Manchester City charged with breaking financial rules by Premier League

[Bigpokey24]

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/64536785

The Premier League has charged Manchester City with more than 100 breaches of its financial rules following a four-year investigation.

It has referred the club to an independent commission over alleged rule breaches between 2009 and 2018.

It also accused City of not co-operating since the investigation started in December 2018.

City said they were "surprised" by the charges and are supported by a "body of irrefutable evidence".

The commission can impose punishments ranging from a fine, points deduction and expulsion from the Premier League.

"Manchester City is surprised by the issuing of these alleged breaches of the Premier League Rules, particularly given the extensive engagement and vast amount of detailed materials that the EPL has been provided with," the club said in a statement.

"The club welcomes the review of this matter by an independent commission, to impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists in support of its position.

"As such we look forward to this matter being put to rest once and for all."

Last season City won their sixth Premier League title since the 2008 takeover by the Abu Dhabi United Group.

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What have City been charged with?
In a statement the Premier League said City breached rules requiring them to provide "accurate financial information that gives a true and fair view of the club's financial position".

This information covered club revenue, which includes sponsorship income and operating costs.

Further alleged breaches relate to rules requiring full details of manager remuneration - from the 2009-10 to 2012-13 seasons, when Roberto Mancini was in charge - and player remuneration between 2010-11 and 2015-16.

The Premier League said City breached rules related to Uefa regulations, including Financial Fair Play (FFP), from 2013-14 to 2017-18, as well as Premier League rules on profitability and sustainability from 2015-16 to 2017-18.

In 2020 European football governing body Uefa ruled that City committed "serious breaches" of FFP regulations between 2012 and 2016.

However, a two-year ban from European competitions was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) later that year.

Uefa began its investigation into City after German newspaper Der Spiegel published leaked documents in November 2018 alleging the club had inflated the value of a sponsorship deal.

The proceedings of the commission - chaired by Murray Rosen KC - will be confidential and heard in private.

When the Premier League investigation began, City said the allegations were "entirely false" and that allegations in Der Spiegel came from "illegal hacking and out of context publication of City emails".

'It will be expensive and will drag on' - analysis
BBC Sport's Simon Stone

On the basis it has taken the Premier League four years to get to this point, do not expect a resolution to this case any time soon.

Manchester City have always denied financial wrongdoing. They always said the detail published by Der Spiegel when it was passed information by Football Leaks was incomplete.

When Uefa launched its case, City said they had no faith in that investigation and, when it went against them, they went straight to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, where they were cleared of what they regarded as the substantive allegations, even though some were timed out.

They will be armed with the very best lawyers, looking line by line at every element of the Premier League's case.

The charge sheet includes five years of allegations that City have not assisted with their inquiry - which is all of it.

The whole thing will be expensive and it will drag on.

City manager Pep Guardiola has always said he was assured by his employers that they have done nothing wrong. Others - La Liga president Javier Tebas is one of the loudest voices - argue vehemently the other way.

Should City win, legally, they will be clear, even if the sniping will continue.

Should they lose, all manner of punishments can be handed down. The Premier League's scope in that sense is completely open-ended and we are in uncharted territory.

We are now beginning a very long end game. City's reputation - and the reputation of those who own it - is on the line. The outcome, whenever it comes, will be fascinating.

[Tbite]

This is what I was saying in another thread. The illusion that the big clubs are so much better...when in reality all they are doing is cheating.
In a fair game, the top five leagues are more balanced.
The punishment should be severe, but most likely it will be a meaningless slap on the wrist.
Unlike serie A, the EPL is unwilling to deal severe punishment.

[Mr. Piffington]

Political witch hunt.

[The YeyeMan]

Political witch hunt.

Expand....

[Scipio Africanus]

Political witch hunt.

After 101 alleged breaches of the rules? No. This is the African in you speaking

[Mr. Piffington]

Political witch hunt.

Expand....

Oga, Manchester City are spoiling market for the PL. They've been the best club in the league for a better part of a decade and yet they are not as supported as the top brands like Arsenal, United, or Chelsea. They are scared that a lot of people will start losing interest if things go on, hell I already know a lot of PL fans of the tradition clubs that are losing interest because their clubs aren't winning like they use to. Then you add the pressure of other PL clubs and this is what you get. What they did is comb through City's papers THROUGHLY and found a few bumps and are using the media to compound negative opinion on City. What will most likely happens is most of the so called charges will be dropped, few will stick and City will get a fine or a few points deduction for next season. Anything more than that and those Arabs they piss off will use their financial resources to cause damage.

[Mr. Piffington]

Political witch hunt.

After 101 alleged breaches of the rules? No. This is the African in you speaking

Can you tell me what those breaches are? Exactly.

[Scipio Africanus]

Political witch hunt.

After 101 alleged breaches of the rules? No. This is the African in you speaking

Can you tell me what those breaches are? Exactly.

Available to you with a simple internet search.

[Mr. Piffington]

Political witch hunt.

After 101 alleged breaches of the rules? No. This is the African in you speaking

Can you tell me what those breaches are? Exactly.

Available to you with a simple internet search.

I already read it and it was nothing much.

