Key events
Some lawyer comment via the Press Association:
“Paul Stothard, a partner at global law firm Norton Rose Fullbright: “This result, if upheld, will open the floodgates to further legal challenges.
“Manchester City being found liable for 114 out of 115 rule breaches means that other clubs may choose to pursue compensation for lost revenue, missed European qualification or relegation – though they would need to be able to prove how City’s breaches impacted on their own ability to compete and their quantifiable loss.
“The outcome underscores the need for regulatory mechanisms in professional football and, moving forward, could help reshape how football governance balances commercial interests with the principles of fair play in what is now a multi-billion-pound competition.”
Kavan Bakhda, a partner and head of the sports group at Mishcon de Reya: “If the charges against Manchester City are proven, this would be the most significant disciplinary decision in the history of English football.
“However, it is important not to get ahead of the formal process. We have yet to see the independent commission’s written decision, the reasoning behind its conclusions and, crucially, what sanctions might follow. The detail of the written decision will matter enormously.
“If Manchester City has been found guilty of the alleged breaches, attention will now turn to the nature and severity of any sanction. The Premier League’s rules provide for a wide range of potential sanctions, from financial penalties and points deductions through to, in the most extreme circumstances, expulsion from the competition.
“Any appeal could add a further significant stage to the process. Until the commission’s decision is published and any appeal has been determined, it will be difficult to assess the full consequences for Manchester City, the Premier League and its clubs.”
Business as usual on the Manchester City official socials, with this release timed for 5.30pm UK time: “Say hello to Little Beast, another addition to @MedlockSQ‘s restaurant collection! 🍽️ The menu evolves with the seasons, reflecting the changing produce, flavours and stories each full moon brings and is open every day 8:00-20:00 (UK) 🌙”
Looks delicious, to be fair.
Jake gets in touch: “Let us take today’s decision as a moment to reflect on the serious reforms that must be made in football. The staggering number of financial improprieties that Manchester City have been found guilty of has irreparably damaged the spirit of the game. The sacred trust we supporters have in the ideal of fair play is now worn threadbare and in dire need of repair. All we can hope for is that the Premier League has the ability to restore our faith that this beloved game is being played on as even a field as possible and that, going forward, athletic merit alone will be the deciding factor in determining success.”
An updated explainer on the Manchester City case, via Paul MacInnes and Jamie Jackson.
What are the accusations?
In February 2023 the Premier League charged the club with more than 100 rule breaches, after investigating the club since 2019. The charges cover four areas: a failure to give “a true and fair view of the club’s financial position”; a failure to “include full details” of player and manager remuneration; breaches of national and continental financial fair play regulations; and a failure to “cooperate with, and assist, the Premier League in its investigations”. The counts have been heard by a three-person independent commission, with the process starting in September 2024.
While we rubberneck the City situation, some stories you might have missed.
A lucky escape?
Via the Associated Press: City did not confirm the decision, saying its case with the Premier League was “ongoing” and yet to be completed. City, however, would appeal a guilty decision and the process would take several months, a person with knowledge of the situation told AP. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to respect confidentiality elements of the process.”
As further background, a David Conn background piece from 2020, on the original Der Spiegel Football Leaks case.
The emails, splashed by Spiegel with evident relish across a series of exposés, punched into City’s expertly and expensively created modern image in three broad areas relating to Uefa’s financial fair play rules, which were introduced in 2011 to deter clubs from overspending.
First, and most damaging, were emails and accounting documents which appeared to show that City’s owner, Sheikh Mansour, of the Abu Dhabi ruling family, was mostly funding the huge, £67.5m annual sponsorship of the club’s shirt, stadium and academy by his country’s airline, Etihad. That created a perception that the Abu Dhabi hierarchy, in their drive to mega-spend on City attaining elite status while somehow complying with FFP rules, had deceived Uefa in their financial submissions. This serious trouble for City sprang from a tiny number of emails, a fraction of the documentary dump provided to Spiegel by its source, Rui Pinto.
NB: Following the publication of the leaks, City refused to respond at all to Spiegel, the rest of the media and to Uefa, until the IC, having initially responded uncertainly, decided it had to investigate. City denounced the use of the emails as “out-of-context materials purportedly hacked or stolen”, and alleged there was an “organised and clear attempt to damage the club’s reputation”.
What sanctions may await? Some recent case law, via Reuters: “Everton were docked a total of eight points during the 2023-24 season after two separate breaches of the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules, while Nottingham Forest were deducted four points for a breach of the same rules in March 2024.
