According to an exclusive report from The Daily Telegraph, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur were informed of Manchester City's financial fair play case decision ahead of other Premier League clubs. These four clubs had previously sent Manchester City legal notices reserving the right to claim compensation in the future.

The report states that the Premier League informed the remaining 15 clubs of the decision by email on 25 September, while Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur received advance notice. Executives from other clubs were required to sign non-disclosure agreements to access the relevant details.

The Daily Telegraph contacted the four clubs regarding the early notification but did not receive responses. The Premier League also declined to comment.

Back in September 2024, in light of a six-year statute of limitations on compensation damage notices, each of these four clubs retained legal counsel to formally notify Manchester City that they were reserving the right to claim compensation should Manchester City ultimately be found guilty of rule breaches.

At that time, Premier League clubs had no direct communication channel with the independent commission responsible for reviewing the case, and therefore could not confirm in advance whether compensation would be part of the decision or punishment should one or more charges against Manchester City ultimately be upheld.

Other Premier League shareholder clubs did not take similar action at that time, including Chelsea, which was later charged by the Premier League and Football Association with historical breaches. However, according to the report, this does not mean these clubs have forfeited the right to claim compensation; it merely means the process for any future claims may be more complex.

Only one of the charges brought by the Premier League against Manchester City was not upheld; all others were found to be breaches. The identities of the independent commission members who reviewed the case have not yet been made public.

The main decision document comprises 40 pages, with substantial redactions in certain sections. Additionally, a large volume of appendices to the decision has not yet been published, and these materials may play an important role when other clubs pursue specific compensation claims in the future.

Consequently, the compensation question has become a central focus of the case. Burnley previously secured a £35 million compensation settlement in its case against Everton. That matter concerned the 2021/22 season, when Everton was later found guilty of breaching financial control regulations, and Burnley ultimately finished 18th in the Premier League and was relegated. Everton is currently appealing the compensation decision.

Manchester City has also confirmed it will appeal the decision in this case, which will be reviewed by a newly formed three-person committee. Under Premier League rules, the appeals committee must decide within 12 weeks, setting a final deadline of 21 January next year.

Manchester City stated that the club possesses "irrefutable evidence" and believes the current decision contains "clear and substantial errors in law, principle and fact across numerous areas, rendering it unreliable".

For Manchester City to successfully overturn the decision, it must demonstrate that the previous three-person committee made substantial errors in legal assessment or that procedural errors occurred during the case review.

The independent commission previously determined that between 2009 and 2018, the relevant transactions generated over £920 million in revenue on Manchester City's financial accounts. Approximately £830 million of this sum came from what the decision termed "fictitious contracts", meaning sponsorship agreement amounts were inflated, with the corresponding funds sourced from Manchester City owner Abu Dhabi United Group through other channels.

Переведено ИИ.

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