Manchester City threaten to sue La Liga boss Javier Tebas following accusation of financial doping
MANCHESTER CITY have threatened to sue the boss of La Liga over accusations of financial doping.
The investment of Sheikh Mansour and the Abu Dhabi United Group — including the £50million summer signing of Kyle Walker from Tottenham — has made City the superpower they are today.
But Javier Tebas, the Spanish league’s president, says that is effectively state aid.
Tebas also accused City of cooking the books of Girona, the La Liga club which parent company City Football Group bought a 44 per cent stake in this year.
But furious City have dismissed the president’s claims as “fiction” and “ill-informed” and have warned they could take legal action.
A City club spokeswoman said: “We note the public comments made by Mr Tebas.
“Mr Tebas’ statements are ill-informed and in parts pure fiction.
“As you would expect, Manchester City Football Club and the City Football Group are seeking appropriate legal counsel and will act accordingly on that advice.”
Tebas said City and Paris Saint-Germain should be thrown out of European competition — days after asking Uefa to investigate both clubs’ finances.
He even said PSG were “laughing at the system” after their world-record £198m purchase of Neymar from Barcelona.
Tebas added: “We’ve caught them peeing in the swimming pool. Neymar peed from the diving board. We can’t accept this.
“It is not just about PSG but also Manchester City. I need more money from TV, otherwise Manchester City with its oil will take all these players.
“We are not going to take it to court as the first step, which is filing a complaint with Uefa.
“But if we see there is no future, we will take it to the competition authorities in Brussels and then the Court for Arbitration in Sport.”
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Uefa said on Monday it is not investigating City, but will look into Qatar-owned PSG’s finances.
The Ligue 1 leaders will also pay £162m for Kylian Mbappe next summer after loaning him from Monaco this season.
La Liga newcomers Girona have loaned City’s Pablo Maffeo, Aleix Garcia, Marlos Moreno, Douglas Luiz and Olarenwaju Kayode.
But they did not pay loan fees, angering Tebas who feels they are bending La Liga rules on club budgets.
PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said: “We’re very confident in our position and recruitment.
“We paid everything in a transparent way. We have nothing to hide.”
A French Football League spokesman said: “These unworthy re- marks do not live up to an institution as respectable as La Liga.”