Man City could face further charges as Premier League confronted with ‘dilemma’

An increasing number of English football executives are pushing for the Premier League to investigate Manchester City for the seasons since 2018 or bring further charges, although it is a subject causing significant debate and viewed as a potential “dilemma” for the game. The Abu Dhabi -owned club were last month found guilty of 114 charges of breaches of financial rules in a case already seen as one of the most controversial in football history , although they are currently in the process of appeal . Amid a temporary lull in the story as the game waits for both the sanctions and the outcome of that appeal, many directors have been pointing to key details of the independent commission’s final verdict. Manchester City are appealing after being found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules (Getty) Since the document laid out how City’s sponsorship deals were inflated by disguised owner investment, with accompanying graphs, an obvious question being asked is whether that just stopped in 2018, despite commercial income accounted as staying at the same level. As one source asked, “what changed overnight?” In its decision, the Independent Commission found that Manchester City and its Abu Dhabi-based sponsors were ‘Related Parties’. If the relationships did not change, then that would form the basis for more charges in subsequent seasons given the club did not report this or have the Fair Market Values of the sponsorships assessed. Opposition fans have delighted in City being found guilty of 114 charges (Reuters) The ultimate reason for the initial investigation was a tranche of emails from football leaks that were first published by Der Spiegel in November 2018 and covered the period from 2009 to 2018. While even those who want scrutiny on that period have concerns about another lengthy investigation, the wait for sanctions – expected by many sources to come this month – has sharpened focus on the period after 2018. There is at least some possibility that the independent commission recommends titles of 2012, 2014 and 2018 are stripped. While this is currently viewed as unlikely, such an outcome would immediately raise more questions about the era of success that followed 2018. City built on Pep Guardiola ’s initial 2017-18 title winning season with the most intense period of glory the Premier League has seen, winning English football’s first four in a row to make it a total of six leagues in seven years alongside a first ever domestic treble and the 2022-23 treble that brought the Champions League. Executives feel that questions about this have not been adequately addressed by the Premier League, although the competition’s policy and legal guidance has been to refuse to discuss the case until it is completely concluded. Pep Guardiola and Abu Dhabi helped build a sustained period of success at Man City (Getty) The Premier League have been contacted for comment by The Independent . There is nevertheless a sense among executives that commercial deals after 2018 will be viewed as having simply been made subject to the associated party rules, and were already assessed at fair market value. That line of thinking has been met with some scepticism, given the nature of the guilty verdict. The counter-argument is that associated party rules would be irrelevant here, since any investigation would be about disguised funding. City are still strenuously insisting on their innocence, and remain bullish about an appeal. Man City strenuously upon insist on their innocence and are bullish about their appeal (Getty) The prospect of further investigation is also seen as representing a potential “dilemma” for the competition and its clubs. Some feel agitating executives are getting ahead of themselves, and that there should just be patience for the current case to conclude. A concurrent view is that there aren’t the same clear grounds for another investigation without evidence like the leaked emails, and that it might even be unnecessary if the guilty verdict is upheld and the sanctions are appropriate, given what the final verdict already says. The latter is taken to mean meaningful sporting sanctions and focus on the hierarchy responsible. Others feel the idea of another investigation is better saved as a “negotiation tactic”, especially with how abrasive City have already been in their position. Some feel another prospective investigation could be used as a ‘negotiation tactic’, especially if Khaldoon Al Mubarak (pictured) and Abu Dhabi are forced to sell City by the Independent Football Regulator (Getty) As one source said of the guilty verdict prospectively being upheld, “when you’re seeking to agree on a potentially severe punishment, the Premier League can be shown to have given them a concession and spare them further”. “It is pressure useful for the end game,” another added. That could also be acutely relevant to the future of the club if this case does conclude with a forced sale under the Independent Football Regulator , or even a voluntary sale, which certain rival executives are mindful of. Any agreement not to investigate further would ensure that potential buyers are not put off by the possibility of further uncertainty and more sanctions. Some fear that another investigation would take another half-decade or more, and that the Premier League would suffer further when many are keen to eventually draw a line under the case.