Manchester City’s 115 Charges: The Verdict

The Rest Is Football

The episode begins with a heavy discussion regarding the Premier League's findings on Manchester City's 115 financial charges, detailing all

Key takeaways

• The Independent Commission found Manchester City guilty on most charges related to breaching financial rules between 2009 and 2018.
• Findings suggest a decade-long scheme used to artificially inflate revenues by approximately £900 million through sham contracts.

Main topics

• Manchester City 115 charges verdict
• Premier League financial regulations

Notable quotes

The reports were troubling... I felt absolutely devastated.

Conclusion

While the legal fallout for Manchester City threatens to create a last

Transcript preview

Speaker 1 (0:11) Hello and welcome to The Rest Is Football with Alan Shearer, Micah Richards and me, Gary Lineker. Before we talk about England, the Premier League has released the findings of the Independent Commission into Manchester City's 115 charges and they make for quite extraordinary reading. The independent commissioners found City guilty on all charges related to the breaches of Premier League financial rules between 2009 and 2018, and all but one of the charges relating to non-cooperation. A damning statement described a decade-long scheme of sham contracts and disguised funding, artificially inflating revenues and reducing costs by £900 million. It found the club knowingly filed misstated accounts and that some key witnesses knowingly gave untrue and dishonest evidence. Manchester City continue to deny any wrongdoing and have stated their intention to appeal before Friday's deadline. The question of sanctions, including potential points deductions or expulsion, is still to be decided. Micah, it's obviously... Very difficult for you. You're very much associated with City. You won league titles with them and various competitions. How did that news and how did you feel when you read that news? Speaker 2 (1:31) Well, first of all, the reports were troubling. I saw the words which were used by the Premier League in sham contracts. I felt absolutely devastated. As obviously someone who loves Manchester City, I know we have a laugh and a joke about a sport in Arsenal when they're young, but Man City's my club. Being at that club since I was 14 years old, I would die for that club. All the rollercoaster from being in the academy, down at Platt Lane, going all the way through, making it to the first team. I achieved my dream at Manchester City. I did. But then to hear these reports and not only me as an ex-player, but the fans, what they have to go through, absolutely devastating. My digs man, for those who don't know what a digs are, it's someone who you, when you leave home and you go stay and wear it. That was me in Manchester in Gatley. He rang me today and he was literally in tears about, and asking me about information, which... I don't know. I haven't got the answers to tell him. And that's someone who supported the club for 60 years, 60 odd years. And the uncertainty around it is just, it's heartbreaking. The words I use are heartbreaking. To have a headline of this nature for a club that I love so much, it's been difficult. If you listen to the reports, what I've been said, they are damning. So... How do I feel? I feel saddened. I feel angry. I feel a little bit confused because on the other side, you have City's side of the story. I saw the interview that Farhan had and he said they've got evidence to prove that they're innocent, essentially. What a mess. Speaker 3 (3:23) What a complete and utter mess. I go back to what we said at the weekend. The ramifications. go so far. It's unbelievable because where does it stop? Where do the clubs stop? Where do individuals stop? Where do the accolades? I mean, there's so much at stake here for football, for the Premier League and obviously for Manchester City. So, yeah, it's a complete and utter mess, isn't it? I mean, I look at their success. Clearly, they have to wait for the sanctions to come out. Then do they appeal them? I mean, if it all comes out in terms of, yeah, you're done, you're banged Speaker 5 (4:08) to Speaker 3 (4:08) rights, Speaker 5 (4:08) how Speaker 3 (4:09) do they get over? How do they look back? I know the fans have had their memories, but that Aguero moment, you know, that is one of, if not the greatest moment. in Premier League history in terms of how it unfolded and what happened on the day. I mean, that's blown apart, that is now, if that's what's going to happen. You know, it's like, that's done. That memory, what we all, I mean, I'm not a City fan and I don't really care, but that, that for me was one of the iconic moments in Premier League history. When or if City are done or bang to rights, it's finished. Speaker 2 (4:44) Me being in that dressing room and the players, have nothing to do with what happens in boardrooms, with decisions on players, with finances and all that sort of stuff. And the camaraderie that we had in that dressing room now is going to be called into question whether people believe it was legit. And there are no winners in this. If Man City... do the appeal and they get off with the appeal, then it's still going to be tarnished. And then if they're found guilty, you know, after the appeal, then what happens then? And it's not just Man City fans or Man City players. It's the whole of the Premier League comes into question. That's the bit which this could be something that goes on for years and years and years. Speaker 1 (5:37) At this point, I would say, you know, obviously a lot of football fans will say that. get some kind of satisfaction out of this but for me the people that suffer the most with these things and i've been part of you know leicester's my team and they got point reductions and proved really costly um and they you know they got things wrong and we accepted it i just wonder if manchester city would be better off just i mean unless i mean i saw faran's um statement where he's you know he said we we've got irrefutable evidence well if it was irrefutable That would have been shown before. This is an independent committee that has made this as well. It's not part of the Premier League. It's a separate thing. He also said that, you know, we appealed before against UEFA and we got that overturned, but they got that overturned because it was time barred. It wasn't necessary to do with any of the evidence. So, you know, with these things, if they've been found guilty, I'm sure they will appeal. I wonder if they're... actually be better off just saying, maybe we got it wrong, we apologise, we take the punishment, we take the sanctions and let's try and move on. Speaker 3 (6:49) Whatever happens has to be done quickly because we can't have a scenario where they're appealing and they're sitting top of the league and there's a chance they could win the league again. Do you know what I mean? Speaker 1 (6:58) I don't know the legal situation in terms of whether they can dish out the punishment, regardless of an appeal, but... The people that really suffer, I always think as well with these things, is the fans. I