Man City guilty of 114 charges as financial case rocks English football

Manchester City have been found guilty of the vast majority of 115 Premier League charges related to breaches of financial regulations, pending an ongoing appeal process.

The club, backed by Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Mansour, faces potential severe sanctions, including points deductions or expulsion from the league, which could affect their established dominance over the past decade.

The Premier League declined to comment on the case, which includes accusations of inflating sponsorship revenue and off-the-books payments.

Despite the challenges, City currently lead the league under new manager Enzo Maresca, following Pep Guardiola's departure.

NEW MANCHESTER, Sept 26 — Kieran Canning Manchester City have been found guilty of all but one of 115 Premier League charges for breaching financial regulations, according to reports on Friday, in a ruling that will send shockwaves through English football.

No sanctions have yet been decided and it is understood the club are set to appeal.

The Premier League declined to comment when contacted by AFP over the latest developments in the case, reported first by the Athletic.

City have dominated English football for more than a decade but their reputation is on the line and they face potentially swingeing sanctions after a process that has taken two years.

The Abu Dhabi-backed club were charged by the Premier League in 2023 following an investigation into alleged breaches of rules between 2009 and 2018.

A hearing by an independent commission started in September 2024.

City were accused of failing to provide accurate financial information and details of payments to players and coaches, as well as breaches of financial sustainability rules.

They were also charged with failing to cooperate with an investigation.

The club strongly denied all charges at the time and said their case was supported by a “comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence”.

A club spokesperson said Friday that their position had not changed.

“The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements to be completed, and subject to strict confidentiality. As such, Manchester City FC’s position remains consistent with the club’s statement of February 2023.

“The club has diligently respected due process for eight years on the basis that the Premier League board and executive would behave as an independent, impartial and fair-minded regulator, free from partisan influence.”

Severe sanctions expected

German outlet Der Spiegel published leaked documents including emails purportedly sent between top City executives in 2018.

It alleged the documents showed the club had inflated sponsorship revenue from Abu Dhabi state-controlled airline Etihad and telecoms firm Etisalat by disguising direct investment from Sheikh Mansour’s Abu Dhabi United Group as income.

Other documents purportedly showed off-the-books payments to former manager Roberto Mancini via consultancy fees from a club in Abu Dhabi.

In 2020, Uefa imposed a two-year European ban on City as well as a fine for breaking financial fair-play rules, though that ban was later overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

If the club are found guilty, sanctions could include a severe points deduction and possibly even expulsion from the Premier League.

Everton and Nottingham Forest were both hit by points deductions in the 2023/24 season for single breaches of profit and sustainability rules.

A severe punishment would also raise doubts over the future of City’s cast of star players, including prolific striker Erling Haaland.

Other clubs could make a claim for titles to be stripped and for compensation.

“Another Premier League medal to be added to the cabinet,” posted former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, who was part of the United team to finish second to City in the 2011/12 season.

But British Prime Minister Andy Burnham warned people should not “jump to conclusions” on City, when asked whether they should be stripped of their Premier League titles.

“I think we would all need to study the independent commission’s report in some considerable detail before reaching any conclusions,” he told ITV Granada Reports .

Spain’s World Cup-winning captain Rodri, who left City for Barcelona last month, said: “I believe in the justice system and I believe in the innocence of the club.”

Under the ownership of Sheikh Mansour, whose Abu Dhabi United Group acquired the club in 2008, City have become the dominant force in English football.

They have won eight Premier League titles, a Champions League crown and multiple other trophies over the past 15 years.

The latest developments in the case come just months after Pep Guardiola left the club after a golden decade.

Guardiola always backed the club’s stance on the charges but threatened to walk away if he felt he had been lied to and they were proven to be true.

Despite Guardiola’s departure, City are top of the Premier League after a perfect start under new boss Enzo Maresca.

The Italian has been backed by an outlay of about £460 million (RM2.48 billion; US$608 million (RM2.48 billion)) on new players including Enzo Fernandez, Elliot Anderson and Ayyoub Bouaddi. — AFP

MotoGP brings new stops in Argentina and Australia for 2027

Cheng Hoe tells Harimau Malaya to ‘ride the roar’ against Indonesia in Asean Cup

No permanent coach leaves Malaysian sprinter Shereen weighing her next move after Asian Games exit

Over 86pc of Perlis patients seen within an hour under digital medical record pilot, says Fahmi

Nancy: Don’t just add seats — decide Sabah-Sarawak representation formula first

Zahid: BN to hold separate talks with two groups next week over Melaka state election cooperation

曼城被判犯有英超联赛 115 项违反财务规定的指控中的绝大多数罪行，目前正在进行上诉程序。

这家由阿布扎比酋长谢赫·曼苏尔支持的俱乐部可能面临严厉的制裁，包括扣分或被逐出联赛，这可能会影响他们在过去十年中建立的统治地位。

英超联赛拒绝就此案发表评论，该案涉及虚报赞助收入和账外付款的指控。

尽管面临挑战，但在瓜迪奥拉离任后，曼城在新任主教练恩佐·马雷斯卡的带领下目前领跑联赛。

新曼彻斯特，9 月 26 日——据周五的报道，基兰·坎宁报道，曼城被判犯有除一项以外的 115 项英超联赛财务违规指控中的其余所有罪行，这一裁决将给英格兰足球界带来震动。

