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Manchester United’s new Chief Operating Officer, Omar Berrada, is expected to be a “key witness” in the Manchester City financial fair play investigation.
In February 2023, the Premier League alleged City had breached financial fair play regulations 115 times between the period of 2009 and 2018.
The allegations were the result of a four-year investigation into the club’s finances, which the Premier League accuse City of failing to cooperate with.
The case has been referred to an independent commission who will lead the investigation. The start of February will mark a year since the accusations were first made.
Both Everton and Nottingham Forest have faced charges for financial breaches in the same period; with Everton even receiving a ten point penalty in November.
The Premier League’s Chief Executive, Richard Masters, was even questioned by the Culture, Media and Sports committee over this sense of imbalance between how different teams’ investigations appear to be treated earlier this week. MPs were believed to be echoing fans frustrations and asked Masters whether he could understand them.
The executive replied:
“I can [understand their frustrations] but they are very different charges. If any club, whether they are the current champions or otherwise, had been found in breach of the spending rules for year ’23, they would be in exactly the same position as Everton or Nottingham Forest.
“The volume and character of the charges laid before Man City, which I cannot talk about at all, are being heard in a completely different environment. There is a date set for that proceeding. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you when that is but that is progressing. I can’t give any details on Man City beyond saying a date has been set.”
Football Insider believes the Premier League and City have agreed to a trial date in autumn this year. However, a source revealed the case “could run into 2026 due to the scale of the charges.”
There is a new ‘fast-track’ approach with the Premier League’s financial fair play regulations which requires all cases to be “settled within the same season to provide clarity over sanctions.”
The allegations against City precede the introduction of this rule, however. This means it’s very likely both Everton and Forest will receive the verdicts in their cases “before the hearing for City’s 115 charges even begins.”
One person expected to be an important part of this hearing, whenever it may unfold, is Berrada.
The Sun reveals United’s new executive is “expected to be a key witness” owing to the prominent position he’s held at the Etihad.
The paper contends that given “his position within the football and commercial side of the City Football Group operation, both on the football and commercial side of the club, Berrada will be a key figure when the hearing begins.”
Sources have revealed to The Sun that Berrada’s appointment to such an important role at Old Trafford “points towards City’s innocence” as United would not wish to take such a risk with a high profile position, without some level of assurance he will not implicated in a guilty verdict.
However, The Times contends that their understanding is the executive “did not play any role in the sponsorship and salary deals that have led to City being charged” in the first place.
This may infer Berrada’s innocence does not necessarily extend to his previous club.
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