Man City Clinches 4th Consecutive Title Under Cloud of Investigation
Manchester City on Sunday broke a 136-year record in English top-flight soccer, defeating West Ham 3-1 to clinch the Premier League title for a fourth consecutive season.
The record-breaking title went down the the season’s final day, with Man City needing a victory to beat out runner-up Arsenal, a 2-1 winner over Everton. Had Man City suffered a loss or a draw, Arsenal would have taken the trophy.
Instead, City celebrated its sixth EPL title in seven seasons.
No English club has ever won four league titles in a row, and it comes on the heels of last season’s Man City treble—in which the squad won the EPL season championship, English soccer’s FA Cup tournament and Europe’s Champions League. Man City’s revenue for the year was $891 million, up more than 16% over the previous year, and set an EPL record.
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan’s club, under the management of the legendary Catalan coach Pep Guardiola, has been transformed into a soccer juggernaut with 16 titles under its belt. Sheikh Mansour’s financial resources as a member of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family, and the club’s eagerness to spend money on top-flight players, has made City a force in global soccer.
However, the club with the sky-blue jerseys has a cloud hanging over it. In February of 2023, the EPL charged Man City with breaches of the league’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) and Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) of the EPL, with some of the allegations dating back to 2009. Since then, the case has moved glacially, and in secrecy, with Manchester City vehemently denying any wrongdoing. The case could potentially result in fines, suspension and even relegation.
In 2018, City was found guilty of breaking UEFA’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations and banned from the Champions League for two years. The club appealed the decision, taking it to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), and had it overturned.
Two clubs, Everton and Nottingham Forest, were penalized for violating EPL financial rules this season, with points deducted that put them in jeopardy of relegation, though both teams managed to stay in the top flight this season.
Sheikh Mansour bought City in 2008 for $388.5 million; Sportico now values Manchester City at $4.75 billion, making it the sixth-most valuable club among the top 50 most valuable soccer franchises in the world.
