MANCHESTER CITY have reportedly been accused of creating a fake scouting job for a former academy player’s father in a bid to funnel money to his family.
The club are alleged to have done this to lure Brazilian playmaker Gabriel Fernando Almeida to England as a 14-year-old in 2011.
Gabriel Fernando Almeida joined Man City in 2011
The Mail reported City could have breached Premier League rules by setting Almeida’s dad with a fake scouting role in the academy as a way to send money to their family.
Almeida only stayed at City for three years before moving back to Brazil to play for Corinthians. The attacker returned to England in October to join non-league side Stretford Paddock.
According to The Athletic, the role for Almeida’s dad was created to increase payments to the family while the player was under 16.
Payslips are reported to have shown him being paid around £1,000 each month between September 2011 and June 2012.
Almeida Snr told The Athletic: “The truth is that they paid me but I did not work.
“In truth, they tricked us because I do not speak English.
“They did arrange for me to take a course in scouting. I went to the classroom on two occasions, to appear there at the course. It was inside Manchester City.”
In a statement, Man City said the club “refutes any wrongdoing and entirely rejects the claims that have been made.”
Man City, who are no strangers to controversy, were banned from the Champions League last February for two years after misleading European football’s governing body and breaking Financial Fair play rules.
But this was overturned last summer by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
