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Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Man City charges latest: Pep Guardiola shares new timeline, Premier League stance, Javier Tebas rant
March may well be the month Manchester City receive the verdict from a hearing into their alleged breaches of Premier League financial regulations. Aston Villa, alongside the league's other clubs, will await the outcome with interest, especially as any potential punishments appear set to be severe should they be found guilty of all or most of their 130 charges. Man City, meanwhile, denies any wrongdoing and is adamant they have 'irrefutable evidence' to exonerate them. The stasis continues over two years after the Premier League brought those charges. Here is a round-up of the latest before the beginning of March. READ MORE: John Townley's Aston Villa player ratings as 8 and 9 awarded after 2-0 win vs Cardiff in the FA Cup READ MORE: Jack Grealish stance made clear as Pep Guardiola admits 'problems' amid transfer talk Premier League chief executive Richards Masters addressed the 'elephant in the room' while speaking at the Business of Football Summit in London this week. Asked by a journalist about when City will discover the verdict, Masters refused to divulge any details. "You won't be surprised to hear that I won't be talking about this, I can't," he said. "I mean, the disciplinary panel has heard the case and they must be left alone now to consider their decision and given the time and space to be able to do that. That is pretty much as far as I can go." La Liga president Javier Tebas also spoke at the Business of Football Summit and revealed he had reported Man City to the European Commission. "City have a lot of companies in their group which lie outside the City Football Group structure," he alleged: "extra companies where they put their expenses. "These other companies lose the money but not the club itself. We have reported Manchester City to the EU. We have the facts and figures. "We asked for City to be checked. It's very important that all clubs are subject to the same transparency rules and governance on both the sporting and financial side. "The City case is one where we believe they have put the losses on the companies that are not officially part of City Football Group. City have costs that are less than if they didn't have this circle of companies around." Man City manager Pep Guardiola refused to respond to what Tebas said. "Next," he replied when a journalist raised the question during a pre-match press conference before their FA Cup fifth round tie against Plymouth Argyle this weekend. "Next, next," he repeated as the question continued. However, a query about why Man City are the target of such targeting by others did draw a response from Guardiola. "I don't know," he replied. "It happened in the past for UEFA, and now, in a few weeks for the Premier League [we will get] the sentence. We wait, and after we talk."
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Next, next, next': Pep Guardiola refuses to respond to La Liga's legal complaint
Pep Guardiola refused to respond to Javier Tebas after the La Liga president accused the Premier League club of financial deception and claimed a legal complaint had been filed to the European Commission over their finances. On Thursday, Tebas told the Financial Times Business of Football Summit that the European Commission is investigating LaLiga's complaint and claimed City have used 'extra companies' to balance their finance sheets. City did not comment on LaLiga's reported complaint but strongly refuted Tebas' allegations - with the club briefing that the La Liga president has a history of attacking the club. Guardiola and Tebas have history, too, with the manager calling him 'jealous of English football' when City's two-year Champions League ban was overturned in 2020. Guardiola made it clear that he would not be discussing Tebas again as he interrupted a question about the LaLiga president and immediately replied: 'Next, next'. Guardiola stopped a further question about whether it was 'tiring' to have to respond to off-field matters and raised his voice as he replied 'next' for a third time. City are also awaited a verdict from the Premier League after being charged with over 100 breaches of its financial rules, which is separate to LaLiga's reported complaint. City won a fourth Premier League titles in a row last season and won the Champions League as part of the 'Treble' in 2023 and Guardiola was asked if the team's success had anything to do with them being a target. "I don't know. It happened in the past with Uefa and in a few weeks it'll happen in the Premier League, the sentence right?' Guardiola said. 'We wait, and after we talk. I don't know [if it has anything to do with success].' Guardiola said 'every game is a final' as Manchester City look to finish a disappointing season by qualifying for the Champions League and winning the FA Cup. They host Plymouth, who defeated Liverpool in the previous round, on Saturday.
