Manchester City may be a team belonging to the English Championship (second division), not the English Premier League (EPL), in the 2025-2026 season.
Multiple media outlets, including the Daily Mail, reported on the 13th (Korea time) 'Man City is defending 115 allegations of financial rule violations, and last night it was revealed that a 10-week hearing was scheduled to begin next month.
The Daily Mail said Manchester City could be forced downgraded to the Championship if the allegations are proven by the hearing. The media reported that 'Man City has been accused of financially inadequate charges for nine years since 2009, and if found guilty, the toughest punishment is demotion. The reduction of points and fines are also a potential level of disciplinary punishment, he explained.
After Sheikh Mansour became Manchester City's owner, Manchester City achieved tremendous growth through oil money. Originally staying in the middle of the EPL, the team has now grown into the team that constitutes the best power in the world. It is no exaggeration to say that EPL has become the world of Manchester City since Pep Guardiola took over as manager of Manchester City.
Football fans have always wondered where Man City's astronomical money comes from. The Football Leaks scandal is an incident in which such information was disclosed worldwide. The Football Leaks scandal broke out in November 2018.
Internal documents of European big clubs secured by Football Leaks were released through German media outlet Spikel. According to information released by Football Leaks, Manchester City has made it possible to continue to spend money on recruiting players by using all kinds of expedient and illegal methods to avoid complying with financial fair play (FFP) regulations.
In response, UEFA imposed a two-year ban on Manchester City from advancing to the European competition based on data revealed by Football Leaks. However, Manchester City immediately appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). As a result, CAS withdrew UEFA's disciplinary action against Manchester City, saying Football Leaks' data was collected through illegal channels and that the statute of limitations had passed.
However, during the 2023-2024 season, Manchester City was charged with violating financial rules in the EPL. There were 115 charges. Manchester City is currently facing a total of 115 charges, including 54 cases of failing to provide accurate financial information from the 2009-2010 season to the 2017-2018 season, 14 cases of failing to provide accurate details on payment of player and manager salaries from the 2009-2010 season to the 2017-2018 season, and five cases of failing to comply with UEFA regulations, including FFP, from the 2013-2014 season to the 2017-2018 season.
The EPL has established an independent committee to investigate Manchester City allegations, and hearings are scheduled to begin next month.
The hearing is expected to last about 10 weeks. Manchester City's punishment level will be determined within the first half of 2025 at the latest. For now, Man City is denying all the allegations. Even if the disciplinary action is decided, Manchester City can appeal, so it may be delayed to see the final conclusion of the case.
It is not clear that there will be an unprecedented disciplinary action of relegation from the second division. There is also an analysis that disciplinary measures such as Everton or Nottingham Forest, whose points were cut in violation of EPL profitability and sustainability rules last season, may be imposed. What punishment Manchester City will face through the 115 charges is still unknown.
It is difficult to predict how the Manchester City squad will act if Manchester City is punished for relegation, which is the worst ending for Manchester City. It's a different league, but Juventus, which was relegated to the second division due to Italian Serie A match-fixing, had some players left, but not a few left.
All the players in Manchester City are world class players, so there may be players who do not want to play in the second division. If Manchester City is demoted to the second division, it is likely to be a huge issue due to Guardiola's future.
Throughout this summer, the prospect of Guardiola leaving Manchester City after the 2024-2025 season was very strong. Guardiola also said he could renew his contract, but rumors of Guardiola's departure from Manchester City have not subsided yet.
rlaeotlr2024@sportschosun.com
