FA says it will consider action against Man City after guilty verdict

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The Football Association says it will “take action where appropriate” in the aftermath of the Premier League’s case against Manchester City.

An independent commission found City guilty of almost all of their 115 Premier League’s charges, the majority of which related to serious breaches of the league’s financial regulations between 2009 and 2018. It found City created “sham” commercial contracts as part of schemes to inflate revenue and conceal costs by more ‌than £900m over the nine-year period.

City have strongly rejected the verdict and reiterated their innocence, with CEO Ferran Soriano calling it a “Premier League conspiracy theory” in a video to members of club staff.

The club is in the process of submitting an appeal which they have until Friday 2 October to do, and could yet take the case to the High Court if the verdict is upheld.

The FA has now released a statement relating to the case and says it will “continue to monitor developments closely”.

It read: “The Independent Commission’s decision has significant implications for the integrity of the game. We are carefully considering the decision and its implications and will take action where appropriate.

“As proceedings between the Premier League and Manchester City Football Club remain ongoing, we do not intend to comment further at this stage. We will, however, continue to monitor developments closely.”

A sanction has not yet been decided but it has been mooted that the club could face a huge points deduction or potentially expulsion from the Premier League.

Manchester City are at threat of severe sanctions after being found guilty (Reuters)

There has also been talk of City’s Abu Dhabi owners being removed, though UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he would be “really concerned” if the club was sold as he credited the current owners with being “a huge partner in the building of modern Manchester”. These comments were criticised and Downing Street has since sought to clarify what Burnham said, insisting that the verdict is “serious”.

City continue to fight the verdict and stated: “The Club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League and a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions, relating to this case. The Club will therefore be relentless, and where necessary proactive, in any and all appropriate regulatory and legal forums.

“The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements uncompleted. Manchester City FC will now pursue the appeal avenues open to it, on the basis that the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe.

“The Club has diligently respected due process for eight years on the basis that the Premier League Board and Executive would behave as an independent, impartial and fair-minded regulator, free from partisan influence.”

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