Manchester City warned of possible Manchester United situation in FFP case

Manchester City have been warned of the possible consequences for their 115 Financial Fair Play (FFP) charges should they be found guilty of any alleged financial breaches.

Reports are that City find themselves in a precarious situation that could see them mimic rivals Manchester United when it comes to “real people and real jobs”.

The current top leadership under Sir. Jim Ratcliffe and the INEOS co-ownership group underseeing the management of football matters at Old Trafford have received lots of bashing this season for introducing strict cost-cutting measures.

This has even affected the most successful manager Sir Alex Fergusson who was appointed as ambassador following his retirement in 2013.

The Scotsman’s role which earned him a salary of £2.16million, an agreement that lasted for over a decade, has been terminated since the arrival of the INEOS management group.

What are Man City’s Charges?

Manchester City owner and bankroller Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan faces a difficult moment – 115 charges on Financial Fair Play hanging around his neck, even after overseeing remarkable success at the Etihad Stadium over the past decade.

It must be noted that the City have no financial setbacks at the moment, however, the ongoing investigation will put a dent in their hard-fought achievement on the pitch and across the entire football world.

What Man City are to Expect

As speculation and gossip continue with no clear indication of a final verdict, Manchester City’s former financial adviser, Stefan Borson, provided an extensive report to Football Insider.

“I do think the Premier League and City to an extent could have done a better job. I think this could have been agreed with all the parties,” Borson said.

“I have said it right from the start there should have been a published timetable, at least with estimates as to when we can expect the hearing itself, the decision to come out, the next phase, and the explanation of what the process is.

“At the moment, what you’ve got is a situation where it might happen at any point.

“Something that’s very significant not just to the future of football but to the future of Manchester City employees because you would think that, if a lot of this stuff goes against City, then there would have to be some adjustments to City’s cost base, which as we know from what’s happened at United can involve real people and real jobs.”

He went on further to say how he feels the situation has not been well-handled, indicating that the verdict could be delayed as far as summer or even later.

Borson added: “I don’t think it’s been well handled in that respect and I don’t think that there was a particular problem in giving a bit more guidance as to when we could expect the decision to come out.

“We sit here today thinking this week would have been a possible time to release it.

“Next week could be a possible time to release it. But equally, it is perfectly plausible that this doesn’t come out until the summer or even later, so we really don’t know.

“I can tell you from lots of conversations I’ve had over the last week, nobody knows.

“This is a very well-kept secret, and nobody has got any indication of definitively when it’s coming. Nobody believes that it’s close because of things they’ve heard.

“That’s not to say it won’t come today. It may come today, but if it is coming today, it’s not because two or three people in the media or close to the club have heard it’s really close. It will just drop.

“It doesn’t feel like the best way of doing things from the Premier League and City’s perspective, but that’s the process we have. That’s what we thought we were going to get. That’s where we are.”