FIFA confirmed in September an investigation was “ongoing” into what can now be revealed are matches played by African youngsters brought over to England.
That inquiry has since widened following interviews given to Danish newspaper 'Jyllands-Posten' by two former City trainees about their experiences there. George Davies and Dominic Oduro both told the publication they played for the club before turning 18.
Said interview prompted FIFA to examine new evidence linked to its enquiry, with Manchester City in danger of breaching rules placing severe restrictions on teams taking child footballers from their home countries.
Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Atlético Madrid were all recently handed transfer embargos for contravening those regulations, with FIFA since turning its sights to England, where Chelsea are also the subject of an “ongoing” investigation.
If Manchester City are found guilty of pursuing foreign players under the age of 18 it will seriously harm their short-terms prospects of strengthening their squad.