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      Premier League’s most iconic moments wiped out if Man City get points ban including Gerrard slip title and no ‘Aguerooo’

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      THAT epic ‘Sergio Agueroooooo!’ moment against QPR and Mario Balotelli’s ‘Why Always Me?’ T-shirt in a 6-1 Manchester derby romp at Old Trafford.Steven Gerrard falling on his jacksie, letting in Demba Ba and allowing the title to slip.
      Sergio Aguero’s famous goal in 2012 kick-started a golden era for Manchester CityCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
      Mario Balotelli enjoyed a few memorable moments at Man City, but there were few more famous than his Manchester derby T-shirt from 2011Credit: Action Images – Reuters
      The 2013-14 Premier League title race between City, Liverpool and Chelsea has come to be defined by this jaw-dropping momentCredit: Sky Sports
      Pep Guardiola’s centurions ripping up the record books, while racking up 100 points and 106 goals.
      These are some of the Premier League’s most iconic moments.
      And after the charges laid against Manchester City yesterday, they could all effectively be expunged from the history books.
      It seems unlikely that City will be stripped of their titles won in 2012, 2014 and 2018 — but the threat is there.
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      And if City are found guilty, those triumphs would be tainted, condemned as the products of cheating, with asterisks alongside them in the record books.
      Forget everything you thought you knew.
      City face relegation from the top flight, massive fines and reputational Armageddon. Yesterday’s bombshell charge-sheet has vast potential repercussions for the future, the present and even the past of the Premier League.
      A commission independent of the league will now consider the allegations.
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      City, who deny wrongdoing, will defend the charges robustly and owner Sheikh Mansour has very expensive lawyers.
      Just like Roman Abramovich’s learned friends in the days when we weren’t allowed to call the former Chelsea owner a crony of Vladimir Putin.
      In 2020, City’s legal team successfully overturned a two-year Uefa ban from European club competition for Financial Fair Play breaches — many of these were deemed unproven or were timed out.
      But this Premier League probe, sparked by the work of a Portuguese hacker and a German publication, has gone on for approximately the same length of time as the First World War.
      And its upshot has stunned football’s financial wonks with the scale of its accusations.
      Manchester City have been charged with a list of alleged rule breaches by the Premier League
      When Uefa charged City, the club’s board and their fans were always able to claim they were the victims of a long-standing vendetta from European football’s governing body.
      But nobody, least of all City, believed the Premier League had the teeth or the balls for something on this scale.
      This is what is known in the game as a proper ‘F*** me, Doris’ moment.
      The league’s executive has waved through so many billionaire owners of differing repute, seemingly under a mantra of ‘Greed is Good’.
      Now to allege widespread rule-breaking from the competition’s dominant force and to invite talk of demotion and title-stripping, well, doesn’t it all sound a bit Italian, a bit Glaswegian?
      With defeat at Spurs on Sunday, it has been a dreadful 48 hours for Pep GuardiolaCredit: Getty
      In a list as long as Ederson’s arms, consisting of more than 100 alleged breaches of league rules, City are accused of shady sponsorship revenues, shadowy contracts and failing to comply with investigators.
      If they stick, City will surely be punished with crushing severity.
      Guardiola claimed he would quit if he had been lied to on these issues by club chiefs, including his close Barcelona mates Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain, when similar allegations were made by Uefa.
      A man of principle, surely he could not stand the stench if the charges are upheld?
      And what for City’s domestic rivals? With Liverpool in meltdown and City under threat of expulsion, Newcastle’s Geordie Arabia regime — who are being careful with FFP — will be rubbing their hands at the prospect of a potential title charge as soon as next season.
      Chelsea, who are flying close to a hurricane with FFP, might be more wary about balancing the books but will also sense renewed opportunity.
      Jose Mourinho’s Man United finished second to Man City in the 2017-18 seasonCredit: PA:Empics Sport
      The English old firm of United and Arsenal will be emboldened, too, if the Premier League’s dominant club is brought to its knees.
      Is this what we want, though? City have produced so many extraordinary moments.
      Guardiola’s teams, in particular, have played some of the most gorgeous football ever seen by an English club side.Would we rather it hadn’t happened?
      There is a fascinating debate to be had over whether Financial Fair Play rules are good for the sport.
      These were undoubtedly introduced because of pressure from the established elite clubs to lessen the threat of state-owned nouveau-riche outfits like City, Newcastle and Paris Saint-Germain and to maintain the old status quo.
      Does FFP compromise sporting integrity or safeguard it? It probably depends which team you support.
      Do we prefer the old predictability or a wild west for Middle Eastern money men?
      Gabriel Jesus’ goal at Southampton took Man City to a record-breaking 100 points in 2018Credit: Getty Images – Getty
      And do we want those history books to be rewritten or asterisked?
      Was Martin Tyler’s great goalgasm, when Aguero scored his famous last-gasp winner to secure City’s first Premier League crown in 2012, actually a case of faking it?
      Will Brendan Rodgers become a title-winning Liverpool manager, nine years after the apparent narrow failure of that thrilling Anfield Spring because of Gerrard’s slip?
      And will Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United legacy be reframed after the addition of the 2018 title, which history-making City had initially won by 19 clear points.
      Read More on The Sun
      You can bet the old rascal will be claiming it soon.This is a fascinating development which begs a million questions.
      And for most Premier League supporters — for whom the game is a form of escapism from dull talk of finance and legalities — the most pertinent question is “What can we even believe any more?” More

