May 7- Manchester City, one of the richest clubs in world football courtesy of Middle East funding, have been banned from signing academy players for an initial 12 months and fined £300,000 for breaching rules governing youth transfers – colloquially known as “tapping up.”
The club were given a two-year ban, the second year of which was suspended for three years, and means they cannot sign youngsters aged between 10 and 18 who have been registered with other Premier League or English Football League clubs while the restriction is in force.
The ban is same as that handed down to Premier League rivals Liverpool last month for a similar offence. But the fine for City was three times higher since they were found guilty of offering prohibited inducements to two youth players.
“The breaches concern approaches to two separate Academy players,” the Premier league said in a statement. There was “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.”
The breaches reportedly related to one 11-year-old and one 15-year-old. The younger boy, now 12, will reportedly leave City immediately.
The statement said City “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.”
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1713502985labto1713502985ofdlr1713502985owedi1713502985sni@w1713502985ahsra1713502985w.wer1713502985dna1713502985