Manchester City Hit With Academy Ban
Reuters / Carl Recine
Manchester City and Pep Guardiola were dealt a huge blow by the Premier League, as they are now banned from signing academy players for the next two years. To add to it, City were also fined £300,000, all for breaching Premier League transfer rules.
It is understood that it is a similar ban that is currently in effect at Anfield, after Liverpool tried to tap up a Stoke City teenager earlier in the season.
Reports last month suggested that the Mancunian club was under scrutiny by the Premier League for their signings of three academy stars recently, including an 11-year-old Everton midfielder and a 15-year-old from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The ban, which applies to 10 to 18-year-old footballers registered with a Premier League or EFL club in the previous 18 months, was breached by Manchester City when they approached the family of two young players who were registered with other clubs.
A Premier League statement read, (via The Telegraph): “Following an investigation, the Premier League found evidence that [Manchester City’s] conduct prior to applying to register the players had contravened league rules.
“The Premier League has sanctioned Manchester City FC for breaches of its Youth Development Rules. The breaches concern approaches to two separate Academy players whilst they were each registered with another club.
“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 will pay a fine of £300,000 and will be prohibited from registering any academy players in the under-10 to under-18 age range who have been registered with a Premier League or EFL club in the preceding 18 months.
“This ban will last for two years. The period of this ban from 30 June 2018 onwards will be suspended for three years to be activated in the event of any similar breach by the club.”
Manchester City have declined to make an official statement regarding this ban, and have also decided not to appeal with the Premier League.
Written by Aakarsh Bommakanti 
A scholar in Cricket, an amateur in Football, a fanatic of both. Striving to learn by the day and writing to get closer to his first love, Liverpool Football Club. Work also featured by the4thofficial, Soccersouls, Sportswiki, Faceoffootball, Rousing the Kop.