Staveley urges Premier League to resolve Man City financial scandal amicably after guilty verdict

Amanda Staveley, the dealmaker who helped Sheikh Mansour’s Abu Dhabi United Group purchase Manchester City for £200 million in 2008, has publicly urged the Premier League to seek an amicable settlement to the club’s financial misconduct scandal, following a verdict that found City guilty of 114 of the 115 charges brought against them.

The independent panel determined that City used “sham” contracts to conceal more than £830 million in secret funding and systematically breached the league’s financial rules between 2009 and 2018. City have maintained their innocence and lodged an appeal against the verdict, meaning no punishment can be imposed until that process concludes. Potential sanctions include relegation, a substantial points deduction, a fine, or a transfer ban.

Speaking at Leaders Week London, held at Stamford Bridge, Staveley — who received £5 million in commission for her role in facilitating the 2008 takeover and is better known more recently for her part in Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund acquiring Newcastle United — framed the issue in terms of protecting English football’s global standing.

“We have such an exciting league. Football in Europe is potentially the most watched sport in the world and we should really nurture this asset,” she said. “We should nurture our fans and we should do everything we can to try and make a resolution to the issues that exist today.”

Staveley acknowledged the difficulty of the Premier League’s position, noting the competing pressures its executives face from member clubs pulling in opposite directions. “You’ve got 20 clubs and half of them are shouting at you to do one thing; the rest of the 10 clubs are shouting at you to do another,” she said. “So, as an executive, you’re always pulled; you’re always being threatened to be sued by one club. And you’re meant to actually be co-owners of one league.”

She concluded by calling for a forward-looking approach: “I think we should just focus on the future and getting it right and trying to build bridges with our neighbours.”

The verdict has also raised questions about Sheikh Mansour’s continued ownership of the club. The Independent Football Regulator has warned it could move to strip the UAE deputy prime minister of his ownership stake, adding another layer of uncertainty to a case that has already sent shockwaves through English football.

City’s rivals have been vocal in demanding severe punishment commensurate with the scale and duration of the rule-breaking, while the club’s appeal means the final resolution remains some way off.