Four competitors are seeking damages if she is found guilty

Manchester City are in the dock and an independent special committee is investigating 115 allegations of breaching the Premier League’s financial regulations.

Four rivals of the Citizens, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham have taken formal legal action to claim damages, as reported by Times.

The clubs took this action after being advised by lawyers that there was a potential six-year statute of limitations from November 5, 2018, when Germany’s Spiegel first published documents on the case.

Chelsea did not take this action as they are themselves under investigation for irregular payments to Roman Abramovich. No competitor claimed compensation for this specific action, as there is no statute of limitations.

Although the allegations against City date back to 2009, UK law states that the six-year period begins when they become public knowledge.

So if Manchester City is found guilty the clubs can claim money for the loss of income due to missing out on titles, Champions League qualification or other European competitions, which could earn them many millions of pounds.

Premier League clubs cannot sue each other except through arbitration. It is recalled that five teams claimed compensation when Everton was found guilty. These are Leeds, Leicester, Nottingham, Burnley and Southampton.