Manchester City is going through a particularly delicate period on a legal level. Since February 2023, the English club has been the subject of a Premier League procedure involving 115 charges, reduced to 114 offenses as part of the conclusions of the independent commission, for alleged breaches of financial rules over nine seasons, from 2009-2010 to 2017-2018. The accusations concern in particular the communication of inaccurate financial information, the concealment of certain payments and the non-compliance with the rules requiring the provision of accurate data on the remuneration of the coach and the players. The commission also criticized the Cityzens for not fully cooperating with the investigation. A procedure of unprecedented scale for an English team, which directly threatens the reputation of the club and its economic model, built since the takeover by Sheikh Mansour in 2008.
In September, the independent commission delivered an unfavorable verdict to Manchester City, found guilty of the financial offenses in the case. According to its findings, the club would have inflated its commercial revenues to the tune of ÂŁ900 million thanks to deals deemed fictitious. The Skyblues, however, contest this decision and have initiated an appeal procedure. The outcome of this appeal will be decisive for the rest of the case, while several sporting sanctions are mentioned, including a heavy deduction of points, exclusion from the Premier League, or even demotion to the Championship. A double relegation has even been advanced in certain scenarios, without such a measure being officially announced. For the moment, no final sanction has been imposed. But if the verdict is confirmed, the consequences could permanently disrupt the future of the Mancunian club, which risks losing much more than a few places in the standings.
The “absolute power” of the regulator
A new threat is now added to this explosive file. David Kogan, chairman of the Independent Football Regulator (IFR), the independent authority responsible for overseeing English football, said his institution had the power to force Manchester City’s owners to leave the club if their management was deemed inappropriate. Interviewed in the podcast The Rest Is Footballhe explained that the body could ask an owner to step down if it considered that he was running his club in a manner contrary to the principles of fairness and integrity. Asked about the possibility of an owner refusing to sell his shares, Kogan answered unambiguously that the IFR had a “absolute power” to complete the process. A perspective that directly places Sheikh Mansour and Emirati interests at the heart of the discussions. The British leader nevertheless called for caution. The IFR is still awaiting answers to several questions before deciding whether it will open its own investigation. He judges that anticipating this decision would be a “colossal error”while Manchester City’s appeal remains ongoing.
This hypothesis is in line with certain demands from English football which believe that the departure of the current owners would constitute the fairest sanction if the failings of which the club is accused were definitively established. For some, fines, withdrawal of points, bans on recruitment or even withdrawal of titles would not be enough to address the seriousness of the facts. In their eyes, only an eviction of the owners would have consequences truly commensurate with what is described as financial doping. For his part, Kogan promised to resign if the political authorities intervened in a possible investigation by the IFR, while the file could revive diplomatic tensions between London and Abu Dhabi. However, no procedure currently aimed at forcing a sale has been announced. The future of Manchester City will depend first on the outcome of its appeal, then on possible intervention from the regulator. But for the first time, the possibility of seeing the Emirati owners forced to sell the club is clearly raised by the head of the authority responsible for supervising English football.
