City are being investigated over alleged manipulation of their sponsorship income

Manchester City are facing a possible Champions League ban over alleged manipulation of sponsorship money, Uefa has confirmed.

Yves Leterme, the chief investigator of Uefa’s club financial control body (CFCB), said that City may face “the heaviest punishment” as a result of the case.

Uefa and the Premier League are investigating leaked emails that appear to show £59.5 million of sponsorship money that was supposed to come from the Etihad airline in 2015 was paid instead by Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG), City’s owner.

The alleged manipulation, published by Der Spiegel, the German magazine, from the Football Leaks cache of documents, would appear to be a breach of financial fair play, which relies on clubs truthfully reporting their financial transactions.

The Times revealed last