Four individuals who racially abused AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan during a Serie A match at the weekend have been given five-year stadium bans by Italian police.

AC Milan players briefly left the pitch during their match away to Udinese on January 20 after alerting referee Fabio Maresca to the abuse being directed at their goalkeeper.

On Wednesday, the office of Udine police commissioner Alfredo D’Agostino announced that four people had been identified using security cameras from the stadium.

“There are four people, three men and one woman, aged between 32 and 45, against whom the police commissioner of Udine has issued banning orders for the duration of five years,” a statement said.

A five-year ban is the maximum penalty that can be handed to first-time offenders for racist abuse at football matches in Italy.

Udinese announced on Monday that one fan had been banned for life over the incident, and the club had said that any other offenders who were identified would face the same penalty.

On Tuesday, the club were ordered to play one match behind closed doors by Serie A’s sports judge, Gerardo Mastrandrea.

That judgement said the one-match stadium closure was the minimum sanction which could have been imposed, and was chosen to reflect Udinese’s active stance and willingness right from the start to identify those responsible.

Speaking after the game, which restarted after a delay of around 10 minutes, Maignan told Milan TV: “I heard them making monkey noises.

“After it happened a second time, I went to the dugout to inform them of what had happened behind the goal.

“This shouldn’t exist in the world of football, but unfortunately for many years this is a recurrence. We all have to react, we must do something because you can’t play like this.”

The billionaire former owner of Tottenham Hotspur, Joe Lewis, has pleaded guilty in an insider trading case in the US, prosecutors have confirmed.

Lewis, 86, pleaded guilty in front of US District Judge Jessica Clarke on Wednesday to charges alleging he had committed securities fraud and conspired to commit securities fraud by insider trading.

“Today’s guilty pleas once again confirm – as I said in announcing the charges against Joseph Lewis just six months ago – the law applies to everyone, no matter who you are or how much wealth you have,” said US Attorney Damian Williams.

“Billionaire Lewis abused inside information he gained through his access to corporate boardrooms to tip off his friends, employees and romantic interests.

“Now, he will pay the price with a federal conviction, the prospect of time in prison and the largest financial penalty for insider trading in a decade.”

Separately, Broad Bay Ltd, a company which is owned by Lewis, pleaded guilty and accepted its participation in hiding the billionaire’s stake in a pharmaceutical company. It will pay more than 50 million dollars (£39 million) in financial penalties.

Lewis’s lawyer David Zornow said that his client still has the right to appeal if he is sentenced to time in prison, according to Reuters.

The billionaire had in July denied the 16 charges of securities fraud and three charges of conspiracy that he was faced with. He will be sentenced on March 28.

According to prosecutors, he allegedly orchestrated “a brazen insider trading scheme” and passed secrets to romantic partners, personal assistants, friends and two co-conspirators.

The information allowed them to bet on companies which he had invested in, using information only those with access to the business could have known. It helped them earn millions of dollars, the case claimed.

Lewis built his wealth through the investment company, Tavistock Group, and bought a controlling stake in Tottenham Hotspur in 2001.

In 2022 he ceded control of the club and formally handed his stake to a family trust and has no day-to-day involvement with the club. Spurs declined to comment.

He was worth more than £5 billion according to the 2023 Sunday Times Rich List, being ranked as the 39th richest person in the country.

Roy Keane has indicated he could be interested in the vacant Republic of Ireland manager’s job as the search for Stephen Kenny’s successor continues.

Former Manchester United and Ireland skipper Keane served as Martin O’Neill’s number two during his five-year reign, and has admitted a return to the international set-up is something he might consider.

Asked about the vacancy on the Stick to Football YouTube show, the 52-year-old said: “International football, I enjoyed it when I was a coach.

“I liked the dynamics of it where you’re not in every day and it’s not about bringing players in and dealing with the board every week or the academy.

“Yeah, that does appeal.”

Keane is a man who continues to divide opinion in his native country, not only as a result of his premature return from the 2002 World Cup finals in the Far East after a bust-up with then manager Mick McCarthy, but also because of his forthright approach to management.

