Man City say FFP cover-up claims are an attempt to “damage” the club’s reputation

Manchester City say that claims of a Financial Fair Play (FFP) cover-up are intended to damage the club’s reputation.

German news outlet Der Spiegel reported on Friday that they had received leaked documents that revealed City’s systematic violations of FFP rules which they claim have been going on for years with the knowledge of a senior Uefa official.

The paper claim that Fifa president “Gianni Infantino went out of his way to ensure that Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain avoided harsh punishment” when he was Uefa general secretary.

City were bought by billionaire and deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mansour, in 2008. Since then, Mansour has invested billions into the club, transforming them into one of Europe’s elite sides.

City have shelled out £600 million on new signings since Pep Guardiola became manager at the club, however, they have wholeheartedly denied the claims made by the German paper and other outlets.

“We will not be providing any comment on out of context materials purportedly hacked or stolen from City Football Group and Manchester City personnel and associated people,” the club said (via Sky Sports). “The attempt to damage the club’s reputation is organised and clear.”

Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain have also been caught up in the scandal. Outlets claim that the leaked documentation shows that the Parisians were handed €1.8 billion from the government in Qatar, which Spanish news outlet Marca claim should have resulted in their expulsion from the Champions League.

The Spanish paper also says that the position of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, who joined PSG for a combined €394 million, could be in jeopardy at the club as a result of the revelations.

As well as making several allegations about FFP, Der Spiegel and other European news agencies allege that elite European clubs are engaged in a covert attempt to form a European Super League without the knowledge of Uefa, European football’s governing body.

Responding to questions made by Sky Sports in a statement, Fifa insisted that it was inappropriate for them to comment on the contents of private communications shared between clubs and Fifa officials. They added that any evidence of criminal wrongdoing should be sent to the relevant authorities or to them for further investigation

“In 2015, Fifa was hit by what was probably the biggest ever corruption scandal in international sport,” the statement read. The statement went on to reassure the public that Fifa has endeavoured to rebuild their reputation “brick-by-brick” and have now constructed an “ethical governing body for world football.” Fifa added: “Of course, there is still a substantial amount of work to be done at all levels, and the leadership is fully committed to carrying this forward.”

Fifa President, Gianni Infantino, said in a statement published on Fifa’s website that: “It is always a challenge to change things, to move forward, and to bring people together in order to do things better.

“And, as we are resolutely implementing the reforms at Fifa, it was always clear to me that I would face strong opposition, especially from those who cannot anymore shamelessly profit from the system they were part of.

“But this is why I was elected and for me, there will be one focus and one focus only: to improve and develop football, worldwide. And today I am more committed and decided than ever to continue fulfilling this task.”

Talks held over Euro Super League, Football Leaks say

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez

Der Spiegel also claims that the leaks reveal elite European clubs including Real Madrid, AC Milan, Arsenal, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus and Manchester United have colluded behind the back of Uefa to discuss the formation of a European Super League.

Talks about a European Super League being formed along the lines of American sports leagues have been around since the early 1990’s, but it never quite managed to get off the ground.

The idea has been an unpopular one among football fans; even among those who support the clubs proposed to be included in the league.

The veracity of these claims come from up to 70 million documents leaked by the ‘Football Leaks’ platform. According to the BBC, the information has been shared with approximately 80 journalists from 15 media organisations. Der Spiegel claims that “It is the biggest leak ever reported on by investigative journalists, and the results of that work lay bare the inner-workings of a corrupt industry.”

According to the German paper, the plans include an option for members of the theoretical ‘Super League’ to permanently leave their domestic leagues behind and join 16 other European clubs.

According to Der Spiegel, a document described as a “binding term sheet”  was sent on 22 October 2018 by the firm Key Capital Partners to Real Madrid’s president, Florentino Pérez, which allegedly shows that English clubs Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal would be joined by Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Milan as the new league’s founding members with five additional clubs, including  Atlético Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Marseille, Internazionale and Roma invited as “initial guests.” The clubs would not face relegation and would have guaranteed membership for 20 years allege Der Spiegel.

“In 2016, FC Bayern spent months forging its plan for a Super League with the most powerful and the richest football clubs in Europe,” Der Spiegel claim. “They managed to keep under wraps just how meticulously they were pursuing an elite league for quite some time, but now the secret’s out. Confidential documents show that many top clubs are still pursuing plans for a Super League.”

Bayern Munich have responded to the claims and in a statement published on their website said they were “unaware of recent plans for a so-called Super League” and had not “taken part in negotiations relating to such plans”.

Bayern’s chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge added: “FC Bayern Munich stands by its membership of the Bundesliga and, as long as I am chairman of the board of FC Bayern, also by the club competitions organised jointly by Uefa and the ECA (European Club Association).”

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