Manchester City about to lose titles to rivals after 115 FFP Charges and hearing next week
Latest Arsenal news takes a look at what could be in store for Man City after being charged for alleged Premier League rule breaches with the hearing set to begin
Manchester City won their fourth straight Premier League title in 2024 with Arsenal finishing second again
Manchester City won their fourth straight Premier League title in 2024 with Arsenal finishing second again
The hearing into Manchester City’s 115 Premier League charges will reportedly begin on Monday – with Premier League rivals including Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham watching on closely.
The reigning English champions were charged in February 2023 concerning historical accusations from 2009 until 2018 of violating the league’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations. City vehemently denies all charges, with an independent commission reviewing them.
Sky Sports report that the hearing will begin next week and is expected to go on for two months. Both the Premier League and City will make lengthy legal representations, outlining their case.
Of course, the outcome could send shockwaves throughout the English top flight, particularly with some Arsenal supporters who are awaiting the outcome of City’s investigation after it was confirmed had been charged by the Premier League with more than 100 breaches of its financial rules following a four-year investigation. The Gunners have finished as runners-up to City in the last two seasons.
“In accordance with Premier League Rule W.82.1, the Premier League confirms that it has today referred a number of alleged breaches of the Premier League Rules by Manchester City Football Club (Club) to a Commission under Premier League Rule W.3.4,” the Premier League statement read last year.
The initial statement released in February 2023 went on to list said breaches with five separate points made on the rulings, before adding: “Commissions are independent of the Premier League and member clubs. The members of the Commission will be appointed by the independent Chair of the Premier League Judicial Panel, in accordance with Premier League Rules W.19, W.20 and W.26.
“The proceedings before the Commission will, in accordance with Premier League Rule W.82, be confidential and heard in private. Under Premier League Rule W.82.2, the Commission’s final award will be published on the Premier League’s website. This confirmation is made in accordance with Premier League Rule W.82.1. The Premier League will be making no further comment in respect of this matter until further notice.”
In terms of potential punishments, the Times writer Martyn Ziegler has previously outlined that if the breaches are upheld then Man City could be hit with a point deduction in the Premier League – just like Everton and Nottingham Forest – or even worse yet, expulsion from English football’s top-flight.
Unsurprisingly, developments have prompted many questions about how Arsenal could be affected as they aim to lift the Premier League trophy for the first time since the 2003/04 season and the simple answer is a points deduction for City would give Mikel Arteta’s side a huge advantage in any title race after finishing second in back-to-back campaigns.
However, as the over 115 alleged FFP breaches cover a nine-year period between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons, there’s no chance Man City will be stripped of previous Premier League title, and in any case, The Independent’s Miguel Delaney previously posted: “Figures involved don’t seem to think any prospective punishments would be retrospective or ‘looking backwards’ (ie stripping titles) but this is all described as ‘unprecedented'”.
Meanwhile, the defending Premier League champions have continued to deny the charges. “On 6 February 2023, in accordance with Premier League Rule W.82.1, the Premier League referred a number of alleged breaches of the Premier League Rules by Manchester City Football Club to a Commission under Premier League Rule W.3.4,” a passage read from their annual report and financial report last year.
“In February 2023, in response to the charges, the Club issued a public statement that it welcomes the review of this matter by an independent Commission, to impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists in support of its position.”
UEFA Champions League
Watch Man City’s Champions League games free
Prime Video is broadcasting one Champions League game every game week free for Amazon Prime members. Man City’s upcoming fixtures include Feyenoord on November 26, which is free for Prime members or those signing up for a 30-day free trial.
Every Champions League and Europa League game is also available on TNT Sports via Prime Video’s Discovery+ channel.
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