Four of City’s biggest Premier League rivals have taken steps to preserve their right to pursue compensation from the club following the latest developments in its financial case.
Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur submitted legal notices in 2024 amid concerns over a potential statute of limitations deadline.
Those moves have taken on fresh significance following Friday’s reports concerning Man City, although no compensation has been awarded and no separate claim has been decided.
Four clubs protected position over potential City claims
The four clubs acted amid concern that a potential six-year limitation period could expire before City’s Premier League proceedings were completed. That issue was linked to November 2018, when material concerning City’s finances emerged through the Football Leaks disclosures.
Rather than wait for the City case to reach its conclusion, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham took precautionary action to protect their positions. It does not mean any of them has established a successful claim against City.
Any club seeking compensation would still have to make its case through a separate legal process and demonstrate what losses it believed it had suffered. Those could potentially include lost prize money, Champions League revenue or commercial income, depending on the circumstances of each club.
Reports have suggested successful claims could eventually be worth substantial sums. No damages have been awarded.
Why the 2024 legal move matters now
When the four clubs acted in 2024, the outcome of City’s case remained unknown. The developments of the past few days have inevitably brought those legal preparations back into focus.
The notices were intended to preserve the clubs’ ability to seek compensation rather than risk a potential limitation period becoming an obstacle later. No other Premier League club is reported to have taken the same precautionary step at the time.
That does not necessarily rule out action from elsewhere. Questions around limitation periods, potential losses and when those losses could reasonably have been identified could all form part of any future legal arguments. Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham have at least already taken steps to protect their positions.
Ferdinand jokes about another Premier League medal
Rio Ferdinand was among the former players to react to Friday’s reports. Manchester United finished level with City on 89 points in 2011/12 but lost the Premier League title on goal difference after Sergio Aguero’s stoppage-time winner against Queens Park Rangers on the final day.
Ferdinand responded on social media:
“Another Premier League medal to be added to the cabinet.”
There has been no decision to remove any of City’s previous titles or retrospectively award them to other clubs. Reports have suggested title-stripping is unlikely, so Ferdinand’s comment is best viewed as part of the reaction to Friday’s developments rather than an indication of what happens next.
Compensation question could outlast City proceedings
The significance of the four clubs’ legal preparations may not become clear for some time. Any compensation action would be separate from City’s existing Premier League proceedings and would require clubs to establish their own cases for damages.
What has changed this week is the relevance of decisions Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham made two years ago. They chose not to wait for the City case to conclude before taking legal precautions.
Whether any of them eventually goes further and pursues compensation could become one of the next major strands of a dispute that is still some way from its final conclusion.
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