Premier League boss ordered to hand over emails, WhatsApp messages, and texts ahead of Manchester City legal showdown | OneFootball

Key names involved in the hierarchy of the Premier League have now been ordered to hand over correspondence that mentions Manchester City, a report has revealed.

The English top-flight charged the Etihad Stadium club with more than 100 breaches of its financial rules following a four-year investigation in February 2023, before referring the side to an independent commission over the alleged rule breaches between 2009 and 2018.

The Premier League also accused Manchester City of not co-operating since the investigation started in December 2018, while those within the football club not only say they are “surprised” by the charges, but that they are also supported by a “body of irrefutable evidence”.

With a date for the showdown in front of an independent commission now set for November 2024, and expected to run for at least six weeks, a new report has offered an insight into the next steps concerning some of the Premier League’s key officials.

As per a new report from The Times, senior figures at the Premier League have now been ordered to hand over emails, WhatsApp messages, and texts that mention Manchester City before the hearing into the 115 charges against the club later this year.

The four-time consecutive Premier League champions are due to appear before an independent commission in November, while Manchester City have strenuously denied any wrongdoing since the charges’ first release in February 2023.

Among those reportedly required to hand over messages and communications referencing City dating back to 2009 are the Premier League’s current chief executive Richard Masters, and his predecessor, Richard Scudamore.

The latest update concerning Manchester City and their 115 alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules come as the club begin their own legal battle with the top-flight over the organisation’s commercial rules.

An arbitration hearing surrounding the legality of the Premier League’s associated party transaction (APT) rules, which determine whether sponsorship deals are financially ‘fair’, has been set for 10-21 June.

A previous report from The Times newspaper revealed a 165-page legal document in which City claim they are victims of “discrimination”, and that the amended rules were approved by rivals to “stifle” their success on the pitch, and call it “a tyranny of the majority”.

The newspaper also reports that in addition to the challenge to the rules, Manchester City are also claiming damages.