Manchester City Charged By Premier League For Numerous Financial Breaches Between 2008 And 2018
Feb 6, 2023 at 7:04 PM
Manchester City could land themselves in deep trouble as they have been charged by the Premier League for a shocking 98 financial breaches in decade spanning from 2008 to 2018. The year 2008 marks the start of Sheikh Monsour’s reign as City’s owner after completing a £200 million takeover. Since then, the billionaire has been financing City’s lucrative purchases in the transfer market to build assemble a star studded team in order to compete for every club trophy there is to win.
The significant spending at the Etihad Stadium has reaped rewards as well, with the Blues having won four domestic titles in the past five years under the guidance of Pep Guardiola. Meanwhile, the Premier League has been closely monitoring City’s financial records, and it has now decided that action is now necessary after an extraordinary number of violations were found.
Manchester City could face points deductions or expulsion from the league
Manchester City’s problems just do not end with being charged with a staggering 98 counts of financial breaches. The defending Premier League champions face serious repercussions as well. The Premier League released an official statement wherein they have mentioned the rules and regulations violated by City. The statement read:
“In accordance with Premier League Rule W.82.1, the Premier League confirms that it has today referred a number of alleged breaches of the Premier League Rules by Manchester City Football Club (Club) to a Commission under Premier League Rule W.3.4.”
The club is accused of violating league regulations requiring provision “in utmost good faith” of “accurate financial information that gives a true and fair view of the club’s financial position”. The financial information required by the league related to “revenue (including sponsorship revenue), its related parties and its operating costs”.
The second set of alleged violations likewise pertains to the clubs’ obligations to include complete information on player compensation in the applicable contracts for the seasons 2010/11 to 2015/16, inclusive. In the third section, allegations of violations of Premier League rules requiring teams to adhere to UEFA Financial Fair Play (FFP) standards from 2013–2014 to 2017–18 are discussed.
For alleged violations of the FFP criteria, City was given a two-year temporary ban from UEFA tournaments in February 2020. However, the sentence was later reversed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in July of that same year. The Premier League’s profitability and sustainability criteria from seasons 2015/16 to 2017/18 are included in the fourth set of suspected violations.
Finally, the club is accused of breaking league rules demanding that, starting in December 2018, member clubs cooperate with and support the Premier League’s investigations. In its closing statement, Premier League then gave an insight on how the proceedings will develop from here onwards for Manchester City. It said:
“Commissions are independent of the Premier League and member clubs. The members of the Commission will be appointed by the independent Chair of the Premier League Judicial Panel, in accordance with Premier League Rules W.19, W.20 and W.26. The proceedings before the Commission will, in accordance with Premier League Rule W.82, be confidential and heard in private.
“Under Premier League Rule W.82.2, the Commission’s final award will be published on the Premier League’s website. This confirmation is made in accordance with Premier League Rule W.82.1. The Premier League will be making no further comment in respect of this matter until further notice.”
If Manchester City are found to be guilty of all these charges, serious consequences await them. City could also face point-deduction in the league, ending their title challenge if all the charges are proved against them. Even an expulsion from the Premier League and subsequently from UEFA competitions as well is also being touted as possible punishments for Manchester City.