November 12 – The English Premier League says it will act if any of its rules have been broken following the recent financial fair play allegations levelled at Middle East-owned Manchester City.
The English champions have been hit with a series of claims over the way it runs its operation including that it used inflated sponsorship revenues to meet FFP requirements and struck a secret deal with UEFA to lessen sanctions.
In a statement responding to the allegations published by Der Spiegel based on Football Leaks revelations, a spokesman for the Premier League said: “The Premier League has a range of financial rules and disclosure obligations that apply to all clubs, and result in on-going monitoring of club finances.
“If we receive any substantiated material that suggests our rules may have been breached, or relevant information has not been disclosed, we will investigate and have a track record of doing so. These processes are confidential and we do not comment publicly unless there is anything substantial to say.”
City say the Der Spiegel reports are an “organised and clear” attempt to “damage the club’s reputation” and that the documents quoted are “materials purportedly hacked or stolen” and have been used “out of context”.
City were fined €60 million by UEFA in 2014 for breaching FFP but the two parties reached an agreement under which the club would get €40 million back if they stuck to the terms of the settlement.
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