On May 28, The Sun published an article revisiting Man City's loss to Wigan Athletic in the 2013 FA Cup Final and linking it to Man City's current Premier League financial fair play violations.

The Sun recently published an article revisiting the match between Man City and Wigan Athletic in the 2013 FA Cup Final, connecting Ben Watson's late winner to Man City's ongoing Premier League financial fair play violations.

For many Man City fans, May 18, 2013, at Wembley Stadium was an unforgettable day—though not in the way they hoped. At the time, Man City had a strong squad having won the Premier League title the previous year. However, in the FA Cup Final, they were shocked to lose 0-1 to Wigan Athletic.

The match remained goalless until the closing stages. In the 90th minute, Wigan Athletic won a corner, and Ben Watson headed the ball into the back of Man City's net from inside the penalty area. As the ball crossed the line, Wigan's players and coaching staff erupted in celebration, while Man City had to accept defeat in the final.

What made the result even more remarkable was that Wigan Athletic were in the Premier League's relegation zone at the time and would be relegated by season's end. From an outsider's perspective, this match became one of the most dramatic FA Cup Finals in history.

For Man City, the impact of this defeat extended far beyond missing out on the FA Cup trophy.

Manager Roberto Mancini had led Man City to significant achievements, including a Premier League title, but following the FA Cup Final defeat, rumors began to circulate that Manuel Pellegrini might replace him. Mancini was displeased with these reports, and after losing the final, he was eventually unable to retain his position.

Within days, Man City officially announced Mancini's departure. Pellegrini, arriving from Chile, subsequently took over the club and later led Man City to another Premier League title.

However, according to The Sun, Mancini's departure involved not just sporting issues but also financial complications.

At that time, Man City was preparing its financial report for the 2012-13 season. The report indicated that club finance director Jorge Chumillas needed to address costs arising from Mancini's departure.

According to The Sun, citing emails previously published by German magazine Der Spiegel, the cost to Man City for dismissing Mancini was approximately £9.9 million. For Man City, facing UEFA's Financial Fair Play requirements, this expense could create a significant financial deficit.

The issue was that if Man City had won the 2013 FA Cup, the club would have received a prize bonus from sponsors. However, Ben Watson's header in the dying moments at Wembley changed everything.

Wigan Athletic ultimately won the trophy, and Man City not only lost the cup but also forfeited a potential sponsorship bonus.

According to The Sun, former Man City CEO Ferran Soriano suggested that if the club could receive the sponsorship bonus related to winning the FA Cup, they could use it to offset the financial deficit from Mancini's departure.

But because Man City ultimately lost the match, this bonus never materialized.

Subsequently, according to related emails published by Der Spiegel, internal discussions at Man City began about how to address this financial gap. The club allegedly considered resolving the issue by adjusting payment schedules for certain sponsorship agreements.

The sponsors involved included Etihad Airways and Aabar Investments.

The Sun reported that Chumillas asked whether payment dates for the sponsorship agreements could be adjusted to address financial arrangements at that time.

And Simon Pearce, a longtime Man City board member, allegedly responded with a rather controversial statement in an email: "Of course, we can do whatever we want."

This statement later became a focal point in related reports.

It should be noted that the above content primarily comes from documents previously disclosed by Der Spiegel and reports from The Sun, and their specific meaning and legal significance should be considered alongside all evidence in the case and related rulings.

In 2018, Der Spiegel disclosed a series of documents and internal emails related to Man City, which subsequently attracted increased attention from UEFA and the Premier League regarding Man City's financial issues.

Some of these emails related to matters such as the club's sponsorship revenue, player and coaching staff salaries, and financial reports.

In 2020, UEFA found Man City in serious breach of Financial Fair Play rules and imposed a two-year ban from European competitions, along with a fine.

Man City subsequently appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Ultimately, CAS overturned UEFA's previous ban from European competitions but also cited Man City's lack of cooperation during the investigation and imposed a fine on the club.

Since then, the Premier League's investigation into Man City has continued.

Currently, with new developments in Man City's Premier League financial fair play case, the 2013 FA Cup Final has been recalled by the media.

According to previous reports, the Premier League has brought 115 charges against Man City for alleged breaches of the league's financial rules, primarily covering the period from 2009 to 2018. These charges relate to whether Man City provided accurate financial information, fully disclosed the remuneration of certain players and coaches, and complied with the Premier League's financial regulations, among other aspects.

And according to information cited in The Sun's report, Man City has now been found to have committed most of the related charges.

This has also brought the internal emails following the 2013 FA Cup Final back into focus.

From a timeline perspective, there is a certain connection between Ben Watson's goal, Mancini's departure, and the subsequent financial arrangements. Man City had hoped to receive the related prize bonus by winning the FA Cup, but Wigan Athletic's late goal changed the match result and also deprived Man City of this potential revenue.

Meanwhile, Mancini's departure created associated costs of approximately £9.9 million. In this context, the club allegedly began internal discussions about how to address the financial shortfall and other matters such as the timing of sponsorship payments.

Therefore, in the context of the current Premier League case, the 2013 match carries different significance for Man City.

However, it must be emphasized that the 2013 FA Cup Final itself does not imply any rule violations. Wigan Athletic's victory over Man City via Ben Watson's header was a normal football match. The real focus of attention is the alleged internal discussions at Man City regarding financial reporting and sponsorship funds that occurred following the match result.

Ben Watson's header that year thus transformed from a decisive FA Cup-winning goal into a point in time frequently referenced in reports relating to Man City's financial controversies in recent years.

For Man City, the reason this historical incident has resurfaced 13 years later is because some of the charges in the club's current Premier League case cover the period around 2013.

Currently, Man City continues to deny the charges and is expected to continue contesting them through legal proceedings. Therefore, the eventual sanctions in the case and subsequent legal processes remain subject to change at this stage.

For Man City, whether that defeat was simply a routine FA Cup Final loss or had deeper implications for the club's subsequent financial arrangements will ultimately need to be determined in conjunction with the full evidence of the related case, rulings, and subsequent legal proceedings.

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