The panel referred to Manchester City suddenly owing £20m at the end of the 2012-13 season, which corresponds, according to those familiar with the case, to a payout owed to then-manager Roberto Mancini and his staff, who had been sacked at the end of the season following the FA Cup final defeat by Wigan Athletic.
Had the money been paid immediately, City would have been “£9.9m ‘short’ of complying with UEFA FFP for that season”, the panel said.
The tribunal reported that “in a matter of days, a number of modified sponsor agreements were generated… to increase recorded fees, pay bonuses for events that had already taken place, and to pay for a U.S. tour”, thereby plugging the shortfall. City also asked sponsors to pay out bonuses for the FA Cup final as if they had won the match — rather than being defeated by the minnows thanks to Ben Watson’s injury-time header — according to people with knowledge of proceedings.
The Premier League also raised the example of Sergio Aguero’s late, final-day winner against Queens Park Rangers in 2012, which secured City’s first Premier League title. That goal unlocked a number of bonuses within the squad which, if it had not been for the club’s operation of their disguised funding scheme, would have seen City exceed PSR for that season.
📝 @jwhitey98
https://t.co/iZ74j9gKJE
🚨 Real Madrid have released an OFFICIAL statement on the Negreira Case 😳⚪️
UEFA has confirmed it received Real Madrid’s complaint and documentation and that the investigation into Barcelona’s payments to the former vice president of Spain’s refereeing committee is continuing 📝
Real Madrid are now demanding that the investigation moves forward as quickly as possible 👀
Jurgen Klopp's first Germany squad is huge.
It's two squads, really, with the former Liverpool manager selecting 44 players as part of a novel approach to selection.
In part it is a search for answers, casting the net wide and opening the door to players at different clubs and from other leagues.
But there is also a PR element, shifting the mood for a nation in need of a footballing reset.
📝 @SebSB
🔗 https://t.co/DtGqcSaB8G
Morgan Gibbs-White is poised to replace Chelsea forward Cole Palmer in Thomas Tuchel's latest England squad following a minor injury setback 🏴🔥
https://t.co/eVvONYKTZf
🔴⚪️ Cuti Romero: “Madrid is red and white! Don’t let anyone try to shift the focus away from that. The 3 points were more than deserved!”.
“Pride, effort, and so much heart from this team”.
The Premier League stands with Abdul Fatawu and Ipswich Town following the unacceptable abuse he has received online, and we have offered our full support to the player and club.
We are appalled by the discrimination players face online and it has no place in football or wider society. We will continue working with clubs, authorities, law enforcement and social media companies to address this issue, support investigations and ensure those responsible are held accountable.
Those found guilty of discriminatory abuse should expect the strongest possible sanctions, including club bans and legal prosecution.
God that is close. Donnarumma comes flying out and misses the high ball, Dias nearly scores an OG with a heavy touch but gets back to clear it from underneath the bar. Brobbey chance blocked again there with chaos inside the City box
⚽ Top scorer
🔝 Top of the table
Roma stay perfect in Serie A, as Donyell Malen scores his sixth goal in four games to secure a 2-0 win against Torino 🐺
Maybe it is a trick of the mind because Enzo Fernandez and Iliman Ndiaye only signed on Tuesday, and Ayyoub Bouaddi came in not long before that, but Elliot Anderson plays like he has been at the Etihad Stadium for years.
The 23-year-old always seems to be in the right place to mop up danger and never seems to make a bad decision in possession.
Often, he fired the ball through the lines into the feet of attacking players, who bounced it off to a team-mate facing goal, a very clear attacking pattern of Enzo Maresca’s Manchester City on the day. In difficult situations, Anderson was there to take the ball and calm things down again.
Maresca sees Anderson as his holding midfielder, which answers a lot of questions about the make-up of the City midfield going forward, and with displays like this it is very easy to imagine him running the show just as the likes of Rodri and Fernandinho did over the past decade.
📝 @SamLee
🔗 https://t.co/FkzhVz4B7Z