How could Man City be penalized following Premier League financial investigation involving points deduction and relegation
The Premier League has found “a number of alleged violations” in Manchester City’s financial records, but action must be taken before punishment can be imposed.
Four years in the Premier League dealing with Manchester City’s finances culminated in the February 6 announcement that the club had acted inappropriately by circumventing regulations on multiple occasions.
Essentially, Man City have been accused of gaining an unfair advantage over other clubs owned by the City Football Group. The penalties for doing so may be severe.
But the end of this story has yet to come, as GOAL explains Manchester City’s upcoming timeline.
The club has been accused of defying Premier League rules more than 100 times between 2009 and 2018, shortly after taking office in 2008 under the leadership of Abu Dhabi United Group’s Sheikh Mansour.
In particular, they failed to provide accurate financial information to the Premier League, allegedly misleading regulators about earnings such as sponsorship income and operating expenses. Alleged discrepancies have been confirmed regarding the amount of money Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini was paid between 2009-2013 and the amounts paid to various players between 2010-2016. There are also allegations that Manchester City broke the Premier League’s rules on profitability and sustainability between 2015 and 2018.
The scope of the investigation goes beyond national measures. The Premier League has discovered that Manchester City may have breached UEFA Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules in his 2013-2018 period. But before that, UEFA’s ban from European competition had been overturned by the sport’s tribunal, and a fine of 10 million euros was also imposed.
“Pursuant to Premier League Regulation W.82.1, the Premier League has today confirmed that it will refer the alleged violation of the Premier League Regulations by Manchester City Football Club (CLUB) to a Commission under Premier League Regulation W.3.4. The Premier League said in a statement.
The current owner, Manchester City, which has won six Premier League titles, has denied all Premier League charges after a four-year investigation.
“Manchester City are surprised that the allegations of premier league rule violations have been made public, especially given the extensive involvement and vast amount of detailed documentation provided to the EPL. “The club welcomes the review of this matter by an independent commission that impartially reviews the overwhelming and irrefutable evidence supporting the club’s position.
“Therefore, we look forward to the full resolution of this issue.”
This problem is not over yet and could last for months, if not years.
After announcing the results, the Premier League will refer Manchester City to an independent commission to decide on penalties. Importantly, as was the case with UEFA’s findings, clubs cannot appeal the decisions of this commission to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The hearing by the 15 members appointed by the Premier League Judiciary Committee will be private and confidential. The judiciary is made up of substitute or retired judges, lawyers and football administrators. There is no set timetable for when the committee’s decisions will be taken
Possible Man City punishments, from points deduction to relegation
The Premier League report did not identify the punishments Manchester City could receive if the independent panel takes action against the club.
However, there are already a list of permissible punishments that independent commissions can levy for rule violations listed in the Premier League bylaws.
Based on the handbook, pretty much everything is on the table if the Premier League’s findings are backed up by the commission.
According to section W.51.4 of the Premier League’s official rules and regulations, the following sanctions are possible:
A fine of unlimited quantity
Suspension of a club from playing in league matches, with an unlimited timeframe
Point deductions
Replays of past matches
Permanent expulsion
The kicker, though, underlines the power of the commission:
Make any such other order as the commission sees fit
It’s obvious, then, why there are doomsday reports floating about in regards to Manchester City. Unlike the UEFA punishments that were mostly struck down by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, there is no such external fallback here. Note, however, that the Commission’s above allowances are general and no one with authority in this particular investigation has indicated the amount, if any, of fines that Manchester City could be fined. is important. We do not yet have enough information to determine how an independent panel will decide.
Even without an investigation, there were signs that Guardiola was nearing the end of his term. He signed his two-year contract extension in November, but that only temporarily eased his concerns about his potential exit.
Guardiola said last month that “as soon as I feel something is wrong, I will either resign or not renew his contract.” “I’m not going to stay like [Sir Alex] Ferguson or [Arsene] Wenger. The contract is just a piece of paper. I have expanded my commitment to the club. Because I believe the team will do well under my leadership. Finally, about the results. If we get tired of each other, we won’t be able to stay until the end according to the contract.”
Manchester City are trailing Arsenal in the 2022-23 Premier League title fight. Guardiola’s frustration is mounting, most notably his controversial statement that he doesn’t care how the team ends this year, and his recent rant to fans.
He has also repeatedly said his departure could be hastened if his confidence in Manchester City’s financial deals is eroded.
Guardiola said last year, “I told the staff to ‘tell me’ about the allegations. “I saw them and believed 100 per cent from day one, so I defended the club for that.”
Guardiola and his team were immediately inundated with questions about the Premier League allegations, and speculation about the manager’s future will erupt until he reaffirms his commitment to the project as the investigation progresses.
But there could be a long period of silence as an independent committee deliberates privately indefinitely on how to deal with the club.
Meanwhile, Manchester City are chasing Arsenal for his Premier League title this year and are looking to clinch the Champions League for the first time under Guardiola.