Man City face FFP sanctions – have Uefa missed their target?
City confident of avoiding punishment amid calls for Uefa to target irresponsible owners
MANCHESTER CITY and French giants Paris Saint-Germain could face transfer bans for breaching Uefa's Financial Fair Play regulations as European football's governing body decides which clubs should be punished for overspending. City have one of the most expensive squads in world football thanks to billionaire owner Sheikh Mansour, but they have also recorded losses of £150m over the last two years and, according to the Daily Telegraph, "will this week be found guilty of failing to comply with FFP rules". Uefa officials are meeting this week to decide which clubs should be prosecuted. "City and PSG are understood to be among fewer than 20 teams under threat of a sanction and, unless dramatic new evidence emerges in the next 48 hours to support their claims they have played by the rules, they are on course to be hit hardest of all," says the paper. Neither side will be excluded from the Champions League, but they could heavy face fines or a transfer embargo. None of the other English clubs in Europe this season are under scrutiny says The Times. But it notes that Liverpool could be investigated when they return to the continent next season. The paper also adds that City are confident of proving that their finances are in order even though it looks like a "clear cut case" on paper. City can write off money paid in wages to players signed before 2010, as well as significant sums for stadium infrastructure and youth development work, and that leaves the balance sheet far closer to the Uefa loss limit of £37m than it would appear at first blush. And if City do face sanctions, it could be argued that Uefa have missed their target, says Jim White in the Telegraph. He agrees that "European competition should be about clubs vying for prominence, not an opportunity for states like Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Malaysia to achieve importance by proxy", but he adds that "City's Abu Dhabi overlords present the most benevolent of proprietorial models". They have invested heavily in the club infrastructure and have established a base that should ensure ongoing success for the Citizens, he says. The game needs more robust rules on club ownership rather than finances. "The urgency surely is that [the rules] are directed at preventing criminals like Carson Yeung taking over at Birmingham City, or stopping a succession of asset strippers picking at the decaying corpse of Leeds United, or thwarting the faceless crew who have recklessly undermined Portsmouth."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Baltimore bridge disaster: Who is going to pay and how?
Today's Big Question Politicians, legal experts, and the insurance industry are all grappling with the financial fallout of America's worst infrastructure tragedy in years
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Melting polar ice is messing with global timekeeping
Speed Read Ice loss caused by climate change is slowing the Earth's rotation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The Week contest: Stick guitar
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
The European Super League: a 90th-minute reprieve?
Why everyone's talking about A European court ruling has potentially breathed new life into the breakaway football league
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
2023-2024 Premier League predictions: champions, relegation and golden boot
feature A look at the top flight talking points and pundit picks for the new season
By Mike Starling Published
-
‘Genuine visionary’: is Pep Guardiola the greatest of all time?
feature Spaniard has now won two trebles following Man City’s Champions League triumph
By The Week Staff Published
-
Champions League final: Man City vs. Inter predictions and preview
feature Can Guardiola’s team finally win the Champions League and complete a historic treble?
By Mike Starling Last updated
-
Man City: can ‘one of the best sides in history’ win the treble?
feature Guardiola’s Premier League champions have two more trophies in their sights
By The Week Staff Published
-
Premier League: Man City vs. Arsenal predictions
feature What the pundits say about tonight’s title race showdown at the Etihad
By Mike Starling Last updated
-
Man City’s financial charges: what next for the Premier League champions?
feature The club is alleged to have breached financial rules around 100 times over a nine-year period
By Mike Starling Published
-
Erling Haaland: does Manchester City have the ‘best player in the world’?
Talking Point The young Norwegian striker has already scored 14 goals in eight games
By The Week Staff Published