Liam Gallagher has accused Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool of being more corrupt than Manchester City, after his beloved club was found guilty of 114 breaches of Premier League financial rules between the 2009/10 and 2017/18 seasons.
Gallagher's outburst on social media
In view of his 3.8 million followers, Gallagher fumed: "All this hatred directed at Man City from other clubs should be directed at Arsenal Man United Liverpool. There the 1s who are corrupt and trying to stop other teams from winning things not Man City were trying to help you all out we're like Jesus prepared to die on the cross [sic]."
Despite Gallagher's protests, City could now face expulsion from the top flight as their punishment awaits. The club maintain they are "innocent of the accusations" and say they have "a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence" to support their case.
FA and Premier League respond
The Football Association has said that the decision from the Independent Commission's office has "significant implications" for the integrity of the game. Earlier this week, the Premier League claimed City had organised "sham" sponsorship contracts to artificially inflate revenue as part of a "disguised funding scheme" to the scale of £830.69million.
In a first statement since City were found guilty, the FA said: "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. As proceedings between the Premier League and Manchester City Football Club remain ongoing, we do not intend to comment further at this stage. We will, however, continue to monitor developments closely."
City have again denied wrongdoing and are intending to launch an appeal by the close of play this week. The club believe that they are "innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League" and says they have "a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence" to support their case.
Chief executive's statement
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said: "The core decision establishes the facts of what happened at Manchester City during this period. It details how the club systematically broke Premier League Rules for nearly a decade. It also vindicates the Premier League's decision to pursue this case against Manchester City. While the process to date has been both long and difficult, the League has remained determined that the facts be established independently. It is a key responsibility of the Premier League to ensure that the Rules, approved by the clubs themselves, are upheld to protect the integrity of the competition. It is paramount that the League remains competitive and fair for all clubs and for the fans. We take that role extremely seriously. This disciplinary case, and this decision, are the most significant in Premier League history. There are elements of the case that remain to be decided, including, importantly, what sanction must follow for these breaches. Now we have the Commission's decision, we are committed to moving swiftly through the remainder of the process, to provide certainty for the League, our clubs and fans."
At the heart of the club's appeal will be an insistence that government funding, provided via the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court (CPC), gave financial assistance to sponsors in the emirate to help them to fulfil their liabilities to City, rather than Sheikh Mansour’s Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG) company, which owns the club. The 40-page core decision published on Tuesday shows the independent commission rejected the CPC explanation as "untrue" in its findings, adding: "We concluded that it was an 'explanation' that the club had concocted well after the event in an attempt to obscure and conceal the realities of the disguised funding scheme."
