MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester City plans to fight the Premier League for months if found guilty of alleged financial breaches in potentially the biggest scandal in English soccer history.
Reports Friday said an independent panel had upheld nearly all of the 100-plus financial charges against the club in a case that was initiated more than three years ago.
City did not confirm the decision, saying its case with the Premier League was “ongoing”
and yet to be completed.
City, however, would appeal a guilty decision and the process would take several months, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity to respect confidentiality elements of the process.
The Athletic first reported that City has been found guilty of all but one of more than 100 charges laid by the Premier League, which accused the club in February 2023 of providing misleading information about its finances over a nine-year period from 2009-18. The report said the sanctions have not been decided and all possibilities remain open.
The BBC also reported the story.
In response, City said in a statement: “The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements to be completed, and subject to strict confidentiality.”
City added that its position “remains consistent” with previous comments about the case. The club has always denied the charges.
“The club has diligently respected due process for eight years,” City said, “on the basis that the Premier League board and executive would behave as an independent, impartial and fair-minded regulator, free from partisan influence.”
City’s punishment could be a huge points deduction, and as extreme as expulsion from the Premier League.
When contacted by The Associated Press on Friday, the Premier League said it couldn’t comment on the reports.
City has always protested its innocence after supposed leaked emails and documents, likely hacked, were published starting in 2018 by German magazine Der Spiegel. The documents allegedly showed City tried to mask the source of revenue from deals tied to Abu Dhabi, whose ruling family bought the club in 2008 and has overseen the spending of hundreds of millions of dollars on some of the world’s best players over the following two decades.
City has been the most dominant team in England over the last 15 years, winning eight Premier League titles since 2012 as well as the Champions League in 2023. Over the period in question — 2009-18 — City won the league three times, in 2012, 2014 and 2018.
Friday's news comes after Pep Guardiola stood down as City manager at the end of last season following an unprecedented period of success.
Guardiola always maintained the club's innocence.
“What people accuse us of we do not agree with what they say,” he said in 2023.
On Friday, former Manchester United and England player Rio Ferdinand suggested City's titles should be expunged and awarded to the runner-up for each season in question.
“Another premier league medal to be added to the cabinet,” he posted on X in reference to City’s 2012 title win over United.
The Premier League competition has had financial fair play rules designed to ensure clubs essentially spend what they earn from deals that are assessed to determine if they are at legitimate market value. City had previously been accused by UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, of overstating sponsorship revenue to comply with Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations.
In 2020, UEFA ruled City had committed “serious breaches” of FFP regulations from 2012-16. But a two-year ban was later overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport because allegations were either rejected or found to have happened too long ago to be investigated.
The Premier League charges came subsequently, after a four-year investigation. City was accused of more than 100 breaches including providing misleading information about its finances and failure to co-operate with the investigation.
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Douglas reported from Sundsvall, Sweden
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James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
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