This week, football has been shaken to the very core by the revelation that Manchester City has been found guilty of all 115 allegations of financial misconduct that the Premier League opened an investigation into almost three years ago.
Among the findings of the independent panel was that Manchester City arranged “leather contracts” with a number of commercial partners as part of a scheme to conceal over £830 million in secret funding. The Premier League stated that City “systematically breached the Premier League’s rules for almost a decade.”
Now we understand why Ronaldo got so cranky in Oslo
Manchester City guilty: Points deduction, relegation and huge demands
Now, their meteoric rise to a glorious period of success – during which they were called perhaps the greatest British team of all time – has lost all luster, regardless of whether the sanctions include stripping them of their titles or not, as their progress now appears to have been built on a false foundation.
With their reputations hanging by a thread, City are undoubtedly football’s biggest villains now. But while they seem to have taken that title from World Cup villain Gianni Infantino, it turns out that he can also work his way back into the spotlight for his role in the decade-long saga.
Hacker Rui Pinto releases new information about Gianni Infantino after Man City ruling
The Swiss millionaire has been heavily criticized throughout the summer for several controversial episodes – not least how easily his good friend Donald Trump managed to persuade him to revoke Folarin Balogun’s red card after the round of sixteen. His plans to sell down in the World Cup drew even harsher criticism and could eventually cost him his position as FIFA’s chief executive.
Now, it turns out that Infantino may have known about City’s shady affairs long before this week’s findings became public knowledge. Rui Pinto, whose hacking skills first exposed Manchester City’s financial irregularities, wrote on X (see full post below):
“Back in 2014, there was a man who was already aware of the irregularities associated with Manchester City. That man now heads FIFA. The notorious Gianni Infantino, then secretary general of UEFA, abused his authority, shared confidential documents and, in short, outmanoeuvred the investigative chamber, doing everything in his power to ensure that both Manchester City and PSG were only fined – and avoided a deeper investigation that could have led to a ban from the Champions League.
“All these details were also revealed through Football Leaks. Given his actions as UEFA Secretary General and, more recently, as FIFA President, I can only say, in my humble opinion, that Gianni Infantino has become a cancer on football and should have no place in the future of the game.”
The revelation is crucial, because City – if Infantino had acted at the time – might never have been allowed to participate in the Champions League, cash in on the highly lucrative competition and thus potentially reach the point where they won the treble in the 2022/23 season.
While Pinto doesn’t add much context to his bombastic new post, it seems that there are also uncovered details surrounding Paris Saint-Germain – the winners of the last two titles – and alleged financial breaches.
The sport: Clubs that have been stripped of titles: Will Manchester City be next after Juventus, Marseille…?
Manchester City’s possible penalties
It is currently unknown what the exact punishment will be, because it has never been written down how clubs would be punished if they broke the financial rules.
In other words, the Premier League has left a blank canvas when it comes to determining the extent of City’s penalty, meaning that almost anything could potentially be relevant. At the same time, a final decision is still a long way off, and the club is expected to consider whether or not to appeal.
The Premier League also does not have fixed sanctions for violations, because there were fears that clubs – if they were made aware of the penalties – could simply break the rules and take the hit if they knew what the consequences were and considered them acceptable enough.
However, some of the options include:
A big fine
Points deduction
Ban from the Premier League
Transition ban
Withdrawal of won titles
