Topline
The English Premier League accused Manchester City of violating dozens of financial rules in a Monday statement, outlining various charges that could result in the expulsion of the two-time reigning Premier League winner from the world’s top soccer division.
Manchester City is looking to tune out a pending high-stakes penalty from the Premier League as it … [+]
Key Facts
Manchester City broke over 100 Premier League financial bylaws over the course of the last 14 seasons, according to the league, violating league rules about the disclosure of player and manager pay and the club’s revenues and financial health.
A judicial commission will now oversee Manchester City’s discipline, with potential penalties including a ban from the U.K.’s top flight, a suspension, a fine “unlimited in amount or a docking of standings points, according to the league’s handbook.
In a statement, Manchester City said it was “surprised” by the allegations and said the club has a “comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence” for its defense.
The Sunday Times reported Manchester City can’t appeal any Premier League punishment at the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport, which overturned the English club’s 2020 ban from Champions League competition for related offenses.
Forbes Valuation
We peg Manchester City’s valuation at $4.25 billion, making it the sixth-most valuable soccer team in the world and the Premier League’s third-most club, trailing only Manchester United and Liverpool.
Key Background
Manchester City’s majority owner is City Football Group, a massive soccer conglomerate ultimately overseen by Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, an ultra-wealthy member of one of the United Arab Emirates’ most powerful families. The potential sanctions facing Manchester City come at a particularly tumultuous time for Premier League brass, with a group led by American billionaire Todd Boehly purchasing Chelsea for $5 billion last spring after the U.K. sanctioned the team’s long-time Russian owner Roman Abramovich and the American owners of Manchester United and Lvierpool each exploring a sale of their own. Manchester City finished atop the Premier League each of the last two seasons and currently sits in second place on the 2022-23 table, trailing only Arsenal.
Further Reading
Manchester City’s Champions League ban lifted by court of arbitration for sport (Guardian)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2023/02/06/manchester-city-at-risk-of-premier-league-ban-after-allegedly-breaking-various-financial-rules/