Manchester City Crisis Escalates – And This Is Now Much Bigger Than Football

The Manchester City case has moved onto another level – and the ramifications could stretch well beyond the Etihad.

The Premier League has now officially confirmed that an independent commission found City guilty of serious financial-rule breaches over nine seasons.

The findings and the PL's response are extraordinary.

The Premier League says City used “sham” commercial arrangements as part of a disguised funding scheme that artificially increased revenues and reduced costs by more than £900m.

The commission also found that City filed misstated accounts and would have substantially breached Premier League and UEFA spending limits had the arrangements been reported accurately.

City were also found guilty of multiple failures to cooperate with the investigation.

City, however, are certainly not accepting that they are guilty of any 'shams'.

Chief executive Ferran Soriano has strongly rejected the findings, describing the Premier League's case as being based upon a false central accusation concerning money from the club's owner being channelled through Abu Dhabi sponsors.

City insist they have provided extensive evidence supporting their position and intend to appeal.

And now the story is becoming considerably wider.

Etihad Airways has categorically rejected any suggestion it was involved in improper commercial arrangements and is taking legal advice over its options.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he would be “really concerned” if City lost their Abu Dhabi ownership, highlighting the huge investment City Football Group has made not just in the football club but in Manchester itself.

Unbelievably, he added that he couldn't comment on the commission's findings because he "hadn't seen the detail" which considering the commission took two and half years to investigate and arrive at their guilty verdict is a baffling statement no matter what your political views are.

Regarding City's owners...

The Independent Football Regulator has confirmed that it has powers to examine the suitability of club owners where there is clear evidence of wrongdoing, although it is waiting for the City process to develop further and the outcome of any appeal.

Newcastle's owners, PIF, are obviously not involved in the Manchester City case.

But this affair is beginning to pose a much wider question for English football.

What happens when enforcing football's financial rules collides with the enormous economic and political importance of overseas investment in Britain?

Burnham's response to questions about Man City clearly highlights the conflict between the degree of punishment - including declaring the Abu Dhabi Group and by implication the Sheikh as not fit owners of a PL club - and the political implications that could cause with a foreign government.

Lawyers for Rui Pinto, the Portuguese computer hacker/whistleblower who first revealed the details that led to the PL's charges, have said that there is "much more to come" and the question now is; have other clubs been guilty of 'financial washing'?

Rui Pinto has also written this on X...

"Back in 2014, there was a man who was already aware of the irregularities involving Manchester City. That man now runs FIFA. The infamous Gianni Infantino, then UEFA General Secretary, abused his authority, shared confidential documents and, in short, outmanoeuvred the Investigatory Chamber, doing everything in his power to ensure that both Manchester City and PSG would merely receive a fine, avoiding a deeper investigation that could have led to a Champions League ban."

What other revelations has he still got to deliver?

You can bet that City and the Abu Dhabi Group with their enormous wealth and legal clout will be looking to take other clubs down with them if a punishment is doled out.

This hole has the potential of getting deeper and wider by the day.

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