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.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has described the behaviour of Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales as “inappropriate” – but called for FIFA’s investigation to be allowed to run its course.

Rubiales has refused to quit for kissing Spain player Jenni Hermoso after their World Cup final win over England on August 20.

All of Spain’s 23 World Cup winners, plus another 58 players, have said they will not represent their country until Rubiales has left his post.

Rubiales, 46, was provisionally suspended by world governing body FIFA on Saturday for an initial period of 90 days pending an investigation into his conduct in Sydney after Spain’s victory.

The president grabbed his crotch in the stadium’s VIP area in celebration, when he was stood metres away from Spain’s Queen Letizia and her teenage daughter.

Ceferin, head of Europe’s governing body, feels the full disciplinary process must be allowed to be completed without added distraction, but admits change must follow.

“I am a lawyer and one of the vice-presidents of FIFA. His case is in the hands of the disciplinary body of the international federation. Any comments I might make would feel like pressure,” Ceferin told French media outlet L’Equipe in his first public comments since the incident.

“I just have to say that I am sad that such an event overshadows the victory of the Spanish national team.

“We should change things. I had a meeting today with Laura McAllister (vice-president of UEFA) to find ways to change the way we behave. We must do more.”

Ceferin added: “Of course, what he did was inappropriate. We all know it. I hope he knows that was inappropriate.

“This is enough for the moment because the disciplinary committee will decide.”

In his current role with the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), Rubiales is also a vice-president of UEFA.

Ceferin said: “He is suspended from all his functions, everywhere. There is no need to suspend it twice.”

Rubiales and the RFEF have also been ordered not to contact Hermoso either directly or through intermediaries.

Hermoso has accused the RFEF of a “manipulative, hostile and controlling culture” and said Rubiales’ kiss was “an impulse-driven, sexist, out-of-place act without any consent on my part”.

The Spanish Football Federation is also reportedly considering whether it has grounds to sack World Cup-winning head coach Jorge Vilda, who is still in the post after most of his coaching staff resigned in protest against Rubiales.

The president was applauded by Vilda after repeatedly insisting that he would not quit at the RFEF’s extraordinary general meeting last Friday. The federation is said to be exploring options over whether they can sack the head coach.

The RFEF regional heads have also called for Rubiales’ resignation, while members of the Spanish government have added their voices to those demanding he step aside.

On Monday, Rubiales’ mother Angeles Bejar announced she was going on hunger strike over the “inhuman” treatment of her son and locked herself in a church in Motril.

According to Spanish media outlet Marca, the priest of the Divina Pastora parish confirmed Rubiales had convinced his mother to leave the church and seek medical treatment at hospital, with her feet swollen and also suffering from fatigue.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has admitted “not everything was perfect” for supporters at the Champions League final in Istanbul.

Manchester City supporters reported issues with transport to the out-of-town Ataturk Stadium for the showpiece match on June 10 against Inter Milan, as well as a lack of toilets and limited access to water.

Football Supporters Europe is gathering fan accounts from Istanbul in order to compile a report to present to UEFA.

Ceferin, speaking at the European Football Fans Congress in Manchester, said this year’s men’s and women’s club competition finals “proved UEFA had learned from past mistakes”, but he added: “We’re well aware that in Istanbul not everything was perfect and I’m certainly not playing down the problems encountered by some.

“But let us continue working together to improve what we can improve. I’m thinking in particular of transport links, to better understanding the hosting of disabled supporters and access to water and toilets for everyone.

“I can assure you that next year’s Champions League final at Wembley and Euro 2024 in Germany will be a unique experience for fans.”

Close to the start of his address, Ceferin referenced the extremely serious issues which faced Liverpool fans in particular at the 2022 Champions League final in Paris.

An independent report into the chaos at the match in the French capital found UEFA bore “primary responsibility” for what almost became “a mass fatality catastrophe”.

Ceferin said: “Given what some of you experience recently, I would understand if I got a cold reception.

“I also came here to say sorry. We would love to erase events that happened last year. Everyone welcomed the decision to move the Champions League final from St Petersburg to Paris and we know what happened.

“Good intentions are often not enough, we know that and we are sorry for that.

“I think we should roll up our sleeves and ensure that attending a football match remains a unique and unforgettable experience for everyone.”

Players will “rightly be angry” about UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin proposing a salary cap in European football, according to Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Maheta Molango.

Ceferin said in an interview with Men In Blazers, published on Tuesday, that UEFA hoped to bring in a salary cap “as soon as possible” and that “everyone agrees” it is the best way forward, from big clubs to small clubs.

However, Molango insists limiting what players can earn is not the answer to achieving sustainability in the European game.

“When players read that ‘everyone agrees’ with capping their wages, I think they will rightly be angry,” he said in a statement released to the PA news agency.

“Without proper engagement or consultation, players are continually being asked to play more and more games. New competitions are being created and existing tournaments expanded. These all generate more money within football.

“Capping the wages of those who create the ‘product’ that others continue to benefit from is not a solution to ensuring better financial management by leagues and clubs.

“Football’s leaders are quickly going to create a real problem if they continue to treat players like this.

“They need to be treated as the game’s most important stakeholders and must be central to these conversations.”

 "In the future we have to seriously think about a salary cap."

During Rog's podcast interview with Aleksander Čeferin, the UEFA President talked about instituting a salary cap "as soon as possible" as a means of maintaining greater competitive balance throughout the game. ? pic.twitter.com/IF2wQ2l0tU

— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) April 25, 2023

PA understands UEFA will table the idea of an absolute cap at a meeting of its club licensing committee on Friday, which will be the starting point for analysis and consultation with stakeholders, including world players’ union FIFPRO.

UEFA had opted against pursuing a salary cap when it last consulted on cost-control mechanisms within the game on the basis that a cap would be unworkable under European Union labour law, PA understands.

Instead, UEFA approved a new squad cost rule, where by 2025 the amount spent on salaries and transfer fees must not exceed 70 per cent of a club’s turnover.

However, an absolute cap is now back on the agenda and it is understood UEFA floated the idea again to the European Club Association earlier this year.

A senior executive within European football said there were vastly different viewpoints among clubs on how a cap could be implemented but anticipated it would place a limit on overall squad cost, rather than what a single player could earn.

He anticipated it could be set at a level higher than the most expensive wage bill currently in European football to avoid clubs immediately being in breach, but set at a ceiling that would help to rein in costs in the future and then be adjusted over time.

Some clubs are known to favour salary caps, which provide greater certainty around costs, and a cap was understood to be part of plans for the European Super League which was launched in April 2021 but quickly collapsed.

Ceferin told US media outlet Men In Blazers: “In the future, we have to seriously think about a salary cap. If the budgets go sky-high then our competitive balance is a problem.

“It’s not about the owners, it’s about the value of the competition, because if five clubs will always win then it doesn’t make sense any more.

“I already spoke with some people from the European Commission – we are trying to push that.

“But it has to be a collective agreement – every league and UEFA. Because if we do it and the other leagues don’t, then it doesn’t make sense.

“Surprisingly, everyone agrees – big clubs, small clubs, state-owned clubs, billionaire-owned clubs… everybody agrees.

“I hope it can be made as soon as possible. We have just started to discuss about it. I think that’s the solution.”