Manchester City

City said on Monday they were "surprised" to have been charged by the Premier League with 101 alleged breaches of financial rules spanning from 2009/10 to 2017/ ...

Finally, the club are alleged to have breached league rules requiring member clubs to co-operate with and assist the Premier League with its investigations, from December 2018 to date. The second set of breaches listed refers to alleged breaking of rules "requiring a member club to include full details of manager remuneration in its relevant contracts with its manager" related to seasons 2009-10 to 2012-13 inclusive. Manchester City are alleged to have breached league rules requiring provision "in utmost good faith" of "accurate financial information that gives a true and fair view of the club's financial position".

As demonstrations of self-regulation go the Premier League's decision to hit current title holders Manchester City with 100 charges was a bold statement of ...

Because it’s not in the interests of Premier League clubs to remove an anti-competitive safety net. More equitable distribution of the vast wealth further down would help solve this issue, but there is little will from the clubs to do so. Going after Manchester City is not a demonstration it can regulate itself, it is the clubs at the top of the division acting in their self-interest. Like a marina in Monaco or a bank account in the Cayman Islands, if you have the money to buy a hundred-year-old English establishment it’s almost a point of principle that questions won’t be asked about the source of your income or what you intend to do with it. Part of the reason billionaires flock to buy these teams is the lack of rules around who can own a club or what they can do with it. There is one pretty glaring exception to the majority in favor of a regulatory overhaul; the clubs, or perhaps to be more specific, the owners.

Could Erling Haaland soon be running out for a league match at Rochdale or Tranmere Rovers? Are Steven Gerrard and Brendan Rodgers about to get the Premier ...

The reputation of Manchester City, and all associated with the club, is on the line, and so is that of the Premier League, and of the sport in general. The nuclear button has been pressed, the richest members club in football has gone after the richest member in its club. The Premier League and its members would like a verdict by the end of this season, but that feels highly unlikely. It has been achieved by spending huge sums of money, on the best players and the best managers, the best facilities and the best executives. The story will run and run, for sure, especially if City’s battle with UEFA is anything to go by. Fining one of the world’s richest sporting institutions a few quid, or asking Pep Guardiola to work with only one of the best squads in the game - as well as one of the most well-backed youth systems around - for a few transfer windows is hardly going to act as a deterrent, is it?

If the charges are proven, City could face a range of sanctions, including a points deduction, fines or even expulsion from the Premier League.

The regulations are designed to stop clubs running up big losses by over-spending on players. City, the defending league champions, were acquired by their Abu Dhabi-based owners, City Football Group, in 2008. “The members of the commission will be appointed by the independent chair of the Premier League Judicial Panel,” the Premier League said in a statement. City are also alleged to have failed to cooperate with and assist the Premier League in its investigations from December 2018. The club are also charged with failing to comply with Premier League’s rules requiring clubs to follow UEFA’s financial fair play regulations from the 2013-14 to 2017-18 seasons and failing to follow the Premier League’s rules on profit and sustainability from the 2015-16 to 2017-18 seasons. City are alleged by the Premier League to have not fully disclosed managerial remuneration in each of the seasons from 2009-10 to 2012-13, when Roberto Mancini was manager.