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Manchester City ‘primed for battle’ and uncover ‘significant’ Premier League mistake

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Manchester City have issued a defiant defence after being hit with over 100 charges by the Premier League for alleged breaches of financial regulations.

The Premier League revealed on Monday that an independent commission will be appointed after a four-year investigation found a series of apparent breaches of league rules.

Charges relate to incidents spanning from the 2009/10 campaign to the 2017/18 season and regard financial information, profitability and sustainability, player and manager remuneration, failure to cooperate and UEFA regulations. 

In 2020, Manchester City successfully overturned a UEFA issued ban for alleged Financial Fair Play breaches, with the club appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Premier League rules prevent City from appealing to CAS, however the six-time league winners said in a statement that they have a “comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence” and that they “look forward to this matter being put to rest once and for all.”

Simon Mullock reports that Etihad officials are “primed for battle” and believe that the club will finally clear their name of allegations of wrongdoing.

The journalist also details the clubs surprise at the timing of the announcement, revealing that Manchester City’s legal team noticed a “significant number” of the charges and the regulations they breached were incorrectly notified on the original announcement released by the Premier League before being later altered.

“The independent commission gives the club the chance to get rid of the stain that the time-barred element of the CAS ruling left on our reputation. We were able to answer all of UEFA’s allegations but were prevented from doing so,” said a high-level City source.

“We always knew that this day would come – and we look forward to showing that when CAS ruled in our favour it was not because of a technicality.”

Numerous reports have also questioned the Premier League’s timing of the announcement, given the imminent publication of the UK Government’s white paper in regards to an independent football regulator.

A high-level source told the Mirror: “The Premier League have spent the last four years on this issue – and still managed to make mistakes in the statement.

“We have no doubts that this was because the announcement was rushed through to deflect attention away from the postponed white paper.”

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