On 28 September, The Sun published an article revisiting Manchester City's 2013 FA Cup Final defeat to Wigan Athletic, linking it to the Premier League financial rule breaches currently facing Manchester City.

The Sun recently published an article revisiting the Manchester City versus Wigan Athletic 2013 FA Cup Final, connecting Watson's late winning goal to the Premier League financial rule violations currently under investigation.

For many Manchester City supporters, Wembley Stadium on 18 May 2013 remains an unforgettable memory. Manchester City had a strong squad and had just won the Premier League title the year before. However, in the FA Cup Final, they unexpectedly lost 0-1 to Wigan Athletic.

The match remained goalless until the final moments. In the 90th minute, Wigan Athletic won a corner kick, and Watson headed the ball past Manchester City's goalkeeper in the penalty area. After the ball entered the net, Wigan's players and coaching staff celebrated joyfully, while Manchester City had to accept defeat in the final.

More surprisingly, Wigan Athletic was in the relegation zone at the time and ultimately could not avoid being relegated. From an outsider's perspective, this match became one of the most dramatic FA Cup finals in that year's history.

For Manchester City, the impact of this defeat went beyond failing to win the FA Cup trophy.

Manager Roberto Mancini had led Manchester City to significant achievements, including a Premier League title, but before the FA Cup Final defeat, rumours had already begun circulating that Manuel Pellegrini might replace him. Mancini was very unhappy with these reports, and after losing the final, he ultimately could not retain his position.

Just days later, Manchester City officially announced Mancini's departure. Subsequently, Pellegrini, from Chile, took over as manager and later led Manchester City to win another Premier League title.

However, according to The Sun, Mancini's departure, beyond competitive issues, also created financial problems.

At that time, Manchester City was preparing its financial report for the 2012-13 season. The report stated that the club's Chief Financial Officer, Jorge Chumillas, needed to handle costs related to Mancini's departure.

According to The Sun, citing emails previously disclosed by German magazine Der Spiegel, Manchester City's cost for terminating Mancini was approximately £9.9 million. For Manchester City, facing UEFA's Financial Fair Play requirements, this expenditure could create a significant financial shortfall.

The issue was that if Manchester City won the 2013 FA Cup, the club would receive championship bonuses from sponsors. However, Watson's final header at Wembley changed everything.

Wigan Athletic ultimately won the trophy, and Manchester City not only lost the cup but also missed out on potential sponsor bonuses.

According to The Sun, Manchester City's CEO at the time, Ferran Soriano, proposed that if the club could receive sponsor bonuses related to winning the FA Cup, they might be able to use these funds to cover the financial shortfall caused by Mancini's departure.

However, because Manchester City ultimately lost the match, this bonus naturally did not materialise.

Subsequently, according to relevant emails previously released by Der Spiegel, internal discussions at Manchester City began about how to address this funding gap. It was reported that the club ultimately considered adjusting payment schedules for certain sponsorship funds to resolve the issue.

The sponsors involved included Etihad Airways and Aabar Investments.

The Sun stated that Chumillas asked whether the payment dates for relevant sponsor funds could be adjusted to resolve the financial arrangements at that time.

Simon Pearce, Manchester City's long-serving board member, was later accused of providing a controversial response in an email: "Of course, we can do whatever we want."

This statement subsequently became a focal point in related reports.

It should be noted that the content above is largely based on documents previously disclosed by Der Spiegel and reports from The Sun. The specific meaning and legal validity require consideration alongside all evidence in the case and related rulings.

In 2018, Der Spiegel published numerous internal documents and emails related to Manchester City, which subsequently attracted further attention from UEFA and the Premier League regarding Manchester City's financial issues.

Some of these emails involved matters such as the club's sponsor revenue, player and coaching staff salaries, and financial reporting.

In 2020, UEFA found Manchester City had seriously breached Financial Fair Play regulations and imposed a two-year ban from European competitions, along with a fine.

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

Ultimately, CAS overturned UEFA's previous ban from European competitions but also reviewed Manchester City's cooperation in the relevant investigation and imposed a fine on the club.

Following this, the Premier League's investigation into Manchester City continued.

Now, with new developments in Manchester City's Premier League financial rule violations case, the 2013 FA Cup Final has been brought up again by the media.

According to previous reports, the Premier League has brought 115 charges against Manchester City for alleged violations of league financial regulations, primarily covering the period from 2009 to 2018. The related charges involve whether Manchester City provided accurate financial information, whether they fully disclosed remuneration for certain players and coaching staff, and whether they complied with relevant Premier League financial regulations, among other aspects.

According to information cited in The Sun's report, Manchester City has been found to have breached the majority of the relevant charges.

This has also brought a series of internal emails following the 2013 FA Cup Final into the spotlight.

From a timeline perspective, there is a certain connection between Watson's goal, Mancini's departure, and the subsequent financial arrangements. Manchester City expected to receive bonuses related to winning the FA Cup, but Wigan Athletic's late goal changed the match result and caused Manchester City to miss out on this potential revenue.

At the same time, Mancini's departure incurred related costs of approximately £9.9 million. Against this backdrop, the club's internal discussions reportedly began about how to address the financial shortfall, which subsequently involved issues such as sponsor payment schedules.

Therefore, in the context of the current Premier League case, the 2013 match holds additional significance for Manchester City.

However, it should be emphasised that the 2013 FA Cup Final itself involved no rule violations. Wigan Athletic's victory over Manchester City via Watson's header was a normal football match. The actual focus of attention is the alleged internal discussions at Manchester City regarding financial reporting and sponsor funds following the match result.

Watson's header that year thus evolved from the goal that decided the FA Cup winner into a frequently referenced point in time in reports concerning Manchester City's financial controversies in recent years.

For Manchester City, this chapter of history has attracted renewed attention 13 years later because several charges in the club's current Premier League case happen to cover the period around 2013.

Currently, Manchester City continues to deny the relevant charges and is expected to continue defending itself through legal proceedings. Therefore, at this stage, the final penalty for the case and subsequent legal proceedings may still undergo further changes.

As for Manchester City, whether that defeat was merely an ordinary FA Cup Final loss or had deeper implications for the club's subsequent financial arrangements ultimately needs to be assessed together with the complete evidence of the case, rulings, and subsequent legal proceedings.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

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