“Newcastle United narrowly avoided potential sanctions after selling players before a June 30, 2024, financial reporting deadline to comply with spending regulations. The allegations against City are far broader and cover more than a decade, making the case unprecedented in scale. Lawyers, club executives and supporters across the league have spent years awaiting a verdict.”
From a Premier League rights holder: “Sky Sports News understands that the process is moving to the appeal stage. The Premier League is not commenting as this is a private and confidential process. It will not be providing any guidance.”
That suggests a long way to go in this process. To the lawyers, the spoils?
Jack Crosby gets in touch: “I know it is fun to see who came runners-up in the competitions which City won, but it does really open a can of worms in reallocating winners unfortunately.
”Take the 2017-18 season. United finished second, just 4 points ahead of Spurs. Both United and Spurs played deep into the FA Cup, and will have rested players ahead of their semi-final match-up which will have impacted their league results. If they were in a title race, the league games would definitely have taken priority over the FA Cup, and so reallocating a winner in a season where the race for 2nd place was relatively insignificant to what else was on offer for the clubs involved is nonsensical. Liverpool were 6 behind United and their end of season league form was atrocious as they prioritised the Champions League run which saw them lose to Real Madrid in the final.
“Unfortunately, the entire Premier League has been brought into disrepute. City should be stripped of their titles and removed from the league, but the titles should not be reallocated. The league should mark “No Winner” or “No Champion” as a permanent reminder of their negligence in allowing City to do what they did, and of City’s guilt.
“Just as the Tour de France has done so with drugs cheats, they have owned up and said “our sport was not clean, and we are as responsible as anybody for that” – the honour roll will always remind people of that.”
Steven Grundy gets in touch: “Do you think that the Premier League can survive this? Surely this decision voids all the special moments, notably the “Agueroooo” moment. If I were, say, head of Sky Sports, I would be livid.”
Feels like Georgie Thompson’s voiceovers may need to be re-recorded on the Premier League Years.
Haroon Siddique
Leading the City team was David Pannick KC, one of the foremost barristers of his generation, renown for representing the rich and powerful. Previous clients include Queen Elizabeth II, Boris Johnson, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and more than one billionaire sheikh.
Lawyers may not earn as much as the Erling Haaland’s £500,000 a week but Pannick charges a none too shoddy £5,000 an hour. In 2019, Pannick charged £407,250 for defending Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani, a former Qatari prime minister, involving a two-day trial, which the crossbench peer did not attend.
Some quotes from 2023 as the charges were brought. The wait since has been lengthy.
10 February 2023
Pep Guardiola: “It’s the same as what happened after Uefa (charges), these are just charges. With Uefa the club proved it was completely innocent. We are lucky we live in a marvellous country where everyone is innocent until proven guilty.
24 May 2023
Guardiola: “Let’s go. Don’t wait two years. Why don’t we do it quicker? In 24 hours, sit down with lawyers present. Let’s have it as soon as possible for the benefit of everyone,” he said.
19 June, 2023
City Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak: “I hope people focus and judge them [the players] for their football, what they’re achieving on the pitch and what they’re achieving in every competition they’re in.
David Howell also got in touch: “Fifth in 2019-20, fifth in 2020-21; all else being equal (ceteris paribus, as the lawyers would no doubt put it), that’s two Champions League cash injections denied to them by Abu Dhabi, and how different does that club look now in an environment where they get those?”
John Welsh gets in touch: “The list of alternative winners between 2008 and 2023 makes quite fun reading…
2010–11 FA Cup: Stoke City
2011–12 Premier League: Manchester United
2013–14 Premier League: Liverpool
2013–14 League Cup: Sunderland
2015–16 League Cup: Liverpool
2017–18 Premier League: Manchester United
2017–18 League Cup: Arsenal
2018–19 Premier League: Liverpool
2018–19 FA Cup: Watford
2018–19 League Cup: Chelsea
2019–20 League Cup: Aston Villa
2020–21 Premier League: Manchester United
2020–21 League Cup: Tottenham Hotspur
2021–22 Premier League: Liverpool
2022–23 Premier League: Arsenal
2022–23 FA Cup: Manchester United
2022–23 Champions League: Inter Milan
“Congrats to Alex Ferguson, Brendan Rogers, Jurgen Klopp, Mikel Arteta, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on your league titles. Well done to Dean Smith, Maurizio Sarri, Erik ten Hag, Arsene Wenger, Mauricio Pochettino, Gus Poyet, Tony Pulis and Javi Gracia on your cup wins, as well as to Simone Inzaghi for ending Italy’s long Champions League drought.”