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      Liverpool’s nearly-men of 2013-14 brutally troll Man City after FFP breaches and ask: Are we Premier League champions?

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      FORMER Liverpool stars have trolled Manchester City after the club was charged with FFP breaches.The Reds took City all the way in the title fight as they only lost out by two points.
      Liverpool were beaten to the Premier League title by Manchester City in the 2013-14 seasonCredit: Getty
      But in light of City’s charges and reports suggesting the club’s punishments could include forfeiting their previous titles if found guilty.
      This has led to some members of the Liverpool squad that year to all ask the same question on social media.
      Jose Enrique tweeted: “Am I a premier league champion?”
      The Spaniard also added: “When is the parade reds? I want to celebrate being a Premier League champion.”
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      He was joined by Lucas Leiva, who similarly tweeted: “Am I a Premier League champion?”
      Jon Flanagan also got in on the act as he tweeted: “When is our open top bus parade? 13/14 🏅.”
      Liverpool played some fantastic football that season with Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez leading the line.
      However, costly performances against Crystal Palace and Chelsea saw them lose pace with City and in the end the title.
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      City have been charged by the Premier League with more than 100 breaches between 2009 and 2018.
      They, currently second in the table, face possible punishments, including a points deduction, transfer bans, spending limits and even expulsion from the league.
      In the period concerned, the reigning Prem champions won three titles – in the 2011-12, 2013-14 and 2017-18 seasons.
      It is not known what would happen to those titles, and whether they would be awarded to the runners-up, if City face the toughest possible sanction. More

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      Premier League rivals demand Man City be RELEGATED if found guilty of staggering 100-plus FFP rule breaches

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      PREMIER LEAGUE rivals are demanding Manchester City are RELEGATED if found guilty of a staggering 100-plus breaches of FFP rules.The Etihad outfit were left stunned as top-flight chiefs dumped the unprecedented charges after a four-year probe into the club’s financial affairs.
      Premier League club chiefs are demanding that Manchester City get relegated if they are found guiltyCredit: Reuters

      City were accused of a series of financial dodges between 2009 and 2018 including:
      Hiding the true source of the club’s funding
      Declaring only part of salaries to players and former boss Roberto Mancini
      Breaching Uefa AND Premier League financial fair play regulations.
      Deliberately obstructing the Prem investigation since it was opened in December 2018, including during this season.

