CLICK HERE to to read Chief Sports Writer Martin Samuel's column on why football owners like Massimo Cellino are ruining great clubs such as Leeds United. It was long before the match in Moscow that Manchester City raised the compensation issue with UEFA. The club found out the fixture would be played behind closed doors on October 3, after CSKA were disciplined for the racist behaviour of their fans during a match against Roma in September. By then quite a few City supporters were committed to travel. Russia is one of the most problematic European trips. It is expensive and requires a visa. The only way to keep costs down and complete the paperwork in time is to book well in advance. One imagines many of City’s travelling fans would have been making the necessary arrangements not long after August 28 when the draw was made. Manchester City fans weren't allowed to travel to watch their side play against CSKA Moscow on Tuesday . Michel Platini's UEFA said they had no policy in place to help compensate City fans who had booked the trip . Moscow were also fined £158,000 by UEFA, leading Manchester City to ask, not unreasonably, what part of that might be set aside to compensate their followers for non-refundable expenses. Michel Platini’s UEFA replied they had no policy on this matter. Isn’t that incredible, when you consider the issues that have vexed UEFA over the years; the reams of regulations that clubs must obey when competing in the Champions League, 41 pages in total before sweating the small stuff like car park allocations and mixed zones? Did you know clubs are told precisely when to begin and end the ‘walk on’ music and the Champions League anthem? And yet nobody thought it necessary to draw up a process to give innocent fans their money back if UEFA cancel access to a fixture at late notice. A rough estimate of the reimbursement cost for City’s support is £50,000. Roughly 100 were already booked for Moscow when UEFA intervened, with average costs of £500. That would still leave UEFA with £100,000 spare, even after a show of goodwill. While they were at it, they could cover the costs of the Bayern Munich fans, too, also barred from the Arena Khimki having done nothing wrong. Around 300 CSKA Moscow fans were in the main stand, despite the match being played behind closed doors . UEFA had ordered the match to be played behind closed doors because of racist behaviour by CSKA fans . To add insult to injury, Moscow’s stadium was not satisfactorily sealed when City visited. There were roughly 650 tickets available, divided between representatives of the two clubs, media, the parents of ball boys and sponsors. It would appear a high percentage of those tickets ended up on the black market, judging by the sprinkling of Moscow fans, wearing colours and carrying banners. City, meanwhile, were laying on a function back home for the fans who could not travel, complete with match coverage, food, drink and club celebrities. Their reaction on hearing the noise from the interlopers in Moscow was bemusement at best. City may well decide to compensate their fans anyway, but it should not be down to them. When the club were fined £50million for breaking UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules it quickly became apparent where that money was going — to their wealthy rivals. What about Moscow’s £158,000 — and why don’t UEFA have rules in place to govern compensation in the event of ground closure? It is almost as if it suits them to be so careless. It certainly profits them. Sergio Aguero scored City's opener as they took a 2-0 lead against CSKA Moscow on Tuesday . City threw away a two-goal lead as Seydou Doumbia (left) and Natcho scored in the second half for the hosts .
Manchester City drew 2-2 with CSKA Moscow in the Champions League .
The match was played behind closed doors due to racist behaviour by CSKA fans in the past .
City fans who had booked the trip to Russia weren't reimbursed by UEFA .
CLICK HERE to to read Chief Sports Writer Martin Samuel's column on why football owners like Massimo Cellino are ruining great clubs such as Leeds United. It was long before the match in Moscow that Manchester City raised the compensation issue with UEFA. The club found out the fixture would be played behind closed doors on October 3, after CSKA were disciplined for the racist behaviour of their fans during a match against Roma in September. By then quite a few City supporters were committed to travel. Russia is one of the most problematic European trips. It is expensive and requires a visa. The only way to keep costs down and complete the paperwork in time is to book well in advance. One imagines many of City’s travelling fans would have been making the necessary arrangements not long after August 28 when the draw was made. Manchester City fans weren't allowed to travel to watch their side play against CSKA Moscow on Tuesday . Michel Platini's UEFA said they had no policy in place to help compensate City fans who had booked the trip . Moscow were also fined £158,000 by UEFA, leading Manchester City to ask, not unreasonably, what part of that might be set aside to compensate their followers for non-refundable expenses. Michel Platini’s UEFA replied they had no policy on this matter. Isn’t that incredible, when you consider the issues that have vexed UEFA over the years; the reams of regulations that clubs must obey when competing in the Champions League, 41 pages in total before sweating the small stuff like car park allocations and mixed zones? Did you know clubs are told precisely when to begin and end the ‘walk on’ music and the Champions League anthem? And yet nobody thought it necessary to draw up a process to give innocent fans their money back if UEFA cancel access to a fixture at late notice. A rough estimate of the reimbursement cost for City’s support is £50,000. Roughly 100 were already booked for Moscow when UEFA intervened, with average costs of £500. That would still leave UEFA with £100,000 spare, even after a show of goodwill. While they were at it, they could cover the costs of the Bayern Munich fans, too, also barred from the Arena Khimki having done nothing wrong. Around 300 CSKA Moscow fans were in the main stand, despite the match being played behind closed doors . UEFA had ordered the match to be played behind closed doors because of racist behaviour by CSKA fans . To add insult to injury, Moscow’s stadium was not satisfactorily sealed when City visited. There were roughly 650 tickets available, divided between representatives of the two clubs, media, the parents of ball boys and sponsors. It would appear a high percentage of those tickets ended up on the black market, judging by the sprinkling of Moscow fans, wearing colours and carrying banners. City, meanwhile, were laying on a function back home for the fans who could not travel, complete with match coverage, food, drink and club celebrities. Their reaction on hearing the noise from the interlopers in Moscow was bemusement at best. City may well decide to compensate their fans anyway, but it should not be down to them. When the club were fined £50million for breaking UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules it quickly became apparent where that money was going — to their wealthy rivals. What about Moscow’s £158,000 — and why don’t UEFA have rules in place to govern compensation in the event of ground closure? It is almost as if it suits them to be so careless. It certainly profits them. Sergio Aguero scored City's opener as they took a 2-0 lead against CSKA Moscow on Tuesday . City threw away a two-goal lead as Seydou Doumbia (left) and Natcho scored in the second half for the hosts .
Moscow that Manchester City raised the to help compensate City fans who had booked the clubs must obey when competing in the Champions played behind closed doors because of racist behaviour by CSKA fans . To add insult to injury,