Premier League to avoid £4.5bn 'refunds' over Man City verdict after discount talks

· Mirror

Manchester City were found guilty of 114 of their 115 Premier League financial breaches, leading to concerns that the Premier League's broadcast partners could take action

The Premier League will reportedly avoid paying billions in refunds after Manchester City's guilty verdict in their legal battle with the top-flight. The Manchester club are left reeling after the independent commission found them guilty of 114 out of 115 charges, a verdict they are expected to appeal after steadfastly maintaining their innocence.

In 2018, the Premier League agreed a domestic TV rights deal worth £4.5billion, which fell in the last year of the investigation into City's alleged financial breaches starting in 2009/10. Broadcasters boast showing thousands of football matches with Sky Sports and TNT Sports/HBO Max holding the rights to the top-flight, with the offering of Premier League matches making up a significant portion of their investment.

It has been suggested that organisations could seek compensation from the Premier League, having paid to show one of the most lucrative periods in the competition's history, due to question marks over the integrity in light of the findings surrounding City.

However, the Daily Mail have rubbished the claim with the prospect of calls for refunds deemed 'highly unlikely', it was also noted that subscription figures could diminish dependent on City's punishment result but it was also described as unlikely.

This week, the Premier League confirmed that an independent commission had found City guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of the financial rules over a nine-season period.

It was alleged that the club "arranged sham contracts" and relied "on sham agreements with others to artificially inflate" the true state of finances.

City have been found guilty of concealing the true state of finances from auditors and football regulators, as well as significantly breaching top-flight and UEFA spending rules.

In a statement, the Premier League's current leaders said: "Manchester City FC is both disappointed and surprised by the opinion of the Premier League Commission, that has been published today.

> "The club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League and a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions, relating to this case.

> "The Club will therefore be relentless, and where necessary proactive, in any and all appropriate regulatory and legal forums. The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements uncompleted.

> "Manchester City FC will now pursue the appeal avenues open to it, on the basis that the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe.

> "The club has diligently respected due process for eight years on the basis that the Premier League Board and Executive would behave as an independent, impartial and fair-minded regulator, free from partisan influence. The club is obviously restricted in what it can say further until all future proceedings are complete."

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