[danfo driver]

Political witch hunt.

Smart man.

[Bigpokey24]

they need to investigate assanal and figure out how the emirates stadium was financed..

[Mr. Piffington]

they need to investigate assanal and figure out how the emirates stadium was financed..

Arsenal are a global brand and thus untouchable.

[Scipio Africanus]

they need to investigate assanal and figure out how the emirates stadium was financed..

Arsenal are a global brand and thus untouchable.

Man City aren’t a global brand? Gaddem! You just launched nuclear yabbis at City suppoahs

[Mr. Piffington]

they need to investigate assanal and figure out how the emirates stadium was financed..

Arsenal are a global brand and thus untouchable.

Man City aren’t a global brand? Gaddem! You just launched nuclear yabbis at City suppoahs

Negro, how many City fans do you know compared to Arsenal?

[Scipio Africanus]

they need to investigate assanal and figure out how the emirates stadium was financed..

Arsenal are a global brand and thus untouchable.

Man City aren’t a global brand? Gaddem! You just launched nuclear yabbis at City suppoahs

Negro, how many City fans do you know compared to Arsenal?

Not even one. But then again I don’t live in Asia

[Mr. Piffington]

they need to investigate assanal and figure out how the emirates stadium was financed..

Arsenal are a global brand and thus untouchable.

Man City aren’t a global brand? Gaddem! You just launched nuclear yabbis at City suppoahs

Negro, how many City fans do you know compared to Arsenal?

Not even one. But then again I don’t live in Asia

Thank you. Arsenal, United, and Chelsea are the biggest global brands in the PL, City will always be seen as upstarts or noisy neighbors, it will take another generation to see them as legitimate. The big European brands want to protect their privilege and don't want to compete with upstarts with deep pockets, the PL wants to protect the big brands because that's what brings in the mullah. Then you add to the fact that City's owners are not white and you get these sorts of political shenanigans. Any accountant will tell you that if you comb through the books of entities that deal in tens or hundreds of millions you'll find bumps and hiccups along the way.

[Scipio Africanus]

they need to investigate assanal and figure out how the emirates stadium was financed..

Arsenal are a global brand and thus untouchable.

Man City aren’t a global brand? Gaddem! You just launched nuclear yabbis at City suppoahs

Negro, how many City fans do you know compared to Arsenal?

Not even one. But then again I don’t live in Asia

Thank you. Arsenal, United, and Chelsea are the biggest global brands in the PL, City will always be seen as upstarts or noisy neighbors, it will take another generation to see them as legitimate. The big European brands want to protect their privilege and don't want to compete with upstarts with deep pockets, the PL wants to protect the big brands because that's what brings in the mullah. Then you add to the fact that City's owners are not white and you get these sorts of political shenanigans. Any accountant will tell you that if you comb through the books of entities that deal in tens or hundreds of millions you'll find bumps and hiccups along the way.

Assuming you are correct, why now? Why choose to air this now? Do they have a white dude lined up to buy City?

[Mr. Piffington]

they need to investigate assanal and figure out how the emirates stadium was financed..

Arsenal are a global brand and thus untouchable.

Man City aren’t a global brand? Gaddem! You just launched nuclear yabbis at City suppoahs

Negro, how many City fans do you know compared to Arsenal?

Not even one. But then again I don’t live in Asia

Thank you. Arsenal, United, and Chelsea are the biggest global brands in the PL, City will always be seen as upstarts or noisy neighbors, it will take another generation to see them as legitimate. The big European brands want to protect their privilege and don't want to compete with upstarts with deep pockets, the PL wants to protect the big brands because that's what brings in the mullah. Then you add to the fact that City's owners are not white and you get these sorts of political shenanigans. Any accountant will tell you that if you comb through the books of entities that deal in tens or hundreds of millions you'll find bumps and hiccups along the way.

Assuming you are correct, why now? Why choose to air this now? Do they have a white dude lined up to buy City?

I assume there are a lot of politics behind the scenes, Pep revealed not too long ago that 9 or so premier league clubs sent letters to the FA (or PL) to investigate City, who knows what else is going on. Can you imagine if City's owners did what Chelsea's owner is doing nowadays? The CPS would have been on the case.

I don't think there's white folks lining up to buy City, the Arabs have poured so much money in not just the club but the surrounding areas in East Manchester that if they get the Abramovich treatment they won't go quietly.

[The YeyeMan]

Political witch hunt.

Expand....

Oga, Manchester City are spoiling market for the PL. They've been the best club in the league for a better part of a decade and yet they are not as supported as the top brands like Arsenal, United, or Chelsea. They are scared that a lot of people will start losing interest if things go on, hell I already know a lot of PL fans of the tradition clubs that are losing interest because their clubs aren't winning like they use to. Then you add the pressure of other PL clubs and this is what you get. What they did is comb through City's papers THROUGHLY and found a few bumps and are using the media to compound negative opinion on City. What will most likely happens is most of the so called charges will be dropped, few will stick and City will get a fine or a few points deduction for next season. Anything more than that and those Arabs they piss off will use their financial resources to cause damage.