Stepping away from Manchester City briefly, this story, via AFP: “Switzerland has lost a second player from its Nations League squad because of years-old cases of fake Covid-19 documents .
“Breel Embolo will not join the squad in Scotland as planned, the Swiss soccer federation said Friday, due to fresh reporting in national media about his past case of obtaining forged test certificates in 2021. This decision aims to allow the team to remain fully focused on the next matches,” the federation said about the Atlanta United forward.
“Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka agreed with team officials last weekend to withdraw from the squad because he is implicated in an investigation of a doctor issuing fake vaccination certificates during the Covid-19 pandemic. Xhaka, the Swiss record holder with 152 caps, admitted getting the forged document in 2022 and accepted he made mistakes.”
Further detail from our news story:
“The unprecedented catalogue of charges related to five distinct areas of alleged rule-breaking. More than 80 charges related to a club’s obligation to act in “the utmost good faith” when relaying information to the Premier League and to give complete disclosure of any information requested. These claims pointed towards the league’s belief that City had given an inaccurate picture of the club’s financial situation and withheld documents that might have cast greater light on it.
“The rest of the charges related to alleged breaches of profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) and the related Uefa financial fair play regulations. Finally, 20 charges related to the club’s obligation to provide “full details of … remuneration”, with breaches being claimed in the rules relating to the payment of players and managers.”
Via Reuters: “The Premier League declined to comment. ‘It’s a confidential process, we’re not commenting at all,’ a spokesperson said.”
Story: City found guilty of breaking Premier League’s financial fair play rules
Here’s our story on Manchester City being found guilty of almost all charges.
Manchester City face substantial sanctions from the Premier League after an independent panel found they had acted in bad faith and broken numerous rules over financial fair play.
The Premier League did not issue a statement but sources confirmed to the Guardian that City had been found guilty on almost all of more than 100 charges. City are surprised at the timing of the news because they say the process is ongoing. It is understood the club intend to appeal against a guilty verdict, confident of winning.
A verdict has been reached more than three and a half years after 134 charges, which cover the seasons 2009-10 to 2022-23, were brought by the Premier League and more than two years since arbitration hearings began. From season 2009-10 to 2022-23 inclusive City won seven Premier League titles, a Champions League, three FA Cups and six League Cups.
Further detail, this via Reuters.
The Premier League referred City to an independent commission in February 2023 over alleged breaches of finance rules spanning the 2009-10 to 2022-23 seasons. The club have consistently denied wrongdoing.
Among the most serious allegations was that City failed in each season from 2009-10 to 2017-18 to provide accurate financial information giving a “true and fair view” of revenues, including sponsorship income, and operating costs.
City hired lawyer David Pannick to lead their defence, while the Premier League was represented by Adam Lewis KC, according to British media reports.
The hearing began on September 16, 2024, and concluded nearly three months later on December 6. The case was heard by an independent commission composed of three judges appointed by the independent chair of the Premier League Judicial Panel.
Ah well, there’s always Oasis 2027 on 4, 6, 8, 11, 12, 15, 18, 19, 22, 25, 26 June. Will the Etihad be a Premier League ground? Will the case be closed by then? So much left hanging, including why we got to hear about this now, when details remain so sketchy.
How now to view these key moments in the City timeline? City fans may not, but the wider world will view with an asterisk. There are legal avenues to follow but who can speak for the court of public opinion?
Manchester City timeline: September 2008 to present day
Here’s a timeline of events, dating back to Sheikh Mansour’s 2008 takeover.
Remember this quote from Jürgen Klopp, Guardiola’s big rival, from 2024 when asked about the interminable legal process on City’s charges: “If you organise a bus parade – I’m in! How long it takes, I don’t care!”
Could be a big night out in Liverpool. City won the title by a point in 2018-19 and 2021-22.
If this story has a whistleblower, it is Rui Pinto, aka “John”, who obtained the leaked documents. Worth noting at this point that City, in the Uefa case said those documents came from “illegal hacking and out of context publication of City emails” as part of an “organised and clear attempt” to smear the club.
City have always denied wrongdoing, they say is supported by a “comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence”.
Further background from AFP: “The root of suspicion came from leaked documents published by German outlet Der Spiegel back in 2018. Emails purportedly sent between top City executives showed the club had inflated sponsorship revenue from Abu Dhabi state-controlled airline Etihad and telecoms firm Etisalat by disguising direct investment from Mansour’s Abu Dhabi United Group as income.
