“More than 100 cases were caught” “No
sharing of financial information such as sponsorship profits”
“Fine? Losing points? Manchester City, which is competing for the lead in the English Premier League
(EPL), was handed over to an independent committee for violating financial regulations. Manchester City can face up to expulsion from the league if it is confirmed that the rule violation is true.
The EPL Secretariat said in a statement on the 7th that Man City had violated many of the league’s financial rules over the nine years from the 2009-2010 season to the 2017-2018 season and handed it over to an independent committee.
According to the British daily The Times and public broadcaster BBC, Man City is accused of violating more than 100 financial rules during this period.
The EPL Secretariat pointed out that Manchester City did not provide accurate information to determine the club’s financial status, such as sponsorship revenue and management expenses. The secretariat said that Manchester City did not fully disclose management compensation for four years from the 2009-2010 season to the 안전놀이터2012-2013 season, when manager Roberto Mancini led the team, and requested the submission of related materials. The Secretariat also pointed out that Man City also violated the rules of the European Football Federation (UEFA) on financial fair play (FFP) and club licensing rules for the 2013-2014, 2014-2015 and 2017-2018 seasons. The FFP regulation is a provision that limits a club’s loss limit and debt size, and if it is violated, fines are imposed or it is punished from participating in UEFA-sponsored competitions.
The investigation into Manchester City’s alleged violation of financial rules began in 2018 after German media Der Spiegel released documents raising suspicion from Football Leaks, a football industry exposing media created by a Portuguese hacker. According to this, Manchester City received money from the owner and overstated sponsorship revenue, and signed a back contract with manager Mancini to pay him twice as much annual salary as what was written on the books.
In this regard, in February 2020, UEFA banned Man City from participating in European competitions for two years for violating FFP rules. However, Manchester City immediately sought a judgment from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), and no disciplinary action was taken as the CAS determined that most of the charges raised were unfounded or that the statute of limitations had passed.
Separately, the EPL secretariat opened the way to discipline Manchester City again after four years of its own investigation after the first suspicion was raised. If the allegations are found to be true, Manchester City could face a wide range of sanctions, ranging from light penalties such as fines to point reductions and, in the worst case scenario, expulsion from the league. Man City (45 points) is currently second in the league after Arsenal (50 points).
Manchester City was acquired in 2008 by Abu Dhabi United Group, a private equity fund headed by Mansour Binzaid Al Nahyan, the younger brother of the UAE president and current deputy prime minister. Since then, he has lifted the EPL championship trophy six times with enormous financial power.
Man City was “surprised” by the EPL Secretariat’s raising the issue that day, but “the club welcomes the Independent Committee to review this issue. We hope that this issue will be fully resolved.”