Man City FFP: ‘Very serious’ sanction ‘will be ordered’ on one condition, leading lawyer claims
A leading lawyer has claimed that two Manchester City punishments ‘will be ordered’ on one condition after the guilty FFP verdict.
Towards the end of last week, it was reported that Man City have been found guilty on 114 of their 115 charges after the Premier League accused them of breaching FFP regulations.
The Premier League referred Man City’s case to an independent comission after a four-year probe into the club’s alleged conduct between 2009 and 2018.
A six-week hearing on this case was held towards the end of 2024, and Enzo Maresca’s side have been insistent on their innocence throughout the process.
However, barring an appeal, the case appears to have gone against Man City, who could now face serious consequences. Their potential punishments include a fine, transfer ban, points deduction, expulsion and/or being stripped of their Premier League titles.
Now, leading lawyer Dan Chapman has told our colleagues at TEAMtalk that the alleged “failure to co-operate” may be the “most serious issue” for Man City.
“The most serious issue Manchester City may now be comprehending is not the financial offences themselves, but the failure to co-operate, which put another way, were charges that City were deliberately choosing to either delay or obstruct the investigation,” Chapman told TEAMtalk.
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“For serious and multiple offences of obstruction, if that is indeed what City have been found guilty of, for the sanction to be only a financial one the precedent that would be set is inconceivable.
“The commission would naturally be concerned that they would be sending a message that a club, when confronted with serious disciplinary allegations, could effectively buy their way out of trouble by not co-operating.”
A very serious sporting sanction will be ordered…
Chapman also expects Man City to be given a “very serious sanction” among two punishments “if the commission has taken a dim view” of Man City’s “failure to comply” or the allegations “were indefensible”.
“My understanding is that Manchester City are applying or have already applied for the decision on liability to be kept confidential pending appeal but looking at precedent I think that application is most likely to be unsuccessful,” Chapman continued.
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“Once we have the decision, the language of the commission’s findings will be key.
“At this stage, whilst we may be led to believe City have been defeated on 114 of the charges, we do not know for sure and in any event until we will see the reasoning of the decision and the tone, we cannot properly begin to speculate as to what any potential sanctions will be.
“But if, and it remains a big if, the commission has taken a dim view of City’s failure to comply with the Premier League’s investigations or their defence of allegations that the commission have found were indefensible, then I don’t see how anything other than a very serious sporting sanction, as well as a huge fine, will be ordered.”
Chapman believes the Premier League will also be lobbying for a severe punishment to act as a warning to other clubs.
“These rules are in place to deter clubs and there is the element of self-policing here. The Premier League will no doubt argue that they need to make sure that any team is put off doing similar in the future,” Chapman added.
“And it is the obstruction charges for me that are the big battle ground here.
“Whilst the financial charges could very well carry financial penalties – I don’t see in the case of the 35 charges that are for failing to cooperate that, if City have lost in respect of 34 or 35 of those, that the Premier League will take lightly to any suggestion that the commission should impose only a financial penalty for those.”
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