“Other documents claimed to show off-the-books payments to then manager Roberto Mancini via consultancy fees from a club in Abu Dhabi. If City are found guilty, sanctions are likely to 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.”
These comments from Pep Guardiola, from 2019 and 2026, seem pertinent.
He departed City in the summer.
Worth mentioning at this point that City were banned from the Champions League in February 2020, and that Uefa ban was overturned in the Court of Arbitration for Sport later in 2020.
Will City be stripped of titles? The 134 breaches of competition rules took place between the seasons 2009-10 and 2022-23, during which they were English champions seven times, their 2023-24 title coming after that. We can only speculate at this point, with neither Premier League nor club releasing a statement to confirm.
Speculation will be wild over what the sanctions might be, and City’s peer clubs are likely to have their own thoughts. Thursday saw a Premier League meeting between stakeholders. Consider the compensation that Everton were ordered to pay Burnley this summer, for example.
Further background via the Press Association: “City were referred to the commission in February 2023, at a time when they were en route to the third of four consecutive Premier League titles.
“The investigation which ultimately resulted in more than 100 charges being laid started back in 2018. City had been charged with failing to report accurate financial information for nine seasons stretching from 2009-10 to 2017-18, as well as failing to provide full details of former manager Roberto Mancini’s pay between 2009-10 and 2012-13.
“They were also charged with failing to provide full details of remuneration in contracts with players between 2010-11 and 2015-16, and with failing to co-operate with the investigation over a period from 2018 to 2023.
“The club said at the time the charges were laid that they welcomed the opportunity for a commission “to impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists in support of our position”. Four months after the charge was issued, the club won the Champions League for the first time in their history. The commission hearing began on September 16, 2024.”
That an appeal by City has not been launched or heard means this long process, beginning with revelations from Der Spiegel in 2018, is not at an end.
An explainer here from 2024.
Via The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Manchester City have said this: “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 the Premier League board and executive would behave as an independent, impartial and fair minded regulator, free from partisan influence.”
A similar statement has run on The Times. Much more to follow … much more.
Manchester City ‘guilty’ of Premier League charges
Good afternoon, and there’s highly significant breaking news, with reports widely emerging that Manchester City have been found guilty of all but one charge of more than 100 breaches of Premier League regulations, though no details of any sanctions have emerged. The expectation is the club will appeal. The club were charged in February 2023.
With that my watch has ended, I hand over to John Brewin who will take you through to the fixtures later on.
This is a good read:
Kane: World Cup hurt takes a long time to fully get over
Harry Kane was also asked how he gets over the pain of not winning the World Cup:
It’s not easy to get over but you don’t have a choice. I think it is something that isn’t spoken about a lot but when you are in that bubble and in that environment for seven weeks in the same routine, highest pressure, biggest games and then you go out and all of a sudden you are back to reality. Being a husband, being a father, you have been away from your family a lot so that takes an element of that away. It’s still there but you get back to normal life and enjoy being with your kids and they are the most importnant thing and they help you get over it. But it takes months, it takes a long time to fully get over it. You heal while you are moving on. There are still moments I think about it and I am sure the team think about what could have been, what if, especially meeting up again here and wearing the badge, it stays in your mind.
I think that is where tomorrow comes into it, the quicker you can put in good performances [the better] especially against bigger teams. So I think it is a good thing we are playing against Spain and Croatia and these top teams because if you do win those games I think it brings you back to the excitement of what is to come. Can we win the Nations League? Can we win the Euros in a couple of years? So I think tomorrow is important in terms of momentum.
Harry Kane added that Spain do play a particular way with possession and England players aren’t taught the same from a young age. But he says England have attributes Spain don’t and said:
I think it is important to have our own indentity and not get caught up in other teams. That isn’t to say you can’t take things from other teams like probably club football you do as well. But ultimately it is about being England and showing our identity, especially in the bigger games as well.
Kane: This is my best chance so far of winning Ballon d’Or
The England captain Harry Kane said on if this is the best chance in his career to win the Ballon d’Or:
Best chance right now yeah, whether that is in the future as well we will have to wait and see. I think so far in my career it is the best chance without a doubt. I spoke quite openly last season was my best from a personal point of view, it was my best year without a doubt. From a team point of view it was my best year in terms of trophies and performances. It’s something that would be amazing to win. I know there has been a lot of talk about it and I am sure there will be over the next month until it is announced. That is part of it. I would be extremely proud to win it. I did a lot of great things I can be proud of last year but ultimately it is down to other people now.
