SUMMARY
- Manchester City, the Premier League champions, are facing allegations of potential financial fair play (FFP) rule breaches.
- City's fellow league rivals Everton FC have already been punished regarding FFP issues by a deduction of 10 points.
Premier League’s reigning champion Manchester City has been facing allegations regarding breaches of potential financial fair play (FFP) rules. The club is managed by the Spanish manager Pep Guardiola. City’s fellow league rivals Everton FC have already been punished regarding FFP issues by a deduction of 10 points. However, any official decision regarding Manchester City’s breaches is yet to be taken.
As per the ‘CentreGoals’ on ‘X’, a hearing date has been declared for the club’s case about charges for the alleged 115 financial breaches by them. It has been further termed that the progress towards an official hearing could be staged in the next week.
🚨🚨| NEW: A hearing date has been issued for Manchester City’s case regarding the 115 financial breaches charges.
Progress on hearing could be made as early as next week.
[@TeleFootball] pic.twitter.com/vD0Bko91ea
— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) January 17, 2024
Earlier a report by ‘Sky Sports’, inflicted that the Premier League has depicted that Manchester City had not severely complied with FFP rules for a period close to five years. The English league hierarchy also reflected that the reigning champions have not been fully supportive of the investigations. The fans of the club would be waiting for the hearing to take place, so they can get over this saga.
Pep Guardiola on the alleged financial breaches against Manchester City
Pep Guardiola expressed his opinion regarding the alleged financial breaches against his club Manchester City. He was asked about his managerial position if City are found guilty and relegated. The manager reportedly asserted – “I will answer when I have the sentence (the punishment)”. “In the moment we are innocent until guilt is proved”, he further stated.
Pep also inflicted – “I will wait. Wait and see, and after the sentence has been done we will come here and explain it”. From the words of the veteran manager, it can be inferred that he doesn’t want to comment regarding the breaches until the official judgment is out.
Financial breaches could result in Manchester City’s exile from the Premier League
As per the reports, if found guilty, City could receive various punishments from the Premier League. However, in addition to the commonly known punishment of points-deduction for FFP breaches, there is a greater punishment that the club can suffer.
The nine-time Premier League Champions could be shown the exit gate from the top-tier of the England soccer. They could be relegated to League 1, a division lower than the Premier League. However, this would only happen if the concerned authorities that will preside over the hearing find the breaches by the club deserving of this damnation.
Manchester City is one of the top teams in European soccer. They are regarded as the toughest team to beat by the soccer pundits. City’s manager Pep Guardiola is a brilliant tactician and a master-mind when it comes to managing his side on the pitch. He would also hope that the hearing of their FFP case goes in their favor. The manager would want his club to be able to fully focus on the rest of the season.