In an announcement on the 6th of February, 2023, the Premier League announced that it would be charging Man City with about 100 counts of breaking Financial Fair Play (FFP). The accusations span over 9 years, from 2009-2018; during this period, they won the Premier League three times (2011-12, 2013-14, 2017-18).
What is Financial Fair Play?
Financial Fair Play rules are put in place so football clubs, such as City who are very wealthy, don’t spend hundreds of millions of dollars on signing new players. Essentially, you can spend in a transfer window as much as the revenue the club receives. However, one could inflate their club’s earnings and revenue, in an attempt to deceive the league into allowing them to spend more. This is exactly what Man City is being accused of, and it is not City’s first rodeo. The Blues were charged by UEFA (The Union of European Football Associations) in 2020 for the same charge and ended up getting banned from playing any European competitions for 2 years; however, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) overturned the ruling after a long and costly legal battle. This meant City could resume playing in European competitions, such as the prestigious UEFA Champions League, where they would go on to lose the final later that year.
However, this case is extremely serious and is much more severe than their case with UEFA in 2020. Not only were they falsely inflating their revenue, but they were also falsely reporting the income and salaries of players and managers. The most notable is the false reporting of former City manager Roberto Mancini’s income while he was at the Blues. Mancini has denied any allegations though. They also failed to cooperate with the Premier League for 4 years while this private investigation was going on.
What are the possible penalties?
There are many possible penalties that could be applied to Man City if they were to be found guilty of the charges. The most significant one is revoking league titles and possibly other trophies. The Blues were champions 3 times during this time period (as mentioned before), but that is not the only trophy that they had won. During the 9-year time period, City also won the FA Cup once and the EFL Cup 3 times. Revoking these honors would be extremely damaging for Man City, but it would also disappoint many fans. For example, their 2011-12 title win, where a last-second goal from City legend Sergio Agüero on the final day helped them beat their rivals, Manchester United, for their first Premier League trophy. The moment when the goal went in was unreal. The Etihad erupted as fans cheered while the players and coaches ran and celebrated like crazy. Revoking City’s title would make many feel bad about this moment and it would take away its weight in City’s history.
However, there are more penalties than just stripping league titles and trophies. The Blues could be deducted points, given a huge fine, and could even be expelled from the league. Getting kicked out of the Premier League would be absolutely disastrous for City. In the 2nd tier of English football (EFL Championship), there is a lower wage cap, lower transfer budget, and less revenue. This would mean City would have to mass sell many players and even possibly give up their manager (Pep Guardiola), who is considered to be one of the best in the world.
When will this be put into place?
This is obviously not going to be a fast process. In fact, it will be one that will take years. There will be a large number of legal battles, back-and-fourths between the league and City, and evidential proceedings. Allegations of City cheating are not new whatsoever. It has become an insult thrown at fans of the Blues from rivals, but there certainly is some good evidence of it. Anyhow, this is serious business and it will have to be dealt with that way.
According to sports analysts, this process could take anywhere from 2 years to 5 years. And since Man City has hired Britain’s best lawyer, there is no point in hoping for results soon. It is, of course, expected that the Blues will attempt to delay the trial for a very long time. The financial capability is there, and club owner Sheikh Mansour will make sure of this, as a guilty verdict could tarnish his reputation.
Has Man City issued a response?
The Blues issued a club statement, which was released on their Twitter account (@ManCity), reading “Manchester City Football Club 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.” Manager Pep Guardiola also issued a statement, saying that the owner and board have dismissed these allegations. He also claimed that if he found out they were lying to him, he would leave. Fans of Man City have displayed their discontent with the Premier League consistently. The Premier League anthem is being constantly booed, and fans have been holding up explicit banners and signs directed at the League. There have been reports alluding to a 2nd investigation that includes 2019 through the present, but those are only minor rumors. For now, only time will tell what the outcome will be.
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