The big explanation between the Premier League and Manchester City, the giant of European football suspected of multiple financial infractions, begins this Monday, September 16 before an independent commission after months of waiting and speculation. An extraordinary face-off already considered as ” the sports trial of the century ” by the British press.
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” I’m glad it starts on Monday. “, commented Pep Guardiola, the Manchester City coach who has been at the top of European football for several years, on September 13. I’m not a lawyer, but there are apparently a lot of them in this country (…) I know what people are trying to prove, but no one is guilty until proven guilty. ” he added before cutting the discussion short.
The Premier League, which organises the English football championship, believes that City knowingly circumvented the financial rules established between 2009 and 2018 to boost its transfers and sporting results. During this period, the “Citizens” won the English championship three times. They have subsequently won multiple titles, both in England (six of the last seven Premier League titles) and on the European stage (the first Champions League in the club’s history won in 2023).
After building its case, the Premier League referred the club from the north of England to an independent commission in February 2023. The commission carried out an in-depth examination of the facts alleged before being able to begin hearing the two parties, on Monday behind closed doors, in a location unknown to the general public. It is made up of three people, sworn to secrecy. They were appointed by Murray Rosen, the chairman of the Premier League’s judicial commission, for an unprecedented legal battle that is expected to last ten weeks and that the British press has already dubbed ” the sports trial of the century “.
115 indictments including 80 financial offences
Specifically, the club faces 115 charges: 80 financial offences for the period 2009-2018 and 35 additional charges for an alleged lack of cooperation in the investigation. According to the Premier League, City allegedly breached the League’s regulations requiring the provision of ” in good faith » of« accurate financial information giving a true and fair view of the club’s financial situation “, which was bought in 2008 by the Abu Dhabi United Group consortium, owned by the Emirati Sheikh Mansour.
The holding company is suspected of having hidden direct financial investments by inflating sponsorship revenues from Etihad, the Emirati airline and the club’s main partner (shirt sponsor and stadium naming), in order to circumvent the rules. Manchester City must also answer for alleged violations of UEFA’s financial fair play (2013-2018 period) and the Premier League (2015-2018). The independent commission must also determine whether Roberto Mancini, one of the former coaches, received undeclared salary supplements, a practice that could also have benefited certain players.
A possible withdrawal of points, exclusion or even relegation
The committee will take the time to examine the arguments of each side before making its decision, probably in early 2025 according to media estimates. The possibility of an appeal, on the part of the club or the Premier League, could push back the epilogue to several weeks or even months. In this scenario, an appeal committee would be set up. No appeal is allowed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the same body that invalidated the two-year suspension from all European competitions handed down to Manchester City in 2020 for non-compliance with the rules of financial fair play.
The Manchester City case is unprecedented in the scale of the facts alleged. However, several Premier League clubs have recently received sanctions that help put it into perspective. Last season, Everton lost eight points in the standings for having recorded losses above the threshold authorized by the English league: six points for the period up to 2021-2022, two more for the period ending in 2022-2023.
Under Premier League rules, Manchester City face sanctions ranging from a reprimand to being banned from the league, with points being taken off the table and even relegation to a lower division. The committee can also make sanctions, which can be appealed, conditional on corrective action being taken within a set time frame.
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