There is little doubt his return would be box office, just as his spell as O’Neill’s assistant was, but whether he is the man to rekindle Ireland’s on-field fortunes is a topic for debate.

The Football Association of Ireland opted not to hand Kenny a new contract following November’s friendly draw with New Zealand at the Aviva Stadium, which came in the wake of a disappointing Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.

England Under-21s coach Lee Carsley, who won 40 caps for Ireland, has been high on the FAI’s list since they launched the recruitment process, with another experienced former international, Chris Hughton, among the favourites to replace Kenny.

Hughton was not available when the job came up, but he is now after being sacked by Ghana following their failure to make it to the last 16 at the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.

It is understood the FAI hope to make an appointment before the Nations League draw in Paris on February 8.

Ireland are due to face Belgium and Switzerland in a friendly double-header in Dublin in March.

The 1958 fan group believe there is “more hope for a brighter future” with Sir Jim Ratcliffe at Manchester United but vowed to continue their “fight until the Glazers have been removed”.

The Premier League club announced on Christmas Eve that the British billionaire had agreed to acquire a 25 per cent shareholding in the Old Trafford giants.

The £1.3billion deal includes Ratcliffe purchasing 25 per cent of Class B shares held by the Glazer family, whose majority ownership has been subject of fan protests since their controversial takeover in 2005.

The 1958 have led that fight in recent years and, a month to the day after the Ineos chairman’s deal was announced, commented on the ownership changes.

“When change is upon us, we think it’s prudent to assess the situation before reacting,” a spokesman for the group said in a statement.

“With the impending investment into the club by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the announcement our club will be appointing a new CEO (Omar Berrada), we feel the right decision is to keep monitoring progress and let the new structure and strategy play out.

“We believe the Ratcliffe investment and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing gives us more hope for a brighter future and a potential clearer pathway towards majority ownership further down the line.

“This doesn’t mean we rest on our laurels. The aftermath of the European Super League is proof sitting back and doing nothing is not an option. We are working towards a next phase, strategy and plan.”

Ratcliffe expects the deal to be given the green light by mid-February, when he will officially take control of football operations as part of his minority ownership of the club.

The 71-year-old has the first option should the Glazers decide to sell more Class B shares and The 1958 say they will continue their call for them to sell up entirely.

“A generation of supporters have fought and battled to rid our club of these owners,” said a spokesperson for the group, who say they have more than 52,000 supporters signed up to their ‘Claim Back United’ website.

“We never wanted them at the start and we don’t want them now.

“We owe it to ourselves and the legacy of these efforts to ensure they are removed. We hope Sir Jim is an ally and vehicle in making this happen.

“Do not forgive and do not forget the damage the Glazers have done to our club and fan base.

“We will be watching developments closely and will continue our fight until the Glazers have been removed.

“This has always been one of our primary objectives. We will update more soon.”

Japan got their Asian Cup campaign back on track by advancing to the knockout stage with a 3-1 win against Indonesia on Wednesday.

The pre-tournament favourites surprisingly lost to Iraq in their second Group D match last week to leave their hopes of winning a record-extending fifth Asian Cup title in jeopardy.

But any concerns over facing an early exit were swept away at Al Thumama Stadium after two goals from Ayase Ueda put the four-time champions on course for victory.

Justin Hubner scored a late own goal and Sandy Walsh pulled one back for Indonesia in added time.

It took Ueda just six minutes to settle any nerves Japan's players and fans might have been feeling going into their final group game.

The Feyenoord striker had won the spot kick after being fouled by Jordi Amat and fired his shot into the corner beyond Indonesia goalkeeper Ernando Ari Sutaryadi to open the scoring.

He doubled Japan's lead in the 52nd minute and when Hubner diverted another effort from Ueda into his own goal in the 88th the win looked beyond doubt.

Walsh scored a consolation in added time and Indonesia, on three points, will have to wait to see if they advance as one of the best third-placed teams.

While Japan safely secured their progress, it was Iraq who advanced as group winners after substitute Aymen Hussein scored from the penalty spot in the 12th minute of stoppage time to beat 10-man Vietnam 3-2 in a thrilling clash.

