Manchester City hierarchy must also be punished if guilty, says former FA chief
Manchester City chiefs must face personal punishments if the findings that they orchestrated almost £1bn of secret payments to the club are upheld, according to former Football Association boss Mark Palios.
City say they intend to appeal the decision made by an independent commission that all but one of more than 100 charges brought by the Premier League had been proven, leaving the club facing sanctions ranging from relegation to fines and transfer bans.
Palios, a former footballer who became an accountant and a partner at PwC before FA chief executive in 2003, believes that the individuals responsible for the alleged cheating – whose names have been redacted from the documents released – must also be held accountable.
“What is the most damning issue is the comments [in the commission’s decision] regarding the intent of City,” he said.
“When you are looking at what sanctions to apply, you are looking at sanctions which not only hurt the fans and the club but the individuals who made this happen. You have to look at those individuals and think, ‘What are you going to do with them?’”
Manchester City were found guilty of artificially inflating revenue and decreasing costs to the value of more than £900m, mostly through a series of what the independent commission called “sham” contracts with related parties, from 2009 to 2018.
During that period the club won their first three Premier League titles, embarking on an era of unprecedented success. In the following six years they won the domestic title five more times and a first Champions League.
Palios: City sanctions should be significant
City have until the end of this week to lodge their appeal but have stated that they will challenge the commission’s findings “on the basis that the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe”.
Palios, who now owns League One side Tranmere Rovers, added on Sky Sports News: “I do hear the rebuttal from Man City but I find it difficult to believe, based on the excoriating statement from the Premier League and the information coming out of the commission, that the appeal will be successful unless new evidence is presented.
“I don’t have a view on the sanctions other than they have to be proportionate and have to be significant. In terms of proportionality, it is difficult because there is no precedent for this. There are some PSR [profitability and sustainability rules] decisions which have been made but, [considering] the whole range of changes laid against City, there is nothing like it in the past.”
Premier League chief executive said the organisation’s seven-year pursuit of City had been vindicated by the commission’s decision and called it “the most significant disciplinary case” in its history.
Former City manager Pep Guardiola, who stepped down as manager after a decade in May, offered his backing to the club’s hierarchy in a post on social media.
“I want every single Manchester City fan across the world to know I am here; more than ever,” he said. “I am, always have been, always will, be behind my club, my owner [Sheikh Mansour], my chairman [Khaldoon Al Mubarak], Ferran [Soriano, CEO], the players, staff, Enzo [Maresca, manager] and you, our unique supporters. Let me be clear: we will get through this together.””