I think we all knew why Newcastle were tip-toeing around FFP (Financial Fair Play) even if, deep down, we would love the club to go out and splash the cash like Chelsea and, weirdly, Nottingham Forest.
But the breaking news on Sky Sports today has hammered home the importance of playing by the rules as Manchester City have today been charged with financial breaches dating back to the 2009/10 season.
As reported on Sky Sports: “The Premier League opened their investigation in March 2019 and the charge sheet makes reference to every season from September of 2009/10 to the 2017/18 season.”
The Chelsea board must be bricking it now as you’d imagine they’re next to have the microscope of truth run over their accounts once this case is wrapped up.
While we know that FFP heavily favours those already raking in the money and that it’s there to keep the big six at the top, it seems like Manchester City had been taking advantage of it a bit too much for too long. As much as we all shook our heads at Chelsea’s spending this season, it’s very likely that as things stand, they’re still within the FFP guidelines – however, should they fail to make the Champions League this season, which does look likely, they could find themselves in a world of trouble.
Clubs will be watching this Manchester City case with interest as the outcome will determine how much or how little they can get away with. Meanwhile, Newcastle fans can be thankful that our new owners have been playing it super safe and should be safe from scrutiny – especially given how much people are watching our every move as it is.