Man City 'challenge 115 Prem charges' and protest against 'Arsenal fan barrister'

Manchester City have officially lodged challenges against the Premier League’s 115 charges against them for alleged rule breaches. The club disputes the legality of the investigation and the involvement of the barrister, who said to be an Arsenal fan.

According to the Times, City have disputed that they should not apply to investigations into alleged rule breaches before the recent changes to the Premier League's rules. It is not clear which specific rulings the club are referring to although there have been many changes in recent years.

There have also been concerns raised about the involvement of Murray Rosen KC, the head of the Premier League’s independent judicial panel. Rosen’s profile on his chambers’ website reads: “member of the MCC and Arsenal FC."

Manchester City have been charged with breaking financial fair play rules 119 times over a nine-year period, stretching from 2009 to 2018. The Premier League alleges that City did not provide accurate financial information for nine seasons and so launched an investigation into their finances.

One of the most damning accusations is that they were paying former manager Roberto Mancini's more than what they were recording in their finacial records, via a secret contract. Mancini is said to have been given an alleged £1.75m salary via Sheikh Mansour’s Abu Dhabi club, Al Jazira on top of his £1.45m salary through Man City's club books.

Such claims were lodged by UEFA after German publication Der Spiegel obtained a series of leaked emails.

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