      And while angry City insisted they would be “vindicated”, Premier League clubs are demanding blood and a swift verdict AND punishment before the end of the season.
      One club chief said: “If these charges are proven there must be proper punishment – and the only fitting one is for them to be relegated.
      “We’re talking about a decade of alleged abuses and want the Premier League to do the right thing.”
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      The decision to bring 30 charges detailing 115 alleged breaches of regulations – and signed off by the League board including chief executive Richard Masters – came out of the sky blue for City chiefs who only knew it was coming in a telephone call to chief exec Ferran Soriano from Prem bosses, timed to coincide with the public release.
      Of the allegations, the biggest group accused City of failing to provide “accurate financial information” giving a “true and fair” picture of the club’s financial picture between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons.

      City are accused of obscuring the true source of millions of pounds in revenues.
      That money, claimed to have been legitimate sponsorship earnings from Gulf-based companies including Etihad Airways and investment giants Aabar is alleged to have actually directly from the club’s owners, Abu Dhabi United Group.
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      Manchester City’s financial charges
      City are also accused of effectively paying Mancini through two separate accounts – the official £1.45m salary through the club’s books and the remaining £1.75m via Sheikh Mansour’s Abu Dhabi club, Al Jazira.
      Another set of charges allege City failed to “include full details of player remuneration” – wages – for a six-year period starting in 2010-11.
      City are then accused of breaching League rules by flouting Uefa Financial Fair Play regulations – the allegations which initially brought the club a two-year Champions league ban in 2020 before that verdict was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
      Premier League legal beaks also laid charges that City had broken the League’s “profitability and sustainability” regulations for three seasons up to 2017-18.
      And perhaps most serious were the final set of charges, claiming that the club had “failed to cooperate” from “December 2018 to date” with the Prem investigation, including by not “providing documents and information in the utmost good faith”.

      Furious City hit back with a hard-hitting response in which the club said it was “surprised” by the charges, “particularly given the extensive engagement and vast amount of detailed materials the Premier League has been provided with.
      City added: “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.”
      Privately, City believe the Premier League was bounced into the decision by the looming publication of the Government’s White paper which will set up an Independent Regulator for football.
      The club feels League chiefs briefed out the announcement to put them on the back foot before the mid-morning ambush but remains adamant the process will end with City entirely in the clear.
      City have until February 23 to respond to the charges, by which time leading KC Murray Rosen, head of the League’s Judicial Panel, will have confirmed the make-up of the three-member commission, which will be headed by a senior lawyer.
      Read More on The Sun
      While the Premier League could not give a timescale last night, that could allow a hearing by as early as next month, although both parties would be entitled to ask for an appeal panel to hear the evidence again if the verdict went against them.
      But rival clubs are pushing for a rapid “trial” as they want any punishment in place for this season rather than City being allowed to drag the matter out. More

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      Arsenal member will chair independent commission into Man City after they’re charged with financial rule breaches

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      AN ARSENAL member will chair the independent commission into Manchester City following their alleged breaches of financial rules.The reigning champions have been charged by the Premier League with more than 100 breaches between 2009 and 2018.
      Arsenal member Murray Rosen will chair independent commissionCredit: https://www.4newsquare.com/profile/murray-rosen-kc/
      City are now facing a potential points deduction, while other punishments could include transfer bans, spending limits and even having their previous titles stripped.
      At this stage City have been charged but not found guilty.
      The man set to be investigating their off the field conduct is Arsenal member Murray Rosen KC.
      According to BBC, Rosen has been appointed as the chair of the independent commission looking into City’s wrongdoings.
      READ MORE ON ARSENAL
      And he’s an avid Gunners supporter.
      Rosen’s profile on the 4 New Square chambers says: “He is a strong believer in fairness and in the power and benefits of sport and has a keen appreciation of its social, political and financial aspects.
      “He has participated in sport all his life, is a member of the MCC and Arsenal FC, and still regularly plays real tennis and ping pong.
      “His knowledge of the sports scene and the issues which arise, both commercial and regulatory, in relation to the governance of sport, and its competitions and events, makes him a sympathetic hands-on tribunal chairman and a successful mediator.
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      “He has recently initiated an ad hoc working party consulting and reporting on the Impact of Covid-19 on sport disputes resolution procedures, supported and published by LawinSport.”
      In response to the charges, City released a brief 79-word statement and said they were “surprised” by allegations being made.

