The intricate web Man City spun to con the Premier League
An independent commission has found Manchester City guilty of serious financial rule breaches, including the use of 'sham' contracts to disguise over £830m in sponsorship funding. The ruling details a long-term effort by the club's owners to bypass financial regulations to maintain a competitive edge.
Why it matters
This ruling represents a major scandal in professional sports, highlighting the tension between financial fair play regulations and the spending power of global football clubs.
Figure caption, Man City guilty of 'sham' contracts & misleading accounts
Football issues correspondent Published 6 hours ago "To cheat, trick, deceive, delude with false pretences; to impose upon, take in, hoax."
That is the Oxford English definition of the word "sham".
And that word appears eight times in the independent commission's ruling published on Tuesday , which found Manchester City guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of financial rules, and all but one in relation to a failure to co-operate with the investigation.
The 40-page document makes fascinating reading.
It catalogues how the club's owners, Abu Dhabi United Group, knew from the 2009-10 season that there would be major overspends if the club was to reach the level they wanted to get to.
So, the ruling says, City found a way to boost sponsorship income. Season, after season, after season.
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