Manchester City, a professional football club in England, has been accused of violating more than 100 financial rules, and in the worst case, the possibility of a point reduction or expulsion from the league has been raised.
The Premier League (EPL) Secretariat released a statement on the 6th (local time) saying, “Man City have been referred to an independent committee in connection with a number of rule violations.” It explained that Manchester City did not provide accurate information to determine its financial status, such as sponsorship revenue, executive remuneration, and player salaries. An investigation began in 2018, four years ago, but Manchester City did not respond faithfully.
British media outlets such as the BBC and The Times said, “Man City were accused of violating more than 100 financial rules during 9 seasons from 2009 to 2018. This is unprecedented. If the facts are confirmed, fines, transfer bans, bans from European club competitions, deprivation of titles, as well as point reduction and expulsion from the Premier League will be possible.”
Manchester City won six Premier League titles after being acquired by ‘oil tycoon’ Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan (United Arab Emirates) in 2008 and investing huge amounts of money. Earlier in 2018, Germany’s Der Spiegel and Football Leaks revealed that Man City had used a shortcut to avoid financial fair play (FFP, a rule that prevents spending more money than income on player recruitment).
Sponsorships were inflated, former manager Roberto Mancini’s annual salary was paid more than twice through a secret contract in the name of consulting, and he claimed to have illegally contacted promising players. At the time, the European Football Federation (UEFA) imposed a ban on participation in European club competitions for two seasons from 2020, but Man City appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and ended up paying only 13.5 billion won in fines. At that time, the CAS judged that the statute of limitations had passed and it was not established.
Manchester City are said to have come under investigation this time over claims they have earned more than Manchester United and Real Madrid. The independent committee’s investigation will be conducted in secret and the final results will be made public on the Premier League website. 먹튀검증
As more than 100 cases of data have been accumulated over four years, there are prospects that severe punishment cannot be avoided. Times reporter Martin Ziegler predicted that “Man City could face a point cut or even relegation even if only 50% of the charges are proven.” The Premier League club, who requested anonymity, raised its voice that Man City should be relegated if the charges are proven.
This season, Italian Serie A Juventus also had 15 points cut due to accounting fraud in the past. Man City is in second place this season with 14 wins, 3 draws and 5 losses (45 points). By simple calculation, if Man City is punished with a 15-point reduction, it will fall to 9th place. In that case, Son Heung-min’s team Tottenham will rise from 5th to 4th with the right to advance to the European Champions League next season.
Regarding the EPL announcement that day, Man City said, “It is amazing. The club welcomes an impartial review by an independent committee. We hope that this issue will be completely resolved.” Man City is expected to form the best legal team as before and take a strong response. However, under Premier League rules, City cannot appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport at this time. As it took four years to investigate the Premier League Secretariat, it will take a considerable amount of time to announce the disciplinary action if it leads to a legal battle.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola’s bombshell statement last year, “If the club lied to me, I wouldn’t be here” is being re-examined. Jude Bellingham (Dortmund), who seemed likely to move to Man City, is also expected not to go to Man City until sanctions are finalized.