This Premier League season could be one of the most chaotic campaigns as Manchester City are at the centre of a growing crisis. The Cityzens are locked in a legal fight that might change their future and shake up English football. The situation is more critical than ever, and the fallout from City’s alleged 115 breaches of Premier League rules could be huge.
Arsenal To Profit From City’s Punishment
Arsenal might get £8.6million if Manchester City are guilty of breaking 115 Financial Fair Play rules. City faced charges for 115 FFP violations in February 2023, but there has been no hearing as of yet.
This is about to change though. News came out this week that the hearing could happen in September this year. Afterwards, the Premier League might take till January next year to come up with a decision.
Manchester City faces accusations of providing inaccurate financial data across nine seasons from 2009/10 to 2017/18. They would also have to confront other charges related to non-compliance with Financial Fair Play (FFP) and Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) as well as lack of cooperation with Premier League investigations.
If found guilty, City could face severe penalties. The most extreme punishment might involve relegation from the Premier League. Other possible sanctions include large fines and point deductions. City may also have to make payments to every current Premier League club and every club that has competed in the Premier League during those years.
That is because merit payments made each year depends on where you finish. If City are found guilty of breaking the FFP Regulations, hinting they might have ended up lower than they did, they could be made to give compensation to the teams who finished below them. The prediction of the possible payback is based on central payments given out to Premier League clubs during this time.
After taking Man City out of the rankings and shifting other teams’ positions, the figures of updated merit payments were out. By comparing the original and adjusted payments, there is a rough idea of how much each team would receive.
This information suggests that Arsenal could be one of the teams to gain the most if there’s a guilty verdict. The Gunners have ended up second behind City for the past two years and would have moved up in the rankings in earlier seasons too. City would owe Arsenal about £8.6million in merit payments for the nine seasons under investigation in the FFP hearing. Liverpool, Everton and Stoke stand to gain the most, with City owing them over £10million if found guilty. City might have to pay more than £9million each to West Ham, West Brom and Swansea. Sunderland, like Arsenal, could receive just under £9million.
Manchester City’s Response
During this whole thing, Manchester City has stuck to their guns about being innocent. They keep saying the charges don’t hold water and they’ve got a “big pile of rock-solid proof” to show they’ve followed Premier League rules. City’s lawyers are ready for a tough fight as the club is not keen on settling things outside of court.
Word is, City’s chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, isn’t budging an inch. He has made it clear the club would rather spend a fortune on lawyers than take any kind of punishment. This tough-as-nails approach shows how sure the club is about their case, but it also cranks up the pressure.
City’s approach has not made them any friends among their competitors. A lot of Premier League clubs are not happy with what they see as City’s cockiness and disrespect for regulations. This has led to bad blood within the league causing friction to build up during games and behind the scenes.
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