Manchester City in secret talks with the Premier League over the historic case
The English club tried to avoid harsh penalties
Manchester City entered secret negotiations with the Premier League in a bid to settle the case over their financial breaches, press reports have revealed. The club offered to pay a huge fine in exchange for avoiding potential sporting sanctions, including the stripping of their titles and relegation from the competition.
Spanish newspaper "Marca", citing the Bloomberg network, reported that the talks took place before the decision that found the club guilty of most of the charges against them. They led nowhere. Negotiations between the two parties stalled.
An independent commission had found Manchester City guilty of 114 of the 115 financial breaches attributed to them between 2009 and 2018. The club lodged an appeal and maintained their rejection of the charges.
A huge fine in exchange for avoiding sporting sanctions
Bloomberg reported that Manchester City's management proposed an agreement under which they would pay a large fine rather than face sanctions that could reach administrative relegation or the stripping of some of the club's titles.
The Premier League refused the proposal. The case continues on its disciplinary course, with the outcome of the club's appeal still awaited.
That appeal is expected to be settled next February, according to the report, after which the course of any sanctions will be determined by the outcome of the proceedings.
Details of the Manchester City case
The case dates back to alleged financial breaches committed over nine seasons, from 2009-2010 until 2017-2018. The independent commission concluded that Manchester City inflated their revenues by more than 900 million pounds, equivalent to about 1.2 billion dollars, through sponsorship deals the investigations described as sham, with the aim of concealing the true sources of funding and circumventing the financial rules.
According to the commission, the club also submitted financial accounts that did not reflect their true position and failed to comply with the spending limits imposed by the Premier League and UEFA. There were further breaches relating to cooperation with the investigations.
Manchester City deny the charges and have appealed the decision, insisting the ruling contains fundamental errors in law, principles and facts.
Should the decision stand after the appeal, the potential sanctions range from huge fines and points deductions to administrative relegation. The fate of the club's titles remains in question while the case rumbles on.
