CFCB Adjudicatory Chamber confirms exclusion of AC Milan from 2019/20 UEFA competitions

The UEFA Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) Adjudicatory Chamber has issued a procedural order confirming the exclusion of AC Milan from the upcoming UEFA club competitions season for its failure to comply with the break-even requirement during the monitoring periods assessed in the 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons and covering the reporting periods ending in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

On 19 June 2018, the CFCB Adjudicatory Chamber decided to exclude AC Milan from participating in the next UEFA club competition for which it would otherwise qualify in the next two seasons as it had an aggregate break-even deficit for the reporting periods ending in 2015, 2016, 2017 which substantially exceeded the maximum acceptable deviation.

On 20 July 2018, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) confirmed that AC Milan failed to fulfil the break-even requirement but decided that the sanction of exclusion was not proportionate and the matter was referred back to the CFCB AC. The CFCB Adjudicatory Chamber then issued a decision excluding AC Milan if they are not break even compliant by 30 June 2021. AC Milan appealed this decision to CAS.

AC Milan were referred to the CFCB Adjudicatory Chamber again in 2019 as they had a further break even deficit for the year 2018. AC Milan again appealed this decision to CAS. The CFCB Adjudicatory Chamber proceedings were suspended on 5 June 2019 pending AC Milan’s appeal to CAS for the years 2015, 2016 and 2017.

With AC Milan’s monitoring periods for both 2017/2018 and 2018/19 the subject matter of proceedings before CAS, UEFA requested that AC Milan be excluded from participating in UEFA club competitions for the season 2019/2020 and AC Milan has now accepted this sanction for its breach of the rules.

Accordingly, on 28 June 2019 the CAS issued its award and the CFCB Adjudicatory Chamber has issued a procedural order confirming the exclusion of AC Milan. UEFA is satisfied that it is now acknowledged by AC Milan and confirmed by CAS that AC Milan's failure to be break-even compliant must lead to a severe sanction, as the CFCB Adjudicatory Chamber had decided this from the very beginning of the respective proceedings.