"Manchester City" found guilty of 114 violations: what punishment awaits the club

The independent commission of the English Premier League (Premier League), according to The Athletic newspaper, found "Manchester City" guilty of 114 of the 115 counts of violating financial rules. The charges span more than a decade and relate to the reliability of financial statements, sponsorship income, payments to coaches and players, compliance with financial fair play, and the club's cooperation with the investigation. What is known about the largest financial trial in the history of English football is in the "Izvestia" material.

What was "Manchester City" accused of

"The Athletic" reported on September 25 that an independent commission had found 114 of the 115 charges brought against Manchester City by the English Premier League proven. The SUBMARINE refused to officially comment on the information that appeared, citing the confidentiality of the proceedings. "Manchester City" also did not recognize the messages that appeared as the final point in the case. The club stressed that the process is ongoing and there are still significant stages in it.

"City" chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak told the fans that the club's position had not changed. According to him, the management is still determined to prove the team's innocence. The club is expected to exercise its right to appeal.

The Premier League officially filed charges against the club on February 6, 2023, after a four-year investigation. The case itself is usually referred to as "115 charges," although using a different method of calculating individual provisions of the regulations, the British media received more than 130 episodes. The bulk of the case concerns the seasons from 2009/10 to 2017/18. The League argued that "City" had not provided it with complete and reliable financial information for nine seasons that would allow it to get a real picture of income, expenses, sponsorship receipts and transactions with related parties.

It is reported that 54 items related to the provision of inaccurate financial information. Another 14 were related to insufficient information about payments to football players and coaches, five were related to non—compliance with UEFA financial rules, and seven were related to the rules of profitability and sustainability of the Premier League. Another 35 points related to the alleged refusal to fully cooperate with the league's investigation. Sponsorship revenue has become one of the key issues. After the publication of internal documents, German Der Spiegel claimed that part of the money, reflected as proceeds from sponsors Etihad and Etisalat, could actually come from the Abu Dhabi United Group associated with the owner of the club. This was important because the direct injections of the owner and the commercial sponsorship income were taken into account in different ways during financial control. "Manchester City" has consistently denied these accusations.

What does Roberto Mancini's contract have to do with it

A separate part of the charges relates to former "City" head coach Roberto Mancini, who worked at the club from 2009 to 2013 and led the team to the championship in the 2011/12 season.

"Mancini's salary at Manchester City was about £1.45 million per year, excluding bonuses." At the same time, the Italian allegedly had a consulting agreement for about £ 1.75 million per year with the "Al Jazeera" club from Abu Dhabi, which was also controlled by Sheikh Mansour. The question was whether these payments should have been reflected in the "City" accounts.

Long goals: how Messi broke the World Cup record

At his sixth World Cup, the Argentine became the record holder for the number of goals scored.

After the current reports about the commission's decision, Mancini was asked again about the agreement. ""On September 28, the coach actually confirmed the existence of a "double contract," but stated that he considered Manchester City to be innocent and the issue of signing agreements was not his responsibility.

The claims of the Premier League also concerned the completeness of information on the remuneration of football players between the 2010/11 and 2015/16 seasons. The full decision of the commission has not yet been published, so it is not known which specific schemes and documents it considered proven.

How did the investigation even begin?

The history of financial claims against "Manchester City" began long before the Premier League case. After the purchase of Sheikh Mansour's Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008, the team's expenses increased dramatically, and with them increased commercial income and the cost of sponsorship contracts.

In 2014, "City" already concluded an agreement with UEFA after violating the requirements of financial fair play. Financial and sporting restrictions have been imposed on the club, including restrictions on participation in European tournaments.

A new stage began in 2018 after the publication of Der Spiegel. The magazine obtained an array of internal football documents from the Football Leaks project and published materials on the financial operations of the "City". It was these documents that became one of the reasons for new investigations by UEFA and the Premier League.

In February 2020, UEFA found the club guilty of serious violations of financial fair play. According to the organization, "City" overstated sponsorship revenues in the reporting period from 2012 to 2016 and did not cooperate sufficiently with the investigation. The team was suspended from European competitions for two seasons and fined € 30 million.

However, "City" appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and obtained the cancellation of the main part of the punishment. The CAS ruled that some of the charges had not been proven, and for others, the statute of limitations stipulated by the UEFA rules had expired. The ban on participation in European competitions was lifted, but the club was found guilty of insufficient cooperation with the investigation and fined € 10 million.

This is fundamentally important for the current case. The Premier League has its own rules and conducted a separate investigation, so the 2020 CAS decision did not automatically close the claims of the English league.

Why did the trial last so many years

The investigation of the submarine began back in December 2018. The league demanded documents and financial information from the club, and "Manchester City" challenged certain requirements, procedures and powers of the bodies created to consider the dispute. Some of these proceedings reached the English courts.