目前尚未决定处罚措施，据了解俱乐部准备提出上诉。

法新社就此案的最新进展联系英超联赛时，英超联赛拒绝置评。该事件最初由《The Athletic》报道。

曼城已经统治英格兰足坛十多年了，但他们的声誉正面临考验，经过长达两年的调查，他们可能面临严厉的制裁。

2023年，英超联赛对这家由阿布扎比支持的俱乐部提起诉讼，指控其在2009年至2018年期间涉嫌违反联赛规则。

独立委员会于 2024 年 9 月开始举行听证会。

曼城被指控未能提供准确的财务信息和支付给球员及教练的款项明细，以及违反财务可持续性规则。

他们还被指控不配合调查。

俱乐部当时强烈否认所有指控，并表示他们的案件有“大量无可辩驳的证据”支持。

俱乐部发言人周五表示，他们的立场没有改变。

“英超联赛的相关程序仍在进行中，还有许多重要环节需要完成，并且必须严格保密。因此，曼城足球俱乐部的立场与俱乐部2023年2月发布的声明保持一致。”

“八年来，俱乐部一直认真遵守正当程序，因为我们相信英超联赛董事会和执行机构会像一个独立、公正、公平的监管机构那样行事，不受党派影响。”

预计将有严厉制裁

德国媒体《明镜周刊》公布了泄露的文件，其中包括据称是 2018 年伦敦金融城高管之间互发的电子邮件。

报告称，文件显示该俱乐部通过将谢赫·曼苏尔的阿布扎比​​联合集团的直接投资伪装成收入，虚增了来自阿布扎比国有航空公司阿提哈德航空和电信公司阿联酋电信的赞助收入。

其他文件据称显示，前经理罗伯托·曼奇尼通过阿布扎比一家俱乐部的咨询费获得了账外付款。

2020 年，欧足联因曼城违反财政公平竞赛规则，对其处以两年的欧洲赛事禁赛以及罚款，但该禁赛令后来被国际体育仲裁法庭推翻。

如果俱乐部被判有罪，处罚可能包括大幅扣分，甚至可能被逐出英超联赛。

埃弗顿和诺丁汉森林都因违反盈利和可持续发展规则，在 2023/24 赛季被扣除积分。

严厉的处罚也会让人​​对曼城队中众多球星的未来产生怀疑，其中包括高产射手埃尔林·哈兰德。

其他俱乐部可能会要求剥夺冠军头衔并获得赔偿。

“又一枚英超联赛奖牌要添加到我的奖牌柜里了，”前曼联后卫里奥·费迪南德发帖说道。他曾是2011/12赛季曼联队的一员，当时曼联队获得了英超联赛亚军，仅次于曼城。

但当被问及是否应该剥夺曼城的英超冠军头衔时，英国首相安迪·伯纳姆警告人们不要对曼城“妄下结论”。

“我认为在得出任何结论之前，我们都需要仔细研究独立委员会的报告，”他告诉 ITV Granada Reports。

上个月离开曼城加盟巴塞罗那的西班牙世界杯冠军队长罗德里表示：“我相信司法系统，我相信俱乐部是清白的。”

在谢赫·曼苏尔的阿布扎比​​联合集团于 2008 年收购该俱乐部后，曼城已成为英格兰足球的主导力量。

在过去的15年里，他们赢得了8次英超联赛冠军、1次欧冠联赛冠军以及其他多个奖杯。

此案的最新进展发生在瓜迪奥拉结束其执教十年的辉煌生涯离开俱乐部几个月之后。

瓜迪奥拉始终支持俱乐部对这些指控的立场，但他威胁说，如果他觉得自己被骗了，而且这些指控最终被证实是真的，他将离开俱乐部。

尽管瓜迪奥拉离任，但曼城在新帅恩佐·马雷斯卡的带领下取得了完美的开局，目前位居英超榜首。

意大利人已斥资约4.6亿英镑（24.8亿令吉；6.08亿美元（24.8亿令吉））引进了包括恩佐·费尔南德斯、埃利奥特·安德森和阿尤布·布阿迪在内的新球员。——法新社

MotoGP将于2027年在阿根廷和澳大利亚新增分站。

郑和告诉Harimau马来亚要在东盟杯中“乘风破浪”对阵印度尼西亚

由于没有固定教练，马来西亚短跑运动员谢琳在亚运会出局后正在考虑下一步的打算。

法米表示，在数字医疗记录试点项目下，超过86%的玻璃市患者在一小时内就诊，这得益于玻璃市的这项试点项目。

南希：别光增加席位——先确定沙巴-砂拉越的代表席位分配方案。

扎希德：国阵下周将分别与两个团体就马六甲州选举合作举行会谈。