MANCHESTER CITY could be EXPELLED from the Premier League after they were charged with more than 100 alleged breaches of financial rules.
Other possible punishments include a points deduction for the reigning champions, transfer bans, spending limits and even the stripping of previous titles.
The investigation into the club’s dealings has lasted for four years.
And now the Premier League have published their findings on their website and it does not make good reading for the Etihad club, who said they were “surprised” in a brief and defiant statement.
At this stage City have been charged but not found guilty.
But they would not be able to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport if the ruling does go against them.
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The charges relate to breaching financial regulations over nine seasons between 2009 and 2018 – plus further charges of failing to cooperate and hand over documents as required over the last five seasons from 2018-19 to 2022-23.
The unprecedented Premier League investigation, which started in December 2018, was prompted by the publishing of leaked documents by German website Der Spiegel – with the investigation focusing on three specific areas.
Premier League legal chiefs believe City hid the true source of their revenues by claiming they were from sponsors when in fact they were funded by the club’s Abu Dhabi owners.
City are also accused of paying a significant part of former boss Roberto Mancini’s salary through an Abu Dhabi shell company and hiding that fact.
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In another section of the charge, City are said to have not given full details of player wages.
The club stands accused of breaching Uefa Financial Fair Play rules for five seasons and Prem “profitability and sustainability” regulations over three seasons.
And perhaps most seriously, City are said to have failed to give full information to Prem legal investigators over FOUR years since the probe began in December 2018.
Uefa slapped City with a two-year ban and fined the club £25million in February 2020 for alleged financial fair play breaches.
However, just five months later, that was overturned and the final fine was cut to £9m by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Now the findings of the Premier League investigation, namely the 32 separate charges and 113 alleged breaches, have been referred to a commission.
Commissions are independent of the Premier League and its member clubs, with the commission’s members appointed by the independent Chair of the Premier League Judicial Panel.
The Premier League added: “The proceedings before the Commission will, in accordance with Premier League Rule W.82, be confidential and heard in private.
“Under Premier League Rule W.82.2, the Commission’s final award will be published on the Premier League’s website.”
Should they be found guilty, the ramifications could be catastrophic for City – and even Pep Guardiola.
The Spaniard threatened to quit as manager if it transpired the club’s owners had lied to him about any wrongdoing.
Speaking in August 2022, he declared he would not want to be in charge of a club that he felt had breached financial fair play rules.
Guardiola said: “I said to our people, ‘Tell me’ about the suspicions. I looked at them and believed them 100 per cent from day one so I defended the club because of that.
“I did say, ‘If you lie to me, the day after I am not here. I will be out and you will not be my friend any more.’
“I like to represent a club that is doing things properly. In the end, it’s not about winning the Champions League or Premier League, it’s about always doing it well, for our people and our fans.
“What CAS said meant a lot. It broke all the suspicion.
“I can not forget that nine teams in the Premier League pushed to sack Manchester City from European competitions, I know who they are.”
As the club did in 2020 with the Uefa appeal, the Etihad side have always denied wrongdoing and will likely establish a significant legal team of expert lawyers to fight their case, even if they cannot take it to CAS.
City said in response to the latest allegations: “Manchester City FC 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 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.”
City won the league title three times in the period covered by the investigation – in 2011-12, 2013-14 and 2017-18.
They have also finished top of the table three times during the Prem probe – in 2018-19, 2020-21 and 2021-22.
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Arsenal fan Piers Morgan joked he wants Manchester City to be slapped with an immediate points deduction – to boost the Gunners’ chances of winning the current season.
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher could not resist a cheeky dig, either, as SunSport revealed what the Premier League would look like without City’s matches amid their possible expulsion – with good news for the Gunners who move 11 points clear.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
