Tebas says it's 'taken too long' to tackle Man City over finances
LaLiga chief Javier Tebas says it’s ‘taken too long’ for Manchester City to be held accountable for alleged financial wrongdoing after the Premier League charged their champions with 100 rule breaches last month
- Man City were charged following an investigation which started back in 2018
- LaLiga chief Javier Tebas claimed it has taken too long to introduce charges
- City claim to have a ‘body of irrefutable evidence’ as the club fight the charges
LaLiga chief Javier Tebas believes it has ‘taken too long’ for Manchester City to be brought to book for alleged financial breaches – saying it is ‘the worst thing’ for a league’s financial rules to be flouted.
The Premier League charged reigning champions City with more than 100 breaches of financial rules last month following an investigation that started in December 2018.
An independent commission will consider the charges with a range of sanctions, including points deduction and even relegation, on the table if City are found guilty.
City will robustly fight their corner and say they have a ‘body of irrefutable evidence’.
Tebas, an outspoken critic of the Premier League’s wealth, said he first criticised City, as well as Paris Saint-Germain, at the Soccerex conference in Manchester back in 2017, leading to an angry phone call from City CEO Ferran Soriano.
LaLiga chief Javier Tebas believes it has ‘taken too long’ to tackle Man City over their finances
Man City CEO Ferran Soriano, right, made an angry call to Tebas after he criticised the club in 2017
‘That was 2017 and now it is 2023 and nothing has moved on, but suddenly there is an inquiry,’ Tebas told the Financial Times Business of Football Summit.
‘It has taken too long. We know there was an alleged breach of 100 articles, so any decisions will have to be adopted accordingly by the Premier League.
‘One of the worst things about financial controls is if you don’t follow or comply with it.
‘Barcelona is so important for LaLiga in Spain but if I looked away and didn’t pay attention to what is happening with their finances, it would be a gross error, our whole system would collapse.
‘It is impossible for them to do transfer business in the summer because of the numbers. This needs to be resolved and we need to act.’
LaLiga leaders Barcelona have been kept under strict financial controls having racked up over £1billion in debt.
It meant they were unable to spend any money in the January window and had to seek court intervention to enable star player Gavi to be moved onto a full contract.
Tebas also said he would have the repeat every criticism he has made in the past about PSG if Manchester United are bought by Qatari investors.
Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani is one of two confirmed bidders for United, who were put on the market by current owners, the Glazer family, back in November.
PSG is already owned by Qatari investors, leading to concerns over integrity, especially in the UEFA competitions.
‘Everything I have always said about PSG I will have to repeat,’ Tebas said.
‘What shouldn’t really happen is they come up with fake sponsorships or structures over the clubs so expenses can be dealt with creatively – not within the arena of football.
‘We have seen inflated sponsorship, then you create a structure. This is a little bit dangerous and we have to pay attention.’
‘In the case of Manchester United, the purchaser knows that is has to pay for the takeover and the losses.’
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