Manchester City chief Ferran Soriano sends defiant video message to staff vowing to ‘clear the club’s name’ after being found guilty of huge financial ‘sham’ – as he insists case is based on a ‘single accusation’
Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano has sent a video message to staff vowing to ‘clear the club’s name’ after the Premier League confirmed they had been found ‘guilty of all charges related to serious breaches’ of its financial rules.
On Friday, Daily Mail Sport reported how City had been found guilty of a series of breaches over a nine-year, glittering period in its history, in a verdict which sent shockwaves through football and opened the door to huge penalties including possible expulsion.
However, in a video message sent to staff on Tuesday, Soriano has urged the Premier League’s entire case against City was based on a ‘single false accusation’, claiming the commission ignored extensive ‘evidence’ submitted by the club.
Vowing City will continue their legal fight, he told staff: ‘The whole Premier League case against us is based on a single false accusation – that the owner’s personal money was somehow and secretly put into the club via some sponsors from Abu Dhabi.
‘This is just not true. Irrefutable evidence has been provided to the Premier League commission that shows it could not happen and that it did not happen. This includes bank statements, money transfers, witnesses and everything necessary to categorically demonstrate the money did not come from the owner.
Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano (right) has sent a video message to staff vowing to ‘clear the club’s name’ after the club was found guilty of breaking financial rules
‘Every other false charge that has been thrown at us comes from that simple, central and completely false accusation.
‘Surprisingly for us and our lawyers after nearly two years the Premier League’s commission has issued an opinion that supports the Premier League’s conspiracy theory.
‘To do so, the opinion had to ignore the extensive evidence provided by the club in order to reach a conclusion that is clearly wrong. Our lawyers will now file an appeal that sets out the opinion contains clear, material errors of law, principle and fact and that it is unsafe.
‘Remember, we have been here before. In 2020 we were also wrongly ruled against for many of the same issues. We appealed to CAS and we won. We will now be relentless in our work.
‘We will focus on the independent appeal process and also all other legal avenues available to us in order tow in the case and we will take all necessary action to protect the club and seek compensation from any party that tries to damage it.
‘Now, and in the future. I know this can be a bit of a distraction but please remain focused on our business and taking care of our extended City family as we always do.
‘Very soon we will look back at this as another time in our history when we dealt with adversity and overcame it together. Thank you.’
In the Premier League’s lengthy statement confirming the verdict on Tuesday, the top flight said that City had arranged ‘sham contracts (which misrepresented the true agreement between the parties) with a number of its commercial partners, as well as relying on “sham” agreements with others, to artificially inflate the club’s revenues and reduce its costs’.
It also said the club falsely altered the financial picture at the Etihad to the tune of £900m.
Deals with a number of sponsors were part of ‘a disguised funding scheme, whereby those companies were only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees’, the Premier League added, saying that ‘the remainder was funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club’.
More to follow.
