usually only is a direct Europa League spot.