      Meanwhile, Arsenal supporter and SunSport columnist Piers Morgan reckons the Etihad Stadium club should be docked points immediately to improve the the Gunners’ title chances.
      He tweeted: “Outrageous. Immediate points deduction!” More

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      What financial breaches have Man City been charged with, could they be relegated, when will we know the outcome?

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      MANCHESTER CITY are in trouble. But what are the allegations against them?The Premier League have accused the club of multiple breaches of financial and other rules over a nine-year period from 2009-2018 and then failing to cooperate with a League probe for the past FOUR years.
      Manchester City have been accused of multiple financial breachesCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      In total there are 32 separate charges adding up to 113 alleged breaches of League rules.
      What does that mean, though?
      In simple terms, the club stands accused of not providing “accurate financial information” that gave a “true and fair” picture regarding City’s revenues, actual salary payments to players and managerial staff deals with sponsors.
      That’s serious, right?
      Absolutely. Deadly serious. And it could have huge repercussions for the club.
      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. 
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      City are also accused of paying a significant part of former boss Roberto Mancini’s salary through a Abu Dhabi shell company and hiding that fact.
      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 FFP 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.
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      How did we get here in the first place?
      The investigation into City’s finances was sparked by reports by the German investigative magazine Der Spiegel which accused City of hiding millions in funding from the club’s owners, Abu Dhabi United Group, under the guise of legitimate sponsorship earnings from Gulf-based companies including Etihad Airways and investment giants Aabar.
      City consistently criticised the “illegal hacking and out of context publication of City emails” but the allegations saw Uefa conduct its own inquiry which saw the club banned from European competition for two years in February 2020.

      But that ban was overturned, wasn’t it?
      It was. City lawyers successfully argued at the Court of Arbitration for Sport that the Uefa charges were brought too late and were not legitimately levied against them. CAS did fine City £9m for failing to cooperate with the Uefa inquiry.
      Will City take the same approach now?
      The club’s bullish statement suggested it will be a full-on and aggressive defence, citing the club’s “irrefutable evidence” and describing the “surprise” at the Prem charges. But it is understood there are no time limitations for alleged breaches of League rules.
      That was prompted following the publishing of leaked documents by German website Der Spiegel.

      And what could the punishment be – if City are found guilty, of course?
      Anything from a slap on the wrist and a fine to enforced relegation or even expulsion from the Prem. Points deductions could also be in place, whether just for this season or spread over the years in which the offences were allegedly committed.
      What could the punishment be – if City are found guilty, of course?
      The ONLY time a Prem club has had points deducted was in 1997 when Middlesbrough were stripped of three points for failing to complete their fixture at Blackburn, a  decision which ultimately relegated the Teesiders.
      Since then, League chiefs have baulked at applying similar penalties and the independent commission into the Carlos Tevez affair in 2006 ruled that while West Ham deserved to lose points, it would have been unfair on their fans as it would have guaranteed relegation. 
      Retrospective points lost would be different but would open up City to massive compensation claims totalling millions from the clubs who would have finished above them in those seasons – a one-point deduction in 2015-16, for example, would have seen Manchester United leapfrog City into fourth and a £40m-plus Champions League windfall.
      City, currently second in the table, face possible punishments including a points deduction, transfer bans, spending limits and even expulsion from the league and stripping of previous titles.
      In the period concerned, the reigning Prem champions won three titles – in the 2011-12, 2013-14 and 2017-18 seasons.
      It is not known what would happen to those titles, and whether they would be awarded to the runners-up, if City face the toughest possible sanction.
      If the league title is simply handed to the second placed side, Man Utd could pick up two more titles – from the 2011-12 and the 2017-18 seasons. Liverpool finished second in 2013-14 and could stand to be awarded that trophy.
      However, it is also possible if City are stripped that the titles will go unassigned.
      In the last case of a major team being expelled from a league, Italian giants Juventus were booted from Serie A over the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal.
      They won both the 2004-05 and 2005-06 titles but were downgraded to last place in the latter season and relegated to Serie B.
      Inter Milan were awarded the 2005-06 title, but the previous season’s trophy remains unassigned.
      Read More on The Sun
      So when will we know what the outcome is?
      That is still unclear but there will be huge pressure on the Prem to hold the hearing swiftly and announce the result before the end of the season.
      City would have the right of appeal but only to a Prem appeals panel and not, this time, to CAS. More

