Manchester City Football Club could argue that the independent commission that found it guilty of breaking Premier League financial rules over a nine-year period should not have the power to push a company to a potential insolvency situation, according to 9fin sources.
The club, which last Thursday, 1 October, filed an appeal against the independent commission’s findings, could contest whether or not a non-legal entity should have the power to make a ruling that could threaten bankruptcy. The club’s lawyers could argue, therefore, that the veracity of the process should be examined in High Court, the sources said.
The Premier League, England’s top football division, said last week that an independent commission had found Manchester City guilty of arranging “sham contracts” to inject more than £830m into the club between 2009 and 2018 in a breach of financial fair play rules. The club, which has won England’s top league eight times since being taken over by the Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008, has appealed the decision.
“It is clear that a ‘kangaroo court’ such as the independent commission should not be allowed to make a decision that could push such a major company, and high profile entity, into a...