Having already missed one penalty after coming on as a half-time substitute at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Hussein converted from the spot deep into stoppage time to maintain Iraq’s perfect record in Group D.

Hussein is the tournament's leading scorer with five goals and that record might have been even better had he not struck the post with his earlier penalty against Vietnam.

He still managed to have a key impact on the match with two goals as the 2007 champions came from behind to make it three wins out of three.

Vietnam had taken the lead through Bui Hoang Viet Anh in the 42nd minute, but Khuat Van Khang was sent off in first-half stoppage time for a second yellow card.

It took only two minutes of the second half for Rebin Solaka to even the score for Iraq and Hussein headed his team in front 17 minutes from time.

Hussein failed to score from the spot when firing against the post and that miss looked to be costly when substitute Nguyen Quang Hai levelled the game in the 91st minute.

That was until Hussein was given the chance to make amends for his earlier penalty, and he made no mistake from the spot on this occasion.

Nottingham Forest have been told by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) that VAR did not have power to disallow Brentford’s controversial free-kick for Brentford last week.

Forest wrote to the match officials’ governing body as well as the Premier League after Toney scored when he moved the ball from the spot designated in vanishing spray by referee Darren England and even moved some of the spray to the new spot.

Forest wanted answers, including whether VAR could intervene and why the referee did not spot it.

“We have received a response from the incident, it is clear that the law says VAR cannot do anything about ball displacement,” boss Nuno Espirito Santo said.

“I think that is something they should look at because it changes the reality of the game. But at the same time, we also have responsibility because we should have said something and avoided the free-kick to be taken.

“Too bad that the referee didn’t spot it or the linesman. The referee should have seen it because there is a mark and there is clear ball displacement. It is finished, we move forward.”

Forest are back in action on Friday night when they head to Bristol City in the FA Cup fourth round.

They still have a raft of injuries with Taiwo Awoniyi, Anthony Elanga, Morgan Gibbs-White, Divock Origi and Felipe all out while six players are at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Three of those could be returning imminently, depending on results elsewhere, as Ivory Coast did not quality automatically from their group.

Either way, they will not be involved at Ashton Gate.

“We have to wait, the decision is today, it could happen,” Nuno said. “There are a couple of scenarios that could happen. Let’s wait and then we will decide the moment they will return. Friday is very difficult I think.

“Nothing has changed with injuries. Let’s see, but nothing has changed. The scenario is the same, there is no hiding we are short on offensive options because the players that are out are offensive players.

“We will see, we will decide tomorrow the team and gameplan.”

Over the course of the last decade, football has grown substantially in the Dominican Republic. The founding of the professional Liga Dominicana de Futbol paved the way for a new era of the sport in the Caribbean country.

At the national team level, the fruits of that labour are apparent, evidenced by their runner-up finish in the 2022 Concacaf Men’s Under-20 Championship, which not only qualified Dominican Republic for a first World Cup in any age group, but also punched their ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The growth of football in the Dominican Republic is also taking shape in the international arena at the club level. Since 2018, there have been four instances in which a team from the Spanish-speaking Caribbean country have qualified for the Concacaf Champions Cup, the latest being Moca FC, who will participate in this year’s edition.

Moca are set to make their Champions Cup debut next month, when they lock horns with Major League Soccer (MLS) side Nashville SC in Round One. This, as a result of their third-place finish in last year’s Concacaf Caribbean Cup.

The history of Dominican teams in the Champions Cup actually stretches back to 1973 when Universidad Catolica became the first club from the country to compete in the tournament. Then, Universidad Catolica squared off in the First Round of the Caribbean Zone with eventual champions SV Transvaal of Suriname and lost 0-8 and 0-6.

Nearly two decades later in 1992, San Cristobal FC got their first crack at Champions Cup and defeated Unique FC of the US Virgin Islands 5-4 on aggregate in the Preliminary Round of the Caribbean Zone thanks to a 2-1 win and 3-3 stalemate.

San Cristobal FC’s run ended shortly after when they went down 3-4 on aggregate to Guadeloupe’s Solidarite Scolaire, based on a 3-3 stalemate and 1-0 loss.

