Manchester City are open to an independent commission review of the more than 100 Financial Fair Play (FFP) violations they have been charged with. The Premier League as the organizer of the England League’s top competition on Monday (6/2/2023) charged Manchester City with violating Financial Fair Play or FFP regulations.
Reporting from Sky Sports, the Premier League has conducted an investigation since March 2019 and found allegations of FFP violations by Man City in the period September 2009-2010 to 2017-2018. Meanwhile, according to The Independent, the Premier League charged Man City with more than 100 breaches of financial regulations during that time.
Several aspects of FFP that were violated by The Citizens included financial information regarding income, details of manager and player contracts, UEFA regulations, to profitability or how the club made a profit.
Man City also said they were surprised by the indictment. However, they will be open to a review conducted by an independent commission. “Manchester City is appalled by the release of these alleged Premier League regulations, especially given the extensive involvement and large amount of detailed material already provided by the Premier League.”
“We welcome a review of this matter by an independent commission, to impartially consider all available irrefutable evidence to support its position.Therefore, we hope that this problem will be stopped forever,” said Man City’s official statement.
After the publication of the charges against Man City, an independent commission consisting of representatives of the Premier League and the clubs within it will conduct a hearing. The results of the trial will be announced on the Premier League’s official website.
Meanwhile, sports journalist Martyn Ziegler of The Times stated that there are various possible penalties for Man City if found guilty, including point deductions. “Various sanctions may include deduction of points if violation is proven,” Ziegler wrote on Twitter.
This is not the first time Manchester City have been charged with FFP violations. In 2020, The Citizens were proven to have committed FFP violations, so they were sanctioned by UEFA. At that time, UEFA punished Man City in the form of a ban on participating in the Champions League or European club competitions for the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 seasons. Man City then appealed and the sentence was lifted by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) that same year.
