The Premier League has accused Manchester City of breaking its regulations more than 100 times for several years. A formal inquiry by the Premier League began in March 2019. An independent commission chosen by Murray Rosen KC, the head of the Premier League judicial panel, will review the situation. If it gets confirmed, this will be the worst offense a club has ever committed in the history of the competition.
The purported accusations shocked the sports community. Even Man City expressed surprise at the publication of these alleged violations and said they look forward to the findings. City has revolutionized football since being acquired by a private equity company owned by the Abu Dhabi royals in 2008. The club is at the center of an international platform of 12 football clubs, with a club worth believed to exceed £1 billion.
What are the allegations?
The 6 times Premier League champions got charged with:
- Failing to provide a genuine and fair representation of the club’s financial status.
- Refusing to be involved in a more than four-year-old, completed Premier League inquiry.
- Not disclosing complete details regarding player and management compensation.
- Failing to follow guidelines for financial fair play.
Specifically, it got discovered that Manchester City’s Abu Dhabi management had disguised its funds as impartial sponsorship from private businesses owned by the government. According to documents released in the Football Leaks breach, City allegedly exaggerated the value of sponsorship agreements with Abu Dhabi corporations and transferred funds from the Gulf state to the team. Additionally, documents indicated that City manager Roberto Mancini may have earned a secret pay while working for the club.
| Allegations | No. of Breaches |
| Accuracy of financial information | 50 |
| Assisting Premier League investigations | 30 |
| Profitability & Sustainability | 25 |
| Manager remuneration | 8 |
Man City has repeatedly denied the accusations and said that the Football Leaks allegations are a clear and organized attempt to harm their image. Concerning the findings and City’s statement, Pep Guardiola, the current manager, stated he would resign if he believed the administration had lied to him.
Timeline of the charges
The financial allegations span the years 2009 to 2018, and the requirements for a club to cooperate and help the investigations go all the way up to the current season. Roberto Mancini, the current Italy manager, served as the club’s manager from December 2009 until May 2013. Something similar happened on February 2020, when Man City was banned from the UEFA Champions League for two years by the Club Financial Control Body (CFCB). It was found they breached the competition’s financial regulations. However, the ban got reversed due to an appeal by the arbitration court for sport.
What will happen if the allegations are confirmed?
If the club is found guilty, the independent panel to review the charges may propose a punishment. It gets mentioned in the Premier League’s manual; however, a commission may impose whatever penalty it deems fit. The independent commission has a range of punishments it may impose on a club, including:
- Suspend a team from participating in league games
- Advising the board to propose that the league ban the respondent club
- Encourage the replay of league games to the board of directors
- Refuse to accept or reject player registration
- Compel the club to cover expenses
- Order reimbursement
- Point deductions
- Conditional punishment
- Come up with whatever more orders it sees fit.
