Man City FFP: Five-part ‘irrefutable evidence’ to ‘overturn’ verdict, ‘force’ one of three outcomes revealed
A new report has revealed Manchester City’s supposed ‘irrefutable evidence’ that they hope will ‘overturn’ their guilty FFP verdict.
During the international break, it was confirmed that Man City have been found guilty on 114 of their 115 charges after being accused of breaching the Premier League’s FFP regulations between 2009 and 2018.
The Premier League referred Man City’s case to an independent comission at the start of 2023, and this followed a four-year probe into the club’s conduct.
The six-week hearing took place at the end of 2024, and there was a long delay before the verdict was announced last month.
Enzo Maresca‘s side have since appealed the verdict and continue to insist on their innocence, as they have throughout this prolonged process.
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Man City spent over £400m on signings in the summer, with it business as usual at the Etihad. Still, they face several severe sanctions if they cannot prove their innocence.
The possible punishments include a huge fine, a transfer ban, a points deduction, expulsion and/or being stripped of their Premier League titles, while rival clubs could sue them and their owners and/or board could be forced to leave.
Still, Man City’s hierarchy clearly does not respect the independent comission’s verdict, and they have said that they have ‘irrefutable evidence’ to prove their innocence.
Manchester City’s supposed ‘irrefutable evidence’ revealed
Now, a detailed report from The Telegraph has shed light on how Man City intend to ‘overturn’ the guilty FFP verdict and ‘force a full or partial acquittal or retrial’.
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The report has also confirmed the five key components of Man City’s appeal,
When listing the key aspects of Man City’s defence, they explain: ‘Contemporaneous bank statements, government records and receipts they see as confirming the Abu Dhabi government as the source of funds for financing of deals.
‘More recent evidence from the Abu Dhabi government reaffirming the accuracy of the original records.
‘What they see as fundamental inconsistencies in the findings.’
It is also noted that Man City’s position is ‘effectively a high-stakes challenge to any appeal panel to question the legitimacy of official Abu Dhabi government documents’, though ‘sources with understanding of the Premier League’s case, however, express ongoing confidence in the verdict’.
Another argument from Man City is that the ‘Premier League has no “smoking gun” or witnesses to the alleged wrongdoing, and is relying almost entirely on leaked emails’.
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