Manchester City are in deep water as they face 115 FFP charges… Here is a full breakdown of all charges and when City are expected to go to trial

Over the past year fans have witnessed two Premier League clubs, Everton and Nottingham Forest be charged with breaching the rules of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) which has resulted in both sides being handed point deductions.

However any action has yet to be taken against Manchester City who were the first Premier League side to be accused of breaching UEFA’s Financial Fair Play.  

Manchester City face 115 charges related to beaches of FFP rules and regulations, which date all the way back to 2009 and goes all the way to 2018. 

Last year’s treble winners are no strangers to being investigated.

The Manchester side had already been under investigation between 2019 and 2023, resulting in the 2022/23 treble winners being banned from UEFA competitions for two seasons and also received a fine of £26.8million.

The club ended up appealing the charges and took the case to court where their UEFA ban was overturned and the £26.8million fine was reduced to £8.9m.

Financial Fair Play was set up by UEFA back in 2009 and has been implemented by England’s top flight since the beginning of the 2011-12 season.

FFP was designed by UEFA to ensure clubs don’t overspend, the aim is to make sure each club will only spend what they earn which will avoid clubs from going into debt.

Which was the case for many clubs before FFP was introduced.

The basic understanding of FFP is the break-even requirement, which means that each club must balance their income and expenditure over a three-year period.  

Manchester City 115 FFP Charges

Manchester City have been charged with a staggering 115 charges of breaking FFP rules during a nine year period.

The time period stretches back to 2009 all the way to 2018. The full 115 charge list was revealed in a Premier League statement in February 2023.

City allegedly face multiple breaches of FFP throughout multiple seasons, which makes the list of potential breaches longer and has resulted with the club being charged with a whopping 115 breaches of FFP regulations.

All the charges faced by Manchester City are serious and if they are proved to have broken all or some of these charges, serious repercussions should be expected. 

The charges against the club will be investigated, reviewed and analysed by an independent commission.

Charges explained

The first alleged breach and the breach which City face the most charges from claims that from every season from 2009-10 to 2017-18, the Manchester side failed to follow the rules that states that member clubs must provide accurate financial information to the league.

This allows the FFP a ‘true and fair’ view of a club’s revenue which includes sponsorship deals and their operating cost, which involve player salaries. 

Every club in the Premier League signs up to a code of compliance, which essentially translates to clubs agreeing to behave themselves and provide the league with accurate and up-to-date accounts that are expected to be audited each year.

Over the past few year’s City have been accused of inflating the value of their sponsorships which are connected to their owners. 

Another charge which City face accuses City of not being truthful in the reporting of the compensating they handed out to leaving managers over the course of multiple seasons.

They also face accusations of reducing the cost of player and coach salaries by introducing a third party who paid a portion of the wages. 

All of City’s 115 charges were first reported by German outlet, Der Spiegel.  

 Timeline of the 115 charges coming to light 

• November 2018: German media, Der Speigel outlet publish several articles accusing Manchester City of breaching FFP rules 
• March 2019: UEFA launch a formal investigtion following Der Speigel’s publications
• May 2019: Manchester City critises the investigation and begin an appeal process
• November 2018: CAS grant Manchester City’s appeal, claiming UEFA’s showed a lack of decision
• February 2020: UEFA announces that Manchester City will face a two-year ban from all European competition and issue a £28.6m fine
• July 2020: Manchester City appeal ban and see it lifted – only have to pay £8.9m fine 
• February 2023: The Premier League charge Manchester City with over 115 breaches of FFP rules and regulations 
• Autumn 2024: Manchester City’s FFP trial is set to begin 
• Summer 2025: A verdict of Manchester City’s 115 charges is expected to be reached 

Trial and potential punishments 

The legal trial between Manchester City and the Premier League is set to get underway this Autumn, 2024.

The trial will be heard in private as the Premier League rule regarding FFP breaches states that any ruling before an independent commission will be held in private and will be strictly confidential. 

As the trial is to take place behind closed doors, it means Media outlets will learn no knowledge of the case until a final verdict is revealed by the Premier League.

Therefore the media will learn of the ruling at the same time as everybody else. 

In relation to punishments, the current legislation has eight potential punishments for a club who have been found to of breached FFP rules. 

Like any form of punishment, some are a lot more severe than others, with one essentially being a slap of the wrist and others being detrimental to the club’s future. 

Eight FFP punishments:

• A formal warning 
• Fines (amount depending on severity of breach)
• Points deduction (amount depending on severity of breach)
• Refusal of revenue from UEFA competitions
• Prohibiting clubs to register new players to their squads for UEFA competitions 
• A limit of the amount of players that can be registered in a club’s squad for UEFA competitions
• Disqualification from an ongoing UEFA competition
• Exclusion from future UEFA competitions