Supporters must be patient while Manchester City’s appeal against the Premier League’s financial rules verdict runs its course, according to a sport integrity figure who argues that the process cannot afford any doubt.
A verdict under appeal
An independent commission found City guilty of breaching Premier League financial regulations across nine seasons, publishing its findings on 29 September. The panel concluded that the club had deliberately broken the rules, inflating revenue or reducing costs by more than £900million through what it described as “sham” arrangements designed to get around financial controls.
City has appealed, so the season continues without a final verdict and without clarity on what sanctions, if any, the club could face. That uncertainty has prompted questions about the integrity of on-pitch competition.
Justice must come first
Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros, co-founder and global chief executive of the Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA), acknowledged the frustration and anguish felt by City fans. Speaking to the Press Association, he said the situation was uncomfortable for everyone involved but that the law had to be applied properly and in its own time.
As a lawyer, he explained, he knew that justice is often slow, not because those running the procedures are idle, but because there can be no room for doubt or error, and the constitutional rights of those being judged must be respected. He added that he believed the process was nearing its conclusion.
Medeiros, speaking during Sport Integrity Action Month, said the case was a test not only for the Premier League and the credibility of its system, but for European football as a whole. He insisted there were no grounds for speculating about due process and predicted the case would be concluded sooner rather than later.
What the panel found
The commission said City ran a “disguised funding scheme” in which Abu Dhabi companies paid only a fraction of the sums recorded, with Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG), the ownership vehicle of Sheikh Mansour, covering the rest. According to the panel, this inflated revenues by more than £830million between 2009-10 and 2017-18.
The findings also said City had overstated image rights income by almost £74million and understated staff contract liabilities by nearly £17million.
City’s response
City has argued that the verdict contains “clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe”. Chief executive Ferran Soriano told staff in a video message that the panel had accepted what he called the Premier League’s “conspiracy theory”.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