Michael has emailed his Taylor Swift entry:
Sheffield United’s trophy cabinet is just a Blank Space.
Tuchel: Palmer misses too many camps
Thomas Tuchel was also asked about Cole Palmer, who withdrew from England camp.
My understanding is he plays with discomfort and pain and he cannot compete on the highest level with discomfort and pain so he withdrew and informed us. Chelsea informed us, that is my understanding. We are not managing load.
When I was in club football I often used the term international break, this is when you hear it on the other side totally different picture. This is not an international break and I think that is what we created now. It is a competitive environment but it is also an environment that players love to be in. They love to train with each other and be with each other. That is what togetherness and brotherhood looks like. That is what we created from last September. We will never compromise on that. We will never let this creep in that players don’t want to come. It is fair enough but we focus on the guys who absolutely want to play for England.
For sure it is a missed opportunity and and it’s another opportunity, he misses too many opportunities. I don’t blame him for it, it is just a fact. He misses way too many camps with injuries. I only want to rely on what I personally witness and what I see within my team. If you are not in camp there is a next level to impress that you cannot achieve because you can only actually do it when you are with me on the pitch and with us on the pitch.
Five withdrawals came in the latest England squad for the team’s upcoming Nations League games. Thomas Tuchel was asked if he is looking into how to stop a potential culture of choosing club over country:
First of all we trust our players and second of all I think the players know very well that if you miss a camp and if someone else is good in your position the competition will always be on. The door is always open and you have to make sure to be available and produce top level performances in camp and if you do so that counts for something.
Right now there is nothing to do. It is not on my list of worries. I am not wired like this. It is what it is. From the moment I arrive at SJP [St James’ Park] my full focus is on the staff and players. That is how I am wired. There is not threat, there is no distrust and there is no threat of consequence. It will come naturally.
I think we have the opposite, everyone is desperate to come. You talk to our captain who has the most minutes in club and country who is happy to be here while some teammates of him are enjoying a seven or two day break but he wants to be here. That is the role model that we have at the moment so there is no concern.
Tuchel says Alexander-Arnold will have ‘chance to impress’
Thomas Tuchel was asked about Trent Alexander-Arnold and if he will start tomorrow against the world champions:
Of course I will not tell you [if he will start against Spain]. He fights with Jarrell Quansah for the position and Jarrell played for us in the US.
Trent is up for the competition, we have very good training sessions and he was valuable and an important part of that. It’s not about words , it’s about actions. He will get his chance to impress and take back the shirt.
While we wait for Tuchel and Kane, have a read of the report from Australia’s almost famous victory over Brazil:
Josh has emailed and got involved with my niche Taylor Swift request. He says:
Given the relentless narkyness directed at Arteta-ball last season (and the pressure of 3 second placed finishes) I was impressed by the team’s attitude – just shake it off. They know financially compared to petro-teams they are dancing with their hands tied but for those of us in red that just makes it sweeter than fiction – karma almost. When you earn it like we did it hits different. Though I admit sometimes our manager behaves like the smallest man who ever lived.
I bow down to you, so many references packed into one email.
The England manager Thomas Tuchel and captain Harry Kane are due to speak this afternoon before the Lions take on Spain tomorrow. We will bring you any top lines from that when they drop.
This is an interesting read:
This may be quite niche but Taylor Swift has released new music today, in form of a Taylor song which best describes your relationship with your club? Spurs fans do you now have Bad Blood? Everton supporters was it a Cruel Summer? Let me know by emailing me.
Šeško defended after Rooney criticism
Slovenia manager Bostjan Cesar has come out in support of Benjamin Šeško after Wayne Rooney criticised the Manchester United player for his “little stupid shinpads”. The Slovenian is currently sidelined with a shin injury. Cesar said:
If you play for a club like Manchester United, these things come with the territory.
It’s a process that Beni isn’t going through alone. Everyone around him is going through it as well.
When he was fit and scoring goals, there were none of these criticisms.
He’s a professional and doesn’t need to pay attention to these things. He just has to try and stay positive and surround himself with the right people.
Jacob Steinberg
Some more news on Kai Havertz: As we know Havertz has returned to Arsenal but it is for a hamstring injury picked up during Germany’s 1-1 draw with the Netherlands in the Nations League on Thursday night. Early indications are that the issue isn’t serious. Arsenal will hope the forward is available after the international break.
Kieron Dyer has been chatting about his career and England football days:
Thank you Tom, I have returned after having some cheese on toast myself. Let’s dive straight back in…
