How Barcelona & Man Utd Can Inflict Champions League Ban on PSG Following Neymar Deal

The shockwaves from Neymar's world record £197m transfer from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain have continued to rock the world of football as many continue to work out how the French side abided by Financial Fair Play.

However with a pursuit of Monaco's Kylian Mbappe still being considered, the Ligue 1 side have drawn increased attention to their financial abilities, which could see the club face severe punishment in the form of a transfer ban or expulsion from the Champions League - should they be found in breach of the FFP regulations. 

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In order to justify their transfer spending, the Ligue 1 side need to prove that they generate enough income to stay within UEFA's FFP. However, if they fail to do so then Europe's elite clubs have the opportunity to appeal any UEFA punishment over the breach - which would force the governing body to inflict strict punishments on PSG, according to The Times. 

An instance which could have followed a similar path is when PSG and Manchester City broke the restrictions in 2014, which led to a fine and a reduction in their Champions League squad numbers - which went from 25 to 21.

The punishment was considered as a 'slap on the wrist,' as the two clubs 'agreed a settlement' with the now FIFA chief, Gianni Infantino. However, if any other club had appealed the sanction than the matter would of been sent to UEFA's Club Financial Body, where they would have likely received a stricter punishment.  

As such, there is little doubt Barcelona will want to ensure PSG are punished to the strictest letter of the law if they fail to abide by FFP. With the likes of Manchester United, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich also able to file complaints to issue a firmer punishment. 

This could therefore result in a potential transfer ban and exclusion from Europe's elite competition for PSG, as the new UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has already made his position clear that he wants to close the gap between the 'big' and 'small' clubs - suggesting a strict punishment would be handed down to PSG if found guilty.  

FFP covers profit and loss over a three-year period, which would come into effect in the summer of 2018, and thus PSG's financial state won't be investigated until then - providing them with a year to legally obtain funds to balance their books.