Premier League chief executive Richard Masters is adamant the Premier League will “survive” the bitter fallout with Manchester City amid a dispiriting independent panel revelation.
An independent hearing into the Citizens’ alleged breaches of financial fair play finished in mid-December, and with a verdict expected imminently a number of sanctions have been touted, including points penalties, transfer embargoes, stripping titles and even complete expulsion from the Premier League.
City have claimed two legal wins over the Premier League, with Associated Party Transaction (APT) rules deemed ‘null and void’ in the most recent ‘significant’ victory for the club.
But they will be sweating the outcome of the FFP hearing despite insisting on their innocence throughout proceedings.
Both Everton and Nottingham Forest were docked points in 2023/2024 for breaking Profit and Sustainability (PSR) rules, and City look set to be hit considerably harder if they’re found guilty.
This has also been a damaging time for the Premier League, with reports suggesting up to £50m has been spent on lawyers, but Masters believes the reputation of the competition won’t be harmed in the long run.
“There is no happy alternative to enforcing the rules,” he told the Financial Times. “The Premier League will survive the impact of all of this and come through it. The broadcast partners, fans around the world, our new sponsors have great confidence in the Premier League.”
Masters has been castigated by fans since the charges were aimed at City and insists it’s just something he has to “accept” is part of the job.
“The flipside of the popularity of the Premier League . . . is that it’s heavily scrutinised and everyone has a view,” Masters said. “You just have to accept it.”
“I don’t enjoy it. You just have to let it pass through you and move on.”
In what is presumably a painful reality for Masters and a dispiriting revelation for fans of Manchester City and rivals who want the book to be thrown at the reigning champions, according to the Financial Times this process looks set to be ‘dragged out for a very, very long time yet’.
‘It is not the independent panel that will decide their punishment,’ the report states. ‘Instead, that will be another separate process and both the club and the Premier League will have the right to appeal.’
It’s been two years since City were accused of the breaches and the independent panel’s verdict could come at any point, but until then (and possibly for a long while after too) Masters “literally cannot say a word about it”.
La Liga chief Javier Tebas has been more forthcoming however, revealing at the Financial Times’ Business of Football Summit last week that the Spanish league had filed a complaint against City to the European Commission, claiming the way the club is funded breaches EU competition law.
City have not commented and neither did Pep Guardiola, merely replying “next” when asked about Tebas’ revelation.