The Premier League is set to make a big decision on Man City and their 115 alleged financial breaches, but why is the process taking so long?
Premier League clubs, including Liverpool, are awaiting the outcome of two huge – and potentially ground-breaking – decisions related to the ongoing financial investigations into Everton and Manchester City.
The Premier League club broke profit and sustainability rules in two cases. The latest case concerns Everton, who were referred to an independent commission in March for alleged misconduct in the 2021/22 season.
The Telegraph claimed on Wednesday that “the Premier League has recommended that Everton and number 039 be punished very severely, with a maximum of 12 points”. If found guilty, the club still faces a number of potential sanctions, including a fine and/or a possible transfer ban, but Everton have insisted they are playing by the rules and are vigorously defending their position.
The case is currently being heard by an independent commission and the ECHO understands that the independent commission – not the Premier League – will have full control of the final decision-making process. Everton reported a loss of around £371.8m over the past three years, but under the rules clubs can lose up to £105m or face prosecution.
This could be a big moment in how the league handles financial transactions. The second case is related to Manchester City, which is quite complicated.
The Premier League champions were referred to an independent commission in February after allegedly breaching league rules 115 times between 2009 and 2018. The league and the five-year investigation brought several different allegations against the club. Some of these allegations related to incorrect financial information, while others detailed financial payments to the former CEO and other allegations of impropriety. City denied the claims in a statement and their manager Pep Guardiola said he wanted and wanted a decision as soon as possible.
This is not the first time the City has had to deal with similar financial allegations. UEFA previously banned the club from European competitions and fined them. However, it was later overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport because most of the allegations were either unproven or outdated – meaning they happened too long ago under UEFA rules for old allegations to be dealt with. Many fans are wondering why the decision is taking so long in City’s current case compared to Everton’s. The truth is that these cases are very different and Everton have one charge in the near future that would be resolved more quickly.
In contrast, the city’s case involves more than 100 separate allegations spanning nine years and a five-year investigation. This makes reviewing each case, making a decision and drafting a final decision a long and arduous task. It can take years for the panel to make a decision. But with Everton facing a points deduction, Liverpool and other Premier League rivals can expect the same to happen, with Man City also facing punishment.
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process of this story.
