It is an open clash between the Premier League and Manchester City, referred for having broken over one hundred rules of financial fair play in recent years: after the notification of the violations, the dispute has now passed to the scrutiny of an independent commission, and if they are found guilty , the current champions of England risk up to exclusion from the English championship.
City's position is greatly aggravated: after the defeat suffered on Sunday against Tottenham, a missed opportunity to reduce the disadvantage to leaders Arsenal who remain at five points (with one more game to play), today they are the conclusions of a survey conducted on the company's accounts between 2009 and 2018 have arrived. A decade of spending spree, during which City, now coached by Pep Guardiola, won the English top division six times.
Among the many accusations leveled against the Manchester club, also the failure to cooperate with the investigation, which began in December 2018, in addition to the reticence in the transparent dissemination of the costs relating to the salaries of its members, the non-compliance with UEFA fair play, and the violation of the rules relating to profit and sustainability. Pending the pronouncement of the commission, chaired by prosecutor Murray Rosen, in the event of recognized guilt, the penalties that City faces - writes the BBC - can vary from a heavy fine to a penalty of points up to expulsion from the championship . In a statement issued by the Premier League, City said they were in breach of league rules which require the provision "in the utmost good faith" of "accurate financial information which gives a true and fair view of the club's financial position" . Information concerning the club's accounting, from sponsorship contracts to management costs. The club has always rejected the accusations and only two days ago Guardiola, answering a question about Chelsea's crazy spending, had defended the integrity of his club, accusing the media of using double standards, depending on the club under trial .
Today, the company issued a statement expressing "surprise at the publication of these alleged rule violations, particularly given the large engagement and large amount of detailed materials provided," expecting "the matter to be addressed by a Commission independent, to impartially consider the full body of irrefutable evidence that exists in support of its position". It is not the first time that City has ended up at the center of an investigation for its budgets, "opaque" according to its accusers: already in 2020, UEFA had established that the company owned by the Abu Dhabi United Group had been guilty of serious violations of Financial Fair Play between 2012 and 2016.
But in that case the penalty, which provided for the exclusion from the European cups for two years, was later canceled by the CAS. At the time, UEFA's investigation began following an investigation conducted by the German newspaper Der Spiegel, which came into possession of documents showing how the sponsorship contracts of the English company had been artfully inflated to balance outgoings. What is certain is that in the last two decades, thanks mainly to the treasure generated by the sale of TV rights, the economic dominance of the Premier League clubs has increased. Absolute protagonists of the sale of football players, at an international level, thanks to revenues that are unmatched in the rest of the world. This investigation, however, will have to establish whether the huge investments in the market by British companies are always justified and balanced by equally large revenues. It is the first time ever that the English league investigates the accounts of a club in such depth to verify its economic sustainability: whether it is the beginning of a new phase of control, or an episodic case, will only be understood in the coming months.
(Unioneonline/lopi)