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      Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher trolls Man City with sarcastic comment as they’re charged with financial rule breaches

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      JAMIE CARRAGHER trolled Manchester City with a sarcastic put down over their alleged financial rule breaches.Following a four-year investigation, the English champions have been charged by the Premier League on numerous counts.
      Jamie Carragher poked fun at Man City’s Premier League breachCredit: Rex
      This can’t be right, Man City bring in more commercial revenue than Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Man Utd & Liverpool 🤷‍♂️ https://t.co/OPDaMHnws1— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) February 6, 2023

      City are alleged to have breached league rules requiring provision “in utmost good faith” of “accurate financial information that gives a true and fair view of the club’s financial position”.
      And Liverpool legend Carragher poked fun, referencing recent figure that showed City to have the highest commercial revenue in European football.
      He sarcastically tweeted: “This can’t be right, Man City bring in more commercial revenue than Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Man Utd & Liverpool.”
      At this stage, City have been charged but not found guilty.
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      But they now face point deductions, transfer bans, spending limits, relegation and even the stripping of previous titles.
      The charges relate to breaching regulations over nine seasons between 2009 and 2018, with the investigation starting way back in December 2018.
      That was prompted following the publishing of leaked documents by German website Der Spiegel – with the investigation focusing on three specific areas.
      The first alleged issue is “under-age players were pressured to sign contracts with City through monetary payments”.
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      Secondly, that Abu Dhabi sponsors “provided only a portion of their payments to the club”, with owner Sheikh Mansour stumping up the rest, in turn overstating the sponsorship income.
      Lastly, ex-boss Roberto Mancini received a “significant portion” of compensation from a “fictitious consultancy contract” when he left the club in 2013.
      It is also claimed by the Premier League in their unprecedented findings that City did not comply with Uefa regulations surrounding club licensing and financial fair play in 2013-14 and between 2014-15 and 2017-18.
      Another breach relates to Prem profit and sustainability rules in 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18.
      The Premier League also accused City of failing to cooperate and assist with the investigation.
      Uefa slapped City with a two-year ban and fined the club £25million in February 2020 for alleged financial fair play breaches.
      That was prompted following the publishing of leaked documents by German website Der Spiegel.

      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 investigation and multiple 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.
      Read More on The Sun
      “Under Premier League Rule W.82.2, the Commission’s final award will be published on the Premier League’s website.”
      Man City have been charged by the Premier League with numerous breaches of financial rulesCredit: PA More

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      Man City could be STRIPPED of Premier League titles as they’re charged with unprecedented financial rule breaches

