Report: AC Milan Could Face Europa League Ban as UEFA Investigates Finances
AC Milan could be hit with a ban from the Europa League after UEFA investigated the club's finances.
According to a report in the New York Times, UEFA's top financial investigators have recommended the ban after the club violated Financial Fair Play rules.
A final decision from UEFA is expected sometime soon, after the organization scrutinized Milan's finances for several months as part of a long investigation.
It was announced last week that Milan had failed to convince UEFA that the club is financially stable, and the case was referred to a different department, who are responsible for determining a punishment.
Milan, who have won the Champions League on seven occasions, now face the realistic possibility of a ban from continental competition, with the club due to compete in the Europa League during the 2018/19 season.
The news comes from two people involved in process. although they spoke to the New York Times anonymously because the case is still ongoing and they are not legally allowed to make comment on the record.
However, their claim goes against recent reports, which suggested that Milan could be hit with a €20m fine.
The news only adds to a tough period for Italian football, with the national team absent from the upcoming World Cup for the first time since 1958.
An emergency president is running national football federation, while Serie A were recently forced to scrap a $1b television contract due to antitrust complaints.
Milan's potential ban would not come as too much of a surprise, with the club reportedly losing tens of millions of pounds each season - making it virtually impossible for them to meet Financial Fair Play rules.
