The Premier League is under ‘renewed pressure’ to complete an investigation into Manchester City following further leaks of the club’s alleged rule breaking.
City have been under investigation for more than three years amid alleged rule breaks relating to financial regulations and the rules governing youth players.
German investigative website, Der Spiege, has now published new documents on alleged breaches in a move that will increase the pressure on the Premier League to complete their investigation.
According to the Times, the allegations include secret payments to agents, financial payments to secure underage players, including Jadon Sancho, and payments made to the club from their Abu Dhabi owners instead of sponsors.
The club’s sponsorships are again under investigation, following a UEFA ban in 2020 that saw the governing body suspend City from European competition for two seasons and issue the Premier League champions with a €30m fine.
Upon appeal, the ban was overturned and fine reduced with the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling that “most of the alleged breaches were either not established or time-barred”.
City have denied any wrongdoing and insist the allegations have been based on ‘hacked emails that were taken out of context’, though the pressure is now mounting on the Premier League to reach a conclusion to its investigation following the latest leaks.
Der Spiegel have also released details of former manager Roberto Mancini’s contract at the Etihad, in which more than half of his basic salary was paid to his company via a consultancy contract with the Abu Dhabi-based club Al Jazira.
It has been revealed Mancini’s company sent quarterly invoices to City, who sent money to Al Jazira to finalise payment via the Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG) headed by City’s owner Sheikh Mansour.
Further allegations include City’s conduct in signing youth players, with the club’s acquisitions of Jadon Sancho and Brahim Diaz under scrutiny. The FA previously investigated Sancho’s move from Watford as a teenager, however, and did not charge City with any wrongdoing.
