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Manchester City found guilty: FA ready to act as relegation enters the debate
Found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges of breaching financial rules between 2009 and 2018, Manchester City is still waiting to learn its sanction. The Football Association says it is ready to act once the appeal is over, while Etihad considers legal action against the Premier League.
by Lucas Morel · 1 min read
The independent Premier League commission has found Manchester City guilty of 114 of the 115 charges of breaching the league’s financial rules between 2009 and 2018, after a four-year investigation. The judgment published this week describes sham sponsorship contracts that inflated the club’s income by more than £900m. Over the same period, City lifted eight trophies.
Relegation, points, titles: the range of sanctions
Everything is on the table: financial penalties, a transfer ban, points deductions, relegation to the Championship, expulsion from the league, even the withdrawal of the eight trophies won in the years under review. On RMC, the resident banker of the After show called relegation “inevitable” and urged the league to “hit hard” to protect itself. That is one pundit’s view, not a ruling: the commission has yet to announce any punishment, and City has confirmed it will appeal, a process the Premier League’s rules say must be concluded by the end of January.
The FA waits for the appeal, Etihad goes on the attack
In its first comment since the verdict, the Football Association confirmed it has the power to bring proceedings against the club and against individuals. It believes the decision has “significant implications for the integrity of the game” and will wait for the appeal to be over before acting: “We are reviewing this decision and its implications carefully and will take the required action,” the association said in a statement. Another player is moving: Etihad Airways. The club’s long-standing sponsor is considering legal action against the Premier League, rejects any suggestion it took part in irregular arrangements, and blames the league for never consulting it during the investigation.
Nothing will move before January
No sanction will be imposed before the appeal is heard, so not before the end of January at the earliest. Until then, City keep playing, while club and league prepare their arguments for the next stage.