Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano has alluded to 'a Premier League conspiracy' in a video message sent to staff following the club's guilty verdict on financial charges. The club have been found by an Independent Commission to have orchestrated 'sham contracts' to inflate revenue over a nine-year span, with income exaggerated by more than £820million from 2009 until 2018.
City continue to assert their innocence and intend to appeal, with a deadline of Friday 2 October to exercise that right. Soriano has emphasised to club staff that they will pursue every legal route possible to win the case, and regarding the sponsorship issues highlighted, he asserts that City provided 'irrefutable evidence'.
Soriano's message to staff
In the video, Soriano said: "I want to share some information related to the ongoing disciplinary process between Manchester City and the Premier League. A document has been made public with an opinion of the Premier League commission that is negative to our interests. I want to explain exactly what this is, the next steps and how we are going to continue to defend the club, and finally be vindicated in this process."
He added: "This has gone for so long that it is important to remind ourselves that the whole Premier League case against us is based on a single false accusation - that the owners' personal money was somehow and secretly put into the club via some sponsors from Abu Dhabi. This is just not true."
'Irrefutable evidence' and appeal plans
Soriano stated: "Irrefutable evidence has been provided to the Premier League commission that shows that it could not happen and that it did not happen. This includes bank statements, money transfers, witnesses and everything necessary to categorically demonstrate that the money did not come from the owner. Every other false charge that has been thrown at us - and aggressively marketed and promoted - comes from the simple, central, and completely false accusation."
He continued: "Surprisingly for us, and for our lawyers, after nearly two years the Premier League Commission has introduced an opinion that supports the Premier League's conspiracy theory. To do so, the opinion had to ignore the extensive evidence provided by the club in order to reach a conclusion that is clearly wrong."
Relentless pursuit of vindication
Soriano said: "Our lawyers will now file an appeal that sets out the opinion contains clear material errors of law, principle and fact and it is unsafe. Remember we have been here before. In 2020 we were also wrongly ruled against for many of the same issues. We appealed to an independent body in CAS and we won."
He added: "We will now be relentless in our work. We will focus on the independent appeal process and also all other legal avenues available to us in order to win the case, and we will take all necessary action to protect the club and seek compensation from any party that tries to damage it now, and in the future."
In the wake of these revelations, Soriano was approached by Sky News for a comment. When asked if he apologises to football fans, he replied: "I have nothing to say." He then ignored further questions about the club's confidence in winning the appeal and whether Manchester City are a sham of a club. When asked if he had a duty to send a message to football fans, Soriano simply said: 'Thank you,' and walked away.
