Sunday was the final day of the season for the English Premier League (EPL), the most watched and followed football (and arguably sports) league in the world. It was another ‘made for television’ dream finish for the EPL with the title still to be decided on the 38th round of play, and all ten games slated to kick off at 4 pm – the only day in the entire season when this takes place, a deliberate scheduling peculiarity in the notion of fairness. If two or more teams are battling for the EPL Championship, or trying to avoid relegation, or contending for qualification for Europe, the results of the games impact one another, thus simultaneous starts put all teams on an even footing.
It was a down-to-the-wire battle between Manchester City Football Club (MCFC) and Arsenal, with the former leading the standings by two points, 88 to 86. With three points for a win, an Arsenal title was still possible if Manchester City suffered an improbable loss. The defending champions didn’t falter, waltzing to a 3 – 1 victory over West Ham United, as Arsenal, despite scoring an 89th minute goal in a 2 – 1 defeat of Everton, had to settle for the runner-up position.
Thus, Manchester City became the first club in the history of English football to win four consecutive top flight league titles, their sixth in seven seasons. Since the arrival of Josep ‘Pep’ Guar-diola, a former Spanish international midfield player, as manager in 2016, MCFC has enjoyed an incredible run of success. In addition to the six league championships, the club has also captured 11 other pieces of silverware; one European Champions League, two FA Cups, four League Cups, one UEFA Super Cup, one FIFA Club World Cup and two FA Community Shields. Still, there is more pending. This Saturday, they face arch rival Manchester United in the FA Cup Final, an opportunity to become the first side in English football history to win back-to-back Premier League and FA Cup Doubles.
Alas, there is an enormous dark cloud hanging over this unprecedented success of the Sky Blues (MCFC’s nickname). In February 2023, the EPL issued 115 charges against Manchester City, relating to alleged breaches of the financial rules, the likes of which had never happened in English football.
This dates back even further to March 2019, when the EPL confirmed that MCFC was under investigation, on the back of the ‘Football Leaks’ revelations published by German news website Der Spiegel. According to the allegations, the club had reportedly funnelled money into its coffers through inflated sponsorship deals with United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based companies, and had also hidden some costs by keeping salaries and image-rights payments off the books.
While the EPL continued to investigate, UEFA concluded their own in February 2020, and announced a two-year ban from its competitions and a fine of €30 million (£26 million) for breaking Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules. MCFC challenged the ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), where the suspension was lifted and the financial penalty reduced to €10 million. Of course, MCFC have vehemently denied any wrongdoing and their high-powered legal team has tried to parry the EPL’s investigation by challenging the jurisdiction of the league’s arbitrators and staving off a request to disclose information, only to lose in the court of appeal in 2021. The complex case is expected to be heard sometime this year, hopefully by October, by an independent commission, with a decision expected by the spring of 2025. MCFC have stated that they have a “comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence” to prove their innocence.
Since August 2008, the majority owner of MCFC has been the Abu Dhabi United Group, spearheaded by Sheikh Mansour, who, with an estimated net worth of £17 billion, is one of the wealthiest owners in football. Mansour, who is also the current vice-president and deputy prime minister of the UAE, has not been bashful in utilising either his deep pockets, or his political influence, to get City off the hook.
Whilst Manchester City, a member of the EPL’s Big Six – along with Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur – continue to keep the EPL at arm’s length, their less privileged EPL colleagues have not been so fortunate. Over the past 15 months Everton (twice) and Nottingham Forest were charged and deducted points for breaching the EPL’s current Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR). The supporters of the two disciplined clubs were very unhappy with the imposed sanctions, which had been left to the discretion of the independent commissions hearing the cases, and based on the mitigating and aggravating factors presented to them.
Speculation is rampant as to how this Sword of Damocles will drop. MCFC have steadfastly denied any guilt and can point to the 2020 CAS decision which ruled that most of the alleged financial breaches were “either not established or time-barred.” Under UEFA ‘s rules, clubs can only be prosecuted for offences committed in the previous five years, while no such time limitations exist under the current EPL rules. It should be noted that some of the pending charges against MCFC date back as far as the 2009 – 2010 season.
In some quarters it is felt that for all the talk of innocence, MCFC and the EPL will strive to reach a compromise via the imposition of retrospective fines and spare the wealthiest club in the league the embarrassment of a formal admission of guilt. The UK Government admits to having had discussions with the UAE authorities over the EPL charges, but refuses to release any correspondence between the two states. The matter has now, unfortunately, grown political legs.
Among the 115 charges, dating back over 13 seasons, are allegations of breaches of the PSR between 2015 – 2016 and 2017 – 2018, and failing to provide accurate financial information and the details of payments to players and coaching staff. Of course, the outcome of all these allegations will be based on the evidence that the EPL has gathered. If the club walks away relatively unscathed from these charges, with just a fine and no admission of guilt, it will cause a further schism within the EPL, between the Big Six and the rest of the EPL. The three-member commission has at its disposal the Premier League’s handbook with the list of potential punishments as outlined in Rule W. 51, ranging from fines to points deductions to expulsion from the EPL.
Based on the punishment recently meted out to Everton and Nottingham Forest, one can expect the book to be thrown at Manchester City. However, with their level of influence, expulsion seems a bit far-fetched at present. If they are guilty, especially of the more serious charges, points deductions are guaranteed, followed by the stripping of their Premier League titles (for the proven periods), and the imposition of heavy fines. Further sanctions would see MCFC relegated down two divisions to English Football League One (the old Third Division) and restricted from European Football for five years and banned from television broadcasts (both live and delayed) for three years. MCFC will appeal any decision handed down and if classism prevails (as expected), they will probably just get a slap on the wrist – a heavy fine and a stern warning – and will not suffer any restrictions from European play or televised broadcasts.
Master Manager Guardiola, clearly seeing the writing on the wall, has already hinted that the next season will be his last with the club.
Last Sunday, EPL’s Chief Executive Richard Masters opted to attend the Arsenal – Everton game rather than the Manchester City – West Ham encounter, where he would have been obliged to present the trophy to the winners of the EPL, and listen to the rants of the Manchester City fans shouting, “Are you watching Arsenal?” As Masters departed the Emirates Stadium, he was greeted by disappointed Arsenal fans chanting, “you are cheats and you know you are”.
Another season has passed and the dark shadow of Manchester City still looms over the EPL.
