Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano has told club staff that the Premier League’s financial case against the champions rests on a “false accusation”, insisting the club has supplied evidence to show that owner funding was not channelled through Abu Dhabi sponsorship deals.
Soriano challenges Premier League case
In a video message to employees, Soriano described the league’s position as a “conspiracy theory” and said City reject the central allegation behind the proceedings.
He said the accusation is that money from the club’s owners was introduced through certain Abu Dhabi-based sponsors. Soriano maintained that this did not happen and said it would not happen in future.
- City say they provided bank statements and records of money transfers.
- The club say witnesses and further supporting material were also submitted.
- Soriano said this evidence showed “categorically” that the funds in question had not come from the owner.
Club says evidence was overlooked
Soriano argued that the other allegations levelled at City stem from that same underlying claim. He said the club and its legal team were surprised that, after more than two years, the Premier League commission had reached a view which he said backed the league’s theory.
“The whole matter with the Premier League is founded on an untrue allegation,” Soriano said. “That is the claim that our owners’ money was put into the club through some Abu Dhabi sponsors. That is not true.”
He added that City had handed over the material needed to contest the claim, including banking documents, transfer records and witness evidence.
“An incorrect conclusion”
The City chief executive said the commission had, in the club’s view, failed to take proper account of the evidence supplied before arriving at what he called the wrong conclusion.
“Every false charge against us comes from this single, wholly false allegation,” Soriano said. “For us and for our lawyers, it was surprising that the commission, after more than two years, gave an opinion supporting the Premier League’s conspiracy theory.
“In doing so, the evidence supplied by the club was ignored and an incorrect conclusion was reached.”
