Man City release statement after being found guilty of all charges related to Premier League’s financial rules

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Man City freeze season ticket prices and scrap seat transfer policy

Manchester City has finally broken its silence after being found guilty all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules.

Yesterday, the Premier League released a formal statement confirming that an independent Commission had found Manchester City guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period.

On top of that, the club was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.

According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors during the nine-season period – which were part of a disguised funding scheme, with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.

The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.

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The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.

Following this report being published yesterday, Manchester City has now finally released a statement of its own, breaking its silence on the topic for the first time since the news broke last Friday.

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The statement reads in full: “Manchester City FC is both disappointed and surprised by the opinion of the Premier League Commission, that has been published today.

“The Club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League and a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions, relating to this case. The Club will therefore be relentless, and where necessary proactive, in any and all appropriate regulatory and legal forums. 

“The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements uncompleted. Manchester City FC will now pursue the appeal avenues open to it, on the basis that the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe. 

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“The Club has diligently respected due process for eight years on the basis that the Premier League Board and Executive would behave as an independent, impartial and fair-minded regulator, free from partisan influence.  

“The Club is obviously restricted in what it can say further until all future proceedings are complete.”

Featured Image – The Manc Group

Stockport County to open new club shop in heart of town centre

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Stockport County to open new store

Stockport County FC will be opening a new County Store in the heart of Stockport, selling official merch and tickets.

The club has announced it’s taking on a unit at the Merseyway shopping centre, close to the former Debenhams building.

From its new ground-floor location, Stockport County will be able to offer supporters even more access to the club, stocking a wide range of official merchandise including exclusive products and new releases.

Merseyway has welcomed more than a quarter of a million visitors in a single week over the summer – a record-breaker – and the new Stockport County club shop will join new arrivals like Søstrene Grene, Lovisa, Grape Tree, and Shoe Zone.

Gavin Bailey, CEO of Stockport County said: “We’re delighted to be opening another County Store in the heart of Stockport town centre.

“As a Club, it is really important that we continue to strengthen our presence across the borough and make it as easy as possible for supporters to engage with County.

“Merseyway sits at the heart of a thriving town centre and this new location will give supporters a really convenient way to shop for County merchandise or purchase tickets whenever they are in town.

“It is also an incredibly exciting time for this part of Stockport. There is significant investment taking place across the town centre and the plans for Mersey Square will completely transform the area immediately surrounding our new store.

“We’re really pleased to be playing a small part in that wider regeneration and establishing another permanent County presence right in the centre of the town.

“We’re also looking forward to working alongside the fantastic network of retailers and businesses already based here. We have received tremendous support from the Stockport business community over recent years and we’re proud to be joining them.

““”We want the store to feel unmistakably County, with exclusive merchandise, new product ranges and plenty more planned as we continue to develop our retail offering.”

Cllr Micheala Meikle, Cabinet Member for Economy, Regeneration and Skills at Stockport Council, said: “Stockport County means a great deal to so many people, so it is brilliant to see the club bringing a new store into the town centre. County are a huge part of Stockport’s story and identity, and this move is a real vote of confidence in the town centre as a place where people want to be.

“The store is a welcome addition to Merseyway and will bring something distinctive and proudly Stockport to the retail offer. As our £2bn regeneration programme continues to reshape the town centre, it is important that we celebrate the businesses that make Stockport special and County is absolutely one of them.”

Victoria Nichol, Centre Manager at Merseyway Shopping Centre, said: “Stockport County is a huge part of this town, so having a County Store at Merseyway will be a significant addition for us and for the town centre. It will put the club right in the heart of Stockport and give supporters a new place to visit beyond match days.

“Merseyway is going from strength to strength. We’ve welcomed new retailers, seen record footfall over the summer and built a year-round programme of events that bring people into the centre. The County Store will add to that momentum, joining a fantastic mix of high street brands, independent businesses and community spaces.”

Further details, including the opening date and opening hours for the new County Store, will be confirmed in due course.

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Featured image: Stockport County

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