San Cristobal returned to Champions Cup three years later in 1995, but suffered a 1-2 defeat on aggregate to Haiti’s FICA in the First Round of the Caribbean Zone.

After a lull, Dominican Republic teams returned to the Champions Cup arena, courtesy of Cibao FC, who won the 2017 Concacaf Caribbean Club Championship.

Despite a heavy 0-7 aggregate defeat to eventual champions and Mexican giants Chivas in the Round of 16 of the 2018 Champions Cup, Cibao FC’s qualification showed that Dominican Republic football was on the rise.

A year later, Atletico Pantoja followed suit in the 2019 edition of the Champions Cup and exited at the Round of 16 after a 0-5 aggregate loss to New York Red Bulls. Atletico Pantoja then made their second appearance in the tournament in 2021 and made history against five-time Concacaf champions Monterrey.

Even though they were eliminated 1-6 on aggregate Lisandro Cabrera scored the club’s first Champions Cup goal when he found the back of the net in the second half of the return leg.

Now in 2024, an opportunity exists for debutants Moca FC, to blaze a new trail and rewrite the history books with victory over Nashville SC, which would book them a Round of 16 date with Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami.

Clubs’ desire to avoid tough sanctions for financial rule breaches could be a big factor in the spectacular drop in Premier League transfer spending this month, a football finance expert has said.

Financial services firm Deloitte has told the PA news agency that by January 23 last year £435million had been spent by the 20 top-flight clubs – 10 times more than by the same date this year.

Spending reached a record £815m by the end of the January 2023 window, but so far this month Tottenham’s purchase of Romania defender Radu Dragusin from Genoa for a reported £26.7m is one of a small number of permanent deals to have been completed, with loan moves dominating.

The relative quiet comes following a 10-point deduction imposed on Everton in November by an independent commission for breaching the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR). The commission found the club had acted “irresponsibly” and concluded they “overspent”, largely on the purchase of new players.

Everton expect to learn the outcome of their appeal against that sanction by the end of next month, but were referred to an independent commission again earlier this month, along with Nottingham Forest this time, for breaching PSR in the period ending last season. Those cases should be resolved before the end of this season under a new fast-track process agreed by the clubs.

Tim Bridge, lead partner in Deloitte’s Sports Business Group, told PA: “It would be remiss not to talk about the impact (on transfer spending) of some of the regulatory moves that the Premier League has made and the independent bodies that work with the Premier League have made to really focus on how the Premier League is governed.

“You look at what’s happened with Everton, you look at what’s happened with Nottingham Forest, obviously there are ongoing investigations with other clubs as well.

“That will, I expect, have driven an underlying caution and also a real need to ensure that any value in the transfer market is as good as it possibly can be.”

Bridge did not rule out a “late flurry” of activity in the final week of the window but added: “I do think that some of those deals that maybe we’re used to seeing earlier in the window are either not being considered because of the regulatory challenge and the need to be compliant, which is a good thing, but also that element of the selling club really wanting to make sure that it drives the absolute value (of their players).”

Manchester United forward Anthony Martial has been ruled out until April after undergoing surgery on a groin injury.

The 28-year-old is out of contract this summer and has managed just 19 appearances and two goals in another disrupted campaign at Old Trafford.

Martial has not featured since United fans cheered his substitution in the 3-0 home loss to Bournemouth on December 9 and the club have now revealed he is facing an extended spell on the sidelines.

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“Manchester United striker Anthony Martial has completed successful surgery to address a groin complaint and will be out of action for about 10 weeks as he rehabilitates,” the Premier League outfit said in a statement.

“We wish Anthony a speedy recovery and look forward to his return.”

This is the latest in a long line of setbacks for a player who looks set to leave Old Trafford in the summer after the club decided against triggering the option to extend his contract by a further year.

Martial began his United career with a bang after joining from Monaco in 2015 but has failed to fully reach his potential, scoring 90 goals in 317 appearances in all competitions.

The Frenchman’s confirmed 10-week absence will perhaps lead to a change in approach to the January transfer window at Old Trafford.