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      MANCHESTER CITY face being stripped of THREE Premier League titles if they are found guilty of breaching financial fair play rules.Pep Guardiola’s side were today charged with more than 100 breaches related to nine seasons between 2009 to 2018 in an unprecedented move.
      Pep Guardiola’s City side face being stripped of three Prem titles as one of the potential punishments of their alleged financial fair play breachesCredit: PA
      City, currently second in the table, face possible punishments including a points deduction, transfer bans, spending limits and even expulsion from the league and stripping of previous titles.
      In the period concerned, the reigning Prem champions won three titles – in the 2011-12, 2013-14 and 2017-18 seasons.
      It is not known what would happen to those titles, and whether they would be awarded to the runners-up, if City face the toughest possible sanction.
      If the league title is simply handed to the second placed side, Man Utd could pick up two more titles – from the 2011-12 and the 2017-18 seasons. Liverpool finished second in 2013-14 and could stand to be awarded that trophy.
      READ MORE IN FOOTBALL

      However, it is also possible if City are stripped that the titles will go unassigned.
      In the last case of a major team being expelled from a league, Italian giants Juventus were booted from Serie A over the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal.
      They won both the 2004-05 and 2005-06 titles but were downgraded to last place in the latter season and relegated to Serie B.
      Inter Milan were awarded the 2005-06 title, but the previous season’s trophy remains unassigned.
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      It is not known what punishment City will face, if any, but the findings do not make good reading for the Etihad club.
      Although they currently have only been charged and not found guilty, the investigation into the club’s dealings has lasted for four years.
      That was prompted following the publishing of leaked documents by German website Der Spiegel – with the investigation focusing on three specific areas.
      That was prompted following the publishing of leaked documents by German website Der Spiegel.

      The first alleged issue is “under-age players were pressured to sign contracts with City through monetary payments”.
      Secondly, that Abu Dhabi sponsors “provided only a portion of their payments to the club”, with owner Sheikh Mansour stumping up the rest, in turn overstating the sponsorship income.
      Lastly, ex-boss Roberto Mancini received a “significant portion” of compensation from a “fictitious consultancy contract” when he left the club in 2013.
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      Uefa slapped City with a two-year ban and fined the club £25million for alleged financial fair play breaches.
      However, in 2020, that was overturned and the final fine cut to £9m by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
      Now the findings of the investigation and multiple alleged breaches have been referred to a commission.
      It is also claimed by the Premier League that City did not comply with Uefa regulations surrounding club licensing and financial fair play in 2013-14 and between 2014-15 and 2017-18.
      Another breach relates to Prem profit and sustainability rules in 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18.
      Read More on The Sun
      The Premier League also accused City of failing to cooperate and assist with the investigation.
      As the club did in 2020 with the Uefa appeal, the Etihad side will likely establish a significant legal team of expert lawyers to fight their case.
      The 2017-18 title is the last one City one in the period concernedCredit: Reuters More

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      Real Madrid ‘accept Jude Bellingham will join Premier League with Man City and Liverpool battling over transfer’

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      REAL MADRID have reportedly accepted that transfer target Jude Bellingham’s next move will be to the Premier League.Bellingham, 19, is one of the most in-demand teenagers in world football after his exploits at the World Cup and for Borussia Dortmund.
      Jude Bellingham has a host of clubs chasing his signatureCredit: Getty
      Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City have all been linked with the ex-Birmingham City midfield ace.
      We reported last week how Newcastle had now joined the transfer chase, while Real Madrid also hold a heavy interest in signing the teenage sensation.
      Los Blancos have been trying to work on a deal for some time with their chief scout Juni Calafat already “taking care of relations” with Bellingham’s father, Mark, who manages his son’s career.
      However, The Athletic have stated that with Liverpool and City both “pushing hard”, Real Madrid “are becoming resigned to the fact that the financial muscle of the Premier League is almost unbeatable”.
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      The LaLiga giants and Champions League holders will still put up a big fight to secure Bellingham.
      However, they accept that any financial package they offer will be below those available from England.

      Dortmund are also desperate to try and keep hold of the youngster.
      The know Premier league clubs are “in pole position” to snap-up their talisman but they still hope to convince him to sign an extension to his current deal which ends in 2025.
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      Bellingham is continuing his World Cup form back at club Dortmund following the winter break.
      He has scored ten goals across all competitions this season.
      And he has also captained the side on numerous occasions throughout the campaign. More