Borussia Dortmund CEO Claims Man City Should Be Thrown Out of Champions League

Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke said Man City should be excluded from the Champions League because of excessive "back-door funding" received as a result of being sponsored by companies controlled by the club's owner, according to the London TELEGRAPH. Watzke criticized Man City's dependence on Owner Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan's fortune. Dortmund "pride themselves on adhering to stringent rules" regarding the club's spending limits, and are big supporters of UEFA's financial fair play rules, which have been "laid out to limit all team's expenditures." Watzke said, "UEFA must find the thin line between sponsorship and excessive backdoor funding -- they must show strength to expel big clubs. No tycoon should be allowed to pump crazy money into a club with sponsorship from five companies he controls. If that happens, financial fair play will fail" (TELEGRAPH, 10/3).