Man City warned ‘very major’ FFP ‘setback’ could spark ‘new’ case amid ‘terminated investigation’
A football finance expert has warned Manchester City that they could ‘face a new investigation’ if they suffer a “very major setback” with their FFP case.
Man City are due to discover the verdict of their Financial Fair Play case against the Premier League as it’s been reported that a decision is due this month.
Pep Guardiola‘s side were referred to an independent commission at the start of 2023 after being charged with breaching over 100 FFP rules.
This followed a four-year probe into their conduct and they could be given a huge fine, transfer ban, points deduction or expulsion from the Premier League if found guilty.
Man City have also been at risk of legal disputes outside of the Premier League as La Liga chief Javier Tebas has ‘accused’ them of ‘deception’ after they have ‘tried’ to circumvent football’s FFP rules by hiding their costs in affiliated companies and likened the situation to the infamous Enron accounting scandal of 2001’.
Former Man City advisor Stefan Borson claims this ‘investigation’ – raised in 2023 – has likely ‘already terminated’.
“I think he has been warned by City around some of the more libellous statements that he’s made about the club, its owners and its management team,” Borson said.
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“It was interesting that he didn’t make any of these statements during his interview under the FT Business Summit that he was present at.
“He made these comments to the media in the lobby, thereby creating the story without anybody necessarily probing him on stage or having a recording of it.
“But clearly, he’s made these comments and I don’t think City will be very happy with being accused of being, in essence, the Enron of Europe. I think City obviously will say ‘It’s all nonsense, look at the accounts, so there is nothing to see here’.
“I suspect that the investigation and the complaint into PSG, and if it was City, would have terminated quite some time ago. The EU has a window in which they can, first of all, start an investigation.
“I think it’s a fairly short window. I think it’s something like 25 days, which they can commence an investigation after a complaint is received. Beyond that, they then have an investigation period that can be extended. But I think it’s unlikely that it would have been extended all the way through to 2025 because the complaint was made a long time ago.”
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Despite this, Borson has also pointed out that they ‘may face a new investigation’ and the Tebas complaint could ‘rear its head again’ if they are dealt a “very major setback” in their FFP case vs the Premier League.
“I think all of that is subject to one thing, which is that City do not have a very major setback in the 115 case,” Borson added in an interview with Football Insider.
“In the event that the 115 case goes against them, then I think it is possible that matters of this nature can rear their head again and investigations can follow. I think that’s just the nature of the beast.
“If they are found to be liable under the 115 case, that will have some implications that go beyond the Premier League.”