It’s understood that Liverpool are the club leading the push for the Premier League to resolve the Financial Fair Play (FFP) case regarding Manchester City.
That’s according to Football Insider, who claimed that the Merseyside outfit are ‘applying pressure’ for the investigation into the champions’ 115 charges for breaches of financial regulations to be concluded by the start of the 2024/25 season.
The report mentions that City’s rivals are growing frustrated at the length of time being taken to act on that particular case, with the charges coming to light back in February, and Manchester United are also believed to have taken action for their neighbours’ case to be resolved.
It comes just a few days after Everton were deducted 10 points upon being found guilty of breaching financial regulations following an independent commission’s ruling, with that one charge brought about in March.
Cynics will undoubtedly label Liverpool’s reported push for a resolution to City’s FFP case as an act of self-interest, given the rivalry which has grown between the two clubs over the past decade following several Premier League title battles.
However, it’s telling that the Reds aren’t alone in demanding a swift conclusion to the investigation surrounding the Manchester club, with even their arch-rivals United also seemingly wanting the matter closed sooner rather than later.
Questions have inevitably been asked as to why Everton were handed such a draconian punishment for one charge when the substantially wealthier Man City have thus far avoided any penalty for 115.
Even when taking into account that the latter case is evidently larger (and therefore bound to be more time-consuming) and that – unlike with the Toffees – the champions haven’t been found guilty, scepticism will continue to abound.
The investigation into City’s FFP charges has reportedly taken more than four years, so you’d like to think that a verdict will be reached in the foreseeable future. If they are deemed guilty of the relevant offences, it’ll be most interesting to see what penalty is handed out in the context of Everton’s 10-point deduction.