The Independent
28-02-2025
- Business
- The Independent
‘Next, next, next': Pep Guardiola refuses to respond to La Liga's legal complaint
Pep Guardiola refused to respond to Javier Tebas after the La Liga president accused the Premier League club of financial deception and claimed a legal complaint had been filed to the European Commission over their finances. On Thursday, Tebas told the Financial Times Business of Football Summit that the European Commission is investigating LaLiga's complaint and claimed City have used 'extra companies' to balance their finance sheets. City did not comment on LaLiga's reported complaint but strongly refuted Tebas' allegations - with the club briefing that the La Liga president has a history of attacking the club. Guardiola and Tebas have history, too, with the manager calling him 'jealous of English football' when City's two-year Champions League ban was overturned in 2020. Guardiola made it clear that he would not be discussing Tebas again as he interrupted a question about the LaLiga president and immediately replied: 'Next, next'. Guardiola stopped a further question about whether it was 'tiring' to have to respond to off-field matters and raised his voice as he replied 'next' for a third time. City are also awaited a verdict from the Premier League after being charged with over 100 breaches of its financial rules, which is separate to LaLiga's reported complaint. City won a fourth Premier League titles in a row last season and won the Champions League as part of the 'Treble' in 2023 and Guardiola was asked if the team's success had anything to do with them being a target. "I don't know. It happened in the past with Uefa and in a few weeks it'll happen in the Premier League, the sentence right?' Guardiola said. 'We wait, and after we talk. I don't know [if it has anything to do with success].' Guardiola said 'every game is a final' as Manchester City look to finish a disappointing season by qualifying for the Champions League and winning the FA Cup. They host Plymouth, who defeated Liverpool in the previous round, on Saturday.
New York Times
27-02-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Todd Boehly brushes off Chelsea fan criticism as ‘par for the course'
Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly has brushed off fans' criticism as 'par for the course' and refused to guarantee the club's ownership structure will be the same this time next year. Speaking to a packed room at the Financial Times' Business of Football Summit in London on Thursday evening, Boehly also said strikers are hard to sign and that you cannot find them in a 'grocery store'. Advertisement Before Chelsea's game against Southampton on Tuesday night, around 200 supporters protested against Boehly and Clearlake Capital's ownership of the club. The protest included negative chants towards Boehly and Clearlake Capital and positive songs for Roman Abramovich, the club's former owner. GO DEEPER Fan discontent at Stamford Bridge makes Chelsea's biggest challenge clearer than ever 'I just think it is par for the course,' Boehly said when asked about the fans' unrest. 'The sooner you learn you are not going to keep all the people happy all the time, the freedom shows up. 'We are just trying to execute a plan and recognise things aren't linear, and we are trending in the right direction. The trend is moving in the right direction and that's the thing that really matters. 'In June, it will be three years in charge. That's not a lot of time. It's a whirlwind of activity and a steep learning curve, but I think that's also a good thing.' Boehly was also asked about the state of his relationship with Clearlake Capital, the club's majority shareholder and co-founder Behdad Eghbali. The Athletic reported at the beginning of September that the relationship was in tatters. 'I can't predict the future,' Boehly said when asked if the ownership structure will look the same this time next year. 'We have agreed on a strategy and a way forward and stuff is getting done.' Boehly was asked if he would buy Chelsea in the same way again knowing what he knows now. 'I don't look in the rear-view mirror,' he said. Boehly and Clearlake have spent more than £1billion on transfer fees since acquiring the club in June 2022 and have signed players on long-term deals, some up to eight years. One advantage of such contracts was that Chelsea could amortise the transfer fee over the length of that deal. However, fellow Premier League clubs voted through a limit on the number of years the cost of a transfer fee can be spread, in relation to a contract, to five years. Advertisement 'Yeh, a seven-year contract is really a five-year contract,' Boehly said when asked about their squad-building policies. 'The reality is, 95 per cent of the time, you're going to have to make a decision, or you shoot yourself in the foot. So you either are able to come to terms and agree to an extension or you agree there's greener pastures out there and that's the business you're in and that's life. I think that that's the the reality of the model.' Boehly, who is also co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team, then went on to speak about the importance of a 'superstar captain' with great sporting sides across sports. 'When you read about the teams that are the dynasties over the years, they had superstar captains that really led them and what you're trying to find is, you know, how do I find that superstar captain?' During the wide-ranging discussion that included his thoughts on how the Premier League should sell its media rights and whether an independent regulator is good for football. He was also asked about building a squad of players. Boehly was questioned on what he believes has been the most misunderstood part of his and Clearlake Capital's ownership of the club. 'I think the most misunderstood thing is that we're thinking about it as measured in years and and you've got to think both short and long term,' Boehly said. 'But we're focused on the combination of both of them and seeking the best possible way to execute on that. It's a balancing act in order to figure out how to do it. 'Strikers are hard to find, right? You don't go into the grocery store and say, 'I am going to get a striker'. It is an amazing skill set and you have to have the right mentality.' 'When you read about the teams that are the dynasties over the years, right, they had superstar captains that really led them and what you're trying to find is, you know, how do I find that superstar captain.' Chelsea are next in action next Thursday against Copenhagen in the Europa Conference League last-16 first leg. They are currently fifth in the Premier League.