Oga, "a few bumps"? - the PL found over 100 serious violations. That's more than a few bumps. The only reason they're investigating this is because this info came to light when the Portuguese hacker leaked details of City's financial irregularity to the German newspaper, Die Spiegel. A few dedicated journalists have been tracking City's brazen financial doping for years prior but nothing came of those investigations - it's been an open secret for years.

Whilst you're probably right about general disillusionment among certain fanbases, the PL is as popular as it has ever been in years.

[The YeyeMan]

they need to investigate assanal and figure out how the emirates stadium was financed..

Arsenal are a global brand and thus untouchable.

Man City aren’t a global brand? Gaddem! You just launched nuclear yabbis at City suppoahs

Negro, how many City fans do you know compared to Arsenal?

Correct. They're not a global brand. Can't even fill their own stadium at times. But isn't it interesting how they became the biggest revenue generating club in the pandemic year while other European clubs reported losses?

Just a couple of weeks ago City once again topped the Deloitte Money League. How do we account for this?

[The YeyeMan]

they need to investigate assanal and figure out how the emirates stadium was financed..

Arsenal are a global brand and thus untouchable.

Man City aren’t a global brand? Gaddem! You just launched nuclear yabbis at City suppoahs

Negro, how many City fans do you know compared to Arsenal?

Not even one. But then again I don’t live in Asia

Thank you. Arsenal, United, and Chelsea are the biggest global brands in the PL, City will always be seen as upstarts or noisy neighbors, it will take another generation to see them as legitimate. The big European brands want to protect their privilege and don't want to compete with upstarts with deep pockets, the PL wants to protect the big brands because that's what brings in the mullah. Then you add to the fact that City's owners are not white and you get these sorts of political shenanigans. Any accountant will tell you that if you comb through the books of entities that deal in tens or hundreds of millions you'll find bumps and hiccups along the way.

Political shenanigans? If you want to talk about shenanigans let's talk about how the Saudis influenced the UK Tory government into strong-arming the EPL to allow the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund to purchase Newcastle United.

[Mr. Piffington]

Political witch hunt.

Expand....

Oga, Manchester City are spoiling market for the PL. They've been the best club in the league for a better part of a decade and yet they are not as supported as the top brands like Arsenal, United, or Chelsea. They are scared that a lot of people will start losing interest if things go on, hell I already know a lot of PL fans of the tradition clubs that are losing interest because their clubs aren't winning like they use to. Then you add the pressure of other PL clubs and this is what you get. What they did is comb through City's papers THROUGHLY and found a few bumps and are using the media to compound negative opinion on City. What will most likely happens is most of the so called charges will be dropped, few will stick and City will get a fine or a few points deduction for next season. Anything more than that and those Arabs they piss off will use their financial resources to cause damage.

Oga, "a few bumps"? - the PL found over 100 serious violations. That's more than a few bumps. The only reason they're investigating this is because this info came to light when the Portuguese hacker leaked details of City's financial irregularity to the German newspaper, Die Spiegel. A few dedicated journalists have been tracking City's brazen financial doping for years prior but nothing came of those investigations - it's been an open secret for years.

Whilst you're probably right about general disillusionment among certain fanbases, the PL is as popular as it has ever been in years.

I don't have time for alarmist headlines, did you read what those so called serious violations are? I have and there's nothing serious about it. Part of the serious violations are part of the so called details of City's financial doping were emails that were taken out of context by reporters with an agenda, this is the reason why the CAS basically threw out the case. Abeg this is a non issue, the PL simply has an agenda and its obvious.

[The YeyeMan]

Political witch hunt.

Expand....

Oga, Manchester City are spoiling market for the PL. They've been the best club in the league for a better part of a decade and yet they are not as supported as the top brands like Arsenal, United, or Chelsea. They are scared that a lot of people will start losing interest if things go on, hell I already know a lot of PL fans of the tradition clubs that are losing interest because their clubs aren't winning like they use to. Then you add the pressure of other PL clubs and this is what you get. What they did is comb through City's papers THROUGHLY and found a few bumps and are using the media to compound negative opinion on City. What will most likely happens is most of the so called charges will be dropped, few will stick and City will get a fine or a few points deduction for next season. Anything more than that and those Arabs they piss off will use their financial resources to cause damage.

Oga, "a few bumps"? - the PL found over 100 serious violations. That's more than a few bumps. The only reason they're investigating this is because this info came to light when the Portuguese hacker leaked details of City's financial irregularity to the German newspaper, Die Spiegel. A few dedicated journalists have been tracking City's brazen financial doping for years prior but nothing came of those investigations - it's been an open secret for years.

Whilst you're probably right about general disillusionment among certain fanbases, the PL is as popular as it has ever been in years.

I don't have time for alarmist headlines, did you read what those so called serious violations are? I have and there's nothing serious about it. Part of the serious violations are part of the so called details of City's financial doping were emails that were taken out of context by reporters with an agenda, this is the reason why the CAS basically threw out the case. Abeg this is a non issue, the PL simply has an agenda and its obvious.

No. CAS found the allegation fell outside UEFA's 5 year statutory limit. That's why City won the appeal. There is no such time-bar with the EPL regulations. This is not a non-issue and it's not going away.