Staff Writer Syed Ahmad discusses the allegations of financial fraud against Manchester City over a period of nine seasons.
In what could be the greatest offence in the competition’s history, on February 6th, Manchester City were charged with multiple breaches of Financial Fair Play (FFP) as well as fraud by the Premier League itself. The immense case levied against the reigning champions involves over one hundred alleged breaches of regulations over a period of nine seasons from 2009-10 to 2017-18. Notably, Manchester City won three Premier League titles within this time frame.
These allegations follow the 2020 case between City and UEFA, involving the club being banned from the Champions League due to FFP violations, before successfully appealing the case at the Court of Arbitration of the Sport (CAS) in Switzerland. While this sequence of events may point towards the view that the fresh Premier League allegations may face a similar result, there is reason to believe that City may struggle to evade a verdict against them this time.
The scale of the allegations at hand, ranging from massive unreported payments to club employees (such as former Head Coach Roberto Mancini), to fraudulent sponsorships, may prove to be an uphill battle to refute. Unlike in the case of UEFA, which maintains rules stating that evidence retains an availability of five years only, the Premier League has no such statutes. This would allow evidence collected throughout the period to be presented in the legal proceedings. Further, Manchester City will be unable to appeal to the CAS in case of a verdict against the club – any appeal would have to be processed in a British court of law.
While the club have denied any wrongdoing, if found guilty, punishments would be severe: stripping of their titles, point deductions, and even relegation all appear within the jurisdiction of the Premier League in this scenario. Such a result would be a historic blow, with a long-lasting impact on their reputation and standing.
It is speculated that the timing of the release of these allegations was strategic, with the Premier League wishing to prove its competency in the face of the introduction of an independent regulator for the sport. However, this could have the opposite effect given the delay of the revelation of incriminating evidence. In either circumstance, it is hoped that this case is part of a wider move towards a fairer and more transparent competition.