In February 2023 alone, the Nuclear submarine officially handed over more than 100 charges to an independent commission. "City" then said it was surprised by the accusations and had "irrefutable evidence" to support its position.

"History has shown that we made the right choice between Wagner and Cavenaghi"

Former CSKA head coach Valery Gazzaev — about the Brazilian striker's career, educational work and the ambitions of the club in 2008

The main hearings started on September 16, 2024. The meetings were held in private and ended on December 6 of the same year. After that, the commission spent almost two years preparing a decision due to the scale of the evidence and the unprecedented number of charges.

Now a new stage begins. According to the rules of the Premier League, a party can challenge the commission's decision, and after an appeal, in certain circumstances, there is still the possibility of arbitration, but the final conclusion of the story may take a considerable amount of time.

What punishment can "Manchester City" receive?

The regulations of the submarine give the independent commission extremely broad powers. She can issue a warning, impose an unlimited fine, withdraw points, suspend the club from matches, award compensation to other teams, or recommend the club's exclusion from the Premier League. In addition, the rules allow for a combination of punishments and the imposition of a "different punishment" that the commission deems necessary.

The withdrawal of points now looks like one of the most realistic options for sports punishment, if the commission's conclusions remain after the appeal. Such a mechanism is explicitly spelled out in the rules of the Nuclear submarine and has already been used in much smaller-scale financial matters. "" In the 2023/24 season, for example, "Everton" received point penalties for violations of the rules of profitability, and "Nottingham Forest" lost four points.

However, it is not possible to compare the number of violations directly. There is no formula by which 114 episodes automatically turn into a certain number of penalty points. The Commission must separately determine the severity of the proven violations, their duration, consequences, and aggravating or mitigating circumstances.

A large monetary fine is also highly likely, at least as part of a comprehensive sanction. Its size is actually unlimited by the rules. However, given the scale of the case, British analysts believe it is unlikely that if most of the charges remain, the punishment will be limited only to money.

Forced demotion or exclusion from the Premier League is legally possible, but remains an unprecedented option. The rules allow the commission to recommend the club's exclusion from the Premier League. However, exclusion from the Premier League does not mean automatic transfer to the Championship. The Premier League may revoke the club's membership, but the issue of admission to the English Football League is regulated separately. Another way to a regular relegation is to get a penalty so big that "City" will end the season in the relegation zone.

A transfer ban is also considered as a possible additional measure.

Can "Manchester City" take away the league titles?

It is this perspective that is currently causing the most controversy. During the period to which the main financial reporting claims relate, "Manchester City" became the champion of England three times — in the 2011/12, 2013/14 and 2017/18 seasons.

The rules of the Premier League do not explicitly call the deprivation of already won titles a separate sanction. At the same time, the commission has the right to impose a "different punishment" or issue another order that it deems appropriate. It is this broad formulation that makes it possible to discuss the possibility of retrospectively depriving championships.

However, there has never been such a measure in the history of the Premier League. Therefore, it is not yet possible to assess it as as likely as a fine or withdrawal of points.

"If you do one thing well, then you can't block it."

Baltika football player Ivan Belikov — about Beveyev's outs, Talalaev's disqualification and the performance of Lugansk Dawn

A separate question is whether, in the event of such a decision, the championships will simply be annulled or transferred to the second—place clubs. "Manchester United" was the second in 2011/12 and 2017/18, and "Liverpool" in 2013/14. The Premier League has not yet announced the mechanism of a possible redistribution of titles.

At the same time, the Premier League itself cannot independently deprive "City" of all the cups won during this period. The FA Cup is the responsibility of the Football Association, the League Cup is the responsibility of the English Football League, and the Champions League is the responsibility of UEFA. Therefore, the talks about the mass seizure of all the club's trophies are still significantly ahead of the actual legal procedures.

Why are other clubs preparing lawsuits against "Manchester City"

Possible sanctions by the Premier League may turn out to be only part of the financial consequences. After the information about the commission's decision became available, English clubs began to consult with lawyers regarding compensation claims.

" """Arsenal", "Manchester United", "Liverpool" and "Tottenham" have previously reserved the right to make claims within the framework of the disciplinary rules of the Premier League. "Arsenal" was the first to take the necessary legal steps, then the other three clubs joined it.

Formally, we are not talking about a single filed "class action" in the usual sense. The clubs retain the opportunity to make their own demands after the final conclusion of the case and the appeals of "City". At the same time, lawyers are exploring the possibility of claims from other teams.

The reasons may be different. "Manchester United" "" may point to second places after "City" in the championships, "Liverpool" — to miss the 2013/14 title, other clubs — to lose places in the Champions League or the Europa League. Possible claims may include lost prize money, television payouts, commercial income, and the so-called loss of a chance for further income.

The successful claims of individual clubs could potentially exceed 200 million pounds. The exact size of the possible claims is still unknown and will depend on which violations remain in force after the appeal and whether the clubs will be able to prove a direct link between them and their financial losses.