Man City chairman makes admission over Premier League 115 charges

Manchester City’s chairman is frustrated by the success of the team being framed by reference to the Premier League charges hanging over the club.

City have been accused of 115 rule breaches that include misrepresenting their financial position for almost a decade in order to gain a competitive advantage. The hearing will take place later this year, over 18 months after the allegations were made public, and until it is resolved questions remain about the success and legacy of the team.

The Blues are proud of what they have achieved, celebrating a Treble in 2023 before becoming the first team in English history to win four league titles in a row this summer. However, chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak expressed sympathy with fans and staff at ‘the way it’s being talked about’ as everyone waits for a ruling that is ‘taking longer than what anyone hoped for’.

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“Of course, it’s frustrating. I think the referencing is always frustrating. Having it being talked about the way it’s being talked about. I can feel for our fanbase, and everyone associated with the club, to have these charges constantly referenced,” he said.

“I think we as a club have to respect that there is a process that we have to go through, and we’re going through it. It’s taking longer than what anyone hoped for, but it is what it is, and I’ve always repeated, let’s be judged by the facts, and not by claims and counterclaims.”

In addition to the seismic hearing awaiting City over their charges later in the year, the club are also disputing the Premier League’s latest iteration of the Associated Party Transaction rules that they are said to claim are unlawful and anti-competitive. That hearing will start next week and is expected to last a fortnight.

City contesting the APT rules are unlikely to build any bridges with the Premier League or other clubs that were keen to enforce APT rules after the Saudi-led takeover of Newcastle United.