Manchester City reportedly 'strongly refute' allegations of breaching EU competition law after La Liga president Javier Tebas confirmed the Spanish league have filed a legal complaint against the Premier League champions to the European Commission.
Tebas claims that the complaint was filed by La Liga in 2023 and is related to the Foreign Subsidies Regulation, which concerns foreign subsidies granted by non-EU states to companies involved in economic activities within the internal market.
La Liga have filed their complaint as they believe that Man City has received foreign support from the United Arab Emirates, which has allowed the Citizens to enhance their competitive position and cause substantial distortions across various national and EU markets.
"All they do is they think about how they can avoid the rules and regulations," Tebas told the Financial Times Business of Football Summit on Thursday.
"We have reported this to the European Union with facts and figures. Why? Because it's an English team that is not part of the EU but they have commercial activities in Europe.
"It's really important that all clubs are subject to transparency rules and governance and real competition in the financial and sporting side of their business."
© Imago
La Liga accuse Man City of breaching EU competition law amid separate 115 PL charges case
La Liga are accusing Man City of receiving resources under non-market conditions that disrupt a plethora of closely-related markets, enabling the club to sign elite players and coaches for fees far beyond what would be deemed feasible under normal market conditions.
The Spanish top tier are also stating that this disruption is enabling Man City to secure sponsorship revenues at levels that do not align with fair market value.
Man City's performance on the pitch are therefore said to have directly improved as a result, according to La Liga, and they have restricted their rival's capacity in the process.
Pep Guardiola's side are yet to officially comment on the matter, but Sky Sports News reports that the Citizens 'strongly refute' the allegations and they have pointed to their accounts as evidence of no wrongdoing which are a matter of public record.
The report adds that Man City view Tebas, who has been La Liga president since April 2013, as someone who 'has a long history of attacking the club'.
It is understood that meetings have been held to discuss this matter, but La Liga are currently awaiting a decision and/or further progress from the EU Commission.
La Liga's complaint against Man City is said to be separate and unrelated to the case relating to the 115 financial charges levelled at the Citizens by the Premier League, with an outcome on that case set to be made public before the end of this season.
Oliver Thomas
