A report has revealed the ‘staggering sum’ paid to lawyers by Manchester City during their legal ‘war’ against the Premier League.
The legal fight between Man City and the Premier League has been ongoing since the start of 2023.
Pep Guardiola‘s side were referred to an independent commission by the Premier League after they were accused of breaching around 115 Financial Fair Play rules.
This case was passed onto a third party after the Premier League conducted a four-year probe into Man City’s alleged conduct between 2009 and 2018.
Man City have insisted on their innocence, but they face severe consequences if they are found guilty. A huge fine, points deduction, transfer ban or expulsion from the Premier League are among their potential sanctions.
READ: Man City 325-point deduction proposed as Liverpool wear ‘hollow crown’
Last year, the Cityzens were involved in a separate legal battle against the Premier League as they campaigned for Associated Party Transaction (APT) rules to be removed.
Man City were eventually successful and it remains to be seen whether this case will impact their FFP situation.
The FFP hearing concluded at the end of 2024, and it’s been reported that a verdict – which will be subject to an appeal – is due imminently.
As mentioned, Man City have remained confident during this process, as proven by the new contracts given to Pep Guardiola and Erling Haaland, while their huge spend on January transfers moved them up our Premier League net spend table.
MORE MAN CITY FFP COVERAGE ON F365…
👉 Maguire reveals Man City FFP verdict update after what ‘some people high up’ told him; ’80 point deduction’ claim
👉 Man City FFP: Two reasons why verdict will be ‘fudged’ as Scholes reveals what ‘fair punishment’ will be
👉Man City FFP: Verdict could ‘significantly change relegation battle’ with ‘legal warfare’ coming in ‘crazy situation’
Man City’s stance could be bolstered by their ‘staggering’ spend on legal fees, with a report from The Sun revealing how much they have ‘coughed up’ during their ‘war’ against the Premier League.
The report explains:
‘The latest accounts for parent company City Football Group shows that City had splashed a running total of £30,596,000 on legal fees in the war against PL chiefs over alleged rule breaches by the end of the 2023-24 campaign.
‘That was an increase of nearly £10.7m on the figure from 12 months before – or £205,000 per week.
‘The staggering sum is equivalent to what Josko Gvardiol, one of City’s top 10 earning players last season, was paid.
‘CFG said in documents filed at Companies House that the £30,596,000 was “due to expenses incurred by City Football Group Limited on behalf of Newton Investment and Management”.
‘NIM is the Abu Dhabi-based company through which Sheikh Mansour owns his majority stake in CFG, which in turn owns City and a number of other clubs worldwide.
‘SunSport understands that this money is the running total of City’s legal costs in their war against the Prem chief. And the bill for this season is set to be the highest yet.’