New York Times
27-02-2025
- Business
- New York Times
La Liga president Javier Tebas accuses Man City of trying to circumvent financial rules
La Liga boss Javier Tebas has accused Manchester City of trying to circumvent football's financial fair play rules by hiding their costs in affiliated companies and likened the situation to the infamous Enron accounting scandal of 2001. Speaking to journalists at The Financial Times' Business of Football Summit on Thursday, the 62-year-old Spaniard said La Liga filed a complaint about the club's alleged behaviour with the European Commission in July 2023 and claimed the Brussels-based body is investigating the case. Advertisement Manchester City have declined to comment. The Spanish league made the complaint a week after the commission introduced a rule banning companies that operate within the European Union (EU) from receiving foreign subsidies that distort the internal market. Tebas said that while the English champions are obviously no longer an EU-based company, they still play in European competitions and have 'commercial activities' within the single market. Tebas, who has a long history of contentious statements, made his remarks in response to a question about City's dispute with the Premier League over its associated party transaction (APT) rules, which are primarily meant to stop clubs from banking inflated sponsorship deals. 'What worries me is not the APTs, what worries me is the companies outside the City Football Group (Manchester City's parent company) where the City expenses are sent,' said Tebas. 'They have a scouting company, a marketing company. That's where they have very high expenses. They invoice City for less money. City have costs that are less than if they didn't have this circle of companies. 'All they do is they think about how they can avoid the rules and regulations. We have reported this to the European Union with facts and figures.' Tebas said that La Liga decided to file a complaint with the EU's executive arm after it brought in its Foreign Subsidies Regulation, as the Spanish league believes Manchester City are subsidised by Abu Dhabi-based companies and funds with close links to club owner Sheikh Mansour, the vice president and deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates. 'Taking into account their relationship with the sovereign fund of Abu Dhabi, we asked for these things to be checked,' said Tebas. 'It's really important that all clubs are subject to transparency rules and governance and real competition in the financial and sporting side of their business. If it's not controlled — and we do control — it means football ends up in the hands of states.' Advertisement He then likened Manchester City's alleged behaviour to the actions of American energy company Enron, which filed for bankruptcy in 2001 after reports emerged of widespread internal fraud over a number of years. The case, which was the largest bankruptcy in U.S. corporate history at the time, also led to the collapse of Enron's auditors, Arthur Andersen. 'You remember the case in the U.S., the Enron case,' said Tebas. 'They put losses into different companies. These are similar cases.' Tebas said La Liga has not had any response from the European Commission. 'So it must be in the investigation phase,' he said. Tebas, a lawyer by trade, explained that La Liga has previously filed a similar complaint against Paris Saint-Germain on the basis that the French champions' Qatari owners are distorting the EU market via inflated sponsorship deals with Qatari companies. La Liga announced that complaint in a press release in August 2023 but there has been no further news on its progress. The Athletic has contacted the European Commission for comment. When asked if La Liga was also concerned about Newcastle United, who are majority-owned by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, he said the Premier League club have not done anything to warrant a complaint yet. While Manchester City have declined to comment on Tebas' claims, their accounts are a matter of public record and there is no obvious sign of the club using a web of related companies to hide their costs, although they do share senior staff with City Football Group, their parent company. This, however, is not against football's rules or unique, as several leading clubs are now part of multi-club groups that share resources. It should also be noted that Tebas' remarks have nothing to do with Manchester City's other dispute with the Premier League, the so-called '115' case. A result in that case is expected in the coming weeks. GO DEEPER Manchester City vs the Premier League - explaining the 115* charges and what happens next
