'As I understand...' - Stefan Borson drops verdict on Man City facing 'criminal investigation'
Manchester City may have already settled issues with HMRC relating to payments to former manager Roberto Mancini.
That is according to former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson, who exclusively told Football Insider that the Citizens already sorting the situation is "probable".
As news broke of Man City's 114 charges from the Premier League, it was reported that Mancini, the manager between 2009 and 2013, was also caught up in it.
During his time at the Etihad Stadium, it is believed that he held two contracts, with the first netting him £1.44million a year in Manchester, and the second earning him €1.72m a year in Abu Dhabi.
Al Jazira reportedly paid Mancini for four days of consultancy work per year, with both clubs owned by Sheikh Mansour.
Tax expert Dan Neidle has explained that the Citizens should have paid tax on £12m in wages, suggesting that a criminal investigation could be on its way.
'Man City have probably already settled with HMRC'
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Borson explained that he "wouldn't be surprised" if Man City had already fixed the situation in 2018.
"I'm not sure about criminal investigation. I think the follow-on issues like, 'What about HMRC?', are inevitable," he said.
"Now it's possible and maybe even probable that City have already settled issues relating to Roberto Mancini with HMRC because remember, this has been in public domain since 2018.
"It would not surprise me if they'd already had a letter around 2018 requesting information and a settlement around that matter now eight years ago.
"And because of the numbers involved, largely quite small, I suspect if it had come to that, City would have just paid it. But that's a guess.
"And as I understand it from Dan Neidle's reporting, the tax specialist, he can't see any evidence that they paid it. Now, I've not gone back and checked the accounts.
"I don't know whether it would be broken down anyway, or where it would sit, which company would sit in. So I don't know if they've settled it, but it wouldn't surprise me."
What should Man City's punishment be?
With the Citizens now launching an appeal against the guilty verdict, a conclusion is unlikely to be anywhere close, much to rivals' frustrations.
Keith Hackett, the former chief of the PGMOL, believes that stripping the club of its titles would be a step too far, but not everyone shares that opinion.
Many supporters want the book thrown at Man City after Everton and Nottingham Forest were handed points deductions for small breaches.
The reaction across the Premier League is an understandable one. Fans want explanations of how this was allowed to happen, and City will soon face the music.