Manchester City find themselves in deep troubles after the Premier League charges them with over 100 counts of financial breaches between 2008 and 2018. That was when Abu Dhabi based billionaire Sheikh Mansour completed a £200m takeover of the club which brought enormous success to them. Manchester City won four Premier League titles, four League Cups and two FA Cups in that period which saw them splash humungous money over lucrative signings.
However, with the serious allegations levelled against them, once again their Premier League rivals want their blood. According to The Sun, City’s rivals have written to the Premier League demanding their relegation from the English top flight as a punishment if the they are found guilty. They also won City be stripped-off their six league titles won under the regime of Sheikh Mansour.
Manchester City’s rivals want justice served instantly
Manchester City have been accused of failing to provide “in utmost good faith” the “accurate financial information that gives a true and fair view of the club’s financial position” between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons. The league needs financial information relating to “revenue (including sponsorship revenue), its related parties and its operating costs”. City has also been charged with hiding the true source of millions of their income.
The money was allegedly received directly from the club’s owners, the Abu Dhabi United Group, rather than as claimed to have been earned from legal sponsorship with Gulf-based businesses including Etihad Airways and investing goliaths Aabar. The club is also accused of failing to disclose all of former manager Roberto Mancini’s compensation or all of the player salaries from 2010–11 to 2015–16.
The alleged infractions also relates to the club’s responsibilities to fully disclose player compensation in the applicable contracts for the seasons 2010/11 to 2015/16, inclusive. The final section of the report discusses claims of infractions of Premier League regulations from 2013–2014 to 2017–18, which required teams to follow UEFA Financial Fair Play (FFP) criteria. As a result, their rivals are demanding quick justice be delivered as one club chief said:
“If these charges are proven there must be proper punishment – and the only fitting one is for them to be relegated. We’re talking about a decade of alleged abuses and want the Premier League to do the right thing.”
In a private hearing, the charges will be decided upon by an impartial commission made up of a panel of three people. They have the authority to revoke championships, take away points, levy penalties, and even expel City from the Premier League. The Court of Arbitration for Sport, which reversed the club’s two-year Champions League suspension imposed by UEFA in 2020, will not allow City to appeal any of its rulings.
Other clubs want a decision before the season ends, since Manchester City were previously successful in avoiding any penalty. In February 2020, City received a two-year interim ban from UEFA competitions due to alleged violations of the FFP standards. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) overturned the ruling, though, four months later. One source, however, claimed that it would likely be “years away” with the Premier League’s investigation this time.