Richard Masters talks Premier League damage over Man City charges

'Great confidence' - Richard Masters talks Premier League damage over Man City charges

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters has spoken about the reputation of the competition after charging Manchester City

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola (Image: Visionhaus/Getty Images )

Richard Masters claimed that the Premier League will 'survive the impact' of throwing the book at Manchester City amid questions that it has damaged the competition. The Blues were accused by the league over two years ago of over 100 breaches of the rules spanning more than a decade, with the most serious concerning misrepresenting their finances over nine seasons.

If guilty, City would face an enormous points deduction or expulsion from the competition in a verdict that would blow up the existing order, with their recent success tainted and rivals entitled to look for compensation.

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However, the club have insisted that they will clear their name from the day they were charged, and were vindicated in 2020 at the Court of Arbitration for Sport after UEFA had made a similar accusation and tried to ban them from the Champions League for two years.

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City have already forced the Premier League into an embarrassing change over Associated Party Transaction rules, and if they are cleared of the most serious offences over their charges when an independent panel delivers their verdict in the coming weeks questions will have to be asked over why the Premier League have wasted so much time and money into damaging the reputation of one of its leading members.

As football finance expert Kieran Maguire told the Manchester Evening News in 2023, whichever side loses will be in an 'untenable position'. Premier League chief executive Masters, though, brushed off the idea that bringing the charges against City has damaged the competition.

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"There is no happy alternative to enforcing the rules," he told the Financial Times. "The Premier League will survive the impact of all of this and come through it. The broadcast partners, fans around the world, our new sponsors have great confidence in the Premier League."

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