Manchester City have been charged with breaching Financial Fair Play regulations by the Premier League, having reportedly committed broken regulations “around 100 times”.
News of the decision by the English top flight broke on Monday morning, 6 February, concluding a four-year investigation by the league, FA and wider footballing bodies.
The club have now been referred to an independent commission over alleged rule breaches committed over nearly a decade-long period following their Abu Dhabi takeover.
According to Sky Sports News‘ Kaveh Solhekol, the Manchester club is alleged to have breached FFP approximately 100 times between 2009 and 2018.
As he explains, City failed to provide “accurate financial information” for at least nine seasons, including not fully disclosing Roberto Mancini’s true salary over a four-year period and failing to comply with UEFA’s financial fair play rules over a five-year period, among various other breaches.
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The Premier League has also accused the organisation of not cooperating since the investigation started back in December 2018 as the club has long denied circumventing the rules in any way throughout the process.
Despite having already been charged by UEFA back in February 2020, when they were slapped with a hefty penalty and a two-year ban from European competitions, the ban was overturned and the £30 million fine was reduced to just £10m.
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According to journalist Martyn Ziegler, this is one of the biggest scandals the Premier League has ever seen, the details of which are highly intricate and unprecedented.
BREAKING: Man City charged by Premier Leaue with numerous breaches of financial rules following a four-year investigation. This is unprecedented: pic.twitter.com/ZGzdX210qP
Ziegler goes on to say that punishment could range from fines and points deductions to even “expulsion from the league”, though it remains unclear how severe the punishment will be.
Furthermore, under Premier League rules, City will not be able to appeal the sanctions in the Court of Arbitration for Sport as they did with the previous ban, so the chances of the decision being brushed off as it was last time seem less likely.
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The club has now issued an official statement insisting that they are “surprised” by the charges “given the extensive engagement and vast amount of detailed materials that the EPL has been provided with”.
They go on to say that they welcome the continued investigation as they are confident they possess a “comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists in support of [their] position” and “look forward to this matter being put to rest once and for all.”
However, it doesn’t look like this case will be going away any time soon. This news also comes just a couple of weeks after boasting of earning the most revenue of any club in world football.
BBC Sport‘s Simon Stone insists that the process of prosecution with “will be expensive and it will drag on” for some time as the club will continue to deny the allegations. The charge sheet itself includes five years in which City are accused of refusing to assist with their inquiry despite refuting said claim.
It also goes without saying that since their takeover in 2008 — a year before the offences are said to have begun — City have enjoyed the most successful spell in their history, winning both the Premier League title and League Cup six times, as well as two FA Cups.
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The next few weeks are going to be very interesting, to say the least.
Featured Image — Alfonso Jimenez (via Wikimedia Commons)
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Startling statistic raises eyebrows around Manchester United’s defensive capabilities under Erik ten Hag
Danny Jones
Things continue to go from bad to worse for Manchester United this season and yet more unfortunate statistics following another chaotic showing have once again put their capabilities under Erik ten Hag, especially in defence, under scrutiny.
Man United got off to a dream start at the Estádio do Dragão against Porto, starting on the front foot and scoring two goals inside 20 minutes and from two sources who needed them most: Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Højlund returning from injury.
However, it didn’t take long for the home team to pull one back – just a few minutes in fact – and then by the 50th minute the visitors suddenly found themselves losing 3-2 and chasing an equaliser into stoppage time.
Thankfully, Harry Maguire got them out of jail right at the death but it is that now apparent trend of conceding multiple goals in a short space of time that has raised even more serious questions around the team’s mentality, resilience after letting one in and ability to defend in general.
Just in Europe since the start of last season, Man United have conceded two goals in four minutes at Bayern, two in 10 mins vs Galatasaray (h), two in four minutes vs Copenhagen (a), two in nine minutes vs Galatasaray (a) and now two in seven minutes vs Porto (a).
As you can see, it’s not just that this was the 31st time since the beginning of last season that United have conceded two more goals in a match, the most any current Premier League club in that time, but it seems to be the short bursts in which these goals come.
As broken down by ESPN’s Rob Dawson, it seems to be a case of when it rains it pours as the above stat is in Europe alone, where they seem to be picking up even more bad habits on top of that immediate vulnerability after letting one in.
