On September 28, The Sun published a review article examining Manchester City's loss to Wigan Athletic in the 2013 FA Cup final, connecting it to Manchester City's current alleged breaches of Premier League financial regulations.

The Sun recently published a review of the 2013 FA Cup final between Manchester City and Wigan Athletic, linking Ben Watson's late winner to the Premier League financial regulations case that Manchester City currently faces.

For many Manchester City supporters, Wembley Stadium on May 18, 2013 represents an unforgettable memory. At that time, Manchester City had a strong squad and had just won the Premier League title the previous year. However, in the FA Cup final, they suffered an unexpected 0-1 defeat to Wigan Athletic.

The match remained level until the final stages. In the 90th minute, Wigan Athletic received a corner kick, and Ben Watson headed the ball past Manchester City's goalkeeper from inside the penalty area. After the goal, Wigan's players and coaching staff erupted in celebration, while Manchester City could only accept defeat in the final.

What made this result even more surprising was that Wigan Athletic was in the bottom half of the Premier League table at the time and ultimately could not avoid relegation. From an outsider's perspective, this match became one of the most dramatic FA Cup finals in history that year.

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

Manager Roberto Mancini had led Manchester City to great success, including a Premier League title. However, before the FA Cup final defeat, rumors circulated that Manuel Pellegrini might replace him. Mancini was deeply unhappy with these reports, and after losing the final, he was unable to retain his position.

Just days later, Manchester City officially announced Mancini's departure. Chilean manager Pellegrini then took over and subsequently led Manchester City to another Premier League title.

However, according to The Sun's report, Mancini's departure created financial problems beyond purely sporting issues.

At that time, Manchester City was preparing its financial report for the 2012-13 season. The report indicated that club finance chief executive Garry Cook had to handle expenses related to Mancini's departure.

According to The Sun, citing emails previously revealed by German magazine Der Spiegel, Manchester City's costs for terminating Mancini's contract were approximately £9.9 million. For Manchester City, which was subject to UEFA's Financial Fair Play regulations, this expense could create a significant financial gap.

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

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

According to The Sun's report, Manchester City CEO Ferran Soriano at the time suggested that if the club could receive sponsorship bonuses related to winning the FA Cup, these funds might be used to cover the financial gap created by Mancini's departure.

However, since Manchester City ultimately lost the match, this bonus never materialized.

Following this, according to emails previously revealed by Der Spiegel, internal discussions at Manchester City began regarding how to address this financial shortfall. There are reports that the club ultimately considered adjusting payment schedules for certain sponsor funding.

The sponsors involved included airline Etihad and Aabar Investments.

The Sun reported that Cook inquired whether payment dates for the relevant sponsor funding could be adjusted to address the financial arrangements at that time.

Long-serving Manchester City board member Simon Pearce allegedly responded 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 is largely sourced from documents previously revealed by Der Spiegel and reports from The Sun. The specific meaning and legal accuracy must be considered alongside all relevant evidence and judgments in the case.

In 2018, Der Spiegel revealed internal documents and emails related to Manchester City, which subsequently drew increased scrutiny from UEFA and the Premier League regarding Manchester City's financial issues.

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

In 2020, UEFA found that Manchester City seriously violated Financial Fair Play regulations and imposed a two-year European competition ban along with a fine.

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

Eventually, CAS overturned UEFA's European competition ban, but required Manchester City's cooperation in related investigations and imposed a financial penalty on the club.

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

Now, with new developments in Manchester City's Premier League financial regulations case, the 2013 FA Cup final has been brought up in media discussions again.

According to previous reports, the Premier League has charged Manchester City with 115 breaches of league financial regulations, with most allegations covering the period from 2009 to 2018. These charges concern whether Manchester City provided accurate financial information, fully disclosed compensation for certain players and coaches, and complied with relevant Premier League financial regulations, among other matters.

Based on information referenced in The Sun's report, Manchester City has been found to have committed breaches in most of the relevant charges.

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

From a timeline perspective, there is a connection between Ben Watson's goal, Mancini's departure, and the subsequent financial management. Manchester City had hoped to receive related bonuses by winning the FA Cup, but Wigan Athletic's late goal changed the outcome and caused Manchester City to miss this potential revenue.

Meanwhile, Mancini's departure created related costs of approximately £9.9 million. Under these circumstances, internal discussions at the club began regarding how to address the financial shortfall, which involved matters such as the timing of sponsor payments.

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

However, it must be emphasized that the 2013 FA Cup final itself involved no rule violations. Wigan Athletic's victory over Manchester City through Ben Watson's header was a normal football match. The real focus lies on Manchester City's internal discussions, which have been alleged to involve financial reporting and sponsor funding arrangements that occurred after the match result.

Thus, Ben Watson's goal that year transformed from a decisive FA Cup final winner into a reference point repeatedly cited in reports regarding Manchester City's financial disputes over the following years.

For Manchester City, the reason this history has resurfaced after 13 years is that some of the charges in the club's current Premier League case cover the 2013 period.

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

For Manchester City, whether the defeat at that time was merely a routine FA Cup final loss or had broader implications for the club's subsequent financial management will ultimately need to be determined considering all relevant evidence, verdicts, and subsequent legal proceedings in the case.

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