Man City case impacts 'integrity' of the game, the Football Association says

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The Football Association expressed concern Friday that the ruling against Manchester City for large-scale financial wrongdoing affects the “integrity” of soccer and said it was assessing the verdict.

City was found by an independent panel to have artificially inflated revenue by more than $1 billion over nearly a decade, using what the Premier League describes as “sham” sponsorship agreements established by the club’s Abu Dhabi-based ownership.

The panel found City guilty of all the charges of serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations from 2009-18, and the majority of other charges for not cooperating with the investigation.

The FA, the governing body of English soccer, has given its first reaction to the biggest disciplinary case in Premier League history, saying: “The independent commission’s decision has significant implications for the integrity of the game.

“We are carefully considering the decision and its implications and will take action where appropriate.”

The FA added that it would “continue to monitor developments closely” and would not comment further because proceedings were ongoing.

City continues to protest its innocence and has signaled its intention to lodge an appeal following the ruling that was published on Tuesday. The deadline for the appeal is Friday.

The club's punishment will be addressed in a separate, confidential hearing with the independent commission. Potential sanctions range from a fine, points deduction or even expulsion from the Premier League.

The City case is currently a soccer disciplinary proceeding, not a criminal investigation. On Thursday, a cross-party committee of lawmakers called on Britain's tax authority to assess the case.

The chair of the Treasury Committee, Dame Meg Hillier, wrote to the permanent secretary of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), saying: “While I acknowledge that taxpayer confidentiality may inhibit what you can disclose, I would welcome reassurance from HMRC that you are seized of the importance of these issues and the public interest in the case."

In another example of the widespread impact of the scandal involving City, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has been repeatedly asked his view on the issue.

On Wednesday, Burnham said he would be “really concerned” to lose City’s ownership from English soccer, saying they had been a “huge partner in the building of modern Manchester” and of City as a global force, while also saying he was not getting involved in the process.

Burnham was formerly the mayor of Manchester.

On Thursday, Downing Street sought to clarify that the prime minister viewed the ruling as “serious and there can’t be any suggestion that anyone is above the rules.”

“If wrongdoing is established, those responsible should face the appropriate consequences,” Burnham's office said in a statement, which stressed that the independent process was ongoing.

Meanwhile, former City manager and current Italy coach Roberto Mancini is attempting to distance himself from the case.

After appearing to acknowledge last weekend before a Nations League match in Turkey that he had “a double contract” as City coach from 2009-13, Mancini was asked about it again ahead of Italy’s game in France on Friday.

“It’s not something that involves me,” Mancini said in his pre-match news conference. “There’s a judicial process that will move forward. But I already explained in Turkey that I’m not involved in this story.”

Among the raft of charges that City has faced is an alleged failure to provide accurate details for player and manager payments between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons.

In 2018, German magazine Der Spiegel published evidence showing Mancini doubled his base salary of 1.45 million pounds (now $1.9 million) for advising a club in Abu Dhabi.

Mancini led City to its first titles after Abu Dhabi’s ruling family bought the club in 2008.

AP Sports Writer Andrew Dampf in Rome contributed to this report.