Major controversy: Premier League giants call for investigation into Manchester City's treble
A new and even more dangerous wave of financial controversy is rising around «Manchester City», the most successful club in English football over the last decade.
Previously, an independent Premier League commission found the "Citizens" guilty of committing a total of 114 financial breaches between 2009 and 2018. Now, as the Manchester club prepares for an official appeal process against this decision, other Premier League clubs have come forward demanding that new investigations be launched against the team.
Why are clubs suspicious of the period after 2018?
According to reports from the prestigious British newspaper The Independent, participants in the English championship do not believe that City's financial policies simply stopped overnight:
«It cannot stop in a day»: Premier League rivals are expressing serious doubts that, given the systematic and intentional violation of financial rules by «Manchester City» for nearly a decade, these practices could have vanished in an instant after official investigations began in 2018;
Demand for a large-scale audit: An increasing number of clubs in the league are demanding that the league leadership expand the scope of the investigation and subject City's reports and transfer deals from 2018 to the present day to an independent audit as well.
Numbers and successes: The period of the most brilliant victories
The period after 2018, which is now under suspicion, coincides exactly with the years when the club established absolute hegemony in English and European football under the leadership of Pep Guardiola:
Season / Period | Achievement | Historical significance |
2017/18 — 2023/24 | 6-time Premier League champion in 7 seasons | Unparalleled dominance and records in English history |
2022/2023 season | UCL victory and historic Treble | First Champions League trophy in club history, Premier League and FA Cup |
Current status | On the eve of an appeal regarding 114 charges | Possibility of new additional charges emerging |
What consequences could await City?
If, under pressure from Premier League clubs, new charges are brought regarding the period after 2018, this case could become the largest legal battle in the history of world sports.
Based on the current findings of the independent commission, the club faces the risk of unprecedented disciplinary measures, ranging from heavy fines and point deductions in the league table to even expulsion from the Premier League. A new round of investigations would certainly spark major debates regarding the legitimacy of the many trophies the club won during the Guardiola era.
Comments 0
…