Despite it scoring 12 in their last four matches in Champions and Europa League competitions and even managing to go 2-0 up in three of them, they haven’t managed to win a single one, as the draw against the unconvincing Portuguese side also marked the fifth European game in which they’ve conceded a trio of goals at the other end.
Worse still, according to even more damning stats thrown up by Opta, this ultimately became the 24th time Erik ten Hag’s side has conceded three goals or more in a game – again, the most of any Premier League side and with several of those goals coming in short bursts.
Alarming stuff, but the Dutchman is keeping calm at least on the surface, telling media that he and the players are “mad and motivated” by the current situation but that fans have to remain patient and hopeful that the results will start to improve.
“Don’t judge us in this moment, wait until the end of the season. We’re in a process.”
Erik ten Hag has full belief in his squad moving forward 💪
Match hero Maguire also came to the manager’s defence in his post-match press conference but did once again hit at a problem with motivation and belief: something that both Christian Eriksen rather concerningly touched on last month, admitting that the dressing “didn’t want it enough.”
The Red Devils must now play an in-form Aston Villa who recently won late on their long-awaited Champions League away at Villa Park this weekend and, as if he didn’t need one already, a win is essential for Erik ten Hag.
What about you, United fans – how long do you think he realistically has left to turn things around?
You can watch all the highlights from Man United vs Porto down below.
Featured Images — TNT Sports/Sky Sports (via Screenshot)
Sport
Luke Littler is holding a meet-and-greet this weekend – but not exactly where you’d expect
Danny Jones
Young darts sensation Luke Littler has about as big a 12 months as a professional could hope for and many of those who don’t even watch ‘The Arrows’ now know his name, so much so that he’s already holding a meet-and-greet that is selling quicker than you say ‘180!’
Warrington locals are set to welcome Luke ‘The Nuke’ back to his hometown but it’s fair to say the event is taking place exactly where you would have expected.
The 2024 World Series, Premier League of Darts and Players Championship winner’s fame and reputation have continued to skyrocket ever since his debut, so he’d easily have fans lining up pretty much anywhere, especially in the WA postcode.
Nevertheless, hordes of kids looking to follow in his footsteps and bolster a new generation of youth darts players can attend Luke Littler’s meet and greet at none other than… a Smyths Toys Superstore.
Credit: Smyths Toys
As you do.
Located on the JunctionNINE Retail Park, Warrington Symths Toys will see the 17-year-old taking photos with fans, chatting to budding darts hopefuls and, as it turns out, show off his new personal collection.
Yes, while there will be plenty of wholesome selfies and wide-eyed little kids looking to meet their local hero, Littler and his team chose this particular location as Smyths Toys will be stocking his new range of Target Darts.
Once again, his meteoric rise has seen a huge uptake in young people wanting to try their hands at the sport, with the official Luke Littler Cabinet Set even being named as the Judge’s Pick for ‘Best Gift for Teens’ at the 2024 Christmas Wishlist Awards.
Beyond that, the shop also has the highly sought-after Luke Littler Magnetic Dartboard set for the little one, as well as the Luke Littler Steel-Tip Brass Darts, designed in celebration of the 17-year-old’s tremendous performance at the 2024 PDC World Darts Championship.
Speaking ahead of the event, Littler said: “I’m really excited to meet everyone at Smyths Toys in Warrington this Saturday! It’s been an incredible year for me, and I can’t wait to connect with fans in my hometown and inspire the next generation.”
Adam Thompson, Head of Marketing at Target Darts added: “We’re thrilled to host this fantastic meet-and-greet event with Luke Littler. Luke has had an extraordinary year and we’re proud to celebrate his success with this special opportunity for fans to engage with him…
“It’s a great way to inspire young players and bring the darts community together and we can’t wait to see everyone in Warrington!”
The meet and greet will kick off from 1pm on Saturday, 5 October but you’ll have to be quick if you want to secure a spot. However, the store will still be open between the regular hours (9am-8pm), so you can still try your luck to try and catch a glimpse of ‘The Nuke’ and pick up a darts set or two.
Danny Jones -
6th February 2023 
