MONTREUX, Switzerland (AP) — Manchester City lost its attempt to block a UEFA investigation into financial fair play violations on Friday.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that City’s appeal against UEFA was inadmissible.

English champion City tried to stop UEFA’s club finance panel from handling a referral by investigators to impose a punishment. The most severe penalty would be exclusion from the Champions League.

“At CAS we can only hear appeals against final decisions,” said Matthieu Reeb, the court’s secretary general.

The UEFA investigation was started by leaks of City's internal correspondence and documents to German news outlet Der Spiegel last year.

The leaks implied City deceived UEFA for several years, including by hiding information that revenue from potentially overvalued commercial deals came from the club's owners in Abu Dhabi to curb losses. City hasn't disputed the authenticity of the documents.

“There was absolutely no examination of the merits,” Reeb said of the three-judge panel’s ruling. “We cannot say whether the decision of the alleged breach of financial fair play rules are real or not.”

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