Manchester City could be in for trouble following the reveal of their email conversation which shows that they overstated their shirt sponsorship deal value in 2011 to meet with the Financial Fair Play Rules in place.
The Sky Blues were recently banned from the Champions League, and had the decision overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. According to the reveal published by Daily Mail, the club deliberately made the state owned clubs sponsor the club’s shirt which allowed money to be pumped in massive amounts.
The shirt sponsorship deal with Etihad was speculated to be around £12 million. However, the real value of the deal that was struck is a third of the value, at £4 million. This revelation has again brought to light the main point of scrutiny for Manchester City and their reliance on financial strength to become a superpower in England. And things will only deteriorate now that it has been revealed that they worked around the rules.
During the last 10 years, it has been found that Manchester City earned £600 million more than their rivals in the big six. The spike in revenue is primarily due to their sponsors in the Middle East. Manchester City could be facing strict action from UEFA, as well as the Premier League should they choose to further investigate the matter.
Chelsea most recently served a transfer ban, and City could be headed down the same route.
