Man United are one of four clubs who reportedly reserved the right to bring a compensation claim against Manchester City.
Manchester United could sue Manchester City if a guilty verdict is upheld in relation to breaches of Premier League financial rules
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Manchester United could look to sue Manchester City for "tens of millions of pounds" in compensation if a guilty verdict against their cross-town rivals for breaching Premier League regulations is upheld.City are set to be found guilty of 114 of 115 charges brought by the Premier League, although the Blues have indicated the process hasn't yet concluded and confirmed they will appeal any decision that goes against them.But while we await confirmation of the independent panel's verdict and the written reasons for the decision, Premier League clubs are considering their legal position regarding potential compensation claims against City, who faced charges of breaching spending rules between 2009 and 2018.While the panel will dish out sporting sanctions if a guilty verdict is upheld, rival clubs can also pursue their own financial claims under Premier League rules and United are reportedly one of at least four sides that preserved the right to claim compensation before the statute of limitations passed.Any financial claim is only likely to be heard once the appeal process has run its course, but Tom Murray, Co-Founder and Partner at Three Points, and a specialist in sports law, explained what a club like United would need to prove.
"Historically, compensation cases brought by one club against another were rare. The challenge in these types of cases is proving causation. This involves constructing what is known as a counterfactual which means carrying out a hypothetical analysis of what would have happened had Manchester City not breached the Premier League’s rules” he said.“This could involve demonstrating that had Manchester City not breached the Premier League’s rules, a particular club would have won the Premier League or would have qualified for the Champions League. If you think about it, that can be quite challenging.