Man City chairman accepts 115 Premier League charges

Manchester City’s chairman is frustrated with the team’s success being framed by reference to the Premier League allegations looming over the club.

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

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 his sympathy to fans and staff at “the way it’s being talked about” as everyone waits for a decision that is “taking longer than anyone hoped”.

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“Of course it’s frustrating. I think referencing is always frustrating. Let it be talked about the way it is talked about. I feel our fan base and everyone associated with the club have these allegations constantly brought up,” he said.

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

As well as the seismic hearing awaiting City into their allegations later in the year, the club are also challenging the Premier League’s latest iteration of related-party transaction rules, which they say are illegal and anti-competitive. The hearing will start next week and is expected to last two weeks.

City, who are challenging the APT rules, are unlikely to build any links with the Premier League or other clubs that have wanted to apply the APT rules following the Saudi-led takeover of Newcastle United.