UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin has reiterated his position that the governing body was justified in finding Manchester City guilty of breaches of financial probity, as the club has been charged with 115 breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules.
In 2018, City was found guilty of breaching the Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules and was expelled from the Champions League with a two-year ban. However, City appealed the decision and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) eventually overturned the decision.
Čeferin’s words come at a time when City and the rest of the Premier League are under increasing scrutiny due to the penalties Nottingham Forest and Everton have received for breaching their own Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
Čeferin says he agrees with the CAS overturning the ruling, but he is confident that UEFA was right to charge City and hand down the verdict.
“We know we were right,” Čeferin told the Telegraph. “We wouldn’t have made the decision if we didn’t think we were right. As a 25-year-old lawyer, I know that sometimes you win a case you are sure you will lose. And sometimes you lose a case you’re sure you’re going to lose. You simply have to respect the decision of the court in a real democracy.
“I do not want to talk about the case in England. But I believe that the decision of our independent body was the right one. I did not interfere in that decision.”
As Premier League clubs await trial, with chief executive Richard Masters recently confirming that a date had been set, there are big questions about what will happen to Pep Guardiola’s side if the club is found guilty of any wrongdoing. Will the punishment be just a fine? Or could serious breaches of the rules result in the club having to leave the Premier League?
Here are some of the opinions of football.london experts on these decisions.
Tom Canton
Of course, it is very subjective to think about what should happen to Manchester City if found guilty, because the punishments vary from fines to points deductions and even title strippings. It also depends very much on the number of charges that they are alleged to have breached, if too many are found.
From Arsenal’s selfish point of view, it would be reasonable for many fans to hope that City will be found guilty of an offence and face the most severe penalties. If the title from last season was stripped, it would of course be awarded to the Gunners, which would be wonderful, but it would never have the same feeling as the previous victories and would be something of an asterisk that could be pointed to by rivals or critics.
I only hope that the truth will be revealed and that the appropriate punishment will then really be meted out. You may seem to be getting away with this; call me a villain, but I am on the side of the truth and I hope that this is the outcome that will be revealed.
Kaya Kaynak
I don’t see the point of taking titles away from Manchester City. Just as an example, if Arsenal had been named Premier League champions for last season, it would have seemed like some kind of dumping squib. There would have been no sun-drenched open-top bus parade from Islington Town Hall to the Emirates Stadium. No joy and excitement on the final day. No fans drunkenly shouting ‘Championees Ole Ole Ole Ole Ole’ and swarming out of Tollington. Arsenal would have been robbed of the memories that make success so special.
Instead, I think City should be hit with the benefits it has derived from each of these trophies. Last season alone, Pep Guardiola’s team earned £180.4 million in prize money from their treble success. If found guilty, they would have to pay this back along with any other prize money they received for their success during the period in which they are accused. This money should then be distributed equally among the remaining teams participating in each competition.
Such a penalty would hit City much harder than taking away the trophies it has already won. A corresponding ban from Europe and relegation from the Premier League would also be fair, as this would disgrace each competition.
Joe Doyle
Quite simply, because of the seriousness of the allegations against City, they should be punished in the harshest possible way if found guilty.
This is not about financial mismanagement or disagreements over what losses count, but about manipulating finances to deceive the governing bodies and play by the rules.
Although some will argue that it is the people who win the titles, not the money, the point is that this breaking of the rules would tarnish everything. If City had less money available for transfers, would they have signed Yaya Toure from Barcelona? Weaken a great rival by signing Raheem Sterling from Liverpool? Without the Premier League title, could they persuade Pep Guardiola to take over the club?
Although there is a lot of ifs, buts and maybes, City won a huge amount of prize money after these allegations, which other teams could have claimed and competed for, whether they were successful or not.
If they are guilty, it is a stain on the Premier League and they should get out. Taking away the Premier League titles may make a difference to some fans, but in reality, these past trophies have already been lifted and paraded.
But the outcome of this trial will have a monumental impact on the history of the Premier League, whichever way it unravels.