There is no happy alternative to enforcing the rules: Premier League CEO Richard Masters on Manchester City's 115 alleged breaches

The hearing for City’s 115 breaches of Premier League rules is expected to start mid-September.

Premier League CEO Richard Masters has dropped the biggest bombshell regarding Manchester City’s alleged 115 breaches.

Richard Masters acknowledged that going into the new season, the legal battles involving Premier League winners Manchester City and other teams will cause “uncertainty and frustration,” but he added, “There is no happy alternative to enforcing the rules.”

At some point during the upcoming season, an independent panel is expected to rule on the 115 allegations against City. According to a story from The Times on Monday, the hearing may start as early as mid-September.

🗣️ "There is no happy alternative to enforcing the rules"Premier League CEO Richard Masters speaks at the league's launch event about the hearing into Manchester City's 115 alleged breaches of its financial code ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/GsDySatoac

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 13, 2024

The profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) of the league are allegedly being broken by Leicester and Everton, and it is also known that the league is looking into Chelsea for potential rule violations that may have occurred while the team was owned by Roman Abramovich.

When questioned about the importance of each of these issues and if the league was concerned about them, its chief executive, Masters, told Sky Sports:

“There is no happy alternative to enforcing the rules. It does matter, and I understand it creates uncertainty and some frustration but there is no happy alternative to enforcing the rules, which everyone has agreed at the beginning of each season.

“They have looked each other in the eye and shaken each other’s hand and said ‘we will abide by these rules’. So the Premier League has to enforce rules.

“Whatever difficulty or frustration that creates is part of maintaining and protecting the Premier League’s competition, its core values, competitive competition. And that’s really my role, and that’s what I want to continue doing.”

Since the accusations, which they adamantly reject, were made public in February of last year, City have won two league titles.

The rules require City to submit accurate financial information, specifics regarding manager and player salary information contained in the relevant contracts. The club’s obligation as a Premier League member to abide by UEFA’s financial regulations, as well as the league’s own profitability and sustainability regulations, are all related to the alleged violations by City.

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