Sheffield United are keeping a close eye on developments with Manchester City's landmark legal case, The Star understands, with all options open over a potential compensation claim. The Premier League giants were recently found guilty of almost all charges against them, with a commission finding them guilty of using "sham" contracts to disguise expenditure and inflate income.
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The Blades came up against City during their three recent seasons in the Premier League and also lost to them in the semi-finals of the FA Cup as recently as 2023. City were found to have artificially inflated their income by disguising £830m of their owners' money as sponsorship across nine seasons.
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A City appeal will drag on the saga, with more legal wrangling expected before a definitive conclusion to the whole episode is found. And that could yet include United if the guilty verdict, and any subsequent punishment, is indeed upheld.
Speaking to The Star on Tuesday at Bramall Lane, chief executive Stephen Bettis admitted he had not yet had a conversation with anyone else in the hierarchy about a potential legal challenge in the future but admitted: "We've all read it, we've all seen it, and I think this is a really interesting period for the Premier League.
“Manchester City have still got their right to appeal, so let’s not presume they’re guilty until all of that happens. But I think if it does get to that point, I certainly think there’ll be a few people picking up the phone to me saying that we should all collectively get together and look at this and see whether there’s a case to be answered.
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“But I think that’s a long way down the line. I’m certainly monitoring it and keeping my ear to the ground and listening. Rest assured, if there is something that there’s the ability to do, we will look at it."
In a summer in which United had to battle financial rules of their own, in the form of squad cost ratio regulations which necessitated the sales of Andre Brooks, Gus Hamer and Callum O'Hare, the sight of a top club so blatantly flouting the very rules they signed up to is unlikely to have gone down particularly well.
"I think it’s huge for football in the UK," Bettis said, "when you start looking at the knock-on effects of them being found guilty and the impact that has on the Premier League and the people that have been in it.
“And even, you know, we played at Wembley in the FA Cup as well, didn’t we? So there’s that to take into account as well. If actually they’re found to not have been sticking to the rules, and we’ve seen the pain we’ve gone through this season to make sure we’re sticking to the SCR rules, then it’s a tough pill to swallow, isn’t it?
“I think there’ll be a lot of clubs feeling exactly the same way. But it’s the snowball effect and how far it all goes, isn’t it, and how it’s dealt with by the Premier League?
“I mean, you even start going to UEFA for the Champions League and stuff like that. God, if you really start thinking about where this could go, it could be massive.
“I think there are a lot smarter people than me who’ll be looking at it and figuring this out. So I’ll just keep listening and see where it goes.”