The second international break of the 2024/25 season is here.
The international players who play in major leagues have reported to the national teams one after another, and as a major exporter of international players, this season is in an eventful season, and Manchester City, the Premier League hegemon who is not going well, has to worry again. During the last international break, Manchester City injured Ake and caused leaks in the backline, conceding eight goals in seven Premier League games, the worst in the same period in Guardiola's era.
In addition to worry, there is also fear.
The Premier League's Independent Commission of Inquiry (PCI) has been alleging 115 financial irregularities against Manchester City for five weeks, and has now passed the halfway point of the 10-week hearing, which had been announced by the media. However, due to the confidentiality agreement between the Premier League official and Manchester City FC, the media and fans are not yet able to know the specific process of the hearing.
At the earliest, there will be no news until January 2025.
Although the vast majority of fans believe that the Premier League's accusations against Manchester City are purely premeditated and have nothing to do, many of the accusations are old accounts from more than 10 years ago, and many of the accusations are currently only speculation and no substantiation.
But the hearing, which the media has defined as the trial of the century, has seriously disrupted City's summer window signings and pre-season preparations. This is an accusation of the fate of Manchester City, and even if you are confident and confident, it will inevitably cost a lot of energy and financial resources. Off-the-field factors naturally affect the field, Manchester City is currently only second in the Premier League, the attack is acceptable, and the defense is stretched.
Before the trial hearing of the century, Manchester City had already filed a countersuit against the Premier League in June this year, but not against the 115 huge allegations of financial irregularities, but against the Premier League's Related Party Transaction Rules, also known as APT.
Now, after more than four months of investigation and reasoning, the results are in, but the statements of both sides of the lawsuit are quite interesting - Manchester City said
: The club won the counterclaim, and the adjudication panel found that there was a loophole in the APT rules; The Premier League emphasised that the APT had only been found guilty of two violations, and most of City's claims were dismissed.
Although the two sides insist on each other's arguments, one thing is certain - Manchester City have won the stage and the Premier League has had to change the relevant rules of the APT.
Although the Premier League's Related Party Transactions (ATP) and Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) are two different rules, APT and PSR are inextricably linked, and Manchester City is more confident in finding loopholes and pointing out the illegal parts of the financial rules after winning the lawsuit. City's defence will inevitably be more justified, especially as it is illegal for clubs to prove that the deal has fair market value in the overturning of the APT.
This could directly change the validity of many of the 115 allegations involving linked sponsorships – Etihad Airways' 10-year sponsorship contract with Manchester City was voided earlier.
Many media and fans are predicting that Manchester City may suffer heavy penalties, including but not limited to penalty points, relegation or expulsion, and some good people have also come up with a clever way to deduct points by season, but everyone knows that the final result may be that Manchester City takes a step back and fines the matter, if Manchester City has determined that they will not win the fifth consecutive title, then by the way, a few more penalties mean.
Interestingly, in this counterclaim, 8 clubs provided evidence against Manchester City, namely: Manchester United, Liverpool, Tottenham, Arsenal, West Ham United, Brentford, Fulham and Bournemouth.
Fine, fine, fine! Say the important thing three times!