Manchester City's Abu Dhabi bosses are even more determined to make the club the envy of world football despite UEFA's investigation into alleged FFP violations .
The Premier League champions believe they have no case to answer with regard to claims by German magazine Der Spiegel that some of their lucrative sponsorship deals are being financed by owner Sheikh Mansour.
Mirror Football understands that it was “business as usual” when chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak attended a board meeting at the Etihad last week.
And a club source confirmed: “Plans are being drawn up and pursued for the next five, 10, 20 years and beyond.
“If anything, the allegations made against us and the subsequent hysterical reaction they have caused has made the club's owners and executives even more determined to turn City into the club that the Abu Dhabi United Group envisaged when they took over 10 years ago.
“We are not going to go away.”
Sheikh Mansour with chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak (Image: Sunday Mirror)
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City boss Pep Guardiola has been briefed fully on how City have conducted their business to meet strict FFP regulations.
And that's why the Catalan's demeanour was so defiant when he was asked on Friday about the possibility of his team being kicked out of the Champions League if they are found guilty of breaking the rules for a second time.
City were fined £49million by UEFA in 2014 for failing to adhere to guidelines – although they were later handed back £33million after eventually meeting requirements.
It has been suggested that City's owners may walk away from the club if they are punished again using hacked or stolen material that the club insist has been taken out of context.
The Premier League have also announced they are looking into whether City have broken their FFP requirements.
Man City boss Guardiola (Image: AFP/Getty Images)
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And FIFA and the FA are taking Der Spiegel's claims that the club has fallen foul of rules governing Third Party Ownership and payments to youth players so seriously that they have also launched their own seperate enquiries into the club.
After months of meeting Der Spiegel's claims with a wall of silence, City will use UEFA's decision to start an investigation into their financial affairs to begin fighting back.
The source at the Etihad added: “We said in a statement on Thursday that we welcomed UEFA's involvement – and we meant it.
“It is important that we don't allow these issues to affect what we are trying to achieve on the pitch at an important stage of the season.
“But we will co-operate fully with the investigation and the answers we provide will show we have been adhering to FFP.”
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