Why Man City will not be punished for FFP this season.

The Premier League has accused Everton and Nottingham Forest of violating the profit and sustainability regulations (PSR).

They have been informed that they will be fined within a maximum of three months for exceeding the £105 million in losses that were allowed over a three-year period.

Manchester City will not have their case heard for some time after being charged in February 2023 with 115 alleged breaches spanning from 2009 to 2018.

What could the allegations against Everton and Forest mean for City, how can that be the case, and when will the case be heard?

For what purpose are Man City charging 115?

City’s alleged breaches start in the 2009-10 campaign and finish in 2017-18.

They largely centre on either artificially inflated or undersold financial figures, related to general revenue, sponsor revenue and manager remuneration, particularly under Roberto Mancini.

Yet there are also breaches of Uefa’s Financial Fair Play regulations (FFP) between 2013-18 and PSR between 2015-18, as well as breaches of rules which require clubs to co-operate and assist the Premier League with its investigations.

City’s alleged offences are far more varied and serious than what Forest and Everton have been charged with, but it is that complexity and significance which is causing the delay.

Under new regulations put in place by the Premier League, any club charged with a standard financial rule breach must have their case and any potential appeals heard within 12 weeks of the charges being brought.

This implies that any penalties imposed on Forest or Everton will go into effect during the season in which the violation occurred.

However, since City’s charges are not regarded as “standard,” there is no time limit on how long they will face punishment. Additionally, they have assembled a sizable and exceptionally skilled superteam of attorneys who will make sure the procedure moves as slowly and inefficiently as possible.

Dr. Rob Wilson, a football financial expert, explained to me that the reason is that it’s one year multiplied by 115. P&S calculations penalize teams for infractions committed during a single season. Although the Everton charges document was 190 pages long, it is much shorter than the one that City will have.

“There is simply an enormous volume of paperwork and litigation to handle. It’s just incredibly complex and involves many individuals. It’s comparable to the Post Office scandal in modern times. As we do with the Post Office now, we’ll probably look back in ten years and see similar shortcomings that affect not just the Premier League and the club but also Uefa, the government, and other organizations.

It illustrates how weak the Premier League and Uefa have been during the last 15–20 years in European football. I worked with Der Spiegel for a while in 2017, and the evidence I saw made me wonder why it hadn’t been addressed. It was now seven years ago.

When will Man City’s FFP hearing take place?

Premier League CEO Richard Masters confirmed on Tuesday that a date has been set for City’s case to be heard, but refused to reveal when that was.

This is due to Premier League regulations which dictate that most elements of a hearing such as City’s are confidential.

Masters would have breached rules X25 and W82 had he said when the hearing will be held.

It was reported last year that the date could be as early as this August, although this is yet to be confirmed.

Masters said: “If any club, whether they’re current champions or otherwise, had been found in breach of the spending rules for the year 2022-23, they would be in exactly the same position as Everton or Nottingham Forest.

“But the volume and the character of the charges are being held in a completely different environment. There is a deadline set for that proceeding, unfortunately I cannot tell you when that is, but that is progressing.”

Does Man City stand to lose from Everton and Forest’s punishments?

Yes, in an indirect way.Everton’s 10-point fine from the previous fiscal term, which they are contesting, served as an illustration of the strict stance the Premier League is adopting against PSR violations.

This is primarily an effort to thwart the establishment of an impartial football regulator, which would strip the Premier League of its authority to impose its own budgetary restrictions and sanctions.

It also raises the possible hurdle for City: if a breach is worth ten points, what is the value of 115? Does that translate to 50 points even if they are only found guilty of five out of the 115? Is it ten for the first and five for each additional one?

It is quite doubtful that City would escape punishment if at least part of their charges were found to be true. At worst, that punishment would be relegation to the Championship, and at worse, even lower, possibly with the loss of some of their trophies.

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