The trial of the century against Manchester City FC, the English football club, began on Monday in London. The football club is being investigated for over 115 charges, including alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules.
The club was charged and referred to an independent commission in February 2023 after the conclusion of a four-year investigation. The Premier League alleges that Manchester City breached the league’s financial rules between 2009 and 2018.
The club has time and time again denied the allegations and has come out to say that their case is “supported by a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence.” On the other hand, the Premier League claims Manchester City breached rules specifically requiring the club to provide “accurate financial information that gives legitimate and fair views of the club’s financial health.”
When the Premier League began investigating Manchester City, the club put forth a statement that said the allegations it faced were “entirely false” and the allegations, originally published in the German newspaper Der Spiegel, were illegal.
The English football club’s assertions were due to the fact that many of the allegations were built on information obtained through illegal hacking of Manchester City emails. The club has won eight league titles, multiple domestic cups, and the Champions League since Abu Dhabi United Group took over in 2008.
This private hearing will be held by an independent committee at the International Dispute Resolution Centre in the city of London.The Manchester City case has notoriously been surrounded by secrecy because it could potentially change the landscape forever in the largest football league in the world.
Manchester City is being represented by Blackstone Chambers Barrister, Lord Pannick, who has represented the Queen and Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The football club’s legal team is headed by Lord Pannick and includes barristers from Serle Court, Philip Marshall KC, and James Mather.
What are the 115 charges faced by Manchester City FC in the trial?
The charges Manchester City faces are of five different types. First of all, City is charged with 54 counts of failure to provide accurate financial information between the 2009-10 season to 2017-18.
The club is also being charged with 14 counts of failure to provide accurate details for player and management wages during the same period of time. It is also charged with five counts of failure to comply with UEFA rules, including Financial Fair Play, and seven counts of breaching the league’s rules between 2015-16 and 2017-18.
The last charges the club faces are 35 counts of failure to cooperate with Premier League investigations from December 2018 to February 2023.
Potential punishments for the Manchester football club include points deduction, expulsion from the league, and being stripped of titles they won under suspicious circumstances.
