The English Football Association (FA) says it is reviewing Tuesday’s verdict by the Premier League’s Independent Commission, which found Manchester City guilty of breaching the league’s financial regulations by £900 million and failing to cooperate with investigators.
The commission had ruled that City broke the league’s financial rules over a period of nine years by arranging ‘sham’ contracts with several parties, including the Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owns the club and players’ image rights purchasing company Fordham, to inflate the price of their business transactions.
City were able to fraudulently reduce their operational costs by more than £900 million between 2009 and 2018, potentially preventing the club from breaching the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules and UEFA’s Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations.
In a statement on Friday, the FA said the independent commission’s ruling was significant and that it has begun reviewing the judgement and its implications to consider whether appropriate actions are warranted from the association.
“The Independent Commission’s decision has significant implications for the integrity of the game. We are carefully considering the decision and its implications and will take action where appropriate.
“As proceedings between the Premier League and Manchester City Football Club remain ongoing, we do not intend to comment further at this stage. We will, however, continue to monitor developments closely,” the FA said.
Reports said Manchester City plan to appeal the ruling, arguing that the sponsorship money the independent commission deemed ‘sham’ payments came from the United Arab Emirates’ government rather than the club’s owners.