Premier League – Manchester City in the eye of the storm after alleged rule breaches

European football has already experienced a first earthquake a few weeks ago, with the heavy sanctions imposed on Juventus. This Monday, it’s another giant, from England this time, who could be heavily sanctioned. The Premier League indeed accuses the defending champion of having breached the financial regulations several dozen times between the 2009/2010 and 2017/2018 seasons. These alleged breaches relate to club income, player and coach remuneration, UEFA regulations and sponsorship partnerships.

According The Times, a battery of sanctions, going as far as a withdrawal of points or even an expulsion from the League, could be imposed on the club if the violations of the regulations are proven. The English club has been referred by the Premier League to an independent commission which will be responsible for examining possible breaches of financial rules, the governing body of the English championship announced on Monday.

According to the proceeding, the defending champions would have violated the rules of the league requiring the supply “in good faith” d'”accurate financial information giving a true picture of the financial position of the club“. The Premier League said the precise financial information required relates to “revenue (including sponsorship revenue), its related parties and operating costs“.

Mancini’s compensation raises questions

The second set of offenses listed, in connection with the seasons from 2009-10 to 2012-13, refers to an alleged violation of the rules “requiring a member club to include full details of manager remuneration“. Between December 2009 and May 2013, the manager of the club was the Italian Roberto Mancini, current manager of the Nazionale.

The second set of alleged offenses also refers to requirements placed on a club”to include full details of player remuneration in relevant contractsA third part deals with alleged breaches of Premier League rules requiring clubs to comply with UEFA’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.

Manchester City were banned from UEFA competitions for two years by European football’s governing body for alleged breaches of their FFP regulations in February 2020, but the sanction was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in July of the same year.