United have been more focused on streamlining than making signings this month, but Martial’s absence leaves Rasmus Hojlund and Marcus Rashford as the only options through the middle.

This time last year, United bolstered their striking options by signing Wout Weghorst on loan from Burnley for the remainder of the season, having done similar in 2020 with Odion Ighalo.

The club will have to run any change to their January transfer strategy past Sir Jim Ratcliffe as the British billionaire prepares to take control of football operations as part of his minority ownership.

Mauricio Pochettino endured a rocky start to life as Chelsea boss but has now guided the Blues to the Carabao Cup final as he looks to end his wait for a first trophy in English football.

The Argentinian has managed almost 400 games in England across spells with Southampton, Tottenham and now Chelsea but has yet to lift silverware in this country.

Here, the PA news agency looks at how Pochettino has fared in his quest for trophies.

Southampton

2013/14

Having taken over during the previous campaign with Saints already out of both domestic competitions, Pochettino’s early involvement in the League Cup and FA Cup was brought to a close by Sunderland. The Black Cats won 2-1 in a fourth-round League Cup tie at the Stadium of Light before claiming a 1-0 victory in the FA Cup fifth round.

Tottenham

2014/15

While a 2-1 fourth-round FA cup defeat at home to Leicester and a 3-1 aggregate loss to Fiorentina in the last 32 of the Europa League hardly set the pulses racing in Pochettino’s first season at Spurs, he did almost start life in north London with a trophy. Home wins over Nottingham Forest, Brighton and Newcastle took Tottenham into a League Cup semi-final against Sheffield United, with a 3-2 aggregate success setting up a Wembley final against Chelsea, who ran out 2-0 winners.

2015/16

Pochettino suffered from second-season syndrome in the cup competitions, losing 2-1 to neighbours Arsenal in the third round of the League Cup and slipping to a fifth-round exit in the FA Cup courtesy of a 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace. Achieving European qualification in his first campaign at the helm also led to little as Spurs were thrashed 5-1 on aggregate by Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League last 16.

2016/17

A 2-1 loss to Liverpool in the fourth round of the League Cup was forgivable, but, having ensured a return to Champions League football, Pochettino’s Spurs were knocked out in the group stage and then slumped to a 3-2 aggregate loss to Gent in the Europa League last 32. There was some comfort from an FA Cup run that included wins over Aston Villa, Wycombe, Fulham and Millwall before Chelsea ran out 4-2 victors in a semi-final clash at Wembley.

2017/18

There was another fourth-round League Cup exit – this time in a 3-2 loss to West Ham – but this season saw Spurs top their Champions League group before agonisingly losing 4-3 on aggregate to Juventus in the last 16. There was more Wembley misery in the FA Cup as Spurs reached the semi-final for a second successive season, only to lose 2-1 to Manchester United, having taken the lead through Dele Alli.

2018/19

A forgettable FA Cup campaign ended with a 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace in round four, but even a penalty shootout loss to Chelsea in the League Cup semi-final was not the heartbreaking moment of Pochettino’s final full season in charge. Having secured memorable late wins over Manchester City and Ajax to reach the Champions League final, Spurs were second best as an early Mohamed Salah penalty and a Divock Origi goal saw Liverpool win 2-0 in Madrid.

Chelsea

2023/24

Having won Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France at Paris St Germain, Pochettino returned to England when he was appointed Chelsea boss last summer. While results in the Premier League have been mixed, the 51-year-old saw his side beat AFC Wimbledon, Brighton, Blackburn and Newcastle in the Carabao Cup before recovering from a 1-0 loss at Middlesbrough in the semi-final first leg to thrash the Sky Bet Championship side 6-1 on Tuesday night and reach Wembley – where either Fulham or Liverpool await.

The EFL plans to stick with the two-leg format for the Carabao Cup semi-finals next season with no new funding agreement in place with the Premier League.

The PA news agency understands consideration is being given to reducing the semi-finals to a single leg as part of a ‘New Deal’ with the Premier League which includes extra funding for the EFL.

