A big bombshell was dropped on Monday as the Premier League found Manchester City to be in violation of Financial Fair Play practices. The PL have charged Man City with more than a 100 breaches of the FFP rules, over the period between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons. That covers the managerial regimes of not just Pep Guardiola, but also Manuel Pellegrini and Roberto Mancini.
The current ownership, City Football Group (CFG), is owned by Abu Dhabi United Group, which was founded by the ruling family of the United Arab Emirates. They assumed control of the club in 2008.
The Premier League has charged them with failing to provide “accurate financial information that gives a true and fair view of the club’s financial position,” and they also maintain that City have not fully cooperated with their investigation.
A portion of the statement reads: “In accordance with Premier League Rule W.82.1, the Premier League confirms that it has today referred a number of alleged breaches of the Premier League Rules by Manchester City Football Club to a Commission under Premier League Rule W.3.4.”
You can read the full statement over at this link.
Man City publicly responded to the charges, claiming that they have transparent and cooperative with the investigation.
“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,” a club statement reads.
“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.”
That covers the statement in full. Man City, the current defending champions of the Premier League, have won the English top flight in four of the past five seasons. City topped the Deloitte Football Money League, making it the highest revenue producing club in the world, for the 2020–21 season, with a figure of an approximated at €644.9 million.
In 2021, Forbes estimated MCFC the sixth most valuable in the world, with a valuation of about $4 billion. City Football Group Limited, was valued at £3.73 (US$4.8) billion in November of 2019.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.