Several Premier League teams are dissatisfied with the progress of Manchester City s financial violations, and if they are innocent, the Premier League CEO may have to resign

August 16 According to The Athletic, several Premier League clubs are not satisfied with the progress of Manchester City's financial violations.

Premier League CEO Richard Masters said in an interview on the eve of the new season that although the lawsuit with Manchester City has not yet been resolved, he is still full of expectations for the new season.

The Premier League's investigation of Manchester City's suspected financial violations began in March 2019. After four years of investigation, more than 100 charges were formally filed against Manchester City in February 2023, but all of them were denied by Manchester City.

The Premier League allegations against Manchester City are mainly concentrated in five aspects:

1. Manchester City allegedly injected the club owner's funds into disguised as sponsorship income;

2. Players and coaches' salaries or bonuses are concealed;

3. Due to the above actions, Manchester City violated the Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR);

4. As a result of these actions, Manchester City also violated the European Football Fiscal Fair Competition (FFP) Rules;

5. Manchester City failed to cooperate with the Premier League investigation.

The hearing did not officially begin until September 16, 2024, and lasted for nearly three months until December 6, when a three-person independent committee began to write the ruling behind closed doors. Since then, no public news has been made.

There are many speculations on when the ruling will be made, but the complexity of the case is unprecedented. In the 2023-24 season, the decision was made in the case of Everton and Nottingham Forest in just about a month, and Manchester City faced at least 115 charges.

From January to August, every month there are people claiming that the results will be announced soon, and although these claims allegedly come from people involved in the case, they are not the three arbitrators who ultimately made the judgment. Any date except them is just an estimate.

This summer, Premier League officials privately said that they did not know when the verdict would come, but they still brought their work-based computers while on vacation. At the same time, Premier League CEO Richard Masters is also on standby during the preseason tour in the United States, preparing to return to London as soon as the result is achieved.

At both public and private, Manchester City and the Premier League are also quite cautious about the case, but in conversations with relevant lawyers and officials, both sides expressed their confidence in winning the lawsuit. The impact of this case is far more than whether Manchester City's achievements on the field will be affected.

There has not been much information disclosed about the specific discussion at the hearing. However, according to TA's disclosure in March, the core figure "X" of the alleged inappropriate sponsorship payments is Jaber Mohamed, an important assistant to the current Abu Dhabi chief Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ).

And if Manchester City is found guilty, this will raise a series of disturbing questions, not only about the source of funding for sponsored funds, but also whether these funds are informed by the UAE's highest authority. When TA contacted all parties in March this year for information, they did not comment on this.

In the Premier League, Richard Masters is also fighting for his future. Several clubs are also dissatisfied with the handling of the Manchester City case and privately stated that the CEO may have to resign if Manchester City is found not guilty. Those involved in the case said that the confidentiality regulations in the case were the strictest they encountered. The silence of

The silence of the relevant parties has also led to an analysis of a series of recent behaviors by the outside world, such as Manchester City spent £180 million to sign Marmush, Husanov, Rez and Nico Gonzalez in January, which, for some, means that Manchester City will be exempted from all charges. I think if they may suffer serious points deductions, why can they still spend so much money? Others believe that this is actually a confession of guilt and therefore spending money before any possible sentence.

【Exclusive view of the Premier League is in Migu】