Calendar considerations are a part of the ‘New Deal’ talks as the Premier League seeks to manage the threat of congestion being caused by the expansion of UEFA’s club competitions next season.

However, no offer on funding has been put to the EFL by the Premier League to date, with top-flight clubs unable to agree on the amount of extra funding or where that funding should come from.

“As it stands there is no agreement in place to make any changes to the Carabao Cup’s two-legged semi-final format, which continues to provide significant financial benefit to EFL clubs,” the league’s chief executive Trevor Birch said.

“The league remains committed to a review of the calendar, but any significant changes cannot be made unilaterally and would need to come with significant levels of compensation and adopted as part of any new distribution deal with the Premier League and its clubs.”

Jamaican forward Bobby De Cordova-Reid has entered discussions with English Premier League side Fulham regarding a potential contract extension, as revealed by the player himself in an interview with The Athletic.

De Cordova-Reid, currently in the last six months of his existing deal, confirmed the ongoing talks between the club and his agent. The 31-year-old expressed optimism about reaching an agreement but acknowledged that such negotiations take time.

"The club and (my) agent have been in talks, and the thing is to get to (an) agreement," De Cordova-Reid stated. "Obviously, I want an agreement to happen, but things take time, so we'll know more in the future."

Despite being in the final stretch of his current contract, talks are reportedly amicable between the Jamaican forward and Fulham. However, specific terms for the extension are yet to be finalized. Even in the absence of an immediate agreement, De Cordova-Reid has emphasized his commitment to Fulham until the summer.

De Cordova-Reid joined Fulham in August 2019 on loan from Cardiff City, and the move was made permanent in January 2020. The club exercised an option to extend his contract until summer 2024. In his time with Fulham, he has made 167 appearances, scoring 26 goals, including four in the current Premier League season.

Acknowledging his desire for regular playing time, De Cordova-Reid emphasized his focus on contributing to the team's success on the field. Known for his versatility and leadership qualities, he holds the position of one of head coach Marco Silva’s ‘group captains’ and maintains a strong rapport with the Portuguese manager.

“We get on really well,” De Cordova-Reid stated regarding his relationship with Silva. “He plays me quite a lot and in different positions, so he has that trust for me. I appreciate that, and I just want to repay him by doing well on the field."

Reflecting on past achievements, including promotion as champions from the Championship in 2021-22 and securing Premier League status, De Cordova-Reid praised Silva for bringing in the right personnel and fostering a cohesive team dynamic.

"He knows what players he needs on the pitch and in and around the dressing room, and it works well for us," De Cordova-Reid added, expressing his commitment to the club's continued success.

Mauricio Pochettino is looking to “build a team that can match the mentality” of Chelsea after his side reached the Carabao Cup final with a 6-1 semi-final second-leg victory over Middlesbrough.

Jonny Howson’s own goal settled the Blues’ early nerves as further strikes from Enzo Fernandez, Axel Disasi, Noni Madueke and a Cole Palmer brace booked their place at Wembley on February 25 against either Liverpool or Fulham.

Boss Pochettino said: “The most important thing is keeping the focus, seeing reality in the way we need to see the reality and see the difference between what is Chelsea and what is the team we are building.

“They are two different things. Our challenge is the history of Chelsea, the capacity to win titles and build a team that can match the mentality of this club.”

Pochettino emphasised the difference in the scale of the challenge facing him at Chelsea to when he arrived at former club Tottenham in 2014.

Then, he intimated the Carabao Cup might not be a competition that could help Spurs reach their objectives.

At Chelsea, he reflects differently on the competition’s value to the team.

“When we arrived at Tottenham in 2014, the plan was to build a new stadium and to finish the training ground,” he said. “We had a season playing at Milton Keynes and Wembley, (before that) we played with a corner missing from White Hart Lane.

“The principal objective was to be in the top four and play Champions League. The club was fifth, sixth, seventh. That was the challenge. We put everything to try and play the Champions League because it was the way to help the club to achieve the objective of building a new stadium.

“This young team (Chelsea), with this type of experience of going to Wembley, it’s going to build our trust, our confidence, and our mentality like a team – not like a club.

