Manchester City will not face Financial Fair Play investigation after La Liga chief writes to UEFA saying they and PSG are 'irreparably harming football'

  • La Liga president Javier Tebas wrote to UEFA last month about Manchester City
  • City spent big on players such as Kyle Walker and Benjamin Mendy this summer 
  • UEFA said Friday they are looking into whether PSG breached FFP rules 

Manchester City have been accused of ‘irreparably harming the football industry’ in a bizarre complaint by La Liga over their summer spending.


La Liga president Javier Tebas wrote to UEFA on August 22 pleading for both Pep Guardiola’s side and Paris Saint-Germain to be investigated for breaching Financial Fair Play rules.

Tebas argued that the state ownership of the two clubs ‘distorts European competitions’ in a move privately backed by his country’s two heavyweights, Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Manchester City bought Kyle Walker from Tottenham for £54million in the summer

Manchester City bought Kyle Walker from Tottenham for £54million in the summer

La Liga president Javier Tebas wants UEFA to investigate City's compliance with FFP 

La Liga president Javier Tebas wants UEFA to investigate City's compliance with FFP 

Tebas wrote to UEFA last month requesting investigations into Pep Guardiola's City side

Tebas wrote to UEFA last month requesting investigations into Pep Guardiola's City side

UEFA revealed on Monday that they have no plans to look into City’s transfer dealings, while Sportsmail understands the letter had no bearing on an investigation into PSG’s finances announced last week.

‘PSG and Man City’s funding by state-aid distorts European competitions and creates an inflationary spiral that is irreparably harming the football industry,’ Tebas said.

‘UEFA must enforce FFP regulations to avoid discrimination among clubs. PSG is a habitual offender and has been violating UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations for years.

‘It is important that UEFA doesn’t just look at the most recent player transfers, but at PSG’s history of non-compliance. The transfers are merely the result of years of financial doping at PSG.’

City - whose six summer signings cost close to £220million - believe they have no problem complying with FFP regulations. Their spending was offset by the sale of a number of players deemed surplus to requirements at the Etihad Stadium.

La Liga’s public criticism, viewed as ‘desperate’ by some close to the situation, comes after Neymar left Barcelona and Real Madrid missed out on Kylian Mbappe, both of whom ended up at PSG.

There are also concerns that Lionel Messi could leave the Nou Camp next summer after so far failing to agree a new contract, although there remains hope that the situation is salvageable. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner holds reservations about the direction Barcelona are headed after a dismal transfer window.

City appear to have been caught in the crossfire of La Liga’s ire at PSG after two exorbitant deals.

PSG set a new world record for a transfer when they signed Neymar for £198m last month

PSG set a new world record for a transfer when they signed Neymar for £198m last month

They also signed French wonderkid Kylian Mbappe on loan from Monaco before a £166m move

They also signed French wonderkid Kylian Mbappe on loan from Monaco before a £166m move

Mbappe signed on an initial season-long loan from Monaco, with PSG obligated to lavish £166m on the teenager next summer. Neymar became the most expensive player in history in a £198m deal last month.

PSG have maintained they operate with transparency and there is a degree of surprise at La Liga publicly bemoaning finances elsewhere.

It comes just a year after seven Spanish clubs were ordered to repay tens of millions of euros in illegal state subsidies after it was found they had received unfair financial aid from their government. Real Madrid were made to repay £15.4m. 

MAN CITY AND PSG SIGNINGS 

Kyle Walker (Tottenham, £54m)

Benjamin Mendy (Monaco, £50m)

Bernardo Silva (Monaco, £43m)

Ederson (Benfica, £35m)

Danilo (Real Madrid, £27m)

Douglas Luiz (Vasco da Gama, £10.7m)

Olarenwaju Kayode (Austria Vienna, £3.5m)

 

Neymar (Barcelona, £198m)

Kylian Mbappe (Monaco, loan)

Dani Alves (Juvenuts, free)

Yuri Berchiche ( Real Sociedad, £14m)

Dani Alves rejected City to join PSG

Dani Alves rejected City to join PSG

 

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FINANCIAL FAIR PLAY

UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules state clubs have to balance however much they spend with their revenue.

Both Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain have been sanctioned for not spending within their means before, in 2014.

They were fined £49m and only allowed to name a 21-man squad for the Champions League the following season. 

UEFA said on Friday that they are looking into whether PSG have breached the rules again over the course of the summer. PSG believe that Neymar's arrival at the club will raise revenue amounts to be in line with FFP.

UEFA have said before that non-compliance with FFP could result in a club being excluded from the Champions League. 

However, with PSG and City signing up some of the biggest names in world football, it is debatable exactly how much excluding them from Europe's elite club competition would be in UEFA's interest. 

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