Premier League FFP charges for Man City could cause ‘mutiny’ as UEFA warned

Manchester City are preparing their evidence to refute strong accusations from the Premier League that could change the game

UEFA have been warned that any outcome from the allegations Manchester City have been charged with by the Premier League will ‘almost certainly cause serious unrest among its member clubs to a point of mutiny’.

The issue has been brought into sharper focus since last week’s ruling that saw Everton deducted 10 points by the league for a breach of Financial Fair Play rules, with a new wave of speculation on how that decision could impact on any forthcoming sanctions that potentially heading City’s way, if the case against them is proved.

Earlier this year, City were hit with a string of grave accusations from the Premier League, including nearly a decade of misrepresenting their finances to the relevant football authorities. The club vehemently deny any suggestion they have not adhered to competition rules, and will be able to defend their position at an independent tribunal that will assess the evidence.

The lengthy investigation by the Premier League followed a similar look into City by UEFA, who concluded in 2020 that the Blues had breached their financial fair play rules and should be banned from the Champions League for two years. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) overturned this decision – the only thing City were deemed guilty of was not co-operating with the UEFA investigation, which the club insisted was flawed – but this verdict was not enough to clear City’s name in the court of public opinion.

As well as having other clubs keen to see further checks against the Blues, the Premier League has also been operating at a time when its own ability to govern has been questioned by outside forces. It was observed by many that the shock decision to lay such serious allegations against the English champions – the news even surprised the Premier League’s own website, which initially carried incorrect listings of the exact charges against City – came just 24 hours before the British government were set to publish a White Paper on football governance reform.

A snap public opinion poll at the time of 1,000 football fans revealed three in every four think City broke the rules, and Pep Guardiola hit out that the club had not been allowed to defend themselves before being publicly condemned. As the club prepares a lengthy legal defence for the independent panel, it feels inevitable that any decision will cause enormous consequences for the game and numerous clubs fighting to be the best.