Sheffield United's European hopes dealt blow by Manchester City verdict

On Monday, Manchester City successfully overturned their two-year ban from continental competitions at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), meaning they will be able to take part in next season's Champions League after all.

In February UEFA found City found guilty of “serious breaches” of their financial regulations, but after considering their appeal, CAS have decided the Manchester club did not disguise equity funding as sponsorship, but did fail to co-operate with UEFA over the matter. As a result, their suspension from playing in European club competitions has been lifted and their fine has been reduced to 10m euros.

"Whilst Manchester City and its legal advisors are yet to review the full ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the club welcomes the implications of today’s ruling as a validation of the cub’s position and the body of evidence that it was able to present. The club wishes to thank the panel members for their diligence and the due process that they administered," read a very brief City statement.

UEFA commented that: "the CAS panel found that there was insufficient conclusive evidence to uphold all of the CFCB (Club Financial Control Body)’s conclusions in this specific case and that many of the alleged breaches were time-barred due to the five-year time period foreseen in the UEFA regulations."

The decision brings greater clarity on what Sheffield United must do to play in next season's Europa League – but only to a degree.

With three matches to play, the Blades are seventh in the Premier League, a point behind sixth-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Blades are at fourth-placed Leicester City on Thursday, and finish their campaign against Everton (home) and Southampton (away).

Four English sides automatically qualify for Europe's blue-riband cup competition, plus three for the Europa League places. The Champions League places are decided on league positions, while the Europa League slots nominally go to the next highest-placed league side, the FA Cup winners and League Cup winners.

But as City won the League Cup in February, that place will go to the side finishing seventh unless Arsenal win the FA Cup from a lower position. They are the outsiders in the competition, needing to beat City in the semi-finals, then Chelsea or Manchester United in the final.

If Manchester United or Wolves win the Europa League - or far less likely Chelsea overturn a 3-0 first-leg deficit to Bayern Munich and win the European Cup but do not finish in the top four - they will qualify for the Champions League as a fifth English representative. But the maximum number of teams the Premier League can have in European competition is restricted to seven, so it would just mean one fewer in the Europa League.

The Red Devils hold a 3-0 aggregate lead from the away leg of their last-16 tie against LASK. Wolves drew 1-1 at Olympiacos in their first leg. Should they progress, the sides are due to meet in the semi-finals.

The competition is due to be completed after the Premier League campaign in August, with ties from the quarter-finals onwards being played on a one-off basis in Germany.

This is Sheffield United's first Premier League season since 2007, and to qualify for Europe would be remarkable. Wolves did the same last year, but their playing budget is incomparable.

The financial benefits are not huge for English clubs, whose domestic television deals are the biggest in world football, but it would bring great prestige and make attracting players much easier. It would also mean a regular diet of Thursday-night fixtures which Premier League clubs without a Champions League pedigree often struggle with, but Wolves have shown this season it is possible to compete on two fronts even with a small squad.

Editor’s note: first and foremost - and rarely have I written down these words with more sincerity - I hope this finds you well.

Almost certainly you are here because you value the quality and the integrity of the journalism produced by The Yorkshire Post’s journalists - almost all of which live alongside you in Yorkshire, spending the wages they earn with Yorkshire businesses - who last year took this title to the industry watchdog’s Most Trusted Newspaper in Britain accolade.

And that is why I must make an urgent request of you: as advertising revenue declines, your support becomes evermore crucial to the maintenance of the journalistic standards expected of The Yorkshire Post. If you can, safely, please buy a paper or take up a subscription. We want to continue to make you proud of Yorkshire’s National Newspaper but we are going to need your help.

Postal subscription copies can be ordered by calling 0330 4030066 or by emailing [email protected]. Vouchers, to be exchanged at retail sales outlets - our newsagents need you, too - can be subscribed to by contacting subscriptions on 0330 1235950 or by visiting www.localsubsplus.co.uk where you should select The Yorkshire Post from the list of titles available.

If you want to help right now, download our tablet app from the App / Play Stores. Every contribution you make helps to provide this county with the best regional journalism in the country.

Sincerely. Thank you.

James Mitchinson

Editor