Premier League, UEFA investigating Manchester City club owned by Emirati prince Mansour bin Zayed

Premier League, UEFA investigating Manchester City club owned by Emirati prince Mansour bin Zayed
The Premier League is investigating whether Manchester City broke any rules covering financial compliance, third-party ownership and the recruitment of youngsters.
2 min read
09 March, 2019
The British football team is owned by Emirati royal Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan [Getty]

The Premier League is investigating whether Manchester City broke any rules covering financial compliance, third-party ownership and the recruitment of youngsters.

The announcement comes a day after UEFA opened a formal investigation into whether City tried to disguise the source of revenue from overvalued sponsorships.

The British football team is owned by Emirati royal Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The UEFA and Premier League cases have been sparked by leaked City correspondence published by German media outlet Der Spiegel.

The publication recently claimed team's Abu Dhabi-based owner made a payment to Jadon Sancho's agent when the player was only 14 and before he left Watford in 2015.

Sancho has since joined Borussia Dortmund from City.

Under Premier League rules, clubs are not permitted to offer financial inducements to a player under 16 or any person connected with that player.

The Premier League says it has "contacted Manchester City to request information regarding recent allegations and is in ongoing dialogue with the club."

Without disclosing the specifics, the league pointed out it "has detailed financial regulations and strong rules in the areas of Academy player recruitment and third-party ownership."

"We are currently investigating these matters and will allow Manchester City every opportunity to explain the context and detail surrounding them," it added.

Meanwhile, Europe's football body UEFA has put opened a formal investigation into whether financial monitoring rules were violated by City.

The Der Spiegel revelations suggest Man City officials deceived UEFA over several years, including by disguising the source of revenue from overvalued sponsorships tied to the club's owners in Abu Dhabi.

UEFA acted after the latest release last Friday included complete emails detailing how Abu Dhabi's owners secretly paid into inflated commercial deals.