Manchester City chief Ferran Soriano rejects ‘false allegation’ behind Premier League case

Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano says the Premier League’s case against the club is based on a “completely false” claim about funding from its owners.

Soriano made the comments in an internal video message to staff after the Premier League found the club guilty on the majority of the financial allegations brought against it in February 2023.

The Manchester City chief executive did not make a public statement after the decision and did not speak at the clubs’ general assembly in Copenhagen on Tuesday. Instead, he addressed the club’s employees in an attempt to ease concerns surrounding the case.

“The entire case with the Premier League is based on a false accusation, which is that the owners’ money was channelled into Manchester City through some Abu Dhabi sponsors,” Soriano said, according to Marca.

“That is not true, and sufficient evidence was submitted to the Premier League commission to prove that it did not happen and will not happen.”

He added: “We are talking about bank statements, financial transfers, witness testimony and everything needed to prove conclusively that the money did not come from the club’s owner.”

Soriano said, in his view, all the charges against Manchester City stemmed from that central allegation.

“Every false accusation against us comes from this simple and completely false claim,” he said.

He also criticised the decision reached by the Premier League commission after more than two years of proceedings.

“Unexpectedly for us and our lawyers, after more than two years, the Premier League commission issued an opinion supporting the conspiracy theory adopted by the Premier League,” Soriano said.

“To reach that conclusion, the evidence submitted by the club was ignored and an incorrect conclusion was reached.”

Manchester City has confirmed it will appeal the decision. The club had already announced its intention to challenge the outcome in a statement issued after the investigation’s findings were made public.

The next stage of the case will be heard by an independent commission, which will determine the appropriate punishment for Manchester City.

According to the report, the potential sanctions range from a financial penalty and a points deduction to relegation to a lower division. The most severe outcome would be expulsion from the Premier League.

Manchester City has until next Friday to submit its appeal against the decision.