Secret 2017 meeting photo emerges as Man City's key evidence in Premier League charges appeal

A photograph taken at a private dinner in New York in October 2017 has become the centrepiece of Manchester City’s defence against their Premier League financial misconduct charges, with former club employees reportedly describing it as the “smoking gun” that exposes what they call a “Red Cartel” working against the club.

The image shows Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis, Liverpool owner John W. Henry, and Manchester United owners Avram and Joel Glazer alongside executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward, all seated at the same table. City’s hierarchy are said to have long viewed the meeting as evidence of coordinated rival opposition — a belief that predates the formal charges by more than five years.

Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, the other two of the traditional “Big Six”, were absent from the gathering. Their non-attendance has been attributed to neither club being American-owned at the time, though sources indicate City’s leadership has never accepted that explanation as sufficient.

According to ESPN, City have declined to comment publicly on the alleged cartel. However, sources with connections to the club say those at the top harbour little doubt about their rivals’ motivations. One source was quoted as saying: “From day one, United, Arsenal and Liverpool have been terrified of losing their ability to dominate everything from the Premier League to the transfer market. Sheikh Mansour came along in 2008 and changed everything again, and the red clubs have been in a battle against City ever since.”

The theory faces complications, however. Both Henry and former Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger made public criticisms of City’s financial practices as far back as 2011 — six years before the New York meeting — which some will argue undermines the notion of a conspiracy that crystallised in 2017.

Wenger at the time called on UEFA to examine City’s sponsorship arrangements, alleging the club were manipulating financial fair play regulations. “It raises the real question about the credibility of financial fair play,” Wenger said. “They give us the message that they can get around it by doing what they want. The sponsorship has to be at the market price — it cannot be doubled, tripled, or quadrupled.”

UEFA did ultimately pursue City over financial fair play breaches, but their case collapsed. The Premier League’s own charges, which cover an alleged 115 rule violations across more than a decade, are currently being heard by an independent commission. City deny all wrongdoing. The outcome of that process, rather than the court of public opinion, will determine the club’s fate.