Man City FFP Charges Explained: The English Champions Calls out new ‘APT’ framework

The English champions Manchester City are in the news not only for their on-field success but for their off-field turn of events. They were slapped with a staggering 155 Financial Fairplay breaches by the Premier League in February 2023 last year. Following the allegations, the club have achieved remarkable success, lifting the 2022/23 Premier League title, UEFA Champions League, and FA Cup to complete their first-ever treble in its history. The Sky Blues are now fourth on the list of clubs with the most English league titles, only trailing Man United, Liverpool and Arsenal on the list.

Pep Guardiola led the to crown the Champions of Europe for the first time, won the FIFA Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia, and became the first English side to win four league titles in succession. However, with enormous success scrutiny was parallelly building over the potential repercussions they might suffer if the alleged charges were proven against Man City in front of an independent commission headed by three judges appointed by the head of the league’s judicial panel Murray Rosen KC.

Man City’s FFP charges include a total of staggering 115 offences in the mismanagement of finances and not following the Financial Fairplay regulations framed by the English Premier League introduction of Premier League Profit and Sustainability Rules. The charges of Financial mismanagement span over the period of nine years, starting from 2008 when the UAE-based consortium led by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan acquired the stakes to take control of the ownership.

Since then, a substantial amount of funds has been injected by the owners into the club’s operations, on transfers attracting the biggest names, boosted sponsorship deals and helped City to break into the top four of English Football and regularly compete in Europe.

Other English sides such as Everton and Nottingham Forest have already faced their punishment with 10 point deduction, which was eventually reduced to 6 points after hearing their respective appeals. However, in the City matter the magnitude of the penalty could be huge and could be relegated from the league. The ongoing trial proceedings are also going to take several months to reach the final verdict, considering the lengthy list of accusations against the English champions.

Rivals Demand Compensation from Manchester City Amid Financial Fair Play Breaches

Amid Manchester City’s ongoing FFP case, four Premier League rivals—Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, and Chelsea—are reportedly preparing to seek financial compensation if City is found guilty of breaching league regulations. According to The Times, these clubs believe City’s alleged financial misconduct may have unfairly influenced competition, potentially costing them titles and revenue over recent seasons. If the independent commission penalizes City with point deductions or title stripping, the affected clubs are likely to file claims for financial reparation, arguing they suffered losses due to City’s supposed unfair advantage.

This development adds another layer of pressure on City, as the potential compensation claims highlight the broader impact of the case on English football. While City has consistently denied wrongdoing, the outcome could set a new standard for enforcing financial regulations, affecting not only the club itself but also reshaping competitive dynamics across the Premier League. The club’s legal team is expected to counter these claims as part of its defense, but a ruling against City could lead to far-reaching consequences and increased scrutiny on financial governance in the league.

Also Read: List of Top 10 Richest Soccer clubs in the world in 2024

Manchester City FFP Charges List: From Beginning To Till Date

In order to understand the extent of the 115 FFP breaches, it’s essential to apprehend what exactly are the charges that clubs have been hit with. According to the Premier League statement, Manchester City failed to provide accurate financial reports and information from 2009/10 to 2017/18 season. They could not justify the payments made to their staff including managers and players (from 2009/10 to 17/18) that included monetary compensations and other bonuses on 14 occasions.

Five charges for not aligning with UEFA’s rule of Financial Fairplay regulations and club licensing rules from the period of 2013/14 to the 2017/18 season, while seven breaches for not complying with the Premier League profitably and suitability policy of helping teams to operate within the economic limitations. And the rest of the 35 charges for not cooperating in the investigation from 2018 onwards.

What’s the latest update on Man City’s FFP breach hearing?

Ever since the start of the FFP’s problems, the Premier League title holders have maintained their stance of denying any involvement in infringing the Financial Fairplay rules of UEFA and the Premier League. The proceeding is underway in the English capital, London ahead of the independent commission and the final decision is expected to be announced in early 2025. The complexity of the case stretches its hearing for an extended period as both sides have presented various documentation, pieces of evidence and testimony to justify their appeal.

Reportedly, the UK government had asked for an update on the ongoing legal hearing between Manchester City and the Premier League. The former Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly requested the information on the case last year in September 2023, The British Embassy in Dubai had also presented the demand of getting insights into the English club’s financial fair play breaches in May this year.

As The Times disclosed, the UK Government ministers and officials have received an overview of documentation related to the case against the City, however, most information was concealed to protect the independence of the case. Also, it is believed that information has been heavily censored to protect the bilateral relationship between the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Since the club is owned by the vice president of the UAE – Sheikh Mansour.

A new revelation in the sage has emerged in scenes, The Premier League champions have sent a letter to fellow clubs and the Football Association while expressing their concerns about the latest amendments in the Associated Party Transaction regulations (APTs) and cited it as ‘unlawful’. The Man City’s senior lawyer Simon Cliff has claimed the changes in APT rules still violate the earlier ruling and EU Competition Law.

He also condemned the state of urgency through which the Premier League conducted a consultation process and clubs might be given enough time to understand the new framework ahead of the voting next week, reports BBC.

Cliff’s statement in the letter read: “It is important that a new regime is grounded in rules that are fair, considered and legal. Our strong desire is to avoid any future costly legal disputes on this issue and so it is critical that the Premier League gets it right this time round.”

Possible punishment for Man City

As we have already seen what punishment Everton and Nottingham Forest have received, there’s a list of potential penalties Manchester City could face if discovered the charges against the English champions are true. Previously, in 2014, UEFA had imposed multiple restrictions on the club such as a €60 million fine allocated over the span of three years and reduced the squad size from 25 to 21 players.

Most recently, they were banned for two years from participating in the UEFA’s club competition for misrepresenting sponsorship revenue and not cooperating in the investigations. Therefore, considering the number of breaches over 100 serious punishments loom over the heads of English giants such as Point deduction, Financial sanctions and stripping titles, along with relegation from Premier League and potential expulsion from UEFA competitions.

Also Read: Has financial imbalance permanently damaged European football?

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