Stefan Borson

Tue 4 March 2025 9:12, UK

Manchester City’s operations have faced intense scrutiny following their high-profile legal battles in recent years.

La Liga president Javier Tebas hit the headlines last week after his latest allegations aimed towards the Premier League champions.

Speaking to journalists at The Financial Times’ Business of Football Summit on Thursday (27 February), Tebas accused Man City of an Enron-style deception by hiding their costs in affiliated companies.

The US energy firm’s executives were found to have earned millions from using partnerships to generate false profits and hide its debt.

Tebas said La Liga filed a complaint to the European Commission about the Manchester giants’ behaviour in July 2023, with an investigation currently ongoing over a potential Foreign Subsidies Regulations (FSR) breach.

Former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider the club have warned Tebas about some of his “libellous” statements towards them.

In another legal battle, Man City’s 115 charges case remains ongoing as they wait to hear the independent panel’s verdict following the hearing in late 2024.

They are alleged to have concealed payments through third parties by disguising them as sponsorship revenue.

Man City investigation has already terminated after Javier Tebas claims

Borson revealed Man City will not be happy following Tebas’s latest allegations.

He told Football Insider: “I think he has been warned by City around some of the more libellous statements that he’s made about the club, its owners and its management team.

“It was interesting that he didn’t make any of these statements during his interview under the FT Business Summit that he was present at.

“He made these comments to the media in the lobby, thereby creating the story without anybody necessarily probing him on stage or having a recording of it.

“But clearly, he’s made these comments and I don’t think City will be very happy with being accused of being, in essence, the Enron of Europe. I think City obviously will say ‘It’s all nonsense, look at the accounts, so there is nothing to see here’.

“I suspect that the investigation and the complaint into PSG, and if it was City, would have terminated quite some time ago. The EU has a window in which they can, first of all, start an investigation.

“I think it’s a fairly short window. I think it’s something like 25 days, which they can commence an investigation after a complaint is received. Beyond that, they then have an investigation period that can be extended.

“But I think it’s unlikely that it would have been extended all the way through to 2025 because the complaint was made a long time ago.”

Man City open to selling James McAtee after West Ham reveal

Former Man United chief scout Mick Brown exclusively told Football Insider Man City are open to selling James McAtee at the end of the season.

The 22-year-old has seen his minutes increase since the turn of the year, having previously struggled for opportunities at the Etihad.

The attacking midfielder has now scored six goals in his 21 appearances for Pep Guardiola’s side this season.

Crystal Palace and West Ham targeted McAtee in the January transfer window, while Bayer Leverkusen saw an offer turned down for his services.

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