UEFA evidence 'contradicts City's defence' in £30m sponsorship appeal blow

Manchester City’s bid to overturn a guilty verdict on 114 financial breach charges has suffered a fresh blow, with The Times reporting that evidence the club previously submitted to UEFA undermines their core defence in the ongoing Premier League appeal.

City were found guilty last week of 114 of the 115 charges brought against them by the Premier League, which alleged the club arranged “sham” sponsorship deals to artificially inflate revenues by £900 million. An independent three-person commission will oversee the appeal, with a ruling expected before the end of the year.

Central to City’s defence is the claim that the disputed sponsorship payments were legitimate and funded by the Abu Dhabi government — specifically state-owned bodies — rather than by the club’s owners at Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG). Premier League regulations allow state-owned entities to sponsor clubs, meaning that argument, if accepted, could potentially clear City of wrongdoing.

However, The Times has reported that evidence City submitted to UEFA more than six years ago tells a different story. According to the report, City informed UEFA that two payments of £15 million each — made in 2012 and 2013 — were made by Jaber Mohamed, who served as general director of the UAE’s Crown Prince Court (CPC). Crucially, City are said to have told UEFA that “the payment was caused to be made by ADUG” without disclosing Mohamed’s direct ties to the CPC — the very government connection they now cite as their primary defence.

The payments were originally reported to have been due from Etisalat, a City sponsor majority-owned by the UAE, adding another layer of complexity to the club’s account of events.

This represents a second significant setback for City’s appeal. The first came with revelations that title sponsors Etihad Airways told the United States Department of Commerce, Transportation, and State in 2015 that claims of government-funded sponsorships were “false” during a separate investigation into state-owned airlines.

City have maintained their innocence throughout, insisting they possess “irrefutable evidence” that will support their case before the independent commission.