Four Premier League rivals named as they prepare compensation strike on Manchester City over 115 charges | OneFootball

A number of Manchester City’s direct Premier League rivals have now reserved the right to seek compensation if the Etihad club are found guilty around their 115 charges.

The Premier League first issued charges upon Manchester City back in February 2023, consisting of more than 100 alleged breaches of its financial rules following a four-year investigation.

City were in turn referred to an independent commission over alleged rule breaches between 2009 and 2018, while the club were also accused of not co-operating since the investigation started in December 2018.

From the side of Manchester City, the Etihad Stadium club said at the time that they were “surprised” by the charges and are supported by a “body of irrefutable evidence”, in a stance that has been maintained today.

The private hearing, which is understood to have started in mid-September, is reportedly expected to last around 10 weeks, and is being held at the International Dispute Resolution Centre in the city of London.

And while those proceedings remain ongoing, clubs within the Premier League are already preparing themselves for the best-possible outcome from their point of view, by anticipating an eligibility to compensation should Manchester City be found guilty.

That is according to The Times’ Martyn Ziegler, who reports that Man United, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Tottenham have lodged legal notices reserving the right to seek compensation if City are found guilty of charges among the 115 alleged breaches of financial rules.

It is stressed that all four clubs involved declined to comment to The Times, while Chelsea are not believed to have lodged a legal notice relating to compensation.

The Times explains that should the charges against Manchester City be proven, clubs could claim for loss of income for missing out on the league title, qualification for the Champions League or other European competitions over the course of several seasons.

Furthermore, lawyers have reportedly advised clubs that if they waited until the outcome of the hearing into Manchester City’s 115 alleged rule breaches, then there was a risk any compensation claim could be deemed out of time.

Manchester City have continuously insisted that the ongoing situation surrounding themselves and the 115 charges has not had any impact on the business’ day-to-day activities, and as such all activity within the club has continued as normal.

That includes transfer activity, with agents and representatives having been informed by Manchester City of their confidence that no serious sanctions will affect the club in any way, such is their not-guilty stance.

In addition, there is a belief in various quarters that Pep Guardiola’s own future is likely to be unaffected by the charges and that should City be hit with any serious punishment, the outcome would likely increase the Catalan’s desire to stay for even longer.