A football finance expert has accused Manchester City of being fearful of their 115 Financial Fair Play (FFP) charges after announcing they will sue the Premier League over associated party transactions.
The lawsuit, which is due to begin on Monday, relates to the rules in place to stop owners’ affiliated businesses from sponsoring clubs above market value. City argues that these restrictions directly contradict the UK’s competition laws which are designed to ensure an even playing field in business.
Should City win, they would also seek damages from the Premier League. This news comes as the Blues continue to await the hearing for the 115 Financial Fair Play (FFP) charges they have been accused of breaching.
The Premier League claims between 2009 and 2018, City provided inaccurate information on player and manager wages and obstructed the investigation process. City have always firmly denied these allegations and insist they have ‘irrefutable evidence’ which will clear their name.
Reflecting on the lawsuit and the charges football finance expert Professor Rob Wilson told OLBG that City’s move to bring legal action was their last throw of the dice. “There’s obviously been a huge amount of pressure on the Premier League as a consequence of Everton and Nottingham Forest being deducted points and there’ll be a big case with Leicester City when they get promoted into the league next season,” he explained.
“Everything was pointing to the case between Manchester City and the Premier League starting in the autumn so this is a last hurrah to try and prevent all of that from going on by saying our lawyers are better than your lawyers. It’s another attempt to pull the resources of the Premier League in multiple different directions.
“I think that’s the reality of why we’re having to wait so long for the case with the 115 charges to be heard, because City will have been wrapping the Premier League up in all sorts of litigation and legal discussions. They are playing a legal game and the only people that are winning in all this are the lawyers.
“I think it’s a hail mary from Manchester City, a last throw of the dice to prevent going to court.” Wilson believes that despite this law case against the Premier League, the Blues will be forced to face a punishment from the Premier League.
“If City are found guilty of the 115 charges, I think there’ll be significant points deductions and a major fine,” he added. “The only parallel we’ve got, of course in this sense it being alleged financial doping, is to what Lance Armstrong did in cycling. He had all his titles stripped from him and had to pay back loads of prize money.
“The only team sport we have seen this in is Rugby Union when they relegated Saracens into the Championship out of the Premiership. They are now back to the kind of top of the game because they’ve been able to restructure themselves pretty well.
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