Javier Tebas says the delay in sentencing over allegations that Manchester City breached Premier League financial rules gives the impression that the club can act with “impunity”.
Javier Tebas joins the Premier League (Image: Oscar J. Barroso/Getty Images)
La Liga manager Javier Tebas had a double blowout in the Premier League. Tebas described it as a “failure” that more than three years after Manchester City received 115 charges, they still remain unresolved.
And Tebas also warned that the Premier League’s new financial rules would lead to significant transfers and wage inflation across Europe. It comes as Premier League chief executive Richard Masters once again sidestepped the City issue, saying: “I can’t talk about this issue, I can’t talk about the timing of it. We’ve gone three years without talking about this issue and obviously we’re not going to stop now.”
But Tebas was unapologetic about the length of time it took for the Premier League to reach a conclusion in the City case, despite Everton and Nottingham Forest being dealt with swiftly and receiving point deductions.
“This is a failure of governance in the Premier League. Other clubs are watching this and seeing what’s going on. They’re being fined, they’re getting points deductions, but if they don’t follow the rules, that’s fine,” Tebas said.
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“But City seem to have been given impunity. I’ve spoken to a lot of English clubs and the vast majority don’t understand this either. It’s weakening the Premier League system.”
The tribunal into City’s 115 alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations concluded in December 2024, but an independent panel is still deliberating.
Tebas was speaking at FT Live’s Business of Football Summit, where he also spoke out about the Premier League’s finances and spending rules. Top-flight clubs have voted to replace their current profitability and sustainability rules with a new system of team cost ratios from next season.
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Manchester City are said to have been breaking the rules for nine years (Image: Getty Images)
They can spend up to 85% of their season income on wages and transfers, which can increase to up to 115% if they break even within three years.
Tebas added: “In Spain we have special and strict rules regarding Financial Fair Play. FFP is something that everyone in the country has to apply and they cannot spend more than they earn. But the new regulations here will cause further inflation and more problems. If clubs are allowed to spend 85 per cent of their income but do not take into account expenses, the Fair Play rules will be completely useless.”
“English football has the highest turnover, twice the revenue of the Spanish league or the Bundesliga. Clubs have twice the investment capacity of other leagues. We can’t compete economically, we can sign better players and hire better coaches, but they have huge investments from their owners.
“What will the market do? It’s not rocket science. England’s system of 85 per cent SCR and transfer fees means clubs could take 115 per cent of the revenue and that will cause inflation, I’m sure of that.”
“I don’t know where they got these numbers from. I’m really surprised. We need to harmonize FFP in Europe. That’s the way forward.”
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