Liverpool chiefs are among a group of American owners in English football’s top flight who pushed the Premier League to join UEFA in investigating allegations of financial cheating by Manchester City.
On Thursday UEFA announced that they are investigating the English champions after the publication of leaked documents that point to possible breaches of Financial Fair Play regulations.
And on Friday the Premier League confirmed they are also investigating, issuing a statement explaining they had asked City for information while having an ongoing dialogue with the club.
Pressure on the Premier League to act has come principally from the American owners of clubs such as Liverpool and Crystal Palace. They came into English football from US sports where there has long been a culture of strict financial regulation.
The Americans with stakes in Premier League clubs — Manchester United, Arsenal, Fulham and Bournemouth as well as Liverpool and Palace — all have interests in American sports teams across the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB.
The NBA was the first major American sport to introduce financial regulations such as salary caps in 1984, with the NFL introducing their own regulations a decade later. That meant owners came into English football expecting to find a similar culture and therefore want any potential breaches investigated and, if proven, to be met with appropriate sanctions.
The Times reported on Friday that as many as a dozen clubs are planning to write to the Premier League. An approach of that kind is more likely than a direct complaint at a Premier League shareholders meeting, given that clubs tend to shy away from confrontation in that environment.
Complaints have nevertheless been made, with Palace prominent among those agitating. Two of their joint owners, Josh Harris and David Blitzer, own the New Jersey Devils in the NHL and Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA.
The Premier League statement said: ‘The Premier League has previously contacted Manchester City to request information regarding recent allegations and is in ongoing dialogue with the club. The League has detailed financial regulations and strong rules in the areas of Academy player recruitment and third-party ownership.
‘We are investigating these matters and will allow Manchester City every opportunity to explain the context and detail surrounding them.’
City maintain they have done nothing wrong, claiming that leaked documents published by the German publication Der Spiegel have been hacked and taken out of context. This week they said they welcomed the UEFA investigation.
There are now four investigations into City. The FA are probing allegations that the club paid Jadon Sancho’s agent a fee when signing him from Watford when he was 14. FIFA are also looking into alleged breaches of third-party ownership rules.
batigol1967
74
pep gurdiola is tooo good he made city play football like PlayStation and not single player in city cost 80 million so loserpool trying to go to the court when they bought the most expensive keeper and defender but still city too good for loserpool
Kaablot
66
So in football only the big clubs are entitled to spend based on their income, and smaller clubs are not allowed to pump in money to spend to compete? It seems like a cartel to me, not free competition! Is football a cartel? or free competition? You tell me!
yotemns
62
They can not beat ManC in the playing field with “fair play” they want to do it in the courts with USA baking, maybe it is the new Trump effect
hondekmouz
45
Finally... finally... Haha. Where do You think MC would be in the league if not for the oil money? It's not a level playing field, therefore it must be investigated and must be stopped. Anything else would be a farce, making FFP and the FA a laughing stock.