Following the news that Everton had been docked 10 points by an independent commission, a clear parallel has been made with the case against the reigning Premier League champions. It was announced in February that City were accused of 115 breaches, relating to the club’s finances, dated between 2009 and 2018.
This was the result of a then-four-year investigation by the Premier League and could have huge implications on English football, if City are found guilty by an independent commission. The fact that the case against Everton was brought one month later, in March 2023, has led to suggestions of possible bias or favouritism by the league. However, the case against the Blues consisted of a single financial breach in the 2021/22 season. It was disputed by Everton and resulted in an unprecedented punishment for a top-flight club, but the case that City face is of a significantly larger scale.
Both Everton and Liverpool will be watching with keen interest when the independent commission’s verdict, regarding City, finally arrives. The Reds will want to see what happens to their title rivals, if found guilty, while the Blues have already shared that they will be monitoring how any other cases into profit and sustainability breaches unfold. In truth, though, the final say on the charges against Manchester City could take years to emerge.
City’s charges span a nine-year timeframe and have been split into five categories. These include failing to give ‘accurate financial information’; a question over providing ‘full details of manager remuneration’; alleged FFP and profit and sustainability breaches; and accusations of noncompliance with the Premier League over their investigation. During the period in question, City won three Premier League titles and would be expected to receive a more severe punishment than Everton, if found guilty of more financial offences. However, the sheer size of City’s case, compared to Everton’s, highlights why football fans should not expect a verdict any time in the near future.
The scale of the case between Manchester City and the Premier League has been made clear in recent days.
