Sports Lawyer

🚨EXCL: Man City must face a FURTHER 100+ CHARGES for breaching Premier League rules I address how and why in the @LatteFirm podcast linked below between 37:45 and 42:15

⚖️ 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝘂𝘁𝘆-𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗠𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 People are starting to lose sight of what Man City actually did so let me spell it out… They didn’t like Uefa’s plan for FFP rules and so they set out on a mission to defy them every way they could, laughing about it all the while. That then carried over into defying Premier League rules. Simon Cliff named their scheme to off-book overheads “Project Longbow” in some weird act of defiance because it was “the weapon the English used to beat the French at Crécy and Agincourt.” Platini was his target here. That was their mindset. “We shall defy the rule makers.” Not work with them. Or influence them. But defy them. The exact opposite of sport’s very purpose. The UAE had been pumping hundreds of millions into the club and they weren’t prepared to stop because as far as they’re concerned, rules don’t apply to them. So they constructed a massive criminal conspiracy of financial fraud, false accounting and fraudulent reporting so that they could keep piling in the cash. Does that matter? Yes, it fucking matters. They weren’t just able to massively increase their own permitted spend. They massively outspent every other club through their cheating, whilst those other clubs obeyed the new rules and fell behind. Over the 16 seasons from when the UAE bought Man City through to May 2025, it spent £75m more a season on average (in 2025 prices) than Man Utd, in wages and fees. £232m more than Arsenal a season. But the cheating and increased financial power it afforded them is only part of the problem. The bigger issue is the culture that enabled it. They made payments off-book too, despite it being small-fry compared to the sponsor scheme, simply because they could and they enjoyed defying the rules. That signals the existence of a toxic culture that pervades the organisation. “Cheat because we can.” If you think these individuals didn’t then cheat in other ways we are yet to discover then you’re a fucking idiot. When culture like that exists, it exhibits your values and your values drive your behaviours. MBZ, Mansour, Khaldoon - their entire lives they have been above the law. It shaped their values. And their values have defined this iteration of Man City and those who work within it. Look at their reaction and the reaction of their execs when caught red handed with the email leaks. They denied, obfuscated, gaslighted, lied, perjured themselves and likely forced others to do the same. They’re indignant that people want to hold them to account because to them, you’re not worthy of holding them to account. They are greater than you. How dare you accuse them. There has not been anything quite like this in the history of sport. The Independent Commission is duty bound to do three things when it comes to issuing sanctions and determining compensation: 1) Protect the ongoing integrity of the league from the actions of this bad actor and others. Given the power the owners have, that means forcing them to sell up through the threat of expulsion or exclusion. There is no other way they can protect the league. They’re too corrupt and too powerful to be managed. If it weren’t for a hack, they wouldn’t have been caught in the first place. Protecting the integrity of the league also means issuing a punishment so severe that it acts as a suitable deterrent to others. That means title stripping, major fines and relegation (at a minimum). 2) Restoring the integrity of the league That means mitigating any sporting advantage Man City has secured through illicit means. That requires either an ongoing points reduction or a restriction of its spend (by applying a haircut to its SCR limits). 3) Make whole those who have been damaged by the breaches and are eligible for compensation. Some of the compensation claims will be vast and the Panel cannot shy away from that and try to split the baby. It has to make them whole.