“The club, the mentality of Chelsea is amazing. But like a team, we are new. We need to build confidence and trust.”

Against Boro, Ben Chilwell started for the first time since recovering from a hamstring injury and impressed at left-back.

The manager felt Chilwell and goalscorer Disasi set a standard with their performances and now wants to see such displays consistently.

“They were important today but we need to be consistent,” he added.

“Players like Chilly could do 65 minutes but the objective is to arrive at 80 minutes, hopefully do the 90 minutes, and then be consistent playing every two or three days. That is the most important thing.

“Now we need to help players like him to get their best form, but at the same time we are competing. We can think we are going to play with Chilly or Reece (James), but we know then after 10 or 15 minutes of the second half we have players that we need to change.”

UEFA’s investigators were “right” to ban Manchester City from European competition after finding they had breached financial regulations, its president Aleksander Ceferin has said.

City were handed a two-year suspension in February 2020 by UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body (CFCB), but the penalty was overturned at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in July of that year.

CAS found some of the alleged breaches were “not established”, while others were time-barred. The club’s fine for failing to co-operate with CFCB investigators was reduced by CAS to 10 million euros (£8.6m).

Ceferin, however, has backed his organisation’s process.

“We know we were right. We wouldn’t decide if we didn’t think we were right,” Ceferin told the Daily Telegraph.

“As a trial lawyer for 25 years, I know that, sometimes, you win a case that you are sure you will lose,” he added.

“And, sometimes, you lose a case when you’re sure… You have to respect the decision of the court. I don’t want to speak about the case in England. But I trust that the decision of our independent body was correct.”

The case in England Ceferin mentioned was the decision of the Premier League in February last year to refer City to an independent commission, charged with more than 100 breaches of the competition’s financial rules.

City said they looked forward to presenting “irrefutable evidence” to the commission against the charges brought.

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters told the Culture, Media and Sport select committee last week that a date has been set for the commission hearing, but declined to say what that date was.

Defending the length of the City process when compared to other cases such as Everton’s brought under the league’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR), Masters said the City case was different “in volume and character” to Everton’s case, or that involving Nottingham Forest.

Mauricio Pochettino is looking to “build a team that can match the mentality” of Chelsea after his side reached the Carabao Cup final with a 6-1 semi-final second-leg victory over Middlesbrough.

Jonny Howson’s own goal settled the Blues’ early nerves as further strikes from Enzo Fernandez, Axel Disasi, Noni Madueke and a Cole Palmer brace booked their place at Wembley on February 25 against either Liverpool or Fulham.

Boss Pochettino said: “The most important thing is keeping the focus, seeing reality in the way we need to see the reality and see the difference between what is Chelsea and what is the team we are building.

“They are two different things. Our challenge is the history of Chelsea, the capacity to win titles and build a team that can match the mentality of this club.”

Ben Chilwell started for the first time since recovering from a hamstring injury and impressed at left-back.

Pochettino felt Chilwell and goalscorer Disasi set a standard with their performances and now wants to see such displays consistently.

“They were important today but we need to be consistent,” Pochettino added.

“Players like Chilly could do 65 minutes but the objective is to arrive at 80 minutes, hopefully do the 90 minutes, and then be consistent playing every two or three days. That is the most important thing.

“Now we need to help players like him to get their best form, but at the same time we are competing. We can think we are going to play with Chilly or Reece (James), but we know then after 10 or 15 minutes of the second half we have players that we need to change.

“They were important but with Chilly it is after five months we couldn’t use him. We were using different players like Levi Colwill or Marc Cucurella, who is also injured. We have two right-backs that today we couldn’t count on in Reece James and Malo Gusto, so we are using Axel.”

Chelsea’s recent upturn in form has seen them pick up three successive Premier League wins and they now have a cup final to look forward to.

Pochettino has seen a marked improvement in his side since the beginning of the season and said reaching Wembley was an objective from the start.

“The results are good, we are improving since the beginning of the season,” Pochettino added. “In all the circumstances we need to be happy because we are competing with a lot of things going on again and to reach the final was the first objective from the beginning.”