Man City players could void contracts after 114-charge guilty verdict, barrister explains

Manchester City players could legally walk away from their contracts in the wake of the club’s guilty verdict on 114 of 115 Premier League financial charges, according to barrister Paul Gilroy KC.

Gilroy, appearing on the Stick to Football podcast alongside Gary Neville, Ian Wright, Jamie Carragher, Roy Keane and Jill Scott, was asked by Wright how the verdict might affect players currently at the club, including Erling Haaland.

“Every contract of employment, whether it’s a footballer or someone who works in a shop, has got an implied term in it,” Gilroy explained. “And the implied term we’re talking about here is the term of trust and confidence. If you call me a liar and a thief on Tuesday, I can’t work for you on a Wednesday.”

Gilroy went on to outline the legal argument available to players: “A player could say, ‘You have breached the implied term of trust and confidence. You are my employer, you have acted in breach of that term, and that entitles me to say I’m ripping up my contract and I’m walking out.’ That is a possibility. I’ve seen commentators saying unlikely, but it depends on so many things — what’s the club going to say to the players, how do they sort it out financially. But arguably, it’s certainly a possibility.”

Carragher jokingly asked whether Liverpool could sign Haaland for free the following week, to which Gilroy replied: “Yeah, why not?” Wright added, in jest, that the Norwegian striker might prefer Arsenal given his friendships there.

The independent commission found City guilty of breaching 114 charges, with the allegations spanning the period between 2009 and 2018. Among the key findings was that City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ contracts with commercial partners. City continue to deny the charges and maintain their innocence, with the club expected to file an appeal before Friday’s deadline.