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Man City ‘thrown under the bus’ by Premier League in attempt to avoid independent regulator
INTERVIEW
A football finance expert tells i that the timing of the Premier League announcement was ‘as much to do with politics as it is to with Man City’
City are charged with over 100 breaches over a nine-year period (Photo: Getty)
By
Mark Douglas
Northern Football Correspondent
February 7, 2023 12:16 pm(Updated 12:22 pm)
The
Premier League have “thrown
Manchester City under the bus” in an attempt to head an independent regulator off at the pass, a football finance expert has told
i.
The Premier League’s decision
to levy more than 100 charges against City – broadly covering three misdemeanours, from artificially inflating income to artificially deflating costs by funnelling payments through a third party and refusing to co-operate – sent shockwaves through the industry.
It tees up a rolling battle between the club and the Premier League with no set end date and
potentially huge ramifications for the competition and City as a club. One observer told
i it had potential to be the “biggest scandal in English sport” but it’s widely acknowledged it could take years to resolve.
The Premier League, which carried out a wide-ranging four-year investigation into City that was led by their in-house law firm Bird & Bird, believes it has a tight case against the reigning champions.
But the club issued a punchy statement welcoming the prospect of an independent commission investigating the allegations. They are understood to be sceptical at the timing of the announcement and intend to robustly fight their case.
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While fans’ thoughts predictably turned to possible punishments and the incredible prospect of City’s unprecedented era of success being unpicked in an airy courtroom or arbitration chamber, it is worth placing the Monday’s announcement in the context of the Premier League’s battle to resist an independent regulator.
That appears to be around the corner – the Government are preparing to publish a white paper into football governance later this month. The ongoing investigation into City, conducted in private with little transparency about the case, has been raised by some in power as proof that the Premier League is not fit to regulate or govern its own members.
With that in mind, football finance expert Kieran Maguire believes that Manchester City have ended up as collateral.
“We’ve never seen the Premier League take one of its own members, one of its shareholders to task to this extent for a breach of rules,” Maguire told
i on a “momentous day”.
“But the timing is intriguing given the White Paper was due to be published in 48 hours – although it’s now been pushed back for another fortnight. The investigation has been going on for four years.
“Manchester City didn’t see this day coming. They are absolutely livid. They have not been given the opportunity to come to a joint statement with the Premier League, they feel in their mind they had been co-operating. They are fuming.
“The Premier League were quite happy to throw them under the bus because of their opposition to the White Paper and what they are trying to do is they are capable of looking after their house and there’s no need for a regulator.
“It’s as much to do with politics as it is to do with Manchester City.”
To add to the irony of Monday’s announcement, City are the only club in the top six who are in favour of an independent regulator.
These are serious charges, of course. If City are found guilty they can expect the book to be thrown at them. But the arguments around owner investment and what we want governance and ownership in English football to look like have only just begun.
“FFP was brought in because of Man City and now they’ve been charged with it,” Maguire contends.
“Some form of cost control does benefit football but what type of financial fair play depends on where you are as a football club. Some owners want an American franchise style cap and collar system which allows them to maximise profits and increases the values of their clubs.
“We’ve got owners like that of Man City and Chelsea who want a less severe system because they measure success on the pitch rather than off it in terms of financial achievements.
“It is entirely tribal and based on self interest.”
Whatever happens, Maguire warns there is little prospect of a quick resolution.
“Given they had no notice that these charges were going to be made, it will be a lengthy process,” he said.
“There are over 100 charges. That’s a lot and it will require a long period of time to put together their defence.”
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