La Liga president Javier Tebas made strong claims about Manchester City
Spanish League President Javier Tebas claimed that City’s parent company were “cooking the books” of top-flight club Girona by giving them loan players at below the market rate.
Five City players have gone out on loan to Girona, in whom City Football Group bought a 44 per cent stake earlier this year.
Tebas said that the Spanish club had undervalued the players – Pablo Maffeo, Aleix Garcia, Marlos Moreno, Douglas Luiz and Olarenwaju Kayode – and so given themselves extra leeway in the €80m budget the club had been set for this season under La Liga rules.
He also said he was ready to put his accusations directly to City chief executive Ferran Soriano, who he met in Manchester yesterday.
City, though, called Tebas’ claims “fiction” and “ill-informed” and said they were considering legal action.
Tebas said: “It’s a good thing that a club like Girona has a backing but obviously there is a closer watch from La Liga to that club.
As you would expect, Manchester City Football Club and the City Football Group are seeking appropriate legal counsel and will act accordingly on that advice
Manchester City spokeswoman
“We have already corrected some of the loan prices. They were [recorded as] too low and they increased them.
“They put the players on the books for a certain amount of money and we didn’t believe it was a real enough money in terms of their salaries so we made them put them on the books for a higher amount.
“On the books it looked like these players were almost free, when players are not free.”
Tebas has confronted Manchester City once already this week, having called on Monday for UEFA to investigate possible financial doping.
The European football governing body, however, said it had no plans to look into City’s accounts.
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City insist that most of their players sent out on loan were done so without a fee involved, and are adamant that they have no case to answer.
A City spokeswoman said: “We note the public comments made by Mr Tebas today and earlier this week.
“UEFA’s statement of September 4 is clear and based on accurate information. By contrast, Mr Tebas’ statements are ill-informed and in parts pure fiction.
“As you would expect, Manchester City Football Club and the City Football Group are seeking appropriate legal counsel and will act accordingly on that advice.”
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